Awakening assistance device and awakening assistance method

Abstract

To provide an awakening support device capable of inhibiting a user from having difficulty in awakening.SOLUTION: An awakening support device 100 is an awakening support device for urging a user to awaken by urging the user in a vehicle to concentrate, and includes: a first selection unit 140 for selecting one category out of a plurality of categories associated with display contents in which types of concentration that the user is urged to show are different from each other; a second selection unit 150 for selecting one or more display contents out of a plurality of display contents associated with the one category; and a control unit 170 for presenting the one or more display contents to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an awakening assistance device and an awakening assistance method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are devices that promote the awakening of users such as vehicle drivers (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The awakening maintenance device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an air conditioning device that generates multiple types of temperature stimuli, such as temperature stimuli on the driver's face, temperature stimuli on the driver's torso from the driver's seat, and temperature stimuli on the driver's hands, and a stimulus control unit that generates these temperature stimuli. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-29000 A [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Mizuhito Aoto, "How to Improve Concentration by Learning from a Neuroscientist Who Skips Through a Prestigious American University," Internet (URL: https: / / toyokeizai.net / articles / - / 425084?page=4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] If the same stimulus is repeatedly given to the user to encourage awakening, the user will gradually become accustomed to the stimulus, making it more difficult for the user to be awakened.

[0006] In view of this, the present disclosure provides an awakening assistance device and the like that can prevent the user from becoming less likely to be awakened. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An awakening assistance device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an awakening assistance device for encouraging a user in a vehicle to wake up by encouraging the user to concentrate, and includes a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents each correspond to a different type of concentration that the user is encouraged to concentrate, a second selection unit that selects one or more presentation contents from the plurality of presentation contents associated with the one category, and a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user.

[0008] In addition, an awakening assistance method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an awakening assistance method for encouraging a user in a vehicle to wake up by encouraging the user to concentrate, and includes a first selection step of selecting one category from a plurality of categories associated with presentation contents each having a different type of concentration that the user is encouraged to concentrate on, a second selection step of selecting one or more presentation contents from the plurality of presentation contents associated with the one category, and a control step of presenting the one or more presentation contents to the user. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to an awakening assistance device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the user from having difficulty waking up. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the interior of a vehicle in which an awakening assistance device according to an embodiment is used. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the awakening assistance device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the type of concentration that the user is encouraged to have. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of the content presented to the user. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of the content presented to the user. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the content presented to the user. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the content presented by the awakening assistance device according to the embodiment and the user's drowsiness level. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process procedure of the awakening assistance device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] (Summary of the Disclosure) In order to solve the above problems, an awakening assistance device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an awakening assistance device for encouraging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, and includes a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents each correspond to a different type of concentration that the user is encouraged to concentrate, a second selection unit that selects one or more presentation contents from the plurality of presentation contents associated with the one category, and a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user.

[0012] According to this, the user is encouraged to concentrate by the content appropriately selected by the awakening assistance device from among the content that encourages the user to concentrate in different ways, and thus the user is encouraged to wake up. Therefore, the awakening assistance device can change the content at an appropriate time to prevent the user from getting used to the content, and can encourage the user to wake up by encouraging the user to concentrate. Therefore, the awakening assistance device according to one aspect of the present disclosure can prevent the user from becoming difficult to wake up.

[0013] Also, for example, each of the multiple presented contents is a question to the user or an instruction to cause the user to perform a predetermined action.

[0014] Furthermore, for example, the multiple categories include a category associated with a presentation content related to a current situation and a category associated with a presentation content related to a past or future situation.

[0015] Also, for example, the multiple categories include a category associated with a presentation content related to a specific situation and a category associated with a presentation content related to an unspecified situation.

[0016] Also, for example, the multiple categories include (i) a category associated with presentation content related to a specific situation in the present, (ii) a category associated with presentation content related to a specific situation in the past or future, (iii) a category associated with presentation content related to an unspecified situation in the present, and (iv) a category associated with presentation content related to an unspecified situation in the past or future.

[0017] According to these, a plurality of presentation contents that encourage the user to concentrate in different ways can be realized.

[0018] In addition, for example, the device further includes a drowsiness estimation unit that estimates a drowsiness level indicating the degree of drowsiness of the user based on status information indicating the detection result of a status sensor that detects the user's status, and the first selection unit selects the one category depending on the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit.

[0019] According to this, the awakening assistance device can select a category or change the category depending on the user's drowsiness level.

[0020] Also, for example, when the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit is equal to or higher than a first drowsiness threshold, the control unit presents the one or more presentation contents to the user.

[0021] According to this, the awakening assistance device can present the presentation content when the user becomes sleepy.

[0022] Also, for example, when the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit is equal to or higher than a second drowsiness threshold that is higher than the first drowsiness threshold, the first selection unit changes the one category to another category among the multiple categories other than the one category, and the second selection unit selects one or more presentation contents from the multiple presentation contents associated with the other category.

[0023] According to this, the awakening assistance device can change the presented content when the user becomes accustomed to the same presented content and finds it difficult to concentrate.

[0024] Also, for example, the first selection unit changes the one category to another category among the plurality of categories other than the one category every time a predetermined time elapses, and the second selection unit selects one or more presentation contents from the plurality of presentation contents associated with the other category.

[0025] According to this, the content presented to the user is changed periodically, so that the awakening assistance device can prevent the user from becoming difficult to awaken with a simple configuration.

[0026] Also, for example, the first selection unit changes the one category to another category other than the one category among the multiple categories each time any one of the multiple presented contents included in the one category is presented a predetermined number of times, and the second selection unit selects one or more presented contents from the multiple presented contents associated with the other category.

[0027] Also, for example, the first selection unit selects the one category based on a predetermined order for the multiple categories.

[0028] Also, for example, the first selection unit randomly selects the one category from among the multiple categories.

[0029] According to these, the same presentation content is prevented from being presented to the user multiple times, and the awakening assistance device can prevent the user from becoming difficult to awaken with a simple configuration.

[0030] Also, for example, the first selection unit selects the one category based on environmental information indicating a detection result of a surrounding environment sensor that detects the environment around the vehicle.

[0031] This allows the awakening assistance device to appropriately select presentation content according to the location where the vehicle is located or the traffic conditions at the location where the vehicle is located.

[0032] Also, for example, the environmental information indicates the traffic volume around the vehicle, and when the traffic volume indicated by the environmental information is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume, the first selection unit selects as the one category a category from the multiple categories to which presentation content related to a specific current situation is associated.

[0033] For example, if the user is a driver of the vehicle 300, it is considered that the user will perform more driving operations such as steering, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal in a place with heavy traffic compared to a place with light traffic. In such a case, the awakening assistance device takes into consideration the safety of driving and presents a presentation content related to a specific situation at present (e.g., while driving), such as the driving status of other vehicles near the vehicle driven by the user or the lighting status of traffic lights. In this way, the awakening assistance device can encourage the user to wake up without interfering with the user's driving.

[0034] Also, for example, the control unit presents any one of the plurality of presentation contents included in the one category to the user at a predetermined time interval.

