Driver Abnormality Judgment Device

Abstract

To temporarily determine abnormality of a driver according to a traveling state of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A driver abnormality determining device 1 includes: a compartment line detecting device 3 which detects a compartment line L of a traffic lane in which a vehicle 2 travels; a lane deviation determining part 6 which determines a traffic lane to be maintained if the vehicle 2 does not exceed a virtual line for determining lane maintenance that is positioned closer to the lane center than the compartment line L, and which determines deviation from a traffic lane if the vehicle 2 exceeds the virtual line for determining lane maintenance; and a driver abnormality determining part 11 which temporarily determines abnormality of a driver of the vehicle 2 on the basis of a determination result from the lane deviation determining part 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driver abnormality determination device that provisionally determines whether a driver has an abnormality. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a driving control device that starts driving assistance control including a function to prevent the vehicle from leaving its lane during the period from when an abnormality in the driver is detected until it is determined that the driver is in a difficult driving state. Patent Document 1 also describes that when it is detected that the driver is not facing forward or that the driver's eyes are closed, it provisionally determines that the driver is abnormal, and when such a state continues for a predetermined period of time, it officially determines that the driver is abnormal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2019-206339 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, driver abnormalities are not necessarily indicated only by the driver's direction or whether their eyes are open or closed, but may also be indicated by the driving conditions of the vehicle.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a driver abnormality determination device that can provisionally determine whether a driver has an abnormality based on the driving conditions of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The driver abnormality judgment device of the present invention comprises a lane marking detection device that detects the lane markings on the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, a lane departure judgment unit that judges that the vehicle is keeping in lane if it has not crossed a virtual line for lane keeping judgment that is located toward the center of the lane than the lane markings, judges that the vehicle has deviated from the lane if the vehicle has crossed the virtual line for lane keeping judgment, and judges that the lane has not been detected if the lane marking detection device cannot detect the lane marking, and a driver abnormality judgment unit that provisionally judges that there is an abnormality in the driver of the vehicle based on the judgment result of the lane departure judgment unit.

[0007] If the driver is abnormal, the driver cannot steer the vehicle appropriately, which may cause the vehicle to deviate from the lane. Therefore, in this driver abnormality determination device, the driver abnormality is provisionally determined based on the determination result of the lane departure determination unit that determines the lane departure, so that the driver abnormality can be provisionally determined based on the driving conditions of the vehicle.

[0008] The driver abnormality determination unit may provisionally determine that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure has occurred, and may continue the provisional determination that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure has not been detected after the lane departure determination unit has provisionally determined that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure determination. In this driver abnormality determination device, the driver is provisionally determined to be abnormal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure has occurred, so that the driver's abnormality can be provisionally determined based on the vehicle's running conditions. On the other hand, the lane departure determination unit can determine lane departure only when the lane departure determination unit can detect the lane departure. Therefore, when the lane departure determination unit determines that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure determination, the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure has not been detected, so that the driver's abnormality can be provisionally determined even when the vehicle crosses the lane departure and the lane departure determination unit cannot detect the lane departure.

[0009] The driver abnormality determination unit may provisionally determine that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure is undetected before the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure is undetected before the first threshold time, and provisionally determine that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure is undetected before the first threshold time. In this driver abnormality determination device, by provisionally determining that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure is undetected before the first threshold time, erroneous provisional determination due to erroneous detection by the lane departure detection unit can be suppressed. In addition, by provisionally determining that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure is undetected before the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure is undetected before the first threshold time, erroneous provisional determination due to erroneous detection by the lane departure detection unit can be suppressed.

[0010] When the driver abnormality determination unit provisionally determines that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure determination by the lane departure determination unit, the driver abnormality determination unit may continue to provisionally determine that the driver is abnormal until the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane is maintained. In this driver abnormality determination device, when the driver is provisionally determined to be abnormal based on the lane departure determination by the lane departure determination unit, the driver abnormality determination unit continues to provisionally determine that the driver is abnormal until the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane is maintained, thereby making it possible to prevent the driver abnormality from being provisionally determined even if the lane departure determination unit subsequently determines that the lane departure is undetected.

[0011] The driver abnormality determination unit may determine that the driver is normal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the driver has maintained the lane after provisionally determining that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure determination by the lane departure determination unit. In this driver abnormality determination device, by determining that the driver is normal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the driver has maintained the lane after provisionally determining that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure determination by the lane departure determination unit, it is possible to prevent unnecessary continuation of the provisional determination that the driver is abnormal.

