Determination device, determination method, and determination program

Abstract

To determine whether or not a driver performs a look-ahead driving operation.SOLUTION: A center server 30 as a determination device is configured so that a scene processing unit acquires a travel scene of a vehicle, and a determination unit determines whether or not to satisfy such a reference that a vehicle speed of the vehicle becomes a predetermined maximum vehicle speed and a time maintaining the maximum vehicle speed within a predetermined speed is a certain time or more, which is a predetermined reference about the travel scene, and determines that the vehicle performs a look-ahead driving operation when the reference is satisfied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a determination device, a determination method, and a determination program for controlling a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for reducing the possibility of a decrease in the accuracy of diagnosis of driving contents. In this technology, the relative relationship between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle itself is acquired, the driving contents of the vehicle are diagnosed based on the relative relationship, and if there is a sudden change in the relative relationship caused by the vehicle ahead, the vehicle is excluded from the diagnosis. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-38513 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology of Patent Document 1 describes that the vehicle distance becomes small due to the behavior of other vehicles. Here, in diagnosing the driving content, it is important to what extent the driver of the vehicle is able to predict the future. A predictable driving operation here is a driving operation that is necessary from the current time point to a future time point on the road on which the vehicle is traveling. It is considered that whether a driving operation is predictable can be understood to some extent from the driving situation of the driver. However, it is not possible to determine whether a driving operation is predictable from the behavior of other vehicles as in the prior art.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a determination device, a determination method, and a determination program that can determine whether a driver is performing a driving operation that can be predicted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The determination device according to claim 1 is A driving scene with a level preset according to the road A scene processing unit for acquiring the scene a reference value for a maximum vehicle speed and a reference value for a time during which the vehicle speed is maintained within a predetermined speed range of the maximum vehicle speed are set for each level of the driving scene as the predetermined criteria for the driving scene, The vehicle speed of the vehicle for the acquired driving scene Regarding the above, it is determined whether the vehicle speed has reached the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed, and when the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed has been reached, the maintenance time during which the vehicle speed has been maintained within the predetermined speed range of the maximum vehicle speed is equal to or longer than a certain time, and the reference value of the maintenance time is equal to or longer than the certain time. Determine whether the following is satisfied: The reference value of the maintained time is and a determination unit that determines that the driving operation is capable of predicting the driver's behavior when the conditions are met.

[0007] The determination device described in claim 1 determines that the driver is performing a predictable driving operation when the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined maximum vehicle speed and the time that the maximum vehicle speed is maintained within a predetermined speed is equal to or longer than a certain period of time. In this way, the driving operation status of the driver can be grasped from the transition of the vehicle speed, such as the vehicle speed and the time that the vehicle speed is maintained. In other words, it is possible to determine whether the driver is performing a predictable driving operation from the transition of the vehicle speed. Furthermore, the determination device can set a standard according to the level of the driving scene.

[0010] Claim 2 The determination device according to claim 1 In the determination device according to the above, the level of the driving scene is set according to the shape of the road, and the flatter the shape of the road is, the larger the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed of the reference is set, and the longer the reference value of the maintained time is set.

[0011] Claim 2 According to the determination device described in the above, the level of a driving scene can be set according to the shape of the road, and an appropriate standard can be set according to the level.

[0012] Claim 3 The determination device according to claim 1 Or claim 2 In the determination device, the criteria include criteria related to the user state of the user driving the vehicle, and the determination unit acquires the user state of the user driving the vehicle, and when the user state and the vehicle speed satisfy the criteria, determines that the driving operation is one that can be predicted.

[0013] Claim 3According to the determination device described in the above, it is possible to more reliably determine whether a driving operation can be predicted in advance, taking into account the user's state.

[0014] Claim 4 The determination device according to claim 3 In the determination device described in the above, when the user state is stagnant, a reference value of the maintained time of the criterion is updated so as to be longer according to the user state.

[0015] Claim 4 According to the determination device described in the above, it is possible to perform the determination process taking into consideration the user's level of alertness.

[0016] Claim 5 The determination device according to the present invention is 4 In the determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, when the weather in the traveling scene is bad, the reference value of the criterion is corrected so as to reduce the maximum vehicle speed and to shorten the maintained time.

[0017] Claim 5 According to the determination device described in the above, it is possible to perform a determination process using appropriate criteria depending on the environment.

