Vehicle driving support system

Abstract

To enable appropriately proposing, to a driver, addition of functions of driving assistance items.SOLUTION: A driver information registration unit 82 can register driver information of a vehicle. A personalization data storage unit 80 (registered driver data storage unit) stores a driving history for each registered driver who is a driver registered in the driver information registration unit 82. An additional function extraction unit 152 extracts an additional assistance function that is a driving assistance function that can be newly added for each registered driver on the basis of the driving history. A display control unit 92 can output a proposal image 43 that proposes the registered driver an acquisition of the additional assistance function to a center panel display 40 (display unit).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a driving assistance system for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an information providing system that utilizes the driving history of a vehicle has been known. For example, in Patent Document 1, fuel consumption is calculated based on the driving history of a vehicle. And this system determines whether it is possible to reach a planned destination in the most recent drive plan based on the fuel consumption and the current remaining gasoline amount. If the system determines that the vehicle cannot reach the planned destination with the current remaining gasoline amount, the system proposes refueling by a gasoline delivery service during a time period when the user does not use the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in addition to those installed at the time of vehicle purchase, there are also driving assistance functions for a vehicle that can be additionally used after purchase. This specification discloses a driving assistance system for a vehicle that can appropriately propose adding functions of driving assistance items to a driver.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The driving support system for a vehicle disclosed in this specification includes a registration unit, a registered driver data storage unit, an additional function extraction unit, and a display control unit. The registration unit can register the driver information of the vehicle. The registered driver data storage unit stores the driving history for each registered driver who is the driver registered by the registration unit. The additional function extraction unit extracts, for each registered driver, an additional support function, which is a newly addable driving support function, based on the driving history. The display control unit can output, to the display unit, a proposal image that proposes obtaining the additional support function for the registered driver.

[0006] According to the above configuration, it is possible to propose an additional support function according to the driving history of the registered driver to the registered driver.

[0007] Also, in the above configuration, the additional function extraction unit may be able to transmit, to the display control unit, information on whether there is a free trial of the additional support function in addition to the information on the additional support function.

[0008] According to the above configuration, it is possible to lead to the purchase of the additional support function through a free trial of the additional support function.

[0009] Also, in the above configuration, the driving support system may include a driving diagnosis unit that performs a driving diagnosis based on the driving history. In this case, the display control unit causes the display unit to display a driving diagnosis image together with the proposal image.

[0010] According to the above configuration, since the basis for proposing the additional support function is shown, it is possible to obtain the understanding of the registered driver when making a purchase.

[0011] Also, in the above configuration, the number of operations of a predetermined attention operation among the driver operations may be stored in the registered driver data storage unit for each registered driver. In this case, the additional function extraction unit extracts an additional support function corresponding to the attention operation whose number of operations exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[0012] According to the above configuration, by installing the additional support function, it is possible to suppress sudden vehicle movements when a registered driver's attention operation such as a sharp turn occurs.

[0013] In the above configuration, the vehicle may be provided with an external camera that images the outside of the vehicle and an imaging image storage unit that stores the imaging moving image of the external camera. In this case, the display control unit causes the display unit to display the imaging moving image together with the proposed image. The imaging moving image includes a moving image at the time of the operation of the attention operation corresponding to the additional support function proposed by the proposed image.

[0014] According to the above configuration, by showing the moving image at the time of the attention operation operation that is the basis for proposing the additional support function together with the proposed image, it becomes possible to appeal to the registered driver the importance of acquiring the additional support function.

[0015] In the above configuration, when the driving support function is executed, accelerations, turning postures, and braking amounts that do not correspond to the operation amounts of the accelerator pedal, steering wheel, and brake pedal are output from the vehicle. The attention operations include sudden acceleration, sudden braking, and sudden steering. The driving support system also includes an attention operation determination unit. The attention operation determination unit determines the presence or absence of sudden acceleration based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal. The attention operation determination unit also determines the presence or absence of sudden braking based on the operation amount of the brake pedal. Further, the attention operation determination unit determines the presence or absence of sudden steering based on the operation amount of the steering wheel.

[0016] According to the above configuration, based on the actual operation amount applied to the vehicle by the driver, the presence or absence of sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, sudden braking, and sudden steering is determined. Therefore, even when the driving support function is executed and sudden acceleration, sudden turning, and sudden braking of the vehicle are avoided, the driver's attention operation can be detected.

[0017] In the above configuration, stores capable of performing work on the vehicle may be registered in the registered driver data storage unit. In this case, the driving support system includes an inventory confirmation unit. The inventory confirmation unit confirms the inventory of the equipment for executing the additional support function at the registered store. When there is no inventory of the equipment at the registered store, the display control unit makes the proposed image non-displayed.

[0018] According to the above configuration, mismatches between demand and supply, such as going to a registered store to install the proposed additional support function but finding no inventory, are suppressed.

[0019] Also, in the above configuration, the driving support system may include a construction setting unit. When there is inventory of equipment at a registered store, the construction setting unit extracts the construction available date and time when the construction of the additional support function at that store is possible. When the display control unit receives an input operation to obtain the additional support function from the registered driver in the proposed image, the display control unit causes the construction available date and time to be displayed on the display unit.

[0020] According to the above configuration, when the additional support function is proposed, the installation construction can be reserved, so that the additional support function can be quickly installed on the vehicle.

Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the vehicle driving support system according to this specification, the driver can be appropriately proposed to add functions for the driving support items.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] <Overall Configuration> FIG. 1 illustrates the overall configuration of the driving support system for a vehicle according to this embodiment. This system includes a vehicle 100, an OTA center server 150, and a registered store terminal 160.

[0024] As will be described later, the OTA center server 150 can transmit software and firmware update programs installed in various ECUs of the vehicle 100 by wireless communication (Over The Air).