[0012] The vehicle may further include a turn signal operation detection device that detects the operation of a turn signal of the vehicle, and the driver abnormality determination unit may determine that the driver is normal when the turn signal operation detection device detects the operation of the turn signal even if the lane departure determination unit determines that the vehicle has departed from the lane or that the operation has not been detected. When the turn signal is operated, it is considered that the driver will change lanes at his / her will. Therefore, in this driver abnormality determination device, even if the lane departure determination unit determines that the vehicle has departed from the lane or that the operation has not been detected, if the turn signal operation detection device detects the operation of the turn signal, the driver is determined to be normal, thereby suppressing unnecessary provisional determinations of driver abnormality.

[0013] The vehicle may further include a driver state detection device that detects the state of the driver, and the driver abnormality determination unit may determine that the driver is normal if the state of the driver detected by the driver state detection device does not satisfy the abnormality condition even if the lane departure determination unit determines that the vehicle has deviated from the lane or has not been detected. If the state of the driver is normal, even if the vehicle deviates from the lane, it is considered that the driver intentionally did so. Therefore, in this driver abnormality determination device, even if the lane departure determination unit determines that the vehicle has deviated from the lane or has not been detected, if the state of the driver detected by the driver state detection device does not satisfy the abnormality condition, the driver is determined to be normal, thereby suppressing unnecessary provisional abnormality determination of the driver.

[0014] The device may further include an automatic driving control unit that performs automatic driving control of the vehicle when the driver abnormality determination unit provisionally determines that the driver is abnormal. In this driver abnormality determination device, when the driver abnormality determination unit provisionally determines that the driver is abnormal, the automatic driving control unit performs automatic driving control of the vehicle, thereby allowing the vehicle to run appropriately when the driver is abnormal. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provisionally determine whether a driver has an abnormality based on the driving conditions of the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a driver abnormality determination device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between a vehicle and a lane marking. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle driving situation. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle driving situation. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle driving situation. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of a lane departure determination unit. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of a driver abnormality determination unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0018] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a driver abnormality determination device according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the driver abnormality determination device 1 according to this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 2 and is a device that provisionally determines whether a driver is abnormal prior to a formal determination of whether the driver is abnormal. The driver abnormality determination device 1 may formally determine whether the driver is abnormal after provisionally determining whether the driver is abnormal. The driver abnormality determination device 1 includes a lane marking detection device 3, a turn signal operation detection device 4, a driver state detection device 5, a lane departure determination unit 6, a driver abnormality processing unit 7, a braking device 8, and an alarm device 9.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between a vehicle and a lane marking. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lane marking detection device 3 detects a lane marking L that marks the lane in which the vehicle 2 is traveling. The lane marking L detected by the lane marking detection device 3 includes a lane marking L located on the right side of the vehicle 2 and a lane marking L located on the left side of the vehicle 2. The lane marking detection device 3 detects both the lane marking L located on the right side of the vehicle 2 and the lane marking L located on the left side of the vehicle 2, but may detect either the lane marking L located on the right side of the vehicle 2 or the lane marking L located on the left side of the vehicle 2. The lane marking detection device 3 can detect the lane marking L by, for example, analyzing the measurement results of a camera that captures an image in front of the vehicle 2.

[0020] The turn signal operation detection device 4 detects the operation of a turn signal (not shown) of the vehicle 2. The turn signal operation detection device 4 can detect the operation of a turn signal, for example, by analyzing the detection result of a sensor attached to a turn signal lever and detecting the movement of the turn signal lever.

[0021] The driver state detection device 5 detects the state of the driver of the vehicle 2. The driver state detection device 5 detects the state of the driver to determine whether the driver is abnormal or not. Examples of such driver states include the position of the driver's head, the direction of the driver's face, the driver's posture, and the open / closed state of the driver's eyes. The driver state detection device 5 has, for example, a camera that captures an image of the driver. The driver state detection device acquires the driver's state, such as the position of the driver's head, the direction of the driver's face, the driver's posture, and the open / closed state of the driver's eyes, by analyzing the image captured by the camera. Then, the driver state detection device 5 outputs the detected driver state to the driver abnormality processing unit 7.