[0018] Claim 6 The determination method described in is a vehicle driving scene A driving scene with a level preset according to the road Get a reference value for a maximum vehicle speed and a reference value for a time during which the vehicle speed is maintained within a predetermined speed range of the maximum vehicle speed are set for each level of the driving scene as the predetermined criteria for the driving scene, The vehicle speed of the vehicle for the acquired driving scene Regarding the above, it is determined whether the vehicle speed has reached the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed, and when the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed has been reached, the maintenance time during which the vehicle speed has been maintained within the predetermined speed range of the maximum vehicle speed is equal to or longer than a certain time, and the reference value of the maintenance time is equal to or longer than the certain time. Determine whether the following is satisfied: The reference value of the maintained time is If the conditions are met, the computer executes a process to determine that the driving operation is capable of predicting the driver's behavior.

[0019] Claim 7 The judgment program described in 、 Vehicle driving scene A driving scene with a level preset according to the road Get a reference value for a maximum vehicle speed and a reference value for a time during which the vehicle speed is maintained within a predetermined speed range of the maximum vehicle speed are set for each level of the driving scene as the predetermined criteria for the driving scene, The vehicle speed of the vehicle for the acquired driving scene Regarding the above, it is determined whether the vehicle speed has reached the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed, and when the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed has been reached, the maintenance time during which the vehicle speed has been maintained within the predetermined speed range of the maximum vehicle speed is equal to or longer than a certain time, and the reference value of the maintenance time is equal to or longer than the certain time. Determine whether the following is satisfied: The reference value of the maintained time isIf the conditions are met, the computer executes a process to determine that the driving operation is capable of predicting the driver's behavior. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the technology disclosed herein, it is possible to determine whether the driver is performing driving operations that can be predicted in advance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 13 is a graph showing the relationship between vehicle speed and time, comparing a case of driving with and without predictability. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a center server according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a center server according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a process flow in the vehicle control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a determination process executed in the center server of the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a center server in a modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a process flow in a vehicle control system according to a modified example. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a determination process executed in a center server in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] A vehicle control system including a determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The vehicle control system is a system for determining whether a driver is performing a driving operation that can be predicted.

[0023] In the vehicle control system of the present embodiment, the transition of the vehicle speed is judged using a standard related to the vehicle speed determined for each level of the driving scene, and whether or not the driving operation is predictable is judged. The driving scene in the present embodiment refers to a driving scene in a certain section where the vehicle is driving. A level is set for the driving scene according to the flatness of the road shape, that is, the ease of driving. In addition, the standard related to the vehicle speed is set as a first standard, a standard value of the maximum vehicle speed, and as a second standard, a standard value of the maintenance time during which the vehicle speed is maintained within a predetermined speed from the maximum vehicle speed. The maximum vehicle speed of the first standard here is a vehicle speed that is assumed to be achievable in the case of predictable driving, and may be appropriately determined by experiments or the like. In addition, the second standard is set as the maintenance time of the maximum vehicle speed as a standard, since it is necessary to determine to what extent the maximum vehicle speed can be maintained. Note that setting a level for the driving scene is one example, and the ease of driving of the driving scene may be quantified.

[0024] Regarding the level of the driving scene, for example, since the flatness of the road varies depending on the shape of the road, it is assumed that the degree of drivability changes depending on the flatness of the road shape, and a gradual level is set according to the flatness of the road shape. The shape of the road during driving is acquired from map data, etc., as either "flat," "curved road," or "mountain road." Regarding the level of the driving scene, three levels are set for the shape of the road: level 1 for a "flat road" like an urban area, level 2 for a "curved road" with a curved road shape, and level 3 for a "mountain road" with a steep slope. The flatter the shape of the road, that is, the smaller the level, the higher the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed of the first criterion is set, and the longer the reference value of the maintenance time of the second criterion is set.

