Driving support system and program

Abstract

To provide a driving support system or the like for properly notifying a driver of traffic regulation information or the like disclosed by the police or the like of each prefecture.SOLUTION: The driving assistance system 1 includes the control means 11 that acquires the scheduled monitoring information related to the implementation schedule of the traffic monitoring activity and the current information that is the information related to the current time, and executes the control to notify the notification information based on the current information and the scheduled monitoring information at the notification timing determined based on the scheduled monitoring information and the current information, and the notification timing includes the timing under the prior situation set to be in the prior situation for the traffic monitoring activity when the current information does not match the scheduled monitoring information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for assisting drivers by providing them with information about traffic monitoring activities. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been known driving assistance systems that store position information of targets to be detected and can detect the vehicle's position using a GPS. These driving assistance systems can issue an alarm to the driver when the vehicle's position and the target's position reach a predetermined positional relationship. Examples of targets include devices that measure vehicle speed and enforcement / checkpoint areas. Driving assistance systems have been proposed that display information about the target on a display or output an audio alarm when the distance to the target reaches a set distance (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In many cases, warning targets such as speed measurement devices and checkpoint areas are installed in dangerous locations where traffic accidents are likely to occur. By issuing a warning when a target is approached, it is possible to notify the driver that they are approaching a dangerous location where traffic accidents are likely to occur, thereby encouraging safe driving. The driving assistance system configured as described above can motivate the driver to drive safely by warning when the target is approached, and is a meaningful system for promoting traffic safety.

[0004] Traffic monitoring activities conducted by the police to promote safe driving, such as enforcement and checkpoints using mobile speed cameras, are conducted at unspecified and irregular locations and periods, unlike speed measurement devices installed as infrastructure. For such traffic monitoring activities, it is also a good idea to memorize locations where traffic monitoring activities have been conducted in the past as landmarks. In this case, when a vehicle approaches such a location, information about the traffic monitoring activity can be provided to the driver. Locations where traffic monitoring activities are conducted are often locations where traffic accidents are likely to occur. By issuing an alert when a vehicle approaches such locations, it is possible to encourage drivers to drive safely and prevent accidents from occurring.

[0005] Prefectural police may publish traffic enforcement information regarding traffic monitoring activities scheduled to be carried out within their jurisdiction. The purpose of publishing traffic enforcement information is to prevent drunk driving by announcing the schedule of alcohol checkpoints during periods when opportunities for drinking increase, such as the end of the year. In recent years, driving assistance systems that acquire and report such traffic enforcement information have been proposed.

[0006] In traffic enforcement information published by prefectural police and other authorities, prefectures, cities, towns, villages, police jurisdictions, roads, etc. are often designated as areas subject to traffic monitoring activities. Some driving assistance systems that report such traffic enforcement information store traffic enforcement information for each prefecture, but also preset which prefecture's traffic enforcement information to report. For example, when power supply is initiated by starting the engine, this driving assistance system reports public enforcement information for a preset prefecture, such as the driver's home location. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-22161 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In a conventional driving assistance system that notifies public traffic enforcement information for the prefecture where the driver's home is located, the public traffic enforcement information for the prefecture, including the driver's home location, is notified even if the driver travels to a location far from the driver's home. This driving assistance system notifies all public traffic enforcement information for that prefecture, including traffic monitoring activities conducted at locations or areas far from the driver's home, as long as the location is within the same prefecture. If traffic enforcement information for distant locations that are less relevant to the driver were included, the amount of information to be notified would be excessive, and there is a risk that important information about traffic monitoring activities conducted near the driver's home would be missed.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a driving support system that appropriately notifies drivers of traffic enforcement information published by prefectural police and other authorities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance system that notifies information to assist vehicle driving, the system comprising: acquiring monitoring schedule information relating to a schedule for carrying out traffic monitoring activities; and current information relating to the present; At a notification timing determined based on the monitoring schedule information and the current information, a control means for executing control to notify information (referred to as notification information) based on the current information and the monitoring schedule information, The notification timing is in a driving assistance system that includes timing under a situation (called a pre-condition) that is set as a pre-condition for traffic monitoring activities when the current information does not match the monitoring schedule information (1).

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance program (18) for causing a computer to realize the functions of the driving assistance system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The driving assistance system according to the present invention issues notification information based on the current information and the monitoring schedule information at notification timing determined based on the current information and the monitoring schedule information. This driving assistance system does not issue the monitoring schedule information as is, but issues notification information based on the current information and the monitoring schedule information. For example, notification information based on current information that reflects driving conditions such as the current location, current time, and vehicle speed can be useful information for the driver who is the target of the notification.

[0013] The notification timing includes a timing of the pre-condition set as a pre-condition for a traffic monitoring activity when the current information does not match the monitoring schedule information. By setting the timing of the pre-condition as the notification timing, the notification information can be notified to the driver who is the notification target at an appropriate timing. If the notification information is notified at such a timing, for example, in a pre-condition where the current information does not match the monitoring schedule information, the driver's attention can be drawn to a traffic monitoring activity that may be relevant to the driver even though it is not currently being carried out, thereby motivating the driver to drive safely.

[0014] On the other hand, if such notification information is provided only based on the prior situation, it is possible to avoid presenting information that is hardly relevant to the driver. By avoiding the provision of information that is hardly relevant in this way and suppressing the amount of information to be provided, it is possible to maintain a high level of attention of the driver to the information to be provided. By maintaining a high level of attention to the notification information, it is possible to prevent the driver from missing the notification information and to make the driver or the like aware of the information with high reliability. It is possible to improve the notification effect of the notification information and to improve awareness of safe driving with high reliability.

[0015] In this way, the driving assistance system according to the present invention is a system that can appropriately notify the driver of information based on surveillance schedule information such as traffic enforcement information published by the police and the like in each prefecture.

[0016] In the present invention, the meaning of the current information not matching the monitoring schedule information may be that the situation specified by the current information does not correspond to the target of the traffic monitoring activity specified by the monitoring schedule information. Examples of cases in which the current information does not match the monitoring schedule information include when the current date specified by the current information is too far outside the monitoring period of the traffic monitoring activity specified by the monitoring schedule information, when the current location specified by the current information is far from the monitoring point where the traffic monitoring activity specified by the monitoring schedule information is to be carried out, or when the current time specified by the current information is too far outside the time period during which the traffic monitoring activity specified by the monitoring schedule information is to be carried out.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, the current information includes driving information that indicates the status of the vehicle or the status around the vehicle (2). Examples of driving information that indicates the vehicle status include vehicle information such as vehicle speed, acceleration, blinker (direction indicator) operation information, seat belt fastening information, etc. The vehicle information may also include various types of vehicle information acquired via an OBD (On-board Diagnostics)-II (II is the Roman numeral "2"; hereinafter referred to as "OBD") connector provided on the vehicle side in accordance with the OBD-II standard, which is a vehicle inspection standard.

[0018] For example, a situation where a vehicle is traveling at a high speed can be judged as a pre-condition for traffic monitoring activities such as speed enforcement. For example, by issuing notification information based on the monitoring schedule information of past speed enforcement by a mobile Orvis or the like, drivers can be made aware of the speed limit and encouraged to drive safely while adhering to the speed limit. For example, a situation where a seat belt is not fastened can be judged as a pre-condition for traffic monitoring activities such as checkpoints. By issuing notification information based on the past traffic safety week and monitoring schedule information of checkpoints, drivers can be encouraged to fasten their seat belts.

[0019] Driving information that indicates the situation around the vehicle includes various types of information, such as information that there is a vehicle traveling ahead, a vehicle approaching from behind, a vehicle traveling alongside, information that the traffic light ahead is red, information that there is a crosswalk ahead, information that there is a pedestrian ahead, information that it is getting dark in the evening, information that it has started to rain, etc. This information can be acquired by detection sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, laser radar, ultrasonic sonar, an imaging camera, a raindrop sensor, an illuminance sensor, and an infrared sensor.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, the monitoring schedule information includes, in addition to first monitoring schedule information in which a monitoring period during which traffic monitoring activities are to be carried out is set in the future, second monitoring schedule information in which a monitoring period during which traffic monitoring activities are to be carried out is set in the past, and In the control means, a situation having a predetermined correlation with the current information is set as the prior situation related to the second monitoring schedule information (3).

[0021] For example, one of the purposes for which the police and other authorities publicize the schedule of traffic monitoring activities is to raise awareness of traffic safety. If second monitoring schedule information regarding past traffic monitoring activities is announced, it is possible to raise drivers' awareness of safe driving by effectively utilizing not only the traffic monitoring activities that are scheduled to be implemented but also the past traffic monitoring activities.

