Information provision support method, information provision support apparatus, and information provision support program

Abstract

To improve driver's awareness of an agent.SOLUTION: An information provision support method is provided for providing information to a driver of a vehicle by an action of an agent with a predetermined character as a motif. In the information provision support method, a travel time and a stop time of the vehicle are discriminated based on vehicle state information including a vehicle speed of the vehicle, and agent position control is executed for adjusting an agent position based on a discrimination result. In the agent position control, the agent position is adjusted to a predetermined first position at the stop time, and the agent position is adjusted to a second position, which is closer to a fixation point of the driver with respect to the first position, at the travel time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information provision support method, an information provision support device, and an information provision support program for assisting in providing information from a vehicle to a driver.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, a driving support device is proposed in which an anthropomorphic agent is arranged on a dashboard in a vehicle interior, and the operation of the agent is controlled to simulate the execution of a risk avoidance action to be performed by a driver.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By notifying driving support information through the actions and voices of the anthropomorphic agent as described above, an improvement in the driver's understanding of the driving support information is expected compared to the case where the information is mechanically text-displayed or voice-output.

[0005] On the other hand, depending on the driving state of the vehicle, it is assumed that the driver's field of vision becomes narrow by concentrating on driving operations, and the recognition of the agent decreases.

[0006] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to enhance the driver's recognition of the agent.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information provision support method for providing information to a driver of a vehicle by the action of an agent having a predetermined character as a motif. In this information provision support method, vehicle state information including the vehicle speed of the vehicle is acquired, the running state and the stopped state of the vehicle are discriminated based on the vehicle state information, and agent position control for adjusting the agent position is executed based on the discrimination result. In the agent position control, the agent position is adjusted to a predetermined first position when the vehicle is stopped, and the agent position is adjusted to a second position closer to the driver's line of sight than the first position when the vehicle is running.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the recognizability of the agent by the driver can be enhanced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information providing support system 101. As shown in the figure, the information providing support system 101 mainly includes various configurations for supporting the driving operation of a driver 10 of a vehicle 100.

[0012] In particular, the information providing support system 101 includes sensors 12, a navigation system 14, an agent control device 18, and an agent 16.

[0013] The sensors 12 are composed of one or more sensors that measure various state parameters inside or outside the vehicle 100. In particular, the sensors 12 in the present embodiment include an in-vehicle camera 12a for photographing the inside of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 12b for detecting the speed (vehicle speed V) when moving forward or backward, a steering angle sensor 12c for detecting the steering angle θ of the steering wheel, a microphone 12d for collecting in-vehicle audio, and a shift sensor 12e for detecting the shift position (such as the parking range, neutral range, or drive range). The sensors 12 output various detection signals to the agent control device 18.

[0014] The navigation system 14 is a device realized by various hardware and software for guiding a driver 10 to a route to a destination and the like. In particular, the navigation system 14 includes a specific input interface (such as a touch panel or operation buttons) assumed to be operated by the passengers of the vehicle 100 including the driver 10. The navigation system 14 provides information such as the route to the destination to the passengers in a predetermined output mode (screen display and / or audio output) in response to an operation by the passengers via the input interface.

[0015] Agent 16 is a user interface that supports providing information from vehicle 100 to driver 10. In particular, agent 16 in the present embodiment includes a robot 16a as a physical structure with a motif of a real or virtual predetermined character, and an AR (Augmented Reality) display body 16b and a screen display body 16c as virtual display bodies for virtually displaying the character.

[0016] Examples of the character that serves as the motif of robot 16a include real or virtual people, animals, plants, and anthropomorphic objects. Robot 16a is arranged at a position in front of driver 10 (for example, on the dashboard) in the vehicle interior. Further, the robot 16a in the present embodiment is provided with a drive unit 19 for displacing the robot 16a within a predetermined range (hereinafter referred to as "front-rear movable range R" m1 ") along the front-rear direction in the vehicle interior. Note that the drive unit 19 can be configured by, for example, a rail extending in the direction in which the robot 16a should be displaced and a predetermined drive source such as a motor for moving the robot 16a on the rail.

[0017] On the other hand, the AR display body 16b and the screen display body 16c are constituted by two-dimensional or three-dimensional digital images imitating a predetermined character, similar to the robot 16a. In particular, the AR display body 16b is displayed within a predetermined front AR display area R arf or a rear AR display area R arr in the vehicle interior. The front AR display area R arf is configured as, for example, at least a part of the area on the front windshield of vehicle 100. The rear AR display area R arr is configured as, for example, at least a part of the area on the rear windshield of vehicle 100. Note that the front AR display area R arf and the rear AR display area R arr may be configured as the display areas in the head-up displays arranged at the front and rear positions of driver 10, respectively. Also, the screen display body 16c is displayed in a predetermined front screen display area R dif The front screen display area R difIt is configured as a display area on, for example, an in-vehicle display disposed in front of the driver 10.

