Traffic Safety Support System

Abstract

To provide a traffic safety support system capable of improving traffic safety in a situation in which it is predicted that a mobile body will approach a host vehicle and the host vehicle will overtake another mobile body.SOLUTION: A traffic safety support system 1 includes recognition means, an HMI, a risk notification setting unit 64, and a risk notification control device. The risk notification setting unit 64 sets a notification mode of the risk notification control device to a hinting notification mode or an analogue notification mode on the basis of an inter-vehicle distance between a four-wheeled automobile 2 and a four-wheeled automobile 5, relative speed of the four-wheeled automobile 2 to the four-wheeled automobile 5, and driving subject state information on a driver of the four-wheeled automobile 2 in a case where a motorcycle 3 acts as an oncoming mobile body approaching the four-wheeled automobile 2 from the front in a traveling direction of the four-wheeled automobile 2 and where the four-wheeled automobile 5, which prevents the driver of the four-wheeled automobile 2 from recognizing a position of the motorcycle 3, is present between the four-wheeled automobile 2 and the motorcycle 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a traffic safety support system, and more particularly to a traffic safety support system that supports driving by a driver of a vehicle that is a target for support. [Background technology]

[0002] In public transportation, various traffic participants, such as moving objects such as four-wheeled automobiles, motorcycles, and bicycles, as well as pedestrians, travel at different speeds based on their own will. As a technology for improving the safety and convenience of such traffic participants in public transportation, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance device that executes driving assistance control based on predicted dangerous situations, as well as information on the vehicle's driving state when the occupant senses danger and information on the vehicle's surrounding environment, thereby issuing a warning or intervening in driving control without disrupting smooth driving even when multiple objects are present. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-136001 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional driving assistance technologies notify the driver of a vehicle when a moving object is approaching the vehicle and the vehicle is predicted to overtake another moving object, indicating a possibility of a collision between the moving object and the vehicle. However, conventional driving assistance technologies do not accurately notify the driver of the vehicle, and therefore traffic safety is not sufficiently ensured.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a traffic safety support system that can improve traffic safety in a situation where a moving object is approaching the own vehicle and the own vehicle is predicted to overtake another moving object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A traffic safety support system according to the present invention (for example, a traffic safety support system 1 described later) is a traffic safety support system that supports driving by a driver of a support target (for example, a four-wheeled vehicle 2 described later) that is a first moving body, and includes recognition means (for example, an in-vehicle driving support device 21, an in-vehicle communication device 24, a mobile information processing terminal 25, an in-vehicle driving support device 31, an in-vehicle communication device 34, a mobile information processing terminal 35, a mobile information processing terminal 40, a signal control device 55, an infrastructure camera 56, a target traffic environment, etc.) that recognizes traffic participants and traffic environments in a monitoring area around the support target. a rear recognition unit 60 and a traffic environment database 67), a man-machine interface (e.g., HMI220, HMI320, and HMI420 described later) that operates in a manner that can be recognized by the driver, and a notification mode setting means (e.g., a risk notification setting unit 64 described later) that sets a notification mode of the man-machine interface based on the recognition result by the recognition means while the recognition means recognizes the presence of a second moving object that is within the monitoring area and outside a first range (e.g., an ADAS operation range described later) centered on the assistance target. a notification control means (e.g., a risk notification control device 227, a risk notification control device 327, and an HMI control device 425, which will be described later) that operates the man-machine interface in a first notification manner when the notification mode is set to a first mode (e.g., a sign notification mode, which will be described later), and that operates the man-machine interface in a second notification manner in which notification intensity is higher than that of the first notification manner when the notification mode is set to a second mode (e.g., an analog notification mode, which will be described later); and a driving characteristic acquisition means ( For example, a driver subject information acquisition unit 61 described later), and when the second moving body is an oncoming moving body approaching the support target from ahead in the traveling direction of the support target, and a third moving body (for example, a four-wheeled vehicle 5 described later) that prevents the driver of the first moving body from recognizing the position of the second moving body exists between the first moving body and the second moving body, the notification mode setting means sets a notification mode based on the inter-vehicle distance between the first moving body and the third moving body, the relative speed of the first moving body with respect to the third moving body, and the driver subject state information of the driver of the first moving body,The notification mode is set to the first mode or the second mode.

[0007] (2) In this case, it is preferable that the notification mode setting means sets the notification mode to the first mode when the first moving body exceeds a first inter-vehicle distance and a first relative speed indicating the possibility of overtaking the third moving body, and sets the notification mode to the second mode when the driving subject state information of the driver of the first moving body includes an action indicating an intention to overtake the third moving body and the first moving body exceeds a second inter-vehicle distance and a second relative speed indicating the possibility of overtaking the third moving body.

[0008] (3) In this case, it is preferable that the notification mode setting means sets the notification mode to the first mode when, after setting the notification mode to the second mode, the first moving body becomes less than a second inter-vehicle distance and a second relative speed, which indicate the possibility of the first moving body overtaking the third moving body.

[0009] (4) In this case, it is preferable that the notification mode setting means, after setting the notification mode to the first mode, cancels the notification mode when the first moving body becomes equal to or less than a first inter-vehicle distance and a first relative speed, which indicate the possibility of the first moving body overtaking the third moving body.

[0010] (5) In this case, when the notification mode is set to the second mode, it is preferable that the notification mode setting means changes the notification intensity depending on the degree of risk between the support target and the second moving body.

[0011] (6) In this case, it is preferable that the assistance target is equipped with a driving assistance device (for example, the in-vehicle driving assistance device 21 described below) that automatically operates at least one of the braking device and the steering device, provided that there is a moving object that may be in contact within the first range. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] (1) In the traffic safety support system according to the present invention, the notification control means operates the man-machine interface in the first notification manner when the notification mode is set to the first mode, and operates the man-machine interface in the second notification manner, with a notification intensity higher than that of the first notification manner, when the notification mode is set to the second mode. The notification mode setting means sets the notification mode to the first mode or the second mode based on the inter-vehicle distance between the first and third moving bodies, the relative speed of the first moving body with respect to the third moving body, and driver subject state information of the driver of the first moving body when a third moving body that prevents the first moving body from recognizing the position of the second moving body is present between the first and second moving bodies. This allows the traffic safety support system to provide notifications in advance in the first and second notification manners when a third moving body that prevents the first moving body from recognizing the position of the second moving body is present. Therefore, since the notification intensity of the first notification mode performed in advance is lower than that of the second notification mode, the traffic safety support system 1 can simultaneously reduce the annoyance of notifying the driver of the first moving body and ensure traffic safety in cases where there is a third moving body that prevents the first moving body from recognizing the position of the second moving body and the first moving body is predicted to overtake the third moving body.

[0013] (2) In the traffic safety support system according to the present invention, the notification mode setting means sets the notification mode to the first mode when the first moving body exceeds a first inter-vehicle distance and a first relative speed indicating the possibility that the first moving body will overtake a third moving body, and sets the notification mode to the second mode when the driver's subjective state information of the first moving body includes an action indicating an intention to overtake the third moving body and the first moving body exceeds a second inter-vehicle distance and a second relative speed indicating the possibility that the first moving body will overtake the third moving body. This enables the traffic safety support system to notify the driver in advance when there is a possibility that the first moving body will overtake the third moving body, thereby ensuring traffic safety.

[0014] (3) In the traffic safety support system according to the present invention, the notification mode setting means sets the notification mode to the first mode when the first moving body is less than or equal to a second inter-vehicle distance and a second relative speed, which indicate the possibility that the first moving body will overtake the third moving body. This causes the traffic safety support system to change the notification mode from the second mode to the first mode when the possibility that the first moving body will overtake the third moving body becomes low. Therefore, when the degree of risk is low, the traffic safety support system can notify the driver of the presence of other moving bodies at a non-annoying level.

[0015] (4) In the traffic safety support system according to the present invention, the notification mode setting means sets the notification mode to the first mode, and then cancels the notification mode when the first moving body falls below a first inter-vehicle distance and a first relative speed, which indicate the possibility that the first moving body will overtake the third moving body. This enables the traffic safety support system to notify the driver that there is almost no possibility that the first moving body will overtake the third moving body.