[0025] The registered store terminal 160 is a computer installed in a store registered in the personalization data storage unit 80 (see FIG. 6) of the vehicle 100 and can communicate with the vehicle 100.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, in the driving support system for a vehicle according to the present embodiment, a driving support function that can be added to the vehicle 100 is proposed. In making this proposal, the driver information of the vehicle 100 is registered. Further, the driving history is recorded for each registered driver. Further, based on the driving record, an additional support function, which is a newly addable driving support function, is proposed for each registered driver.

[0027] When the installation of the additional support function does not involve any work on the vehicle 100, such as software update, an update program is transmitted from the OTA center server 150 to the vehicle 100. On the other hand, when the installation of the additional support function involves work on the vehicle 100, such as setting up additional equipment, the inventory confirmation unit 161 (see FIG. 10) of the registered store terminal 160 checks the inventory of the additional equipment.

[0028] When the inventory of the additional equipment is available at the registered store, a purchase button image 43A is displayed on the proposed image 43 of the center display 40 (see FIG. 15). When the registered driver performs an input operation such as tapping on the purchase button image 43A, the construction setting unit 162 extracts the available construction date and time at the registered store and transmits it to the vehicle 100. Further, the available construction date and time is displayed on the center display 40. The registered driver selects a convenient date and time from the plurality of available construction dates and times. Through these processes, the additional support function is installed in the vehicle 100.

[0029] <Vehicle> FIG. 2 illustrates the hardware configuration of the vehicle 100. Note that in FIG. 2, the devices related to the driving support function of the vehicle 100 are mainly illustrated, and the illustration of the devices with low relevance to the above functions is appropriately omitted.

[0030] The vehicle 100 may be, for example, a battery electric vehicle (BEV) equipped with a rotating electric machine 11 as a drive source. The vehicle 100 may also be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

[0031] <Drive train equipment> For example, vehicle 100 includes a high-voltage circuit of the drive system, such as battery 17, buck-boost DC / DC converter 12, inverter 13, and rotating electrical machine 11. The DC power output from battery 17 is, for example, boosted by buck-boost DC / DC converter 12, and further orthogonally converted by inverter 13. The converted AC power is supplied to rotating electrical machine 11 to drive rotating electrical machine 11. This driving force is transmitted to drive wheels 16 via steering mechanism 14. A brake mechanism 15 is provided for drive wheels 16.

[0032] In addition, vehicle 100 is provided with a steering wheel 20, an accelerator pedal 21, and a brake pedal 22 as mechanisms for manual driving. Vehicle 100 is also provided with a torque sensor 20A for detecting the operation amount of steering wheel 20. Furthermore, vehicle 100 is provided with an accelerator position sensor 21A for detecting the operation amount (depression amount) of accelerator pedal 21, and a brake position sensor 22A for detecting the operation amount (depression amount) of brake pedal 22.

[0033] The operation amounts detected by torque sensor 20A, accelerator position sensor 21A, and brake position sensor 22A are transmitted as electrical signals from sensors 20A - 22A to central gateway ECU 110 (hereinafter appropriately referred to as CGW-ECU). In response to this, CGW-ECU 110 transmits a drive command, a braking command, and a steering command to power train - chassis ECU 18.

[0034] Furthermore, power train - chassis ECU 18 transmits a switching signal corresponding to the drive command to inverter 13. Also, power train - chassis ECU 18 transmits a drive signal corresponding to the braking command to the motor of brake mechanism 15. Furthermore, power train - chassis ECU 18 transmits a drive signal corresponding to the steering command to the steering motor of steering mechanism 14.

[0035] Also, when the driving support function is executed, an auxiliary operation command is transmitted from the ADAS-ECU 70 to the power train and chassis ECU 18. For example, this auxiliary operation command has priority over the drive command, brake command, and steering command by the CGW-ECU 110. Details of the driving support function will be described later.

[0036] <Sensor> FIG. 2 illustrates sensors for enabling the execution of the driving support function for the vehicle 100. As sensors for grasping the external situation, the vehicle 100 includes an external camera unit 50, a lidar sensor 61, and radar sensors 62 and 63.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates the front portion of the vehicle 100. A front center radar sensor 63 is provided on the front surface portion of the vehicle 100, for example, on the back side of the emblem at the center in the vehicle width direction. Also, front side radar sensors 62A and 62B are provided on both side portions of the front surface of the vehicle 100. These radar sensors are each composed of, for example, a millimeter wave radar.

[0038] Furthermore, a lidar sensor 61 is provided on the front surface of the vehicle 100, for example, at the center in the vehicle width direction and below the license plate mounting position. The lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor 61 scans laser light (for example, infrared light) in a planar shape to measure the distance to surrounding objects. The lidar sensor 61 is, for example, a solid state type unit. By scanning the laser light in a planar manner forward of the vehicle 100, three-dimensional point cloud data in front of the vehicle 100 can be obtained.

[0039] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, an external camera unit 50 and an in-vehicle camera 51 are provided on the back surface of the windshield glass 30, that is, the exposed surface to the passenger compartment. The external camera unit 50 and the in-vehicle camera 51 are provided, for example, at the center in the vehicle width direction and above the windshield glass 30.

[0040] The outside vehicle camera unit 50 is a stereo camera unit composed of, for example, two cameras, and can image the outside of the vehicle, more specifically, the front of the vehicle, through the windshield glass 30. The in-vehicle camera 51 is, for example, a monocular camera, and can image, for example, the face of the driver in the vehicle interior.

[0041] The outside vehicle camera unit 50 and the in-vehicle camera 51 can each capture a moving image. The captured moving image data is stored in the captured image storage unit 52 (see FIG. 6) in a state linked to the date and time of the capture time.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 2, the self-position estimator 36 is, for example, a receiver of a Global Navigation Satellite System. The self-position estimator 36 is connected to the AV-ECU 90.

[0043] The clock 37 is connected to the ADAS-ECU 70. As will be described later, the driving support function determination unit 74 (see FIG. 6) of the ADAS-ECU 70 acquires the date and time when the driving support function was executed from the clock 37 and stores it in the personalization data storage unit 80. Also, the attention operation determination unit 84 acquires the date and time when the attention operation by the driver occurred from the clock 37 and stores it in the personalization data storage unit 80. From such an aspect, the personalization data storage unit 80 is also called the registered driver data storage unit.

