Agent Device

Abstract

To provide a driver with voice information having a content suited to characteristics of the driver, regarding a driving support function mounted on a vehicle.SOLUTION: An agent device comprises: an information generation unit 33, 33' that generates the voice information provided to the driver of a vehicle 1; and a determination unit 35, 35' that determines a level of understanding of the driver on using the driving support function mounted on the vehicle, based on an utterance content of the driver. The information generation unit changes the voice information related to the driving support function, in accordance with the level of understanding of the driver.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agent device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an agent system that recognizes the voice uttered by a vehicle driver and controls dialogue. In this agent system, voice information such as restaurant guides is provided to the driver in accordance with the content of the driver's utterance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-144290 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, vehicles equipped with driving assistance functions have been developed along with advances in sensing technology, etc. In order to enhance the driver's sense of security regarding the driving assistance functions, it is effective to provide the driver with voice information regarding the driving assistance functions.

[0005] However, since the level of understanding of the driving assistance function varies from driver to driver, if the voice information provided to the driver is uniform, there is a risk that the driver will not receive a satisfactory response.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a driver with voice information, the content of which is suited to the characteristics of the driver, regarding a driving assistance function installed in a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides an agent device having an information generation unit that generates voice information to be provided to a driver of a vehicle, and a judgment unit that judges the driver's level of understanding of using a driving assistance function installed in the vehicle based on the content of the driver's speech, and the information generation unit changes the voice information related to the driving assistance function according to the level of understanding. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide the driver with voice information suitable for the characteristics of the driver in relation to the driving assistance function installed in the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the configuration of a vehicle provided with an agent device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a processor of an ECU in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control routine of the understanding level determination process in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control routine of the information provision process in the first embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a specific example of voice information in response to an utterance by a driver when the driver has a high level of understanding. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a specific example of voice information in response to an utterance by a driver when the driver's level of understanding is low. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control system provided with an agent device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the server. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of a processor of an ECU in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of a processor of a server in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control routine for the understanding level determination process in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control routine for information provision processing in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, like components are designated by like reference numerals.

[0011] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5B. Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the configuration of a vehicle 1 provided with an agent device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] 1, a vehicle 1 includes a driver monitor camera 2, a surrounding information detection device 3, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 4, a map database 5, a navigation device 6, a vehicle behavior detection device 7, an actuator 8, a human machine interface (HMI) 9, a communication device 10, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 20. The driver monitor camera 2, surrounding information detection device 3, GNSS receiver 4, map database 5, navigation device 6, vehicle behavior detection device 7, actuator 8, HMI 9, and communication device 10 are electrically connected to the ECU 20 via an in-vehicle network or the like that complies with standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0013] The driver monitor camera 2 captures an image of the face of the driver of the vehicle 1 and generates an image showing the face of the driver. The output of the driver monitor camera 2, i.e., the image generated by the driver monitor camera 2, is transmitted to the ECU 20.

[0014] The surrounding information detection device 3 acquires data (images, point cloud data, etc.) about the surroundings of the vehicle 1 and detects surrounding information about the vehicle 1 (for example, surrounding vehicles, lanes, pedestrians, bicycles, traffic lights, signs, etc.). For example, the surrounding information detection device 3 includes a camera (monocular camera or stereo camera), a millimeter-wave radar, a LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging), or an ultrasonic sensor (sonar), or any combination thereof. The surrounding information detection device 3 may further include an illuminance sensor, a rain sensor, etc. The output of the surrounding information detection device 3, i.e., the surrounding information about the vehicle 1 detected by the surrounding information detection device 3, is transmitted to the ECU 20.

[0015] The GNSS receiver 4 detects the current position of the vehicle 1 (e.g., the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 1) based on positioning information obtained from multiple (e.g., three or more) positioning satellites. Specifically, the GNSS receiver 4 captures multiple positioning satellites and receives radio waves transmitted from the positioning satellites. The GNSS receiver 4 then calculates the distance to the positioning satellite based on the difference between the transmission time and reception time of the radio waves, and detects the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the distance to the positioning satellite and the position (orbit information) of the positioning satellite. The output of the GNSS receiver 4, i.e., the current position of the vehicle 1 detected by the GNSS receiver 4, is transmitted to the ECU 20. A GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver is an example of a GNSS receiver.

[0016] The map database 5 stores map information. The ECU 20 acquires the map information from the map database 5. Note that the map database may be provided outside the vehicle 1 (for example, a server, etc.), and the ECU 20 may acquire the map information from outside the vehicle 1.