[0025] An example of the criteria will be described. When the driving scene is level 1, in the first criterion, the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed is set to 40 km / h, and the condition for satisfying the first criterion is that the vehicle speed reaches 40 km / h. In the second criterion, the reference value of the maintenance time for maintaining the maximum vehicle speed within -5 km / h of 40 km / h is set to 10 seconds, and the condition for satisfying the second criterion is that the maximum vehicle speed is maintained within -5 km / h of 40 km / h for 10 seconds or more. These reference values ​​are examples, and may be set appropriately for each level of the driving scene. Note that a reference value within a predetermined speed may also be set in the second criterion. In addition, if the road is well-visible, the maintenance time may include the case where the maximum vehicle speed is maintained within +5 km / h of 40 km / h. However, in the case of a normal flat road, the second criterion is not satisfied because the speed is excessive, and the condition of maintaining a vehicle speed from the maximum vehicle speed may be set according to the specific road shape of the driving scene.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between vehicle speed and time, comparing a case of driving that allows for foresight and a case of driving that does not allow for foresight. (A) in FIG. 1 is a case of driving that allows for foresight, and (B) is a case of driving that does not allow for foresight. (A) reaches the maximum vehicle speed and satisfies the first criterion, and also satisfies the second criterion because the maximum vehicle speed is kept within -5 km / h from 40 km / h for 10 seconds or more. Therefore, it can be determined that the driving is capable of foresight. (B) reaches the maximum vehicle speed and satisfies the first criterion, but does not satisfy the second criterion because the maximum vehicle speed is not kept within -5 km / h from 40 km / h for 10 seconds or more. Therefore, it is determined that the driving is not capable of foresight.

[0027] The above-described judgment of predictable driving operation obtained by the method of the present embodiment can be utilized, for example, for scoring the diagnosis of driving contents. In the diagnosis of driving contents, if a predictable driving operation is performed, it is diagnosed as safe driving and the score is high, and conversely, if a predictable driving operation is not performed, it is diagnosed as unsafe driving and the score is low.

[0028] (Overall composition) As shown in Fig. 2, a vehicle control system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a vehicle 12, a center server 30 serving as a determination device, and a terminal 40. The vehicle 12 is also equipped with an on-board device 20. The on-board device 20, the center server 30, and the terminal 40 are connected to each other via a network N. Note that, although Fig. 2 illustrates one vehicle 12, one on-board device 20, and one terminal 40 for one center server 30, the numbers of vehicles 12, on-board devices 20, and terminals 40 are not limited to this.

[0029] The center server 30 is installed, for example, at a manufacturer that manufactures the vehicle 12 or at a car dealership affiliated with the manufacturer. The terminal 40 is exemplified by a smartphone or a personal computer carried by an administrator or an owner who grasps the vehicle operation status of the driver of the vehicle 12. A request for determining vehicle operation is transmitted from the terminal 40 to the center server 30.

[0030] (vehicle) As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 12 according to this embodiment includes an in-vehicle device 20, a plurality of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 22, and a plurality of in-vehicle devices 24.

[0031] The vehicle-mounted device 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 20A, a read only memory (ROM) 20B, a random access memory (RAM) 20C, an in-vehicle communication interface (I / F) 20D, and a wireless communication interface 20E. The CPU 20A, the ROM 20B, the RAM 20C, the in-vehicle communication interface 20D, and the wireless communication interface 20E are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an internal bus 20G.

[0032] The CPU 20A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 20A reads out the programs from the ROM 20B and executes the programs using the RAM 20C as a working area.

[0033] The ROM 20B stores various programs and various data. In this embodiment, the ROM 20B stores a control program 50 that collects vehicle information related to the state and control of the vehicle 12 from the ECU 22 and permits or restricts the use of functions or the application of equipment of the vehicle 12. The ROM 20B also stores history information 110, which is backup data of the vehicle information. The RAM 20C temporarily stores programs or data as a working area.

[0034] The in-vehicle communication I / F 20D is an interface for connecting to each ECU 22. The interface uses a communication standard based on the CAN protocol. The in-vehicle communication I / F 20D is connected to the external bus 20H.

[0035] The wireless communication I / F 20E is a wireless communication module for communicating with the center server 30. The wireless communication module uses communication standards such as 5G, LTE, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The wireless communication I / F 20E is connected to a network N.

[0036] The ECU 22 includes at least an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System)-ECU 22A, a steering ECU 22B, a brake ECU 22C, and an engine ECU 22D.

[0037] The ADAS-ECU 22A controls the advanced driving assistance system. A vehicle speed sensor 24A, a yaw rate sensor 24B, and an external sensor 24C, which constitute the in-vehicle device 24, are connected to the ADAS-ECU 22A. The external sensor 24C is a group of sensors used to detect the surrounding environment of the vehicle 12. The external sensor 24C includes, for example, a camera that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 12, a millimeter wave radar that transmits a detection wave and receives a reflected wave, and a lidar (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) that scans the area ahead of the vehicle 12.

