Route search device and route search method

Abstract

To provide a route search device capable of proposing a more appropriate travel route.SOLUTION: A stress DB4 stores a first datum indicating a degree of stress felt by a driver of a car Ce during traveling in each of a plurality of road sections, and a second datum indicating a traveling frequency for each road characteristic in each road section within a predetermined range from the driver's home or office. Further, the processor 12 corrects the first dataset so as to reduce the degree of stress Iga corresponding to the road sections having the same road characteristics (for example, road widths) as the road sections for which the travel frequency indicated by the second dataset is equal to or greater than the predetermined value in the first dataset. In addition, the processor 12 searches for the travel route of the car Ce so as to include the road section in which the stress level is equal to or less than the Iga.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a route search device and a route search method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle control device has been proposed that determines whether a driver is under stress, and if so, identifies stress factors outside the vehicle from the direction of the driver's line of sight, and changes the vehicle's course to avoid the identified stress factors (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-37795 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the vehicle control device described in Patent Document 1, for example, if the driver feels stressed due to a stress factor on the road, the vehicle's route may be changed to avoid that road. Therefore, once a road has caused stress, the driver may be permanently avoided. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a route search device and a route search method that can propose more appropriate driving routes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A route search device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a route search device that searches for a vehicle's driving route, and includes: a data storage unit that stores first data indicating the degree of stress felt by a vehicle driver when driving on each of a plurality of road sections, and second data indicating the driving frequency for each road section for each road characteristic within a predetermined distance from the driver's home or workplace; a correction unit that corrects the first data so as to reduce the degree of stress corresponding to road sections in the first data that have the same road characteristics as road sections for which the driving frequency indicated by the second data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and a route search unit that searches for a vehicle's driving route so as to include road sections for which the corrected numerical value, which is the degree of stress indicated by the corrected first data, is equal to or less than a threshold value.

[0006] Furthermore, a route search method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a route search method for searching a vehicle's driving route, which corrects first data indicating the degree of stress felt by the vehicle driver when driving on each of a plurality of road sections so as to reduce the degree of stress corresponding to road sections having the same road characteristics as road sections for which the driving frequency indicated by second data indicating the driving frequency for each road characteristic of each road section within a predetermined distance from the driver's home or workplace is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and searches for the vehicle's driving route so as to include road sections for which the degree of stress indicated by the corrected first data is equal to or less than a threshold value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a route search device and a route search method that are capable of proposing a more appropriate driving route. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a route search device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of first data. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of second data. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a processor. [Figure 5]10 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of road familiarity degree recording processing; [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of a destination setting route search process. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method for searching a vehicle's travel route. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the distance from home or work and a threshold value. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between driving time or route length and a threshold value. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a processor according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings are schematic and may differ from the actual embodiments. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present disclosure shown below are examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and the technical ideas of the present disclosure do not limit the structure, arrangement, etc. of the components to those described below. Various modifications can be made to the technical ideas of the present disclosure within the technical scope defined by the claims.

[0010] (composition) In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, a case is illustrated in which the route search device and route search method of the present disclosure are applied to a route search device 1 that searches for a travel route Dr for a vehicle Ce and proposes the route Dr to a driver. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the route search device 1 according to this embodiment. The route search device 1 includes a driver sensor 2, a stress estimation device 3, a stress DB 4 (broadly speaking, a “data storage unit”), and a navigation device 5. The driver sensor 2 detects the state of the driver of the vehicle Ce. As the driver sensor 2, for example, a driver camera 6 and a biometric sensor 7 can be used. The driver camera 6 is a camera that captures images including a facial image of the driver of the vehicle Ce. As the driver camera 6, for example, an infrared camera can be used. Furthermore, the biometric sensor 7 is a sensor that detects biometric information that indicates the biological state (e.g., emotional state) of the driver of the vehicle Ce. As the biometric sensor 7, for example, various sensors that detect heart rate, pulse rate, amount of sweat, electrocardiogram, brain waves, etc. can be used. The detection results (images, biometric information) of the driver's state, etc. are output to the stress estimation device 3.

