Operation determination device and operation determination method

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of reducing the cost or size of an operation determining device. This operation determining device determines an operation performed on an operating device used in a vehicle, and comprises: an acquiring unit for acquiring an intensity of infrared light received by an infrared light receiving unit, in relation to the infrared light receiving unit, which is capable of receiving infrared light emitted from an infrared light emitting unit included in a DMS and reflected by the body of a driver performing an operation on the operating device; and a determining unit for determining whether the driver has operated the operating device, on the basis of the intensity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an operation determination device and an operation determination method.

Background Art

[0002] Regarding an operation determination device that determines whether the driver or the front passenger has operated an operating device such as a touch panel, various techniques have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, an infrared sensor that detects a hand or the like within a vicinity range is provided on the front passenger side and the driver's seat side of the operating device, and based on the detection result of the infrared sensor, an operation determination device that determines whether the driver or the front passenger has operated is proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the conventional operation determination device includes both an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared light receiving unit that constitute the infrared sensor, there is a problem that the cost or size of the operation determination device becomes relatively large.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of reducing the cost or size of an operation determination device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The operation determination device according to this disclosure is an operation determination device for determining operation of an operating device used in a vehicle, and comprises an infrared light receiving unit that is emitted from an infrared light emitting unit used to monitor the face and arms of the vehicle driver and is included in the vehicle's driver monitoring system, and is capable of receiving infrared light reflected by the arm of the driver operating the operating device, the device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires the intensity of the infrared light received by the infrared light receiving unit, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the driver has operated the operating device based on the intensity. The determination unit is provided separately from the infrared emission unit and is not connected to the infrared emission unit in a way that allows communication. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, the driver monitoring system uses infrared light emitted from an infrared light emitter to determine whether or not the driver has operated the control device, thereby reducing the cost or size of the operation determination device.

[0008] The purpose, features, aspects, and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operation determination device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operation determination device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating the reception of infrared light according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the operation determination device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the reception of infrared light according to Modification Example 1. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating the reception of infrared light according to modified example 2. [Figure 7] This is a front view showing the positional relationship between the DMS and the display device according to Modification Example 3. [Figure 8]It is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the DMS and the display device according to Modification 3. [Figure 9] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operation determination device according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by the infrared camera according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 11] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the operation determination device according to other modifications. [Figure 12] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the operation determination device according to other modifications. [Figure 13] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server according to other modifications. [Figure 14] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication terminal according to other modifications.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0010] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an operation determination device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The operation determination device 1 in FIG. 1 determines an operation on an operation device 41 used in a vehicle. The operation determination device 1 may be provided in the vehicle or may be provided outside the vehicle as described at the end of this specification.

[0011] On the other hand, the infrared light emitting unit 31 is provided in the vehicle and is included in a driver monitoring system (DMS) that monitors the driver of the vehicle. The infrared light emitting unit 31 is provided separately from the operation determination device 1 and is not provided in the operation determination device 1. The infrared light emitting unit 31 emits infrared light in a state directed at the driver in order to image the driver with a strobe.

[0012] The operation determination device 1 in FIG. 1 is communicably connected to the operation device 41 and the infrared light receiving unit 42. In the example of FIG. 1, the operation device 41 and the infrared light receiving unit 42 are provided separately from the operation determination device 1, but at least one of the operation device 41 and the infrared light receiving unit 42 may be provided in the operation determination device 1.

[0013] The operation device 41 receives operations from the driver and passengers in the vehicle. The operation device 41 includes at least one of a touch panel and operation buttons provided, for example, on the instrument panel of the vehicle. The passenger may be a front passenger or a rear seat passenger.

[0014] The infrared light receiving unit 42 is configured to be able to receive infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting unit 31 and reflected by the body of the driver who operates the operation device 41. The body of the driver includes, for example, at least a part from the driver's shoulder to the hand. The infrared light receiving unit 42 may receive not only the infrared light reflected by the body of the driver but also other infrared light.

[0015] The infrared light receiving unit 42 detects the intensity of the received infrared light based on the received infrared light. The infrared light receiving unit 42 is provided at a position where the intensity of the infrared light received by the infrared light receiving unit 42 changes when the driver operates the operation device 41.

[0016] The operation determination device Ⅰ in Fig. 1 includes an acquisition unit 11 and a determination unit 12.