[0022] The lane departure judgment unit 6 is, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. In the lane departure judgment unit 6, a program stored in the ROM is loaded into the RAM and executed by the CPU to perform various controls. The lane departure judgment unit 6 may be configured by a single electronic control unit, or may be configured by multiple electronic control units.

[0023] The lane departure judgment unit 6 judges whether the vehicle 2 has departed from the lane based on the detection result of the lane line L by the lane line detection device 3, etc. In other words, the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges whether the vehicle 2 has not departed from the lane (lane keeping), the vehicle 2 has departed from the lane (lane departure), or the lane line detection device 3 has not detected the lane line L (undetected). The lane departure judgment unit 6 then outputs these judgment results to the driver abnormality processing unit 7. Note that the lane departure judgment unit 6 may judge whether the vehicle has departed from the lane when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed, but it is preferable to judge whether the vehicle has departed from the lane at all vehicle speeds.

[0024] First, the lane departure judgment unit 6 determines the positional relationship between the vehicle 2 and the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL based on the detection result of the lane marking L by the lane marking detection device 3. The lane keeping judgment virtual line VL is a virtual line for determining lane departure of the vehicle 2, and is a virtual line located closer to the center of the lane than the lane marking L. The separation distance between the lane marking L and the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL is appropriately set, and is, for example, a distance at which the vehicle 2 that has reached the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL is expected to reach the lane marking L in a short time if it continues to travel as it is. The lane departure judgment unit 6 determines the positional relationship between the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL located to the right of the vehicle 2 and the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL located to the left of the vehicle 2. As the positional relationship between the vehicle 2 and the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL, for example, the positional relationship between the outer side of the front wheel closest to the lane marking L of the vehicle 2 and the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL is determined.

[0025] Then, the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle 2 is keeping the lane when the vehicle 2 does not cross the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL. In other words, the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle 2 is keeping the lane when the vehicle 2 does not cross both the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL located to the right of the vehicle 2 and the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL located to the left of the vehicle 2. The case where the vehicle 2 is not crossing the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL refers to, for example, the case where the outer side of the front wheel closest to the dividing line L of the vehicle 2 does not cross the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL.

[0026] On the other hand, the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle 2 has departed from the lane when the vehicle 2 crosses the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL. That is, the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle 2 has departed from the lane when the vehicle 2 crosses the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL located to the right of the vehicle 2 or the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL located to the left of the vehicle 2. When the vehicle 2 has crossed the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL, for example, the outer side of the front wheel closest to the dividing line L of the vehicle 2 has crossed the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL. Note that the lane departure judgment unit 6 may judge that the vehicle 2 has not been detected even if the vehicle 2 has crossed the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL when the turn signal operation detection device 4 detects the operation of the turn signal.

[0027] If the lane line detection device 3 cannot detect the lane line, the lane departure determination unit 6 cannot determine whether the vehicle is in lane or has deviated from the lane. Therefore, if the lane line detection device 3 cannot detect the lane line L, the lane departure determination unit 6 determines that the vehicle has not detected the lane line.

[0028] The driver abnormality processing unit 7 is, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. The driver abnormality processing unit 7 executes various controls by loading a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing it with the CPU. The driver abnormality processing unit 7 may be configured with a single electronic control unit, or may be configured with multiple electronic control units. The driver abnormality processing unit 7 includes a driver abnormality determination unit 11 and an automatic driving control unit 12. The driver abnormality determination unit 11 and the automatic driving control unit 12 may be configured with the same electronic control unit, or may be configured with different electronic control units.

[0029] The driver abnormality determination unit 11 provisionally determines an abnormality in the driver of the vehicle 2 based on the determination result of the lane departure determination unit 6, the detection result of the turn signal operation by the turn signal operation detection device 4, the determination result of the driver abnormality by the driver state detection device 5, etc. The driver abnormality means an abnormality in the driver that may cause an impediment to driving the vehicle 2.

[0030] The driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges the driver to be abnormal based on the judgment of lane departure by the lane departure judgment unit 6. The driver abnormality judgment unit 11 judges the driver to be normal when the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges the lane to be kept. On the other hand, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges the driver to be abnormal when the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges the lane to be deviated. Then, when the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges the driver to be abnormal based on the judgment of lane departure by the lane departure judgment unit 6 and then judges the lane departure judgment unit 6 to be undetected, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 continues the provisional judgment that the driver is abnormal. Furthermore, when the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges the driver to be abnormal based on the judgment of lane departure by the lane departure judgment unit 6, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 continues the provisional judgment that the driver is abnormal until the vehicle 2 returns to the lane, the vehicle 2 does not cross the virtual line VL for lane keeping judgment, and the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges the lane to be kept. Then, if the lane departure judgment unit 6 determines that the driver is maintaining the lane after provisionally determining that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 determines that the driver is normal.