[0017] The navigation device 6 sets a driving route for the vehicle 1 to the destination based on the current position of the vehicle 1 detected by the GNSS receiver 4, map information in the map database 5, input by a vehicle occupant (e.g., the driver), etc. The driving route set by the navigation device 6 is transmitted to the ECU 20.

[0018] The vehicle behavior detection device 7 detects behavior information of the vehicle 1. The vehicle behavior detection device 7 includes, for example, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 1, a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate of the vehicle 1, etc. The output of the vehicle behavior detection device 7, i.e., the behavior information of the vehicle 1 detected by the vehicle behavior detection device 7, is transmitted to the ECU 20.

[0019] The actuators 8 operate the vehicle 1. For example, the actuators 8 include a drive device (e.g., at least one of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor) for accelerating the vehicle 1, a brake actuator for braking (deceleration) the vehicle 1, a steering actuator for steering the vehicle 1, etc. The ECU 20 controls the actuators 8 to control the behavior of the vehicle 1.

[0020] The HMI 9 transmits information between the vehicle 1 and an occupant of the vehicle 1 (e.g., the driver). The HMI 9 has an output unit (e.g., a display, a speaker, a vibration unit, etc.) that provides information to the occupant of the vehicle 1, and an input unit (e.g., a touch panel, an operation button, an operation switch, a microphone, etc.) into which information is input by the occupant of the vehicle 1. The output of the ECU 20 is notified to the occupant of the vehicle 1 via the HMI 9, and the input from the occupant of the vehicle 1 is transmitted to the ECU 20 via the HMI 9. The HMI 9 is an example of an input device, an output device, or an input / output device. Note that an input / output terminal (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc.) of the occupant of the vehicle 1 may be communicably connected to the ECU 20 via a wired or wireless connection and function as the HMI 9. The HMI 9 may also be integrated with the navigation device 6.

[0021] The communication device 10 is capable of communicating with the outside of the vehicle 1, and enables communication between the vehicle 1 and the outside of the vehicle 1. The communication device 10 includes a wide-area wireless communication module that enables wide-area wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the outside of the vehicle 1 (e.g., a server) via a communication network such as a carrier network or the Internet network. The ECU 20 communicates with the outside of the vehicle 1 via the communication device 10.

[0022] The ECU 20 executes various controls of the vehicle 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the ECU 20 includes a communication interface 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication interface 21 and the memory 22 are connected to the processor 23 via signal lines. Although one ECU 20 is provided in this embodiment, multiple ECUs may be provided for each function. The ECU 20 is an example of an agent device.

[0023] The communication interface 21 has an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 20 to an in-vehicle network. The ECU 20 is connected to other in-vehicle devices via the communication interface 21.

[0024] The memory 22 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory, and stores programs, data, and the like used when the processor 23 executes various processes.

[0025] The processor 23 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 23 may further include an arithmetic circuit such as a logic operation unit or a numerical operation unit.

[0026] In this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a driving assistance function that assists the driver in driving the vehicle 1. The driving assistance function equipped in the vehicle 1 is, for example, an advanced driving assistance technology (Advanced Drive). The advanced driving assistance technology is a driving assistance function that automatically controls the driving of the vehicle 1 on a motorway under the supervision of the driver. Therefore, when the advanced driving assistance technology is activated, the ECU 20 performs autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 using the actuator 8, etc.

[0027] 2 is a functional block diagram of the processor 23 of the ECU 20 in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the processor 23 has an utterance acquisition unit 31, an utterance recognition unit 32, an information generation unit 33, an information provision unit 34, and a determination unit 35. The utterance acquisition unit 31, the utterance recognition unit 32, the information generation unit 33, the information provision unit 34, and the determination unit 35 are functional modules that are realized by the processor 23 of the ECU 20 executing a computer program stored in the memory 22 of the ECU 20. Note that these functional modules may each be realized by a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 23.

[0028] The speech acquisition unit 31 acquires the speech of the driver of the vehicle 1 via the microphone of the HMI 9. For example, the speech acquisition unit 31 acquires, as the driver's speech, a voice signal output from the microphone of the HMI 9 in response to a predetermined operation by the driver (for example, a switch operation, a button operation, or utterance of a wake-up word).

[0029] The speech recognition unit 32 recognizes the driver's speech acquired by the speech acquisition unit 31. In this embodiment, the speech recognition unit 32 converts the driver's voice signal into text data using a statistical method. For example, the speech recognition unit 32 extracts features from the driver's voice signal and inputs the features into a speech recognition model such as a DNN (Deep Neural Network) + HMM (Hidden Markov Model) model or an End-to-End model, thereby outputting the recognition result as text data.