[0022] For example, if the traffic monitoring activity is seat belt enforcement, the situation relevant to the current information may be the situation when information specifying engine start is acquired as current information, or the situation after a predetermined time has passed that is expected to elapse between starting the engine and starting driving (e.g., one minute in summer, five minutes in winter when the engine needs to be warmed up). For example, if the traffic monitoring activity is alcohol control, the situation relevant to the current information may be the situation when information indicating driving away from a downtown area, along with the current time after 6:00 PM, is acquired as current information. For example, if the traffic monitoring activity is intersection-related enforcement, the situation relevant to the current information may be the situation when information indicating stopping at an intersection is acquired as current information.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, the monitoring schedule information includes information about a monitoring period during which traffic monitoring activities will be carried out, while information about a current date and time is acquired as the current information; The prior situation is a situation in which the condition of temporal proximity is met, that is, the current time falls within a predetermined time range excluding the monitoring period during which the traffic monitoring activity is carried out (4).

[0024] The predetermined time range may be a future time range based on the monitoring period. The predetermined time range may also be an earlier time range based on the monitoring period. The current date and time may fall within a time range later than the monitoring period if, for example, the monitoring period has already ended and is in the past. The current date and time may fall within a time range earlier than the monitoring period if, for example, the monitoring period is a future period later than the present and the traffic monitoring activity has not yet been carried out.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, the monitoring schedule information includes, in addition to first monitoring schedule information in which a monitoring period during which traffic monitoring activities are to be carried out is set in the future, second monitoring schedule information in which a monitoring period during which traffic monitoring activities are to be carried out is set in the past, and the predetermined time range for the first monitoring schedule information is set to a time range going back in time from the monitoring period; The predetermined time range for the second monitoring schedule information is set to a range on the elapsed time side of the monitoring period (5).

[0026] If notification information based on the second monitoring schedule information regarding past traffic monitoring activities is provided in addition to the first monitoring schedule information, past traffic monitoring activities can be utilized to raise the driver's awareness of safe driving. In this case, although providing information regarding past traffic monitoring activities that are not relevant to the driver is not very effective, providing a notification under a pre-existing situation that is relevant to the driver can raise the driver's awareness of safe driving.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, the predetermined time range may be set to a different range for each type of traffic monitoring activity (6). For example, it is advisable to set a longer range for traffic monitoring activities that attract a high level of interest from drivers, such as speed enforcement, while setting a shorter range for general traffic monitoring activities, such as traffic safety campaigns.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, the monitoring schedule information includes location information indicating a monitoring point or monitoring area where a traffic monitoring activity is to be carried out, The prior situation is a situation in which the current position of the vehicle, which is one of the current information, does not match the monitoring point or the monitoring area, but the condition of locational proximity is met, that is, the current position is within a predetermined locational range of the monitoring point or the monitoring area (7).

[0029] When the current location is outside the monitoring point or monitoring area, the above-mentioned advance situation can be determined, and thus the notification information can be issued. If the notification information is issued under advance circumstances where such spatial proximity is satisfied, it becomes possible to issue the notification at an early stage when there is a possibility that the vehicle will approach the monitoring point for traffic monitoring activities, and it becomes possible to raise the driver's awareness of safe driving at an early stage. If the notification is issued at an early stage, it is possible to prevent the driver from missing the notification information, and it is possible to ensure that the driver is aware of the information with a high degree of certainty.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, area information representing divided areas into which land is divided is stored, The predetermined positional range is not set to the divided area that includes the monitoring point or monitoring area, but to at least one of other divided areas adjacent to the divided area (8). In this case, a location range for determining the advance situation can be set using the divided area as a unit. The advance situation is not determined for the divided area that includes the monitoring point, but for other adjacent divided areas. The divided area can be set to various areas, such as prefectures, cities, towns, villages, and areas under the jurisdiction of each prefecture.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, route information indicating routes that the vehicle can travel is used to identify routes that pass through the monitoring points or routes whose parts belong to the monitoring area, and these routes are set as the predetermined location range (9). By setting a route that passes through a monitoring point or a route that is partly within a monitoring area as the specified location range, it becomes possible to notify a driver who is driving along that route at an early stage, even if the driver is located far away.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, link information indicating the connection relationship between different routes is used to identify routes that pass through the monitoring point or routes whose parts belong to the monitoring area, as well as other routes that connect to the route, and these routes are set as the predetermined location range (10). By setting up a route that passes through the monitoring point or a route whose part belongs to the monitoring area, as well as other routes that connect to the route, it becomes possible to be notified at an early stage when there is a possibility that a vehicle will enter a route that passes through the monitoring point.

[0033] The predetermined location range may be, for example, a route calculated by a route calculation function of a navigation device or the like that passes through the monitoring point or a route that partially belongs to the monitoring area. The route calculated by the route calculation function is a route that is highly likely to be traveled thereafter. By setting this route as the predetermined location range, if there is a monitoring point or the like on the route or if the vehicle passes through a monitoring area, it will be possible to issue a notification at an early stage even if the vehicle is located far away.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, different conditions are set for each type of traffic monitoring activity as the prior conditions (11). For example, for seat belt enforcement, the pre-condition can be set to when the ignition is on, and for speed enforcement, the pre-condition can be set to when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined speed, and so on.It is also possible to change the pre-condition settings for each type of traffic monitoring activity.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, part of the current information is information acquired by a detection sensor having a detection area facing the outside or the inside of the vehicle (12). Examples of detection sensors include an occupant sensor that detects occupants inside the vehicle, an in-vehicle camera that captures images of the inside and outside of the vehicle, and a radar device or sonar that monitors the front and surrounding areas.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, the notification of the notification information differs depending on whether the notification is about a traffic monitoring activity that is about to be carried out or about a traffic monitoring activity that has already been carried out (13). In a preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention, the notification of the notification information differs depending on whether the notification is about a traffic monitoring activity that is currently being carried out or about a traffic monitoring activity that is scheduled to be carried out or has already been carried out (14). In these cases, the type of notification information can be immediately determined depending on the notification mode, making it possible to provide notifications that are easy for the driver to understand. This allows the driver to recognize the notification information with high reliability even while driving, and reduces the risk of missing the notification information.

[0037] A preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention includes a collection means (15) for collecting information regarding traffic monitoring activity schedules that are electronically published via a communication line and generating the monitoring schedule information. By automatically generating the monitoring schedule information, the cost for generating the monitoring schedule information can be reduced.

[0038] A preferred embodiment of the driving assistance system of the present invention comprises: a computer device including the collection means; an in-vehicle device including the control means, The vehicle-mounted device utilizes the monitoring schedule information generated by the computer device (16). The monitoring schedule information generated by the computer device can be input to an in-vehicle device via a storage medium such as a memory card or wireless communication such as WiFi or Bluetooth.

[0039] A driving assistance system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an on-board device including the collecting means and the control means (17). In this case, there is no need to transfer the monitoring schedule information from the external device to the in-vehicle device, and a very convenient and useful stand-alone device can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the driving assistance system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing monitoring schedule information stored in a third DB in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of a display screen displayed on a display unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a message in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a message in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a main process in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining temporal proximity in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of locational proximity in the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0041] Example 1 This example is an example of a driving assistance system 1 which is one embodiment of the driving assistance system according to the present invention. The details of this system will be described with reference to FIGS. Specific examples of the driving assistance system 1 include in-vehicle devices such as a radar detection system and a car navigation system. The driving assistance system 1 may be a system realized by a single physical device or apparatus, or may be a system realized by combining multiple devices or apparatuses. As shown in Fig. 1, the driving assistance system 1 includes a control unit (control means) 11 that controls the overall operation of the system.

[0042] The control unit 11 is configured to include a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, RTC, peripheral circuits, etc. The control unit 11 is electrically connected to a wireless receiving unit 12, a GPS receiving unit 13, a display unit 14, a speaker 15, a memory unit 16, a card reader 17, etc. The ROM stores programs and the like for causing the control unit 11 to execute predetermined operations. The various functions of the driving assistance system 1 are realized by the microcomputer of the control unit 11 executing the programs.

[0043] The wireless receiving unit 12 is a wireless module for receiving wireless signals, such as radar signals output from speed measurement devices, wireless signals transmitted from traffic enforcement radios, digital wireless signals transmitted between police headquarters and mobile stations, wireless signals used in police-exclusive mobile phone systems, and wireless signals transmitted from emergency vehicles.

[0044] The wireless receiver 12 may be a receiver including a plurality of wireless modules that individually receive wireless signals of different frequencies. When the wireless receiver 12 receives a wireless signal, it detects the signal level of the received wireless signal and outputs the signal level as a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI). The control unit 11 recognizes the signal level of the wireless signal based on the voltage level of the RSSI output from the wireless receiver 12, and can estimate the distance between the subject vehicle and the object that is the source of the wireless signal.

[0045] The GPS receiver 13 is a wireless module for receiving radio signals transmitted from GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 13 detects and outputs position information of the vehicle based on the received radio signals. The position information is the latitude and longitude of the vehicle's position (current position of the vehicle). The control unit 11 identifies the vehicle's position based on the position information output from the GPS receiver 13. Furthermore, the GPS receiver 13 in this example outputs the travel speed as the vehicle speed.