[0031] Whether the vehicle 2 has returned to the lane and has stopped crossing the virtual line VL for lane keeping judgment can be determined, for example, based on whether the judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 has transitioned in the order of lane keeping → lane departure → undetected → lane keeping. In other words, if the judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 has transitioned in this order, it can be determined that the vehicle 2 has returned to the lane and has stopped crossing the virtual line VL for lane keeping judgment. In this case, even if a lane departure judgment is made during the transition from undetected to lane position, it may be determined that the vehicle 2 has returned to the lane and has stopped crossing the virtual line VL for lane keeping judgment.

[0032] More specifically, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds the first threshold time. The first threshold time is set as appropriate, and is, for example, a time of 2 seconds or more and 5 seconds or less. In addition, even if the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane departure is not detected before the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds the first threshold time, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane departure is not detected before the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds the first threshold time, and the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane departure is not detected and exceeds the second threshold time. In other words, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane departure is not detected before the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds the first threshold time, and the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds the second threshold time. The second threshold time is set as appropriate, and is, for example, a time of 1 second or more and 4 seconds or less. Then, when the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal, it continues to provisionally judge that the driver is abnormal until the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the driver is maintaining the lane, and when the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the driver is maintaining the lane, it judges that the driver is normal.

[0033] Furthermore, when a predetermined formal judgment condition is satisfied after the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges the driver abnormal, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 formally judges the driver abnormal. The formal judgment condition is a condition for formally judging the driver abnormal. For example, the provisional judgment of the driver abnormality continues for a predetermined time or more, and the time during which the state of the driver detected by the driver state detection device 5 satisfies a predetermined abnormality condition continues for a predetermined time or more. The abnormality condition is a condition for judging whether the driver is abnormal or not. For example, the abnormality condition is that the position of the driver's head is not within a predetermined range, the direction of the driver's face is not within a predetermined range, the driver's posture is not within a predetermined range, the driver's eyes are closed for a predetermined time or more, and the like.

[0034] Here, an example of provisional abnormality determination of a driver according to a driving situation of a vehicle will be described with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. Fig. 3 to Fig. 5 are schematic diagrams showing an example of a driving situation of a vehicle.

[0035] In the example of Fig. 3, (a) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 is driving in the center of the lane, (b) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 crosses the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL and straddles the lane marking L after (a), and (c) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 returns to a position where it does not cross the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL after (b). In this example, in (a) and (c), the vehicle 2 does not cross the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL, so the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle 2 is keeping the lane, and the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 judges that the driver is normal. In (b), the vehicle 2 crosses the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL, so the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle 2 is deviating from the lane, and when the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds a first threshold time, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal.

[0036] In the example of FIG. 4, (d) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 is driving in the center of the lane, (e) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 is driving at a position where it has crossed the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL after (d), (f) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 is straddling the lane marking L after (e), and (g) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 has completely crossed the lane marking L after (f) and the lane marking detection device 3 cannot detect the lane marking L. In this example, in (d), the vehicle 2 does not cross the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL, so the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle is keeping the lane, and the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 judges that the driver is normal. In (e) and (f), the vehicle 2 crosses the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL, so the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle is deviating from the lane, and when the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds the first threshold time, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal. In (g), since the lane line detection device 3 cannot detect the lane line L, the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane line L has not been detected. At this time, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 transitions from (e) and (f) to (g) before the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds the first threshold time, and if the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 of the non-detection exceeds the second threshold time, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal. In addition, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 transitions from (e) and (f) to (g) after provisionally judging that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6, and if the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane line L has not been detected, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 continues the provisional judgment that the driver is abnormal.

