Notification device, notification method, and notification computer program

Abstract

To provide a notification device capable of appropriately providing a driver of a vehicle with a message dependent on a situation.SOLUTION: A notification device identifies a first condition that corresponds to a situation around a vehicle or a situation of a driver by making reference to a message table, selects messages associated with the identified first condition, selects messages associated with a second condition corresponding to the situation of the driver from among the messages associated with the selected first condition, identifies, among the messages associated with the selected second condition, a message for which a time of final notification has not been recorded or a message for which the time of final notification has been recorded and a re-notification is indicated to be necessary in a re-notification requirement as a notification target message, and provides the driver with the notification target message via an output device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a notification device, a notification method, and a notification computer program for notifying a driver of a vehicle of a message. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known notification devices that notify a driver of a vehicle of a message according to the driver's situation. Patent Document 1 describes a driver's attitude estimation device that calls the driver's attention by displaying an image on a display or the like using a driving attitude level related to the driver's driving attitude estimated based on a driver image and the driving environment around the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-199279 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The cruise control devices of vehicles equipped with driving assistance functions assist the driver in driving operations in accordance with various situations, such as keeping to the lane, changing lanes, and driving in traffic jams. The situations in which assistance is provided by driving assistance functions are diverse, and it is not always easy for the driver to understand all of the driving assistance functions corresponding to each of the various situations and their limitations, and to behave appropriately. Therefore, there is a need for appropriate messages to be sent to the driver explaining the driving assistance functions corresponding to each situation, depending on the various situations.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a notification device that can appropriately notify a vehicle driver of a message according to the situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The notification device according to the present disclosure includes: a first selection unit that refers to a message table in which each of a plurality of messages to be notified to a driver of the vehicle is associated with a first condition that represents the situation around the vehicle when the message should be notified, a second condition that represents the situation of the driver that is suitable for notifying the message, the time when the message was last notified, and a re-notification necessity indicating whether the message needs to be re-notified; and selects, from the plurality of messages, at least one message that is associated with the first condition that corresponds to the situation around the vehicle identified using an output signal of a positioning sensor or a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle; a second selection unit that refers to the message table and selects, from the at least one selected message, at least one message that is associated with a second condition that corresponds to the situation of the driver identified using an output signal of an in-vehicle sensor mounted on the vehicle; an identification unit that refers to the message table and identifies, as a message to be notified, from the at least one message associated with the selected second condition, a message for which the time of last notification is not recorded, or a message for which the time of last notification is recorded and for which the re-notification necessity indicates that re-notification is necessary; and a notification unit that notifies the driver of the message to be notified via an output device.

[0007] In the notification device according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that the message table further associates each of the multiple messages with an autonomous driving level corresponding to the situation in which the message should be notified, and that the first selection unit selects, from the messages associated with the identified first condition, a message associated with an autonomous driving level corresponding to the vehicle's autonomous driving level.

[0008] It is preferable that the notification device according to the present disclosure further includes an update unit that, when it is confirmed using the output signal of an in-vehicle sensor that the driver has acknowledged the notified message, updates the message table with the time of acknowledgement as the final notification time.

[0009] The notification device according to the present disclosure further includes an identification unit that uses the output signal of the in-vehicle sensor to identify the driver represented in the output signal of the in-vehicle sensor from among the multiple drivers, and when it is confirmed that the identified driver has recognized the notified message, it is preferable that the update unit updates the message table to set the time of confirmation as the last notification time for the identified driver.

[0010] In the notification device according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that the identification unit identifies, among messages for which the time of last notification is recorded and for which the need for re-notification is indicated in the re-notification necessity check, messages for which the time interval from the time of last notification to the current time exceeds a predetermined interval threshold as messages to be notified.

[0011] The notification method disclosed herein includes: referring to a message table in which each of a plurality of messages to be notified to a driver of a vehicle is associated with a first condition that represents the situation around the vehicle when the message should be notified, a second condition that represents the situation of the driver that is suitable for notifying the message, the last notification time of the message, and a re-notification necessity indicating whether the message needs to be re-notified; selecting at least one message from the plurality of messages that is associated with the first condition that corresponds to the situation around the vehicle identified using an output signal of a positioning sensor or a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle; referring to the message table to select at least one message from the selected at least one message that is associated with a second condition that is satisfied by the driver's situation identified using an output signal of an in-vehicle sensor mounted on the vehicle; referring to the message table to identify as a notification target message, from the at least one message associated with the selected second condition, a message for which the last notification time is not recorded, or a message for which the last notification time is recorded and for which re-notification necessity indicates that re-notification is necessary; and notifying the driver of the notification target message via an output device.