[0046] In the driving assistance system 1 of this example, various pieces of information obtainable by the control unit 11 are handled as current information that indicates driving information such as the vehicle status and the status around the vehicle. The current information includes the current date and time indicated by an RTC (real-time clock), various pieces of received information output by the wireless receiving unit 12, and location information and vehicle speed output by the GPS receiving unit 13.

[0047] When connected to the vehicle's OBD connector (fault diagnosis connector) via an OBD adapter or other device in accordance with the OBD (On-board Diagnostics)-II (II stands for Roman numeral "2," hereafter referred to as "OBD") standard, which is a vehicle inspection standard, current vehicle information such as vehicle speed, engine RPM, engine load factor, ignition timing, intake manifold pressure, intake air flow rate (MAF), injection open time, engine coolant temperature (coolant temperature), air temperature taken into the engine (intake air temperature), outside vehicle temperature (outside air temperature), fuel flow rate, instantaneous fuel consumption, accelerator position (throttle position), turn signal information (operation information for left and right turn signals), brake position, and steering wheel rotation angle can be acquired. Furthermore, detection signals from various detection sensors installed in the vehicle, such as occupant detection sensors, millimeter-wave radar, forward cameras, ultrasonic sonar, and peripheral cameras, can also be captured and treated as current vehicle information.

[0048] The display unit 14 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display, an EL display, etc. The display unit 14 displays a desired image in accordance with the control of the control unit 11. The speaker 15 outputs a desired sound in accordance with the control of the control unit 11 . The card reader 17 is an interface for accessing the SD card 171. The control unit 11 can read information stored in the SD card 171 via the card reader 17.

[0049] The storage unit 16 is a non-volatile storage element that stores various types of information. The storage unit 16 is configured, for example, with an EEPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 16 stores map data, data of images displayed on the display unit 14, data of sounds output from the speaker 15, various databases, etc. The various databases include at least a first DB and a second DB, which will be described next.

[0050] The first DB is a database that stores polygon data that can identify administrative districts based on location information. For example, administrative districts are defined for each city, ward, town, or village, which is smaller than the prefecture unit. Hereinafter, the area represented by an administrative district is also referred to as a partitioned area. The polygon data is associated with area information that identifies the partitioned area.

[0051] The control unit 11 refers to the first DB based on the location information output from the GPS receiving unit 13, and thereby specifies area information for identifying the divided area in which the vehicle is located, in units of cities, wards, towns, and villages. Note that the area represented by the divided area is not limited to cities, wards, towns, and villages. The divided area may represent other areas, such as the area under the jurisdiction of the police of each prefecture or the area of ​​a prefecture.

[0052] The second DB is a database that stores information about targets (referred to as notification targets as appropriate) to be notified to the driver. Examples of targets include speed measurement devices, speed limit change points, enforcement areas, checkpoint areas, no-parking monitoring areas, N systems, traffic monitoring systems, intersection monitoring points, red light ignition prevention systems, police stations, accident-prone areas, vehicle theft-prone areas, sharp / continuous curves (expressways), branch / merging points (expressways), ETC lane advance guidance (expressways), service areas (expressways), parking areas (expressways), highway oases (expressways), smart interchanges (expressways), PA / SA gas stations (expressways), tunnels (expressways), highway radio reception areas (expressways), prefectural border notices, roadside stations, and view point parking areas. The speed measurement devices include speed measurement devices that emit radar waves (microwaves) like radar and speed measurement devices that do not emit radar waves like loop coils.

[0053] The second DB stores, in association with each target object, information indicating the type of the object to be notified, latitude and longitude information indicating the position of the object to be notified, data of a schematic diagram or photograph to be displayed on the display unit 14, and data of the sound to be output from the speaker 15. The control unit 11 refers to the second DB based on the position information output from the GPS receiving unit 13, thereby identifying the object to be notified that is near the vehicle.

[0054] The first DB and the second DB are stored in advance in the storage area of ​​the storage unit 16 at the time of product shipment. After product shipment, the data in the first DB and the second DB can be updated using a well-known method. One method of updating the data is to use the SD card 171 storing the first DB and the second DB. The first DB and the second DB can be read from the SD card 171 inserted in the card reader 17 and stored in the storage unit 16 to update the data. Another method of updating the data is to use various communication functions, such as an infrared communication function, provided in the driving assistance system 1. The updated first DB and the second DB can be obtained by performing infrared communication with an external device and stored in the storage unit 16 to update the data. It is also possible to obtain only the difference data between the old first DB, etc. and the new first DB, etc., and update the data.

[0055] The SD card 171 stores a third DB that stores multiple pieces of monitoring schedule information related to traffic monitoring activities. Traffic monitoring activities are information related to traffic monitoring activities that are conducted irregularly at unspecified locations to promote safe driving, such as police crackdowns and checkpoints. In this example, the driving assistance system 1 references the third DB to identify details of traffic monitoring activities related to the vehicle.

[0056] The detailed data specifications of the third DB will be explained with reference to the example of Figure 2. In the figure, each piece of information stored in indexes 1 to 15 is monitoring schedule information. The monitoring schedule information is information based on public enforcement information published through the homepages (hereinafter referred to as HP) of each prefectural police department across the country. The monitoring schedule information is generated by converting this public enforcement information into data in a predetermined format. In particular, the monitoring schedule information stored in the third DB in this example includes, in addition to monitoring schedule information for which the monitoring period for traffic monitoring activities corresponds to the present, first monitoring schedule information for which the monitoring period is set further in the future than the present, and second monitoring schedule information for which the monitoring period is set further in the past than the present.

[0057] The surveillance schedule information includes the "prefecture" where the traffic surveillance activity will be carried out, the "start date," the "start time," the "end date," the "end time," the "jurisdictional" police station where the traffic surveillance activity will be carried out, the "location" of the activity, and the "display content," which is text-based notification information. For example, in Figure 2, the information at index 2 indicates that enforcement will be carried out in one of the areas of Kuzumaki Town under the jurisdiction of the Iwate Prefectural Police from 12:00 to 18:00 on March 7, 2011. "302" in the "location" is area information that identifies the city, ward, town, or village.

[0058] The "implementation location" in the monitoring schedule information stores area information for identifying the area by municipality. For example, if the information published as the location where traffic monitoring activities will be carried out spans multiple municipalities, such as a "prefectural road," all of the area information identifying the relevant municipality is considered the "implementation location." For example, in the third database in Figure 2, the monitoring schedule information for index 5, where traffic monitoring activities will be carried out on a "prefectural road," includes area information "302 (Kuzumaki Town)," "501 (Karumai Town)," and "209 (Ichinoseki City)," which correspond to the monitoring points, in the "implementation location." In this way, when traffic monitoring activities are published over a wide area, multiple area information is included in the monitoring schedule information. By configuring the monitoring schedule information in this way, the area where traffic monitoring activities will be carried out (monitoring area) can be identified with high accuracy.

[0059] In the driving assistance system 1 of this example, polygon data that can identify area information by city, ward, town, or village is stored in the first DB, and area information of the sectional area where the vehicle is located is identified by city, ward, town, or village based on this polygon data. Both the area information of the sectional area where the vehicle is located and the area information associated as the "implementation location" in the monitoring schedule information are in city, ward, town, or village units. For example, the same area as the sectional area where the vehicle is located and adjacent areas can be uniformly searched for using the "implementation location" in the monitoring schedule information, making it easy to identify monitoring schedule information for traffic monitoring activities being carried out near the vehicle.

[0060] For example, suppose that public enforcement information is published by region, such as "prefectural police jurisdiction" for Prefectural Police A, "area in the direction of ...

[0061] The "display content" that constitutes the monitoring schedule information stores notification information regarding traffic monitoring activities as text information. The notification information stored in the "display content" is used as is as a message to be displayed on the display unit 14 (see Figure 1). The part of the notification information enclosed in [ ] stores a category that indicates the type of traffic monitoring activity. The wording of the notification information in the "display content" is expressed in simple sentences consisting of "what," "when," and "where" so that the content can be understood even by glancing at it while driving. The "what" information is information that indicates the content of the enforcement, such as "speeding," "drunk driving," or "stop sign." The "when" information is information that indicates the time period and date when the traffic monitoring activity will be carried out. The "where" information is information that indicates, for example, the address and route where the traffic monitoring activity will be carried out.

[0062] The control unit 11 displays a message based on the notification information of the "display content" as a caption on the display unit 14 at a predetermined notification timing. As will be described in detail later, in the driving assistance system 1 of this example, the notification timing is determined based on the monitoring schedule information and the current information. The notification information displayed as a message in caption includes the type of traffic monitoring activity ("what"), the period during which the traffic monitoring activity will be carried out ("when"), and the area where the traffic monitoring activity will be carried out ("where"). The message caption allows drivers, etc. to recognize, for example, the priority items of enforcement as the type of traffic monitoring activity. Examples of priority items of enforcement include speeding, overloading, seat belts, drunk driving, and red light ignoring. Furthermore, drivers, etc. can recognize, for example, the police jurisdiction, route, city, town, or village where the traffic monitoring activity will be carried out. Displaying such messages in caption allows drivers to understand the notification information in detail and motivates them to drive safely, paying particular attention to these points.