[0011] The stress estimation device 3 estimates the level of stress S felt by the driver of the vehicle Ce (hereinafter also referred to as the "target driver") while traveling through each of a plurality of road sections. Examples of stress include tension in the mind and body caused by external stimuli. One method for estimating the level of stress S is to measure the number of blinks per unit time based on a facial image of the driver obtained from the driver camera 6, and estimate the level of stress S according to the magnitude of the measured number of blinks. Another method is to estimate the driver's negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, contempt, disgust, anger, fear, discomfort, tension, and sense of risk) based on the facial image of the driver obtained from the driver camera 6 and biometric information obtained from the biometric sensor 7, and estimate the level of stress S according to the magnitude of the estimated negative emotions. The estimated result of the level of stress S is recorded in the stress DB 4 as first data (described later) together with information about the road section for which the estimation was performed. The information about the road section is obtained, for example, from road map data in the map storage unit 10.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the stress DB4 stores first data indicating the degree of stress felt by the driver of the vehicle Ce (hereinafter also referred to as the "target driver") while traveling through each of a plurality of road sections. The road sections may, for example, be links used to represent road networks on digital road maps. Storing the first data in the stress DB4 is performed by the stress estimation device 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the stress DB4 also stores second data indicating the frequency of travel for each road characteristic of each road section within a predetermined distance (e.g., within 5 km) from the target driver's home or workplace. Road width may, for example, be used as the road characteristic. Examples of the travel frequency include once a year, once a month, once a week, once a day, and twice a day. FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the second data indicates the degree of stress felt by the driver of the vehicle Ce while traveling through each road section, in addition to the relationship between the road characteristic (road width) and the travel frequency. Storing the second data in the stress DB4 is performed by the navigation device 5. The stress DB4 also stores location information of the target driver's home or workplace.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 5 includes a destination reception unit 8, a positioning unit 9, a map storage unit 10, and a route calculation unit 11. The destination receiving unit 8 is operated by the target driver and receives input of the destination of the driving route Dr to be proposed to the target driver. For example, a touch panel or a voice recognition device can be used as the destination receiving unit 8. The input result (information) of the destination is output to the route calculation unit 11. The positioning unit 9 detects the vehicle Ce's own position. For example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver that receives radio waves from multiple navigation satellites to measure the current position of the vehicle Ce can be used as the positioning unit 9. The detection result of the vehicle Ce's own position is output to the route calculation unit 11. The map storage unit 10 stores road map data. For example, a navigation map that can be used to calculate a driving route Dr from the current position of the vehicle Ce to a destination can be used as the road map data. The road map data also includes information on the road width of each road section.

[0014] The path calculation unit 11 includes a processor 12 and peripheral components such as a storage device 13 that stores computer programs and the like. The processor 12 may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU. The storage device 13 may be, for example, a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage device, or an optical storage device. The storage device 13 may include memories such as a register, a cache memory, and a ROM and RAM used as a main storage device. Each function of the path calculation unit 11 described below is realized, for example, by the processor 12 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 13.

[0015] Next, each function of the path calculation unit 11 will be described in detail. 4, the route calculation unit 11 of the route search device 1 has a familiarity level recording unit 14, an adopted route selection unit 15 (broadly speaking, a "correction unit"), a route search unit 16, and a route guidance unit 17. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the processor 12. The familiarity degree recording unit 14 determines whether the vehicle Ce's current position detected by the positioning unit 9 is within a predetermined distance (e.g., within 5 km) from the driver's home or workplace location information stored in the stress DB 4. If it is determined that the current position is within the predetermined distance and the navigation device 5 is not searching for or proposing a driving route Dr, the familiarity degree recording unit 14 executes a road familiarity degree recording process. That is, in an area close to the home or workplace (hereinafter also referred to as the "neighborhood area"), the driver (target driver) tends to stop the vehicle without using the navigation device 5's search for or proposing a driving route Dr. Furthermore, the driver (target driver) tends to be less resistant to difficult-to-drive road sections, such as narrow road sections, in the neighborhood area than in an area far from the home or workplace (hereinafter also referred to as the "distant area"). Therefore, the driver may actively drive difficult road sections in the neighborhood area. Therefore, in this embodiment, the road familiarity degree recording process is executed when the vehicle Ce is in the neighborhood area and the navigation device 5 is stopped. In the road familiarity degree recording process, as shown in Fig. 5, the familiarity degree recording unit 14 acquires the vehicle Ce's own position from the positioning unit 9 (S101 in Fig. 5). Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the process of recording the road familiarity degree.