[0016] (5) In the traffic safety support system of the present invention, the notification mode setting means changes the notification intensity according to the degree of risk between the support target and the second moving body, so that the traffic safety support system of the present invention can strongly notify the driver of the approach of the second moving body when the degree of risk is high, and can notify the driver of the presence of the second moving body at a non-annoying level when the degree of risk is low.

[0017] (6) In the traffic safety support system according to the present invention, the support target includes a driving support device that automatically operates at least one of a braking device and a steering device, on condition that a moving object with a possibility of contact is present within the first range. As a result, the traffic safety support system according to the present invention can reduce the possibility of a collision between the first moving object and the second moving object by using the driving support device, thereby ensuring traffic safety. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1]1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a traffic safety support system according to an embodiment of the present invention and a portion of a target traffic area that is a support target of this traffic safety support system. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a collaboration support device and a plurality of area terminals communicably connected to the collaboration support device. [Figure 3A] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a notification device mounted on a four-wheeled vehicle. [Figure 3B] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a notification device mounted on a motorcycle. [Figure 3C] 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a notification device mounted on a portable information processing terminal carried by a pedestrian. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the situation of four-wheeled automobiles and motorcycles on a road as a monitoring area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, a traffic safety support system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traffic safety support system 1 according to this embodiment and a part of a target traffic area 9 in which traffic participants to be supported by this traffic safety support system 1 exist.

[0021] The traffic safety support system 1 recognizes pedestrians 4, who are people moving in the target traffic area 9, and moving bodies such as four-wheeled vehicles 2 and motorcycles 3, as individual traffic participants, and notifies each traffic participant of the support information generated through this recognition, thereby supporting the safe and smooth traffic of each traffic participant in the target traffic area 9 by encouraging communication between each traffic participant moving based on their own will (specifically, for example, mutual recognition between each traffic participant) and recognition of the surrounding traffic environment.

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a case where a target traffic area 9 is the vicinity of an intersection 52 in an urban area, which includes a roadway 51, an intersection 52, a sidewalk 53, and traffic lights 54 as traffic infrastructure facilities. FIG. 1 shows a case where a total of seven four-wheeled vehicles 2 and a total of two motorcycles 3 are moving on the roadway 51 and within the intersection 52, and a total of three pairs of pedestrians 4 are moving on the sidewalk 53 and within the intersection 52. FIG. 1 also shows a case where a total of three infrastructure cameras 56 are installed.

[0023] The traffic safety support system 1 comprises a group of on-board devices 20 (including on-board devices mounted on the four-wheeled vehicles 2 as well as portable information processing terminals held or worn by the drivers of the four-wheeled vehicles 2) that travel with each four-wheeled vehicle 2, a group of on-board devices 30 (including on-board devices mounted on the motorcycles 3 as well as portable information processing terminals held or worn by the drivers of the motorcycles 3) that travel with each motorcycle 3, a portable information processing terminal 40 held or worn by each pedestrian 4, a plurality of infrastructure cameras 56 installed in the target traffic area 9, a signal control device 55 that controls traffic lights 54, and a collaboration support device 6 that is communicatively connected to a plurality of terminals (hereinafter simply referred to as "area terminals") present in the target traffic area 9, such as the on-board device groups 20, 30, the portable information processing terminal 40, the infrastructure cameras 56, and the signal control device 55.

[0024] The cooperative support device 6 is configured by one or more computers communicably connected to the above-mentioned multiple area terminals via a base station 57. More specifically, the cooperative support device 6 is configured by a server connected to the multiple area terminals via the base station 57, a network core, and the Internet, an edge server connected to the multiple area terminals via the base station 57 and an MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) core, etc.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a collaboration support device 6 and a plurality of area terminals connected to the collaboration support device 6 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0026] The group of on-board devices 20 mounted on four-wheeled vehicles 2 in the target traffic area 9 includes, for example, an on-board driving assistance device 21 that assists the driver in driving, a notification device 22 that notifies the driver of various information, a driver subject state sensor 23 that detects the state of the driver while driving, an on-board communication device 24 that performs wireless communication between the vehicle and the collaborative assistance device 6 or other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle, and a portable information processing terminal 25 owned or worn by the driver.

[0027] The in-vehicle driving assistance device 21 includes an external sensor unit, a vehicle status sensor, a navigation device, a driving assistance ECU, etc. The external sensor unit includes an exterior camera unit that captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle, multiple in-vehicle external sensors mounted on the vehicle, such as a radar unit and a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) unit that detect objects outside the vehicle by using electromagnetic waves, and an external recognition device that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle by performing sensor fusion processing on the detection results of these in-vehicle external sensors. The vehicle status sensor includes sensors that acquire information about the driving status of the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a steering angle sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a position sensor, and a direction sensor. The navigation device includes, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver that identifies the current position of the vehicle based on signals received from GNSS satellites, a storage device that stores map information, etc.

[0028] The driving assistance ECU executes driving assistance controls such as lane departure prevention control, lane change control, leading vehicle following control, false start prevention control, collision mitigation brake control, and collision avoidance control based on information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle state sensor, the navigation device, etc. The driving assistance ECU also generates driving assistance information for assisting the driver in safe driving based on the information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle state sensor, the navigation device, etc. and transmits the information to the notification device 22.

[0029] Here, the driving assistance ECU initiates collision mitigation brake control, which automatically operates the braking device of the host vehicle to mitigate damage caused by contact between the host vehicle and the other moving object, on the condition that a moving object that may come into contact with the host vehicle is present within a predetermined collision mitigation brake operation range centered on the host vehicle. The driving assistance ECU also initiates collision avoidance control, which automatically operates the steering device of the host vehicle to avoid contact between the host vehicle and the other moving object, on the condition that a moving object that may come into contact with the host vehicle is present within a predetermined collision avoidance steering operation range centered on the host vehicle. Hereinafter, the collision mitigation brake operation range and the collision avoidance steering operation range are collectively referred to as the "ADAS operation range."

[0030] The driver's subject state sensor 23 is composed of various devices that acquire time-series data of information correlated with the driver's driving ability while driving. The driver's subject state sensor 23 is composed of, for example, an in-vehicle camera that detects the direction of the driver's line of sight and whether the driver's eyes are open while driving, a seat belt sensor attached to the seat belt worn by the driver that detects the driver's pulse and whether the driver is breathing, a steering sensor attached to the steering wheel held by the driver that detects the driver's skin potential, an in-vehicle microphone that detects whether the driver is talking to a passenger, etc.

[0031] The in-vehicle communication device 24 has a function of transmitting information acquired by the driving assistance ECU (including information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle status sensor, and the navigation device, etc., and control information related to driving assistance control currently being performed), and information related to the driver acquired by the driver's status sensor 23, to the collaborative assistance device 6, and a function of receiving collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance device 6 and transmitting the received collaborative assistance information to the notification device 22.

[0032] The notification device 22 is composed of various devices that notify the driver of various information through the driver's hearing, vision, touch, etc. by operating a man-machine interface (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "HMI (Human Machine Interface)") in a manner determined based on the driving assistance information transmitted from the in-vehicle driving assistance device 21 and the collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance device 6.

[0033] 3A is a block diagram showing the configuration of notification device 22 mounted on a four-wheeled vehicle. Note that Fig. 3A illustrates only the blocks of notification device 22 that are particularly related to control based on the collaboration support information transmitted from collaboration support device 6.

[0034] The notification device 22 includes an HMI 220 that operates in a manner that can be recognized by the driver, and an HMI control device 225 that operates the HMI 220 based on the collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6.

[0035] The HMI 220 includes an acoustic device 221 that operates in a manner that the driver can hear, a head-up display 222 that operates in a manner that the driver can see, and a seat belt control device 223 and a seat vibration device 224 that operate in a manner that the driver can feel.

[0036] The sound device 221 includes a headrest speaker 221a that is provided on the headrest of the driver's seat where the driver sits and is capable of emitting directional binaural sound, and a main speaker 221b that is provided near the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The headrest speaker 221a and the main speaker 221b emit sounds in response to commands from the HMI control device 225. The head-up display 222 displays an image in response to commands from the HMI control device 225 within the field of view of the driver while driving (for example, on the windshield). The seat belt control device 223 changes the tension of the seat belt worn by the driver in response to commands from the HMI control device 225. The seat vibration device 224 vibrates the seat where the driver sits with an amplitude and / or frequency in response to commands from the HMI control device 225.