[0038] The steering ECU 22B controls the power steering. A steering angle sensor 24D constituting the in-vehicle device 24 is connected to the steering ECU 22B. The steering angle sensor 24D is a sensor that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel.

[0039] The brake ECU 22C controls the brake system of the vehicle 12. A brake actuator 24E constituting the in-vehicle device 24 is connected to the brake ECU 22C.

[0040] The engine ECU 22D controls the engine of the vehicle 12. A throttle actuator 24F and sensors 24G constituting the in-vehicle device 24 are connected to the engine ECU 22D. The sensors 24G include an oil temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the engine oil, an oil pressure sensor for measuring the oil pressure of the engine oil, and a rotation sensor for detecting the engine speed.

[0041] The information ECU 22E controls the car navigation system, audio, etc. A GPS device 29 constituting the in-vehicle device 24 is connected to the information ECU 22E. The GPS device 29 is a device for measuring the current position of the vehicle 12. The GPS device 29 includes an antenna (not shown) for receiving signals from GPS satellites. The GPS device 29 may be directly connected to the in-vehicle device 20.

[0042] (Center server) 4, the center server 30 includes a CPU 30A, a ROM 30B, a RAM 30C, a storage 30D, and a communication I / F 30E. The CPU 30A, the ROM 30B, the RAM 30C, the storage 30D, and the communication I / F 30E are connected to each other via an internal bus 30G so as to be able to communicate with each other. The functions of the CPU 30A, the ROM 30B, the RAM 30C, and the communication I / F 30E are the same as those of the CPU 20A, the ROM 20B, the RAM 20C, and the wireless communication I / F 20E of the vehicle-mounted device 20 described above. The communication I / F 30E may perform wired communication.

[0043] The storage 30D as a memory is configured by a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs and various data. In the present embodiment, the storage 30D stores a processing program 100, a vehicle information DB (database) 110, a map information DB 120, and a determination information DB 130. The ROM 30B may store the processing program 100, the vehicle information DB 110, the map information DB 120, and the determination information DB 130.

[0044] The processing program 100 as a determination program is a program for controlling the center server 30. With the execution of the processing program 100, the center server 30 executes a determination process for determining whether or not the operation can be predicted in advance.

[0045] The vehicle information DB 110 stores vehicle information for each time acquired from the vehicle 12. The vehicle information includes information such as vehicle speed, acceleration, yaw rate, steering angle, accelerator opening, brake pedal force or stroke, etc. The vehicle information also includes an image of the outside of the vehicle 12 captured by a camera serving as the external sensor 24C, and a current position acquired from the GPS device 29. The map information DB 120 stores map data for acquiring a driving scene from the vehicle's position. The map data is assigned with a road shape for each position coordinate, and the road shape can be acquired as a driving scene. In this embodiment, as an example, the road shapes are assigned with "flat roads," "curved roads," and "mountain roads." The judgment information DB 130 stores driving scene levels set according to the shape of the road and vehicle speed standards for each driving scene level. The vehicle speed standards store a first standard (a standard value for the maximum vehicle speed) and a second standard (a standard value for the time during which the vehicle speed is maintained within a predetermined speed from the maximum vehicle speed) for each driving scene level.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5, in the center server 30 of this embodiment, a CPU 30A executes a processing program 100 to function as an acquisition unit 200, a scene processing unit 202, a determination unit 204, and an output unit 206.

[0047] The acquisition unit 200 has a function of acquiring vehicle information of the vehicle 12 from the vehicle-mounted device 20 of the vehicle 12. The acquisition unit 200 acquires vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 20 at any timing, and stores the vehicle information in the vehicle information DB 110. The acquisition unit 200 also has a function of accepting a vehicle operation judgment request from the terminal 40. The judgment request includes time information at which a vehicle operation judgment is to be made, and the center server 30 judges the vehicle operation at the time of the time information.

[0048] The scene processing unit 202 receives a judgment request as an input. The scene processing unit 202 acquires the position of the vehicle information in the vehicle information DB at the time of the judgment request and the map data in the map information DB 120. The scene processing unit 202 compares the position of the vehicle 12 included in the acquired vehicle information with the shape of the road included in the map data to acquire the level of the driving scene at the position where the vehicle 12 was traveling. Note that the process of acquiring the driving scene by the scene processing unit 202 is not limited to the example of acquiring the driving scene using the position of the vehicle information and the map data, and may be appropriately modified in design. For example, the driving scene may be acquired by analyzing the shape of the road from the captured image included in the vehicle information, or the driving scene may be acquired by analyzing the shape of the road from the detection result of the surrounding environment by the external sensor 24C of the vehicle 12.