[0044] <Audio-visual equipment> FIG. 4 illustrates the front part of the vehicle interior. As audio-visual equipment, a center display 40 and a meter display 35 are provided on the instrument panel 49.

[0045] The center display 40 is, for example, a touch panel display in which an input unit and a display unit are integrated. The center display 40 is, for example, on the ceiling surface of the instrument panel 49 and stands upright at the center in the vehicle width direction.

[0046] The center display 40 displays various information of the vehicle 100. For example, a navigation image 44 as illustrated in FIG. 5 is displayed on the center display 40. Further, a driving diagnosis image 41, a proposal image 43, and an outside vehicle camera moving image 45 as illustrated in FIG. 15 are displayed on the center display 40.

[0047] Also, for example, when performing personalized settings for the driving support functions described later, a setting image is displayed on the center display 40. In this setting image, it is possible to select whether to enable settings for a plurality of driving support functions and the setting values of the enabled driving support functions.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 4, the meter display 35 is provided in the meter panel 34. The meter display 35 is arranged, for example, in front of the steering wheel 20. For example, a warning message in the driving support function is displayed on the meter display 35.

[0049] Also, in the passenger compartment, a speaker 33 is provided as an audio device. For example, the speakers 33 are respectively provided above and in the front part of a pair of front doors 32, 32. The speaker 33 is, for example, a so-called tweeter that outputs high-frequency sound. Also, the output surface of the speaker 33 is directed toward the driver or the passenger in the passenger seat. As described later, a warning sound in the driving support function is output from the speaker 33.

[0050] <ecu> As illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) are provided in the vehicle 100. These electronic control units are provided, for example, according to the functions of the vehicle 100. For example, the vehicle 100 includes a power train-chassis ECU 18, an ADAS-ECU 70, an AV-ECU 90, and an I / F-ECU 112.

[0051] Furthermore, as a higher-level ECU that integrates these function-specific ECUs, a central gateway ECU 110 (CGW-ECU) is provided in the vehicle 100. The CGW-ECU 110 supervises each function-specific ECU, for example, when performing cooperative control in which a plurality of function-specific ECUs cooperate to execute one function.

[0052] The power train-chassis ECU 18, the ADAS-ECU 70, the AV-ECU 90, and the I / F-ECU 112 can communicate with each other via the CGW-ECU 110. Each ECU is connected by a signal line conforming to, for example, the CAN standard (Controller Area Network).

[0053] The power train-chassis ECU 18 controls the rotating electric machine 11, the steering mechanism 14, and the braking mechanism 15. The I / F-ECU 112 is an ECU that serves as an interface for receiving signals from external devices such as the OTA center server 150 (see FIG. 1) and the registered store terminal 160.

[0054] The ADAS-ECU 70 is an ECU for ADAS (Advanced driver-assistance systems), which means an advanced driver assistance system. The ADAS-ECU 70 is signal-connected to an out-of-vehicle camera unit 50, an in-vehicle camera 51, a lidar sensor 61, and radar sensors 62, 63, which are sensors for grasping the out-of-vehicle situation.

[0055] The AV-ECU 90 performs display control and audio control for the speaker 33, the meter display 35, and the center display 40. Also, input operation information to the center display 40, which is a touch panel, is transmitted from the AV-ECU 90 to the ADAS-ECU 70 and the CGW-ECU 110.

[0056] Each of the above function-specific ECUs and the CGW-ECU 110 is composed of an electronic device (computer) similar to the OTA center server 150 and the registered store terminal 160 illustrated in FIG. 1. That is, these ECUs include a memory, a storage device, a CPU, and a NIC (Network Interface Card).

[0057] The NIC is an interface device for connecting to other devices. The CPU executes various controls and calculations in accordance with a given program. The memory is a volatile storage device in which, for example, the stored information is erased when the power supply is cut off. For example, the memory is composed of DRAM. The storage device is a non-volatile storage device that can hold stored data even without power. The storage device is composed of, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0058] <Function Blocks of AV-ECU> By the CPU executing the program stored in the storage device of the AV-ECU 90, function blocks as illustrated in FIG. 6 are configured in the AV-ECU 90. That is, the AV-ECU 90 includes an input / output unit 91, a display control unit 92, an audio control unit 93, and a map data storage unit 94.

[0059] Note that instead of storing the program in the storage device, the program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD, and this may be read and executed by the CPU. By such means as well, various function blocks as illustrated in FIG. 6 are configured in the AV-ECU 90.

[0060] The map data storage unit 94 stores map data associated with latitude and longitude information. When the voice control unit 93 receives a warning command from the warning control unit 75 of the ADAS-ECU 70, it causes a warning sound to be output from the speaker 33.

[0061] The input / output unit 91 receives input signals from peripheral devices such as the ADAS-ECU 70. The input / output unit 91 also receives an input operation signal from the center display 40 which is a touch panel, and transmits the signal to peripheral devices such as the ADAS-ECU 70.

[0062] The display control unit 92 controls the display images of the meter display 35 and the center display 40. For example, when receiving a warning command from the warning control unit 75 of the ADAS-ECU 70, the display control unit 92 causes a warning image (such as an image of a pedestrian) to be displayed on the meter display 35.

[0063] During the driving of the vehicle 100, the display control unit 92 causes a navigation image 44 as illustrated in FIG. 5 to be displayed on the center display 40. The display control unit 92 determines the map image area to be displayed on the center display 40 based on the self-position information (latitude information and longitude information) acquired from the self-position estimator 36. The display control unit 92 also superimposes and displays the own vehicle mark 46 and the guidance route 48 on the map image area.

[0064] During the parking of the vehicle 100, for example, when the shift lever is set to the P range, the display control unit 92 causes a driving diagnosis image 41 as illustrated in FIG. 15 to be displayed on the center display 40. Further, the display control unit 92 causes a proposal image 43, an outside vehicle camera moving image 45, and a focus operation explanation image 47 to be displayed side by side on the driving diagnosis image 41. Details of these images will be described later.