[0018] As described above, since the agent 16 is configured with a predetermined character as a motif, by causing the agent 16 to execute a predetermined action (such as an operation and an output voice), an effect of causing a certain emotion (attachment or familiarity) of the driver 10 towards the agent 16 can be obtained. Therefore, by notifying the driver 10 of the driving support information via the action of the agent 16, the recognition degree of the driver 10 for the driving support information can be improved as compared with the case of performing simple text display or voice output.

[0019] The agent control device 18 is a control unit for executing the action of the agent 16 and the agent position control described later.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the agent control device 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the agent control device 18 includes a vehicle state recognition unit 21, a driver state recognition unit 22, an agent position control unit 24, and an action control unit 26.

[0021] The vehicle state recognition unit 21 acquires various detection values obtained by the sensors 12 and the route information obtained from the navigation system 14 as vehicle state information, and determines the vehicle state from the vehicle state information. In particular, the vehicle state recognition unit 21 acquires the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12b as vehicle state information, and discriminates whether the vehicle 100 is in a stopped state or a running state based on this. Further, the vehicle state recognition unit 21 acquires the shift position detected by the shift sensor 12e as vehicle state information (particularly, traveling direction information), and discriminates whether the vehicle 100 is in a forward traveling state or a reverse traveling state based on this. Furthermore, the vehicle state recognition unit 21 acquires the vehicle speed V during forward traveling as vehicle state information, and determines whether the vehicle 100 is in a low vehicle speed state or a high vehicle speed state described later based on this.

[0022] In addition, the vehicle state recognition unit 21 acquires the image of the front camera as vehicle state information (particularly route visibility information), and estimates a state in which the driver's 10 visibility is poor (hereinafter referred to as "poor visibility state") based on this. Further, the vehicle state recognition unit 21 acquires the steering angle θ as vehicle state information (particularly turning information), and estimates the turning state of the vehicle 100 based on this.

[0023] The driver state recognition unit 22 acquires various detection values obtained by the sensors 12 as driver state information, and determines the driver state from the driver state information. In particular, the driver state recognition unit 22 acquires the image of the in-vehicle camera 12a as driver state information (particularly visual recognition direction information), and estimates whether the driver 10 is facing the front or the rear of the vehicle 100 during reverse driving based on this.

[0024] In addition, the driver state recognition unit 22 estimates the intimacy of the driver 10 with respect to the agent 16 from the above driver state information. The intimacy is defined as a parameter obtained by normalizing the strength of the driver 10's attachment to the agent 16. For example, the intimacy can be appropriately determined from any quantity that can suggest the strength of the driver 10's attachment, such as the total driving distance of the vehicle 100 and the total operating time of the agent 16.

[0025] The agent position control unit 24 executes agent position control based on the vehicle state and the driver state respectively estimated by the vehicle state recognition unit 21 and the driver state recognition unit 22. In agent position control, the agent position p is appropriately determined according to the estimated vehicle state and driver state. The details of the agent position control will be described later. Then, the agent position control unit 24 operates the agent 16 so as to realize the determined agent position p. More specifically, the drive unit 19 is operated to adjust the position of the robot 16a, or the position of the AR display body 16b or the screen display body 16c is adjusted. On the other hand, the agent position control unit 24 outputs the determined agent position p to the action control unit 26.

[0026] Incidentally, the functions of the agent control device 18 described above can be realized by any in-vehicle computer such as a vehicle controller (not shown) that comprehensively controls the operation of the vehicle 100, or a predetermined computer outside the vehicle such as a smartphone owned by the driver 10. In particular, a program (information providing support program) for realizing the functions of the agent control device 18 is stored in an arbitrary storage area accessible by the arithmetic unit of the agent control device 18.

[0027] The action control unit 26 controls the action of the agent 16 based on the action command and the agent position p according to the driving support information to be provided to the driver 10. The action of the agent 16 means a process for notifying the driver 10 of desired driving support information through the actions of the character represented by the robot 16a, the AR display body 16b, or the screen display body 16c. Specifically, the actions of the agent 16 include notification by the actions of the character such as causing the robot 16a, the AR display body 16b, or the screen display body 16c to execute movements simulating danger avoidance actions, and notification by voice output simulating the voice of the character such as outputting support information while moving the mouth of the character represented by the robot 16a, the AR display body 16b, or the screen display body 16c.

[0028] Furthermore, the action control unit 26 appropriately adjusts the mode of the action of the agent 16 (types of actions, content of voice output, voice level, etc.) according to the agent position p. Then, the action control unit 26 operates the agent 16 so as to realize the prescribed action of the agent 16. More specifically, the action control unit 26 operates various actuators (drive actuators of the robot 16a, AR display processing device, screen display processing device, speaker, etc.) that realize the actions and / or voice output of the robot 16a, the AR display body 16b, or the screen display body 16c corresponding to the prescribed action.

[0029] Next, further details of the agent position control in the present embodiment will be described.

