Driving assistance device and driving assistance method

Abstract

To provide a driving support device capable of acting on an animal so as not to obstruct driving according to a discrimination result by discriminating a detected animal.SOLUTION: The driving assistance device includes a sensor configured to detect at least an animal around the vehicle and a position of the animal, an own vehicle position detector configured to detect a position of the vehicle, and a control unit configured to determine the animal detected by the sensor based on wild animal distribution information stored in a storage device and describing a type and distribution information of the wild animal, calculate a distance between the animal and the vehicle, and control driving of the actuator according to at least one of the calculated distance and the position of the animal, and a determination result of the animal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method. [Background technology]

[0002] If you encounter a wild animal while driving, there is a possibility that the wild animal may interfere with your driving or the operation of your vehicle. To prevent this, you need to understand the characteristics of the wild animal and the surrounding environment, determine an effective response method, and then carry it out. This response may sometimes be required to be done instantaneously.

[0003] In such a situation, Patent Document 1 discloses that when the appearance of an animal specific to the area is detected, an alarm is issued to notify the driver and those around, and risk-avoidance driving operations are performed based on the degree of danger assigned to the type of animal. Here, risk-avoidance driving operations include performing any of the following vehicle operations: steering, accelerating, and decelerating the vehicle, changing the driving route, locking the doors, fully closing the windows, and suppressing the vehicle's driving noise.

[0004] Patent Document 2 also discloses a light distribution control device that controls illumination of living organisms in front, and discloses that when an animal is detected, it controls illumination so that it does not illuminate the head but illuminates the feet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-4214 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-4968 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 performs risk avoidance driving according to the type of animal specific to the area, but does not encourage animals to not interfere with driving. Also, there is a concern that the alarm issued to alert people in the vicinity may startle some types of animals. Furthermore, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 aims to keep animals away, but is not tailored to the type of animal, so there is a possibility that it may startle aggressive animals or paralyze timid animals, and it may not be effective for some types of animals.

[0007] The present disclosure discloses technology for solving the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method that can identify detected animals and, based on the identification results, take action against the animals so as not to interfere with driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The driving assistance device of the present disclosure includes: a sensor mounted on a vehicle for detecting at least an animal and its position around the vehicle; a vehicle position detector for detecting the position of the vehicle; wild animal distribution information stored in a storage device and including information on the types and distribution of wild animals; The device is equipped with a control unit that identifies the animal detected by the sensor based on the wild animal distribution information, calculates the distance between the animal and the vehicle, and controls the operation of the actuator according to the calculated distance and / or the position of the animal and the result of the animal identification. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method that can encourage animals not to interfere with driving or the movement of a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a driving assistance device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control unit of the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of the hardware configuration of the control unit of the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of driving an actuator of the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram showing another example of driving the actuator of the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a diagram showing a map showing the control of actuators corresponding to the types of animals provided in the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a diagram showing a map showing the control of actuators corresponding to the size of animals provided in the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving assistance method according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the driving assistance device and the driving assistance method disclosed in this specification will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in each drawing, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted to avoid duplication.

[0012] Embodiment 1 The driving assistance device and driving assistance method according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. <Configuration of driving assistance device and functions of each component>> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a driving assistance device 1 according to the first embodiment. In the figure, the driving assistance device 1 includes a surrounding information detector 10, a vehicle position detector 20, a road information storage unit 30, an information processing device 40, an actuator driving device 50, and an actuator 60. The information processing device 40 identifies animals using surrounding information about the vehicle, including at least animals, detected by the surrounding information detector 10, the position of the vehicle detected by the vehicle position detector 20, and wild animal distribution information 32 stored in the road information storage unit 30, and transmits an actuator drive command to the actuator driving device 50 based on the identification result. The actuator driving device 50 drives the actuator 60. The actuator 60, controlled by the actuator driving device 50, operates to actuate the detected animal so as not to interfere with driving. The information processing device 40 and the actuator driving device 50 constitute a control unit of the driving assistance device 1.

[0013] The surrounding information detector 10 is a sensor attached to the outside of the vehicle OV (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) and detects information including animals around the vehicle. The sensor includes a camera, a millimeter wave sensor, various radars, and LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). It is preferable that the camera be an infrared camera in consideration of night driving. It is also preferable that multiple sensors be installed.

[0014] The vehicle position detector 20 is, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) mounted on the vehicle OV, and detects the position of the vehicle. Alternatively, the position may be acquired from a roadside device (not shown) located near the road.