[0063] Here, we will explain an example of a method for generating the monitoring schedule information stored in the third database. The monitoring schedule information is generated, for example, by an operator digitizing public enforcement information published on the websites of prefectural police departments across the country. When digitizing the monitoring schedule information, as shown in Figure 2, the implementation date, time period, location, type, etc. are extracted from the public enforcement information using as much similar wording as possible, and then the text information, which is notification information, is associated with the information. Because the public enforcement information is published on the websites of each prefectural police department, the monitoring schedule information is organized by prefecture, as shown in the figure. Each piece of information is divided into one entry for each date, time period, jurisdiction, city, town, or village, or enforcement type. Considering the storage capacity limitations of the SD card 171, the monitoring schedule information is digitized concisely. Depending on the public enforcement information, certain items of the information stored in the third database may not be published. Unpublished items are not digitized and remain empty data. The items associated with the monitoring schedule information are not limited to the above example. It is also possible to combine each item to improve the efficiency of generating the information stored in the third database.

[0064] The third DB, which contains the monitoring schedule information generated by digitizing the public enforcement information, can be downloaded by the user from a dedicated website. The downloaded contents of the third DB are stored in the SD card 171. The control unit 11 selects and reads out the monitoring schedule information of the notification target from the monitoring schedule information stored in the third DB.

[0065] The selected monitoring schedule information includes, first, monitoring schedule information whose current information, such as the vehicle's position and the current time, matches the monitoring schedule information, such as the "start date," "start time," "end date," "end time," and "location." Furthermore, monitoring schedule information whose current information, such as the vehicle's position and the current time, does not match the monitoring schedule information, but whose current information is determined to be in the "pre-condition" of the traffic monitoring activity, is also selected. The specific content of the "pre-condition" and the details of the process of displaying a message generated based on the selected and read monitoring schedule information on the display unit 14 will be described later.

[0066] Next, a display screen 20, which is an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 14, will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The display screen 20 has a main display area 21, a first sub-display area 22, and a second sub-display area 23. The main display area 21 is an area for displaying an image showing the positional relationship between the vehicle and an object to be notified. The first sub-display area 22 is an area for displaying the name of the partitioned area in which the vehicle is located. The second sub-display area 23 is an area for displaying messages related to traffic monitoring activities.

[0067] The main display area 21 includes an area 211 for displaying a map image, an area 212 for displaying the type of object to be notified and the distance to the object to be notified, an area 213 for displaying the vehicle's traveling speed, and an area 214 for displaying the display mode and the current time. The map image is an image generated by reading map data of the area around the vehicle's position from the storage unit 16. The range of the map image to be displayed in area 211 of the main display area 21 is determined according to settings made by the driver. A vehicle icon 31 and a target icon 32 are displayed superimposed on the map image displayed in area 211. The vehicle icon 31 is an icon display that indicates the position of the vehicle relative to the map image. The control unit 11 identifies the vehicle's position using the position information output from the GPS receiving unit 13, and displays the vehicle icon 31 superimposed on a location on the map image that corresponds to the vehicle's position.

[0068] The target icon 32 is an icon display for indicating the position of the notification object on the map image. The figure displayed inside the target icon 32 indicates the type (category) of the notification object. The control unit 11 identifies the position of the notification object based on the second DB, and displays the target icon 32 superimposed on a location on the map image corresponding to the position of the notification object. The type of the notification object and the distance to the notification object are displayed as text in the area 212.

[0069] When the distance from the vehicle to the object to be notified becomes shorter than a predetermined distance, the control unit 11 reads out data of a schematic diagram or a photograph according to the type of object to be notified from the second DB and displays it superimposed on the map image. Furthermore, the control unit 11 reads out audio data according to the object to be notified from the second DB and outputs it from the speaker 15. For example, when a speed measurement device approaches within 500 m, the control unit 11 reads out data of a schematic diagram or a photograph of the speed measurement device from the second DB and displays it superimposed on the map image, and also reads out audio from the second DB saying, "Speed ​​measurement device 500 m ahead. Watch your speed" and outputs it from the speaker 15.

[0070] The control unit 11 determines whether an object to be notified is near the vehicle based on the voltage level of the RSSI signal output from the wireless receiving unit 12. The RSSI signal level increases in proportion to the strength of the wireless signal received by the wireless receiving unit 12. The control unit 11 determines whether the distance from the vehicle to the object to be notified is shorter than a predetermined distance by making a threshold judgment on the RSSI. When the control unit 11 determines that the distance is shorter than the predetermined distance, it reads out a schematic diagram or photograph data from the second DB according to the type of object to be notified and displays it superimposed on the map image. Furthermore, it reads out audio data according to the object to be notified from the second DB and outputs it from the speaker 15. For example, when an emergency vehicle approaches within a predetermined distance, it reads out a schematic diagram or photograph data of the emergency vehicle from the second DB and displays it superimposed on the map image, and it also reads out an audio message saying, "This is an emergency vehicle. Watch your speed" from the second DB and outputs it from the speaker 15.

[0071] The driving assistance system 1 of this example, which operates as described above, can notify the driver that there is an object to be notified near the vehicle. The driver can recognize the object to be notified near the vehicle by visually checking the main display area 21. By notifying the driver of the approach to an object to be notified, which is often installed in dangerous places where traffic accidents are likely to occur, safe driving can be encouraged when approaching a dangerous place.

[0072] A map image is displayed in the main display area 21, allowing the driver to grasp geographical information about the area around the vehicle. For example, by grasping the surrounding road environment, the driver can reduce the driving speed in advance or pay sufficient attention to the surrounding environment. In this way, the driving assistance system 1 of this example is capable of presenting the driver with information necessary for safe driving along with the notification information message.

[0073] The control unit 11 aligns the position of the host vehicle icon 31 and target icon 32 displayed in the area 211 of the main display area 21 with the map image, and displays them in synchronization. The display position of the host vehicle icon 31 is fixed in the lower center of the area 211. The orientation of the map image is set so that the vehicle's traveling direction is at the top. If the host vehicle's traveling direction changes (turns), the map image rotates accordingly. If the host vehicle moves forward, the map image scrolls downward (so-called heading-up display). Note that this type of display control is realized by utilizing map display control in a car navigation system, that is, control for appropriately scrolling the map image while fixing the host vehicle's position in the center of the screen.

[0074] The name of the demarcated area in which the host vehicle is located is displayed in the first sub-display area 22. The control unit 11 identifies the area information of the demarcated area in which the host vehicle is located by referring to the first DB based on the position information output from the GPS receiving unit 13. The name of the demarcated area corresponding to the identified area information is displayed in the first sub-display area 22. The driver can recognize the demarcated area in which the host vehicle is located by visually checking the name displayed in the first sub-display area 22.

[0075] The second sub-display area 23 displays a message (alert information) as alert information regarding traffic monitoring activities. This message is text-based alert information generated based on the monitoring schedule information stored in the third DB stored on the SD card 171. The message includes information such as the date and time of enforcement, the type of enforcement, and the location of enforcement (route, jurisdiction, etc.). Note that since there are slight differences in the content of the public enforcement information released by each prefectural police department, the displayed content may differ depending on the prefecture. If the number of alert information items included in the message is two or more and the message has a large number of characters, the control unit 11 displays the message in caption format in the second sub-display area 23.

[0076] Specific examples of messages displayed in the second sub-display area 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in the figures, the message 41 includes multiple phases (first phase 42 and second phase 43) divided into categories of scheduled monitoring information. The first phase 42 and second phase 43 each include one or more pieces of alarm information. When multiple pieces of alarm information are included in one phase, they are arranged in order. In FIG. 4, "XX information" and "△△ information" correspond to each piece of alarm information. A title indicating an overview of the alarm information is added to the beginning of each phase.

[0077] In this way, the message displayed in the second sub-display area 23 is information created by classifying multiple pieces of notification information to be notified to the driver by type (category). This message allows the driver to recognize notification information related to traffic monitoring activities by distinguishing them by category. Note that the number of characters that can be registered in one phase is limited to, for example, 128 full-width characters (256 bytes in byte count). Setting such a character limit makes it easier for the driver to understand the content while driving.

[0078] If the number of characters registered in one phase exceeds 128, the notification information is divided into more detailed categories. For example, in Figure 5, the notification information is divided into a first phase titled "<<Public Enforcement Information Aichi Prefectural Police>>" and a second phase titled "<<Traffic Regulation Information Aichi Prefectural Police>>". The first phase stores information related to "enforcement" (corresponding to the monitoring schedule information of indexes 2 and 3 in Figure 2).

[0079] Generally, when viewing the display unit 14 while driving, it is difficult for a driver to continuously view the display unit 14 for a long period of time. Therefore, if many messages are displayed on the display unit 14 at once, the driver or the like may not be able to accurately recognize the messages. In contrast, the driving assistance system 1 of this example scrolls messages that do not fit in the second sub-display area 23, thereby reducing the amount of information displayed at one time and preventing the above-mentioned problem from occurring. In this driving assistance system 1, messages that are notification information created based on the monitoring schedule information are categorized and scroll-displayed in the second sub-display area 23. This reduces the amount of information in messages displayed at one time in the second sub-display area 23 and allows the displayed text to be larger. Even when the driver repeatedly views the display unit 14 at short intervals while driving, the driver can accurately recognize messages displayed in the second sub-display area 23.