[0017] The acquisition unit 11 acquires the intensity of the infrared light received and detected by the infrared light receiving unit 42 from the infrared light receiving unit 42. The acquisition unit 11 may be, for example, an interface of the infrared light receiving unit 42, or may be the infrared light receiving unit 42 itself when the operation determination device 1 includes the infrared light receiving unit 42.

[0018] The determination unit 12 determines whether the driver has operated the operation device 41 based on the intensity acquired by the acquisition unit 11. A processing circuit or the like described later is used for the determination unit 12.

[0019] For example, the determination unit 12 determines that the driver operated the control device 41 if it determines that the intensity acquired by the acquisition unit 11 has changed, and determines that the driver did not operate the control device 41 if it determines that the intensity acquired by the acquisition unit 11 has not changed. Furthermore, if the control device 41 is operated despite the determination unit 12 determining that the driver did not operate the control device 41, the determination unit 12 determines that a passenger operated the control device 41. Examples of when the intensity acquired by the acquisition unit 11 changes include when the intensity exceeds a threshold, or when the change in the intensity exceeds a threshold.

[0020] <Summary of Embodiment 1> In the operation determination device 1 according to this embodiment 1 described above, infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitter 31 included in the DMS is used to determine whether or not the driver operated the operating device 41. With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether the driver or a passenger operated the operating device 41 without providing a dedicated infrared light emitter in the operation determination device 1, thereby reducing the cost or size of the operation determination device 1.

[0021] <Embodiment 2> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operation determination device 1 according to this second embodiment. Hereinafter, among the components of this second embodiment, components that are the same as or similar to the components described above will be denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and the different components will be described in detail.

[0022] The operation determination device 1 according to this second embodiment is provided in the display device 40. The display device 40 is provided separately from the DMS 30 and is communicated with the vehicle speed detection unit 51 and the head unit 52. Before describing the display device 40, the DMS 30, the vehicle speed detection unit 51 and the head unit 52 will be described.

[0023] The DMS30 comprises an infrared light-emitting element 31a, an infrared camera 32, and a control unit 33. The infrared light-emitting element 31a is included in the concept of the infrared light-emitting unit 31 in Figure 1 and emits infrared light toward the driver 61. The infrared camera 32 captures an image of the driver 61 based on the infrared light reflected from the driver 61. The control unit 33 controls the infrared light-emitting element 31a and the infrared camera 32 to synchronize the timing of the infrared light-emitting element 31a emitting infrared light with the timing of the infrared camera 32 capturing an image. The control unit 33 also determines and monitors, for example, the driver 61's facial expression, posture, and movements based on the image captured by the infrared camera 32. The control unit 33 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0024] The vehicle speed detection unit 51 detects the vehicle speed. When the head unit 52 receives an operation signal from the operation determination device 1, it generates, for example, an image of navigation information, an image of vehicle information, an HMI (human interface) image, a control signal for the display 44, etc., and outputs them to the display control unit 43, which will be described later.

[0025] Next, the configuration of the display device 40 in Figure 2 will be described. The display device 40 in Figure 2 comprises an operation determination device 1, an operation device 41, an infrared light receiving element 42a, a display control unit 43, and a display 44. The operation determination device 1 comprises a light reception intensity acquisition unit 11a, a distance calculation unit 11b, an operation restriction determination unit 12a, a vehicle speed signal receiving unit 13, an operation signal processing unit 14, and a communication control unit 15. The operation device 41 comprises an operation button 41a and a touch panel 41b.

[0026] The operating device 41 is included in the concept of the operating device 41 in Figure 1, and the infrared light receiving element 42a is included in the concept of the infrared light receiving unit 42 in Figure 1. In addition, the light reception intensity acquisition unit 11a and the distance calculation unit 11b are included in the concept of the acquisition unit 11 in Figure 1, and the operation restriction determination unit 12a is included in the concept of the determination unit 12 in Figure 1.

[0027] The operation buttons 41a receive input from the driver and passengers and generate an operation signal indicating that input. The operation buttons 41a include, for example, push buttons and knobs. The touch panel 41b receives input from the driver and passengers and generates an operation signal indicating that input. The following description will focus on the case where the touch panel 41b is integrated with the display 44, but this is not mandatory.