[0012] The notification computer program disclosed herein causes a computer to perform the following operations: refer to a message table in which each of a plurality of messages to be notified to a driver of a vehicle is associated with a first condition that represents the situation around the vehicle when the message should be notified, a second condition that represents the situation of the driver that is suitable for notifying the message, the last notification time of the message, and a re-notification necessity indicating whether the message needs to be re-notified; select at least one message from the plurality of messages that is associated with the first condition that corresponds to the situation around the vehicle identified using an output signal of a positioning sensor or a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle; refer to the message table to select at least one message from the selected at least one message that is associated with a second condition that corresponds to the situation of the driver identified using an output signal of an in-vehicle sensor mounted on the vehicle; refer to the message table to identify as a notification target message, from the at least one message associated with the selected second condition, a message for which the last notification time is not recorded, or a message for which the last notification time is recorded and the re-notification necessity indicates that re-notification is necessary; and notify the driver of the notification target message via an output device.

[0013] The notification device according to the present disclosure can appropriately notify the driver of a vehicle of a message according to the situation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle in which a notification device is installed. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a hardware schematic diagram of the notification device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a processor included in the notification device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a message table. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of a notification process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A notification device capable of appropriately notifying a vehicle driver of a message according to a situation will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The notification device refers to a message table to identify a first condition corresponding to the situation around the vehicle or the situation of the driver from among a plurality of messages to be notified to the vehicle driver, and selects at least one message associated with the identified first condition. The message table associates each of the plurality of messages with a first condition representing the situation around the vehicle for which the message should be notified, a second condition representing the situation of the driver suitable for receiving the message, the time of the last notification of the message, and a re-notification necessity indicating whether the message needs to be re-notified. The situation around the vehicle is identified using an output signal of a positioning sensor or a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle. The driver's situation is identified using an output signal of an in-vehicle sensor mounted on the vehicle. The notification device refers to the message table to select at least one message associated with a second condition corresponding to the situation of the driver from among the at least one selected message. The notification device refers to the message table and identifies, as a notification target message, a message for which the last notification time is not recorded, or a message for which the last notification time is recorded and the re-notification necessity setting indicates that re-notification is necessary, from among at least one message associated with the selected second condition.The notification device then notifies the driver of the notification target message via the output device.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle in which a notification device is installed.

[0017] The vehicle 1 has a peripheral camera 2, a driver monitor camera 3, a meter display 4, a GNSS receiver 5, a storage device 6, and a notification device 7. The peripheral camera 2, the driver monitor camera 3, the meter display 4, the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 5, the storage device 6, and the notification device 7 are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network that complies with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0018] The surrounding camera 2 is an example of a surrounding sensor for generating an output signal that represents the situation around the vehicle. The surrounding camera 2 has a two-dimensional detector configured with an array of photoelectric conversion elements, such as a CCD or C-MOS, that are sensitive to visible light, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. The surrounding camera 2 is disposed, for example, at the upper front of the vehicle interior, facing forward, photographs the situation around the vehicle 1 through the windshield at a predetermined photographing interval (for example, 1 / 30 to 1 / 10 seconds), and outputs a surrounding image that represents the situation around the vehicle.

[0019] The driver monitor camera 3 is an example of an in-vehicle sensor for generating an output signal that represents the status of the vehicle driver. The driver monitor camera 3 has a two-dimensional detector configured with an array of photoelectric conversion elements, such as a CCD or C-MOS, that are sensitive to infrared light, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. The driver monitor camera 3 also has a light source that emits infrared light. The driver monitor camera 3 is mounted, for example, at the front of the vehicle interior, facing the face of the driver seated in the driver's seat. The driver monitor camera 3 irradiates the driver with infrared light at a predetermined photographing interval (for example, 1 / 30 to 1 / 10 seconds) and outputs facial images showing the driver's face in chronological order.

[0020] The meter display 4 is an example of an output device, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display. The meter display 4 displays a screen that notifies the driver of a message in accordance with a signal received from the notification device 7 via the in-vehicle network. The meter display 4 may include a touch panel that is superimposed on the liquid crystal display and detects driver operations. In this case, the touch panel is an example of an in-vehicle sensor that generates an output signal that indicates the status of the vehicle driver.