[0030] Figure 3 is a flowchart for explaining agent position control. Each process shown in Figure 3 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined operation cycle.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, in step S101, the agent control device 18 estimates (recognizes) the vehicle state and the driver state.

[0032] In step S102, the agent control device 18 determines whether the vehicle 100 is in motion. Specifically, when the vehicle speed V is greater than or equal to a predetermined first threshold value V th1 for distinguishing between when the vehicle 100 is stopped and when it is in motion, it is determined that the vehicle is in motion, and when it is less than the first threshold value V th1 it is determined that the vehicle is not in motion (i.e., it is stopped). The first threshold value V th1 is set to a preferable value (for example, 5 km / h) for distinguishing between the substantial stop state and the running state of the vehicle 100. When the agent control device 18 determines that the vehicle 100 is in motion, it executes the process of step S103, and when it determines that the vehicle is stopped, it executes the process of step S113.

[0033] In step S103, the agent control device 18 determines whether the vehicle 100 is moving forward. Specifically, when the shift position in the vehicle 100 is in the drive (D) range, it is determined that the vehicle is moving forward. Then, when the agent control device 18 determines that the vehicle 100 is moving forward, it executes the process of step S104, and when it determines that the vehicle 100 is not moving forward, it executes the process of step S107.

[0034] In step S104, the agent control device 18 determines whether the vehicle 100 is in a low vehicle speed state. Specifically, when the vehicle speed V is less than or equal to a predetermined second vehicle speed threshold value V th2 it is determined that the vehicle is in a low vehicle speed state, and when it exceeds the second vehicle speed threshold value V th2 it is determined that the vehicle is not in a low vehicle speed state (i.e., it is in a high vehicle speed state). The second vehicle speed threshold value V th2is the forward and backward movable range R of the above-described robot 16a m1 Even if the robot 16a is moved to the most forward position within the range, the vehicle speed V at which the visual field area VR of the driver 10 is narrowed to such an extent that the robot 16a is not recognized is experimentally determined in advance. The second vehicle speed threshold V th2 is not limited to a specific value, but is set to, for example, 100 km / h or the like.

[0035] Also, in step S105, the agent control device 18 determines whether or not it is a good visibility state in which the driver 10 of the vehicle 100 has a good view. Specifically, the agent control device 18 sets a parameter that indexes the goodness of the driver 10's view by performing predetermined image processing on the image of the front camera, and based on the comparison result between the parameter and a predetermined threshold value, determines whether the current state is a good visibility state or a poor visibility state. Specific examples of being determined as a poor visibility state include, for example, an intersection with a blind spot, a curved road having a certain or more curvature radius, a gradient road, under bad weather, or a driving scene in a narrow alley. Specific examples of being determined as a good visibility state include, for example, a driving road with a good view such as a main road. Note that other information such as the route information of the driving road of the vehicle 100 may be referred to in order to obtain a parameter that indexes the goodness of the driver 10's view.

[0036] Then, the agent control device 18 executes the process of step S106 when the determination results of steps S104 and S105 are both positive, and executes the process of step S110 when any of these determinations is a negative result.

[0037] In step S106, the agent control device 18 executes the robot position adjustment during forward movement. Specifically, in the robot position adjustment during forward movement, the position (agent position p) of the robot 16a is adjusted to the forward adjustment position p f Here, the forward adjustment position p in the robot position adjustment during forward movement f is within the above-described forward and backward movable range R m1 and is the reference robot position P at the time of stopping bIt is defined as a position that is gradually shifted forward in accordance with an increase in the vehicle speed V.

[0038] Note that the reference robot position P b can be set to the position closest to the driver 10 within the front-back movable range R m1 More specifically, the reference robot position P b can be set within the reach of the driver 10, such as in the vicinity of the in-vehicle display arranged in front of the driver 10. Also, it is preferable to adjust the reference robot position P b based on the above-described intimacy. In particular, it is most preferable to define the reference robot position P b such that the higher the intimacy, the closer the distance to the driver 10.

[0039] On the other hand, in step S110, the agent control device 18 executes the front AR display. Specifically, in the front AR display, the AR display body 16b is displayed in the above-described front AR display area R arf

[0040] In particular, in the front AR display of the present embodiment, the display position of the AR display body 16b on the front AR display area R arf is adjusted to the forward movement adjustment position p f Here, the forward movement adjustment position p f in the front AR display is a position that is gradually shifted upward from the reference display position P' arf within the front AR display area R b in accordance with an increase in the vehicle speed V. Note that the reference display position P' b is defined as the movement base point of the AR display body 16b defined within the front AR display area R b corresponding to the reference robot position P. arf

[0041] Also, the end point of the forward movement adjustment position p f in the front AR display (i.e., the movement upper limit of the AR display body 16b) is the front AR display area R arf ​​It is preferably set at a position that overlaps with the driver's 10 line of sight point O during forward travel inside. Note that the position of the line of sight point O can be defined at a position where the driver 10 is presumably looking on average according to the travel direction (forward or backward), etc. On the other hand, the line of sight direction of the driver 10 may be detected from an image of the in-vehicle camera 12a or the like, and the position of the line of sight point O may be defined based on the detected line of sight direction.