[0065] <Function Blocks of ADAS-ECU> The CPU of the ADAS-ECU 70 executes the program stored in the storage device, thereby configuring the ADAS-ECU 70 with the functional blocks illustrated in FIG. 6. That is, the ADAS-ECU 70 includes an out-of-vehicle image recognition unit 71, an in-vehicle image recognition unit 72, a distance measurement unit 73, a driving assistance function determination unit 74, a warning control unit 75, and an auxiliary operation control unit 76. Further, the ADAS-ECU 70 includes a personalization data storage unit 80, a personalization setting unit 81, a driver information registration unit 82, a focused operation determination unit 84, and a transmission / reception unit 85.

[0066] Instead of storing the program in the storage device, the program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD, and the CPU may read and execute it. By such means as well, the ADAS-ECU 70 is configured with various functional blocks illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0067] The out-of-vehicle image recognition unit 71 recognizes the image area of an object outside the vehicle from the captured image by the out-of-vehicle camera unit 50. For example, the out-of-vehicle image recognition unit 71 is implemented with a convolutional neural network (CNN) capable of executing SSD (Single Shot Multibox Detector) using supervised learning as an image recognition algorithm. By such image recognition, the attributes of various objects (vehicles, pedestrians, road signs, structures, etc.) included in the captured image by the out-of-vehicle camera unit 50 are recognized.

[0068] Also, the distance measurement unit 73 acquires the captured image data that has been image-recognized from the out-of-vehicle image recognition unit 71. The distance measurement unit 73 also acquires the three-dimensional point cloud data of the distance measurement information from the lidar sensor 61. The distance measurement unit 73 determines what attributes of objects are and how far they are from the host vehicle by combining the three-dimensional point cloud data and the captured image data.

[0069] The in-vehicle image recognition unit 72 performs driver face recognition from the captured image by the in-vehicle camera 51 using the above-described image recognition algorithm. Based on the face recognition result, the personalization setting unit 81 determines whether it corresponds to any of the registered drivers stored in the personalization data storage unit 80. Also, the attention operation determination unit 84 determines whether the driver is performing an attention operation such as looking aside based on the face recognition result.

[0070] The driving support function determination unit 74 determines whether the driving support function can be executed for the warning control unit 75 and the auxiliary operation control unit 76 based on the object information (attributes and distance from the own vehicle) around the own vehicle from the distance measurement unit 73.

[0071] The driving support function is roughly classified into a warning function and an auxiliary operation function. For example, a warning is issued as a pre-stage before the auxiliary operation is executed. For example, when a pedestrian in front approaches a predetermined first threshold distance, the driving support function determination unit 74 outputs a warning command to the warning control unit 75. Further, when the distance to the pedestrian decreases and the vehicle 100 approaches a predetermined second threshold distance, the driving support function determination unit 74 outputs an execution command for the auxiliary operation function to the auxiliary operation control unit 76. In response to this, the auxiliary operation control unit 76 operates the steering mechanism 14 to move to the side opposite to the pedestrian within the lane during traveling, for example, via the power train chassis ECU 18.

[0072] In such a driving support function, the number of operations is counted up. For example, the count-up of the driving support function is performed at the stage when the warning function is executed. FIG. 8 illustrates a driving support function record table. In this table, the number of operations of each driving support function is recorded for each registered driver based on the personalization function described later.

[0073] Furthermore, this table also records data on the date and time and location when the driving assistance function was activated. The driving assistance function determination unit 74 acquires the date and time data from the clock 37 (see FIG. 6). Also, the driving assistance function determination unit 74 acquires the location data from the self-position estimator 36. For example, facilities, intersection names, etc. closest to the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 100 when the driving assistance function is activated are recorded in the driving assistance function recording table.

[0074] When the warning control unit 75 receives an execution command for the driving assistance function from the driving assistance function determination unit 74, it outputs a warning command to the voice control unit 93 of the AV-ECU 90. The warning command includes, for example, identification number information of the warning voice. Also, when the warning control unit 75 receives the above execution command from the driving assistance function determination unit 74, it outputs a warning command to the display control unit 92 of the AV-ECU 90. The warning command includes, for example, identification number information of the warning image.

[0075] The attention operation determination unit 84 determines whether a predetermined attention operation among the driver's operations has occurred in the vehicle 100. An attention operation table is illustrated in FIG. 9. The attention operation table is stored for each registered driver based on the personalization function described later. Attention operation items are set in the attention operation table.

[0076] The attention operation refers to driver operations that increase the risk of vehicle accidents and includes, for example, sudden braking, sudden acceleration, sudden steering, looking aside, etc. Sudden braking and sudden acceleration refer to states where the depression accelerations of the brake pedal and accelerator pedal exceed a predetermined threshold. Sudden steering refers to a state where the angular acceleration when turning the steering wheel exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0077] Regarding sudden braking, sudden acceleration, and sudden steering, based on the operation amounts detected by the brake position sensor 22A (see FIG. 6), the accelerator position sensor 21A, and the torque sensor 20A, the attention operation determination unit 84 determines the occurrence or non-occurrence of each attention operation. The presence or absence of looking aside can be determined from the captured image of the in-vehicle camera 51 as described above.

[0078] By determining the presence or absence of a target operation based on the actual operation amounts detected by the brake position sensor 22A, the accelerator position sensor 21A, and the torque sensor 20A, it becomes possible to highly accurately determine the occurrence of the target operation. For example, compared with determination based on captured images inside and outside the vehicle by an outside vehicle camera unit 50, an in-vehicle camera 51, etc., it becomes possible to highly accurately determine the occurrence of the target operation.

[0079] For example, when a driver applies sudden braking, that is, when the brake pedal 22 is rapidly depressed, driving support functions such as an ABS (antilock braking system) may operate, and braking force corresponding to the amount of depression of the brake pedal 22 may not be obtained.