[0016] Next, the familiarity level recording unit 14 detects the road section on which the vehicle Ce is traveling from the road map data stored in the map storage unit 10 based on the acquired vehicle location (S102 in FIG. 5). Next, the road characteristics of the detected road section are identified from the road map data, and the familiarity level for each identified road characteristic is recorded in the stress DB4 (S103 in FIG. 5). When recording the familiarity level, the travel frequency for each road characteristic in the second data (see FIG. 3) stored in the stress DB4 is updated. This updates the second data in the stress DB4. FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which road width is used as the road characteristic, and road width is divided into multiple stages such as 2.0 m, 2.5 m, 3.0 m, 3.5 m, and 4.0 m, and the road width of the divided stage is set to the road width of the "road characteristic." After updating the second data, each time the road section on which the vehicle Ce is traveling changes, the process returns to S101 in FIG. 5, and the above flow of S101 to S105 is repeatedly executed.

[0017] The adopted route selection unit 15 determines whether the target driver has performed a start operation to cause the navigation device 5 to start searching for and proposing a driving route Dr. If it is determined that the start operation has been performed, the adopted route selection unit 15 executes a destination setting route search process. That is, in areas far from home or work (distant areas), the driver (target driver) tends to use the navigation device 5 to search for and propose a driving route Dr. In addition, in distant areas, drivers tend to be more reluctant to navigate difficult road sections, such as narrow road sections, in distant areas than in nearby areas. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the navigation device 5 is in an operating state, as shown in FIG. 2, a road familiarity degree recording process is executed to downwardly correct the stress level S when traveling on road sections in distant areas that have the same road characteristics as familiar road sections in nearby areas. In the destination setting route search process, the adopted route selection unit 15 accepts input of a destination, as shown in FIG. 6 (S201 in FIG. 6). In accepting the input of the destination, the adopted route selection unit 15 first presents the target driver with a message prompting the target driver to input the destination via an output device such as a display or speaker (not shown). This causes the target driver to input the destination via the destination acceptance unit 8. Next, the adopted route selection unit 15 acquires information about the destination from the destination acceptance unit 8. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the destination setting route search process.

[0018] The adopted route selection unit 15 also determines the attributes of the road section used in searching for the travel route Dr (hereinafter also referred to as "route attributes") based on the familiarity level for each road characteristic set in the familiarity level recording unit 14 (S202 in FIG. 6). As the familiarity level for each road characteristic, for example, the second data (see FIG. 3) stored in the stress DB4 can be used. In determining the route attributes, the adopted route selection unit 15 first determines whether the travel frequency indicated by the second data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value F, as shown in FIG. 3. TH In FIG. 3, the road width is used as the road characteristic, and a predetermined value F TH Once a week is used as the specified value F TH2 illustrates an example in which a road width of 3.0 m or more is extracted as the road characteristic of a road section having the above-mentioned characteristics. Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the adopted route selection unit 15 corrects the first data stored in the stress DB4 so that the stress level S corresponding to a road section having the same road characteristic as the extracted road characteristic is reduced, and sets the stress level S indicated by the corrected first data as the route attribute. That is, FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which road widths of 2.0 m, 2.5 m, 3.0 m, 3.5 m, and 4.0 m are used for road sections A, B, C, D, and E, and 3.0 m or more are used as the extracted road characteristic, and the stress levels S of road sections C, D, and E are corrected downward.

