Notification device, notification method, and program

Abstract

To perform appropriate notification according to a physical condition by separating a chronic physical condition and a temporary physical condition.SOLUTION: A communication terminal 1 functioning as a notification device includes an information acquisition unit 11 that acquires biological information Db of a driver D who is a user at time intervals, an intelligent function evaluation unit 12 that evaluates a first physical condition indicating a relatively long-term physical condition of the driver D on the basis of a plurality of pieces of biological information Db in a predetermined period acquired by the information acquisition unit 11, a conversation unit 14 that performs voice output for prompting a voice response of the driver D when it is detected that the driver D gets on a vehicle 100, and a notification control unit 16 that notifies notification information corresponding to the physical condition of the driver D on the basis of a combination of an evaluation result of the intelligent function evaluation unit 12 and an evaluation result of the voice evaluation unit 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide access to sustainable transportation systems that take into consideration vulnerable traffic participants have been gaining momentum. To achieve this, efforts are being made to further improve traffic safety and convenience through research and development of preventive safety technologies. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose safe driving support devices that use biometric information, including imaging results, respiration, and pulse waves, and vehicle information, to estimate the driver's cognitive state or provide advice or warnings to the driver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-200544 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-145868 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In preventive safety technology, it is desirable to take necessary measures according to the driver's physical condition, which affects the driver's cognitive ability and judgment ability. One of the necessary measures is to accurately detect the user's physical condition and provide notifications according to the detected physical condition. The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems by distinguishing between chronic and temporary physical conditions and providing appropriate notifications tailored to the physical condition, thereby further improving traffic safety and contributing to the development of sustainable transportation systems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a notification device that includes a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires a user's biometric information at time intervals; a first physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a first physical condition that indicates the user's relatively long-term physical condition based on multiple pieces of biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit over a predetermined period of time; an audio output unit that outputs audio to prompt the user to respond when it is detected that the user is getting into a target vehicle; a second physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a second physical condition that indicates the user's relatively short-term physical condition based on the user's audio information responding to the audio output; and a notification control unit that notifies the user of notification information corresponding to the user's physical condition based on a combination of the evaluation results of the first physical condition evaluation unit and the second physical condition evaluation unit.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a notification method executed by a notification device, comprising: a biometric information acquisition step of acquiring a user's biometric information at time intervals; a first health condition evaluation step of evaluating a first health condition indicating the user's relatively long-term health condition based on multiple pieces of biometric information acquired over a predetermined period in the biometric information acquisition step; an audio output step of outputting audio to prompt the user to respond with audio when it is detected that the user is getting into a target vehicle; a second health condition evaluation step of evaluating a second health condition indicating the user's relatively short-term health condition based on the user's audio information in response to the audio output; and a notification control step of notifying notification information corresponding to the user's health condition based on a combination of the evaluation results of the first health condition evaluation step and the evaluation results of the second health condition evaluation step.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer-controlled notification device to function as: a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires a user's biometric information at time intervals; a first physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a first physical condition that indicates the user's relatively long-term physical condition based on multiple pieces of biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit over a predetermined period of time; an audio output unit that outputs audio to prompt the user to respond when it is detected that the user is getting into a target vehicle; a second physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a second physical condition that indicates the user's relatively short-term physical condition based on the user's audio information in response to the audio output; and a notification control unit that notifies notification information corresponding to the user's physical condition based on a combination of the evaluation results of the first physical condition evaluation unit and the second physical condition evaluation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to distinguish between chronic physical conditions and temporary physical conditions and to provide appropriate notification according to the physical condition. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage mode of a communication terminal. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the items to be evaluated, a plurality of intellectual functions, and driving advice items. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a notification method executed by a communication terminal. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the driving risk determination process and the notification process during driving. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the dialogue process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [1. Usage of communication terminal 1] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication terminal 1 is attached via a terminal holder 150 to a position in front of the driver D, who is the user, inside the vehicle 100. The communication terminal 1 is a portable device such as a smartphone, mobile phone, or tablet terminal, and can be carried by the driver D. The vehicle 100 is a four-wheeled vehicle and is an example of a target vehicle of the present disclosure. Note that the target vehicle may be a moving body other than a four-wheeled vehicle, such as an airplane, a motorcycle, or a ship.

[0011] The driver D wears a wearable device 5. The wearable device 5 is a device such as a smart watch that is worn on the wrist, arm, or head, or a wearable smart innerwear or a sensing device that is attached to the body or epidermis, and includes a vital sensor 6 and a communication unit 7. The vital sensor 6 is a sensor that continuously measures the biological information Db of the driver D at time intervals. The vital sensor 6 includes a sensor that can measure the biological information Db related to the sleep, exercise, and stress of the driver D, and includes a group of sensors that can measure, for example, the heart rate, wrist skin temperature that is an indicator of body temperature, an electrocardiogram, blood oxygen concentration, activity level, and information related to sleep.

[0012] The communication unit 7 is a unit that performs wireless communication with the communication terminal 1, and performs short-range communication in accordance with specifications such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and UWB (Ultra Wide Band). The wearable device 5 uses the communication unit 7 to transmit measured biological information Db to the communication terminal 1. Information about the communication terminal 1, which is the communication destination, is registered in advance in the communication unit 7.

[0013] The vehicle 100 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 110 that controls the operation of each part of the vehicle 100, a communication unit 120, a navigation device 121, a front camera 130 that takes images in front of the vehicle 100, a driver monitor camera 131 that takes images of the driver D, a display 132, speakers 133a and 133b, an acceleration sensor 134, and the like. The ECU 110 communicates with the communication terminal 1 via the communication unit 120. The vehicle 100 includes a steering wheel 140, an accelerator pedal 141, a brake pedal 142, and the like as driving operation parts that the driver D operates when driving.