[0028] The infrared light receiving element 42a is configured to receive infrared light emitted from the infrared light-emitting element 31a and reflected by the arm 61a of the operator 61 who operates the operating device 41. The infrared light receiving element 42a detects the intensity of the infrared light based on the received infrared light.

[0029] The light intensity acquisition unit 11a acquires the intensity of infrared radiation detected by the infrared light receiving element 42a from the infrared light receiving element 42a. The distance calculation unit 11b calculates the distance between the driver's arm 61a and the operating device 41 based on the infrared radiation intensity acquired by the light intensity acquisition unit 11a. For example, the stronger the infrared radiation intensity acquired by the light intensity acquisition unit 11a, the shorter the distance calculated between the arm 61a and the operating device 41.

[0030] The operation restriction determination unit 12a determines whether the driver operated the control device 41 based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 11b. For example, if the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 11b is greater than or equal to a threshold, the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines that the driver operated the control device 41, and if the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 11b is less than the threshold, it determines that the driver did not operate the control device 41.

[0031] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating infrared light reception according to this second embodiment. The following explanation primarily focuses on the case where the vehicle is right-hand drive, but the same principles apply to left-hand drive vehicles, only the left and right sides are reversed.

[0032] As shown in Figure 3, if the driver does not operate the operating device 41 of the display device 40, the infrared light emitted from the infrared light-emitting element 31a is not substantially reflected by the driver and is not substantially received by the infrared light-receiving element 42a. Furthermore, since the infrared light-emitting element 31a is not directed towards the passenger side, regardless of whether the passenger operates the operating device 41 of the display device 40 or not, the infrared light emitted from the infrared light-emitting element 31a is not substantially reflected by the passenger and is not substantially received by the infrared light-receiving element 42a. In this case, the operation restriction determination unit 12a is configured to determine that the intensity of the infrared light received by the infrared light-receiving element 42a, and consequently the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 11b, is below a threshold, and that the driver did not operate the operating device 41.

[0033] On the other hand, when the driver operates the operating device 41 of the display device 40, the infrared light emitted from the infrared light-emitting element 31a is reflected by the driver and received by the infrared light-receiving element 42a. In this case, the operation restriction determination unit 12a is configured to determine that the intensity of the infrared light received by the infrared light-receiving element 42a, and consequently the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 11b, is above a threshold, and that the driver has operated the operating device 41.

[0034] The vehicle speed signal receiving unit 13 in Figure 2 receives the vehicle speed signal detected by the vehicle speed detection unit 51.

[0035] The operation restriction determination unit 12a determines whether or not the vehicle is moving based on the signal received by the vehicle speed signal receiving unit 13. If the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines that the vehicle is moving and that the driver has operated the control device 41, it determines that it will restrict the operation received by the control device 41. On the other hand, if the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines that the vehicle is not moving, or that the driver has not operated the control device 41, it determines that it will not restrict the operation received by the control device 41.

[0036] If the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines that the operation should be restricted, the operation signal processing unit 14 does not output the operation signal generated by the operation device 41 to the communication control unit 15, but instead outputs an image indicating that the operation is not possible or prohibited to the display control unit 43. On the other hand, if the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines that the operation should not be restricted, the operation signal processing unit 14 outputs the operation signal generated by the operation device 41 to the communication control unit 15.

[0037] The communication control unit 15 is configured to communicate with the head unit 52 and transmits operation signals from the operation signal processing unit 14 to the head unit 52. As a result, if the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines that the operation should not be restricted, the operation received by the operation device 41 is reflected in the head unit 52. On the other hand, if the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines that the operation should be restricted, the operation received by the operation device 41 is not reflected in the head unit 52.

[0038] The display control unit 43 controls the display of the display 44 based on images and signals from the operation signal processing unit 14 and the head unit 52. The display 44 displays images (e.g., HMI images) from the operation signal processing unit 14 and the head unit 52 as appropriate under the control of the display control unit 43.

[0039] <Operation> Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the operation determination device 1 according to this second embodiment.

[0040] First, in step S1, the light intensity acquisition unit 11a acquires the intensity of infrared radiation detected by the infrared light receiving element 42a, and the distance calculation unit 11b calculates the distance between the driver's arm and the operating device 41 based on the intensity of infrared radiation acquired by the light intensity acquisition unit 11a.