[0080] That is, even when the driver rapidly depresses the brake pedal 22, the vehicle may not come to sudden braking as a vehicle operation. In this way, when a driving support function intervenes on the operation line from the input of the operation amount to the output of the vehicle operation, a situation may occur where the output does not match the input. In other words, when the driving support function is executed, acceleration, turning attitude, and braking amount that do not correspond to the operation amounts of the accelerator pedal 21, the steering wheel 20, and the brake pedal 22 are output from the vehicle 100. In many cases, due to the intervention of the driving support function, acceleration, turning attitude, and braking amount that are suppressed compared to the operation amounts of the accelerator pedal 21, the steering wheel 20, and the brake pedal 22 are output from the vehicle 100.

[0081] Therefore, in the driving support system according to the present embodiment, for example, regarding target operations (sudden steering, sudden acceleration, sudden braking) related to the driver's operation, instead of the vehicle operation, the presence or absence of the target operation is determined based on the driver's actual operation amount.

[0082] For example, when the brake pedal 22 is suddenly depressed deeply, the driving assistance function may be activated, but the vehicle 100 may not perform an emergency stop. Even in such a case, the attention operation determination unit 84 counts up the attention operation "emergency braking" based on the operation amount of the brake pedal 22 detected from the brake position sensor 22A. By making such a determination, it becomes possible to grasp the driving habits for each registered driver.

[0083] Also, for some of the attention operations, the captured images are used. For example, the attention operation determination unit 84 determines whether the driver is looking away by recognizing the driver's face image by the in-vehicle image recognition unit 72.

[0084] In the attention operation table, the number of occurrences of each attention operation item and its operation history are also recorded. The operation history includes the date and time when the attention operation occurred and the location where it occurred. The attention operation determination unit 84 acquires the date and time data from the clock 37 (see FIG. 6). Also, the attention operation determination unit 84 acquires the location data from the self-position estimator 36. For example, the name of the facility or intersection closest to the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 100 when the attention operation occurred is recorded in the driving assistance function record table.

[0085] <Personalization> The vehicle 100 is equipped with a so-called personalization function that allows the driving assistance function to be set for each driver. In this personalization, it is possible to select whether to enable which function among a plurality of driving assistance functions. Furthermore, in this personalization, the setting values of the enabled driving assistance functions can be set for each driver.

[0086] For example, for a certain driver, the adaptive cruise control is enabled and the lane tracing assist is disabled. Furthermore, as the setting value of the enabled adaptive cruise control, the inter-vehicle distance is set to an arbitrary value (long, medium, short).

[0087] The driver information registration unit 82 can register the driver information of the vehicle 100. For example, new registration or setting changes of the driver can be performed from the center display 40 which is a touch panel.

[0088] For example, the driver information registration unit 82 stores the name, account name, and password of the driver input by the registered driver in the personalization data storage unit 80. In addition, the driver information registration unit 82 stores the face image etc. of the registered driver captured by the in-vehicle camera 51 in the personalization data storage unit 80.

[0089] The personalization setting unit 81 performs personalization settings of the driving support function for each registered driver who is the driver registered in the driver information registration unit 82. For example, personalization settings can be made by the registered driver performing an input operation from the center display 40.

[0090] In the personalization data storage unit 80 (registered driver data storage unit), various data such as driving history are stored for each registered driver. For example, the above-described driving support function record table (see FIG. 8) is stored for each registered driver. Also, in the personalization data storage unit 80, the above-described attention operation table (see FIG. 9) is stored for each registered driver. Further, in the personalization data storage unit 80, as basic data of the vehicle 100, the vehicle data table illustrated in FIG. 7 is stored. In this vehicle data table, the vehicle identification number, vehicle model, registered store name, and IP address of the registered store terminal are recorded.

[0091] <Registered store terminal> The registered store is registered as the main maintenance store for the vehicle 100. For example, the registered store is the store where the user purchased the vehicle 100. The registered store is set as a store capable of performing work on the vehicle 100. The registered store terminal 160 (see FIG. 1) is a terminal device installed in the registered store and is composed of, for example, a computer.

[0092] The registered store terminal 160 can communicate with the OTA center server 150 and the vehicle 100 through communication means such as the Internet 170. Note that the OTA center server 150 and the registered store terminal 160 can communicate with the vehicle 100 wirelessly.

[0093] As a hardware configuration, the registered store terminal 160 includes a memory 160A, a storage device 160B, a CPU 160C, and a NIC 160D. Since the details of these devices have been described above, the description is omitted.

[0094] When the CPU 160C of the registered store terminal 160 executes the program stored in the storage device 160B, the function blocks illustrated in FIG. 10 are configured in the registered store terminal 160. That is, the registered store terminal 160 includes an inventory confirmation unit 161, a construction setting unit 162, an inventory parts storage unit 163, a customer information storage unit 164, and a construction schedule storage unit 165.

[0095] Instead of storing the program in the storage device 160B, the program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD, and this may be read and executed by the CPU 160C. By such means as well, various function blocks illustrated in FIG. 10 are configured in the registered store terminal 160.

[0096] The inventory confirmation unit 161 can confirm the inventory of each part in the registered store by referring to the inventory parts storage unit 163. For example, when the inventory confirmation unit 161 receives an inventory confirmation signal of a device necessary for executing an additional support function from the personalization setting unit 81 of the vehicle 100, it acquires the model of the vehicle 100 for which the inquiry was made from the customer information storage unit 164.

[0097] Furthermore, the inventory confirmation unit 161 refers to an inventory table (not shown) stored in the inventory parts storage unit 163 to confirm the availability of devices compatible with the model of the vehicle 100. Thereafter, the inventory confirmation unit 161 transmits a response signal indicating the availability to the personalization setting unit 81 (see FIG. 6).