[0037] The HMI control device 225 includes a soundness control device 226 that operates the HMI 220 in a predetermined manner to sounden the driving ability (particularly, cognitive ability) of the driver, and a risk notification control device 227 that operates the HMI 220 in a predetermined manner to make the driver aware of the presence of an imminent risk. As will be described later, the collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 to the four-wheeled vehicle 2 includes information on a soundness notification setting value for setting on / off of the soundness notification by the soundness control device 226, information on a risk notification setting value for setting on / off of the risk notification by the risk notification control device 227 and the type of notification mode described later, information on an imminent risk for the driver (hereinafter also referred to as "risk information"), etc.

[0038] The health notification setting value input to the health control device 226 is set to either “0” which turns off the health notification by the health control device 226, or “1” which turns on the health notification by the health control device 226.

[0039] When the health notification setting value is "0", the health control device 226 sets the health notification to off. That is, when the health notification setting value is "0", the health control device 226 does not operate the HMI 220. Note that this does not prevent the risk notification control device 227 from operating the HMI 220.

[0040] When the health notification setting value is "1", the health control device 226 sets the health notification to ON. More specifically, the health control device 226 improves the driving ability of the driver by playing music that attracts the driver's interest through, for example, the headrest speaker 221a or the main speaker 221b. At this time, the BPM (Beats Per Minute) of the music may be changed or the bass may be emphasized in order to increase the driver's level of awareness.

[0041] In this way, the health improvement control device 226 activates the HMI 220 to improve the driver's driving ability. Therefore, when the risk notification by the risk notification control device 227 described below is set to on (i.e., when the risk notification setting value is "1" or "2"), the health improvement notification may be turned off so as not to bother the driver. In addition, in this embodiment, the health improvement control device 226 activates the headrest speaker 221a and the main speaker 221b to improve the driver's driving ability mainly through the driver's hearing, but the present invention is not limited to this. The health improvement control device 226 may also activate, for example, the seat belt control device 223 or the seat vibration device 224.

[0042] The risk notification control device 227 can provide risk notifications in multiple notification modes that differ in at least one of the operation target device and operation mode of the HMI 220. More specifically, the risk notification control device 227 can provide risk notifications in at least one of a warning notification mode intended to make the driver aware of the existence of a potential risk, an analog notification mode intended to make the driver aware of the existence of an actual risk and / or the degree of this risk, and a predictive support notification mode intended to notify the driver of useful information for avoiding a predicted risk. Therefore, the risk notification setting value input to the risk notification control device 227 is set to one of the following values: “0” that turns off risk notification by the risk notification control device 227; “1” that turns on risk notification by the risk notification control device 227 and sets the notification mode to warning notification mode and predictive support notification mode; and “2” that turns on risk notification by the risk notification control device 227 and sets the notification mode to analog notification mode and predictive support notification mode.

[0043] The risk notification control device 227 sets the risk notification to off when the risk notification setting value is "0." That is, the risk notification control device 227 does not operate the HMI 220 when the risk notification setting value is "0." Note that this does not prevent the health control device 226 from operating the HMI 220.

[0044] When the risk notification setting value is "1", the risk notification control device 227 sets the notification mode to the appearance notification mode and the prediction support notification mode, and turns on risk notification under these set notification modes.

[0045] Furthermore, when the risk notification setting value is "2", the risk notification control device 227 sets the notification mode to the analog notification mode and the predicted assistance notification mode, and turns on risk notification under these set notification modes.

[0046] Here, when the notification mode is set to the predictive support notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 generates risk avoidance support information that is useful for the driver to avoid an imminent risk based on the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6, and activates the audio device 221 and head-up display 222 of the HMI 220 in a manner that allows the driver to perceive this risk avoidance support information audibly and visually. Here, the risk avoidance support information includes information regarding the positions of traffic participants (hereinafter also referred to as "risk targets") that may come into contact with the vehicle, and information that alerts the driver to the risk targets.

[0047] More specifically, when a motorcycle driven by a rider in an unhealthy state is present ahead of a four-wheeled vehicle driven by a driver, the risk notification control device 227 issues a message such as "Watch out for the dangerous right turn of the motorcycle" as risk avoidance support information for avoiding contact with the motorcycle by sounding it through the audio device 221 or displaying it on the head-up display 222. In addition, at this time, the risk notification control device 227 may also display an image of an arrow pointing to the current position or predicted position of the motorcycle on the head-up display 222 as risk avoidance support information for avoiding contact with the motorcycle.

[0048] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 operates the HMI 220 in a manner that does not bother the driver, thereby allowing the driver to naturally recognize the presence of a risk target extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. In this manner, in the presence notification mode, in order to naturally allow the driver to recognize the presence of a risk target without feeling bothered, it is preferable that the risk notification control device 227 activates the headrest speaker 221a, which is particularly appealing to the driver's hearing, among the multiple devices included in the HMI 220. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 causes the headrest speaker 221a to emit familiar sound effects at a low volume using binaural sound that is set to naturally direct the driver's gaze toward the location of the risk target.

[0049] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 operates the HMI 220 in a manner different from that of the presence notification mode described above, thereby making the driver more aware of the presence of a risk object extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and the degree of risk associated with this risk object. In this manner, in the analog notification mode, in order to make the driver more aware of the presence of a risk object, the risk notification control device 227 operates the HMI 220 in a manner with a higher notification intensity than that specified in the presence notification mode. Here, notification intensity refers to the strength of the notification that attracts the driver's interest and attention. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 causes the headrest speaker 221a and the main speaker 221b to emit a buzzer sound or pulse sound at a volume higher than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode. These buzzer sounds and pulse sounds are louder and less familiar to the driver than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode, and therefore have a higher notification intensity than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode.

[0050] Furthermore, when the risk notification control device 227 changes the notification intensity according to the degree of risk in this manner, it is preferable to operate the HMI 220 so that the notification intensity is maximized at the point when the above-mentioned driving assistance ECU begins to execute collision mitigation braking control or collision avoidance steering control, in other words, at the point when the risk object enters the ADAS operating range of the vehicle.

[0051] In this embodiment, the risk notification control device 227 activates the sound device 221 when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 may activate the seat belt control device 223 to change the tension of the seat belt or activate the seat vibration device 224 to vibrate the seat instead of activating the sound device 221. In this way, the seat belt control device 223 and the seat vibration device 224 operate in a manner that appeals to the driver's tactile sense, and therefore have a higher notification intensity than the sound effect emitted in the presence notification mode. Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 may activate the sound device 221, the seat belt control device 223, and the seat vibration device 224 in combination.

[0052] Furthermore, in the analog notification mode as described above, in order to strongly notify the driver of the presence of a risk object as well as the degree of risk associated with this risk object, it is preferable that the risk notification control device 227 varies the notification intensity according to the degree of risk associated with the risk object (e.g., the predicted time to collision with the risk object) extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. Specifically, the risk notification control device 227 may increase the volume of the buzzer sound, increase the volume of the pulse sound, or shorten the interval between pulse sounds as the degree of risk increases (i.e., as the predicted time to collision decreases). When activating the seat belt control device 223 as described above, the risk notification control device 227 may increase the tension of the seat belt as the degree of risk increases. Furthermore, when activating the seat vibration device 224 as described above, the risk notification control device 227 may increase the amplitude of the seat vibration as the degree of risk increases.

[0053] Returning to FIG. 2 , the mobile information processing terminal 25 is configured, for example, by a wearable terminal worn by the driver of the four-wheeled vehicle 2, a smartphone carried by the driver, or the like. The wearable terminal has a function to measure the driver's biological information, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation, and transmit the measurement data of this biological information to the collaboration support device 6, and a function to receive collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and notify the driver of a message corresponding to the collaboration support information by means of an image, voice, a warning sound, a melody, a vibration, or the like. The smartphone also has a function to transmit information related to the driver, such as the driver's location information, movement acceleration, and schedule information, to the collaboration support device 6, and a function to receive collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and notify the driver of a message corresponding to the collaboration support information by means of an image, voice, a warning sound, a melody, a vibration, or the like.