[0014] The communication terminal 1 can detect the behavior of the vehicle 100, which changes in response to the operation of the driving operation unit, that is, the operation of the steering wheel 140, the accelerator pedal 141, and the brake pedal 142 by the driver D, using an acceleration sensor 32 (see FIG. 2 ) built into the communication terminal 1. The notification device 2 may detect the behavior of the vehicle 100 by acquiring the detection result of the acceleration sensor 134 provided in the vehicle 100.

[0015] The communication terminal 1 notifies the user of notification information based on the biological information Db detected by the wearable device 5, etc., on a display 34 provided in the communication terminal 1. Furthermore, the communication terminal 1 has various functions that are generally provided in a smartphone, such as a map display function that displays map information including the current value on the display 34, a route guidance function that provides route guidance from the current value to a destination set by the driver D, and a music playback function. Note that the communication terminal 1 may also have a function that displays the advice information and map information on the display 132 of the vehicle 100.

[0016] [2. Configuration of communication terminal 1] The configuration of the communication terminal 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The communication terminal 1 includes a control unit 3 having a processor 10 and a memory 20, a communication unit 30, a camera 31, an acceleration sensor 32, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor 33, a display 34, a speaker 35, a microphone 36, and the like.

[0017] The communication unit 30 has a communication module that performs wireless communication with an external device. The communication unit 30 includes a communication module that performs short-range wireless communication in accordance with specifications such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and UWB (Ultra Wide Band) between the vehicle 100 and the wearable device 5. The communication unit 30 also includes a communication module that communicates with a traffic information server 210 and a service providing server 211 via a communication network 200 such as a mobile communication network. Information about the vehicle 100 and the wearable device 5, which are the communication destinations, is registered in advance on the communication unit 30 side.

[0018] The camera 31 can capture an image of the driver D when the communication terminal 1 is attached to the terminal holder 150 (see FIG. 1). The acceleration sensor 32 detects, for example, six axes (acceleration in each of the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions, and angular velocity about each axis). The GNSS sensor 33 detects the current position of the communication terminal 1. When the communication terminal 1 is attached to the terminal holder 150, the position detected by the GNSS sensor 33 becomes the current position of the vehicle 100. The display 34 is visible to the driver D when the communication terminal 1 is attached to the terminal holder 150 (see FIG. 1). The display 34 is a touch panel, and the driver D can operate the communication terminal 1 by touching the display 34.

[0019] The memory 20 stores application programs 21 for the communication terminal 1, map information 22 including roads, a biometric information database 23 (hereinafter referred to as biometric information DB23) that stores biometric information Db acquired from the wearable device 5 in chronological order, and an exercise behavior information database 24 (hereinafter referred to as exercise behavior information DB24) that stores driving behavior information Dv described below in chronological order. The processor 10 is a computer that controls the communication terminal 1, and by reading and executing the program 21, it functions as an information acquisition unit 11, an intellectual function evaluation unit 12, an entry detection unit 13, a dialogue unit 14, a voice evaluation unit 15, a notification control unit 16, and a vehicle control unit 17, etc.

[0020] The information acquisition unit 11 acquires the biological information Db measured by the wearable device 5 using the communication unit 30, and records the acquired biological information Db in the memory 20. The memory 20 also records the measurement date and time of the biological information Db. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires information acquired by the camera 31, the acceleration sensor 32, the GNSS sensor 33, and the microphone 36, and records the information in the memory 20. The information acquired by the camera 31 is, for example, facial image data of the driver D, and the facial image data may be used as biometric information Db that identifies the physical condition of the driver D, etc.

[0021] The information acquired by the acceleration sensor 32 is information indicating the behavior of the vehicle 100 in response to the operation of the steering wheel 140, the accelerator pedal 141, and the brake pedal 142 by the driver D, that is, driving behavior information Dv indicating the driving behavior of the driver D. The driving behavior information Dv is continuously acquired at time intervals and recorded in the memory 20. In addition, the information acquisition unit 11 is not limited to a configuration in which it acquires driving behavior information Dv using the acceleration sensor 32 of the communication terminal 1, and may acquire driving behavior information Dv acquired by the acceleration sensor 134 of the vehicle 100 using short-range communication.

[0022] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 11 can acquire information on the communication network 200 by using the communication unit 30. For example, the information acquisition unit 11 can acquire road traffic information Dt provided by the traffic information server 210 and various types of provided information provided by the service providing server 211. The provided information provided by the service providing server 211 includes, for example, test information (e.g., health checkup information) on the physical and cognitive functions of the driver D provided by a medical institution, advice provided by a medical institution, and information that can identify the external environment of the driver D and the vehicle 100 (weather information, etc.). The test information may be used as biological information Db.

[0023] The intellectual function evaluation unit 12 performs processing to evaluate a plurality of intellectual functions related to the physical condition of the driver D and related to the driving ability of the driver D, based on the biological information Db. More specifically, the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 has a calculation unit 12a that calculates evaluation values ​​of a plurality of intellectual functions consisting of planning ability 311, perception ability 312, attention ability 313, judgment ability 314, and operation ability 315 shown in Fig. 3, based on the biological information Db, evaluates the plurality of intellectual functions based on the calculated evaluation values, and detects whether the physical condition of the driver D is good or not based on these evaluations.

[0024] Figure 3 shows the relationship between the items to be evaluated, the multiple intellectual functions evaluated by the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 (planning ability 311, perceptual ability 312, attention ability 313, judgment ability 314, and operating ability 315), and the driving advice items (first driving advice item 321 to fifth driving advice item 325). The biological information Db obtained by the vital sensor 6 includes information that affects sleep 304, exercise 305, and stress 306 shown in Fig. 3, so the status of sleep 304, exercise 305, and stress 306 can be estimated from the biological information Db. The driving behavior information Dv includes information on accelerator operation 301, brake operation 302, and steering operation 303 shown in Fig. 3, so the status of accelerator operation 301, brake operation 302, and steering operation 303 can be estimated from the driving behavior information Dv.