[0042] Furthermore, during the execution of the forward AR display, the robot 16a is moved forward and backward within the movable range R m1 It may be configured to be maintained at the most forward position inside or to be housed in a predetermined space provided inside the dashboard or the like by a housing mechanism (not shown).

[0043] FIG. 4 shows an aspect of the forward robot position adjustment and the forward AR display during forward travel. As shown in the figure, in a low vehicle speed state (V th1 ≦V≦V th2 ), the forward adjustment position p f that defines the position of the robot 16a is determined to gradually shift forward from the reference robot position P th1 during stop (V<V b ) as the vehicle speed V increases. Furthermore, in a high vehicle speed state (V th2 <V), the forward adjustment position p f that defines the position of the AR display body 16b is determined to gradually shift upward from the reference display position P' b as the vehicle speed V increases.

[0044] Next, the process when the determination result of step S103 is negative (when not in forward travel) will be described.

[0045] In this case, in step S107, the agent control device 18 judges whether the vehicle 100 is traveling backward. Specifically, it is judged that the vehicle is traveling backward when the shift position is in the reverse (R) range. If the agent control device 18 judges that the vehicle 100 is traveling backward, it executes the process of step S108, and if it judges that the vehicle 100 is not traveling backward, it executes the process of step S113.

[0046] In step S108, the agent control device 18 executes the base position adjustment during backward movement. Specifically, in the base position adjustment during backward movement, the position of the robot 16a is adjusted to the reference robot position P b A reference position different from the reference position P br The reference robot position P br For example, the reference robot position P br is the reference robot position P b It may be the same as or different from.

[0047] In step S109, the agent control device 18 judges whether the driver 10 faces forward or not. This judgment is made assuming a scene in which the driver 10 performs driving operations while facing forward while driving backwards, since the vehicle 100 has a function of displaying an image of the rear of the vehicle on an in-vehicle display arranged in front of the driver 10.

[0048] Then, if the agent control device 18 determines that the driver 10 is facing forward, it executes the process of step S111, and if it determines that the driver 10 is not facing forward (the driver 10 is facing backward), it executes the process of step S112.

[0049] In step S111, the agent control device 18 executes a forward screen display. Specifically, in the forward screen display, the position of the screen display body 16c (agent position p) is adjusted to the reverse adjustment position pr It is adjusted to. Here, the reverse adjustment position p in the forward screen display r is within the forward screen display area R dif and is defined as a position that gradually shifts upward from the reference display position P br1 in response to an increase in the vehicle speed V. Note that the reference display position P br1 is the reference robot position P during reverse travel br corresponding to, and is the movement base point of the screen display body 16c defined within the forward screen display area R dif .

[0050] On the other hand, in step S112 executed when the driver 10 is facing backward, the agent control device 18 executes a rear AR display. Specifically, in the rear AR display, the AR display body 16b is displayed in the rear AR display area R arr . In particular, in the rear AR display of this embodiment, the display position of the AR display body 16b on the rear AR display area R arr is adjusted to the reverse adjustment position p r . Furthermore, the reverse adjustment position p in the rear AR display r is within the rear AR display area R arr and is defined as a position that gradually shifts upward from the reference display position P br2 in response to an increase in the vehicle speed V. Note that the reference display position P br2 is the reference robot position P during reverse travel br corresponding to, and is the movement base point of the AR display body 16b defined within the rear AR display area R arr .

[0051] FIG. 5 shows an aspect of the forward screen display area R and the rear AR display during reverse travel dif . As shown in the figure, during reverse travel (V th1 < V), the reverse adjustment position p that defines the display position of the AR display body 16b r is within the forward screen display area R dif or the rear AR display area R arr and is defined to gradually shift upward from the reference display position P br1 or P br2 in response to an increase in the vehicle speed V.

[0052] Next, the process of step S113, which is executed through any one of the negative determination result in step S102 (when the vehicle 100 is stopped), the forward robot position adjustment (step S106), the forward AR display (step S110), the forward screen display (step S111), and the rearward AR display (step S112), will be described.

[0053] In step S113, the agent control device 18 determines whether the vehicle 100 is in a turning state. Specifically, the agent control device 18 determines that it is in a turning state when the absolute value of the steering angle θ is greater than or equal to a predetermined steering angle threshold θ th and determines that it is not in a turning state when the absolute value of the steering angle θ is less than the steering angle threshold θ th . Note that the steering angle threshold θ th is set to an appropriate value considering the play width of the steering that does not substantially contribute to the turning operation of the vehicle 100. And when the agent control device 18 determines that the vehicle 100 is in a turning state, it executes the turning position control of step S114.