[0041] In step S2, the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines whether the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 11b is greater than or equal to a threshold. If the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 11b is determined to be greater than or equal to a threshold, the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines that the driver operated the operating device 41, and the process proceeds to step S3. If the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 11b is determined to be less than a threshold, the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines that the driver did not operate the operating device 41, and the operation shown in Figure 4 ends.

[0042] In step S3, the operation restriction determination unit 12a determines whether the vehicle is moving or not based on the signal received by the vehicle speed signal receiving unit 13. If it is determined that the vehicle is moving, the process proceeds to step S4; if it is determined that the vehicle is not moving, the operation shown in Figure 4 ends.

[0043] In step S4, the operation received by the control device 41 is restricted by the operation of the control signal processing unit 14, etc. This restricts the driver's operation of the control device 41. After that, the operation shown in Figure 4 ends.

[0044] In the above explanation, the determination of whether the driver operated the control device 41 was based on whether the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 11b was above a threshold, but this is not the only method. For example, without providing the distance calculation unit 11b, the determination of whether the driver operated the control device 41 could be based on whether the infrared intensity acquired by the light reception intensity acquisition unit 11a was above a threshold.

[0045] <Summary of Embodiment 2> The operation determination device 1 according to this second embodiment, as described above, can reduce the cost or size of the operation determination device 1, similar to the first embodiment. Furthermore, according to this second embodiment, the operation determination device 1 can restrict the driver's operation when the vehicle is in motion.

[0046] <Example 1> Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the reception of infrared light by the infrared light receiving element 42a according to this modified example 1. In Figure 5, the light-receiving surface 42b of the infrared light receiving element 42a is oriented towards the driver's side rather than the passenger side. As shown in Figure 5, when the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle, the light-receiving surface 42b is oriented towards the left arm side of the driver operating the control device 41. Although not shown, when the vehicle is a left-hand drive vehicle, the light-receiving surface 42b is oriented towards the right arm side of the driver operating the control device 41.

[0047] With this configuration, the intensity of infrared radiation acquired when the driver operates the control device 41 of the display device 40 can be increased, and the intensity of infrared radiation acquired when a passenger operates the control device 41 of the display device 40 can be decreased. Therefore, the accuracy of determining whether or not the driver has operated the control device 41 can be improved.

[0048] <Modification 2> Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the reception of infrared light by the infrared light receiving element 42a according to the modified example 2. In Figure 6, a limiting portion 42c is provided on the infrared light receiving element 42a to reduce the light receiving angle of the infrared light receiving element 42a. The light receiving angle is the maximum incident angle of light that can be incident on the light receiving surface 42b of the infrared light receiving element 42a. In the example of Figure 6, the limiting portion 42c is a cylindrical member provided on the light receiving surface 42b of the infrared light receiving element 42a, but it is not limited to this. For example, the limiting portion 42c may be an optical lens or the like.

[0049] The limiting section 42c reduces, for example, the light-receiving angle of the infrared light-receiving element 42a in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions. If the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle, the range of the light-receiving angle includes the driver's left arm, and if the vehicle is a left-hand drive vehicle, the range of the light-receiving angle includes the driver's right arm.

[0050] This configuration allows for increased directivity of the infrared light receiving element 42a. This increases the intensity of infrared radiation acquired when the driver operates the control device 41 of the display device 40, while decreasing the intensity of infrared radiation acquired when a passenger operates the control device 41 of the display device 40. As a result, the accuracy of determining whether or not the driver has operated the control device 41 can be improved.

[0051] <Variation 3> Figure 7 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the DMS 30 and the display device 40 according to this modified example 3, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing that positional relationship.

[0052] The infrared light receiving element 42a is located around the operating device 41, on the side of the infrared light-emitting element 31a, and closer to the driver's seat than the passenger seat of the vehicle. In Figure 7, the operating device 41 is a touch panel integrated with the display 44, and the operating device 41 and the display 44 are shown in the same way.

[0053] Figure 7 shows the case where the infrared light-emitting element 31a is located on the upper side and the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle, and the infrared light-receiving element 42a is located on the upper and right side around the operating device 41. Although not shown, for example, if the infrared light-emitting element 31a is located on the upper side and the vehicle is a left-hand drive vehicle, the infrared light-receiving element 42a is located on the upper and left side around the operating device 41.