[0080] For example, when the message 41 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed in the second sub-display area 23, the first phase 42 (title, XX information (first item), XX information (second item)) is sequentially scrolled in the second sub-display area 23, and when the scrolling display of the first phase 42 is completed, the second phase 43 begins. When there are no more phases remaining, the scrolling display is repeated in order from the first phase 42. Since the scrolling display is repeated multiple times, the driver can recognize the message when it is repeatedly displayed even if he or she misses it at first.

[0081] Of the messages, the title of the first phase 42 is displayed first in the second sub-display area 23, and at the same time, an alarm sound (beep, beep) is output from the speaker 15. This notifies the driver that a message, which is notification information, is being displayed in the second sub-display area 23.

[0082] When the partition area in which the vehicle is located changes as the vehicle travels and the message displayed in the second sub-display area 23 is updated, an alarm sound is similarly output from the speaker 15. This allows the driver to reliably recognize the updated message by looking at the display unit 14 when notified by the alarm sound. In this way, the driving assistance system 1 can prevent the driver from overlooking the updated message.

[0083] The control unit 11 changes the scrolling speed when scrolling messages in the second sub-display area 23 according to the vehicle speed (vehicle traveling speed). For example, when the vehicle speed is high, it is possible to imagine a driving situation in which the driver is unable to keep their eyes on the display unit 14 for a long period of time. In such a case, the scrolling speed of the message is slowed down so that the driver can understand even a simple sentence. This allows the driver to reliably recognize the message within a short period of time. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed is low, it is possible to imagine a driving situation in which the driver is able to keep their eyes on the display unit 14 for a relatively long period of time. In such a case, the scrolling speed of the message is increased. This allows the driver to reliably recognize a large number of messages. Furthermore, when the vehicle is stopped, the scrolling speed of the message is further increased so that the driver can also view various public enforcement information.

[0084] Furthermore, when displaying a message in the second sub-display area 23, the control unit 11 displays the message in a different display color depending on whether the traffic monitoring activity in question is currently being carried out, has been carried out, or is scheduled to be carried out. Messages for currently being carried out traffic monitoring activities are red, messages corresponding to scheduled activities are yellow, and messages corresponding to completed activities are blue. Alternatively, for example, the text display color may be kept constant while the display mode may be varied by changing the background color of the second sub-display area 23. Alternatively, an indicator lamp may be provided to indicate whether the activity is currently being carried out, is scheduled to be carried out, or has been carried out, and one of the indicator lamps may be lit while the message is being displayed to vary the display mode.

[0085] The first sub-display area 22 displays the name of the area in which the vehicle is located, allowing the driver to recognize both the message displayed in the second sub-display area 23 and the area. For example, if traffic monitoring activities are conducted over a wide area, the driver can confirm which part of the entire area in which the monitoring activities are conducted corresponds to the location of the vehicle. For example, assume that a route has been announced as an area in which traffic monitoring activities are conducted. Suppose the vehicle moves and enters the area to which the announced route belongs. At this time, the first sub-display area 22 displays the name of the area in which the vehicle is located. The second sub-display area 23 displays a message including the announced route. By referring to the map image displayed in the main display area 21, the driver can easily identify the location of the route included in the message from within the area whose name is displayed in the first sub-display area 22 and recognize the positional relationship between the vehicle and the route. By determining whether the vehicle is approaching a route, the driver can identify areas where special attention should be paid to safe driving and continue driving.

[0086] Next, the main processing executed by the control unit 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. When the driving assistance system 1 is powered on, the control unit 11 executes a program stored in the ROM to execute the main processing. In response to the start of the main processing, the control unit 11 first acquires position information output by the GPS receiving unit 13 and identifies the latitude and longitude of the vehicle position based on the position information to identify the vehicle position on the map image (S101). Next, the control unit 11 acquires area information of the partitioned area in which the vehicle is located by referring to the first DB in the storage unit 16 based on the acquired position information (S102), and stores the area information in the RAM.

[0087] The control unit 11 generates a map image of the surrounding area including the vehicle's position based on the map data stored in the storage unit 16. The map image is displayed in an area 211 of the main display area 21 on the screen of the display unit 14 (S103). The size of the map image displayed in the area 211 is adjusted based on conditions preset by the driver. The control unit 11 then displays a vehicle icon 31 superimposed on a portion of the map image that corresponds to the vehicle's position identified in S101 (S104). By visually checking the map image and the vehicle icon 31 displayed in the main display area 21, the driver can grasp geographical information about the surrounding area including the vehicle's position.

[0088] Based on the area information acquired in S102, the control unit 11 identifies the name of the sectional area in which the vehicle is located, in units of city, ward, town, or village. The name of the sectional area is identified by referring to a correspondence table between area information and names pre-stored in the memory unit 16. The name of the identified sectional area is displayed in the first sub-display area 22 on the screen of the display unit 14 (S105). The driver can recognize the sectional area in which the vehicle is located, in units of city, ward, town, or village, by visually checking the name displayed in the first sub-display area 22.

[0089] Next, the control unit 11 identifies current information such as the current date and time (date and time) (S106). For example, the current date and time is obtained from a real-time clock (RTC) not shown. Next, the control unit 11 reads out the third DB stored in the SD card 171 and refers to the monitoring schedule information stored in the third DB (S107). Then, based on the monitoring schedule information stored in the third DB read out from the SD card 171, a message serving as notification information to be displayed in the second sub-display area 23 is generated as follows:

[0090] Among the monitoring schedule information stored in the third DB of the SD card 171, the monitoring schedule information that matches the current information such as the vehicle position (area information) and the current date and time, and the monitoring schedule information whose current information is judged to be in the "pre-situation" are selected. For example, when selecting monitoring schedule information that matches the current information, first, the control unit 11 extracts monitoring schedule information that has the same area information as the area information identified in S102 associated as the "implementation location." The control unit 11 identifies the monitoring period during which traffic monitoring activities will be carried out based on the "start date," "start time," "end date," and "end time" (see FIG. 2) associated with the monitoring schedule information, and selects monitoring schedule information that meets the condition that the current date and time is included in the monitoring period. For example, when selecting monitoring schedule information that is determined to be in a "pre-situation" that satisfies temporal proximity, first, the control unit 11 extracts monitoring schedule information that is associated as an "implementation location" with the same area information as the area information corresponding to the vehicle's position (identified in S102). The control unit 11 identifies the monitoring period during which traffic monitoring activities will be carried out based on the "start date," "start time," "end date," and "end time" (see FIG. 2) associated with the monitoring schedule information, and selects monitoring schedule information whose current date and time satisfies temporal proximity to the monitoring period. The content of temporal proximity will be described in detail later. For example, when selecting monitoring schedule information corresponding to other adjacent defined areas that is determined to be in a "pre-condition" that satisfies the locational proximity requirement, the control unit 11 first identifies the monitoring period of each monitoring schedule information and extracts monitoring schedule information whose monitoring period includes the current date and time. The control unit 11 selects monitoring schedule information in which the area information of other defined areas adjacent to the defined area containing the vehicle's location is associated as an "implementation location" as monitoring schedule information that satisfies the locational proximity requirement. The locational proximity requirement will be described in detail later.

[0091] If no monitoring schedule information is selected (S108: NO), the process returns to S101 without generating any notification information (message) to be displayed in the second sub-display area 23. On the other hand, if one or more pieces of monitoring schedule information are selected (S108: YES), notification information to be displayed in the second sub-display area 23 is generated based on the monitoring schedule information as follows (S109).

[0092] The control unit 11 sorts the selected scheduled monitoring information by type (category) of traffic monitoring activity. A title indicating an overview of each category is added to the beginning of the notification information sorted by category. The most suitable title is selected from a plurality of titles prepared in advance. The most suitable title is selected, for example, as follows: A table associating titles with categories is stored in advance in the memory unit 16. When the notification information is sorted by category, the title corresponding to each sorted category is identified by referring to the table stored in the memory unit 16. The identified title is added to the beginning of the sorted scheduled monitoring information as the most suitable title indicating the category. In this way, each phase that makes up the message is created and stored in RAM.

[0093] Next, the control unit 11 determines the vehicle speed (S110). In this example, the travel speed output by the GPS receiver 13 is treated as the vehicle speed. Alternatively, the vehicle speed may be determined based on an acceleration sensor (not shown) or on OBD data acquired via an OBD connector on the vehicle side. The control unit 11 determines the scroll speed for scrolling the message generated in S109 in accordance with the vehicle speed. Specifically, the scroll speed is determined to be inversely proportional to the vehicle speed. The control unit 11 scrolls the message in the second sub-display area 23 at the determined scroll speed (S111). This control ensures that the message can be recognized even during a short period of time, such as a brief glance, by slowing the scroll speed when the vehicle speed is high and the driver cannot continuously view the display unit 14 for a long period of time. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed is low, the scroll speed is fast, allowing a large number of messages (alert information) to be displayed. When the vehicle speed is low, the driver can continuously view the display unit 14 for a relatively long period of time, so there is little chance that messages will be missed, even if a large number of messages are displayed. When a message is scrolled in the second sub-display area 23 for the first time, an alarm sound is output from the speaker 15.