[0015] The road information storage unit 30 is a storage device (memory) and includes map information 31 and wild animal distribution information 32. The wild animal distribution information 32 is, for example, a map on which the distribution of each wild animal is indicated. Alternatively, the road information storage unit 30 may be a map created from the map information 31 and the wild animal distribution information 32.

[0016] The information processing device 40 includes at least an arithmetic processing unit (processor) or an AI engine, and determines whether or not there are animals around the vehicle OV and the type of the detected animals, based on information about the surroundings of the vehicle OV, including animals detected by the surrounding information detector 10, map information 31 and wild animal distribution information 32 acquired from the road information storage unit 30, and the position information of the vehicle itself detected by the vehicle position detector 20. Based on the type, behavior, etc. of the identified animal, it determines whether there is a possibility that the animal will interfere with driving, and sends a drive command for the actuator 60 to the actuator drive device 50 to prevent this and reduce the risk of a collision between the vehicle OV and the animal, etc.

[0017] The results of the animal identification made by the information processing device 40 and the corresponding operation of the actuator 60 are transmitted to the vehicle driving control unit 2 that controls the driving of the vehicle, and are used to control the steering, speed, etc. of the vehicle. Furthermore, the results of animal identification made by the information processing device 40 can be transmitted to a control server 100 or the like outside the vehicle, and can be disseminated to local bases or the police, etc.

[0018] The actuators 60 are lights 61, a horn 62, a speaker 63, etc. that are mounted on the vehicle OV. When the actuator driving device 50 receives a drive command for the actuators 60 from the information processing device 40, it controls each actuator 60 to perform an operation that does not interfere with driving.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a control unit of a driving assistance device, which includes an arithmetic processing circuit 110 and a storage device 120. Although the storage device is not shown, it may include auxiliary storage devices such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs that execute the functions of each functional unit and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores data of the execution results of each functional unit, which are the results of calculations performed by the programs. An auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk may also be included. The arithmetic processing circuit 110 executes the program input from the storage device 120. In this case, the program is input to the arithmetic processing circuit 110 from the auxiliary storage device via a volatile storage device. The arithmetic processing circuit 110 may output data such as calculation results to a volatile storage device of the storage device 120, or may store the data in the auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device.

[0020] Furthermore, the information processing device 40 and the actuator driving device 50, which are the control unit, are equipped with an input / output circuit 130. Information about the periphery of the vehicle OV, including animals detected by the surrounding information detector 10, map information 31 and wild animal distribution information 32 acquired from the road information storage unit 30, and position information of the host vehicle detected by the host vehicle position detector 20, etc. are input to the input / output circuit 130, and a drive command for the actuator 60 is output to the actuator driving device 50. In addition, the animal discrimination result determined by the information processing device 40 and the corresponding operation (drive command) of the actuator 60 are output to the vehicle driving control unit 2.

[0021] The arithmetic processing circuit 110 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Alternatively, dedicated hardware may be implemented by the arithmetic processing circuit 110. When the arithmetic processing circuit 110 is dedicated hardware, the arithmetic processing circuit 110 may be implemented by, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. Alternatively, the arithmetic processing circuit 110 may be implemented by an AI engine, as described above.

[0022] Furthermore, the information processing device 40 and the actuator driving device 50 may have their respective functional units realized by individual arithmetic processing circuits, or may have them collectively realized as a control unit by a single arithmetic processing circuit. Furthermore, the functional units of the information processing device 40 and the actuator driving device 50 can realize the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, or a combination of these, with some functions being realized by dedicated hardware processing circuits and other functions being realized by software.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the hardware configuration of the control unit of the driving support device, which further includes a communication circuit 140 in addition to the configuration of FIG. The communication circuit 140 is a communication module that complies with a predetermined wide-area wireless communication standard, such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation; fourth generation mobile communication system), or 5G (5th Generation; fifth generation mobile communication system), while the short-range communication unit can use, for example, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications), etc. A certain communication speed is guaranteed for these communications.

[0024] By providing the communication circuit 140, the results of animal identification made by the information processing device 40 as described above can be transmitted to the control server 100 or the like outside the vehicle, and deployed to a local base or the police, etc. Furthermore, in cases where the GNSS sensor of the vehicle position detector 20 cannot acquire the position information of the vehicle, the position of the vehicle can be acquired through communication with surrounding roadside devices, other vehicles, etc. In other words, by using V2X (Vehicle to Something) communication, it becomes possible to easily deploy various types of information outside the vehicle and acquire necessary information.