[0035] According to this, since the presentation content is periodically presented to the user, the awakening assistance device can prevent the user from being in a state where he / she is not awakened (i.e., a sleepy state) with a simple configuration.

[0036] Also, for example, the predetermined time interval is set based on environmental information indicating the detection results of an ambient environment sensor that detects the environment around the vehicle.

[0037] As described above, for example, if the user is a driver, it is considered that the user performs more driving operations such as the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal in a place with heavy traffic than in a place with light traffic. Therefore, it is considered that the user is more likely to be awakened by driving operations in a place with heavy traffic than in a place with light traffic. Therefore, it is considered that the user can maintain an awakened state even if the frequency of presenting the presentation content to the user is lower in a place with heavy traffic than in a place with light traffic. Therefore, by setting a predetermined time interval based on the environmental information, the awakening assistance device can present the presentation content to the user at an appropriate frequency to encourage the user to concentrate and thereby awaken the user.

[0038] In addition, for example, the device may further include a drowsiness estimation unit that estimates a drowsiness level indicating the degree of drowsiness of the user based on status information indicating the detection result of a status sensor that detects the user's status, and the specified time interval is set based on the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit.

[0039] This allows the awakening assistance device to appropriately present the content at a frequency according to the user's drowsiness level.

[0040] Also, for example, the control unit controls a presentation device to present the one or more presentation contents to the user by at least one of a sound and an image.

[0041] According to this, the awakening assistance device can present the presentation contents to the user using devices such as a display and a speaker.

[0042] In addition, an awakening assistance method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an awakening assistance method for encouraging a user in a vehicle to wake up by encouraging the user to concentrate, and includes a first selection step of selecting one category from a plurality of categories associated with presentation contents each having a different type of concentration that the user is encouraged to concentrate on, a second selection step of selecting one or more presentation contents from the plurality of presentation contents associated with the one category, and a control step of presenting the one or more presentation contents to the user.

[0043] This provides the same effects as the awakening assistance device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] In addition, these comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized in a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be realized in any combination of a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0045] For example, one aspect of the present disclosure may be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the awakening assistance method. Also, one aspect of the present disclosure may be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium storing the program.

[0046] Hereinafter, the embodiment will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0047] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component arrangements and connection forms, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims are described as optional components.

[0048] In addition, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily illustrated precisely. Therefore, for example, the scales in each figure do not necessarily match. In addition, in each figure, substantially the same configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0049] In the following description, the term "above the threshold" may be used, but this is not intended to be a strict description. For example, "above the threshold" may mean larger than the threshold. Furthermore, when described in contrast to "above the threshold" and "below the threshold", it may mean that the value is the boundary, and may mean "greater than the threshold" and "below the threshold", respectively.

[0050] (Embodiment) [overview] First, a configuration of the awakening assistance device according to the embodiment will be described.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the interior of a vehicle 300 in which an awakening assistance device 100 according to an embodiment is used.

[0052] The awakening assistance device 100 is a control device for encouraging a user in a vehicle 300 to concentrate and thereby to wake up the user.

[0053] The vehicle 300 is, for example, an automobile, and the user is, for example, the driver of the vehicle 300.

[0054] The awakening assistance device 100 controls the presentation device 200 to present a predetermined presentation content to the user. The presentation content is a question to the user or an instruction to make the user perform a predetermined action. In other words, the awakening assistance device 100 prompts the user to concentrate by asking a question or giving an instruction to the user.

[0055] Awakening assistance device 100 is realized, for example, by a computer device, etc. Specifically, awakening assistance device 100 is realized by a non-volatile memory in which a program is stored, a volatile memory which is a temporary storage area for executing the program, an input / output port, a communication interface, a processor that executes the program, etc.

[0056] The user may be a person other than the driver in the vehicle 300, such as a person sitting in the passenger seat or a person sitting in the back seat.

[0057] Furthermore, the vehicle 300 may be a car or any other vehicle such as a motorcycle.

[0058] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the awakening assistance device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0059] The awakening assistance device 100 includes an acquisition unit 110, a drowsiness estimation unit 120, a presentation determination unit 130, a first selection unit 140, a second selection unit 150, an interval determination unit 160, a control unit 170, and a storage unit 180.

[0060] The acquisition unit 110 acquires from the image capturing device 210 status information indicating the image capturing result of the image capturing device 210 , and acquires from the ambient environment sensor 220 status information indicating the detection result of the ambient environment sensor 220 .

[0061] The image capturing device 210 is an example of a status sensor.

[0062] The acquisition unit 110 is realized, for example, by a communication interface that communicates with the image capture device 210 and the surrounding environment sensor 220. The acquisition unit 110 may be realized by a connector to which a communication line is connected, or may be realized by an antenna and a wireless communication circuit for wirelessly communicating with the image capture device 210 and the surrounding environment sensor 220.

[0063] The drowsiness estimation unit 120 is a processing unit that estimates (calculates) a drowsiness level indicating the degree of drowsiness of the user based on state information indicating the detection result of a state sensor that detects the state of the user.

[0064] The state information is, for example, an image of the user (more specifically, image data showing the user). For example, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates the drowsiness level of the user based on an image showing the user captured by the image capture device 210 connected to the drowsiness estimation unit 120. In this embodiment, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates the drowsiness level of the user based on the blinking of the user shown in the moving image obtained from the image capture device 210. For example, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 uses the time it takes for one blink, the number of blinks within a predetermined time, and / or the degree of blinking (degree of eye opening) to estimate the drowsiness level. For example, when the blinking cycle of the user is stable, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates that the user is not sleepy and estimates the drowsiness level of the user to be low, for example, the drowsiness level of the user to be 1. On the other hand, for example, when the user blinks slowly or the blinking cycle is short and frequent, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates that the user is in a drowsy state and estimates the user's drowsiness level to be high, for example, 10. In other words, when the user's blinking cycle is stable, the user is estimated to be in a not drowsy state, and when the user blinks slowly and frequently, the user is estimated to be in a drowsy state.

[0065] Alternatively, for example, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates the user's drowsiness level to be high when the user's blink duration is long, that is, when the user is dozing off, and estimates the user's drowsiness level to be low when the user's blink duration is short.

[0066] Alternatively, for example, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates the user's drowsiness level to be high when the user's blinking degree (eye opening degree) is small, and estimates the user's drowsiness level to be low when the user's blinking degree is large.

[0067] Alternatively, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 may estimate the drowsiness level of the user by combining indices related to blinking, such as the time it takes to blink, the frequency of blinking, and the degree to which the eyes are open.

[0068] In this manner, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates the drowsiness level of the user by analyzing the moving image of the user obtained from the image capturing device 210.

[0069] The reference value of the blinking period used by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 to estimate the drowsiness level of the user may be determined arbitrarily in advance.

[0070] As described above, the drowsiness level is an index showing the degree of drowsiness of the user. The drowsiness level is expressed as a numerical value in a predetermined range, for example, 0 to 1, 0 to 10, or 0 to 100 (in increments of 0.1 or 1). In this embodiment, a higher drowsiness level indicates that the user is in a drowsy state, and a lower drowsiness level indicates that the user is not in a drowsy state, that is, is in an awake state. Of course, the relationship between the drowsiness level and the user's drowsy state may be the opposite to that described above.