[0054] In step S114, the agent control device 18 executes the turning position control. Specifically, in the turning position control, the position of the robot 16a which is the agent position p, the position of the AR display body 16b, or the position of the screen display body 16c is adjusted to the turning position p s . Here, the turning position p s is defined as a position gradually shifted in the turning direction from the turning reference display position P m2 within the lateral movement range R dif which is the movement range of the robot 16a in the lateral direction (turning direction) of the vehicle 100, the forward screen display area R arf , or the forward AR display area R arr or the rearward AR display area R bs in accordance with the increase in the absolute value of the steering angle θ. Note that the lateral movement range R m2Is determined as the movable range of the robot 16a in the turning direction, on the premise that a drive mechanism for moving the robot 16a in the turning direction is provided. Also, the turning reference display position P bs Is, for example, the front screen display area R dif , the front AR display area R arf , or the rear AR display area R arr Is determined at a substantially central position in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 within.

[0055] FIG. 6 shows an aspect of the turning position control. As shown in the figure, the turning position p s at the time of left turning (steering angle θ < 0) is, with the turning reference display position P bs as a reference point, in the region of θ ≦ -θ th , determined at a position shifted more to the left as the steering angle θ becomes smaller. On the other hand, the turning position p s at the time of right turning (steering angle θ > 0) is, with the turning reference display position P bs as a reference point, in the region of θ ≧ θ th , determined at a position shifted more to the right as the steering angle θ becomes larger.

[0056] The turning position p s determined in the turning position control, the left end P sma and the right end P smi can be set at appropriate and preferable positions. For example, when the substantially entire front glass of the vehicle 100 is determined as the front AR display area R arf , the left end P sma can be set near the left A-pillar, and the right end P smi can be set near the right A-pillar, respectively.

[0057] Next, the effects of executing the above-described agent position control (particularly the forward movement process) will be described by showing more specific examples.

[0058] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation and effect of the present embodiment. In particular, FIG. 7(a) shows the situation at the time of parking, FIG. 7(b) shows the situation at low vehicle speed (robot position adjustment during forward movement), and FIG. 7(c) shows the situation at high vehicle speed (front AR display).

[0059] As shown in FIG. 7(a), at the time of parking, the position of the robot 16a is adjusted to the reference robot position P that is relatively close to the driver 10. b That is, the separation distance d between the driver 10 and the agent 16 is made relatively short, so that the recognition of the agent 16 by the driver 10 can be ensured.

[0060] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7(b), at low vehicle speed, by performing the forward robot position adjustment (step S106), the robot 16a moves forward within the front-rear movable range R m1 to the forward adjustment position p that approaches the driver's fixation point O in response to an increase in the vehicle speed V f As a result, the robot 16a (agent 16) is included in the narrowed visual field region VR of the driver 10 during forward travel.

[0061] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(c), at high vehicle speed, a front AR display is executed. In particular, the position of the AR display body 16b is within the front AR display region R arf from the reference display position P' b to the forward adjustment position p that approaches the fixation point O in response to an increase in the vehicle speed V f As a result, the AR display body 16b (agent 16) is included in the more narrowed visual field region VR of the driver 10 at high vehicle speed.

[0062] Hereinafter, the operation and effect of the information providing support method according to the present embodiment will be collectively described.

[0063] According to the present embodiment, there is provided an information providing support method for providing information to the driver 10 of the vehicle 100 by the operation of the agent 16 having a predetermined character as a motif. This information providing support method discriminates between when the vehicle 100 is traveling and when it is stopped based on vehicle state information including the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 100 (step S102), and executes agent position control (steps S103 to S112) for adjusting the agent position p based on the discrimination result.

[0064] In the agent position control, when the vehicle is stopped, the agent position p is adjusted to a predetermined first position (reference robot position P b ), and when the vehicle is traveling, the agent position p is adjusted to a second position (forward travel adjustment position p f or reverse travel adjustment position p r ) closer to the driver 10's line of sight O than the first position.

[0065] Thereby, when the vehicle 100 is stopped, the agent 16 is positioned relatively close to the driver 10 to enhance the recognition of the agent 16 by the driver 10, and when the vehicle is traveling, the agent 16 is moved away from the driver 10 to maintain the recognition of the agent 16 even in a situation where the visual field area VR is narrowed. Therefore, according to the traveling state of the vehicle 100, the recognition of the agent 16 by the driver 10 can be appropriately ensured.

[0066] Further, the vehicle state information includes traveling direction information (shift position) indicating the forward or reverse state of the vehicle 100. In the agent position control, when it is estimated that the vehicle 100 is moving forward based on the traveling direction information, forward travel processing (steps S104 to S106 and step S110) is executed. In the forward travel processing, the second position (forward travel adjustment position p f ) is determined in front of the driver 10.

[0067] Thereby, when the vehicle 100 is traveling forward, which is estimated that the driver 10 is visually recognizing the front, can be appropriately detected, and the agent position p can be determined at an appropriate position where the agent 16 enters the driver 10's field of view.

[0068] In particular, in the forward movement process, at the second position (forward adjustment position p f ), the forward adjustment position p f is determined such that the higher the vehicle speed V, the closer it approaches the driver 10's line of sight O (see FIGS. 4 and 7).