[0049] The determination unit 204 receives an input of a driving scene acquired by the scene processing unit 202. The determination unit 204 acquires the vehicle speed of the vehicle information in the vehicle information DB for a certain time interval with respect to the time of the determination request. In addition, the determination unit 204 acquires criteria (first and second criteria) related to the vehicle speed corresponding to the level of the driving scene from the determination information DB 130 for the received driving scene. The determination unit 204 uses the criteria related to the vehicle speed to determine whether or not the driver of the vehicle 12 is performing a driving operation that can be predicted. Specifically, the determination unit 204 determines whether or not the vehicle speed satisfies each of the first and second criteria. The determination unit 204 uses the first criterion to determine whether or not the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 in the driving scene has reached a reference value of the maximum vehicle speed set in the first criterion. When the first criterion is satisfied, the determination unit 204 uses the second criterion to determine whether or not the time during which the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 has been maintained within a predetermined speed of the maximum vehicle speed has been a certain time or more. When the second criterion is satisfied, the determination unit 204 determines that the driver of the vehicle 12 is performing a predictable driving operation in the driving scene. The output unit 206 transmits the determination result of the determination unit 204 to the terminal 40.

[0050] (Flow of Control) A process flow as a control method executed in the vehicle control system 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 6 and the flowchart of Fig. 7. The process in the center server 30 is executed by the CPU 30A functioning as each part of the center server 30.

[0051] 6, the CPU 20A of the vehicle-mounted device 20 transmits vehicle information to the center server 30. The vehicle information is transmitted at any timing, such as when the ignition of the vehicle 12 is turned ON or OFF, or when a command requesting transmission of vehicle information is received from the center server 30.

[0052] In step S11, the terminal 40 transmits a determination request to the center server 30. Note that the processes of steps S10 and S11 are not essential processes, and may be executed in advance and the process may start from step S12. In addition, when the process of accepting the transmission of the determination request at the center server 30 is executed in advance, a plurality of times to be subject to the determination process may be determined in advance, and the determination process may be periodically performed for the plurality of times to obtain a determination result of the driving operation.

[0053] In step S12, the CPU 30A executes a determination process in the center server 30. The details of the determination process will be described later.

[0054] In step S13, the CPU 30A in the center server 30 transmits the determination result to the terminal 40.

[0055] Next, the determination process in step S12 will be described in detail. In step S100 of FIG. 7, CPU 30A acquires the position of the vehicle information from vehicle information DB 110 and map data from map information DB 120 at the time of the determination request acquired in step S12.

[0056] In step S101, the CPU 30A compares the position of the vehicle 12 included in the acquired vehicle information with the shape of the road included in the map data to acquire the driving scene of the position where the vehicle 12 was traveling. The driving scene is acquired as level 1 if the shape of the road is a "flat road", as level 2 if the shape of the road is a "curving road", and as level 3 if the shape of the road is a "mountain road".

[0057] In step S102, the CPU 30A acquires the vehicle speed of the vehicle information in the vehicle information DB for a certain time interval with respect to the time of the judgment request. For example, if the time of the judgment request requests that the judgment be made around "14:05", the vehicle speed for a certain time interval including the time of the judgment request, such as "14:04:00 to 14:06:00", may be acquired. Note that the acquired time interval may be changed depending on the driving scene acquired in step S101.

[0058] In step S103, CPU 30A acquires, for the driving scene acquired in step S101, criteria (first criterion and second criterion) related to the vehicle speed corresponding to the level of the driving scene from determination information DB 130.

[0059] In step S104, the CPU 30A uses the first criterion to determine whether or not the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 in the driving scene reaches the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed set in the first criterion. If it is determined that the vehicle speed has reached the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed, the process proceeds to step S105, and if it is determined that the vehicle speed has not reached the reference value, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0060] In step S105, CPU 30A uses the second criterion to determine whether the time during which the speed of vehicle 12 is maintained within a predetermined maximum vehicle speed is equal to or longer than a certain time. If it is determined that the time is equal to or longer than the certain time, the process proceeds to step S106, and if it is determined that the time is not equal to or longer than the certain time, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0061] In step S106, the CPU 30A determines that the driver of the vehicle 12 in the traveling scene is performing a driving operation that can be predicted. In this manner, it is determined that the driver is performing a driving operation that can be predicted when the first criterion and the second criterion are satisfied.