[0071] The numerical range of the drowsiness level is not particularly limited and may be set arbitrarily.

[0072] The presentation determination unit 130 is a processing unit that determines whether to present to the user. For example, when the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is equal to or higher than the first drowsiness threshold, the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the control unit 170 presents to the user one or more presentation contents selected by the first selection unit 140 and the second selection unit 150. On the other hand, for example, when the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is lower than the first drowsiness threshold, the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the presentation contents are not to be presented to the user.

[0073] Also, for example, the presentation determination unit 130 determines whether to change the presentation content presented to the user. For example, when the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is equal to or higher than a second drowsiness threshold higher than the first drowsiness threshold, the presentation determination unit 130 determines to change the presentation content presented to the user.

[0074] The first drowsiness threshold and the second drowsiness threshold may be set arbitrarily and are not particularly limited.

[0075] The first selection unit 140 is a processing unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories in which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated. The first selection unit 140 selects one category from a plurality of categories included in the presentation information 181 stored in the storage unit 180, for example.

[0076] There are several types of human concentration states (also simply called concentration). The types of concentration encouraged to the user vary depending on the content presented to the user.

[0077] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the type of concentration that the user is encouraged to have.

[0078] The multiple types of concentrations include, for example, a first concentration, a second concentration, a third concentration, and a fourth concentration.

[0079] For example, the first concentration is prompted to the user by presenting the user with a content related to a specific current situation. Examples of the content when the first concentration is prompted to the user include an instruction to the user who is driving the vehicle 300 to guide the current vehicle distance to 50 m, or a question about the current legal speed limit.

[0080] Also, for example, the second concentration is prompted to the user by presenting to the user content related to a specific situation (event) in the past or future. Examples of the content presented when the second concentration is prompted to the user include a question about an intersection where the user driving the vehicle 300 turned two intersections ago, a question about the next road to pass, the name of the elementary school the user attended, or a question about the user's schedule for tomorrow.

[0081] Also, for example, the third concentration is prompted to the user by presenting the user with a presentation content related to a current unspecified situation. Examples of the presentation content when the third concentration is prompted to the user include an instruction to the user who is driving the vehicle 300 to guide the current inter-vehicle distance to a safe distance, or a question asking the user to find the largest vehicle within the user's current field of vision.

[0082] Also, for example, the fourth concentration is prompted to the user by presenting to the user content related to unspecified situations in the past or future. Examples of the content presented when the fourth concentration is prompted to the user include a question that reminds the user of intersections where the user driving the vehicle 300 has turned today and where the traffic light was red, or a question such as "What do you want to do tomorrow?"

[0083] In this way, by presenting the user with different types of objects to focus on, the user is encouraged to focus on different types of objects.

[0084] A plurality of presented contents, each of which is different from the other in terms of the type of concentration that the user is encouraged to concentrate on, is associated with each of the plurality of categories.

[0085] For example, the multiple categories include a category associated with a presentation content related to a current situation and a category associated with a presentation content related to a past or future situation. Also, for example, the multiple categories include a category associated with a presentation content related to a specific situation and a category associated with a presentation content related to an unspecified situation.

[0086] According to these, a plurality of presentation contents that encourage the user to concentrate in different ways can be realized.

[0087] The present is, for example, the time when the user is presented with the presented content and the period immediately after that time, and the past or future is a period other than that period. The period considered to be the present is, for example, a period from a few seconds to several tens of seconds after the time when the user is presented with the presented content. In addition, for example, the current situation may be a situation on an extension of the road on which the vehicle 300 travels, such as the next intersection located in the traveling direction of the vehicle 300 on the road on which the vehicle 300 travels, within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle 300 (i.e., the user's position) at the time when the user is presented with the presented content. The predetermined distance is, for example, a distance or legibility distance that is arbitrarily set, such as several meters. Similarly, the past or future situation may be a situation at a position away from the predetermined distance, such as several kilometers away from the current position of the vehicle 300.

[0088] A specific situation is an event where the subject of a question or instruction is clear, such as an instruction such as "keep a safe distance between vehicles" or a question such as "what is the name of the elementary school the user went to?", that is, the subject of the question or instruction is already specified, such as "XX mm" or "the elementary school the user went to." On the other hand, an unspecified situation is an event where the subject of a question or instruction is not clear, such as an instruction such as "keep a safe distance between vehicles" or a question such as "how many intersections you have turned at so far today that had red lights?", that is, an event where you need to think of or find the answer yourself, such as "a safe distance" or "how many?"

[0089] Furthermore, for example, the multiple categories may include categories to which presentation contents that are any combination of these are associated. Specifically, for example, the multiple categories include (i) a category to which presentation contents related to a specific situation in the present are associated, (ii) a category to which presentation contents related to a specific situation in the past or future are associated, (iii) a category to which presentation contents related to an unspecified situation in the present are associated, and (iv) a category to which presentation contents related to an unspecified situation in the past or future are associated.

[0090] In this embodiment, the first category is associated with a plurality of presented contents that prompt the user to concentrate in a first manner. In addition, in this embodiment, the second category is associated with a plurality of presented contents that prompt the user to concentrate in a second manner. In addition, in this embodiment, the third category is associated with a plurality of presented contents that prompt the user to concentrate in a third manner. In addition, in this embodiment, the fourth category is associated with a plurality of presented contents that prompt the user to concentrate in a fourth manner.

[0091] This makes it possible to realize a plurality of presentation contents each of which encourages the user to concentrate in different ways.

[0092] For example, each of the multiple presentation contents is a question to the user, or an instruction to make the user perform a predetermined action.

[0093] It should be noted that how the first selection section 140 selects one category may be determined arbitrarily.

[0094] For example, the first selection unit 140 selects one category according to the drowsiness level of the user estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120. For example, the first selection unit 140 selects a new category or reselects (changes) the selected category to another category according to the drowsiness level.

[0095] According to this, the awakening assistance device can select a category or change the category depending on the user's drowsiness level.

[0096] Alternatively, for example, the first selection section 140 selects one category based on a predetermined order for the multiple categories.

[0097] The order may be determined arbitrarily.

[0098] Alternatively, for example, the first selection section 140 randomly selects one category from among a plurality of categories.

[0099] According to these, the same content is prevented from being presented to the user multiple times, and therefore the user can be prevented from becoming difficult to wake up with a simple configuration.

[0100] For example, the first selection unit 140 may alternately select the first category and the fourth category each time the category is changed. Alternatively, for example, the first selection unit 140 may alternately select the second category and the third category each time the category is changed. Alternatively, for example, the first selection unit 140 may alternately select the first category and the third category each time the category is changed. Alternatively, for example, the first selection unit 140 may alternately select the second category and the fourth category each time the category is changed. Alternatively, for example, the first selection unit 140 may alternately select the first category and the second category each time the category is changed. Alternatively, for example, the first selection unit 140 may alternately select the third category and the fourth category each time the category is changed. Alternatively, for example, the first selection unit 140 may generate a random number and select one category based on the generated random number.