[0098] When the inventory of the equipment for executing the additional support function, which has been queried by the Personalization Setting Unit 81, exists at the registered store, the Construction Setting Unit 162 refers to the Construction Schedule Storage Unit 165 and extracts the constructible date and time. The constructible date and time refers to the candidate date and time for performing the work of mounting the above equipment on the vehicle 100 at the registered store. The extracted constructible date and time is transmitted to the Personalization Setting Unit 81.

[0099] <OTA Center Server> Referring to FIG. 1, the OTA Center Server 150 performs wireless communication with the vehicle 100, communicates with the I / F-ECU 112 (see FIG. 6) of the vehicle 100, and transmits and receives signals to and from various ECUs of the vehicle 100. Further, the OTA Center Server 150 can transmit an update program for executing the additional support function to the vehicle 100. For example, the OTA Center Server 150 is installed at the development center or the like of the vehicle 100.

[0100] The OTA Center Server 150 includes, as a hardware configuration, a memory 150A, a storage device 150B, a CPU 150C, and a NIC 150D. Since the details of these devices have been described above, the description is omitted.

[0101] When the CPU 150C of the OTA Center Server 150 executes the program stored in the storage device 150B, the OTA Center Server 150 is configured with the functional blocks illustrated in FIG. 10. That is, the OTA Center Server 150 includes an Operation Diagnosis Unit 151, an Additional Function Extraction Unit 152, and an Additional Function Storage Unit 153.

[0102] Instead of storing the program in the storage device 150B, the program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD, and the CPU 150C may read and execute this. By such means as well, the OTA Center Server 150 is configured with various functional blocks illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0103] The driving diagnosis unit 151 receives the driving history data of the vehicle 100 via the transmission / reception unit 85 (see FIG. 6) of the vehicle 100. This driving history data is aggregated by registered driver. The driving diagnosis unit 151 performs a driving diagnosis based on the received driving history data.

[0104] For example, in the driving diagnosis, scores are calculated for each classification such as handling, acceleration, and deceleration. In this calculation, a deduction is determined based on the number of times of the target operation and the number of times of execution of the driving support function. For example, the driving diagnosis unit 151 determines a deduction for the handling item based on the number of times of sharp turns and the number of times of operation of the lane tracing assist. The calculated driving diagnosis result is transmitted to the ADAS-ECU 70 of the vehicle 100.

[0105] The additional function extraction unit 152 extracts, for each registered driver, an additional support function, which is a newly addable driving support function, based on the driving history. Further, the additional function extraction unit 152 is capable of transmitting the extracted information to the display control unit 92 of the AV-ECU 90.

[0106] The additional function extraction unit 152 refers to the additional function storage unit 153 to extract the driving support functions that can be added to the vehicle 100. For example, the additional function storage unit 153 stores a driving support function management table as illustrated in FIG. 11. This table includes items such as addable driving support functions, target models, necessity of construction, paid / free, presence / absence of trial versions, related target operations, and optimal locations.

[0107] Basically, a driving support function (e.g., pre-crash safety) is executed to prevent a certain target operation (e.g., sudden braking) in advance. Therefore, in the driving support function management table, the target operation to be prevented is registered as a related target operation for each driving support function.

[0108] Also, the support key in FIG. 11 is a system in which the parking misstep prevention function is activated when the registered driver holds the key. In this way, the optimal location item indicating the location where the driving support function is activated is provided in the driving support function management table.

[0109] The additional function extraction unit 152 extracts information on the driving support functions that match the model of the vehicle 100 from the driving support function management table stored in the additional function storage unit 153. Further, the additional function extraction unit 152 narrows down the additional support functions to be proposed based on the driving history of the registered driver. The details of this narrowing down will be described later. The additional function extraction unit 152 transmits the information on the narrowed-down additional support functions to the ADAS-ECU 70 of the vehicle 100.

[0110] <Driving diagnosis flow> FIG. 12 illustrates the driving diagnosis flow in the OTA center server 150. Referring to FIGS. 6, 10, and 12, the transmission / reception unit 85 of the ADAS-ECU 70 transmits the driving history data for each registered driver stored in the personalization data storage unit 80 to the OTA center server 150. The driving history data includes data from the driving support function record table (see FIG. 8) and the attention operation table (see FIG. 9) for each registered driver. Also, together with these data, the transmission / reception unit 85 transmits the vehicle identification number and vehicle model data from the vehicle data table (see FIG. 7) as the identification information of the host vehicle to the OTA center server 150.

[0111] The driving diagnosis unit 151 of the OTA center server 150 sets the registered driver count k to the initial value 1 (S10). Then, when the driving diagnosis unit 151 acquires the driving history data of the k-th registered driver (S12), it calculates the driving score (S14). The driving score includes the scores for each category such as handling, acceleration, and deceleration as described above, and the overall score obtained by integrating these.

[0112] Qualitatively, the more the number of attention operations and the number of executions of the driving assistance function, the lower the driving score. Also, the lower the occurrence frequency obtained by dividing the number of attention operations and the number of executions of the driving assistance function by the driving time, the higher the score.

[0113] Next, the additional function extraction unit 152 of the OTA center server 150 extracts an additional support function, which is a driving assistance function that can be newly added to the vehicle 100. The additional function extraction unit 152 refers to the attention operation table and determines whether there is an attention operation whose number exceeds a predetermined threshold (S16). If there is no such attention operation, the proposal of the additional function is omitted (skipped).

[0114] On the other hand, if there is an attention operation whose number exceeds a predetermined threshold, the additional function extraction unit 152 determines whether there is an additional support function related to the attention operation (S18). For example, in the driving assistance function management table (see FIG. 11) stored in the additional function storage unit 153, an item of related attention operation is provided for each additional support function. The additional function extraction unit 152 extracts an additional support function (recommended additional function) whose related attention operation includes the attention operation whose number exceeds a predetermined threshold (S20).