[0054] The group of on-board devices 30 mounted on motorcycles 3 in the target traffic area 9 includes, for example, an on-board driving assistance device 31 that assists the rider in driving, a notification device 32 that notifies the rider of various information, a rider status sensor 33 that detects the rider's status while driving, and a portable information processing terminal 35 that is owned or worn by the rider.

[0055] The in-vehicle driving assistance device 31 includes an external sensor unit, a vehicle status sensor, a navigation device, and a driving assistance ECU. The external sensor unit includes an exterior camera unit that captures images of the vehicle's surroundings, multiple on-board external sensors such as a radar unit or a lidar unit that detects objects outside the vehicle using electromagnetic waves, and an external recognition device that acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings by performing sensor fusion processing on the detection results from these on-board external sensors. The vehicle status sensor includes sensors that acquire information about the vehicle's driving status, such as a vehicle speed sensor and a 5-axis or 6-axis inertial measurement unit. The navigation device includes, for example, a GNSS receiver that identifies the vehicle's current location based on signals received from GNSS satellites, a storage device that stores map information, and the like.

[0056] The driving assistance ECU executes driving assistance controls such as lane keeping control, lane departure prevention control, lane change control, leading vehicle following control, false start prevention control, and collision mitigation brake control based on information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle status sensor, the navigation device, etc. The driving assistance ECU also generates driving assistance information to assist the rider in safe driving based on the information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle status sensor, the navigation device, etc. and transmits the information to the notification device 32.

[0057] Here, the driving assistance ECU initiates collision mitigation brake control, which automatically operates the braking device of the host vehicle to mitigate damage caused by contact between the host vehicle and the other moving object, on the condition that a moving object that may come into contact with the host vehicle is present within a predetermined collision mitigation brake operation range centered on the host vehicle. The driving assistance ECU also initiates collision avoidance control, which automatically operates the steering device of the host vehicle to avoid contact between the host vehicle and the other moving object, on the condition that a moving object that may come into contact with the host vehicle is present within a predetermined collision avoidance steering operation range centered on the host vehicle. Hereinafter, the collision mitigation brake operation range and the collision avoidance steering operation range are collectively referred to as the "ADAS operation range."

[0058] The rider condition sensor 33 is made up of various devices that acquire information correlated with the driving ability of the rider while driving. The rider condition sensor 33 is made up of, for example, a seat sensor that is provided on the seat on which the rider sits and detects the pulse, presence or absence of breathing, etc. of the rider, and a helmet sensor that is provided on the helmet worn by the rider and detects the pulse, presence or absence of breathing, skin potential, etc. of the rider.

[0059] The in-vehicle communication device 34 has a function of transmitting information acquired by the driving assistance ECU (including information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle status sensor, and the navigation device, etc., and control information related to driving assistance control currently being performed), and information related to the rider acquired by the rider status sensor 33, to the collaborative assistance device 6, and a function of receiving collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance device 6 and transmitting the received collaborative assistance information to the notification device 32.

[0060] The notification device 32 is composed of various devices that notify the rider of various information through the rider's hearing, vision, touch, etc. by operating the HMI in a predetermined manner based on the driving assistance information transmitted from the in-vehicle driving assistance device 21 and the collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance device 6.

[0061] Fig. 3B is a block diagram showing the configuration of notification device 32 mounted on a motorcycle. Note that Fig. 3B illustrates only the blocks of notification device 32 that are particularly related to control based on the collaboration support information transmitted from collaboration support device 6.

[0062] The notification device 32 includes an HMI 320 that operates in a manner that can be recognized by the rider, and an HMI control device 325 that operates the HMI 320 based on the collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6.

[0063] The HMI 320 includes a head-mounted speaker 321 that operates in a manner that the rider can hear, and a head-up display 322 that operates in a manner that the rider can see.

[0064] The head-mounted speaker 321 is mounted on a helmet worn by the rider and is capable of emitting directional binaural sound. The head-mounted speaker 321 emits sound in response to commands from the HMI control device 325. The head-up display 322 displays an image in response to commands from the HMI control device 325 within the field of view of the rider while driving (for example, on the helmet shield).

[0065] The HMI control device 325 includes a soundness control device 326 that operates the HMI 320 in a predetermined manner to soundness the rider's driving ability (particularly, cognitive ability), and a risk notification control device 327 that operates the HMI 320 in a predetermined manner to make the rider aware of the presence of an imminent risk. As will be described later, the collaboration assistance information transmitted from the collaboration assistance device 6 to the motorcycle 3 includes information on a soundness notification setting value for setting on / off of the soundness notification by the soundness control device 326, information on a risk notification setting value for setting on / off of the risk notification by the risk notification control device 327 and the type of notification mode, risk information on a risk that is imminent for the rider, etc.

[0066] The health notification setting value input to the health control device 326 is set to either “0” which turns off the health notification by the health control device 326, or “1” which turns on the health notification by the health control device 326.

[0067] When the health notification setting value is "0", the health control device 326 sets the health notification to off. In other words, when the health notification setting value is "0", the health control device 326 does not operate the HMI 320. Note that this does not prevent the risk notification control device 327 from operating the HMI 320.

[0068] When the fitness notification setting value is "1", the fitness control device 326 sets the fitness notification to ON. More specifically, the fitness control device 326 improves the rider's driving ability by playing music that attracts the rider's interest, for example, through the head-mounted speaker 321. At this time, the BPM of the music may be changed or the bass may be emphasized in order to increase the rider's level of awareness.

[0069] Since the improvement control device 326 operates the HMI 320 to improve the rider's driving ability in this way, if the risk notification by the risk notification control device 327 described below is set to on (i.e., if the risk notification setting value is "1" or "2"), the improvement notification may be turned off so that the rider does not feel bothered.

[0070] The risk notification control device 327 can provide risk notifications in multiple notification modes that differ in at least one of the target device and operation mode of the HMI 320. More specifically, the risk notification control device 327 can provide risk notifications in at least one of a warning notification mode intended to make the rider aware of the existence of a potential risk, an analog notification mode intended to make the rider aware of the existence of an actual risk and / or the severity of that risk, and a predictive support notification mode intended to notify the rider of useful information for avoiding a predicted risk. Therefore, the risk notification setting value input to the risk notification control device 327 is set to one of the following values: “0” that turns off risk notification by the risk notification control device 327; “1” that turns on risk notification by the risk notification control device 327 and sets the notification mode to warning notification mode and predictive support notification mode; and “2” that turns on risk notification by the risk notification control device 327 and sets the notification mode to analog notification mode and predictive support notification mode.

[0071] The risk notification controller 327 sets the risk notification to off when the risk notification setting value is "0." That is, the risk notification controller 327 does not operate the HMI 320 when the risk notification setting value is "0." Note that this does not prevent the health control device 326 from operating the HMI 320.

[0072] When the risk notification setting value is "1", the risk notification control device 327 sets the notification mode to the appearance notification mode and the prediction support notification mode, and turns on risk notification under these set notification modes.

[0073] Furthermore, when the risk notification setting value is "2", the risk notification control device 327 sets the notification mode to analog notification mode and predicted assistance notification mode, and turns on risk notification under these set notification modes.

[0074] Here, when the notification mode is set to the predictive assistance notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 generates risk avoidance support information that is useful for the rider to avoid an approaching risk based on the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6, and activates the head-mounted speaker 321 and head-up display 322 of the HMI 320 in a manner that allows the rider to perceive this risk avoidance support information audibly and visually. Here, the risk avoidance support information includes information regarding the location of risk objects that may come into contact with the vehicle, and information that alerts the rider to the risk objects.

[0075] More specifically, when there is a four-wheeled vehicle driven by a driver in an unhealthy state ahead of the motorcycle driven by the rider, the risk notification control device 327 issues a message such as "Watch out for the dangerous right turn of the four-wheeled vehicle" as risk avoidance support information for avoiding contact with the four-wheeled vehicle by voicing it through the head-mounted speaker 321 or displaying it on the head-up display 322. In this case, the risk notification control device 327 may also display an image of an arrow pointing to the current position or predicted position of the four-wheeled vehicle on the head-up display 322 as risk avoidance support information for avoiding contact with the four-wheeled vehicle.