[0094] The control unit 11 determines whether the area information acquired in S102 has changed as the vehicle moves. Whether the area information has changed is determined by whether the area information previously stored in RAM differs from the area information currently stored. If the area information has changed, there is a possibility that the message created in S109 has been newly updated. Therefore, the control unit 11 determines whether the message created in S109 has been newly updated (S112). Whether the message has been updated can be determined by whether the message previously stored in RAM differs from the message currently stored.

[0095] If there are no changes to the message created in S109 (S112: NO), the process returns to S10. On the other hand, if the message has been newly updated (S112: YES), an alarm sound is output from the speaker 15 (S122). Outputting the alarm sound in this manner can attract the driver's attention to the second sub-display area 23, making it possible for the driver to recognize the newly updated message with a high degree of certainty. In the driving assistance system 1 of this example, such measures are taken to prevent the updated message from being overlooked. After the alarm sound is output, the process returns to S101.

[0096] In the main processing, for example, a predetermined wait time (e.g., one second) may be set when returning to S101 after S108, S112, and S122. Also, for example, in the main processing, if the vehicle's travel distance becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined distance after S108, S112, and S122, the processing may be configured to return to S101. The vehicle's position may be repeatedly identified in S10, and messages may be repeatedly generated based on the identified vehicle position. This configuration reduces the processing load on the control unit 11, while enabling messages related to monitoring activities to be accurately generated and displayed.

[0097] The driving assistance system 1 of this example configured as described above can select scheduled monitoring information that is determined to be in the "prior situation" from among the scheduled monitoring information that does not match current information such as the vehicle's position or the current time, and display a message. In this driving assistance system 1, scheduled monitoring information that has a certain degree of relevance is treated as important information related to the driver, even if the scheduled monitoring information does not match the vehicle's position or is related to traffic monitoring activities that were carried out in the past.

[0098] Examples of prior situations where current information such as the vehicle's position and the current date and time do not match the scheduled monitoring information but have a predetermined relationship with the corresponding traffic monitoring activity are described below. The prior situations include (1) a prior situation where temporal proximity is satisfied, (2) a prior situation where location proximity is satisfied, and (3) a prior situation where there is a relationship with the current information.

[0099] (1) A prior situation in which temporal proximity is satisfied. An example of a "prior situation" that satisfies the temporal proximity is a situation in which, although the current time does not fall within the monitoring period, traffic monitoring activities have been carried out in the past or traffic monitoring activities are scheduled within the partitioned area in which the vehicle is located. For example, with regard to monitoring schedule information regarding seat belt enforcement that was carried out in the past, such as last month or last week, within the partitioned area in which the vehicle is located, the situation represented by the current information is determined to be a "prior situation" that satisfies the temporal proximity and is selected.

[0100] A pre-condition in which temporal proximity is satisfied is a condition in which the current time falls within a predetermined time range that is based on, but does not include, a monitoring period during which traffic monitoring activities are carried out. As shown in Figure 7, the predetermined time ranges that do not include the monitoring period (the range circled zero in the figure) are the range circled 1 in the figure, which goes back in time from the monitoring period, and the range circled 2 in the figure, which goes forward in time from the monitoring period.

[0101] For example, in Figure 7, a situation in which the current time (e.g., inverted triangle box 1 in the figure) falls within the range of circled 1 is the "pre-situation" for the traffic monitoring activity in the range of circled zero. In this "pre-situation," the monitoring period during which the traffic monitoring activity will be carried out is set to a future time beyond the present time of inverted triangle box 1 in the figure. Therefore, in this "pre-situation" in which the current time falls within the range of circled 1, information regarding the traffic monitoring activity in the range of circled zero becomes the first monitoring schedule information. On the other hand, for example, in Figure 7, a situation in which the current time (e.g., inverted triangle box 2 in the figure) falls within the range of circled 2 also becomes a "prior situation" for the traffic monitoring activity in the range of circled zero. In this "prior situation," the monitoring period for the traffic monitoring activity is set in the past, prior to the present of inverted triangle box 2 in the figure. Therefore, in this "prior situation" in which the current time falls within the range of circled 2, information about the traffic monitoring activity in the range of circled zero becomes the second monitoring schedule information.

[0102] For example, with regard to the monitoring schedule information for seat belt enforcement in the area where the vehicle is located, not only the monitoring schedule information currently being implemented or scheduled to be implemented, but also the monitoring schedule information that has already been implemented can be treated as being in a "pre-situation" that satisfies the temporal proximity. For example, it is also good to notify the frequency of enforcement and the most recent time of enforcement, such as "Seat belt enforcement was conducted in the afternoon of XX / XX in the jurisdiction of XX Police Station. Please make sure your seat belt is fastened." By implementing such notifications, it is possible to "raise awareness" of enforcement on a daily basis.

[0103] Even if the past traffic monitoring schedule information has already been implemented, there is a possibility that a similar enforcement operation will be implemented again in the same location. Alternatively, information regarding the next traffic monitoring activity may not be published as public enforcement information. Therefore, messages regarding past traffic monitoring activities such as those described above are useful references for drivers to ensure safe driving. Past traffic monitoring schedule information that has already been implemented, etc., is selected because it meets the condition of temporal proximity, even though current information such as the current time does not match the monitoring schedule information.

[0104] To select past scheduled monitoring information, an embedded database such as SQLite, which is commonly used in smartphones (multi-function mobile phones), can be installed, and information such as date and time, location coordinate range, and enforcement details can be stored in a table. Naturally, past scheduled monitoring information must be retained for a certain period of time. For example, by setting location as a search key, it is possible to select scheduled monitoring information whose location information from the GPS receiver 13 is included in the "location coordinate range" in the table. Search keys are not limited to location; vehicle information such as time and vehicle speed can also be used. For example, by setting time as a search key, it is possible to search for enforcement activities from the current time onward within a relatively wide range (e.g., prefecture-wide) including the vehicle's current location. For example, a notification such as "XX enforcement was conducted in the XX area during the coming time period, XX days ago. Please be careful." It is also possible to provide notifications using messages related to future scheduled monitoring information (first monitoring schedule information) corresponding to traffic monitoring activities scheduled to be conducted, in addition to past scheduled monitoring information (second monitoring schedule information) corresponding to traffic monitoring activities that have already been conducted. Such notifications allow drivers and others to know in advance of upcoming enforcement events several days in advance.

[0105] It is also possible to display messages in a way that allows the driver to distinguish whether the message is about monitoring schedule information for past traffic monitoring activities or about monitoring schedule information for future traffic monitoring activities. For example, changing the display color or background color of the message makes it easier for the driver to distinguish. The predetermined time range may be set differently for each type of traffic monitoring activity. For example, a longer time range may be set for a traffic monitoring activity of high importance, such as speed enforcement, while a shorter time range may be set for a traffic monitoring activity of low importance, such as a traffic campaign.

[0106] (2) the prior circumstances under which spatial proximity is met; An example of a "prior situation" that satisfies spatial proximity is when the zoning area in which the vehicle is located is adjacent to a zoning area targeted by traffic monitoring activities, and the current time is within or immediately before that monitoring period. For example, with regard to monitoring schedule information regarding seat belt enforcement currently being conducted in another zoning area adjacent to the zoning area in which the vehicle is located, the situation represented by the current information is determined to be a "prior situation" that satisfies spatial proximity. It is preferable that a message based on the seat belt enforcement monitoring schedule information be displayed in a way that identifies it as traffic monitoring activity currently being conducted in an adjacent zoning area. For example, it is preferable to change the display color of the message or the background color to indicate that the monitoring schedule information matches the current information.

[0107] A pre-condition in which locational proximity is satisfied is a condition in which the vehicle position, which is one of the current information, does not coincide with a monitoring point or monitoring area, but is within a predetermined locational range of the monitoring point or monitoring area. For example, instead of a sectional area that includes a monitoring point or monitoring area (a circled area zero in FIG. 8), at least one of the sectional areas adjacent to the sectional area (circled areas 1 to 6 in FIG. 8) may be set as the predetermined locational range. Note that, although each area is illustrated as a regular hexagon in FIG. 8, the shape of each area may vary.