[0101] Alternatively, for example, the first selection unit 140 selects one category based on environmental information indicating the detection result of the surrounding environment sensor 220 that detects the environment around the vehicle 300.

[0102] The environmental information is information indicating, for example, the location where the vehicle 300 is located, the traffic conditions in the location where the vehicle is located, the weather around the vehicle 300, the temperature, and the like.

[0103] This allows appropriate selection of presentation content according to the location where the vehicle is located or the traffic conditions at the location where the vehicle is located.

[0104] For example, when the environmental information indicates the traffic volume around the vehicle 300, if the traffic volume indicated by the environmental information is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume, the first selection unit 140 may select as one category a category (in this embodiment, the first category) from among multiple categories to which presentation content related to a specific current situation is associated.

[0105] For example, if the user is a driver of the vehicle 300, it is considered that the user will perform more driving operations such as steering, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal in a place with heavy traffic compared to a place with light traffic. In such a case, the awakening assistance device 100 considers driving safety and presents a presentation content related to a specific situation (e.g., while driving) currently, such as the driving state of other vehicles near the vehicle 300 driven by the user or the lighting state of a traffic light, etc. In this way, the awakening assistance device 100 can encourage the user to wake up without disturbing the user's driving.

[0106] The predetermined amount may be determined arbitrarily.

[0107] Furthermore, the first selection unit 140 may change the one category to be selected depending on the user's drowsiness level, environmental information, and / or the elapsed time since the presentation content was presented.

[0108] Furthermore, the awakening assistance device 100 may include a clock unit such as an RTC (Real Time Clock) for measuring time.

[0109] The second selection unit 150 is a processing unit that selects one or more presentation contents from among a plurality of presentation contents associated with one category selected by the first selection unit 140. The second selection unit 150 selects, for example, one or more presentation contents from among a plurality of presentation contents associated with each of a plurality of categories included in the presentation information 181.

[0110] The second selection unit 150 may select one presentation content, or may select two or more presentation contents. For example, when the same presentation content is displayed as an image and output as a sound, the second selection unit 150 may select one of them, or may select both of them.

[0111] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing specific examples of content presented to the user, respectively. Presentation information 181 includes, for example, the information shown in FIGS.

[0112] Examples of content to be presented that is associated with "past or future" include situations related to a location that is more than a specified distance away from the location of vehicle 300, such as XX minutes ago, XX minutes from now, before or after a specific action such as turning right or left at the previous intersection, up until today, yesterday, tomorrow, or at the next intersection or after a right or left turn XX m away.

[0113] The presented information 181 may include information about a map of the road along which the user is traveling.

[0114] Examples of the content to be presented associated with "present" include the current situation, the current moment, or a situation related to a position within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle 300, such as the next intersection or XX m ahead.

[0115] Examples of the presentation contents other than the time-related presentation contents include speed, road signs or road markings, vehicle distance, things existing other than the vehicle (for example, things existing around the vehicle 300 other than the vehicle 300 such as pedestrians, bicycles, blind spots, other vehicles, stores, or historical sites), or presentation contents of a category related to a route (for example, a driving route of the vehicle 300, such as roads or intersections). Also, for example, each category includes presentation contents related to a specific situation and presentation contents related to an unspecified situation.

[0116] For example, when the genre is speed, the content to be presented may be content related to a specific situation (condition) such as a speed limit or a legal speed limit. For example, the speed limit or the legal speed limit is uniquely determined by the road, and therefore can be said to be specific (i.e., a specific situation).

[0117] For example, when the genre is speed, the content of the presentation is exemplified by content of the presentation regarding unspecified situations (conditions), such as safe speed or appropriate speed. For example, safe speed and appropriate speed are not specified (i.e., they are unspecified situations) because the specific speed is not clear.

[0118] Also, for example, when the genre is road signs or road markings, the presentation content is exemplified by presentation content related to a specific situation (object), such as a no entry sign. For example, a no entry sign is specific (i.e., a specific situation) because the specific type of sign is clear.

[0119] Also, for example, when the genre is road signs or road markings, the presentation contents are exemplified as contents related to an unspecified situation (object) such as the foremost sign. For example, the foremost sign is not specified (i.e., it is an unspecified situation) because the specific type of the sign is not clear.

[0120] For example, when the category is the distance between vehicles, the content to be presented may be, for example, a content to be presented that relates to a specific situation (condition), such as XXm. For example, XX (where XX is a specific numerical value)m is a specific distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and therefore can be said to be specific (i.e., a specific situation).

[0121] Also, for example, when the category is inter-vehicle distance, the presentation content is exemplified by presentation content related to unspecified situations (conditions) such as a safe inter-vehicle distance or an appropriate inter-vehicle distance. For example, a safe inter-vehicle distance or an appropriate inter-vehicle distance is not specified (i.e., it is an unspecified situation) because a specific distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is not clear.

[0122] In addition, for example, when the genre is something that exists other than the vehicle itself, the presentation contents are exemplified as presentation contents related to a specific situation (object) such as a specific pedestrian or a specific vehicle, such as a pedestrian on the right rear or a vehicle in front. For example, a pedestrian on the right rear or a vehicle in front is specifically and clearly the subject of the presentation, and therefore can be said to be specified (i.e., a specific situation).

[0123] Furthermore, for example, when the genre is something that exists other than the user's own vehicle, examples of the presented content include the type of the largest vehicle among multiple vehicles, or the name of the nearest store among multiple stores, and other presented content related to an unspecified situation (object) such as an unspecified pedestrian or an unspecified vehicle. For example, the type of the largest vehicle among multiple vehicles or the name of the nearest store among multiple stores is not a clear presented object, and causes the user to think about or search for an answer, so it can be said to be unspecified (i.e., an unspecified situation).

[0124] Furthermore, for example, when the category is a route, examples of the presentation content include presentation content related to a specific situation (target) such as a specific road or a specific intersection.

[0125] Furthermore, for example, when the genre is a route, the presented content may be exemplified by the number of intersections that have been passed so far where the vehicle has stopped at a red light, or other unspecified situation (object), such as unspecified roads or unspecified intersections. For example, the number of intersections that have been passed so far where the vehicle has stopped at a red light is not a clear subject of the presentation (question), and is intended to make the user think about or search for the answer, so it can be said to be unspecified (i.e., an unspecified situation).

[0126] For example, when the first selection unit 140 selects the first category, the second selection unit 150 selects (determines) one or more pieces of presentation content by combining the presentation content classified as "current" shown in Fig. 4 with the presentation content classified as "specific" in Fig. 5. For example, when the first selection unit 140 selects the first category, the second selection unit 150 selects a presentation content such as "Please set the following distance to XX m now."

[0127] It should be noted that the content indicating "now" or "present" does not have to be presented.

[0128] Furthermore, for example, when the first selection unit 140 selects the second category, the second selection unit 150 selects one or more pieces of presentation content by combining the presentation content classified as "past or future" shown in Fig. 4 with the presentation content classified as "specific" in Fig. 5. For example, when the first selection unit 140 selects the second category, the second selection unit 150 selects a presentation content such as "Was there a no entry sign at the intersection where you turned two intersections ago?"