[0054] As shown in Figure 8, the light-receiving surface 42b of the infrared light-receiving element 42a is directed toward the forearm 61b side, which is the part of the operator's arm 61a between the upper arm 61c and the hand when operating the operating device 41. In the example in Figure 8, the light-receiving surface 42b is inclined downward with respect to the horizontal.

[0055] With this configuration, the intensity of infrared radiation acquired when the driver operates the control device 41 of the display device 40 can be increased. Therefore, the accuracy of determining whether or not the driver has operated the control device 41 can be improved.

[0056] Furthermore, the infrared light-emitting element 31a may be provided within the operating device 41 rather than around it. With such a configuration, the judgment accuracy can be improved and the size of the display device 40 can be reduced.

[0057] <Modification 4> For example, if the DMS30 and the display device 40 are from different manufacturers, the threshold used to determine whether or not the driver operated the control device 41 may not be appropriate, resulting in low accuracy of the determination.

[0058] Therefore, the infrared light-emitting element 31a may be configured to repeatedly turn on and off by emitting infrared light. The operation restriction determination unit 12a may be configured to control a threshold intensity used to determine whether or not the driver has operated the operating device 41, based on the intensity when the infrared light emission is on and the intensity when the infrared light emission is off.

[0059] For example, when the threshold setting mode is executed, the display device 40 displays a prompt to the driver to operate the control device 41 and determines whether or not the control device 41 has been operated. The operation restriction determination unit 12a sets the value between the maximum intensity when infrared emission is on and the minimum intensity when infrared emission is off as the intensity threshold during the period from the start of the threshold setting mode to the time when the control device 41 is operated. With this configuration, the determination accuracy can be improved.

[0060] <Embodiment 3> Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operation determination device 1 according to this third embodiment. Hereinafter, among the components of this third embodiment, components that are the same as or similar to the components described above will be denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and the different components will be described in detail.

[0061] In this third embodiment, the control unit 33 of the DMS 30 and the operation restriction determination unit 12a of the operation determination device 1 are connected in a way that allows them to communicate with each other.

[0062] Figure 10 shows an example of an image captured by the infrared camera 32 of the DMS 30. The image in Figure 10 includes the face and upper arm 61c of the driver 61. Based on the image, the control unit 33 of the DMS 30 determines whether or not the driver 61's upper arm 61c is moving toward the operating device 41, and outputs the determination result to the operation restriction determination unit 12a.

[0063] The operation restriction determination unit 12a determines whether or not the driver operated the operating device 41 based on the infrared intensity acquired by the light intensity acquisition unit 11a and the determination result from the DMS 30.

[0064] As a first example, the operation restriction determination unit 12a may determine four possible states by combining two conditions: whether the infrared intensity is above a threshold and whether the upper arm 61c is moving toward the operating device 41. The operation restriction determination unit 12a may then determine that the driver operated the operating device 41 if one condition is determined: the infrared intensity is above a threshold and the upper arm 61c is moving toward the operating device 41. The operation restriction determination unit 12a may then determine that the driver did not operate the operating device 41 if any of the remaining three conditions are determined.

[0065] As a second example, the operation restriction determination unit 12a may lower the threshold when it determines that the upper arm 61c is moving toward the operating device 41, and raise the threshold when it determines that the upper arm 61c is not moving toward the operating device 41. Furthermore, similar to the second embodiment, the operation restriction determination unit 12a may determine whether the driver has operated the operating device 41 based on whether the infrared intensity is above a threshold.

[0066] <Summary of Embodiment 3> In the operation determination device 1 according to this embodiment 3 described above, the operator 61 is determined to have operated the operation device 41 based on the intensity of the infrared rays and the determination result of the DMS 30, which determines whether or not the upper arm 61c of the operator 61 is moving toward the operation device 41. With this configuration, the determination of whether or not the operator 61 has operated the operation device 41 is made by taking into account the determination result of the DMS, so the accuracy of the determination can be improved.

[0067] <Variation> The control unit 33 of the DMS 30 may determine whether the driver's gaze is directed toward the operating device 41 based on the image of the eye 61d in the image of Figure 10, and output the determination result to the operation restriction determination unit 12a. The operation restriction determination unit 12a may then determine whether the driver has operated the operating device 41 based on the infrared intensity acquired by the light intensity acquisition unit 11a and the determination result from the DMS 30.