[0025] 3, planning ability 311 is particularly related to sleep 304, perception ability 312 is related to sleep 304, accelerator operation 301, brake operation 302, and steering operation 303. Attention ability 313 is related to sleep 304, exercise 305, stress 306, accelerator operation 301, brake operation 302, and steering operation 303, and judgment ability 314 and operation ability 315 are related to sleep 304, exercise 305, accelerator operation 301, brake operation 302, and steering operation 303.

[0026] Using these relationships, the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 scores the sleep 304, exercise 305, and stress 306 of the driver D based on the biological information Db of the driver D, acquires first physical condition information corresponding to the evaluation value for each intellectual function based on the relationships shown in Fig. 3, and compares each piece of first physical condition information with a predetermined threshold to determine whether each intellectual function is good or not. If the majority of the intellectual functions are good (three or more), the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 determines that the physical condition related to the intellectual function of the driver D (hereinafter referred to as the first physical condition as appropriate) is good, and if less than half of the intellectual functions are good (two or less), it determines that the first physical condition of the driver D is poor.

[0027] In this description, the term "physical condition" is not limited to the narrow sense, but includes information indicating at least one of physical condition and health in the broad sense. Furthermore, a known method may be applied as appropriate to the evaluation process of the first physical condition, including the calculation process of the evaluation value for each intellectual function. Furthermore, test information (e.g., health check information) of the physical functions and cognitive functions of the driver D may be obtained from the service providing server 211, and the evaluation of each intellectual function and the first physical condition may be performed based on the biological information Db including this test information. Furthermore, the intellectual functions may be changed, increased or decreased as appropriate. Furthermore, the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 evaluates the planning ability 311, perception ability 312, attention ability 313, judgment ability 314, and operation ability 315 based on the driving behavior information Dv, and can also evaluate the physical condition of the driver D by taking into consideration both this evaluation and the evaluation based on the biological information Db.

[0028] Next, the driving advice items shown in FIG. 3 will be described. The first driving advice item 321 is an item for which driving advice is suitable when the planning ability 311 or the attention ability 313 is low, and is, for example, the operating speed of the accelerator pedal 141 when starting off. The second driving advice item 322 is an item for which driving advice is suitable when the planning ability 311 or the judgment ability 314 is low, and is, for example, the operating speed of the brake pedal 142 when stopping.

[0029] The third driving advice item 323 is an item for which driving advice is suitable when the perceptual ability 312, attention ability 313, or judgment ability 314 is low, and is, for example, the operating speed of the steering wheel 140 when winding or overtaking a vehicle. The fourth driving advice item 324 is an item for which driving advice is suitable when the attention ability 313 is low, and is, for example, the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead.

[0030] The fifth driving advice item 325 is an item for which driving advice is suitable when the perceptual ability 312, the judgment ability 314, or the operation ability 315 is low, and is, for example, swaying of the vehicle 100 from side to side. The manner in which these driving advice items are used will be described later.

[0031] Returning to FIG. 2, the entry detection unit 13 detects the timing when the driver D gets into the vehicle 100 (hereinafter referred to as the entry timing), thereby performing a process of detecting whether the driver D is before getting into the vehicle or is in the vehicle. The process of detecting the entry timing is not particularly limited, but for example, the entry detection unit 13 acquires image information from a camera inside the vehicle 100 (e.g., the driver monitor camera 131) or a camera provided in the vehicle 100 that captures images of the outside of the vehicle, and detects the entry timing of the driver D using image recognition technology. The entry detection unit 13 may also receive a signal from a weight sensor provided in the driver's seat from the vehicle 100, and detect the entry timing of the driver D based on the received signal.

[0032] The dialogue unit 14 performs dialogue processing to dialogue with the driver D. The dialogue processing is processing to use the speaker 133a to output dialogue audio to prompt a voice response from the driver D. This dialogue processing includes processing to collect voice information of the driver D using the microphone 36. In this embodiment, the dialogue processing is executed at the timing when the driver D gets in, or immediately before or immediately after the timing when the driver D gets in, which is detected by the boarding detection unit 13. This makes it possible to acquire voice information of the driver D at the time of boarding, immediately before boarding, or immediately before boarding, that is, to acquire voice information of the driver D immediately before driving.

[0033] The voice evaluation unit 15 performs a process of acquiring voice physical condition information related to the physical condition of the driver D by performing a voice analysis of the voice information of the driver D acquired through the dialogue processing. The content of this processing is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, voice features are extracted and an arithmetic process is performed to calculate information indicating the vitality and mental stability of the driver D from the extracted features, thereby acquiring the voice physical condition information indicating the vitality and mental stability. Then, based on the voice physical condition information, the voice evaluation unit 15 determines whether the physical condition (appropriately referred to as the second physical condition) affected by the vitality and mental stability is good or not. The processing performed by the voice evaluation unit 15 is not limited to the above processing, and a wide range of processing can be applied to obtain information that can be used to evaluate the physical condition of the driver D from the voice of the driver D.

[0034] The notification control unit 16 generates notification information corresponding to the physical condition of the driver D based on a combination of the evaluation results of the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 and the evaluation results of the voice evaluation unit 15, and displays the generated notification information on the display 34, or emits a voice corresponding to the notification information from the speaker 133a. The vehicle control unit 17 has a control function for the vehicle 100, and more specifically, is capable of controlling the driving assistance functions of the vehicle 100 by communicating with the vehicle 100 using the communication unit 30. The driving assistance functions include an automatic braking function, a lane keeping assist function, and adaptive cruise control (ACC).