[0129] Furthermore, for example, when the first selection unit 140 selects the third category, the second selection unit 150 selects one or more pieces of presentation content by combining the presentation content classified as "current" shown in Fig. 4 with the presentation content classified as "unspecified" in Fig. 5. For example, when the first selection unit 140 selects the third category, the second selection unit 150 selects a presentation content such as "Please drive at a safe speed."

[0130] Furthermore, for example, when the first selection unit 140 selects the fourth category, the second selection unit 150 selects one or more presentation contents by combining the presentation contents classified as "past or future" shown in Fig. 4 with the presentation contents classified as "unspecified" in Fig. 5. For example, when the first selection unit 140 selects the fourth category, the second selection unit 150 selects a presentation content such as "How many red vehicles have you passed so far today?"

[0131] In this manner, for example, the second selection unit 150 determines one or more presentation contents by combining the presentation contents related to time shown in FIG. 4 with the presentation contents related to genres other than time shown in FIG.

[0132] 4 and the presentation content shown in FIG. 5 may be combined in advance and included in the presentation information 181.

[0133] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the content presented to the user.

[0134] For example, when the presentation information 181 includes the presentation content shown in FIG. 6, the second selection unit 150 selects one or more presentation contents from among the multiple presentation contents associated with one category selected by the first selection unit 140.

[0135] For example, the content of the presentation associated with the first category includes an instruction to guide the vehicle to a legal speed limit, or an instruction to guide the vehicle to a specific distance such as XXm from the preceding vehicle. For example, the content of the presentation associated with the second category includes a question about an intersection where the vehicle 300 has recently turned, or a question about a road where the vehicle 300 has recently passed. For example, the content of the presentation associated with the third category includes a question about the largest building in the user's current field of vision, or a question about the number of vehicles in the user's current field of vision. For example, the content of the presentation associated with the fourth category includes a question that makes the user reflect on today's driving, or a question that makes the user reflect on the user's recent work or study.

[0136] Furthermore, for example, when the second selection unit 150 changes one category selected by the first selection unit 140, the second selection unit 150 newly selects one or more presentation contents from among the plurality of presentation contents associated with the changed category.

[0137] For example, when the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the user's drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is equal to or higher than a second drowsiness threshold that is higher than the first drowsiness threshold, the first selection unit 140 changes the selected category to another category other than the selected category among the multiple categories.

[0138] According to this, the awakening assistance device 100 can change the presented content when the user becomes accustomed to the same presented content and is no longer able to concentrate.

[0139] Also, for example, the first selection section 140 changes the one selected category to another category among the multiple categories every time a predetermined time period elapses.

[0140] According to this, the content presented to the user is changed periodically, so that the user can be prevented from becoming difficult to wake up with a simple configuration.

[0141] The predetermined time may be set arbitrarily.

[0142] Also, for example, the first selection unit 140 changes the presentation content of one of the multiple presentation contents included in the selected one category every time the presentation content is changed and presented a predetermined number of times, and changes the selected one category to another category other than the one category among the multiple categories. For example, the second selection unit 150 selects a first presentation content included in the first category, and then selects a second presentation content included in the first category and different from the first presentation content. Next, for example, the first selection unit 140 selects a second category different from the first category. Next, for example, the second selection unit 150 selects a third presentation content included in the second category, and then selects a fourth presentation content included in the second category and different from the third presentation content. In this way, for example, when repeatedly selecting one or more presentation contents from multiple presentation contents included in the same category, the second selection unit 150 selects one or more presentation contents so as not to select the same presentation content consecutively. For example, when repeatedly selecting one or more pieces of content from a plurality of pieces of content included in the same category, the second selection unit 150 may select one or more pieces of content so as not to select the same piece of content.

[0143] This prevents the same content from being presented to the user multiple times, and therefore prevents the user from becoming less likely to be awakened with a simple configuration.

[0144] The predetermined number of times may be set arbitrarily.

[0145] In these cases, when the first selection unit 140 changes one category selected to another category, for example, the second selection unit 150 selects one or more presentation contents from among the multiple presentation contents associated with the other category selected by the first selection unit 140.

[0146] The interval determination unit 160 is a processing unit that determines a time interval for presenting one or more presentation contents selected by the second selection unit 150. For example, the second selection unit 150 repeatedly selects one or more presentation contents from among a plurality of presentation contents associated with one category selected by the first selection unit 140 while changing the presentation contents to be selected. The selected presentation contents are repeatedly presented. The interval determination unit 160 determines a time interval for presenting the presentation contents thus repeatedly changed and selected.

[0147] The predetermined time interval is set (determined) based on, for example, environmental information indicating the detection result of the surrounding environment sensor that detects the environment around the vehicle 300. As described above, in a place with heavy traffic, it is considered that the user performs more driving operations such as the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal than in a place with low traffic volume. Therefore, in a place with heavy traffic volume, it is considered that the user is more likely to be awakened by the driving operations than in a place with low traffic volume. Therefore, in a place with heavy traffic volume, it is considered that the user can maintain an awakened state even if the frequency of presenting the presentation content to the user is lower than in a place with low traffic volume. Therefore, for example, the interval determination unit 160 determines the predetermined time interval so that the time interval becomes longer as the traffic volume increases. In this way, for example, the interval determination unit 160 determines the predetermined time interval based on whether the user is expected to perform more driving operations, such as the amount of traffic, whether the road is in an urban area, or whether the road is on a highway. For example, the interval determination unit 160 determines the specified time interval so that the more driving operations the user is expected to perform, the longer the time interval is, and the more driving operations the user is expected to perform, the shorter the time interval is.

[0148] According to this, the awakening assistance device 100 can present the presentation content to the user at an appropriate frequency in order to encourage the user to concentrate and thereby to wake up the user.

[0149] The acquisition unit 110 may acquire detection results from a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and / or a gyro sensor that detects the speed, acceleration, and / or steering angle of the vehicle 300. It may be determined that the more the speed, acceleration, and / or steering angle of the vehicle 300 change per unit time, the more driving operations the user performs.

[0150] Alternatively, for example, the predetermined time interval is set based on the user's drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120. For example, the interval determination unit 160 determines the predetermined time interval so that the higher the user's drowsiness level, the shorter the time interval, and the lower the user's drowsiness level, the longer the time interval.

[0151] This allows the awakening assistance device 100 to appropriately present the content at a frequency according to the user's drowsiness level.

[0152] Alternatively, for example, the predetermined time interval may be a time interval that is arbitrarily determined in advance. In this manner, for example, the interval determination unit 160 determines the time interval so that the presentation content is presented at regular intervals, such as every 30 seconds. In this case, the awakening assistance device 100 does not need to include the interval determination unit 160.

[0153] Alternatively, for example, the predetermined time interval may be a time interval that is predetermined for each presentation content. For example, the presentation content A may be presented for 20 seconds, the presentation content B for 40 seconds, and the presentation content C for 10 seconds. Information indicating the time interval that is predetermined for each presentation content may be included in the presentation information 181, for example.