[0037] In the example of FIG. 5, (h) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 is driving in the center of the lane, (i) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 crosses the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL and straddles the lane marking L after (h), (j) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 crosses the lane marking L after (i) and the lane marking detection device 3 cannot detect the lane marking L, and (k) shows a driving situation in which the vehicle 2 returns to the lane center after (j). In (h), the vehicle 2 does not cross the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL, so the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle is keeping the lane, and the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 judges that the driver is normal. In (i), the vehicle 2 crosses the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL, so the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle is deviating from the lane, and when the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds the first threshold time, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal. In (j), since the lane line detection device 3 cannot detect the lane line L, the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane line L has not been detected. At this time, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 transitions from (i) to (j) before the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 exceeds the first threshold time, and if the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane line L has not been detected exceeds the second threshold time, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal. In addition, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 transitions from (i) to (j) after provisionally judging that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6, and if the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane line L has not been detected, the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 continues to provisionally judge that the driver is abnormal. In (k), since the vehicle 2 returns to the lane and does not cross the lane keeping judgment virtual line VL, the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the lane is kept, and the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 judges that the driver is normal.

[0038] Incidentally, a case where the vehicle 2 deviates from the lane may be when the driver changes lanes. In this case, the driver operates the turn signal to change lanes. Therefore, even if the lane departure determination unit 6 determines that the vehicle has deviated from the lane or has not been detected, if the turn signal operation detection device 4 detects that the turn signal has been operated, the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines that the driver is normal.

[0039] Also, as a case where the vehicle 2 deviates from the lane, it is possible that the driver crosses lanes to avoid an obstacle or the like. In this case, the driver is considered to be in a normal state, not in an abnormal state that would cause a hindrance to the driving of the vehicle 2. Therefore, even if the lane departure determination unit 6 determines that the vehicle has deviated from the lane or that the vehicle has not been detected, the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines that the driver is normal if the state of the driver detected by the driver state detection device 5 does not satisfy the abnormality condition.

[0040] The automatic driving control unit 12 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 2 when the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal. The automatic driving control of the vehicle 2 by the automatic driving control unit 12 is, for example, emergency stop control that decelerates and stops the vehicle 2. The automatic driving control unit 12 also performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 2 when the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 formally judges that the driver is abnormal. Note that the automatic driving control unit 12 may not perform automatic driving control of the vehicle 2 even if the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal, and may perform automatic driving control of the vehicle 2 only after the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 formally judges that the driver is abnormal.

[0041] The braking device 8 activates the brakes of the vehicle 2 based on an instruction from the automatic driving control unit 12. The braking device 8 is, for example, a brake actuator that activates the brakes.

[0042] The warning device 9 controls the lights / displays / alarm horn of the vehicle 2 based on instructions from the automatic driving control unit 12. For example, it controls the activation of brake lights, hazard lights, meter display, horn sounding, etc.

[0043] Next, an example of the processing operation of the driver abnormality determination device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the lane departure determination unit 6. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the driver abnormality determination unit 11. The processing shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 is repeated from when the starter key of the vehicle 2 is turned ON until the starter key is turned OFF.

[0044] 6, the lane departure determination unit 6 determines whether or not the lane line detection device 3 has detected a lane line L (step S1). If it is determined that the lane line detection device 3 has not detected the lane line L (step S1: NO), the lane departure determination unit 6 determines that the lane line has not been detected (step S2) and temporarily ends the process.

[0045] When it is determined that the lane line detection device 3 has detected the lane line L (step S1: YES), the lane departure determination unit 6 determines whether or not the operation of the turn signal has been detected by the turn signal operation detection device 4 (step S3). When it is determined that the operation of the turn signal has been detected by the turn signal operation detection device 4 (step S3: YES), the lane departure determination unit 6 determines that the turn signal has not been detected (step S2) and temporarily ends the processing.

[0046] If it is determined that the turn signal operation detection device 4 has not detected the operation of the turn signal (step S3: NO), it is determined whether the vehicle 2 has crossed the lane keeping virtual line VL (step S4). If it is determined that the vehicle 2 has not crossed the lane keeping virtual line VL (step S4: NO), the lane departure determination unit 6 determines that the vehicle is maintaining the lane (step S5) and temporarily ends the process.

[0047] When it is determined that the vehicle 2 has crossed the lane keeping determination imaginary line VL (step S4: YES), the lane departure determination unit 6 determines that the vehicle has deviated from the lane (step S6), and temporarily ends the process.

[0048] 7, the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines whether or not the state of the driver detected by the driver state detection device 5 satisfies a predetermined abnormality condition (step S11). If it is determined that the state of the driver does not satisfy the predetermined abnormality condition (step S11: NO), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines that the driver is normal (step S12) and temporarily ends the process.