[0035] [3. Operation of communication terminal 1] The notification method executed by communication terminal 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 4. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 is repeatedly executed at appropriate interrupt timings when application program 21 is being executed. Furthermore, when wearable device 5 is present within the short-range wireless communication area of ​​communication terminal 1, information acquisition unit 11 executes a process of acquiring biological information Db measured by wearable device 5.

[0036] 4, the notification control unit 16 of the communication terminal 1 determines whether or not the boarding detection unit 13 has detected that the driver D has boarded the vehicle (step S1A). If the boarding detection unit 13 has not detected that the driver D has boarded the vehicle (step S1A / NO), the notification control unit 16 determines whether or not a certain time has elapsed since the previous advice was displayed on the display 34 (step S2A). If the certain time has not elapsed (step S2A / NO), the notification control unit 16 proceeds to the processing of step S1A.

[0037] If the notification control unit 16 does not detect that the driver D has boarded the vehicle (step S1A / NO), and after a certain period of time has elapsed (step S2A / YES), the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 acquires first physical condition information corresponding to the evaluation values ​​for each of a plurality of intellectual functions based on the biometric information Db for a predetermined period in the biometric information DB23 recorded in the memory 20, and performs a process of evaluating the first physical condition of the driver D based on the first physical condition information (step S3A). As a result, the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 detects whether or not the majority (three or more) of the intellectual functions in the planning ability 311, perception ability 312, attention ability 313, judgment ability 314, and operation ability 315 during a predetermined period are good, and detects whether or not the first physical condition is good depending on whether or not the majority of the intellectual functions are good.

[0038] Next, the notification control unit 16 performs a pre-driving notification process (step S4A) based on the evaluation results of the intellectual function evaluation unit 12. For example, if the majority of the intellectual functions (three or more) are good, the first physical condition of the driver D is detected as good, and the notification control unit 16 displays notification information consisting of advice suitable for maintaining health on the display 34, or emits a sound corresponding to the notification information from the speaker 133a. On the other hand, if less than half of the intellectual functions are good, the first physical condition of the driver D is detected as poor, and the notification control unit 16 displays notification information consisting of information encouraging exercise or going outside for the purpose of promoting health, and / or notification information related to the intellectual function detected as the poorest on the display 34, or emits a sound corresponding to the notification information from the speaker 133a.

[0039] The content of the pre-driving notification process may be changed as appropriate and need not be limited to notification information based on multiple intellectual function evaluation results. For example, since the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 can identify sleep 304, exercise 305, and stress 306 based on the biological information Db, it may notify notification information related to the worst state among sleep 304, exercise 305, and stress 306.

[0040] When the notification control unit 16 detects that the driver D has boarded the vehicle (step S1A / YES), it starts acquiring driving behavior information Dv (step S5A), and the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 acquires first physical condition information corresponding to the evaluation value for each of multiple intellectual functions based on the biometric information Db for a predetermined period in the biometric information DB23 and the driving behavior information Dv for a predetermined period in the exercise behavior information DB24, and performs a process to evaluate the first physical condition of the driver D based on the first physical condition information (step S6A). This allows the device to detect whether or not the majority (three or more) of the intellectual functions in the planning ability 311, perception ability 312, attention ability 313, judgment ability 314, and operation ability 315 are good during a predetermined period, and determines whether or not the first physical condition is good depending on whether or not the majority of the intellectual functions are good.

[0041] Here, the predetermined period is set to a period during which the relatively long-term physical condition of the driver D (corresponding to the first physical condition) can be identified, for example, set to a period of several hours, several days, or several months from the present time. This makes it possible to obtain an evaluation result of the relatively long-term physical condition of the driver D. Note that the predetermined period in step S6A may be longer than the period in step S3A. At least in step S6A, the relatively long-term physical condition of the driver D can be detected.

[0042] Next, the notification control unit 16 performs a driving risk determination process to determine the driving risk based on the evaluation result of step S6A (step S7A), and performs a notification process during driving based on the determination result of the driving risk determination process (step S8A). The driving risk determination process and the notification process during driving will be described later. After executing the notification process during driving, the notification control unit 16 determines whether or not it has detected that the driver D has dismounted (step S9A), and if it has detected that the driver D has dismounted (step S9A / YES), it performs post-driving processing (step S10A). There are no particular limitations on the method for detecting dismounting, and it is possible to apply a method that uses the camera 130 or a weight sensor in the driver's seat, for example.

[0043] The post-driving process in step S10A is a process of creating a hazard map that describes locations where inappropriate driving behavior occurred, based on the driving behavior information Dv acquired during driving. For example, the information acquisition unit 11 continuously acquires the driving behavior information Dv while the vehicle is traveling, and detects locations where inappropriate driving behavior, such as sudden braking or swerving to the left or right, occurred based on the driving behavior information Dv and information on the current position detected by the GNSS sensor 33, and creates a hazard map that describes the detection results. The created hazard map may be data described in the map information 22 in the memory 20, or data recorded in the memory 20 separately from the map information 22.

[0044] When a hazard map is created, the hazard map can be used while driving, for example, by the notification control unit 16 notifying the driver D of a location where inappropriate driving behavior has occurred when the driver D is driving near the location, thereby urging the driver D to drive safely. Note that the processing after driving is not limited to the processing of creating a hazard map, and any appropriate processing may be applied.