[0030] The information generation unit 33 generates voice information to be provided to the driver of the vehicle 1, and the information provision unit 34 provides the voice information generated by the information generation unit 33 to the driver via the speaker of the HMI 9. In this embodiment, when a notification event related to the driving assistance function occurs, the information generation unit 33 generates voice information related to the driving assistance function, and the information provision unit 34 provides the voice information to the driver. For example, when the driver asks a question related to the driving assistance function, the information generation unit 33 generates voice information including an answer to the question.

[0031] Providing the driver with voice information regarding the driving assistance function can increase the driver's sense of security regarding the driving assistance function. However, because the level of understanding of the driving assistance function varies from driver to driver, if the voice information provided to the driver is uniform, the driver may not receive a satisfactory response.

[0032] Therefore, in this embodiment, the determination unit 35 determines the driver's understanding of using the driving assistance function based on the content of the driver's utterance, and the information generation unit 33 changes the voice information related to the driving assistance function according to the driver's understanding. In this way, it is possible to provide the driver with voice information related to the driving assistance function installed in the vehicle 1 that is suited to the characteristics of the driver.

[0033] The above-mentioned control will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing a control routine for understanding level determination processing in the first embodiment. This control routine is repeatedly executed by the processor 23 of the ECU 20 at predetermined execution intervals.

[0034] First, in step S101, the utterance recognition unit 32 of the processor 23 determines whether or not the driver's utterance has been acquired by the utterance acquisition unit 31 of the processor 23. If it is determined that the driver's utterance has not been acquired, this control routine ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the driver's utterance has been acquired, this control routine proceeds to step S102.

[0035] In step S102, the speech recognition unit 32 recognizes the driver's speech acquired by the speech acquisition unit 31. Specifically, the speech recognition unit 32 converts the driver's voice signal into text data. In other words, the speech recognition unit 32 converts the driver's voice signal into text.

[0036] Next, in step S103, the speech recognition unit 32 interprets the meaning of the text data converted from the driver's voice signal and determines whether the driver's utterance is a question about the driving assistance function. If it is determined that the driver's utterance is not a question about the driving assistance function, this control routine ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the driver's utterance is a question about the driving assistance function, this control routine proceeds to step S104.

[0037] In step S104, the determination unit 35 of the processor 23 determines the driver's level of understanding regarding the use of the driving assistance function based on the content of the question about the driving assistance function posed by the driver. The level of understanding is determined, for example, by a numerical value (e.g., 0 to 100) or a rank (e.g., two levels: low and high) and stored in the memory 22 of the ECU 20. For example, the determination unit 35 determines the driver's level of understanding based on terms included in the question. As an example of this case, if the driving assistance function is an advanced driving assistance technology, the determination unit 35 may determine the driver's level of understanding higher if the question includes a predetermined advanced term (e.g., hands-on, TD (Transition Demand: request to take over driving), not ready, lane change, etc.) compared to a case where the question does not include such an advanced term. Furthermore, the determination unit 35 may determine the driver's level of understanding higher the more frequently the driver asks questions about the driving assistance function. Furthermore, the determination unit 35 may determine the driver's level of understanding based on the number of times the same question is asked. In this case, the more times the same question is asked, the lower the driver's understanding level becomes. After step S104, this control routine ends.

[0038] 4 is a flowchart showing a control routine for information provision processing in the first embodiment. This control routine is repeatedly executed by the processor 23 of the ECU 20 at predetermined execution intervals.

[0039] First, in step S201, the information generation unit 33 determines whether a notification event related to the driving assistance function has occurred. Such a notification event occurs, for example, when it is determined that the driver's utterance is a question related to the driving assistance function, when the implementation status of the driving assistance function is explained to the driver, or when a request to the driver (hands-on request, TD, etc.) is made while the driving assistance function is in operation. If it is determined that a notification event has not occurred, this control routine ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that a notification event has occurred, this control routine proceeds to step S202.

