Driving assistance systems

Abstract

To provide a driving support device capable of effectively preventing tailgating.SOLUTION: A driving support device 1 includes: a tailgating determination unit 42 for determining whether or not a driver of a vehicle is in a tailgating state in which he / she is tailgating another vehicle; an interrogating unit 30 for executing a voice interrogation with the driver; and a voice receiving unit 20 that receives voice by speech of the driver. The driving support device is capable of executing voice chat, which is a dialogue with the driver, by executing a predetermined interrogation to the driver by the interrogating unit 30 and receiving voice from the driver by the voice receiving unit 20. The driving support device 1 allows the execution of the voice chat on the condition that the driving state is determined to be tailgating by a tailgating determination unit 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving support device for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, aggressive driving by drivers of vehicles such as automobiles has become a social problem. Therefore, in order to suppress aggressive driving, a driving support device has been disclosed that adjusts the reaction force of the accelerator pedal and warns the driver when the driver is determined to be in an aggressive driving state (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, the invention described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above is supposed to determine the aggressive driving state of the driver based on the vehicle speed and the distance from the preceding vehicle, and when the driver is determined to be in an aggressive driving state, it is supposed to warn the driver. That is, the invention described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above is supposed to unidirectionally warn the driver. However, since a driver in an aggressive driving state is in an excited state, especially when driving alone, there is a concern that aggressive driving cannot be suppressed only by the above-mentioned warning. Therefore, the invention described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above has a problem that appropriate suppression of aggressive driving considering the driver's feelings cannot be achieved.

[0005] Furthermore, the invention described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above had the potential to be misidentified as aggressive driving even when the driver was not engaging in such behavior, depending on road conditions. In such cases, there was a concern that warnings or other actions would increase driver dissatisfaction. Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a driving assistance device that can effectively suppress aggressive driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) The driving assistance device of the present invention, provided to solve the above-mentioned problems, comprises: a driving aggressiveness determination unit that determines whether or not the driver of a vehicle is in a state of aggressive driving, such as tailgating other vehicles; an inquiry unit that makes voice inquiries to the driver; and a voice reception unit that receives voice from the driver. The device is capable of performing a voice chat to communicate with the driver by making predetermined inquiries to the driver from the inquiry unit and receiving voice from the driver via the voice reception unit. The driving aggressiveness determination unit permits the execution of the voice chat on the condition that the driving state is determined to be aggressive driving.

[0007] The aforementioned driver assistance system is capable of conducting voice chats through dialogue with the driver, by having the questioning unit ask questions to the driver and the voice reception unit receive voice messages from the driver. Therefore, the aforementioned driver assistance system can use voice chat to ask questions that will put the driver at ease, for example. This is expected to have the effect of calming the driver's agitated state. Furthermore, the aforementioned driver assistance system is designed so that voice chat is permitted only if the aggressive driving detection unit determines that aggressive driving has occurred. Therefore, the aforementioned driver assistance system can prevent voice chat from being executed when the driver is not engaging in aggressive driving. As a result, the aforementioned driver assistance system can prevent the frequent execution of voice chats, thus reducing the risk of upsetting the driver.

[0008] (2) In the driving assistance device of the present invention described above, the aggressive driving determination unit may determine that the driver is in an aggressive driving state on the condition that a predetermined keyword is included in the driver's utterance received by the voice reception unit.

[0009] By adopting this configuration, the aforementioned driver assistance system can more accurately determine aggressive driving behavior. As a result, the aforementioned driver assistance system can further reduce the amount of questioning it asks the driver, thus less likely to upset the driver. Examples of predetermined keywords include "slow," "frustrating," "hurry up," "go," "damn it," and "idiot."

[0010] (3) The driving assistance device of the present invention described above comprises an image acquisition unit that acquires an image including at least the driver's face, and an image processing unit that processes the image to recognize at least the driver's facial expression, and the aggressive driving determination unit may determine that the driver is in an aggressive driving state on the condition that the facial expression matches a predetermined standard.