[0154] The control unit 170 is a processing unit that presents to the user one or more presentation contents selected by the second selection unit 150. Specifically, the control unit 170 controls the presentation device 200 to present to the user one or more presentation contents selected by the second selection unit 150 by at least one of sound and image.

[0155] For example, when the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is equal to or higher than the first drowsiness threshold, the control unit 170 presents to the user one or more presentation contents selected by the second selection unit 150. Specifically, when the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is equal to or higher than the first drowsiness threshold, the control unit 170 presents to the user one or more presentation contents selected by the second selection unit 150.

[0156] According to this, the awakening assistance device 100 can present the presentation content when the user becomes sleepy.

[0157] Also, for example, the control unit 170 presents to the user at a predetermined time interval any one of a plurality of presentation contents included in one category selected by the first selection unit 140. As described above, for example, the second selection unit 150 repeatedly selects one or more presentation contents from a plurality of presentation contents associated with one category selected by the first selection unit 140 while changing the presentation content to be selected. The control unit 170 repeatedly presents the presentation content repeatedly selected by the second selection unit 150 from the plurality of presentation contents while changing it, at a predetermined time interval determined by the interval determination unit 160.

[0158] According to this, since the presented content is presented to the user periodically, the awakening assistance device 100 can prevent the user from being in a state of not being awakened (that is, a sleepy state) with a simple configuration.

[0159] 7 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the content presented by the awakening assistance device 100 according to the embodiment and the user's drowsiness level. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the first drowsiness threshold is set to a drowsiness level 2, and the second drowsiness threshold is set to a drowsiness level 3.

[0160] For example, when a user starts driving the vehicle 300, the acquisition unit 110 acquires a moving image in which the user is captured from the imaging device 210. The drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates the drowsiness level of the user based on the moving image acquired by the acquisition unit 110.

[0161] The presentation determination unit 130 continues to determine whether the user's drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 exceeds 2. When the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the user's drowsiness level exceeds 2, for example, at time t1, the first selection unit 140 selects one category, the second selection unit 150 selects one or more presentation contents, and the control unit 170 presents the one or more presentation contents. For example, the first selection unit 140 selects the first category, the second selection unit 150 selects presentation content A associated with the first category, and the control unit 170 presents presentation content A.

[0162] Further, the interval determination unit 160 determines a predetermined time interval. The control unit 170 presents to the user, at the predetermined time interval determined by the interval determination unit 160, the presentation contents repeatedly selected by the second selection unit 150 from among the multiple presentation contents associated with one category selected by the first selection unit 140 while changing the presentation contents to be selected. For example, at time t2, the second selection unit 150 selects the presentation content B associated with the first category, and the control unit 170 presents the presentation content B.

[0163] Here, when the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the user's drowsiness level exceeds 3 at time t3, for example, the first selection unit 140 changes one category to be selected, the second selection unit 150 reselects one or more presentation contents from the changed category, and the control unit 170 presents the reselected one or more presentation contents. For example, the first selection unit 140 selects the second category, the second selection unit 150 selects the presentation content C associated with the second category, and the control unit 170 presents the presentation content C.

[0164] Furthermore, if the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the user's drowsiness level becomes less than 3 due to a change in the presentation content at time t3, for example, but the user's drowsiness level exceeds 3 again at time t4, the first selection unit 140 changes one category to be selected again, the second selection unit 150 reselects one or more presentation contents from the changed category again, and the control unit 170 presents the reselected one or more presentation contents. For example, the first selection unit 140 selects the fourth category, the second selection unit 150 selects the presentation content D associated with the fourth category, and the control unit 170 presents the presentation content D.

[0165] Also, for example, at time t5, since the user's drowsiness level is less than 3, the category is not changed, the second selection unit 150 selects the presentation content E associated with the fourth category, and the control unit 170 presents the presentation content E.

[0166] Also, for example, at time t6, since the user's drowsiness level is less than 3, the category is not changed, the second selection unit 150 selects the presentation content F associated with the fourth category, and the control unit 170 presents the presentation content F.

[0167] In addition, the control unit 170 may stop presenting the presentation content when the user's drowsiness level becomes lower than a predetermined drowsiness level. The predetermined drowsiness level may be the first drowsiness threshold or may not be the first drowsiness threshold. For example, by setting the predetermined drowsiness level lower than the first drowsiness threshold, it is possible to more reliably encourage the user to wake up.

[0168] Furthermore, when the user's drowsiness level is maintained at or above the second drowsiness level for a predetermined period of time, the first selection unit 140 may change the one category to be selected. The predetermined period of time may be set arbitrarily.

[0169] In addition, the category and the presented content may be changed every certain number of times or every certain period of time that the presented content is presented, such as presented content G of the first category → presented content H of the first category → presented content I of the second category → presented content J of the second category.

[0170] Note that, for example, when the second selection unit 150 selects two or more presentation contents, the control unit 170 may cause the presentation device 200 to present the two or more presentation contents. For example, when the second selection unit 150 selects both the same presentation contents that are displayed as an image and the presentation contents that are output as sound, the control unit 170 may cause the presentation device 200 to present the presentation contents as an image and sound.

[0171] Processing units such as the drowsiness estimation unit 120, the presentation determination unit 130, the first selection unit 140, the second selection unit 150, the interval determination unit 160, and the control unit 170 are realized, for example, by one or more memories in which a program is stored, and one or more processors that execute the program. Each processing unit may be realized by software executed by a processor, or may be realized by hardware such as an electric circuit including one or more electronic components.

[0172] The storage unit 180 is a storage device that stores the presentation information 181, information indicating thresholds used by each processing unit, etc. The storage unit 180 is realized by, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory.

[0173] The presented information 181 is information including a plurality of categories and a plurality of presented contents associated with each of the plurality of categories. The presented information 181 includes, for example, the information shown in FIGS.

[0174] The presentation device 200 is a device having a device that emits sound and / or a device that displays images. The presentation device 200 is realized by, for example, an audio device such as an amplifier and a speaker, and / or a display. The presentation device 200 is controlled by the control unit 170 to present the presentation content selected by the second selection unit 150 to the user by sound and / or images (for example, characters).

[0175] In addition, when the presentation device 200 is a device that displays the presentation content as an image, such as a display, and the presentation content is not related to driving, the control unit 170 may control the presentation device 200 so that the presentation content is presented at a timing when the vehicle 300 is stopped. Information indicating whether the presentation device 200 is a display and / or an audio device may be stored in advance in the storage unit 180. In addition, the control unit 170 may determine a driving state, such as whether the vehicle 300 is moving or stopped, based on a detection result acquired by the acquisition unit 110 from a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and / or a gyro sensor that detects the speed, acceleration, and / or steering angle of the vehicle 300.

[0176] The photographing device 210 is a camera that photographs a user. The photographing device 210 generates an image that shows, for example, the user's face. The photographing device 210 may be an image sensor that has sensitivity in the visible light band, or may be an infrared image sensor or a thermal image sensor. The image is, for example, a moving image, but may also be a still image.