[0062] In step S107, CPU 30A determines that the driver of vehicle 12 in the traveling scene has not performed a driving operation that allows the driver of vehicle 12 to predict the future.

[0063] (summary) The center server 30 as the determination device of this embodiment uses a first criterion to determine whether or not the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 reaches the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed set in the first criterion for the driving scene. If the maximum vehicle speed is reached, the center server 30 uses a second criterion to determine whether or not the time during which the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 is maintained within a predetermined speed of the maximum vehicle speed is equal to or longer than a certain time. In this way, the driving operation situation of the driver can be grasped from the transition of the vehicle speed, such as the vehicle speed and the time the vehicle speed is maintained. In other words, it can be determined from the transition of the vehicle speed whether the driver is performing a driving operation that can be predicted.

[0064] In addition, the center server 30 of this embodiment can determine whether the driver is performing a predictable driving operation according to the driving scene by setting a reference value related to the vehicle speed for each driving scene level. Also, by setting a reference value according to the flatness of the road, an appropriate reference can be set.

[0065] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the case where the transition of the vehicle speed is used for the determination is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the user state may be further considered to determine whether the driving operation is predictable. As shown in FIG. 8, in the center server 30 of the modified example, the CPU 30A executes the processing program 100 to function as an acquisition unit 200, a user state identification unit 300, a scene processing unit 202, a determination unit 204, and an output unit 206. In addition, a sensor or a camera for monitoring the user, who is the driver, is installed in the in-vehicle device 24 of the vehicle 12, and user monitoring information is transmitted to the center server 30. The user monitoring information is, for example, an image capturing an area including the upper half of the user's body, information on the movement of the user's line of sight, and the like.

[0066] The user state identification unit 300 identifies the user state of the driver from the received user monitoring information. The user state is, for example, the user's awake state, and identifies whether the user is awake using a known technique. It is assumed that the judgment information DB 130 stores a user criterion for judging the user state. The user criterion is a criterion for judging whether the user is awake or not, and an index is defined for judging whether the awake state is a certain level or higher as awake, and whether the awake state is less than a certain level as not awake. The judgment unit 204 uses the user state and the user criterion to judge whether the user state meets the user criterion, that is, whether the user is awake or not.

[0067] FIG. 9 shows a sequence in the modified example, and FIG. 10 shows a flowchart in the modified example. As shown in FIG. 9, in the modified example, after step S10, the CPU 20A of the vehicle-mounted device 20 transmits the user monitoring information to the center server 30 in step S20. As shown in FIG. 10, in the modified example, step S200 is executed before step S100 (note that the processes of steps S200 to S202 may be executed after step S105). In step S200, CPU 30A identifies the user state (awake state) of the user who is the driver from the received user monitoring information. In step S201, CPU 30A acquires a user criterion from determination information DB . In step S202, the CPU 30A uses the user state and the user criterion to determine whether or not the user state satisfies the user criterion. If it is determined that the user criterion is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S100. If it is determined that the user criterion is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S107. By making the determination using the user state in this manner, the determination process can be performed more reliably, taking into account not only the vehicle speed but also the user state.

[0068] In addition, when the user state is used, other modified examples can be assumed. For example, when identifying an awakening state as the user state, it is possible to determine whether the user is stagnant or not from the awakening state. Therefore, in the determination unit 204, when the user state is stagnant, the reference value of the maintenance time of the second criterion may be updated to be longer. This is because when the user state is stagnant, drowsiness occurs and there is a possibility that the driving operation that can be predicted is not performed. In this way, the determination process can be performed taking into consideration the degree of awakening of the user. In addition to awakening and stagnation due to the awakening state, an index of a user state that causes driving problems such as an excited state may be used as the user state. In addition, the first criterion and the second reference value may be weighted based on the degree of awakening of the user state. The above is a modified example that takes the user state into consideration.