[0045] The driving risk determination process and the notification process during driving will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. As shown in Figure 5, the notification control unit 16 determines whether the first physical condition is good or not during a predetermined period using the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 (step S1B), whether the first physical condition is showing signs of improvement or not (step S2B), whether the first physical condition is showing signs of deterioration or not (step S3B), etc. If the first physical condition is continuously good for a predetermined period, the first physical condition is judged to be good, if the first physical condition is gradually improving for a predetermined period, the first physical condition is judged to be improving, if the first physical condition is gradually worsening for a predetermined period, the first physical condition is judged to be worsening, and if the first physical condition is continuously poor for a predetermined period, the first physical condition is judged to be poor / worsening. This judgment method may be set as appropriate.

[0046] If the first physical condition is good (step S1B / YES), or if the first physical condition is showing signs of improvement (step S2B / YES), the notification control unit 16 determines that the driving risk is low (hereinafter referred to as low driving risk) and performs the first notification processing based on the evaluation result of the first physical condition (step S4B). The first notification process notifies minimal notification information (for example, "Take care.") for users with low driving risk. If the user's physical condition is improving, it is highly likely that the user's body will be able to cope with temporary discomfort, so minimal notification information will suffice.

[0047] If the first physical condition is on a worsening trend (step S3B / YES), the notification control unit 16 determines that the driving risk is medium (hereinafter, medium driving risk), and executes the processes of steps S5B to S7B. In step S5B, the notification control unit 16 causes the dialogue unit 14 to perform dialogue processing. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the dialogue process. The left side of Fig. 6 shows notification information that is emitted as sound by the dialogue unit 14 via the speaker 133a. The notification information may also be displayed on the display 34. The right side of Fig. 6 shows the content of the utterance made by the driver D. The voice uttered by the driver D is collected by the microphone 36.

[0048] The dialogue content of the dialogue unit 14 may be changed as appropriate within the scope of prompting a voice response from the driver D. In the example of Fig. 6, the dialogue content includes a message inquiring about the destination ("Where will you be driving today?"), and messages inquiring about whether audio playback is enabled and preferences for audio playback ("Do you listen to music while driving?", "Do you prefer relaxing music or uplifting music?", etc.). Therefore, the communication terminal 1 can use known voice recognition technology to acquire information about the destination, whether audio is played, and audio preferences spoken by the driver D. The communication terminal 1 can start a route guidance process to the destination and an audio playback process by executing a process corresponding to the acquired information.

[0049] When performing route guidance processing, it is preferable to obtain road traffic information Dt provided by the traffic information server 210 and use congestion information and the like included in the road traffic information Dt to search for a recommended route.

[0050] 5, the notification control unit 16 performs a voice analysis of the voice information of the driver D acquired by the dialogue processing using the voice evaluation unit 15, acquires second physical condition information consisting of voice physical condition information indicating the driver D's vitality level, etc., and performs a process to evaluate the second physical condition of the driver D based on the second physical condition information (step S6B). This makes it possible to obtain an evaluation result of the driver D's current physical condition from the voice, that is, to obtain an evaluation result of the driver D's physical condition over a relatively short period of time.

[0051] In step S7B, the notification control unit 16 executes a second notification process based on the evaluation results of the first and second physical conditions. The second notification process is a process for notifying information different from that of the first notification process, and is a process for notifying notification information suitable for risky driving. For example, it includes notification of advice regarding driving operation and advice regarding physical condition. For advice regarding driving operation, advice is notified using the driving advice item corresponding to at least the lowest-rated intellectual function out of the driving advice items 321 to 325 shown in Figure 3. To give a specific example, if the intellectual function with the lowest rating is operating ability 315, the driving advice item corresponding to operating ability 315 is the fifth driving advice item 325 (left and right swaying of vehicle 100), so notification information including "When driving today, be careful of left and right swaying of vehicle 100" is notified.

[0052] Regarding advice regarding physical condition, advice regarding the intellectual function that is deteriorating among the multiple intellectual functions corresponding to the first physical condition, for example, if attention ability is low, advice such as "You seem to be less attentive recently. Be careful when driving" is notified. Furthermore, if the second physical condition is not good, notification information including advice such as "Your current physical condition does not seem good. Please drive safely without overexerting yourself" is notified.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 5, if the first physical condition is not on a worsening trend and has been continuously poor for a predetermined period (step S3B / NO), the notification control unit 16 determines that the driving risk is high (hereinafter, high driving risk) and executes the processing of steps S8B to S11B. In step S8B, similarly to step S5B, the notification control unit 16 performs dialogue processing using the dialogue unit 14 and also performs processing to inquire about the cause of the worsening health condition (for example, an inquiry such as "Please tell me where you are not feeling well"). As a result, voice information corresponding to the cause of the worsening health condition is acquired.

[0054] In the following step S9B, similar to step S6B, the notification control unit 16 performs a process in which the voice evaluation unit 15 evaluates the physical condition of the driver D (corresponding to the second physical condition) based on the voice information of the driver D obtained through the dialogue processing.

[0055] In step S10B, the notification control unit 16 performs voice recognition on the text contained in the voice information acquired in the dialogue processing of step S8B to identify the text corresponding to the cause of the deterioration in physical condition, and performs information acquisition processing to acquire advice information corresponding to the deterioration in physical condition based on the identified text. For example, when the notification control unit 16 recognizes text relating to a deterioration in physical condition such as "abdominal pain" or "headache" from the voice information, the notification control unit 16 obtains advice information from a medical institution corresponding to "abdominal pain" or "headache" by querying the service providing server 211 based on the text via the information acquisition unit 11.