[0068] Furthermore, the driver 61's gaze being directed toward the control device 41 corresponds to the upper arm 61c moving toward the control device 41 as described in Embodiment 3. Conversely, the driver 61's gaze not being directed toward the control device 41 corresponds to the upper arm 61c not moving toward the control device 41 as described in Embodiment 3.

[0069] With this configuration, the judgment accuracy can be improved, similar to Embodiment 3. Furthermore, Embodiment 3 and this modified example may be combined.

[0070] <Other variations> The acquisition unit 11 and determination unit 12 shown in Figure 1 above will be referred to as "acquisition unit 11, etc." below. The acquisition unit 11, etc. is realized by the processing circuit 81 shown in Figure 11. Specifically, the processing circuit 81 includes an acquisition unit 11 that acquires the intensity of infrared radiation received by an infrared light receiving unit 42, which is capable of receiving infrared radiation emitted from an infrared light emitting unit 31 included in the DMS that monitors the vehicle driver and reflected by the driver's body when operating the operating device 41, and a determination unit 12 that determines whether or not the driver operated the operating device 41 based on the intensity. Dedicated hardware may be applied to the processing circuit 81, or a processor that executes a program stored in memory may be applied. Examples of processors include central processing units, processing units, arithmetic units, microprocessors, microcomputers, and DSPs (Digital Signal Processors).

[0071] If the processing circuit 81 is dedicated hardware, it may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Each function of the acquisition unit 11, etc., may be implemented by a circuit with distributed processing circuits, or the functions of each part may be implemented together by a single processing circuit.

[0072] When the processing circuit 81 is a processor, the functions of the acquisition unit 11, etc., are realized in combination with software, etc. Software, etc., may include, for example, software, firmware, or both. The software, etc., is written as a program and stored in memory. As shown in Figure 12, the processor 82 applied to the processing circuit 81 realizes the functions of each part by reading and executing the program stored in memory 83. That is, the operation determination device 1, when executed by the processing circuit 81, includes memory 83 for storing a program that ultimately executes the following steps: acquiring the intensity of infrared radiation received by an infrared light receiving unit 42, which is capable of receiving infrared radiation emitted from an infrared light emitting unit 31 included in the DMS that monitors the vehicle driver and reflected by the driver's body when operating the operation device 41; and determining, based on the intensity, whether or not the driver operated the operation device 41. In other words, this program can be said to cause the computer to execute the procedures and methods of the acquisition unit 11, etc. Here, memory 83 may be, for example, non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, minidisc, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), their drive devices, or any storage medium used in the future.

[0073] The above describes a configuration in which each function of the acquisition unit 11, etc., is realized by either hardware or software. However, this is not the only configuration; a part of the acquisition unit 11, etc., may be realized by dedicated hardware, and another part by software. For example, the acquisition unit 11 can be realized by a dedicated hardware processing circuit 81 and acquisition processing circuit, while the other functions can be realized by a processor 82 processing circuit 81 reading and executing a program stored in memory 83.

[0074] As described above, the processing circuit 81 can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0075] Furthermore, the operation determination device 1 described above can also be applied to an operation determination system constructed as a system by appropriately combining a vehicle device, a communication terminal, the functions of an application installed on at least one of the vehicle device and the communication terminal, and a server. The vehicle device includes, for example, a PND (Portable Navigation Device) and a navigation device. The communication terminal includes, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet. Each function or component of the operation determination device described above may be distributed among the devices that make up the system, or may be concentrated in one of the devices.

[0076] Figure 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server 91 according to this modified example. The server 91 in Figure 13 includes a communication unit 91a and a control unit 91b, and is capable of wireless communication with the vehicle equipment 93 of the vehicle 92.

[0077] The acquisition unit, communication unit 91a, receives the same infrared intensity as described above acquired by the vehicle device 93 by communicating wirelessly with the vehicle device 93.

[0078] The control unit 91b has the same function as the determination unit 12 in Figure 1, by having a processor (not shown) of the server 91 execute a program stored in the memory (not shown) of the server 91. In other words, the control unit 91b determines whether or not the driver of the vehicle 92 operated the control device based on the intensity received by the communication unit 91a. The communication unit 91a then transmits the determination result of the control unit 91b to the vehicle device 93. With the server 91 configured in this way, the same effects as the operation determination device 1 described in Embodiment 1 can be obtained.