[0076] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 operates the HMI 320 in a manner that does not bother the rider, thereby allowing the rider to naturally recognize the presence of a risk target extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. In this way, in the presence notification mode, in order to naturally allow the rider to recognize the presence of a risk target without feeling bothered, it is preferable that the risk notification control device 327 activates, among the multiple devices included in the HMI 320, the head-mounted speaker 321, which particularly appeals to the rider's hearing. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 causes the head-mounted speaker 321 to emit familiar sound effects at a low volume using binaural sound that is set to naturally direct the rider's gaze toward the location of the risk target.

[0077] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 operates the HMI 320 in a manner different from that of the presence notification mode described above, thereby making the rider more aware of the presence of a risk object extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and the degree of risk associated with this risk object. In this manner, in the analog notification mode, in order to make the rider more aware of the presence of a risk object, the risk notification control device 327 operates the HMI 320 in a manner with a higher notification intensity than that determined in the presence notification mode. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 causes the head-mounted speaker 321 to emit a buzzer sound or pulse sound at a volume higher than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode. These buzzer sounds and pulse sounds are louder and less familiar to the rider than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode, and therefore have a higher notification intensity than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode.

[0078] Furthermore, in the analog notification mode as described above, in order to make the rider more aware of the risk level associated with a risk object in addition to the presence of the risk object, it is preferable that the risk notification control device 327 changes the notification intensity according to the risk level associated with the risk object (for example, the predicted time to collision with the risk object) extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. Specifically, the risk notification control device 327 may increase the volume of the buzzer sound, increase the volume of the pulse sound, or shorten the interval between the pulse sounds as the risk level increases (i.e., as the predicted time to collision decreases).

[0079] Furthermore, when the risk notification control device 327 changes the notification intensity according to the degree of risk in this manner, it is preferable to operate the HMI 320 so that the notification intensity is maximized at the time when the above-mentioned driving assistance ECU begins to execute collision mitigation brake control, in other words, at the time when the risk object enters the ADAS operating range of the vehicle.

[0080] Returning to FIG. 2 , the mobile information processing terminal 40 owned or worn by the pedestrian 4 in the target traffic area 9 is configured, for example, as a wearable terminal worn by the pedestrian 4 or a smartphone held by the pedestrian 4. The wearable terminal has the function of measuring biometric information of the pedestrian 4, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation, transmitting the measurement data of this biometric information to the collaboration support device 6, and receiving collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. The smartphone also has the function of transmitting pedestrian information about the pedestrian 4, such as location information, movement acceleration, and schedule information of the pedestrian 4, to the collaboration support device 6, and receiving collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6.

[0081] The mobile information processing terminal 40 also includes a notification device 42 that notifies pedestrians of various information through their hearing, vision, touch, etc. by operating the HMI in a predetermined manner based on the received collaborative support information.

[0082] 3C is a block diagram showing the configuration of notification device 42 installed in mobile information processing terminal 40. Note that FIG. 3C illustrates only the blocks of notification device 42 that are particularly involved in control based on collaboration support information transmitted from collaboration support device 6.

[0083] The notification device 42 includes an HMI 420 that operates in a manner that can be recognized by pedestrians, and an HMI control device 425 that operates the HMI 420 based on the collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6.

[0084] The HMI 420 includes a speaker 421 that operates in a manner that can be heard by pedestrians, and a vibration device 424 that operates in a manner that can be heard by pedestrians through their sense of touch.

[0085] The speaker 421 produces a sound in response to a command from the HMI control device 425. The vibration device 424 vibrates the main body of the portable information processing terminal 40 with an amplitude and / or a frequency in a manner in response to a command from the HMI control device 425.

[0086] As will be explained later, the collaborative support information sent from the collaborative support device 6 to the mobile information processing terminal 40 carried by the pedestrian includes information regarding the risk notification setting value for turning risk notifications on / off by the HMI control device 425 and setting the type of notification mode, as well as risk information regarding risks approaching the pedestrian.

[0087] The HMI control device 425 can provide risk notifications under multiple notification modes that differ in at least one of the target device and operation mode of the HMI 420. More specifically, the HMI control device 425 can provide risk notifications under at least one of a presence notification mode intended to make pedestrians aware of the presence of a potential risk and an analog notification mode intended to make pedestrians aware of the presence and / or severity of an actual risk. For this reason, the risk notification setting value input to the HMI control device 425 is set to one of the following values: “0” that turns off the risk notification by the HMI control device 425; “1” that turns on the risk notification by the HMI control device 425 and sets the notification mode to the presence notification mode; and “2” that turns on the risk notification by the HMI control device 425 and sets the notification mode to the analog notification mode.

[0088] The HMI control device 425 sets the risk notification to off when the risk notification setting value is "0." That is, the HMI control device 425 does not operate the HMI 420 when the risk notification setting value is "0."

[0089] If the risk notification setting value is "1", the HMI control device 425 sets the notification mode to the presence notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0090] Furthermore, if the risk notification setting value is "2", the HMI control device 425 sets the notification mode to the analog notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0091] Here, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the HMI control device 425 operates the HMI 420 in a manner that does not bother the pedestrian, thereby allowing the pedestrian to naturally recognize the presence of a risk target extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the HMI control device 425 operates the vibration device 424 to vibrate the main body of the mobile information processing terminal 40 at a predetermined amplitude and frequency.

[0092] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the HMI control device 425 operates the HMI 420 in a manner different from the above-described presence notification mode, thereby making pedestrians more aware of the presence of a risk condition extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and the degree of risk associated with this risk object. In this way, in the analog notification mode, in order to make pedestrians more aware of the presence of a risk object, the HMI control device 425 operates the HMI 420 in a manner with a higher notification intensity than the manner determined in the presence notification mode. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the HMI control device 425 causes the speaker 421 to emit a buzzer sound, a pulse sound, a message indicating the presence of a risk, or the like.

[0093] Furthermore, in the analog notification mode as described above, in order to make pedestrians more aware of the presence of a risk object as well as the degree of risk associated with this risk object, it is preferable that the HMI control device 425 changes the notification intensity according to the degree of risk associated with the risk object (for example, the predicted time to collision with the risk object) extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. Specifically, the HMI control device 425 may increase the volume of the buzzer sound, increase the volume of the pulse sound, shorten the interval between the pulse sounds, increase the volume of the message, or change the content of the message as the degree of risk increases (i.e., as the predicted time to collision decreases).

[0094] Returning to Figure 2, the infrastructure camera 56 captures images of traffic infrastructure facilities including roadways, intersections, and sidewalks in the target traffic area, as well as moving objects and pedestrians moving on these roadways, intersections, sidewalks, etc., and transmits the obtained image information to the collaboration support device 6.

[0095] The signal control device 55 controls the traffic lights and transmits to the cooperation support device 6 traffic light status information relating to the current lighting color of the traffic lights installed in the target traffic area and the timing for changing the lighting color.

[0096] The collaboration support device 6 is a computer that supports safe and smooth traffic for traffic participants in the target traffic area by generating collaboration support information for each traffic participant to be supported, based on information acquired from multiple area terminals present in the target traffic area as described above, to promote communication between traffic participants and awareness of the surrounding traffic environment, and notifying each traffic participant of the information. In this embodiment, the collaboration support device 6 targets traffic participants among the multiple traffic participants present in the target traffic area who are equipped with means (e.g., notification devices 22, 32, 42) to receive the collaboration support information generated by the collaboration support device 6 and operate their HMI in a manner determined based on the received collaboration support information.

[0097] The collaborative assistance device 6 includes a target traffic area recognition unit 60 that recognizes people and moving objects in the target traffic area as individual traffic participants, a driving subject information acquisition unit 61 that acquires driving subject state information correlated with the driving ability of the driving subject of the moving object recognized as a traffic participant by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, a prediction unit 62 that predicts the future of the traffic participants in the target traffic area, a health notification setting unit 63 that sets the health notification on / off for each traffic participant recognized by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 as a support target, a risk notification setting unit 64 that sets the notification mode of the risk notification for each traffic participant recognized by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 as a support target, a collaborative assistance information notification unit 65 that transmits collaborative assistance information generated for each traffic participant recognized by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 as a support target, a traffic environment database 67 that stores information about the traffic environment in the target traffic area, and a driving history database 68 that stores information about the past driving history of pre-registered driving subjects.