[0069] In addition, since it is considered that the degree of drivability changes depending on the weather during driving, a modified example may be used in which the reference value is corrected according to the weather in the driving scene. For example, in the case of bad weather with rain, it is assumed that the vehicle speed will be slow and the maintenance time will be shortened. Therefore, in the case of bad weather, the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed determined for each level of the driving scene may be lowered and the maintenance time may be shortened. Conversely, in the case of good weather, the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed may be raised and the maintenance time may be lengthened. By taking the weather into consideration in this way, the judgment process can be performed using an appropriate reference according to the environment.

[0070] In the above embodiment, various processes executed by the CPU 20A and the CPU 30A by reading the software (programs) may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. In this case, examples of the processor include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electric circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed exclusively for executing a specific process. In addition, each of the above-mentioned processes may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a plurality of FPGAs, a combination of a CPU and an FPGA, etc.). In addition, the hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0071] In the above embodiment, each program has been described as being prestored (installed) in a non-transitory recording medium that can be read by a computer. For example, the control program 50 in the vehicle-mounted device 20 is prestored in the ROM 20B, and the processing program 100 in the center server 30 is prestored in the storage 30D. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each program may be provided in a form recorded in a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Also, the program may be downloaded from an external device via a network.

[0072] The process flow described in the above embodiment is merely an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the process order may be changed, without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 10 Vehicle Control System 12 Vehicles 30 Center server (judgment device) 30A CPU (processor) 100 Processing program (judgment program)

Claims

1. a scene processing unit that acquires a vehicle driving scene having a level that is preset according to a road; a reference value for a maximum vehicle speed and a reference value for a time during which the vehicle speed is maintained within a predetermined speed range of the maximum vehicle speed are set for each level of the driving scene as the predetermined criteria for the driving scene, a determination unit which determines, for the acquired driving scene, whether or not the vehicle speed of the vehicle has reached a reference value of a maximum vehicle speed, and if the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed has been reached, determines whether or not a time during which the vehicle has maintained a speed within a predetermined maximum vehicle speed is equal to or longer than a certain time and satisfies the reference value of the maintained time, and determines that the vehicle is performing a predictable driving operation if the reference value of the maintained time is satisfied; A determination device comprising:

2. 2. The determination device according to claim 1, wherein the level of the driving scene is set according to the shape of the road, and the flatter the road shape is, the higher the reference value of the reference maximum vehicle speed and the longer the reference value of the maintained time are set.

3. The criteria include a criterion regarding a user state of a user who drives the vehicle, 3 . The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit acquires a user state of a user driving the vehicle, and determines that the driving operation is a predictable driving operation when the user state and the vehicle speed satisfy the criteria. 4 .

4. The determination device according to claim 3 , wherein when the user state is stagnant, the determination device updates the reference value of the maintained time of the criterion so as to be longer, according to the user state.

5. 5. The determination device according to claim 1, wherein when the weather in the driving scene is bad, the reference value of the criterion is corrected so as to reduce the maximum vehicle speed and to shorten the maintained time.

6. Acquire a vehicle driving scene having a level that is preset according to a road; a reference value for a maximum vehicle speed and a reference value for a time during which the vehicle speed is maintained within a predetermined speed range of the maximum vehicle speed are set for each level of the driving scene as the predetermined criteria for the driving scene, For the acquired driving scene, a determination is made as to whether the vehicle speed of the vehicle has reached a reference value of the maximum vehicle speed, and if the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed has been reached, a determination is made as to whether the time during which the vehicle has maintained a speed within a predetermined maximum vehicle speed is equal to or longer than a certain time and satisfies the reference value of the maintained time, and if the reference value of the maintained time is satisfied, it is determined that the vehicle is performing a driving operation that can be predicted. A method for determining whether a process is to be performed by a computer.

7. Acquire a vehicle driving scene having a level that is preset according to a road; a reference value for a maximum vehicle speed and a reference value for a time during which the vehicle speed is maintained within a predetermined speed range of the maximum vehicle speed are set for each level of the driving scene as the predetermined criteria for the driving scene, For the acquired driving scene, a determination is made as to whether the vehicle speed of the vehicle has reached a reference value of the maximum vehicle speed, and if the reference value of the maximum vehicle speed has been reached, a determination is made as to whether the time during which the vehicle has maintained a speed within a predetermined maximum vehicle speed is equal to or longer than a certain time and satisfies the reference value of the maintained time, and if the reference value of the maintained time is satisfied, it is determined that the vehicle is performing a driving operation that can be predicted. A judgment program that causes a computer to execute a process.

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