[0025] <Method of identifying animals and obtaining surrounding information> The acquisition of the types of wild animals and the surrounding environment around the vehicle OV by the information processing device 40 will be described. The information processing device 40 acquires the position of the vehicle from the vehicle position detector 20, and extracts wild animal candidates that may be encountered around the vehicle position based on the wild animal distribution information 32. Next, the surrounding information detector 10 acquires information about the surroundings or traveling direction of the vehicle OV. For example, a camera captures an image of the surroundings or traveling direction of the vehicle OV, and determines whether or not animal X is captured in the captured image. If it is determined that animal X is captured, the characteristics of the animal are determined. This determination may be made using an image processing engine or an AI engine. If the captured animal X is similar to a pre-selected candidate animal, the type of animal is determined. If the captured animal X has characteristics different from the pre-selected candidate animal, candidates are extracted from wild animal distribution information of a wider area, or other wild animals not included in the distribution information at the current location are extracted as candidates, and an animal with similar characteristics is determined.

[0026] Next, the position of the detected animal X is acquired by the surrounding information detector 10. The distance d between the vehicle OV and the animal X can be calculated from the position of the animal X acquired using the camera (stereo camera), millimeter wave sensor, LiDAR, or the like of the surrounding information detector 10 and the position of the host vehicle acquired by the host vehicle position detector 20. The movement and behavior of the detected animal X can be estimated from the change in the position information of the detected animal X over time. If the detected animal X is near the vehicle OV, near the lane in the direction of travel, or moving toward the vehicle or the vehicle's direction of travel, it is determined that the detected animal X may interfere with driving or vehicle travel, and a drive method for the actuator 60 is determined depending on the type of animal.

[0027] Furthermore, when the image captured by the camera of the surrounding information detector 10 is unclear due to dense fog or the like, making it difficult to determine the type of detected animal X, a millimeter wave sensor, LiDAR, or the like may be used to identify the presence or absence of animal X. In this case, it may not be possible to identify the type of animal, but if the characteristics of the animal, such as its size, can be recognized, this may be used to drive the actuator 60. It is preferable to set multiple sizes of animals in advance, such as large, medium, and small, and determine which of these categories the animal falls into.

[0028] The distance between the vehicle OV and the animal X and the distance between the animal X and the lane in the traveling direction, which are used to determine whether the detected animal X may impede driving or vehicle travel, may be changed successively based on speed information obtained separately from the vehicle OV. In addition to the information about the animal X, the surrounding information detector 10 also simultaneously obtains information necessary for determining how to drive the actuator 60, such as whether an oncoming vehicle or person is nearby.

[0029] <Driving Example 1 of Actuator 60> An example in which a light 61 is driven as the actuator 60 will be described. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the animal X1 detected by the surrounding information detector 10 is a raccoon dog and is illuminated with the light 61. Directly illuminating the raccoon dog with light from the light 61 is an effective method for keeping it away from the vicinity of the vehicle OV. Therefore, by driving while illuminating the raccoon dog with light from the light 61, it is possible to prevent the raccoon dog from interfering with the vehicle OV's movement. However, if there are people or other vehicles nearby, the light distribution range may be controlled using an adaptive driving beam (ADB) to prevent the light from being illuminated on them. In FIG. 4, if the range SN indicated by the dashed line is the normal light distribution range, the light distribution range may be limited to the range indicated by the range SNL or the high beam may be cut off.

[0030] As explained above using the example of the animal X1 being a raccoon dog, the drive control of the light 61 is performed as follows. The information processing device 40 determines whether the identified animal X is likely to interfere with driving or the operation of the vehicle OV. If the animal X can be repelled by irradiating it with light using the light 61, the light 61 is used to repel the animal X from the direction of travel or the vicinity of the vehicle. At this time, the illumination method of the light 61 may be changed depending on the situation. For example, ADB or other methods may be used to limit the light to only illuminate the animal X1 to be repelled. As described above, this can prevent dazzling and light pollution when there are people or vehicles nearby. Furthermore, depending on the type of animal, sudden exposure to light can dazzle and paralyze the animal. Therefore, for such animals, illumination near the face may be avoided, or the light intensity may be gradually increased. Conversely, in cases where there are insects that are attracted by light, or where there are aggressive animals that may attack if provoked by light, the light may be turned off or partially turned off using ADB and the illumination area may be limited, or the wavelength range of the light may be adjusted, such as by cutting off the red light, which has a high attracting effect. In other words, changing the light color or using flashing may be used. The use of light at night is thought to be particularly effective for nocturnal animals.