[0021] The GNSS receiver 5 is an example of a positioning sensor, and receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites at predetermined intervals and, based on the received GNSS signals, determines the position of the vehicle 1. The GNSS receiver 5 outputs, at predetermined intervals, a positioning signal representing the positioning result of the vehicle 1's position based on the GNSS signals to the notification device 7 via the in-vehicle network.

[0022] The storage device 6 is an example of a storage unit, and includes, for example, a hard disk drive or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage device 6 stores a high-precision map. The high-precision map includes, for example, information indicating the attributes (motorway, expressway, general road, etc.) of each road included in a predetermined area depicted on the high-precision map.

[0023] The notification device 7 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) equipped with a communication interface, a memory, and a processor. The notification device 7 selects a message stored in the memory using the output signals of the peripheral camera 2 and the driver monitor camera 3, and displays the selected message on the meter display 4.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a hardware schematic diagram of the notification device 7. As shown in FIG.

[0025] The communication interface 71 is an example of a communication unit, and includes a communication interface circuit for connecting the notification device 7 to an in-vehicle network. The communication interface 71 supplies received data to the processor 73. The communication interface 71 also outputs data supplied from the processor 73 to the outside.

[0026] The memory 72 is another example of a storage unit and includes a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 72 stores various data used in processing by the processor 73, such as a message table in which a first condition, a second condition, the time of the last notification, and whether or not re-notification is required are associated with each of a plurality of messages to be notified to the driver of the vehicle 1. The memory 72 also stores various application programs, such as a notification computer program that executes notification processing.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a message table.

[0028] The memory 72 stores a message table 721. In the message table 721, each of a plurality of messages is associated with an "autonomous driving level," a "first condition," a "second condition," a "final notification time," and "necessity of re-notification."

[0029] The message is character string information that represents the content to be notified to the driver of the vehicle 1. The message may be image information or audio information that represents the content to be notified to the driver of the vehicle 1.

[0030] The "autonomous driving level" is information that indicates the autonomous driving level of the vehicle 1 corresponding to the situation in which each of the multiple messages should be notified. The vehicle 1 is controlled to drive at a predetermined autonomous driving level by a driving control device (not shown) connected to the in-vehicle network outputting control signals to the vehicle's driving mechanisms (not shown), such as the engine or motor, brakes, and steering mechanism. The autonomous driving level is defined in advance based on the content of the operations controlled by the driving control device, the entity responsible for monitoring driving, etc. For example, if the "autonomous driving level" for a certain message is "Lv2," this indicates that the message should be notified when the vehicle 1 is being controlled to drive at autonomous driving level 2.

[0031] The "first condition" is a condition that indicates the situation around the vehicle for which each of the multiple messages should be notified. For example, if the "first condition" for a certain message is "expressway / motorway," this indicates that the message should be notified when the area around vehicle 1 is an expressway or a motorway (vehicle 1 is traveling on an expressway or a motorway).

[0032] The "second condition" is a condition that indicates the driver's situation that is appropriate for notifying the message. For example, if the "second condition" for a certain message is "in NDRA," this indicates that the message should be notified when the driver of vehicle 1 is performing a non-driving related activity (e.g., operating a smartphone).

[0033] "Last notification time" is information that indicates the date and time when the message was last notified. "Last notification time" may be expressed as a date and time, or as a date only. For messages that have not yet been displayed, "-" is saved as "Last notification time." For messages that have not yet been displayed, "Last notification time" may be expressed as information other than "-" (for example, "not notified," "0" (null), etc.).

[0034] "Need for re-notification" is information indicating whether a message needs to be re-notified. In principle, the notification device 7 excludes messages for which a specified date and time is saved in the "time of last notification" (messages that have already been notified) from the notification targets. If the "need for re-notification" for a certain message is "needed," this indicates that the message should be a notification target, regardless of whether a specified date and time is saved in the "time of last notification."

[0035] In the message table 721, the "message," "autonomous driving level," "first condition," and "second condition" are set in advance by a specified administrator. The "last notification time" is the notification date and time when the message is saved in response to notification to the driver of the vehicle 1 by the notification device 7. The "need for re-notification" is saved in response to an operation by the driver of the vehicle 1 (for example, touching the touch panel of the meter display 4 that displays the need for re-notification inquiry message) received via a specified user interface provided by the notification device 7. The administrator may also set the "need for re-notification" of a specified message that should be repeatedly notified to "needed" in advance.