[0011] By configuring the above-described driver assistance device in this way, it can determine whether aggressive driving is occurring based on the driver's facial expression, thereby enabling more accurate determination of aggressive driving. As a result, the above-described driver assistance device can further reduce the need to ask the driver excessive questions, thus further suppressing any potential offense to the driver. Here, the determination of facial expression by the aggressive driving determination unit can be performed using various methods, such as using AI (artificial intelligence) to determine what a person looks like when angry, or acquiring characteristic points of angry facial expressions in advance and then performing pattern matching between the image and the characteristic points to make the determination.

[0012] (4) The driving assistance device of the present invention described above preferably has a questioning unit that makes questions using voices of close relatives of the driver that have been registered in advance.

[0013] By configuring the aforementioned driver assistance system in this way, it can help calm the driver's nerves more effectively. As a result, the aforementioned driver assistance system can more effectively suppress aggressive driving.

[0014] (5) The driving assistance device of the present invention described above comprises at least one of a speed detection unit for detecting the speed of the vehicle and an acceleration detection unit for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle, and the aggressive driving determination unit may determine that the driver is in an aggressive driving state if the change in the vehicle's speed detected by the speed detection unit exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes, or if the change in the vehicle's acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes.

[0015] By configuring the aforementioned driver assistance system in this way, it can determine aggressive driving behavior, including changes in vehicle behavior, and thus detect the driver's aggressive driving state with greater accuracy. As a result, the aforementioned driver assistance system can further reduce the amount of questioning it asks the driver, thereby further minimizing the risk of causing offense to the driver.

[0016] (6) The driving assistance device of the present invention described above may be configured such that the questioning unit is an AI-based chat or chatbot.

[0017] By adopting this configuration, the aforementioned driver assistance system can automatically engage in voice chat with the driver. This allows the driver assistance system to communicate smoothly with the driver. Furthermore, since the aforementioned driver assistance system can engage in voice chat without relying on human intervention, cost reduction can be expected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] This invention can provide a driver assistance device that can effectively suppress aggressive driving. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a configuration diagram of a driving support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a flowchart of a driving support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a configuration diagram of a driving support device according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart of a driving support device according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart of voice processing (subroutine) in the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 4.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, a driving support device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the case where the vehicle is an automobile will be described as an example. Further, in this embodiment, it will be described on the premise that the driver is driving in the driver's seat of the vehicle.

[0021] The driving support device 1 includes an image acquisition unit 10, an audio reception unit 20, an inquiry unit 30, and a control unit 40 (including an image processing unit 41 and a tailgating driving determination unit). Further, in addition to the above, the driving support device 1 includes a display unit 50, a storage medium 51, a communication unit 52, and the like.

[0022] The image acquisition unit 10 is composed of a photographing device such as a drive recorder or a camera (including a video camera), for example. The image acquisition unit 10 is provided in the vehicle interior, for example, and can acquire an image related to at least the face of the driver. The image acquisition unit 10 can preferably use a camera capable of infrared photography so that the driver can be photographed even at night or in a dark surrounding situation. The image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 is subjected to image processing in the control unit 40 described later.

[0023] The voice reception unit 20 is composed of, for example, a microphone, and is designed to receive voice from the driver. The voice reception unit 20 is positioned, for example, around the steering wheel in the vehicle, so that it can detect the driver's voice. The voice received by the voice reception unit 20 is processed by the control unit 40 and used for voice chat.

[0024] The questioning unit 30 is, for example, composed of a speaker and is located inside the vehicle. The questioning unit 30 is designed to ask the driver questions using voice. Based on the voice received from the driver by the voice reception unit 20, the questioning unit 30 is capable of performing a voice chat to communicate with the driver. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 can output voices such as, for example, "What's the matter?", "You're driving aggressively," "Please calm down," or "Let's drive safely." The voice chat utterances from the questioning unit 30 are performed using, for example, pre-registered phrases or phrases generated by processing the voice received by the voice reception unit 20 with AI (artificial intelligence). The voice chat can be implemented using various means, such as through a robot called a chatbot, or through a voice chat service (e.g., Connect Service) via the communication unit 52 described later.

[0025] As described above, the driver assistance device 1 has an inquiry unit 30 that is configured with an AI-powered chat or chatbot, enabling automatic voice chat dialogue with the driver. This allows the driver assistance device 1 to communicate smoothly with the driver. Furthermore, since the driver assistance device 1 can communicate via voice chat without relying on human intervention, cost reduction can be expected.