[0040] In step S202, the information generation unit 33 generates voice information related to the driving assistance function based on the driver's level of understanding determined by the determination unit 35. For example, if the driver's level of understanding is high, the information generation unit 33 generates voice information including advanced terms, and if the driver's level of understanding is low, the information generation unit 33 generates voice information including simple terms. Furthermore, if the driver's level of understanding is high, the information generation unit 33 may generate voice information including detailed information, and if the driver's level of understanding is low, the information generation unit 33 may generate voice information including simple information. If the driver's level of understanding is high, the information generation unit 33 may generate voice information including advanced advice (e.g., suggestions for system customization, etc.), and if the driver's level of understanding is low, the information generation unit 33 may generate voice information including simple advice (e.g., explanations of basic operations, etc.).

[0041] Next, in step S203, the information providing unit 34 of the processor 23 provides the voice information generated by the information generating unit 33 to the driver of the vehicle 1 via the speaker of the HMI 9. Note that the information generating unit 33 may generate the voice information as text data, and the information providing unit 34 may provide the voice information to the driver by converting this text data into voice data. After step S203, this control routine ends.

[0042] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing specific examples of audio information in response to a driver's utterance when the driver's level of understanding differs. FIG. 5A shows a specific example when the driver's level of understanding is high, in which audio information A or B is provided to the driver as a response to the driver's question about why the lane change was canceled. FIG. 5B shows a specific example when the driver's level of understanding is low, in which audio information C or D is provided to the driver as a response to the driver's question about why the lane change was not permitted. In the examples of FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the driver's level of understanding is high, audio information including a detailed reason why the lane change was canceled is provided to the driver, and when the driver's level of understanding is low, audio information including a concise reason why the lane change was canceled is provided to the driver.

[0043] Second Embodiment The agent device according to the second embodiment is basically similar in configuration and control to the agent device according to the first embodiment, except for the points described below. Therefore, the following description of the second embodiment of the present invention will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0044] Fig. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control system 100 provided with an agent device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, the vehicle control system 100 includes a vehicle 1 and a server 40 external to the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 and the server 40 can communicate with each other via a communication network 50 and a wireless base station 60. The vehicle 1 has the configuration shown in Fig. 1, similar to the first embodiment.

[0045] 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the server 40. The server 40 includes a communication interface 41, a storage device 42, a memory 43, and a processor 44. The communication interface 41, the storage device 42, and the memory 43 are connected to the processor 44 via signal lines. The server 40 may further include input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output device such as a display. The server 40 may also be made up of multiple computers. The server 40 is an example of an agent device.

[0046] The communication interface 41 has an interface circuit for connecting the server 40 to the communication network 50. The server 40 communicates with the vehicle 1 via the communication network 50 and the wireless base station 60. The communication interface 41 is an example of a communication unit of the server 40.

[0047] The storage device 42 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SDD), or an optical recording medium and an access device for the same. The storage device 42 stores various data, such as vehicle information, map information, and computer programs for the processor 44 to execute various processes. The storage device 42 is an example of a storage unit of the server 40.

[0048] The memory 43 includes a non-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., RAM). The memory 43 temporarily stores various data and the like used when various processes are executed by the processor 44. The memory 43 is another example of a storage unit of the server 40.

[0049] The processor 44 includes one or more CPUs and their peripheral circuits, and executes various processes. The processor 44 may further include other arithmetic circuits, such as a logic unit, a numerical calculation unit, or a graphics processing unit.

[0050] 8 is a functional block diagram of the processor 23 of the ECU 20 in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the processor 23 has an utterance acquisition unit 31 and an information provision unit 34. The utterance acquisition unit 31 and the information provision unit 34 are functional modules that are realized by the processor 23 of the ECU 20 executing a computer program stored in the memory 22 of the ECU 20. Note that these functional modules may each be realized by a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 23.

[0051] As in the first embodiment, the speech acquisition unit 31 acquires the driver's speech, and the information provision unit 34 provides the driver with the speech information. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the speech acquisition unit 31 transmits a voice signal acquired as the driver's speech to the server 40, and the information provision unit 34 provides the driver with the speech information transmitted from the server 40 to the vehicle 1.

[0052] 9 is a functional block diagram of the processor 44 of the server 40 in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the processor 44 has an utterance recognition unit 32′, an information generation unit 33′, and a determination unit 35′. The utterance recognition unit 32′, the information generation unit 33′, and the determination unit 35′ are functional modules that are realized by the processor 44 of the server 40 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 42 of the server 40. Note that these functional modules may each be realized by a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 44.

[0053] The speech recognition unit 32′, the information generation unit 33′, and the determination unit 35′ function in the same manner as in the first embodiment, except that they are provided in the processor 44 of the server 40. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the information generation unit 33′ transmits the generated voice information to the server 40.