[0079] Figure 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication terminal 96 according to this modified example. The communication terminal 96 in Figure 14 is equipped with a communication unit 96a similar to the communication unit 91a and a control unit 96b similar to the control unit 91b, and is capable of wireless communication with the vehicle equipment 98 of the vehicle 97. For example, the communication terminal 96 can be a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet carried by the driver of the vehicle 97. With a communication terminal 96 configured in this way, the same effects as the operation determination device 1 described in Embodiment 1 can be obtained.

[0080] Furthermore, it is possible to freely combine each embodiment and each variation, and to modify or omit each embodiment and each variation as appropriate.

[0081] The above explanation is illustrative and not limiting in all respects. It should be understood that countless variations not illustrated are conceivable. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0082] 1 Operation determination device, 11 Acquisition unit, 12 Determination unit, 30 DMS, 31 Infrared emission unit, 41 Operation device, 42 Infrared light receiving unit, 42b Light receiving surface, 42c Restriction unit, 61 Driver, 61a Arm, 61b Forearm, 61c Upper arm.

Claims

1. An operation determination device for determining the operation of an operating device used in a vehicle, Regarding an infrared light receiving unit included in the driver monitoring system of the vehicle, which is used to monitor the face and arms of the driver of the vehicle and is emitted from an infrared light emitting unit and capable of receiving infrared light reflected by the arm of the driver operating the operating device, the infrared light receiving unit includes an acquisition unit that acquires the intensity of the infrared light received by the infrared light receiving unit, A determination unit that determines whether or not the driver operated the operating device based on the aforementioned intensity. Equipped with, An operation determination device wherein the determination unit is provided separately from the infrared light-emitting unit and is not connected to the infrared light-emitting unit in a communicative manner.

2. An operation determination device according to claim 1, An operation determination device wherein the light-receiving surface of the infrared light-receiving unit is directed towards the driver's side of the vehicle rather than the passenger side.

3. An operation determination device according to claim 2, An operation determination device wherein, if the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle, the light-receiving surface is directed toward the left arm side of the driver operating the control device, and if the vehicle is a left-hand drive vehicle, the light-receiving surface is directed toward the right arm side of the driver operating the control device.

4. An operation determination device according to claim 1, An operation determination device wherein a limiting unit for reducing the receiving angle of the infrared light receiving unit is provided on the infrared light receiving unit.

5. An operation determination device according to claim 4, The limiting unit is an operation determination device that reduces the light receiving angle of the infrared light receiving unit in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions.

6. An operation determination device according to claim 4 or claim 5, An operation determination device wherein, if the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle, the range of the light-receiving angle includes the driver's left arm, and if the vehicle is a left-hand drive vehicle, the range of the light-receiving angle includes the driver's right arm.

7. An operation determination device according to claim 1, The infrared light receiving unit is provided within the range of the operating device, or within the area surrounding the operating device, on the infrared light emitting unit side, and closer to the driver's seat than the passenger seat of the vehicle. An operation determination device wherein the light-receiving surface of the infrared light-receiving unit is directed toward the forearm side of the driver who operates the operating device.

8. An operation determination device for determining an operation of an operating device used in a vehicle, Regarding an infrared light receiving unit included in the driver monitoring system of the vehicle, which is used to monitor the face and arms of the driver of the vehicle and is emitted from an infrared light emitting unit and capable of receiving infrared light reflected by the arm of the driver operating the operating device, the infrared light receiving unit includes an acquisition unit that acquires the intensity of the infrared light received by the infrared light receiving unit, A determination unit that determines whether or not the driver operated the operating device based on the aforementioned intensity. Equipped with, The infrared light emitter repeatedly turns on and off the infrared light, The determination unit controls a threshold value of the intensity used to determine whether the driver operated the operating device, based on the intensity when the infrared emission is on and the intensity when the infrared emission is off.

9. An operation determination method for determining the operation of an operating device used in a vehicle, The acquisition unit is an infrared light receiving unit that is included in the driver monitoring system of the vehicle and is used to monitor the face and arms of the driver of the vehicle, and is capable of receiving infrared rays reflected by the arms of the driver operating the operating device, and acquires the intensity of the infrared rays received by the infrared light receiving unit. The determination unit determines, based on the intensity, whether or not the driver operated the control device. An operation determination method wherein the determination unit is provided separately from the infrared light-emitting unit and is not connected to the infrared light-emitting unit in a communicative manner.

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