[0049] When it is determined that the driver's state satisfies a predetermined abnormality condition (step S11: YES), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines whether or not a turn signal operation has been detected by the turn signal operation detection device 4 (step S13). When it is determined that a turn signal operation has been detected by the turn signal operation detection device 4 (step S13: YES), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines that the driver is normal (step S12) and temporarily ends the process.

[0050] When it is determined that the turn signal operation detection device 4 has not detected the operation of the turn signal (step S13: NO), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines whether or not the lane departure determination unit 6 has determined that the vehicle has maintained its lane (step S14). When it is determined that the lane departure determination unit 6 has determined that the vehicle has maintained its lane (step S14: YES), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines that the driver is normal (step S12) and temporarily ends the process.

[0051] When it is determined that the lane departure determination unit 6 has not determined that the lane has been maintained (step S14: NO), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines whether or not the lane departure determination by the lane departure determination unit 6 has exceeded a first threshold time (step S15).When it is determined that the lane departure determination by the lane departure determination unit 6 has exceeded the first threshold time (step S15: YES), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 provisionally determines that the driver is abnormal (step S16).

[0052] When it is determined that the lane departure determination unit 6 has determined that the lane departure has not exceeded the first threshold time (step S15: NO), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines whether or not the lane departure determination unit 6 has determined that the lane departure has occurred and has not yet detected the vehicle (step S17).When it is determined that the lane departure determination unit 6 has determined that the lane departure has not yet detected the vehicle (step S17: NO), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines that the driver is normal (step S12) and temporarily ends the process.

[0053] When it is determined that the non-detection determination by the lane departure determination unit 6 has exceeded the second threshold time (step S17: YES), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 provisionally determines that the driver is abnormal (step S16).

[0054] The automatic driving control unit 12 may execute the automatic driving control when the driver is provisionally determined to be abnormal (step S16). Also, the automatic driving control unit 12 may not execute the automatic driving control when the driver is provisionally determined to be abnormal (step S16), and may execute the automatic driving control when the driver is subsequently formally determined to be abnormal.

[0055] When the driver is provisionally determined to be abnormal (step S16), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines whether the lane departure determination unit 6 has determined that the vehicle is maintaining the lane (step S18). Then, the driver abnormality determination unit 11 maintains the provisional determination that the driver is abnormal until the lane departure determination unit 6 has determined that the vehicle is maintaining the lane (step S18: NO).

[0056] If it is determined that the lane departure determination unit 6 has determined that the vehicle is maintaining the lane (step S18: YES), the driver abnormality determination unit 11 determines that the driver is normal (step S12) and temporarily ends the process.

[0057] As described above, in the driver abnormality judgment device 1 of this embodiment, a provisional judgment is made as to whether the driver is abnormal based on the judgment result of the lane departure judgment unit 6, which judges lane departure, and therefore, a provisional judgment is made as to whether the driver is abnormal based on the driving conditions of the vehicle 2.

[0058] Furthermore, by provisionally determining that the driver is abnormal when the lane departure determination unit 6 determines that the vehicle has departed from the lane, it is possible to provisionally determine that the driver is abnormal based on the driving conditions of the vehicle 2. On the other hand, the lane departure determination unit 6 can determine that the vehicle has departed from the lane only when it can detect the dividing line. Therefore, if the lane departure determination unit 6 provisionally determines that the driver is abnormal based on the determination of the lane departure by the lane departure determination unit 6 and then determines that the dividing line L is not detected, it is possible to provisionally determine that the driver is abnormal even if the vehicle 2 crosses over the dividing line L and is no longer able to detect the dividing line L, by continuing the provisional determination that the driver is abnormal.

[0059] Furthermore, by provisionally determining that the driver is abnormal when the determination of lane departure exceeds the first threshold time, it is possible to suppress erroneous provisional determinations due to erroneous detection by the lane line detection device 3. Furthermore, even if the lane departure determination unit 6 determines that the lane departure is not detected before the determination of lane departure by the lane departure determination unit 6 exceeds the first threshold time, if the determination of non-detection by the lane departure determination unit 6 exceeds the second threshold time, it is possible to suppress erroneous provisional determinations due to erroneous detection by the lane departure detection device 3 by provisionally determining that the driver is abnormal.