[0056] In step S11B, the notification control unit 16 executes a third notification process based on the evaluation results of the first and second physical conditions. The third notification process is a process for notifying information different from the first and second notification processes, and is a process for notifying notification information suitable for cases where driving risk is high. In this embodiment, notification information including advice on driving operation and advice on physical condition is notified. For advice on driving operation, notification information including advice using at least the driving advice item corresponding to the intellectual function with the lowest rating among the driving advice items 321 to 325 shown in Figure 3 is notified. Furthermore, with regard to advice regarding physical condition, the advice information of the medical institution acquired in step S10B is notified. This allows professional advice to be notified to the driver D, and more appropriate notification can be given to the driver D.

[0057] When the second notification process and the third notification process are performed, a process for changing the settings of the driving support function may be executed. The setting change process for the driving assistance function is a process in which the vehicle control unit 17 changes the driving assistance function of the vehicle 100 to a predetermined setting that prioritizes safety. The predetermined setting is, for example, a setting that increases the inter-vehicle distance when adaptive cruise control is in effect. Note that, after the setting change process for the driving assistance function is performed, when the first notification process and the second notification process are performed, that is, when the physical condition of the driver D has improved, the driving assistance function may be returned to the setting before the setting change (for example, a user setting value).

[0058] Furthermore, when the third notification process is performed, a process of notifying the surroundings may also be performed. The notification process to the surroundings is a process in which the notification control unit 16 uses the communication unit 30 to wirelessly communicate advice to the surroundings related to the driving of the driver D to occupants of other vehicles around the vehicle 100, family members of the driver D, and the like. For example, by wirelessly transmitting information corresponding to the advice to the surroundings to the in-vehicle system of the other vehicle or to a mobile device carried by the occupant or family member, the advice to the surroundings is audibly emitted from the in-vehicle system or the mobile device (e.g., a smartphone). In this way, if the driver D is feeling unwell, it is possible to notify those around him or her to pay attention. Note that communication with the in-vehicle system of the other vehicle or the like may be performed using vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0059] [4. Effects of the embodiment] As described above, the communication terminal 1 includes an information acquisition unit 11 that acquires biometric information Db of the user, i.e., driver D, at time intervals; an intellectual function evaluation unit 12 that evaluates a first physical condition indicating the driver D's relatively long-term physical condition based on multiple pieces of biometric information Db acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 over a predetermined period; a dialogue unit 14 that outputs audio to prompt the driver D to respond vocally when it is detected that the driver D is getting into the vehicle 100; a voice evaluation unit 15 that evaluates a second physical condition indicating the driver D's relatively short-term physical condition based on the voice information of the driver D that responds to the voice output; and a notification control unit 16 that notifies notification information corresponding to the driver D's physical condition based on a combination of the evaluation results of the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 and the evaluation results of the voice evaluation unit 15.

[0060] This configuration makes it possible to distinguish between chronic and temporary physical conditions and provide appropriate notifications tailored to the user's physical condition, thereby realizing a healthcare mobility service that maintains the safety and health of users, and ultimately contributing to the development of sustainable transportation systems by further improving traffic safety. In addition, since the second physical condition of the driver D is evaluated over a relatively short period of time based on the voice information of the driver D responding to the voice output, it becomes easier to obtain voice information suitable for evaluating the second physical condition, and improvement in evaluation accuracy can be expected. The information acquisition unit 11 can also be called a biometric information acquisition unit, the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 can also be called a first physical condition evaluation unit, the dialogue unit 14 can also be called a voice output unit, and the voice evaluation unit 15 can also be called a second physical condition evaluation unit.

[0061] The system also includes an information acquisition unit 11 that acquires driving behavior information Dv, and an intellectual function evaluation unit 12 evaluates a first physical condition, which is a relatively long-term physical condition of the driver D, based on the biological information Db and the driving behavior information Dv. This configuration makes it easier to notify appropriate advice based on the combination of the biological information Db and the driving behavior information Dv.

[0062] Moreover, when the first physical condition is showing signs of improvement, the notification control unit 16 controls only the intellectual function evaluation unit 12. According to this configuration, if the physical condition is showing signs of improvement, it is highly likely that the body will be able to cope with temporary discomfort, so minimal notification information is sufficient, and the driver D is less likely to feel bothered.

[0063] Furthermore, if the first physical condition is deteriorating, the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 and the voice evaluation unit 15 evaluate the second physical condition, and the notification control unit 16 notifies the user of notification information based on a combination of the evaluation results of the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 and the voice evaluation unit 15. With this configuration, if the user's physical condition is deteriorating, it becomes easier to notify the user of appropriate advice taking into account the second physical condition based on the user's voice. Since processing such as voice output required to obtain the second physical condition can be omitted, the notification system is less bothersome to the user.

[0064] In the present embodiment, when the driver D is in the vehicle and the first physical condition is deteriorating, the notification control unit 16 evaluates the second physical condition using the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 and the voice evaluation unit 15, and the notification control unit 16 notifies the notification information based on a combination of the evaluation results of the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 and the voice evaluation unit 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the first physical condition is deteriorating, the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 and the voice evaluation unit 15 may evaluate the second physical condition, and the notification control unit 16 may notify the notification information based on a combination of the evaluation results of the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 and the voice evaluation unit 15, regardless of whether the driver D is in the vehicle or not. This makes it easier to notify appropriate advice in consideration of the second physical condition based on the user's voice information when the user's physical condition is deteriorating.

[0065] Furthermore, if the first physical condition is deteriorating, the notification control unit 16 recognizes the text included in the voice information of the driver D, identifies the cause of the deteriorating physical condition based on the text, and notifies the driver of advice information corresponding to the identified cause. With this configuration, if the physical condition is deteriorating, it becomes easier to identify the cause of the deterioration from the user's voice and notify the driver of appropriate advice that takes the cause of the deterioration into consideration. In this case, the notification control unit 16 performs information acquisition processing to acquire advice information from the external service providing server 211 based on the identified cause of the deterioration in physical condition. This configuration makes it easier to obtain specialized advice information corresponding to the cause of the deterioration, and makes it easier to notify the user of more appropriate advice.