[0098] The traffic environment database 67 stores information related to the traffic environment of traffic participants in the target traffic area, such as map information of the target traffic area that has been registered in advance (for example, roadway width, number of lanes, speed limit, sidewalk width, presence or absence of guardrails between the roadway and sidewalk, and location of crosswalks), and risk area information related to particularly high-risk areas within the target traffic area. Hereinafter, the information stored in the traffic environment database 67 is also referred to as registered traffic environment information.

[0099] The driving history database 68 stores information about the past driving history of pre-registered drivers in association with the registration number of the mobile vehicle owned by the driver. Therefore, if the target traffic area recognition unit 60, which will be described later, can identify the registration number of the recognized mobile vehicle, the driving history of the driver of the recognized mobile vehicle can be obtained by searching the driving history database 68 based on this registration number. Hereinafter, the information stored in the driving history database 68 will also be referred to as registered driving history information.

[0100] The target traffic area recognition unit 60 recognizes recognition objects including each traffic participant who is a person or a moving object in the target traffic area and the traffic environment of each traffic participant in the target traffic area based on information transmitted from the above-mentioned area terminals (the in-vehicle device group 20, 30, the mobile information processing terminal 40, the infrastructure camera 56, and the signal control device 55) in the target traffic area and registered traffic environment information read from the traffic environment database 67, and obtains recognition information regarding these recognition objects.

[0101] The information transmitted from the on-board driving assistance device 21 and on-board communication device 24 included in the on-board device group 20 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60, and the information transmitted from the on-board driving assistance device 31 and on-board communication device 34 included in the on-board device group 30 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60, include information on the status of traffic participants and the traffic environment around the vehicle acquired by the external sensor unit, and information on the status of the vehicle as a traffic participant acquired by the vehicle status sensor, navigation device, etc. The information transmitted from the mobile information processing terminal 40 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60 also includes information on the status of pedestrians as traffic participants, such as their position and movement acceleration. The image information transmitted from the infrastructure camera 56 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60 also includes information on each traffic participant and their traffic environment, such as the appearance of traffic infrastructure facilities in the target traffic area, such as roadways, intersections, and sidewalks, and the appearance of traffic participants moving through the target traffic area. The traffic light status information transmitted from the signal control device 55 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60 also includes information on the traffic environment of each traffic participant, such as the current lighting color of the traffic light and the timing for changing the lighting color. The registered traffic environment information that the target traffic area recognition unit 60 reads from the traffic environment database 67 includes information about the traffic environment of each traffic participant, such as map information of the target traffic area and risk area information.

[0102] Therefore, based on the information transmitted from these area terminals, the target traffic area recognition unit 60 can acquire recognition information of each traffic participant in the target traffic area, such as the position in the target traffic area of ​​each traffic participant, moving speed, moving acceleration, moving direction, vehicle type of the moving body, vehicle class of the moving body, registration number of the moving body, the number of pedestrians, and the age group of the pedestrians (hereinafter also referred to as "traffic participant recognition information").Furthermore, based on the information transmitted from these area terminals, the target traffic area recognition unit 60 can acquire recognition information of the traffic environment of each traffic participant in the target traffic area (hereinafter also referred to as "traffic environment recognition information"), such as the width of the roadway, the number of lanes, the speed limit, the width of the sidewalk, the presence or absence of guardrails between the roadway and the sidewalk, the color of traffic lights and their switching timing, and risk area information.

[0103] Therefore, in this embodiment, the recognition means for recognizing traffic participants and the traffic environment in the target traffic area is composed of a target traffic area recognition unit 60, an on-board driving assistance device 21, an on-board communication device 24, and a portable information processing terminal 25 included in the on-board device group 20 of the four-wheeled vehicle 2, an on-board driving assistance device 31, an on-board communication device 34, and a portable information processing terminal 35 included in the on-board device group 30 of the motorcycle 3, the portable information processing terminal 40 of the pedestrian 4, an infrastructure camera 56, a traffic light control device 55, and a traffic environment database 67.

[0104] The target traffic area recognition unit 60 transmits the traffic participant recognition information and traffic environment recognition information acquired in the above manner to the driving subject information acquisition unit 61, the prediction unit 62, the health notification setting unit 63, the risk notification setting unit 64, and the collaborative support information notification unit 65, etc.

[0105] The driving subject information acquisition unit 61 acquires driving subject state information and driving subject characteristic information that are correlated with the current driving ability of the driving subject of the mobile body recognized as a traffic participant by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 based on information transmitted from the area terminals (particularly, the vehicle-mounted device group 20, 30) in the target traffic area and registered driving history information read from the driving history database 68.

[0106] More specifically, when the driver of a four-wheeled vehicle recognized as a traffic participant by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 is a human, the driver subject information acquisition unit 61 acquires information transmitted from the on-board device group 20 mounted on the four-wheeled vehicle as driver subject state information of the driver. Furthermore, when the driver of a motorcycle recognized as a traffic participant by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 is a human, the driver subject information acquisition unit 61 acquires information transmitted from the on-board device group 30 mounted on the motorcycle as driver subject state information of the rider.

[0107] The information transmitted from the driver's subject state sensor 23 and the in-vehicle communication device 24 included in the in-vehicle device group 20 to the driver's subject information acquisition unit 61 includes time-series data on the driver's appearance, such as the driver's gaze direction and whether or not their eyes are open, biological information, such as pulse, whether or not they are breathing, and skin potential, and audio information, such as whether or not they are talking, which is correlated with the driver's driving ability. The information transmitted from the rider's state sensor 33 and the in-vehicle communication device 34 included in the in-vehicle device group 30 to the driver's subject information acquisition unit 61 includes time-series data on the rider's biological information, such as pulse, whether or not they are breathing, and skin potential, which is correlated with the rider's driving ability. The information transmitted from the mobile information processing terminals 25 and 35 included in the in-vehicle device groups 20 and 30 to the driver's subject information acquisition unit 61 also includes the driver's and rider's personal schedule information. For example, when a driver or rider is driving a vehicle under a tight schedule, they may become impatient and their driving ability may decline. Therefore, the driver's and rider's personal schedule information can be considered information correlated with their own driving ability.

[0108] The driver subject information acquisition unit 61 acquires driver subject characteristic information regarding the driver subject's driving characteristics (e.g., excessive sudden lane changes, excessive sudden acceleration / deceleration, etc.) that are correlated with the driver subject's current driving ability while driving, by using both or either of the driver subject state information for the driver subject acquired by the above procedure and the registered driving history information read from the driving history database 68.

[0109] The driver subject information acquisition unit 61 transmits the driver subject state information and driver subject characteristic information of the driver subject acquired in the manner described above to the prediction unit 62, the health notification setting unit 63, the risk notification setting unit 64, and the collaborative support information notification unit 65, etc.

[0110] The prediction unit 62 extracts a part of the target traffic area as a monitoring area and predicts the future of multiple traffic participants in this monitoring area based on the traffic participant recognition information and traffic environment recognition information acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 and the driving subject state information and driving subject characteristic information acquired by the driving subject information acquisition unit 61. More specifically, the prediction unit 62 constructs a virtual space simulating the monitoring area based on the traffic participant recognition information and traffic environment recognition information acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, and predicts the future of each traffic participant in the monitoring area by performing a simulation in the virtual space based on the traffic participant recognition information, traffic environment recognition information, driving subject state information, and driving subject characteristic information. Note that a detailed description of the specific procedure by which the prediction unit 62 predicts the future of each traffic participant in the monitoring area will be omitted.

[0111] Here, the target traffic area is a relatively wide traffic area determined, for example, by a city, town, or village. In contrast, the monitoring area is a traffic area that a four-wheeled vehicle traveling at the legal speed can pass through in about several tens of seconds, such as an intersection or near a specific facility. In other words, the monitoring area is narrower than the target traffic area, but wider than the ADAS operation range of the driving assistance ECU installed in each moving object.

[0112] The health notification setting unit 63 sets traffic participants who are recognized as support targets and moving bodies by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 among multiple traffic participants present in the target traffic area as setting targets, and sets the health notification on / off for each individual setting target.