[0177] The surrounding environment sensor 220 is a sensor that detects the environment around the vehicle 300. The surrounding environment sensor 220 is realized by, for example, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a camera, and / or a distance measurement sensor.

[0178] The image capturing device 210 and the surrounding environment sensor 220 may be disposed on the vehicle 300 or on a support such as a utility pole.

[0179] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire information indicating traffic volume from a server device or the like located outside the vehicle 300. In this case, the surrounding environment sensor 220 does not need to be communicatively connected to the awakening assistance device 100.

[0180] [Processing Procedure] Next, a process procedure executed by the awakening assistance device 100 will be described.

[0181] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process procedure executed by the awakening assistance device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0182] First, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates the drowsiness level of the user (S110). For example, the drowsiness estimation unit 120 estimates the drowsiness level based on an image in which the user appears and which is acquired by the acquisition unit 110.

[0183] Next, the presentation determination unit 130 determines whether the drowsiness level of the user estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is equal to or higher than a first drowsiness threshold (S120).

[0184] When the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the drowsiness level of the user estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is lower than the first drowsiness threshold (No in S120), the process returns to step S110.

[0185] On the other hand, if the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the user's drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is equal to or higher than the first drowsiness threshold (Yes in S120), it determines whether the user's drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is equal to or higher than the second drowsiness threshold (S130).

[0186] Note that, in a state where the content to be presented has not yet been presented by the control unit 170, if the answer is Yes in step S120, the process may proceed to step S140.

[0187] When the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the user's drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is equal to or higher than the second drowsiness threshold (Yes in S130), the first selection unit 140 selects one category from the multiple categories (S140).

[0188] If one category has already been selected, first selection section 140 changes the selected category to another category if the answer is Yes in step S130.

[0189] On the other hand, if the presentation determination unit 130 determines that the user's drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit 120 is less than the second drowsiness threshold (No in S130), or after step S140, the second selection unit 150 selects one or more presentation contents from among the multiple presentation contents associated with one category selected by the first selection unit 140 in step S140 (S150).

[0190] Next, the interval determination unit 160 determines the time until the one or more presentation contents selected by the second selection unit 150 in step S150 are presented (S160). That is, the interval determination unit 160 determines the timing at which the control unit 170 presents the one or more presentation contents selected by the second selection unit 150 in step S150 to the user. For example, when the presentation contents have already been presented by the control unit 170, the interval determination unit 160 determines the time interval from the presentation of the currently presented presentation contents to the presentation of the next presentation contents selected in step S150 by the control unit 170. When the presentation contents have not yet been presented by the control unit 170, the interval determination unit 160 may determine to immediately present the next presentation contents selected in step S150 by the control unit 170.

[0191] Next, the control unit 170 presents to the user one or more presentation contents selected by the second selection unit 150 in step S150 at the timing determined by the interval determination unit 160 in step S160 (S170). After step S170 is executed, the process returns to step S110.

[0192] If the determination in step S120 is No in a state where one or more pieces of presentation content are being presented by the control unit 170, the control unit 170 may stop presenting the one or more pieces of presentation content.

[0193] [summary] As described above, the awakening assistance device 100 of the embodiment is an awakening assistance device for encouraging a user in a vehicle 300 to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, and includes a first selection unit 140 that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents each correspond to a different type of concentration that the user is encouraged to concentrate, a second selection unit 150 that selects one or more presentation contents from the plurality of presentation contents associated with the one category selected by the first selection unit 140, and a control unit 170 that presents the one or more presentation contents selected by the second selection unit 150 to the user.

[0194] According to this, the user is encouraged to concentrate by the content appropriately selected by the awakening assistance device 100 from among the content with different types of concentration encouraged by the user, and thus the user is encouraged to wake up. As a method of waking up from drowsiness, there is a method of encouraging the user's attention and / or concentration (for example, guiding attention to a dangerous place). Here, it is difficult to keep the user concentrating due to the influence of habituation. This is said to be related to brain fatigue. Therefore, the awakening assistance device 100 encourages the user to concentrate while switching between multiple types of concentration. For example, by encouraging the user to concentrate while switching between multiple types of concentration, the parts used in the user's brain are switched, and brain fatigue can be suppressed. This allows the awakening assistance device 100 to allow the user to maintain concentration. Therefore, the awakening assistance device 100 can suppress the user from becoming difficult to wake up.

[0195] An example showing that different parts of the brain become active depending on the mode of concentration is given in the above-mentioned Non-Patent Document 1. As described in Non-Patent Document 1, it is known that the active and inactive parts change depending on the mode of concentration, and the present disclosure utilizes such a function of the brain.

[0196] In addition, the time interval at which the content is presented (i.e., the presentation frequency) may be at regular intervals, may be determined for each content to be presented, may be determined based on conditions such as the frequency of driving operations of vehicle 300, the amount of traffic on the road on which vehicle 300 is traveling, whether the location on which vehicle 300 is traveling is an urban area or a highway, or may be determined based on the user's level of drowsiness.

[0197] The frequency of the driving operation may be determined based on, for example, log information indicating the traveling state such as the speed of the vehicle 300 obtained via a control area network (CAN) or the like, or the detection result of a millimeter wave radar that detects the vehicle 300 and is disposed outside the vehicle 300. For example, whether the frequency of the driving operation is high or low may be determined based on whether the operation frequency determined based on these pieces of information is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, or whether the amount of change per unit time is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value.

[0198] For example, the awakening assistance device 100 may further include a drowsiness estimation unit 120 that estimates a drowsiness level indicating the degree of drowsiness of the user based on state information indicating the detection result of a state sensor (in this embodiment, the imaging device 210) that detects the state of the user.

[0199] In addition, the timing of presenting the presented content and the timing of changing the presented content may be determined based on the drowsiness level, or may be every time the presented content is presented a certain number of times, or may be every certain time period.

[0200] Moreover, the category may be changed arbitrarily among the first to fourth categories. For example, the category may be selected based on a predetermined condition, such as selecting the first category when the driving operation frequency of the vehicle 300 is high or the traffic volume on the road on which the vehicle 300 is traveling is high.

[0201] In addition, when the presentation device 200 is a display, the timing of presenting the presentation content may be determined based on the presentation manner (such as an image or sound) in which the presentation content is presented, such as presenting the presentation content other than that related to driving when the vehicle 300 is stopped.

[0202] Also, for example, the present disclosure may be realized as an awakening assistance method executed by a computer. Specifically, the awakening assistance method according to the present disclosure is an awakening assistance method for encouraging a user in a vehicle 300 to concentrate and thereby encouraging the user to wake up, and includes a first selection step (S140) of selecting one category from a plurality of categories associated with presentation contents each having a different type of concentration encouraged by the user, a second selection step (S150) of selecting one or more presentation contents from the plurality of presentation contents associated with the one category selected in the first selection step, and a control step (S170) of presenting the one or more presentation contents selected in the second selection step to the user.

[0203] According to this, the same effect as that of the awakening assistance device 100 is achieved.