[0066] The processing of the information acquisition unit 11 is an example of a biometric information acquisition step of the present disclosure, the processing of the intellectual function evaluation unit 12 is an example of a first physical condition evaluation step of the present disclosure, the processing of the dialogue unit 14 is an example of a voice output step of the present disclosure, the processing of the voice evaluation unit 15 is an example of a voice output step of the present disclosure, and the processing of the notification control unit 16 is an example of a notification control step of the present disclosure.

[0067] Furthermore, the notification information includes advice for those around the driver D related to the driving of the driver D, and when the third notification process is performed, the notification control unit 16 performs a process of transmitting the advice for those around the driver D to the outside using wireless communication. With this configuration, when the driver D is driving and is not feeling well, it is possible to send a notification to those around the driver D to call their attention.

[0068] Furthermore, when at least one of the second notification process and the third notification process is performed, the vehicle control unit 17 is provided which changes the driving assistance function of the vehicle 100 driven by the driver D to a predetermined setting that prioritizes safety. With this configuration, when the driver D is not in good physical condition and is currently in poor health, driving assistance that prioritizes safety, in other words, driving assistance tailored to the user who is in poor physical condition, can be provided.

[0069] 5. Other Embodiments The above embodiment is merely one embodiment of the present invention, and any modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0070] For example, the notification information may include information indicating the external environment (weather information, etc.) of the driver D or the vehicle 100, obtained from the service providing server 211. Furthermore, the configuration of the communication terminal 1 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and the configuration may be changed as appropriate. The configuration of each part shown in FIG. 2 and other figures can be widely applied to a configuration realized by software, a configuration realized by hardware, or a configuration realized by a combination of software and hardware. Furthermore, the way in which the processing units of the flowchart are divided and the processing order are not limited to the example shown in the figure, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0071] 4, in step S3A before driving, the first physical condition of the driver D is evaluated based only on the biological information Db for a predetermined period, but this is not limiting. For example, in step S3A, the first physical condition of the driver D may be evaluated based on the biological information Db for a predetermined period and the driving behavior information Dv for a predetermined period, similar to step S6A during driving.

[0072] Furthermore, although the notification device of the present invention has been described as being realized by the communication terminal 1, which is a portable device, the present invention is not limited to this and may also be realized by the vehicle 100. Furthermore, although the notification device has been described as acquiring the biometric information Db from the wearable device 5, the notification device itself may have a function to measure the biometric information Db. Although the program 21 for realizing the notification method of the present invention has been described as being recorded on a notification device, the program 21 may be acquired from an external device via communication. The program 21 may also be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium may be a magnetic or optical recording medium, a semiconductor memory device, or the like.

[0073] 6. Configurations Supported by the Above Embodiments The above embodiment is a specific example of the following configuration.

[0074] (Configuration 1) A notification device comprising: a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires a user's biometric information at time intervals; a first physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a first physical condition indicating the user's relatively long-term physical condition based on multiple pieces of biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit over a predetermined period of time; an audio output unit that outputs audio to prompt the user to respond with audio when it is detected that the user is getting into a target vehicle; a second physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a second physical condition indicating the user's relatively short-term physical condition based on the user's audio information responding to the audio output; and a notification control unit that notifies notification information corresponding to the user's physical condition based on a combination of the evaluation results of the first physical condition evaluation unit and the second physical condition evaluation unit. According to this configuration, it is possible to distinguish between chronic physical conditions and temporary physical conditions and to provide appropriate notifications according to the physical conditions.

[0075] (Configuration 2) A notification device as described in Configuration 1, which has an information acquisition unit that acquires driving behavior information indicating the driving behavior of the user, and the first physical condition evaluation unit evaluates the first physical condition consisting of the user's relatively long-term physical condition based on the biometric information and the driving behavior information. This configuration makes it easier to provide appropriate advice based on a combination of biometric information and driving behavior information.

[0076] (Configuration 3) The notification device according to Configuration 1 or 2, wherein when the first physical condition is showing signs of improvement, the notification control unit notifies notification information based on the evaluation result of only the first physical condition evaluation unit. According to this configuration, if the physical condition is improving, it is highly likely that the body will be able to cope with temporary discomfort, so notification information can be kept to a minimum, making it less likely for the user to feel bothered.

[0077] (Configuration 4) A notification device described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, in which, when the first physical condition is tending to worsen, the notification control unit evaluates the second physical condition using the audio output unit and the second physical condition evaluation unit regardless of whether the user is in the vehicle or not, and the notification control unit notifies the notification information based on a combination of the evaluation results of the first physical condition evaluation unit and the evaluation results of the second physical condition evaluation unit. With this configuration, if the user's physical condition is deteriorating, it becomes easier to provide appropriate advice by taking into account the second physical condition based on the user's voice. Since the process of voice output, etc. required to obtain the second physical condition can be omitted, the notification system can be made less bothersome to the user.

[0078] (Configuration 5) A notification device as described in Configuration 4, in which, when the first physical condition is showing signs of deterioration, the notification control unit recognizes text contained in the user's voice information, identifies the cause of the deterioration in physical condition based on the text, and notifies advice information corresponding to the identified cause. According to this configuration, when the user's physical condition tends to deteriorate, the cause of the deterioration can be identified from the user's voice, and appropriate advice that takes the cause of the deterioration into consideration can be easily provided.

[0079] (Configuration 6) The notification device according to Configuration 5, wherein the notification control unit performs information acquisition processing to acquire the advice information from an external organization based on the identified cause of the deterioration in physical condition. This configuration makes it easier to obtain specialized advice information that addresses the factors that contribute to the deterioration, and makes it easier to provide the user with more appropriate advice.