[0036] 2, the processor 73 is an example of a control unit and includes one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processor 73 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logic unit, a numerical calculation unit, or a graphics processing unit.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the processor 73 included in the notification device 7. As shown in FIG.

[0038] The processor 73 of the notification device 7 has, as functional blocks, a first selection unit 731, a second selection unit 732, an identification unit 733, a notification unit 734, an identification unit 735, and an update unit 736. Each of these units in the processor 73 is a functional module implemented by a program executed on the processor 73. A computer program that realizes the functions of each unit in the processor 73 may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. Alternatively, each of these units in the processor 73 may be implemented in the notification device 7 as an independent integrated circuit, microprocessor, or firmware.

[0039] The first selection unit 731 identifies the situation around the vehicle 1 using the positioning signal output by the GNSS receiver 5 or the peripheral image output by the peripheral camera 2. For example, the first selection unit 731 refers to a high-precision map stored in the storage device 6 and identifies the type of road at the point indicated by the positioning signal. Then, the first selection unit 731 selects, from the messages included in the message table 721, a message in which the type of road indicated as the first condition associated with that message matches the identified type of road.

[0040] Furthermore, the first selection unit 731 may acquire congestion information around the point represented by the positioning signal from a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System, registered trademark) center via a data communication module (not shown) connected to the communication interface 71 and the in-vehicle network. When the first selection unit 731 detects that congestion has occurred ahead of the vehicle 1, it selects, from among the messages included in the message table 721, a message whose first condition associated with the message includes the presence of congestion ahead.

[0041] Furthermore, the first selection unit 731 may input the surrounding image to a classifier that has been trained in advance to detect an area showing a vehicle from the image, and detect the presence or absence of other vehicles around the vehicle 1. The first selection unit 731 selects, from the messages included in the message table 721, a message in which the presence or absence of other vehicles indicated as the first condition associated with the message matches the presence or absence of the identified other vehicle.

[0042] In this way, the first selection unit 731 refers to the message table 721 and selects at least one message associated with the first condition that corresponds to the identified situation around the vehicle 1.

[0043] The first selection unit 731 may further select, from the messages associated with the first condition, messages associated with an autonomous driving level corresponding to the autonomous driving level of the vehicle 1. For example, assume that the driving control device of the vehicle 1 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 at autonomous driving level 3. In this case, the first selection unit 731 refers to the message table 721 and selects messages whose "autonomous driving level" is "Lv3." By operating in this manner, the notification device 7 can more appropriately identify messages to be notified.

[0044] The second selection unit 732 identifies the driver's condition using the facial image output by the driver monitor camera 3. For example, the second selection unit 732 identifies the positions of predetermined features included in the facial image by inputting the facial image to a classifier trained to detect the positions of predetermined features of the face, such as the corners of the eyes, inner corners of the eyes, and corners of the mouth.

[0045] The classifier can be, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) having multiple layers connected in series from the input side to the output side. By inputting facial images containing predetermined facial features as training data into the CNN in advance and performing learning, the CNN operates as a classifier that identifies the positions of the predetermined facial features.

[0046] The second selection unit 732 compares the positions of predetermined features detected from the face image with a standard 3D face model, and detects, as the face direction in the face image, the face direction in the 3D model when the position of each feature best matches the position of the feature detected from the face image.

[0047] For example, if the driver's face is facing the direction of travel, the second selection unit can identify the driver's status as "driving monitoring in progress." If the driver's face is facing left or right away from the direction of travel, the second selection unit can identify the driver's status as "looking aside." If the driver's face is facing downwards (looking at their hands), the second selection unit can identify the driver's status as "NDRA in progress" (operating a smartphone).

[0048] The second selection unit 732 selects, from the at least one selected message, a message in which the driver's situation indicated as the second condition associated with the message matches the identified driver's situation. In this way, the second selection unit 732 refers to the message table 721 and selects, from the at least one selected message, at least one message associated with the second condition that corresponds to the identified driver's situation.

[0049] The identification unit 733 refers to the message table 721 and reads out the "time of last notification" and "need for re-notification" of at least the message associated with the selected second condition. The identification unit 733 determines whether the "time of last notification" is recorded for at least the message associated with the selected second condition, and identifies the message for which the "time of last notification" is not recorded as the notification target message.