[0069] As a result, in consideration of the narrowing of the visual field area VR as the vehicle speed V increases, a specific control logic for including the agent 16 in the visual field area VR is realized.

[0070] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the agent 16 includes a physical structure (robot 16a) and a virtual display body (AR display body 16b) displayed within a predetermined virtual display area (front AR display area R arf ). Also, the forward movement process includes a first forward position adjustment (forward robot position adjustment) executed when the vehicle speed V is equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed threshold (second vehicle speed threshold V th2 ), and a second forward position adjustment (front AR display) executed when the vehicle speed V exceeds the second vehicle speed threshold V th2 .

[0071] In the forward robot position adjustment, the second position (forward adjustment position p f ) is defined within the movable range of the robot 16a (within the front-rear movable range R m1 ). On the other hand, in the front AR display, the second position (forward adjustment position p f ) is defined within the front AR display area R arf .

[0072] As a result, in a scene where the vehicle speed V is relatively low, the action of the agent 16 is realized using the robot 16a, which is a physical structure, so that the driver 10 can feel a high sense of presence (reality) and the recognition of the action can be improved. On the other hand, in a scene where the vehicle speed V is relatively low, by realizing it with the AR display body 16b, the recognition of the action of the agent 16 can be maintained even in a situation where the visual field area VR of the driver 10 is narrowed.

[0073] In addition, the vehicle state information of the present embodiment further includes route visibility information indicating the quality of the driver 10's visibility on the driving route of the vehicle 100. In the forward movement process, when it is estimated that the quality of the driver 10's visibility is below a certain level based on the route visibility information (No in step S105), the second position (forward adjustment position p f ) is determined to approach the fixation point O of the driver 10 (No in step S105).

[0074] Thereby, for example, in a driving scene where the importance of driving support information becomes higher, such as when driving in bad weather or at an intersection with blind spots, a specific control logic is realized to make the driver 10 more easily recognize the agent 16.

[0075] On the other hand, in the agent position control, when it is estimated that the vehicle 100 is moving backward based on the traveling direction information, the backward movement process (steps S108, S109, S111, and S112) is executed.

[0076] Thereby, it is possible to appropriately detect the backward driving state of the vehicle 100 where the driver 10 is estimated to visually recognize the rear, and determine the agent position p at an appropriate position where the agent 16 enters the driver 10's field of view.

[0077] In particular, in the backward movement process, the direction in which the driver 10 is facing is estimated based on the visual recognition direction information (image of the in-vehicle camera 12a) suggesting the direction in which the driver 10 is facing (step S109). When it is estimated that the driver 10 is facing forward, a third forward position adjustment (front screen display) is performed to determine the second position (backward adjustment position p r ) in front of the driver 10 in the vehicle cabin. On the other hand, when it is estimated that the driver 10 is facing backward, a backward position adjustment (rear AR display) is performed to determine the backward adjustment position p r behind the driver 10.

[0078] Accordingly, when the driver 10 is reversing, the agent position p can be more appropriately determined according to the direction the driver 10 is facing. More specifically, in the vehicle 100, by installing a device for displaying the rear area of the vehicle 100, such as a so-called back monitor, in the front of the passenger compartment, both the scene where the driver 10 is facing forward during reverse driving and the scene where the driver 10 is facing backward to directly visually confirm the rear area of the vehicle 100 are assumed, and a preferable agent position p corresponding to each can be set.

[0079] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the vehicle state information includes turning information (steering angle θ) indicating the turning of the vehicle 100. And in the agent position control, when the turning state of the vehicle 100 is estimated based on the steering angle θ (Yes in step S113), turning position control (step S114) is further executed. In particular, in the turning position control, the agent position p is shifted a predetermined distance in the turning direction with respect to the first position or the second position (see FIG. 6).

[0080] Accordingly, according to the turning direction of the vehicle 100, the agent position p can be determined at an appropriate position where the agent 16 enters the driver's 10 field of view. Therefore, even during turning, the recognizability of the agent 16 by the driver 10 can be appropriately ensured.

[0081] Furthermore, in the agent position control of the present embodiment, the intimacy between the driver 10 and the agent 16 is estimated, and a intimacy correction process for adjusting the first position (reference robot position P b ) based on the intimacy is further executed. In particular, in the intimacy correction process, it is determined that the higher the intimacy, the closer the distance (separation distance d) from the driver 10.

[0082] Accordingly, it is possible to determine the first position where the separation distance d is optimized in consideration of the strength of the driver 10's attachment to the agent 16. This eliminates a state where the driver 10 feels bothered or dissatisfied with the agent 16 and the actual separation distance d does not match the intimacy, and can further promote the mutual communication between the driver 10 and the agent 16.