[0019] Next, the route search unit 16 reads the road map data of the road section that matches the determined route attribute (the stress level S indicated by the corrected first data) from the map storage unit 10 (S203 in FIG. 6). When reading the road map data, the corrected first data (i.e., the stress level S indicated by the corrected first data (hereinafter also referred to as "corrected numerical value")) is referenced, and the corrected numerical value and the threshold value S corresponding to each road section are calculated for each road section, as shown in FIG. TH The corrected value is compared with the threshold value S TH In FIG. 2, in the first data before correction, the stress level S of road section C is below the threshold value S. TH However, in the first data after correction, the stress level S of road section C is greater than the threshold value S TH The following shows an example in which road sections C, D, and E are selected. TH may be adjusted for each road section, or the same value may be used for all road sections. TH7 illustrates a case where the same value is set for all road sections. Next, the route search unit 16 searches for a driving route Dr from the current location (self-position) of the vehicle Ce to the destination based on the loaded road map data, the self-position of the vehicle Ce detected by the positioning unit 9, and the destination acquired in S202 of FIG. 6 (S204 of FIG. 6). In searching for the driving route Dr, the route search unit 16 searches for the driving route Dr of the vehicle Ce so as to include the selected road section (hereinafter also referred to as the "priority road section R1"), as shown in the lower part of FIG. 7. For example, the driving route Dr is searched so as to give priority to driving on the selected road section (priority road section R1) over other road sections (hereinafter also referred to as the "non-priority road section R2"). 7 illustrates a case where, when the uncorrected first data is used, road section C becomes a non-priority road section R2 (a road section other than the selected road section) and is not included in the driving route Dr, but when the corrected first data is used, road section C becomes a priority road section R1 (the selected road section) and is included in the driving route Dr. This enables the adopted route selection unit 15 to include a road section that is difficult to travel (road section C) in the driving route Dr when traveling in a distant area. When the route search unit 16 searches for the travel route Dr, the route guidance unit 17 provides route guidance to the target driver so that the vehicle Ce travels along the searched travel route Dr (S106 in FIG. 4). Route guidance to the target driver is provided using output devices such as a display and a speaker (not shown). As a result, the target driver performs driving operations (steering, accelerator, and brake) of the vehicle Ce so that the vehicle Ce travels along the travel route Dr.

[0020] (Effects of this embodiment) As a comparative example, for example, if the stress level S indicated by the first data (see FIG. 2) is less than the threshold value S TH Consider a case where a driving route Dr of a vehicle Ce is searched for so as to avoid road sections where the road width is equal to or greater than the threshold value S. In the configuration of this comparative example, for example, when a target driver is driving on a road section C (see FIG. 2) with a road width of 3.0 m, and the stress level S is equal to or greater than the threshold value S, THIf this is the case, only the driving route Dr that does not include the road section C is proposed. Therefore, the stress level S for the road section C is not updated, and even if the target driver gains driving experience and the stress level S for road sections with a road width of 3.0 m or less decreases, the road section C is forever avoided. Therefore, for example, as shown in the upper part of Figure 7, a driving route that also uses the road section C (non-priority road section R2 in the upper part of Figure 7) is more likely to avoid the stress level S indicated by the first data than the threshold value S TH Less than (S TH ), even if the route length is shorter than the route Dr that uses only the road section (priority road section R1), TH The route Dr that uses only the road section (priority road section R1) may be obtained as a search result, which may reduce the efficiency of road use.

[0021] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, the stress DB4 stores first data (see FIG. 2) indicating the degree of stress felt by the driver of the vehicle Ce when driving each of a plurality of road sections, and second data (see FIG. 3) indicating the driving frequency for each road section within a predetermined distance from the driver's home or workplace for each road characteristic of that road section. In addition, the adopted route selection unit 15 stores the first data (see FIG. 2) indicating the driving frequency for each road section within a predetermined distance from the driver's home or workplace for each road characteristic of that road section. TH The route search unit 16 corrects the first data so that the stress level S corresponding to the road section having the same road characteristics as the road section having the same stress level S as ... TH Here, for example, if the road characteristic is "road width" and the target driver is traveling on road section D with a road width of 3.5 m as shown in FIG. 2, the stress level S is determined to be equal to or less than the threshold value S TH When driving on road section C with a road width of 3.0 m, the degree of stress S is less than the threshold S TH In this case, the driver has little experience driving on road sections with a road width of 3.0 m or less, and the frequency of driving on road sections with a road width of 3.0 m or less is less than the predetermined value F TH ​​If the distance is less than 1 km / h, the route Dr for the vehicle Ce is searched for using road sections excluding road section C (road sections D and E in FIG. 2). This makes it possible to avoid using road sections that are likely to cause stress, thereby reducing the stress of the target driver.