[0108] For example, if the vehicle is located outside the demarcated area associated with the monitoring schedule information, but is within a predetermined distance from the demarcated area within a few hours, and the extension of the vehicle's direction of travel intersects with the demarcated area, the monitoring schedule information associated with the demarcated area may be determined to be a "pre-condition." In this case, the driver can be made aware of the scheduled enforcement action associated with the monitoring schedule information in advance before entering the demarcated area associated with the monitoring schedule information. For example, if the traffic monitoring activity is a stop enforcement action, the notification information regarding the stop enforcement action will be notified in advance at the notification timing when current information is acquired indicating that the vehicle has stopped at an intersection in another demarcated area where the enforcement action is expected to be implemented. By associating the situation of being stopped at an intersection with the traffic monitoring activity being a stop enforcement action, the driver can be notified in advance of the stop enforcement action, thereby impressing upon the driver the need to be careful when passing through the intersection.

[0109] For example, a route that passes through a monitoring point or a route that partly belongs to the monitoring area may be set as a predetermined location range that satisfies the locational proximity. Naturally, in order to set such a location range, it is necessary to store route information representing roads, for example, in the first DB. For example, in addition to a route that passes through a monitoring point or a route whose part belongs to the monitoring area, other routes that connect to the route may be set as the predetermined location range. Naturally, in this case, link information that indicates the connection relationship between different routes must be stored in the first DB.

[0110] For example, the predetermined location range may be a route to a destination that passes through a monitoring point or a route that partially belongs to a monitoring area. To set such a location range, for example, a navigation function that calculates the route to the destination or route guidance information, which is the route calculation result, must be provided from a separate navigation device. By utilizing this route guidance information, it becomes possible to determine that the monitoring schedule information for traffic monitoring activities in which a monitoring point is located in a partitioned area to which the route to the destination belongs is included in the "pre-situation." Furthermore, link information indicating the connection relationship between roads may be stored in the first DB. By utilizing the link information, it becomes possible to select other routes that are connected to the route the vehicle is currently traveling and that the vehicle may enter. It becomes possible to determine that the monitoring schedule information for traffic monitoring activities in which a monitoring point is located in a partitioned area to which the selected other route belongs is included in the "pre-situation."

[0111] (3) Prior circumstances relevant to the current information. It is also possible to set a situation that has a predetermined correlation with current information as a pre-condition for traffic monitoring activities. For example, a situation in which vehicle speed (current information) is high may be judged as a pre-condition for traffic monitoring activities such as speed enforcement. For example, if notification information based on monitoring schedule information for past speed enforcement by a mobile speed camera or the like is issued, it is possible to make drivers aware of the speed limit and encourage safe driving that adheres to the speed limit. In this case, for example, even if (1) temporal proximity or (2) spatial proximity is not met, it may be judged as a pre-condition and a notification may be issued. This will motivate drivers to be careful not to drive too fast. For example, it is also possible to judge the situation of not wearing a seat belt as a pre-condition for traffic monitoring activities such as checkpoints. By notifying the driver of notification information based on past traffic safety weeks and monitoring schedule information such as checkpoints, it is possible to encourage the driver to wear a seat belt.

[0112] Current information (driving information) that indicates the situation around the vehicle includes various types of information, such as information that there is a vehicle traveling ahead, a vehicle approaching from behind, a vehicle traveling alongside, information that the traffic light ahead is red, information that there is a crosswalk ahead, information that there is a pedestrian ahead, information that it is getting dark as evening approaches, information that it has started to rain, etc. This current information can be acquired by detection sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, laser radar, ultrasonic sonar, an imaging camera, a raindrop sensor, an illuminance sensor, and an infrared sensor.

[0113] For example, when a vehicle is traveling ahead, it may be possible to issue a warning that the vehicle is in a traffic information situation where the vehicle is in an accident-prone area, thereby urging the driver's attention. This can prevent rear-end collisions and other accidents from occurring. For example, if it is detected that the vehicle is approaching an intersection where pedestrians are walking, or if the driver is not looking ahead when approaching an intersection, it may be possible to issue information about past stop sign enforcement. This can call attention to pedestrians and intersections, improving traffic safety.

[0114] In addition, regarding the "prior situation" based on locational proximity or temporal proximity, a notification may be issued when either one of the proximity conditions is met. In this case, if the amount of information to be notified becomes excessive, a notification may be issued when either the locational proximity or the temporal proximity condition is met and a pre-situation related to the current information exists. For example, a "prior situation" may be set based on a combination of locational proximity and temporal proximity. For example, even if neither the vehicle position nor the current time matches the monitoring schedule information, monitoring schedule information that satisfies the locational proximity condition and the temporal proximity condition is selected. For example, it becomes possible to select monitoring schedule information related to seat belt enforcement that was previously implemented in a partitioned area adjacent to the partitioned area in which the vehicle is located, and a corresponding message can be displayed.

[0115] The following timing may be set as the notification timing for displaying a message as notification information: For example, if there is monitoring schedule information related to seat belt enforcement for the zone where the vehicle is located or an adjacent zone, the notification information related to seat belt enforcement may be notified at the time when the vehicle ignition is switched on and power supply to the driving assistance system 1 starts.

[0116] It is also possible to acquire a vehicle signal (vehicle information) indicating that a seat belt is fastened as current information. The necessity of issuing a notification regarding seat belt enforcement differs depending on whether the seat belt is fastened or not. When the seat belt is not fastened, the notification can be made by, for example, outputting a chime sound when issuing a notification to indicate that the information is important, or by repeatedly issuing a notification. On the other hand, when the seat belt is fastened, the notification can be made simply as if it were general information, or the notification can be stopped.

[0117] When the vehicle speed (current information) exceeds the speed limit while traveling on a public road, if there is monitoring schedule information regarding speed enforcement for the zoned area in which the vehicle is located or an adjacent zoned area, it is also possible to notify the driver of the speed enforcement information at the time when the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit. When approaching an intersection while traveling on a general road, if there is monitoring schedule information related to a traffic safety campaign, it is also possible to notify traffic safety information by using the approach to the intersection as the notification timing. Note that the approach to an intersection can be detected based on the map information or road route information stored in the first DB and the location information acquired by the GPS receiver 13.

[0118] According to the driving assistance system 1 of this example, it is possible to notify information about traffic monitoring activities "in advance" in situations that are not subject to traffic monitoring activities related to the public enforcement information. Examples of cases in which information is notified "in advance" include cases in which the public enforcement information is future information and the current information is outside its scope, but is notified as a preliminary step to traffic monitoring activities, and cases in which past (already implemented) public enforcement information related to the current information is notified to allow the driver to foresee (become aware of) the information.

[0119] In this way, the driving assistance system 1 of this example notifies the driver of inconsistent location monitoring schedule information or past monitoring schedule information under conditions that have a predetermined correlation with the current situation. For example, if a notification is made based on past monitoring schedule information, it is possible to make the driver aware that enforcement related to the current situation has been conducted in the past, and therefore that caution is required. Even if the public enforcement information is related to traffic monitoring activities that have already been conducted, the driver can use this after-the-fact information to make prior predictions and estimates about traffic monitoring activities.

[0120] According to this driving assistance system 1, it is possible to provide the driver with information not only about traffic monitoring activities that are currently being carried out, but also about traffic monitoring activities that will be carried out in the future and traffic monitoring activities that have been carried out in the past. Furthermore, it is possible to provide the driver with information about traffic monitoring activities that are located in the same place as the vehicle's position, as well as about traffic monitoring activities that are not located in the same place but are relevant to the current situation. The driver can grasp not only monitoring activities that are being carried out near the vehicle, but also traffic monitoring activities that may be carried out in the future, traffic monitoring activities that have been carried out in the past, and traffic monitoring activities that will be carried out in distant locations, and can therefore be more careful when driving in areas where traffic accidents are likely to occur.

[0121] The driving assistance system 1 of this example can identify the area in which the vehicle is located by city, ward, town, or village. The driving assistance system 1 can identify the vehicle's location in more detail by city, ward, town, or village, regardless of whether the vehicle is on a highway or an ordinary road, and can present useful information to the driver.

[0122] The driving assistance system 1 can identify the sectional area covering the area where monitoring activities are to be carried out, based on the third DB stored in the SD card 171. The third DB stores monitoring schedule information to which one or more pieces of area information are associated. The area information of the sectional area in which the vehicle is located and the area information of the sectional area included in the monitoring schedule information are both defined on a city, ward, town, or village basis. The driving assistance system 1 can uniformly identify, based on the third DB, whether monitoring activities are being carried out in the sectional area in which the vehicle is located. This driving assistance system 1 can easily and reliably identify and notify the driver of information messages regarding monitoring activities being carried out near the actual location of the vehicle.

[0123] The display unit 14 displays only messages (alert information) necessary for the driver. This prevents the driver from overlooking necessary information due to the display of numerous unnecessary messages. Even when areas where surveillance activities are to be carried out are publicly announced as "within the jurisdiction of police station," "in the direction of police station," "along Route 1," etc., the driving assistance system 1 can identify whether the vehicle has entered a city, ward, town, or village that includes at least the publicly announced area. This is because the surveillance schedule information stored in the third DB corresponds to area information for the zoned area where traffic surveillance activities are to be carried out on a city, ward, town, or village basis. Therefore, the driving assistance system 1 can generate a message appropriate for the vehicle's location based on the surveillance schedule information and notify the driver. The driver can easily grasp information about surveillance activities being carried out near the vehicle's location.