[0031] <Driving Example 2 of Actuator 60> An example in which a horn 62 or a speaker 63 is driven as the actuator 60 will be described. In Figure 5, the animal X2 detected by the surrounding information detector 10 is a deer, and a stimulating sound is emitted from a horn 62 or a speaker 63 to repel the deer from the vicinity or direction of travel of the vehicle OV. The stimulating sound may be pre-recorded and played back. Alternatively, a sound that deer dislikes, such as the sound of a bear, which is a natural enemy, may be used as the stimulating sound to have a high repellent effect. Furthermore, if a person or another vehicle is present, ultrasonic waves or a highly directional speaker 63 may be used to avoid startling or annoying the person.

[0032] In the above description, the animal X2 is a deer, and the driving control of the horn 62 or the speaker 63 is performed as follows. The information processing device 40 determines whether the identified animal X is likely to interfere with driving or the running of the vehicle OV, and if the animal X can be repelled by sounding a stimulating sound using the horn 62 or speaker 63, the stimulating sound is sounded using the horn 62 or speaker 63 to repel the animal X from the direction of travel or the vicinity of the vehicle. At this time, the reproduction method of the stimulating sound from the horn 62 or speaker 63 may be changed depending on the situation. For example, ultrasonic sounds that can only be heard by the target animal X may be used so as not to surprise or annoy people in the vicinity, or a highly directional speaker 63 may be used to reproduce the stimulating sound so that only the target animal can hear it. Sounds that the animal X dislikes, sounds made by its natural enemies, etc. may also be reproduced to have a high repellent effect.

[0033] Furthermore, in the case of a ferocious animal that may attack if provoked by sound, sound output from the horn 62 or speaker 63 is stopped. Furthermore, since engine noise may also be a stimulant, a controlled sound with reduced noise may be played using ANC (Active Noise Control) or the like. It is considered particularly effective to use this during the daytime when stimulating sounds are not a nuisance to people in the vicinity. Even if animal X is not determined to be a ferocious animal, if the wild animal distribution information 32 indicates the possibility of an encounter with a ferocious animal in the area where the vehicle OV is traveling, it is desirable to take the above-mentioned measures.

[0034] <Control map for actuator 60> FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an actuator control map 42 that describes the control of the actuators corresponding to the types of animals provided in the driving assistance device 1 according to this embodiment. For example, in the case of deer mentioned above, it is known that stimulating the eyes of deer with light directly can in fact impede the movement of the vehicle, so a driving method that avoids this is desirable. Bears are mentioned as an example of a ferocious animal that should be avoided from being stimulated. The raccoon dog mentioned above is mentioned as an example of a relatively timid animal that can be easily repelled by being stimulated. In addition, it is also possible to prevent the movement of deer from being impeded by a driving method of the actuator 60 that is effective for preventing the movement of deer depending on the individual species. Crows are given as examples of birds, and moths as examples of insects. Although insects do not pose a significant obstacle to the running or driving of a vehicle, the light irradiation or the like has the effect of making them retreat.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an actuator control map 44 that describes the control of the actuators corresponding to the size of the animal provided in the driving assistance device 1 according to this embodiment. In the information processing device 40, if the type of the detected animal X cannot be determined but the size of the detected animal X can be determined, it is possible to prevent the animal X from interfering with the running of the vehicle by using the driving method of the actuator 60 in this actuator control map 44. If there is an operation that increases the risk for an animal that has a similar size characteristic, it is desirable to avoid that operation and perform an operation that reduces the risk. In addition, although Figure 7 shows an example in which animal sizes are divided into three categories, this is not limited to three. Further subdivision is also possible, and birds may be added to the extremely small category, which is smaller than small, and insects may be added to the extremely small category.

[0036] The information processing device 40 may be provided with such actuator control maps 42, 44 and may select an appropriate actuator 60 and control method for the animal X detected by the surrounding information detector 10 and identified by the information processing device 40. This configuration makes it possible to quickly take action against the identified animal X.

[0037] The information processing device 40 may use audio or video to notify the driver of the vehicle OV of the presence of the animal X. Also, the information processing device 40 may be configured to emit light 61 to improve visibility. By allowing the driver of the vehicle OV to quickly recognize the presence of the animal X, it becomes possible to avoid driving in a way that irritates the animal X, and the possibility of a collision between the animal X and the vehicle OV is reduced.