[0113] More specifically, the soundness notification setting unit 63 first acquires driver-subject state information and driver-subject characteristic information associated with the driver of each setting target, which is a moving object, from the driver-subject information acquisition unit 61. The soundness notification setting unit 63 then calculates the current soundness of the driver for each setting target based on the acquired driver-subject state information and driver-subject characteristic information. If the soundness calculated for each setting target is less than a predetermined soundness threshold, the soundness notification setting unit 63 determines that the driver of that setting target is in an unsound state and sets the soundness notification setting value for that setting target to "1" to turn on the soundness notification for that setting target. If the soundness calculated for each setting target is equal to or greater than the soundness threshold, the soundness notification setting unit 63 determines that the driver of that setting target is in a sound state and sets the soundness notification setting value for that setting target to "0" to turn off the soundness notification for that setting target.

[0114] The health notification setting unit 63 sets the health notification for multiple setting targets in the target traffic area to on or off by the above procedure. Information on the health notification setting value set for each setting target by the health notification setting unit 63 is transmitted to the collaboration support information notification unit 65.

[0115] The risk notification setting unit 64 sets traffic participants who are recognized as support targets by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 among multiple traffic participants present in the monitoring area extracted from the target traffic area by the prediction unit 62 as setting targets, and sets the on / off and notification mode of risk notification for each individual setting target.

[0116] More specifically, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the on / off and notification mode of risk notifications for individual setting targets present in the monitoring area based on information related to the monitoring area from among the traffic participant recognition information and traffic environment recognition information acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, information related to the monitoring area from among the driving subject state information and driving subject characteristic information acquired by the driving subject information acquisition unit 61, and the prediction results for the monitoring area by the prediction unit 62.

[0117] In the following, the specific procedure for setting the risk notification on / off and notification mode for each setting target using the risk notification setting unit 64 will be described, for example, assuming that the road R1 shown in Figure 4 is the monitoring area.

[0118] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the situation of a four-wheeled vehicle 2 and a motorcycle 3 on a road R1 as a monitoring area. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the road R1 as a monitoring area includes a road with one lane on each side, and the four-wheeled vehicle 2 as the support target is traveling in one lane of the road, while the motorcycle 3 as a second moving object is traveling in the lane opposite to the four-wheeled vehicle 2.

[0119] Furthermore, four-wheeled vehicle 5, a third moving object, is in the same lane as four-wheeled vehicle 2 and is traveling ahead of four-wheeled vehicle 2. In other words, road R1, which serves as the surveillance area, has the lane on which four-wheeled vehicle 2 and four-wheeled vehicle 5 are traveling adjacent to the lane on which motorcycle 3 is traveling. Four-wheeled vehicle 2 is attempting to overtake four-wheeled vehicle 5 traveling ahead from the right and get in front of four-wheeled vehicle 5. In this situation, there is a possibility that four-wheeled vehicle 2, which is overtaking four-wheeled vehicle 5 from the right, will collide with motorcycle 3, which is traveling straight.

[0120] In the example shown in FIG. 4 , when motorcycle 3 is an oncoming moving object approaching four-wheeled vehicle 2 from ahead in the direction of travel of four-wheeled vehicle 2, and there is a four-wheeled vehicle 5 between four-wheeled vehicle 2 and motorcycle 3 that prevents the driver of four-wheeled vehicle 2 from recognizing the position of motorcycle 3, risk notification setting unit 64 sets the notification mode of risk notification control device 227 and risk notification control device 327 to sign notification mode or analog notification mode based on the inter-vehicle distance between four-wheeled vehicle 2 and four-wheeled vehicle 5, the relative speed of four-wheeled vehicle 2 with respect to four-wheeled vehicle 5, and driver subject state information of the driver of four-wheeled vehicle 2. Here, the inter-vehicle distance between four-wheeled vehicle 2 and four-wheeled vehicle 5 and the relative speed of four-wheeled vehicle 2 with respect to four-wheeled vehicle 5 are recognized by the recognition means described above. In addition, driver subject state information of the driver of four-wheeled vehicle 2 is acquired by driver subject information acquisition unit 61.

[0121] Furthermore, as described above, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the notification mode of each of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode by setting the risk notification setting value input to each of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to "1", and sets the notification mode of each of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the analog notification mode by setting the risk notification setting value input to each of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to "2".

[0122] Specifically, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode when the inter-vehicle distance between four-wheeled vehicle 2 and four-wheeled vehicle 5 recognized by the above-mentioned recognition means exceeds a first inter-vehicle distance and a first relative speed indicating the possibility that four-wheeled vehicle 2 will overtake four-wheeled vehicle 5. Here, the first inter-vehicle distance is the inter-vehicle distance between four-wheeled vehicle 2 and four-wheeled vehicle 5, and indicates the possibility that four-wheeled vehicle 2 will overtake four-wheeled vehicle 5. The first relative speed is the relative speed of four-wheeled vehicle 2 with respect to four-wheeled vehicle 5, and indicates the possibility that four-wheeled vehicle 2 will overtake four-wheeled vehicle 5.

[0123] Furthermore, when the driving subject state information of the driver of four-wheeled vehicle 2 acquired by the driving subject information acquisition unit 61 includes an action indicating an intention to overtake the third moving body, and when the driving subject state information of the driver of four-wheeled vehicle 2 exceeds a second inter-vehicle distance and a second relative speed indicating the possibility that four-wheeled vehicle 2 will overtake four-wheeled vehicle 5, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to analog notification mode. Here, the second inter-vehicle distance is the distance between four-wheeled vehicle 2 and four-wheeled vehicle 5, and indicates that the possibility that four-wheeled vehicle 2 will overtake four-wheeled vehicle 5 is higher than the first inter-vehicle distance. In other words, the second inter-vehicle distance is shorter than the first inter-vehicle distance. The second relative speed is the relative speed of four-wheeled vehicle 2 with respect to four-wheeled vehicle 5, and indicates that the possibility that four-wheeled vehicle 2 will overtake four-wheeled vehicle 5 is higher than the first relative speed. In other words, the second relative speed is a speed faster than the first relative speed.

[0124] Furthermore, after setting the notification mode to the analog notification mode, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode when the vehicle distance and the relative speed become equal to or less than a second distance and a second relative speed indicating the possibility that the four-wheeled vehicle 2 will overtake the four-wheeled vehicle 5. Furthermore, the risk notification setting unit 64 may set the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode when the relative speed of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 with respect to the four-wheeled vehicle 5 becomes negative as the second relative speed.

[0125] Furthermore, after setting the notification mode to the presence notification mode, the risk notification setting unit 64 cancels the setting of the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode when the four-wheeled vehicle 2 falls below a first inter-vehicle distance and a first relative speed which indicate the possibility of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 overtaking the four-wheeled vehicle 5. In other words, the risk notification setting unit 64 turns off the risk notifications for each of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 and the motorcycle 3.

[0126] In the above example, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 and the risk notification control device 327 of the motorcycle 3 to the presence notification mode or the analog notification mode, but this is not limited to this, and the risk notification setting unit 64 may set either the risk notification control device 227 or the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode or the analog notification mode. Furthermore, if the four-wheeled vehicle 5 has the same on-vehicle device group 20 as the four-wheeled vehicle 2, the risk notification setting unit 64 may set the risk notification control device 227 of the four-wheeled vehicle 5 to the presence notification mode or the analog notification mode.

[0127] Returning to Figure 2, the collaborative assistance information notification unit 65 generates collaborative assistance information for each traffic participant recognized as a support target by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, based on the traffic participant recognition information and traffic environment recognition information acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, the driving subject state information and driving subject characteristic information acquired by the driving subject information acquisition unit 61, the prediction result by the prediction unit 62, information regarding the soundness setting value set by the soundness notification setting unit 63, and information regarding the risk notification setting value set by the risk notification setting unit 64, to encourage communication between surrounding traffic participants and awareness of the surrounding traffic environment, and transmits the generated collaborative assistance information to each traffic participant.

[0128] The collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance information notification unit 65 to each assistance target includes information on the health setting value, information on the risk notification setting value, and risk information on the risk approaching each assistance target. Here, the risk information includes, for example, the prediction results by the prediction unit 62 and information on the locations of traffic participants around each traffic participant.