[0022] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, if a target driver gains driving experience on a road section with a width of 3.0 m located within a predetermined distance (for example, 5 km) from his / her home or workplace, and the driving frequency on road sections with a width of 3.0 m or less exceeds a predetermined value F TH If this is the case, the stress level S for road section C indicated by the first data is corrected downward, as shown in Figure 2. As a result, a travel route Dr is searched for that prioritizes road section C. Therefore, a more appropriate travel route Dr can be proposed compared to, for example, searching for a travel route Dr for vehicle Ce that excludes road section C. That is, the inventors of the present disclosure discovered that drivers are less resistant to difficult-to-drive road sections, such as narrow road sections, in areas close to their homes or workplaces (neighborhood areas) than in areas far from their homes or workplaces (distant areas). They also discovered that in nearby areas, drivers tend to stop their vehicles without using the navigation system to search for and suggest driving routes Dr. Based on these findings, they discovered that drivers may proactively drive through difficult road sections in nearby areas and become accustomed to the difficult road sections. They then considered including difficult road sections (e.g., road section C shown in FIG. 2) in the driving route Dr when driving in distant areas by downwardly correcting the degree of stress S when driving through distant road sections that have the same road characteristics as the familiar road section.

[0023] (Variation) (1) In this embodiment, the threshold value S TH Although the example in which the same value is used for all road sections is shown, other configurations can also be adopted. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the threshold value S TH In FIG. 8, the route search unit 16 adjusts the threshold value S TH The threshold S TH8 shows an example of a configuration in which, when the distance between the home or workplace and the road section (the road section corresponding to the corrected value in the corrected first data shown in FIG. 2) corresponding to the corrected value to be compared (i.e., the stress level S indicated by the corrected first data shown in FIG. 2) is short, the stress level S is set to be larger than when the distance is long. As a result, for example, in an area where the distance from the home or workplace is short and the target driver is familiar with the roads, even road sections that are difficult to drive on are adopted, and the use of road sections that are likely to cause stress is promoted. On the other hand, for example, in an area where the distance from the home or workplace is far and the target driver is unfamiliar with the roads, only road sections that are easy to drive on are adopted, and the use of road sections that are likely to cause stress is avoided. FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the distance from the home or workplace to the road section and the threshold value S TH In Fig. 8, for each of a plurality of road sections, the distance between the road section and home or work is divided into a plurality of stages such as 1 km, 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, 20 km, etc., and the divided distance is used as the "distance between the road section corresponding to the corrected value and home or work" to calculate the threshold value S TH This is an example of a case where the following is determined:

[0024] (2) For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the route search unit 16 determines whether the threshold value S TH may be set to be smaller when the driving time required to complete the driving route Dr or the route length of the driving route Dr is long than when the driving time or route length is short. As a result, for example, when the driving time or route length is long and the target driver is fatigued, only road sections that are easy to drive are adopted, and use of road sections that are likely to cause stress can be avoided. On the other hand, for example, when the driving time or route length is short and the target driver is not fatigued, even road sections that are difficult to drive can be adopted, and use of road sections that are likely to cause stress can be promoted. Figure 9 shows the relationship between driving time or route length and threshold S TH In FIG. 9, the driving time or the route length is divided into a plurality of stages, and the driving time or the route length of each stage is used as the above-mentioned "driving time required to complete the driving route Dr or the route length of the driving route Dr" to calculate the threshold value S THThe driving time and route length may be calculated based on the distance between the departure point and the destination, for example. Furthermore, the driving time may be calculated based on the traffic conditions in addition to the distance.