[0115] Next, the additional function extraction unit 152 determines whether the registered driver count k has reached the final value k_end (S22). If the registered driver count k has not reached the final value k_end, the additional function extraction unit 152 increments the count k (S24) and returns the flow to step S12. If the registered driver count k has reached the final value k_end, the flow ends. The driving diagnosis result (i.e., the driving score) and the information on the recommended additional support function obtained in this flow are transmitted to the ADAS-ECU 70 for each registered driver. For example, the driving diagnosis result and the information on the recommended additional function are stored in the personalization data storage unit 80.

[0116] <Driving Diagnosis Screen Display Flow> Figures 13 and 14 illustrate the display flow of the driving diagnosis screen by the ADAS-ECU 70 (see FIG. 6) and the registered store terminal 160 (see FIG. 10). Referring to these figures, the personalization setting unit 81 calls the driving diagnosis result (driving score) of the registered driver during driving among the driving diagnosis results received from the OTA center server 150 (S30).

[0117] Furthermore, in addition to the driving diagnosis result for the registered driver during driving, the personalization setting unit 81 determines whether information on recommended additional functions is stored in the personalization data storage unit 80 (S32).

[0118] When the recommended additional function is not set for the registered driver during driving, only the driving diagnosis image 41 among the driving diagnosis image 41, the proposal image 43, and the outside vehicle camera moving image 45 in FIG. 15 is displayed on the center display 40. The display control unit 92 of the AV-ECU 90 waits for the display of the driving diagnosis image 41 until the shift lever of the vehicle 100 is set to the P position, that is, until the vehicle 100 becomes in a non-drivable state (S34). Then, when the shift lever is set to the P position, the display control unit 92 causes the driving diagnosis image 41 to be displayed on the center display 40 (S36), and the flow ends.

[0119] In step S32, when recommended additional function information is set for the registered driver during driving, the personalization setting unit 81 determines whether construction is required for the execution of the recommended additional function (S38).

[0120] For example, the recommended additional function information transmitted from the OTA center server 150 is provided with items of construction necessity, paid / free, and presence / absence of the trial version in the driving support function management table (see FIG. 11). The personalization setting unit 81 refers to the above items and determines the construction necessity.

[0121] When work is required for the setting of recommended additional functions, the Personalization Setting Unit 81 checks the inventory of devices for executing the recommended additional functions (hereinafter appropriately referred to as additional function devices) with the inventory confirmation unit 161 of the registered store terminal 160 (see FIG. 10) via the I / F-ECU 112 (S40, S42).

[0122] If there is no inventory of additional function devices at the registered store, the additional support function cannot be installed in the vehicle 100. Therefore, the display control unit 92 sets the proposal image 43 (see FIG. 15) for proposing the addition of the recommended additional function and the moving image of the outside vehicle camera 45 for prompting its introduction to be non-displayed. That is, the flow proceeds to step S34.

[0123] In step S42, when there is inventory of additional function devices at the registered store, the work setting unit 162 of the registered store terminal 160 refers to the work schedule stored in the work schedule storage unit 165 and extracts the workable date and time of the additional function devices. Further, the work setting unit 162 transmits the information on the extracted workable date and time to the Personalization Setting Unit 81 of the ADAS-ECU 70 (S44).

[0124] Receiving the inventory information of the additional function devices and the information on the workable schedule, the display control unit 92 of the AV-ECU 90 enables the display of the purchase button image 43A embedded in the proposal image 43 (see FIG. 15) (S46).

[0125] Next, the Personalization Setting Unit 81 refers to the item of the presence or absence of the trial version among the recommended additional function information transmitted from the OTA center server 150 and determines the presence or absence of the free trial version of the recommended additional function (S48). If there is no free trial version, the display control unit 92 disables the display of the free trial button image 43B embedded in the proposal image 43 (see FIG. 15) (S50). On the other hand, if there is a free trial version of the recommended additional function, the display control unit 92 enables the display of the free trial button image 43B (S52).

[0126] Furthermore, the display control unit 92 displays the state at the time of the occurrence of the driver's attention operation, which is the basis for the additional function extraction unit 152 of the OTA center server 150 to extract the recommended additional functions. That is, the display control unit 92 acquires the captured moving image data in the time period including the time of occurrence of the above attention operation from the captured image storage unit 52 (S54). For example, in the attention operation table (see FIG. 9), the date and time of occurrence of the attention operation are recorded. The display control unit 92 acquires the moving image data about 5 seconds before and after including the date and time of occurrence of this attention operation from the captured image storage unit 52.

[0127] The display control unit 92 waits for the display of the driving diagnosis image 41, the proposal image 43, and the outside vehicle camera moving image 45 until the shift lever of the vehicle 100 is set to the P position (S56). Then, when the shift lever is set to the P position, the display control unit 92 causes the center display 40 to display the above three images (S58).

[0128] Furthermore, the display control unit 92 may cause the center display 40 to display the attention operation explanation image 47 in addition to the images of the above three. For example, the attention operation explanation image 47 is a text image explaining what kind of attention operation occurred at what location. Such text can be created from the operation history of the attention operation table (see FIG. 9).

[0129] Furthermore, the display control unit 92 causes the purchase button image 43A and, when the process of step S52 is passed, the free trial button image 43B to be displayed on the proposal image 43. When an input operation for acquiring an additional support function is received, such as when the registered driver taps the purchase button image 43A displayed on the center display 40 (S60), the display control unit 92 causes the center display 40 to display the construction available date and time received from the construction setting unit 162 of the registered store terminal 160 (S64). Furthermore, the input / output unit 91 of the AV-ECU 90 transmits the construction available date and time selected and input by the registered driver to the construction setting unit 162 (S66).

[0130] Return to step S60. If no input operation is performed on the purchase button image 43A and an input operation is performed on the free trial button image 43B (S62), the flow proceeds to step S64 to adjust the construction schedule. If no input operation is performed on either the purchase button image 43A or the free trial button image 43B, the flow ends as it is.

[0131] FIG. 14 illustrates a flow when it is determined from step S38 (see FIG. 13) that construction is not required. In this flow, a control program for an additional support function is downloaded from the OTA center server 150 to the vehicle 100.