[0129] The traffic safety support system 1 according to this embodiment has the following advantages. (1) In the traffic safety support system 1, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 operate the HMI 220 and the HMI 320 in a first notification mode, and when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, they operate the HMI 220 and the HMI 320 in a second notification mode with a higher notification intensity than the first notification mode. When the motorcycle 3 is an oncoming moving object approaching the four-wheeled vehicle 2 from ahead in the direction of travel of the four-wheeled vehicle 2, and there is a four-wheeled vehicle 5 between the four-wheeled vehicle 2 and the motorcycle 3 that prevents the driver of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 from recognizing the position of the motorcycle 3, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode or the analog notification mode based on the distance between the four-wheeled vehicle 2 and the four-wheeled vehicle 5, the relative speed of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 with respect to the four-wheeled vehicle 5, and the driving subject state information of the driver of the four-wheeled vehicle 2. As a result, the traffic safety support system 1 can provide advance notification in the first notification mode and the second notification mode when there is a four-wheeled vehicle 5 that will prevent the motorcycle 3 from recognizing the position of the motorcycle 3. Therefore, because the notification intensity of the first notification mode provided advance is lower than that of the second notification mode, the traffic safety support system 1 can simultaneously reduce the annoyance of notification to the driver of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 and ensure traffic safety when there is a four-wheeled vehicle 5 that will prevent the motorcycle 3 from recognizing the position of the motorcycle 3 and the four-wheeled vehicle 2 is predicted to overtake the four-wheeled vehicle 5.

[0130] (2) In the traffic safety support system 1, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode when the inter-vehicle distance between the four-wheeled vehicle 2 and the four-wheeled vehicle 5 recognized by the above-mentioned recognition means exceeds a first inter-vehicle distance and a first relative speed that indicate the possibility that the four-wheeled vehicle 2 will overtake the four-wheeled vehicle 5. This allows the traffic safety support system 1 to notify the driver in advance when there is a possibility that the four-wheeled vehicle 2 will overtake the four-wheeled vehicle 5, thereby ensuring traffic safety.

[0131] (3) In the traffic safety support system 1, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode when the four-wheeled vehicle 2 falls below a second inter-vehicle distance and a second relative speed indicating the possibility of overtaking the four-wheeled vehicle 5 after setting the notification mode to the analog notification mode. As a result, the traffic safety support system 1 changes the notification mode from the analog notification mode to the presence notification mode when the possibility of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 overtaking the four-wheeled vehicle 5 becomes low. Therefore, when the degree of risk is low, the traffic safety support system 1 can notify the driver of the presence of other moving objects at a non-annoying level.

[0132] (4) In the traffic safety support system 1, after setting the notification mode to the presence notification mode, if the four-wheeled vehicle 2 falls below a first inter-vehicle distance and a first relative speed indicating the possibility of overtaking the four-wheeled vehicle 5, the risk notification setting unit 64 cancels the setting of the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 to the presence notification mode. This enables the traffic safety support system 1 to inform the driver that there is almost no possibility of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 overtaking the four-wheeled vehicle 5.

[0133] (5) In the traffic safety support system 1, when the notification mode of the risk notification control device 227 and the risk notification control device 327 is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification setting unit 64 changes the notification intensity according to the degree of risk between the four-wheeled vehicle 2 and the motorcycle 3. As a result, when the degree of risk is high, the traffic safety support system 1 can strongly notify the driver of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 of the approach of the motorcycle 3, which is the second moving object, and when the degree of risk is low, can notify the driver of the presence of the second moving object at a non-annoying level. Similarly, when the degree of risk is high, the traffic safety support system 1 can strongly notify the driver of the motorcycle 3 of the approach of the four-wheeled vehicle 2, and when the degree of risk is low, can notify the driver of the presence of the four-wheeled vehicle 2 at a non-annoying level.

[0134] (6) In the traffic safety support system 1, the four-wheeled vehicle 2 that is the support target is equipped with an on-board driving support device 21 that automatically operates at least one of the braking device and the steering device, provided that there is a moving object that may come into contact with the vehicle within the ADAS range. As a result, the traffic safety support system 1 can reduce the possibility of a collision between the four-wheeled vehicle 2 and the motorcycle 3 by using the on-board driving support device 21, thereby ensuring traffic safety.

[0135] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Detailed configurations may be modified as appropriate within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the recognition means for recognizing traffic participants and traffic environments in a monitoring area surrounding the assistance target, which is a moving object, and the notification mode setting means for setting a notification mode for the assistance target are respectively provided as the target traffic area recognition unit 60 and the risk notification setting unit 64 in the collaborative assistance device 6 capable of wireless communication with the assistance target. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The recognition means and the notification mode setting means may be configured as on-board devices mounted on the assistance target. In this case, the range of the monitoring area recognized by the recognition means is limited to the range recognizable by the external sensors mounted on the assistance target, but there is an advantage in that communication delays are small. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 1. Traffic safety support system 9...Targeted transportation area 2...Four-wheeled vehicle (first moving object, traffic participant) 20…In-vehicle equipment group 21...In-vehicle driving assistance device (recognition means, driving assistance device) 22…Notification device 23...Driver status sensor 24...In-vehicle communication device (recognition means) 25...Mobile information processing terminal (recognition means) 3...Motorcycle (second moving object, traffic participant) 30…In-vehicle equipment group 31...In-vehicle driving assistance device (recognition means, driving assistance device) 32…Notification device 33...LIDAR status sensor 34...In-vehicle communication device (recognition means) 35...Portable information processing terminal (recognition means) 4...Pedestrians (people, traffic participants) 40...Mobile information processing terminal (recognition means) 51…Roadway (traffic environment) 52...Intersection (traffic environment) 53...Sidewalks (traffic environment) 54…Traffic light (traffic environment) 55...Signal control device (recognition means) 56...Infrastructure camera (recognition means) 6…Coordination support device 60...Target traffic area recognition unit (recognition means) 61...Driver subject information acquisition unit (driving characteristic acquisition means) 62...Prediction unit (prediction means) 63...Health Notification Setting Unit 64...Risk notification setting unit (notification mode setting means) 65... Cooperative Support Information Notification Unit 67...Traffic environment database (recognition means) 68...Driving history database 220 HMI (Man-Machine Interface) 225 HMI control device 226 Soundness Control Device 227 Risk notification control device (notification control means) 320 HMI (Man-Machine Interface) 325 HMI control device 326 Soundness Control Device 327 Risk notification control device (notification control means) 420 HMI (Man-Machine Interface) 425 HMI control device

Claims

1. A traffic safety support system that supports driving by a driver of a support target, which is a first moving object, a recognition means for recognizing traffic participants and a traffic environment in a monitoring area around the assistance target; a man-machine interface that operates in a manner that is perceptible to the driver; a notification mode setting means for setting a notification mode of the man-machine interface based on a recognition result by the recognition means while the recognition means recognizes the presence of a second moving object within the monitoring area but outside a first range centered on the support target; a notification control means for operating the man-machine interface in a first notification manner when the notification mode is set to a first mode, and for operating the man-machine interface in a second notification manner having a notification intensity higher than that of the first notification manner when the notification mode is set to a second mode; a driving characteristic acquisition means for acquiring driving subject state information of the driver of the first moving body, The notification mode setting means When the second moving body is an oncoming moving body approaching the support target from ahead in the traveling direction of the support target, and a third moving body is present between the first moving body and the second moving body and prevents the driver of the first moving body from recognizing the position of the second moving body, the notification mode is set to the first mode or the second mode based on the inter-vehicle distance between the first moving body and the third moving body, the relative speed of the first moving body with respect to the third moving body, and the driver subject state information of the driver of the first moving body, When the first moving object exceeds a first inter-vehicle distance and a first relative speed indicating a possibility that the first moving object will overtake the third moving object, the notification mode is set to the first mode; A traffic safety support system characterized in that when the driving subject state information of the driver of the first moving body includes an action indicating an intention to overtake the third moving body and the first moving body exceeds a second inter-vehicle distance and a second relative speed indicating the possibility of overtaking the third moving body, the notification mode is set to the second mode.

2. The traffic safety support system described in claim 1, characterized in that when the notification mode is set to the second mode, the notification mode setting means changes the notification intensity depending on the degree of risk between the support target and the second moving body.

3. The traffic safety support system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support target is provided with a driving support device that automatically operates at least one of a braking device and a steering device, on the condition that there is a moving object with a possibility of contact within the first range.

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