[0026] The control unit 40 is composed of a computer, such as a microcontroller. The control unit 40 controls the image acquisition unit 10, the voice reception unit 20, and the questioning unit 30, and can also control the entire driving assistance device 1. The control unit 40 also includes an image processing unit 41 and an aggressive driving determination unit 42. The control unit 40 can also store (register) the voice content output by the questioning unit 30 and the determination keywords of the aggressive driving determination unit 42. The image processing unit 41 and the aggressive driving determination unit 42 may be provided independently of the control unit 40.

[0027] The image processing unit 41 is configured to process at least the driver's face image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 to recognize the driver's facial expression. Specifically, the image processing unit 41 analyzes the driver's face image using AI to recognize, for example, whether the driver has an angry expression or another expression (for example, a normal expression, a smiling expression, etc.). Facial expression recognition is not limited to AI; for example, it may also be performed by calculating feature points from the driver's face image and comparing these feature points with pre-registered feature points using image matching.

[0028] The aggressive driving detection unit 42 is responsible for determining whether the driver of a vehicle is engaging in aggressive driving behavior, such as tailgating other vehicles. Furthermore, voice chat is permitted only if the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that aggressive driving is occurring. The following describes the specific criteria used by the aggressive driving detection unit 42 for determining aggressive driving behavior.

[0029] The aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that a driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior if the driver's facial expression matches a predetermined standard. Here, the predetermined standard is, for example, if the driver's facial expression is angry.

[0030] Furthermore, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that a driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior if the driver's utterance received by the voice reception unit 20 contains predetermined keywords. Examples of predetermined keywords include "slow," "frustrating," "hurry up," "go," "damn it," and "idiot." In other words, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines whether a driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior based on keywords uttered by the driver in an excited state. These keywords are either pre-registered or set through AI learning.

[0031] The display unit 50 is composed of, for example, an instrument panel or a car navigation system screen. The display unit 50 can display warning images or photos of pre-registered close relatives. In this way, the driver assistance device 1 according to this embodiment can soothe the driver's agitation with visually appealing images and the like from the display unit 50.

[0032] The storage medium 51 is composed of, for example, memory (including SD cards, SSDs, etc.) or a hard disk, and can store images acquired by the forward imaging unit 15 and the image acquisition unit 10. The storage medium 51 can also store audio received by the audio reception unit 20. Thus, the storage medium 51 is configured to record the driving status of the vehicle. Therefore, in this embodiment, the driver assistance device 1 also functions as a drive recorder. The storage medium 51 may be detachable from the driver assistance device 1, or it may be built into the control unit 40, etc. Furthermore, the storage medium 51 may be provided in the control unit 40, etc., or it may be provided separately from the control unit 40, etc.

[0033] The communication unit 52 is configured as a communication device for connecting, for example, an in-vehicle TCU (Telematics Control Unit) or a mobile terminal of the driver with the driver assistance device 1. The communication unit 52 may be configured to enable information communication with Connect Services, etc., using the TCU or mobile terminal. With this configuration, the driver assistance device 1 can receive inquiries from the Connect Services side via the inquiry unit 30.

[0034] The above describes the configuration of the driver assistance device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Next, the operation flow of the driver assistance device 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 5.

[0035] When the operation of the driver assistance device 1 is started, the image acquisition unit 10 starts acquiring an image of the driver's face (step S10). Once the image is acquired in step S10, the image processing unit 41 starts image processing and recognizes the driver's facial expression.

[0036] Next, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 estimates whether or not the driver is engaging in aggressive driving based on the facial expression recognized in the image (step S11). If it is estimated in step S11 that the driver is not engaging in aggressive driving, the series of processes ends and the process returns to step S10. On the other hand, if it is estimated in step S11 that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving, a voice chat conversation is permitted. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 asks a question (step S12). Here, the questioning unit 30 is supposed to ask a conversational question such as, "What's the matter?"