[0124] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and various modifications are possible. For example, the driving assistance system 1 may not include the wireless receiver 12. The driving assistance system 1 may determine the distance between the notification object and the vehicle based on the voltage level of the RSSI output from an externally attached wireless receiver. The driving assistance system 1 may not include the GPS receiver 13. The driving assistance system 1 may determine the vehicle position based on position information output from an externally attached GPS receiver. The driving assistance system 1 may not include the display 14 and the speaker 15. The driving assistance system 1 may display a desired image on an external display by controlling an external display. The external display may be, for example, a display of a car navigation system attached to the vehicle. The driving assistance system 1 may output a desired sound from an external speaker by controlling the external speaker. The external speaker may be, for example, a speaker attached to the vehicle.

[0125] For example, a situation where a vehicle speed is high, as identified as current information, may be judged as a pre-condition for traffic monitoring activities such as speed enforcement. For example, by issuing notification information based on monitoring schedule information for past speed enforcement by a mobile Orvis or the like, it is possible to raise drivers' awareness of the speed limit and encourage safe driving that adheres to the speed limit. For example, current information that a seat belt is not fastened may be judged as a pre-condition for traffic monitoring activities such as checkpoints. By issuing notification information based on past traffic safety weeks or monitoring schedule information for checkpoints, it is possible to encourage drivers to fasten their seat belts.

[0126] Examples of prior situations related to current information include, for example, in the case of seat belt enforcement, the situation when current information specifying engine start is acquired, and the situation when a predetermined time has passed since the engine started, which is expected to be the time until driving begins. For example, if the traffic monitoring activity is alcohol enforcement, the prior situation could be the situation in which current information indicating driving away from a downtown area is acquired along with the current time after 6:00 PM. For example, if the traffic monitoring activity is intersection-related enforcement, the prior situation could be the situation in which current information indicating stopping at an intersection is acquired.

[0127] The content of the message that serves as notification information to drivers is not limited to the public enforcement information published by each prefectural police station, but may also be, for example, information published by each regional development bureau (regulation details, route, address, date and time, etc.).

[0128] The operator may create a third DB based on the published public enforcement information as follows: If the published public enforcement information meets the following conditions (1) and (3), or the following conditions (2) and (3), the operator creates monitoring schedule information in which various items are associated. (1) When the city, town or village where surveillance activities are carried out is made public as public enforcement information. (2) When the jurisdiction or area where surveillance activities are carried out is made public as public enforcement information. (3) When the date and time of the surveillance activities are published as public enforcement information.

[0129] In the above description, the operator creates the third DB containing the monitoring schedule information based on the published public traffic enforcement information. Naturally, the present invention is not limited to this. The third DB containing the monitoring schedule information may be automatically created by a server (computer device) equipped with a collection means for collecting traffic enforcement information and generating monitoring schedule information. Specifically, this may be implemented as follows. Furthermore, if the vehicle-mounted device has wireless communication capabilities, it may be possible to download the monitoring schedule information from this server or the third DB itself.

[0130] Public enforcement information published via the websites of each prefectural police station is acquired by a server connected to the Internet. The server, for example, periodically checks the websites of each prefectural police station at pre-stored URLs (e.g., once a day) to determine whether the public enforcement information has been updated. If the public enforcement information has been updated, the server acquires the public enforcement information from the page at that URL. From the multiple pieces of public enforcement information on the acquired public enforcement information page, the server extracts monitoring schedule information and each piece of information associated with the monitoring schedule information ("Prefecture," "Start Date," "Start Time," "End Date," "End Time," and "Jurisdiction"). The server extracts multiple pieces of information from the page and associates them with the monitoring schedule information to create information such as that shown in Figure 2. The created information is stored in the server's memory.

[0131] The areas where surveillance activities are carried out as published in the public enforcement information are, for example, "prefectures," "prefectures," "route," etc., and are often different from the units of the district areas defined for each city, ward, town, or village, which are the units of the "implementation locations" associated with the surveillance schedule information. In such cases, the server identifies the "implementation locations" to be associated with the surveillance schedule information as follows.

[0132] The server pre-stores in its memory a correspondence table that associates the areas where traffic monitoring activities are conducted (such as prefectures, jurisdictions, and routes; hereinafter referred to as "public areas"), which are published as public enforcement information by each prefectural police, with area information identified by city, ward, town, or village, which is a common unit among prefectural police. The area information associated with the public areas includes at least area information for the partitioned areas where traffic monitoring activities are actually conducted. For example, multiple area information may be associated with one public area. When the server acquires public enforcement information from the website of each prefectural police station, it extracts the public areas included in the acquired public enforcement information. Then, it references the correspondence table stored in the memory and identifies area information corresponding to the extracted public area. The identified area information is associated with the monitoring schedule information as the "implementation location." Furthermore, the monitoring schedule information is associated with the "prefecture," "start date," "start time," "end date," "end time," and "jurisdiction" extracted from the public enforcement information. The monitoring schedule information, with which various information is associated, is then stored in the memory. Note that the method for identifying the partitioned areas is not limited to the method described above.

[0133] The message displayed in the second sub-display area 23 may include information other than the monitoring schedule information, such as information about events such as intensive months, seasonal trends, and customs, as well as road regulation information (construction regulations, traffic regulations due to disasters). For example, by displaying road regulation information, the driver can avoid restricted routes beforehand. Note that information other than traffic monitoring activities is stored on the SD card 171 along with the third DB, and this information may be read out and stored in the message.

[0134] The titles and monitoring schedule information stored in each phase of the message displayed in the second sub-display area 23 may be sorted by background color or colored text according to the type of monitoring activity, the period during which the monitoring activity is carried out, and the area in which the monitoring activity is carried out, or may be prefixed with an icon, so that they are easy to understand even when they are arranged consecutively and scrolled. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, the total number of items may be added to the title, and the page number may be added to each piece of monitoring schedule information, so that the entire message can be grasped.

[0135] The driving assistance system 1 may also generate a message to be displayed in the second sub-display area 23 in the following case. Assume that monitoring schedule information not associated with an "implementation location" is stored in the third DB. From such monitoring schedule information, all monitoring schedule information in which the same prefecture as the prefecture in which the vehicle is located is associated as the "prefecture" is extracted. The period in which traffic monitoring activities will be carried out is identified based on the "start date," "start time," "end date," and "end time" (see Figure 2) associated with the extracted monitoring schedule information. Within the identified period, monitoring schedule information that includes the current date and time identified in S106 is selected, and a message is created based on the selected monitoring schedule information. The driving assistance system 1 selects monitoring schedule information related to monitoring activities being carried out in the prefecture in which the vehicle is located and generates a message.

[0136] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail as examples, these specific examples merely disclose examples of the technology encompassed by the claims. Needless to say, the scope of the claims should not be interpreted as being limited by the configurations, numerical values, etc. of the specific examples. The claims encompass technologies that are obtained by variously modifying, changing, or appropriately combining the specific examples using publicly known technology and the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 1. Driving assistance systems 11 Control unit (control means) 12 Radio receiver 13 GPS receiver 14 Display section 15 Speaker 16 Memory section 17 Card Reader 171 SD card 41 Messages

Claims

1. A driving assistance system that notifies information to assist driving of a vehicle, a control means for acquiring monitoring schedule information relating to a schedule for implementing traffic monitoring activities and current information which is information relating to the present, and for controlling the notification of notification information which is information based on the current information and the monitoring schedule information at a notification timing determined based on the monitoring schedule information and the current information; The control means executes the notification when a predetermined situation is met in which both locational proximity and temporal proximity are satisfied. A driving assistance system characterized by:

2. 2. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the notification timing includes a timing when the current information does not match the monitoring schedule information and the vehicle is in the predetermined situation. A driving assistance system characterized by:

3. 3. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, The current information includes driving information representing the status of the vehicle; The control means selects and notifies notification information associated with a type of traffic monitoring activity included in the monitoring schedule information in accordance with the driving state represented by the driving information. A driving assistance system characterized by:

4. 4. The driving assistance system according to claim 3, wherein the association includes issuing a notification regarding speed enforcement when the vehicle speed is high, and issuing a notification regarding a checkpoint when the seat belt is not fastened. A driving assistance system characterized by:

5. 5. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, The current information includes information representing the driver's attention state, To alert drivers by notifying them of information about past stop sign enforcement when they are approaching an intersection and their eyes are not looking ahead. A driving assistance system characterized by:

6. 6. The driving assistance system according to claim 5, wherein the attention state is determined based on information acquired by an imaging camera. A driving assistance system characterized by:

7. 7. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the notification information message is displayed in a manner that allows the notification information message to be identified as monitoring schedule information for a traffic monitoring activity being carried out in an adjacent partitioned area. A driving assistance system characterized by:

8. In a driving assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the display color or background color is changed to display whether the message is a message about past monitoring schedule information or a message about future monitoring schedule information so that the driver can distinguish it. A driving assistance system characterized by:

9. A program for causing a computer to function as the driving assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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