[0204] The present disclosure may be realized as a program that causes a computer to execute the steps included in the above-mentioned awakening assistance method. The present disclosure may also be realized as a non-transitory recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, on which the program is recorded and which is readable by a computer. The present disclosure may also be realized as information, data, or a signal indicating the program. The program, information, data, and signal may be distributed via a communication network, such as the Internet.

[0205] (Other embodiments) Although the awakening assistance device according to one or more aspects has been described based on the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. As long as it does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure, various modifications conceived by a person skilled in the art to the present embodiment and forms constructed by combining components of different embodiments are also included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0206] For example, the communication method between the awakening assistance device 100 and the photographing device 210 and the surrounding environment sensor 220 described in the above embodiment is not particularly limited. When wireless communication is performed between the devices, the wireless communication method (communication standard) is, for example, short-distance wireless communication such as ZigBee (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or wireless LAN (Local Area Network). Alternatively, the wireless communication method (communication standard) may be communication via a wide area communication network such as the Internet. Furthermore, wired communication may be performed between the devices instead of wireless communication. Specifically, the wired communication is communication using power line communication (PLC) or a wired LAN.

[0207] In the above embodiment, the process executed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processes may be changed, or multiple processes may be executed in parallel. The components included in the awakening assistance device 100 may be distributed to multiple devices. For example, the components included in one device may be included in another device.

[0208] For example, the processes described in the above embodiments may be realized by centralized processing using a single device (system), or may be realized by distributed processing using multiple devices. Also, the processor that executes the above programs may be single or multiple. That is, centralized processing or distributed processing may be performed.

[0209] In the above embodiment, all or part of the components of the processing unit included in awakening assistance device 100 may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a HDD or a semiconductor memory.

[0210] Furthermore, the components of the processing unit included in the awakening assistance device 100 may be configured with one or more electronic circuits. Each of the one or more electronic circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0211] The one or more electronic circuits may include, for example, a semiconductor device, an integrated circuit (IC), or a large scale integration (LSI). The IC or LSI may be integrated into one chip or into multiple chips. Although IC or LSI is used here, the name may vary depending on the degree of integration, and may be called a system LSI, a very large scale integration (VLSI), or an ultra large scale integration (ULSI). Also, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), which is programmed after the LSI is manufactured, may be used for the same purpose.

[0212] In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art may conceive, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0213] The present disclosure can be used as a wake-up assistance device that encourages a user to wake up. [Explanation of symbols]

[0214] 100 Awakening Support Device 110 Acquisition Department 120 Drowsiness Estimation Unit 130 Presentation decision section 140 First Selection Section 150 Second Selection Section 160 Spacing determination unit 170 Control section 180 Storage section 181 Presentation information 200 Presentation device 210 Imaging Device 220 Ambient Environment Sensor 300 vehicles

Claims

1. An awakening assistance device for encouraging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated; a second selection unit that selects one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user, The plurality of categories include a category associated with a presentation content related to a specific situation and a category associated with a presentation content related to an unspecified situation. Awakening aid device.

2. Each of the plurality of presented contents is a question to the user or an instruction to cause the user to perform a predetermined action. The awakening assistance device according to claim 1 .

3. The plurality of categories include a category associated with a presentation content related to a current situation and a category associated with a presentation content related to a past or future situation. The awakening assistance device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. An awakening assistance device for urging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated; a second selection unit that selects one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user, The plurality of categories include: (i) categories to which presentation content related to a particular current situation is associated; (ii) a category associated with a presentation of a particular situation in the past or future; (iii) a category to which a presentation content related to a current unspecified situation is associated; and (iv) a category to which presentation content related to unspecified situations in the past or future is associated; Awakening aid device.

5. A drowsiness estimation unit is further configured to estimate a drowsiness level indicating a degree of drowsiness of the user based on state information indicating a detection result of a state sensor that detects a state of the user, The first selection unit selects the one category in accordance with the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit. The awakening assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. When the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit is equal to or higher than a first drowsiness threshold, the control unit presents the one or more presentation contents to the user. The awakening assistance device according to claim 5.

7. When the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit is equal to or higher than a second drowsiness threshold that is higher than the first drowsiness threshold, the first selection unit changes the one category to another category among the plurality of categories other than the one category, The second selection unit selects one or more pieces of presentation content from the plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the other category. The awakening assistance device according to claim 6.

8. An awakening assistance device for urging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated; a second selection unit that selects one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user, the first selection unit changes the one category to another category among the plurality of categories every time a predetermined time elapses, The second selection unit selects one or more pieces of presentation content from the plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the other category. Awakening aid device.

9. An awakening assistance device for waking up a user in a vehicle by encouraging the user to concentrate, a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated; a second selection unit that selects one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user, the first selection unit changes the one category to another category among the plurality of categories each time any one of the plurality of presented contents included in the one category is presented a predetermined number of times; The second selection unit selects one or more pieces of presentation content from the plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the other category. Awakening aid device.

10. An awakening assistance device for urging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated; a second selection unit that selects one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user, The first selection unit selects the one category based on a predetermined order of the plurality of categories. Awakening aid device.

11. An awakening assistance device for urging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated; a second selection unit that selects one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user, The first selection unit randomly selects the one category from among the plurality of categories. Awakening aid device.

12. An awakening assistance device for urging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated; a second selection unit that selects one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user, The first selection unit selects the one category based on environmental information indicating a detection result of a surrounding environment sensor that detects an environment around the vehicle, The environmental information indicates a traffic volume around the vehicle, The first selection unit selects, when the traffic volume indicated by the environmental information is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume, a category associated with a presentation content related to a specific current situation from among the plurality of categories as the one category. Awakening aid device.

13. An awakening assistance device for urging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated; a second selection unit that selects one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user, the control unit presents any one of the plurality of presentation contents included in the one category to the user at a predetermined time interval; The predetermined time interval is set based on environmental information indicating a detection result of an ambient environment sensor that detects an environment around the vehicle. Awakening aid device.

14. An awakening assistance device for urging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, a first selection unit that selects one category from a plurality of categories to which presentation contents corresponding to different types of concentration to be encouraged by the user are associated; a second selection unit that selects one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control unit that presents the one or more presentation contents to the user, the control unit presents any one of the plurality of presentation contents included in the one category to the user at a predetermined time interval; A drowsiness estimation unit is further configured to estimate a drowsiness level indicating a degree of drowsiness of the user based on state information indicating a detection result of a state sensor that detects a state of the user, The predetermined time interval is set based on the drowsiness level estimated by the drowsiness estimation unit. Awakening aid device.

15. The control unit controls a presentation device to present the one or more presentation contents to the user by at least one of sound and image. The awakening assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. 1. An awakening assistance method for encouraging a user in a vehicle to concentrate and thereby awaken the user, comprising: a first selection step of selecting one category from a plurality of categories associated with presentation contents each having a different type of concentration to be encouraged by the user; a second selection step of selecting one or more pieces of presentation content from among a plurality of pieces of presentation content associated with the one category; a control step of presenting the one or more presentation contents to the user; The plurality of categories include a category associated with a presentation content related to a specific situation and a category associated with a presentation content related to an unspecified situation. Awakening support methods.

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