[0037] Next, the system starts receiving voice messages from the driver, and determines whether or not the driver's voice contains predetermined keywords (step S13). If it is determined in step S13 that the driver's voice does not contain the predetermined keywords, the process returns to step S10. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the driver's voice contains the predetermined keywords, it is determined that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving (step S14).

[0038] Next, the voice dialogue processing (step S100) subroutine is performed. As shown in Figure 5, in the voice dialogue processing in step S100, the voice assistant makes an utterance. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 makes a question by uttering things like, "You're driving aggressively," "Please calm down," or "Let's drive safely" (step S101). Step S101 can repeat the above utterances multiple times as needed. In addition, the utterance in step S101 may be a recording (registered) voice of a family member (close relative) that has been recorded in advance. When a family member's voice is played, for example, a voice such as, "Dad, please drive safely," may be played.

[0039] Once the above processes are completed, the process returns to step S10. To terminate the series of processes, the operation of the driver assistance device 1 can be terminated without returning the process to step S10.

[0040] The above describes one embodiment of the configuration and operation flow of the driver assistance device 1 according to the present invention. Next, the effects and advantages of the driver assistance device 1 according to the present invention will be explained.

[0041] As described above, the driver assistance device 1 of the present invention is capable of performing voice chat through dialogue with the driver by having the questioning unit 30 ask questions to the driver and the voice receiving unit 20 receive voice from the driver. Therefore, the driver assistance device 1 can use voice chat to ask questions that will put the driver at ease, for example. This is expected to have the effect of calming the driver's agitated state. Furthermore, the driver assistance device 1 is permitted to perform voice chat only if the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that aggressive driving has occurred. Therefore, the driver assistance device 1 can suppress the execution of voice chat when the driver is not in an aggressive driving state. As a result, the driver assistance device 1 can suppress the execution of voice chat unnecessarily, thereby preventing it from upsetting the driver.

[0042] Furthermore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior if the driver's speech includes predetermined keywords. Therefore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can determine aggressive driving behavior with greater accuracy. As a result, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can further reduce the amount of questioning directed at the driver, thereby further minimizing the risk of causing offense to the driver.

[0043] Furthermore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can determine whether aggressive driving is occurring based on the driver's facial expression, thus enabling more accurate determination of aggressive driving behavior. As a result, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can further reduce the need to ask the driver excessive questions, thereby further minimizing the risk of causing offense to the driver.

[0044] Furthermore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 is designed so that the questioning unit 30 asks questions using voice recordings of the driver's close relatives that have been registered in advance. Therefore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can help calm the driver down more effectively. As a result, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can more effectively suppress aggressive driving.

[0045] The above describes the configuration and effects of the driver assistance device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Next, the details of the driver assistance device 100 according to a modified version of the present invention will be described below. Note that the configuration of the modified driver assistance device 100 is the same as that of the driver assistance device 1 described above, except for the addition of a means for determining aggressive driving, so the description of the same parts will be omitted. Also, please note that the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in the driver assistance device 1 described above.

[0046] ≪Variations≫ As shown in Figure 3, the modified driving assistance device 100 includes a forward imaging unit 15, a position information acquisition unit 53, a speed detection unit 54, and an acceleration detection unit 55, etc., as means for acquiring information for determining aggressive driving.

[0047] The forward imaging unit 15 is composed of an imaging device such as a drive recorder or a camera (including a video camera). The forward imaging unit 15 is designed to capture images of the vehicle ahead. In addition to images of the vehicle ahead, the forward imaging unit 15 may also capture images of road signs, traffic lights, etc. The images captured by the forward imaging unit 15 are processed by the image processing unit 41 and used, for example, to calculate the distance to the vehicle ahead.

[0048] The location information acquisition unit 53 is composed of, for example, a GPS sensor. The location information acquisition unit 53 can acquire the vehicle's location information by receiving GPS signals. The vehicle's location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 53 is sent to the aggressive driving determination unit 42 (control unit 40) and used to determine whether aggressive driving has occurred. The location information acquisition unit 53 can also utilize a GPS sensor installed in a car navigation system.