[0038] Furthermore, the wild animal distribution information may be updated using information on the animal X determined by the information processing device 40. The information on the animal X includes the detected location, type or size, number of animals, and the like.

[0039] <Operation of driving assistance device 1> Next, the operation of the driving support device 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S101, an animal X is detected by the surrounding information detector 10 mounted on a vehicle OV that is moving or stopped. In step S102, the vehicle position detector 20 detects the position of the vehicle. In step S103, the information processing device 40 calculates the distance d between the position of the vehicle OV and the detected animal X.

[0040] In step S104, the information processing device 40 identifies the animal X. First, using the wild animal distribution information 32, the wild animals are collated in order starting from the candidate wild animals, and the type of animal is identified. If the type of animal X cannot be identified from the image acquired by the surrounding information detector 10 (No in step S104), the size of the animal is determined in step S105 according to a preset animal size classification. In step S106, the information processing device 40 uses the actuator control map 44 to transmit an actuator control command corresponding to the size of the animal X whose size has been determined to the actuator driving device 50. The actuator 60 is controlled and driven by the actuator driving device 50.

[0041] In step S104, if the type of animal X can be identified (Yes in step S104), in step S107, the information processing device 40 uses the actuator control map 42 to transmit an actuator control command corresponding to the size of the animal for the identified type of animal X to the actuator driving device 50. The actuator 60 is controlled and driven by the actuator driving device 50.

[0042] In step S108, it is determined whether the distance d between the position of the vehicle OV and the detected animal X is greater than a preset first threshold δd1. The first threshold δd1 is the distance at which the position of the vehicle OV and the detected animal X are close to each other, and if the distance is less than this value, activating the actuator for the detected animal will not be effective in preventing driving interference or may have the opposite effect. The first threshold δd1 may be set for each type and size of animal, or may be written together in the actuator control maps 42, 44.

[0043] In step S108, if the distance d between the position of the vehicle OV and the animal X is equal to or less than the first threshold value Δd1 (No in step S108), the process proceeds to step S109, where the driving of the actuator 60 is stopped. In step S108, if the distance d between the position of the vehicle OV and the animal X is greater than the first threshold value Δd1 (Yes in step S108), the actuator 60 continues to be driven until a preset time Δt has elapsed in step S110.

[0044] In step S110, when a preset time Δt has elapsed since the actuator 60 was driven (Yes in step S110), in step S111 it is confirmed whether the animal X has moved out of the traveling direction of the vehicle OV. For example, if the vehicle OV is stopped, a change in the distance d between the position of the vehicle OV and the animal X is confirmed. If the distance d between the position of the vehicle OV and the animal X becomes smaller than before the actuator 60 was driven, it is determined that the animal X is approaching the vehicle OV, and the drive of the actuator 60 is stopped. If the vehicle OV is moving, it is preferable to make this determination based on the change in the position of the animal X. If the animal X is moving in the approaching direction, the drive of the actuator 60 is stopped.

[0045] If it is determined in step S111 that the animal is retreating away from the vehicle OV or the vehicle's traveling direction (Yes in step S111), it is determined in step S112 whether the distance d between the position of the vehicle OV and the animal X is greater than a preset second threshold value δd2. The second threshold value δd2 is greater than the first threshold value δd1 and is a distance at which it can be confirmed that the position of the vehicle OV and the detected animal X are sufficiently far apart and that the animal X will not obstruct the travel of the vehicle OV. If the distance d between the position of the vehicle OV and the animal X is equal to or less than the second threshold value δd2, the actuator 60 continues to be driven (No in step S112). If the distance d between the position of the vehicle OV and the animal X is greater than the second threshold value δd2 (Yes in step S112), the actuator 60 is stopped from being driven to prevent the animal X from obstructing the travel of the vehicle OV (step S113). Note that steps S101 to S113 are repeatedly executed.

[0046] If the answer is No in steps S110 and S112, this means that the driving of the actuator 60 continues. Also, step S108 may be performed after step S103.

[0047] The criteria for each of steps S108 to S112 are not limited to the above examples. Criteria for not driving the actuator 60, criteria for determining the effectiveness of driving the actuator 60, and criteria for terminating the driving of the actuator 60 to prevent the animal X from impeding its running may be set as appropriate.

[0048] As the driving assistance device 1 operates as shown in this flowchart, it can quickly select an appropriate type of actuator and its driving method in accordance with the identified characteristics of the animal in reference to the actuator control map, making it possible to suppress interference with driving or running caused by animal X. In addition, since appropriate criteria are set to determine whether to stop or continue driving the actuator, it is possible to suppress the impact of light, sound, etc. on the surrounding area and minimize irritation to the animal.