[0083] Also, in the present embodiment, an information providing support device (agent control device 18) for executing the above information providing support method is provided. This agent control device 18 includes a determination unit (vehicle state recognition unit 21) that determines whether the vehicle 100 is running or stopped based on vehicle state information including the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 100, and an agent position control unit 24 that adjusts the agent position p based on the determination result. In particular, the agent position control unit 24 adjusts the agent position p to a predetermined first position (reference robot position P b ) when the vehicle is stopped, and adjusts the agent position p to a second position (forward adjustment position p f or backward adjustment position p r ) closer to the driver 10's line of sight O than the first position when the vehicle is running.

[0084] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an information providing support program for causing a computer (agent control device 18) to execute the above information providing support method is provided. This information providing support program causes the agent control device 18 to determine whether the vehicle 100 is running or stopped based on vehicle state information including the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 100, and execute agent position control for adjusting the agent position p based on the determination result. In particular, in the agent position control, the agent position p is adjusted to a predetermined first position (reference robot position P b ) when the vehicle is stopped, and the agent position p is adjusted to a second position (forward adjustment position p f or backward adjustment position p r ) closer to the driver 10's line of sight O than the first position when the vehicle is running.

[0085] [Second Embodiment] Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described. The same elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In particular, in this embodiment, in addition to the above-described agent position control, reaction sensitivity control for adjusting the reaction sensitivity of the agent 16 according to the separation distance d between the agent position p and the driver 10 is further executed.

[0086] FIG. 8 shows one aspect of the reaction sensitivity control. In the reaction sensitivity control of the present embodiment, the reaction sensitivity of the agent 16 is defined in three stages according to the magnitude of the separation distance d. In particular, when the separation distance d is the first distance threshold d th1 a high-sensitivity response R H is selected, when the first distance threshold d th1 or more and less than the second distance threshold d th2 a medium-sensitivity response R M is selected, and when the second distance threshold d th2 a low-sensitivity response R L is selected, respectively.

[0087] Here, the high or low reaction sensitivity can be defined by the type and magnitude of the driver 10's actions that trigger the agent 16's actions. For example, as the low-sensitivity response R L a voice of the driver 10 (such as a call to the agent 16) is defined. In addition, as the medium-sensitivity response R M in addition to the voice of the driver 10, a line of sight (such as looking in the direction of the agent 16) is defined. Further, as the high-sensitivity response R H in addition to the voice and line of sight of the driver 10, a hand movement (such as making a gesture toward the agent 16) is defined.

[0088] By adjusting the reaction sensitivity of the agent 16 according to the magnitude of the separation distance d in this way, the mutual communication between the agent 16 and the driver 10 can be made more appropriate.

[0089] In particular, in this embodiment, the smaller the separation distance d, the more types of actions of the driver 10 that trigger the response of the agent 16. As a result, when stopping (V < V th1In a situation where the driver 10 and the agent 16 are close to each other, such as, the agent 16 will respond sensitively to the behavior of the driver 10. Therefore, the mutual communication (interaction) between the agent 16 and the driver 10 can be further promoted.

[0090] Also, the greater the separation distance d, the fewer the types of behaviors of the driver 10 that trigger the actions of the agent 16. As a result, during driving (V≥V th1 )), the greater the situation where the driver 10 should concentrate on the driving operation (the greater the vehicle speed V), the more limited the types of behaviors of the driver 10 that trigger the response of the agent 16. Therefore, for example, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the agent 16 is unintentionally induced to act by the body movements or the like of the driver 10 accompanying the driving operation. In particular, as described above, by defining the low-sensitivity response R L in the situation where the separation distance d is large as the voice uttered by the driver 10, compared with the case of defining the line of sight or hand movement, the situation where the driver 10 truly desires the response of the agent 16 can be detected with higher accuracy, and the occurrence of unintentional actions of the agent 16 can be more reliably prevented.

[0091] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the configurations described in the above embodiments merely show a part of the application examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0092] For example, the specific modes of the forward movement process, reverse movement process, turning position control, intimacy correction process, and reaction sensitivity control described in the above embodiments are merely examples, and can be appropriately changed within the range where the technical significance assumed in these processes is not lost.

[0093] For example, in the forward movement process of the above embodiment, the agent position p is set such that the vehicle speed V is the second vehicle speed threshold V th2An example of switching from the position adjustment of the robot 16a to the adjustment of the display position of the AR display body 16b at the timing of reaching has been described. However, instead of this, a configuration may be adopted in which the forward movement process is realized only by adjusting the display position of the AR display body 16b and the structure for moving the robot 16a is omitted.

[0094] Also, the specific mode of the reaction sensitivity control is not limited to the example described in the second embodiment (FIG. 8), and various modifications are possible. For example, by increasing the steps of the separation distance d that determines the reaction sensitivity compared to the example shown in FIG. 8, a configuration may be adopted in which the sensitivity of the response of the agent 16 is changed more finely according to the separation distance d. Also, in the second embodiment, the low-sensitivity response R L is defined as the voice of the driver 10, the medium-sensitivity response R M is defined as the voice and line of sight of the driver 10, and the high-sensitivity response R H is defined as the voice, line of sight, and hand movement of the driver 10. However, the low-sensitivity response R L , the medium-sensitivity response R M , and the high-sensitivity response R H The specific modes of the actions of the driver 10 defined in can be changed as appropriate. For example, the low-sensitivity response R L , the medium-sensitivity response R M , and the high-sensitivity response R H are all defined as the voice of the driver 10, and a configuration may be adopted in which thresholds are provided stepwise for the voice volume level and the threshold is made smaller as the sensitivity response is higher.