[0050] Furthermore, the identification unit 733 identifies, among the messages for which "last notification time" is saved, messages for which "need re-notification" is set to "necessary" as notification target messages. Note that the number of identified notification target messages is not limited to 1, and may be 0, or 2 or more.

[0051] The identification unit 733 may identify, as a notification target message, a message for which the "last notification time" is recorded and for which the driver indicates a desire for re-notification in the "need for re-notification" field, and for which the time interval from the recorded "last notification time" to the current time exceeds a predetermined interval threshold (for example, six months). By operating in this manner, the notification device 7 can repeatedly notify the message at appropriate intervals and appropriately convey the message content.

[0052] The notification unit 734 notifies the driver of the notification target message by displaying the notification target message on the meter display 4. The notification unit 734 may also notify the driver of the notification target message by having a speaker (not shown) speak the notification target message.

[0053] The identification unit 735 identifies the driver depicted in the facial image from among multiple drivers, using the positions of predetermined features included in the facial image output by the driver monitor camera 3. For example, the identification unit 735 specifies the positions of predetermined features included in the facial image by inputting the facial image to a classifier trained to detect the positions of predetermined features on the face, such as the corners of the eyes, inner corners of the eyes, and corners of the mouth.

[0054] The update unit 736 uses an output signal corresponding to the driver's operation on the touch panel of the meter display 4 that displays the message to be notified to confirm that the driver has acknowledged the notified message.

[0055] When the update unit 736 confirms that the driver has acknowledged the notified message, it updates the message table 721 with the time of acknowledgement as the "final notification time." By operating in this manner, the message table 721 can be appropriately updated with the "final notification time," thereby preventing the same message from being repeatedly notified.

[0056] The update unit 736 may confirm that the driver has recognized the notified message by using an output signal from a microphone (not shown) corresponding to the driver's voice confirming that the message to be notified has been recognized. The update unit 736 may update the message table 721 with the time of confirmation as the "time of final notification" on the condition that the face direction detected from the face image output by the driver monitor camera 3 is facing the meter display 4 that displays the message.

[0057] Furthermore, the update unit 736 may update the "time of final notification" for each of the multiple drivers in the message table 721. By updating the "time of final notification" for each of the multiple drivers in the message table 721, even when multiple drivers are driving the vehicle 1, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a message notification to one driver prevents a message notification to other drivers.

[0058] Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the notification process. The notification device 7 repeatedly executes the notification process shown in Fig. 6 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 30 seconds) while the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0059] The first selection unit 731 of the notification device 7 identifies the situation around the vehicle 1 using the positioning signal output by the GNSS receiver 5 or the peripheral image output by the peripheral camera 2. Then, the first selection unit 731 refers to the message table 721 and selects at least one message associated with a first condition that corresponds to the identified situation around the vehicle 1 (step S1).

[0060] Next, the second selection unit 732 of the notification device 7 identifies the driver's situation using the face image output by the driver monitor camera 3. Then, the second selection unit 732 refers to the message table 721 and selects, from the at least one selected message, at least one message associated with a second condition corresponding to the identified driver's situation (step S2).

[0061] Next, the specifying unit 733 of the notification device 7 determines whether or not the "last notification time" is recorded for at least one message associated with the selected second condition (step S3).

[0062] If it is determined that the "last notification time" is recorded (step S3: Y), the specifying unit 733 determines whether the "necessity of re-notification" for the message is "necessary" (step S4).

[0063] If it is determined that the "last notification time" for a message is not recorded (step S3: N), or if it is determined that the "necessity of re-notification" is "necessary" (step S4: Y), the identification unit 733 identifies the message that is the subject of the determination as a message to be notified, notifies the driver via the output device (step S5), and ends the notification process. Note that if multiple messages are selected in step S2, the processes of steps S3 to S5 may be repeated the same number of times as the number of selected messages.

[0064] When it is determined that the "necessity of re-notification" for the message is not "necessary" (step S4: N), the notification device 7 ends the notification process.

[0065] By executing the notification process in this manner, the notification device 7 can appropriately notify the driver of the vehicle of a message according to the situation.

[0066] According to the modified example, in the flowchart of the notification process described above, steps S1 and S2 are executed in reverse order. That is, first, second selection unit 732 selects at least one message associated with a second condition corresponding to the driver's situation. Then, first selection unit 731 selects at least one message associated with a first condition corresponding to the situation around the vehicle from the at least one selected message.