[0060] In addition, if the driver is provisionally determined to be abnormal based on the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6, the provisional determination that the driver is abnormal is continued until the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the driver has maintained the lane, thereby preventing the driver from being provisionally determined to be abnormal even if the lane departure judgment unit 6 subsequently judges that the lane departure has not been detected.

[0061] In addition, if the lane departure judgment unit 6 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure judgment by the lane departure judgment unit 6 and then judges that the driver is maintaining the lane, the driver can be judged to be normal, thereby preventing the provisional judgment that the driver is abnormal from being unnecessarily continued.

[0062] In addition, even if the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle has departed from the lane or that the lane departure has not been detected, if the turn signal operation detection device 4 detects that the turn signal has been operated, the driver is judged to be normal, thereby making it possible to suppress unnecessary provisional judgments that the driver is abnormal.

[0063] In addition, even if the lane departure judgment unit 6 judges that the vehicle has deviated from the lane or has not been detected, if the driver's state detected by the driver state detection device 5 does not satisfy the abnormality conditions, the driver is judged to be normal, thereby preventing unnecessary provisional abnormality judgments of the driver.

[0064] In addition, when the driver abnormality judgment unit 11 provisionally judges that the driver is abnormal, the automatic driving control unit 12 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 2, thereby allowing the vehicle 2 to be driven appropriately when the driver is abnormal.

[0065] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be modified or applied to other things without departing from the gist of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1...driver abnormality judgment device, 2...vehicle, 3...marking line detection device, 4...turn signal operation detection device, 5...driver state detection device, 6...lane departure judgment unit, 7...driver abnormality processing unit, 8...braking device, 9...alarm device, 11...driver abnormality judgment unit, 12...automatic driving control unit, L...marking line, VL...virtual line for lane keeping judgment.

Claims

1. A lane marking detection device that detects lane markings on which a vehicle is traveling; a lane departure determination unit that determines that the vehicle is keeping in the lane when the vehicle does not cross a virtual line for lane keeping determination that is located closer to the center of the lane than the lane line, that determines that the vehicle is deviating from the lane when the vehicle crosses the virtual line for lane keeping determination, and that the vehicle is not detected when the lane line detection device cannot detect the lane line; a driver abnormality determination unit that provisionally determines an abnormality in the driver of the vehicle based on a determination result of the lane departure determination unit, The driver abnormality determination unit When the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure has occurred for a period exceeding a first threshold time, the driver is provisionally determined to be abnormal; Even if the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure is not detected before the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure is not detected before the first threshold time, if the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure is not detected after the second threshold time, the driver is provisionally determined to be abnormal. Driver abnormality determination device.

2. The driver abnormality determination unit When the lane departure determination unit determines that the vehicle has deviated from the lane, the driver is provisionally determined to be abnormal; When the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure marking is undetected after the lane departure determination unit has provisionally determined that the driver is abnormal based on the lane departure determination by the lane departure determination unit, the lane departure determination unit continues to provisionally determine that the driver is abnormal. The driver abnormality determination device according to claim 1 .

3. When the driver abnormality determination unit provisionally determines that the driver is abnormal based on the determination of the lane departure by the lane departure determination unit, the driver abnormality determination unit continues to provisionally determine that the driver is abnormal until the lane departure determination unit determines that the driver is maintaining the lane. The driver abnormality determination device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the driver abnormality determination unit determines that the driver is normal when the lane departure determination unit determines that the driver is maintaining the lane after the lane departure determination unit has provisionally determined that the driver is abnormal based on the determination of the lane departure by the lane departure determination unit; The driver abnormality determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The vehicle further includes a turn signal operation detection device that detects an operation of a turn signal of the vehicle, The driver abnormality determination unit determines that the driver is normal when the turn signal operation detection device detects the operation of the turn signal even if the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure or the undetected state has occurred. The driver abnormality determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. A driver state detection device for detecting a state of the driver is further provided, The driver abnormality determination unit determines that the driver is normal when the state of the driver detected by the driver state detection device does not satisfy an abnormality condition even if the lane departure determination unit determines that the lane departure or the undetected state has occurred. The driver abnormality determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The vehicle driver may be further provided with an automatic driving control unit that performs automatic driving control of the vehicle when the driver abnormality determination unit provisionally determines that the driver is abnormal. The driver abnormality determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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