[0095] The information providing support device (agent control device 18) of the above embodiment can be implemented by a so-called AI (Artificial Intelligence) program. The AI program may be referred to as a learned model.

Explanation of Signs

[0096] 10 Driver, 12 Sensors, 14 Navigation System, 15 Vehicle Controller, 16 Agent, 18 Agent Control Device, 19 Driving Unit, 21 Vehicle State Recognition Unit, 22 Driver State Recognition Unit, 24 Agent Position Control Unit, 26 Agent Operation Control Unit, 100 Vehicle, 101 Information Provision Support System

Claims

1. An information - providing support method for providing information to a driver of a vehicle by an action of an agent having a predetermined character as a motif, comprising: determining whether the vehicle is in a traveling state or a stopped state based on vehicle state information including the vehicle speed of the vehicle; executing agent position control for adjusting the agent position based on the determination result; in the agent position control: adjusting the agent position to a predetermined first position when the vehicle is stopped; adjusting the agent position to a second position closer to the driver's line of sight than the first position when the vehicle is traveling; An information - providing support method.

2. The information - providing support method according to claim 1, wherein: the vehicle state information includes traveling direction information indicating a forward or backward state of the vehicle; in the agent position control, when it is estimated that the vehicle is moving forward based on the traveling direction information, forward - traveling processing is executed; in the forward - traveling processing, the second position is determined in front of the driver; An information - providing support method.

3. The information - providing support method according to claim 2, wherein: in the forward - traveling processing: the second position is determined to be closer to the driver's line of sight as the vehicle speed is higher; An information - providing support method.

4. The information - providing support method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: the agent includes: a physical structure and a virtual display body displayed within a predetermined virtual display area; the forward - traveling processing includes: a first forward - position adjustment executed when the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle - speed threshold, and a second forward - position adjustment executed when the vehicle speed exceeds the vehicle - speed threshold; in the first forward - position adjustment, the second position is defined within the movable range of the physical structure; in the second forward - position adjustment, the second position is defined within the virtual display area; An information - providing support method.

5. The information - providing support method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: the vehicle state information further includes route visibility information indicating the quality of the driver's field of view on the traveling route of the vehicle; in the forward - traveling processing: when it is estimated that the quality of the driver's field of view is below a certain level based on the route visibility information, the second position is determined to be closer to the driver's line of sight; An information - providing support method.

6. The information - providing support method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: in the agent position control, when it is estimated that the vehicle is moving backward based on the traveling direction information, backward - traveling processing is executed; in the backward - traveling processing: Estimate the direction the driver is facing based on the visual direction information suggesting the direction the driver is facing, When it is estimated that the driver is facing forward, execute a third forward position adjustment that determines the second position in front of the driver in the vehicle cabin, When it is estimated that the driver is facing backward, execute a backward position adjustment that determines the second position behind the driver, Information providing support method.

7. The information providing support method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The vehicle state information includes turning information suggesting turning of the vehicle, When estimating the turning state of the vehicle based on the turning information, further execute turning position control, In the turning position control, Shift the agent position in the turning direction with respect to the first position or the second position, Information providing support method.

8. The information providing support method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, In the agent position control, Estimate the intimacy of the driver with respect to the agent, and further execute an intimacy correction process for adjusting the first position based on the intimacy, In the intimacy correction process, Determine the first position such that the higher the intimacy, the closer the distance to the driver, Information providing support method.

9. The information providing support method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, Further execute reaction sensitivity control for adjusting the reaction sensitivity of the agent according to the separation distance between the second position and the driver, Information providing support method.

10. An information providing support device that provides information to a driver of a vehicle by an action of an agent having a predetermined character as a motif, A discrimination unit that discriminates between when the vehicle is running and when it is stopped based on vehicle state information including the vehicle speed of the vehicle, An agent position control unit that adjusts the agent position based on the discrimination result, The agent position control unit, Adjust the agent position to a predetermined first position when stopped, Adjust the agent position to a second position closer to the driver's gaze point with respect to the first position when running, Information providing support device.

11. An information providing support program that provides information to a driver of a vehicle by an action of an agent having a predetermined character as a motif, Cause a computer to, Discriminate between when the vehicle is running and when it is stopped based on vehicle state information including the vehicle speed of the vehicle, Execute agent position control for adjusting the agent position based on the discrimination result, In the agent position control, Adjust the agent position to a predetermined first position when stopping, Adjust the agent position to a second position closer to the driver's line of sight than the first position when driving, Information providing support program.

Images