[0049] The speed detection unit 54 is composed of, for example, a vehicle speed detection sensor mounted on the vehicle. The speed detection unit 54 can detect the vehicle speed. The vehicle speed detected by the speed detection unit 54 is sent to the aggressive driving determination unit 42 (control unit 40) and used to determine whether aggressive driving has occurred. Alternatively, the vehicle speed may be calculated from location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 53 instead of the speed detection unit 54.

[0050] The acceleration detection unit 55 is composed of, for example, an acceleration detection sensor mounted on the vehicle. The acceleration detection unit 55 can detect the acceleration acting on the vehicle. The acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit 55 is sent to the aggressive driving determination unit 42 (control unit 40) and used to determine whether aggressive driving has occurred.

[0051] In addition to the above, the vehicle information provided to the aggressive driving detection unit 42 may also include, for example, the accelerator pedal position and brake operation status. In such cases, repeated rapid changes in the accelerator pedal position and repeated rapid changes in the brake operation status should be added as criteria for determination in the aggressive driving detection unit 42.

[0052] In this modified example, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines whether aggressive driving is occurring based on location information, vehicle speed, and vehicle acceleration, in addition to facial expressions and voice output from the driver. The details of the determination of aggressive driving based on location information, vehicle speed, and vehicle acceleration will be explained below.

[0053] The aggressive driving detection unit 42 can determine whether aggressive driving is occurring based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 53. Specifically, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines, for example, whether the location identified by the location information is a particularly dangerous place if aggressive driving occurs, a place that is likely to induce aggressive driving, or a place that could be mistaken for aggressive driving. Note that location information may be used for the determination as needed, and it is also possible to make a determination without using location information.

[0054] Furthermore, the aggressive driving determination unit 42 can determine whether an aggressive driving state is occurring based on the vehicle speed detected by the speed detection unit 54. Specifically, the aggressive driving determination unit 42 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving if the change in the vehicle's speed detected by the speed detection unit 54 exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes. More specifically, the aggressive driving determination unit 42 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving if, for example, rapid changes in vehicle speed occur repeatedly.

[0055] Furthermore, the aggressive driving determination unit 42 can determine whether an aggressive driving state is occurring based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit 55. Specifically, the aggressive driving determination unit 42 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving if the vehicle's acceleration change detected by the acceleration detection unit 55 exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes. More specifically, the aggressive driving determination unit 42 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving if, for example, rapid acceleration changes occur repeatedly. The determination by the aggressive driving determination unit 42 is not based solely on the voice received by the voice reception unit 20 and the facial expressions acquired by the image acquisition unit 10, but can also be made comprehensively based on location information, vehicle speed, and vehicle acceleration.

[0056] Next, the operation flow of the driving support device 100 according to a modified version of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Note that the operation flow, which is the same as that of the embodiment described above, will be partially omitted from the explanation.

[0057] As shown in Figure 4, when the driver assistance device 100 starts operating, an estimation of aggressive driving conditions is performed (step S20). This estimation of aggressive driving conditions is based on the behavior of the vehicle. Specifically, the estimation of aggressive driving conditions is based on information such as the vehicle's accelerator pedal position, brake operation status, vehicle speed, acceleration sensor, and distance between vehicles.

[0058] In step S20, if it is determined that the vehicle is not in a state of aggressive driving, the process is terminated and the process returns to step S20. In step S20, if it is determined that the vehicle is in a state of aggressive driving, the image acquisition unit 10 starts acquiring an image of the driver's face (step S21). Once the image is acquired in step S21, the image processing unit 41 starts image processing and recognizes the driver's facial expression.

[0059] Next, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 estimates whether or not the driver is engaging in aggressive driving based on the facial expression recognized in the image (step S22). If it is estimated in step S22 that the driver is not engaging in aggressive driving, the process returns to step S20. On the other hand, if it is estimated in step S22 that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving, a voice chat conversation is permitted. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 asks questions (step S23).

[0060] Next, the system starts receiving voice messages from the driver, and determines whether or not the driver's voice contains predetermined keywords (step S24). If it is determined in step S24 that the driver's voice does not contain the predetermined keywords, the process returns to step S20. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S24 that the driver's voice contains the predetermined keywords, it is determined that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving (step S25).