[0054] The above-mentioned control will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing a control routine for understanding level determination processing in the second embodiment. This control routine is repeatedly executed by the processor 44 of the server 40 at predetermined execution intervals.

[0055] First, in step S301, the speech recognition unit 32′ of the processor 44 determines whether or not the driver's speech has been transmitted from the vehicle 1 to the server 40. If it is determined that the driver's speech has not been transmitted, this control routine ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the driver's speech has been transmitted, this control routine proceeds to step S302.

[0056] In step S302, similar to step S102 in FIG. 3, the utterance recognition unit 32' recognizes the driver's utterance transmitted from the vehicle 1. Next, in step S303, similar to step S103 in FIG. 3, the utterance recognition unit 32' determines whether the driver's utterance is a question about the driving assistance function. If it is determined that the driver's utterance is not a question about the driving assistance function, this control routine ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the driver's utterance is a question about the driving assistance function, this control routine proceeds to step S304.

[0057] 3, in step S304, the determination unit 35' of the processor 44 determines the driver's level of understanding regarding the use of the driving assistance function based on the content of the question about the driving assistance function asked by the driver. The level of understanding is determined, for example, by a numerical value (e.g., 0 to 100) or a rank (e.g., two levels: low and high), and is stored in the storage device 42 or memory 43 of the server 40. After step S304, this control routine ends.

[0058] 11 is a flowchart showing a control routine for information provision processing in the second embodiment. This control routine is repeatedly executed by the processor 44 of the server 40 at predetermined execution intervals.

[0059] First, in step S401, the information generation unit 33' of the processor 44 determines whether or not voice information related to the driving assistance function has been requested by the vehicle 1. For example, when it is determined that the driver's utterance transmitted from the vehicle 1 is a question related to the driving assistance function, it is determined that voice information has been requested by the vehicle 1. If it is determined that voice information has not been requested by the vehicle 1, this control routine ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that voice information has been requested by the vehicle 1, this control routine proceeds to step S402.

[0060] In step S402, similar to step S202 in FIG. 4, the information generating unit 33' generates audio information related to the driving support function based on the driver's understanding level determined by the determining unit 35'.

[0061] Next, in step S403, the information generation unit 33' transmits the voice information generated in step S402 to the vehicle 1. When the vehicle 1 receives the voice information from the server 40, the information provision unit 34 of the processor 23 of the ECU 20 provides the voice information generated by the information generation unit 33' to the driver of the vehicle 1 via the speaker of the HMI 9. Note that the information generation unit 33' may generate the voice information as text data, and the information provision unit 34 may provide the voice information to the driver by converting this text data into voice data. After step S403, this control routine ends.

[0062] <Other embodiments> While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, the agent device may be configured by the ECU 20 and the server 40.

[0063] The determination units 35 and 35' may also determine the driver's understanding of using the driving assistance function based on the content of the driver's speech and a determination criterion other than the content of the driver's speech. In this case, for example, the determination units 35 and 35' correct the driver's understanding determined based on the content of the driver's speech based on a determination criterion other than the content of the driver's speech. The determination criterion other than the content of the driver's speech may be, for example, the driver's line of sight or the driver's driving characteristics. For example, the determination units 35 and 35' may detect the driver's inattentiveness based on the output of the driver monitor camera 2, and lower the driver's understanding as the frequency of inattentiveness is detected. The determination units 35 and 35' may also lower the driver's understanding as the frequency of sudden operations by the driver (sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, or sudden steering) is detected. The determination units 35 and 35' may also lower the driver's understanding as the frequency of the vehicle 1 exceeding the legal speed limit is increased.

[0064] 1 may be omitted. The driving assistance function installed in the vehicle 1 may be an adaptive cruise control (ACC) that automatically controls the speed of the vehicle 1 depending on whether there is a preceding vehicle, a lane keeping assist (LKA) or a lane tracing assist (LTA) that automatically controls the steering of the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 stays within the lane, or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 vehicle 20 Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 23 processors 33, 33' Information generation section 35, 35' Judgment section 40 servers 44 processors

Claims

[Claim 1] an information generating unit that generates voice information to be provided to a driver of the vehicle; a determination unit that determines a level of understanding of the driver regarding the use of a driving assistance function installed in the vehicle based on the content of the driver's utterance; and the information generation unit changes the voice information related to the driving assistance function according to the level of understanding; The determination unit determines the level of understanding based on the content of a question about the driving assistance function posed by the driver, and if a predetermined term is included in the question, the determination unit increases the level of understanding compared to a case where the predetermined term is not included in the question.

Images