[0049] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the driving assistance device includes a sensor mounted on a vehicle that detects at least animals around the vehicle and their positions; a vehicle position detector that detects the position of the vehicle; wild animal distribution information stored in a storage device that describes the type and distribution of wild animals; and a control unit that identifies animals detected by the sensor based on the wild animal distribution information, calculates the distance between the animal and the vehicle, and controls the drive of an actuator in accordance with the results of the animal identification and at least one of the calculated distance and the animal's position. Therefore, by identifying a detected animal, it is possible to act on the animal so as not to interfere with driving or the vehicle's travel in accordance with the results of the animal identification. Furthermore, since the drive of the actuator is controlled in accordance with the results of the animal identification and at least one of the calculated distance and the animal's position, it is possible to determine whether the animal is likely to interfere with the vehicle's travel based on the animal's behavior and its position relative to the vehicle, and control the drive of the actuator based on the results of the animal identification. This minimizes irritation to the animal. Furthermore, the vehicle can be controlled to avoid collisions with animals, which contributes to the protection of animals and supports smooth vehicle travel.

[0050] Although the present disclosure describes exemplary embodiments, the various features, aspects, and functions described in the embodiments are not limited to application to a particular embodiment, but may be applied to the embodiments alone or in various combinations. Therefore, countless variations not illustrated are contemplated within the scope of the technology disclosed in this specification, including, for example, the modification, addition, or omission of at least one component. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1: driving assistance device, 2: vehicle driving control unit, 10: surrounding information detector, 20: vehicle position detector, 30: road information storage unit, 31: map information, 32: wild animal distribution information, 40: information processing device, 42, 44: actuator control map, 50: actuator driving device, 60: actuator, 61: light, 62: horn, 63: speaker, 100: control server, 110: arithmetic processing circuit, 120: storage device, 130: input / output circuit, 140: communication circuit, OV: vehicle, X, X1, X2: animal.

Claims

1. a sensor mounted on a vehicle for detecting at least an animal and its position around the vehicle; a vehicle position detector for detecting the position of the vehicle; wild animal distribution information stored in a storage device and including information on the types and distribution of wild animals; a control unit that identifies the animal detected by the sensor based on the wild animal distribution information, calculates the distance between the animal and the vehicle, and controls the operation of an actuator based on at least one of the calculated distance and the position of the animal and the result of the animal identification.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit, when unable to identify the animal by type, identifies the animal by size.

3. 3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has a map that describes the relationship between the type or size of the animal and the control method of the actuator, and controls the drive of the actuator using the map and the result of the animal discrimination.

4. 3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the actuators include at least a light, a horn, and a speaker of the vehicle.

5. The driving assistance device according to claim 4 , wherein when a light is used as the actuator, the control unit controls the driving of the light by any one of changing a light color, blinking, and limiting an illumination area.

6. The driving assistance device according to claim 4 , wherein when a speaker is used as the actuator, the control unit controls driving of the speaker by using an ultrasonic sound source or by limiting the direction of the speaker to the direction of the animal.

7. 3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stops the actuator when a distance between the animal and the vehicle becomes smaller after a predetermined time has elapsed after the actuator is driven, or when the distance between the animal and the vehicle becomes smaller than a predetermined distance.

8. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit notifies a driver of the vehicle that the animal has been detected by the sensor.

9. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit updates the wild animal distribution information using the determined type of the animal and the detected location.

10. a communication circuit for communicating with an external device of the vehicle; The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit transmits the result of the animal discrimination and the detected position to an outside of the vehicle.

11. A vehicle driving assistance method, comprising: detecting an animal in the vicinity of the vehicle using a sensor; Calculating the distance between the detected animal and the vehicle; Identifying the type of the detected animal based on wild animal distribution information that describes the type and distribution information of the wild animal, and if the type of the animal cannot be identified, determining the size of the animal; A driving assistance method, comprising controlling the driving of an actuator according to the animal discrimination result and the calculated distance.

12. The driving assistance method according to claim 11, wherein the driving of the actuator is controlled using a map that describes the relationship between the result of the animal discrimination and a control method for the actuator.

13. 13. The driving assistance method according to claim 11, wherein the actuator is stopped when a distance between the animal and the vehicle becomes smaller after a predetermined time has elapsed after the actuator is driven, or when the distance between the animal and the vehicle becomes smaller than a predetermined distance.

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