[0132] Steps S70 - S82 are the same as steps S46 - S58 (see FIG. 13), so the description is omitted here. At step S84, when an input operation is performed on the purchase button image 43A, the input / output unit 91 (see FIG. 6) requests an additional function program from the OTA center server 150. In response to this, the OTA center server 150 transmits the additional function program to the ADAS-ECU 70 via the I / F-ECU 112 of the vehicle 100 (S86).

[0133] On the other hand, at step S84, if no input operation is performed on the purchase button image 43A and an input operation is performed on the free trial button image 43B (S88), the input / output unit 91 requests an experience version program of the additional support function from the OTA center server 150. In response to this, the OTA center server 150 transmits the experience version program to the ADAS-ECU 70 via the I / F-ECU 112 of the vehicle 100 (S90). If no input operation is performed on either the purchase button image 43A or the free trial button image 43B, the flow ends as it is.

[0134] <Another example of the display unit> In the above-described embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the center display 40 was cited as the display unit that displays the driving diagnosis image 41, the proposed image 43, and the outside-vehicle camera moving image 45. However, the driving support system according to the present embodiment is not limited to this form. For example, a smartphone owned by a registered driver may be used as the display unit, and the driving diagnosis image 41, the proposed image 43, and the outside-vehicle camera moving image 45 may be displayed thereon. In this case, the display control unit 92 of the AV-ECU 90 controls the display image of the smartphone that is the display unit.

[0135] In this case, the process of step S30 in FIG. 13 is changed to, for example, "call the driving score of the registered driver who is the owner of the smartphone". Also, assuming use outside the vehicle, for example, the processing contents of steps S56 and S80 in FIGS. 13 and 14 are changed. For example, the processing of these steps is replaced with processing such as "wait until the detection speed of the speed sensor of the smartphone that is the display unit becomes 0".

Explanation of Signs

[0136] 20 Steering wheel, 20A Torque sensor, 21 Accelerator pedal, 21A Accelerator position sensor, 22 Brake pedal, 22A Brake position sensor, 40 Center display (display unit), 41 Driving diagnosis image, 43 Proposal image, 43A Purchase button image, 43B Free trial button image, 45 Out-of-vehicle camera moving image, 47 Attention operation explanation image, 50 Out-of-vehicle camera unit, 51 In-vehicle camera, 52 Imaging image storage unit, 70 ADAS-ECU, 71 Out-of-vehicle image recognition unit, 72 In-vehicle image recognition unit, 73 Distance measurement unit, 74 Driving support function determination unit, 75 Warning control unit, 76 Auxiliary operation control unit, 80 Personalized data storage unit (registered driver data storage unit), 81 Personalized setting unit, 82 Driver information registration unit, 84 Attention operation determination unit, 90 AV-ECU, 92 Display control unit, 93 Voice control unit, 94 Map data storage unit, 100 Vehicle, 10 Central gateway ECU, 150 OTA center server, 151 Driving diagnosis unit, 152 Additional function extraction unit, 153 Additional function storage unit, 160 Registered store terminal, 161 Inventory confirmation unit, 162 Construction setting unit, 163 Spare parts storage unit, 164 Customer information storage unit, 165 Construction schedule storage unit.< / ecu>

Claims

1. A driving support system for a vehicle, comprising: a registration unit capable of registering driver information of the vehicle; a registered driver data storage unit that stores a driving history for each registered driver who is a driver registered in the registration unit; an additional function extraction unit that extracts, for each registered driver, an additional support function that is a newly addable driving support function based on the driving history; a display control unit capable of outputting to a display unit a proposal image that proposes acquisition of the additional support function to the registered driver; A driving support system for a vehicle.

2. The driving support system for a vehicle according to Claim 1, wherein the additional function extraction unit can transmit information on whether there is a free trial of the additional support function to the display control unit in addition to information on the additional support function. A driving support system for a vehicle.

3. The driving support system for a vehicle according to Claim 1 or 2, comprising: a driving diagnosis unit that performs a driving diagnosis based on the driving history; the display control unit causes the display unit to display a driving diagnosis image together with the proposal image. A driving support system for a vehicle.

4. The driving support system for a vehicle according to Claim 3, wherein the registered driver data storage unit stores, for each registered driver, the number of operations of a predetermined attention operation among driver operations; the additional function extraction unit extracts the additional support function corresponding to the attention operation whose number of operations exceeds a predetermined threshold value. A driving support system for a vehicle.

5. The driving support system for a vehicle according to Claim 4, wherein the vehicle is provided with an external camera that images the outside of the vehicle and an imaging image storage unit that stores moving images captured by the external camera; the display control unit causes the display unit to display the captured moving images together with the proposal image; the captured moving images include moving images at the time of operation of the attention operation corresponding to the additional support function proposed by the proposal image. A driving support system for a vehicle.

6. The driving support system for a vehicle according to Claim 5, wherein when the driving support function is executed, acceleration, turning posture, and braking amount that do not correspond to the operation amounts of the accelerator pedal, steering wheel, and brake pedal are output from the vehicle; the attention operations include sudden acceleration, sudden braking, and sudden steering. A notable operation determination unit is provided that determines the presence or absence of sudden acceleration based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, determines the presence or absence of sudden braking based on the operation amount of the brake pedal, and further determines the presence or absence of sudden steering based on the operation amount of the steering wheel. A vehicle driving support system.

7. The vehicle driving support system according to claim 6, In the registered driver data storage unit, stores are registered where the vehicle can be repaired. It includes an inventory confirmation unit that checks the inventory of equipment for executing the additional support function at the registered stores. When there is no inventory of the equipment at the registered stores, the display control unit hides the proposed image. A vehicle driving support system.

8. The vehicle driving support system according to claim 7, When there is inventory of the equipment at the registered stores, it includes a construction setting unit that extracts the construction possible date and time when the additional support function can be constructed at the store. When the registered driver receives an input operation to obtain the additional support function in the proposed image, the display control unit displays the construction possible date and time on the display unit. A vehicle driving support system.

Images