[0025] (3) For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the route search unit 16 determines whether the threshold value S TH may be adjusted in accordance with at least one of the visual field state of the target driver, the fatigue state of the target driver, and the degree of recognition of the road section by the target driver. TH is adjusted according to all of the visual field condition, fatigue state, and recognition level. As a result, if the road is difficult to see, the target driver is tired, or the road is unfamiliar to the target driver, only road sections that are easy to drive on are selected, thereby avoiding the use of road sections that are likely to cause stress. On the other hand, if the road is easy to see, the target driver is not tired, or the road is familiar to the target driver, even road sections that are difficult to drive on are selected, thereby promoting the use of road sections that are likely to cause stress. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the processor 12 according to this modified example. Examples of the visual field condition of the target driver include the degree of road visibility difficulty due to lighting conditions, time of day (such as sunset), buildings, etc. Examples of the fatigue state of the target driver include the degree of fatigue due to driving time, working hours, time spent at traffic lights, number of intersections passed, sign density, number of parking times during traffic jams, number of curves, etc. Examples of the recognition level of a road section include the degree of familiarity with the road section, such as the frequency of travel or proximity to home or work. The degree of familiarity with a road section can be determined not only by the frequency of travel or the proximity of the road section to the home or workplace, but also by the smallness of the deviation between the travel route Dr and the actual route taken by the vehicle Ce. TH An example of a method for calculating the above is a method of calculating the above using the numerical value indicating the visual field state, the numerical value indicating the fatigue state, and the numerical value indicating the recognition level according to the following formula. S TH = (α * visual field condition + β * fatigue condition) * γ * cognitive level Here, α, β, and γ are predetermined numerical values ​​(coefficients).

[0026] (4) In addition, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the route calculation unit 11 mounted on the vehicle Ce implements the functions of the familiarity level recording unit 14, adopted route selection unit 15, route search unit 16, route guidance unit 17, etc., but other configurations may also be adopted. For example, at least some of the above functions, the stress estimation device 3, and the stress DB 4 may be implemented by a device outside the vehicle, such as a server device (not shown). In this case, the route calculation unit 11 and the device outside the vehicle constitute the route search device 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1...Route search device, 2...Driver sensor, 3...Stress estimation device, 4...Stress DB, 5...Navigation device, 6...Driver camera, 7...Biometric sensor, 8...Destination reception unit, 9...Positioning unit, 10...Map storage unit, 11...Route calculation unit, 12...Processor, 13...Storage unit, 14...Recording unit, 15...Adopted route selection unit, 16...Route search unit, 17...Route guidance unit

Claims

1. A route search device that searches for a vehicle's travel route, a data storage unit that stores first data indicating a degree of stress felt by the driver of the vehicle when driving on each of a plurality of road sections, and second data indicating a driving frequency for each road section within a predetermined distance from the driver's home or workplace for each road characteristic of the road section; a correction unit that corrects the first data so as to reduce a degree of stress corresponding to a road section of the first data that has the same road characteristics as a road section whose travel frequency indicated by the second data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; a route search unit that searches for a driving route of the vehicle so as to include a road section in which a corrected value, which is the degree of stress indicated by the corrected first data, is equal to or less than a threshold value. Route finding device.

2. the route search unit refers to the corrected first data, compares the corrected numerical value corresponding to each road section with the threshold value, selects a road section whose corrected numerical value is equal to or less than the threshold value, and searches for the driving route of the vehicle so as to include the selected road section; The threshold value is set to be larger when the distance between the road section corresponding to the corrected value compared with the threshold value and the home or workplace is short than when the distance is long. The route search device according to claim 1 .

3. The threshold value is set to be smaller when the driving time required to complete the travel route or the route length of the travel route is long than when the driving time or the route length is short. The route search device according to claim 1 .

4. The threshold is adjusted according to the driver's visual field condition, the driver's fatigue state, and the driver's awareness of the road section. The route search device according to claim 1 .

5. A route search method for searching a vehicle travel route, comprising: a data storage unit that stores first data indicating the degree of stress felt by the driver of the vehicle when driving each of a plurality of road sections, and second data indicating the frequency of driving each road section for each road characteristic within a predetermined distance from the driver's home or workplace; The first data is corrected so that a degree of stress corresponding to a road section of the first data having the same road characteristics as a road section whose travel frequency indicated by the second data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is reduced, and a travel route of the vehicle is searched for so as to include a road section whose degree of stress indicated by the corrected first data is equal to or less than a threshold value. Route finding methods.

Images