[0080] (Configuration 7) A notification method executed by a notification device, comprising: a biometric information acquisition step of acquiring a user's biometric information at time intervals; a first health condition evaluation step of evaluating a first health condition indicating the user's relatively long-term health condition based on multiple pieces of biometric information acquired over a predetermined period in the biometric information acquisition step; an audio output step of outputting audio to prompt the user to respond with audio when it is detected that the user is getting into a target vehicle; a second health condition evaluation step of evaluating a second health condition indicating the user's relatively short-term health condition based on the user's audio information in response to the audio output; and a notification control step of notifying notification information corresponding to the user's health condition based on a combination of the evaluation results of the first health condition evaluation step and the evaluation results of the second health condition evaluation step. According to this method, it is possible to distinguish between chronic physical conditions and temporary physical conditions and to provide appropriate notifications according to the physical conditions.

[0081] (Configuration 8) A program that causes a notification device controlled by a computer to function as a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires a user's biometric information at time intervals, a first physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates the user's first physical condition, which indicates the user's relatively long-term physical condition, based on multiple pieces of biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit over a predetermined period of time, a voice output unit that outputs voice to prompt the user to respond when it is detected that the user is getting into a target vehicle, a second physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates the user's second physical condition, which indicates the user's relatively short-term physical condition, based on the user's voice information responding to the voice output, and a notification control unit that notifies notification information corresponding to the user's physical condition based on a combination of the evaluation results of the first physical condition evaluation unit and the second physical condition evaluation unit. This program can distinguish between chronic and temporary physical conditions and provide appropriate notifications tailored to the physical condition. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1...Communication terminal, 5...Wearable device, 6...Vital sensor, 7, 30...Communication unit, 10...Processor, 11...Information acquisition unit, 12...Intellectual function evaluation unit, 13...Riding detection unit, 14...Dialogue unit (voice acquisition unit), 15...Health condition related index calculation unit, 16...Notification control unit, 17...Vehicle control unit, 20...Memory, 21...Program, 22...Map information, 23...Biometric information database, 24...Exercise behavior information database, 30...Communication unit, 31...Camera, 32...Acceleration sensor, 33...G NSS sensor, 34...display, 35...speaker, 36...microphone, 100...vehicle (target vehicle), 110...ECU, 121...navigation device, 130...front camera, 131...driver monitor camera, 132...display, 133a, 133b...speakers, 150...terminal holder, 160...wearable device, 200...communication network, 210...traffic information server, 211...service providing server, D...driver, Db...biometric information, Dv...driving behavior information.

Claims

1. a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of a user at time intervals; a first physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a first physical condition indicating a relatively long-term physical condition of the user based on the plurality of pieces of biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit for a predetermined period; a voice output unit that outputs a voice prompting the user to make a voice response when it is detected that the user is getting into a target vehicle; a second physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a second physical condition indicating a relatively short-term physical condition of the user based on voice information of the user responding to the voice output; a notification control unit that notifies notification information corresponding to the user's physical condition based on a combination of the evaluation result of the first physical condition evaluation unit and the evaluation result of the second physical condition evaluation unit; A notification device comprising:

2. an information acquisition unit that acquires driving behavior information indicating the driving behavior of the user; The first physical condition evaluation unit evaluates a first physical condition of the user, which is a relatively long-term physical condition, based on the biological information and the driving behavior information. The notification device of claim 1 .

3. When the first physical condition is showing an improvement tendency, the notification control unit notifies notification information based on the evaluation result of only the first physical condition evaluation unit. The notification device of claim 1 .

4. When the first physical condition is tending to worsen, the notification control unit evaluates the second physical condition using the audio output unit and the second physical condition evaluation unit regardless of whether the user is riding in the vehicle or not. The notification control unit notifies the notification information based on a combination of the evaluation result of the first physical condition evaluation unit and the evaluation result of the second physical condition evaluation unit. The notification device of claim 1 .

5. If the first physical condition is deteriorating, the notification control unit recognizes text included in the user's voice information, identifies a cause of the deteriorating physical condition based on the text, and notifies the user of advice information corresponding to the identified cause. The notification device of claim 4.

6. The notification control unit performs information acquisition processing to acquire the advice information from an external organization based on the identified cause of the deterioration of the physical condition. The notification device of claim 5.

7. A notification method performed by a notification device, comprising: a biometric information acquisition step of acquiring biometric information of a user at time intervals; a first physical condition evaluation step of evaluating a first physical condition indicating a relatively long-term physical condition of the user based on the plurality of pieces of biological information for a predetermined period acquired in the biological information acquisition step; a voice output step of outputting a voice prompting the user to make a voice response when it is detected that the user is getting into the target vehicle; a second physical condition evaluation step of evaluating a second physical condition indicating a relatively short-term physical condition of the user based on voice information of the user in response to the voice output; a notification control step of notifying notification information corresponding to the user's physical condition based on a combination of the evaluation result of the first physical condition evaluation step and the evaluation result of the second physical condition evaluation step; A notification method comprising:

8. a computer-controlled notification device; a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of a user at time intervals; a first physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a first physical condition indicating a relatively long-term physical condition of the user based on the plurality of pieces of biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit for a predetermined period; a voice output unit that outputs a voice prompting the user to make a voice response when it is detected that the user is getting into a target vehicle; a second physical condition evaluation unit that evaluates a second physical condition indicating a relatively short-term physical condition of the user based on voice information of the user responding to the voice output; a notification control unit that notifies notification information corresponding to the user's physical condition based on a combination of the evaluation result of the first physical condition evaluation unit and the evaluation result of the second physical condition evaluation unit; A program that makes it work.

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