[0067] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make various changes, substitutions, and alterations thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1 vehicle 7 Notification device 71 Communication Interface 72 memory 73 processors 731 First Selection Section 732 Second Selection Section 733 Specific part 734 Notification Department 735 Identification Department 736 Update Department

Claims

1. a first selection unit that refers to a message table in which each of a plurality of messages to be notified to a driver of a vehicle is associated with a first condition that indicates a situation around the vehicle for which the message should be notified, a second condition that indicates a situation of the driver that is suitable for notifying the message, a time when the message was last notified, and a re-notification necessity indicating whether the message needs to be re-notified, and selects, from the plurality of messages, at least one message that is associated with the first condition that corresponds to a situation around the vehicle identified using an output signal of a positioning sensor or a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle; a second selection unit that refers to the message table and selects, from the at least one selected message, at least one message associated with the second condition corresponding to the driver's situation identified using an output signal from an in-vehicle sensor mounted in the vehicle; an identification unit that refers to the message table and identifies, as a notification target message, a message for which the time of last notification is not recorded, or a message for which the time of last notification is recorded and for which re-notification is indicated as necessary in the re-notification necessity information, from among at least one message associated with the selected second condition; a notification unit that notifies the driver of the notification target message via an output device; A notification device comprising:

2. The message table further associates each of the plurality of messages with an autonomous driving level corresponding to a situation in which the message should be notified, The notification device according to claim 1 , wherein the first selection unit selects, from among the messages associated with the specified first condition, a message associated with the autonomous driving level corresponding to the autonomous driving level of the vehicle.

3. 3. The notification device according to claim 1, further comprising an update unit that, when it is confirmed that the driver has acknowledged the notified message using the output signal of the in-vehicle sensor, updates the message table with the time of acknowledgement as the final notification time.

4. an identification unit that identifies a driver represented by the output signal of the in-vehicle sensor from among a plurality of drivers, using the output signal of the in-vehicle sensor; The notification device according to claim 3, wherein when it is confirmed that the identified driver has acknowledged the notified message, the update unit updates the message table to set the acknowledged time as the last notification time for the identified driver.

5. The notification device of claim 1, wherein the identification unit identifies as the message to be notified messages, among messages for which the time of the last notification is recorded and for which the re-notification necessity is indicated as requiring re-notification, messages for which the time interval from the time of the last notification to the current time exceeds a predetermined interval threshold.

6. a message table in which each of a plurality of messages to be notified to a driver of a vehicle is associated with a first condition that indicates a situation around the vehicle for which the message should be notified, a second condition that indicates a situation of the driver that is suitable for notifying the message, the time of the last notification of the message, and whether or not re-notification of the message is necessary, and the message table is used to select, from the plurality of messages, at least one message associated with the first condition that corresponds to the situation around the vehicle identified using an output signal of a positioning sensor or a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle; selecting, from the at least one selected message, at least one message associated with the second condition corresponding to the driver's situation identified using an output signal from an in-vehicle sensor mounted on the vehicle, by referring to the message table; referring to the message table, and identifying, as a notification target message, a message for which the time of last notification is not recorded, or a message for which the time of last notification is recorded and for which re-notification is indicated as necessary in the re-notification necessity information, among at least one message associated with the selected second condition; notifying the driver of the notification target message via an output device; Notification methods, including:

7. a message table in which each of a plurality of messages to be notified to a driver of a vehicle is associated with a first condition representing a situation around the vehicle for which the message should be notified, a second condition representing a situation of the driver suitable for notifying the message, the time of the last notification of the message, and a re-notification necessity indicating whether or not re-notification of the message is necessary, and selecting at least one message from the plurality of messages associated with the first condition corresponding to the situation around the vehicle identified using an output signal of a positioning sensor or a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle; selecting, from the at least one selected message, at least one message associated with the second condition corresponding to the driver's situation identified using an output signal from an in-vehicle sensor mounted on the vehicle, by referring to the message table; referring to the message table, and identifying, as a notification target message, a message for which the time of last notification is not recorded, or a message for which the time of last notification is recorded and for which re-notification is indicated as necessary in the re-notification necessity information, among at least one message associated with the selected second condition; notifying the driver of the notification target message via an output device; A notification computer program that causes a computer to do something.

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