[0061] Next, the voice dialogue processing (step S100) subroutine is performed. As shown in Figure 5, in the voice dialogue processing in step S100, the voice assistant makes an utterance. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 makes a question by uttering things like, "You're driving aggressively," "Please calm down," or "Let's drive safely" (step S101). Step S101 can repeat the above utterances multiple times as needed. In addition, the utterance in step S101 may be a recording (registered) voice of a family member (close relative) that has been recorded in advance. When a family member's voice is played, for example, a voice such as, "Dad, please drive safely," may be played.

[0062] When the voice dialogue processing subroutine in step S100 is completed, the process returns to the main routine (see Figure 4), and the series of processes ends, returning to step S20. Note that to terminate the series of processes, the operation of the driver assistance device 100 is terminated without returning to step S10.

[0063] The above describes the operation flow of the modified driving support device 100 of the present invention. Next, the effects of the modified driving support device 100 will be explained below. Effects similar to those of the driving support device 1 described above will not be explained.

[0064] The modified driver assistance device 100 described above determines that the driver is in a state of aggressive driving when the change in vehicle speed detected by the speed detection unit 54 exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes, or when the change in vehicle acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit 55 exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes. Therefore, the driver assistance device 100 can determine aggressive driving by including changes in vehicle behavior, and thus can detect the driver's aggressive driving state with greater accuracy. As a result, the driver assistance device 100 can further reduce the amount of questioning directed at the driver, thereby further reducing the likelihood of offending the driver.

[0065] The above describes the operation flow and effects of the modified driving support device 1 of the present invention. However, the driving support device 1,100 of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments or modifications described above, and can be modified in various ways.

[0066] In this embodiment, the aggressive driving determination unit 42 determines whether the driver is in an aggressive driving state based on the voice received by the voice reception unit 20 and the image of the driver's face acquired by the image acquisition unit 10. However, the driving support device 1 of the present invention is not limited to this. The determination in the aggressive driving determination unit 42 can be made using various aggressive driving determination means. Furthermore, the aggressive driving determination means can be a single means or a combination of multiple means, among other forms.

[0067] Furthermore, in this modified example, the system is shown as determining that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior if the speed change of the vehicle detected by the speed detection unit 54 exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes, or if the acceleration change of the vehicle detected by the acceleration detection unit 55 exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes. However, these conditions can be appropriately changed depending on the characteristics of the vehicle, etc.

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the system determines that a driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior based on whether the driver's utterance received by the voice reception unit 20 contains predetermined keywords. However, various types of keywords can be used.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the aggressive driving determination unit 42 determines that the driver is in an aggressive driving state based on the driver's angry facial expression, but it is not limited to this, and the above-described driving support device 1 can determine the aggressive driving state based on various facial expressions of the driver. Also, in this embodiment, the image acquisition unit 10 acquires an image of the driver's face, but the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 can be various images that can detect the driver's state of excitement. For example, the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 can include images of various parts of the driver's body in addition to, or instead of, the driver's face.

[0070] In this embodiment, the questioning unit 30 is shown as an example in which it asks questions using voice recordings of the driver's close relatives that have been registered in advance. However, it is not limited to using voice recordings of close relatives; various forms of voice can be used. For example, the questioning unit 30 may emit sounds such as alarms using the sounds of animals kept by the driver.

[0071] In this embodiment, the questioning unit 30 is exemplified as being composed of an AI-based chat or chatbot. However, the questioning unit 30 is not limited to voice chat or chatbots that use AI, and various forms of voice chat or chatbots can be used. For example, the questioning unit 30 may be implemented by a human-generated voice chat using a connect service or the like.

[0072] The above describes various embodiments and modifications of the driving support device 1,100 according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the embodiments and modifications described above, and it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments may exist in the spirit and teachings thereof, without departing from the scope of the claims. [Industrial applicability]

[0073] The driver assistance system of the present invention can be used to suppress aggressive driving in vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1: Driving assistance system 10: Image acquisition unit 20: Voice Reception Department 30: Question Section 40: Control Unit 41: Image Processing Unit 42: Aggressive Driving Judgment Department 50: Display section 51:Storage medium 52: Communications Department 53: Location information acquisition section 54: Speed ​​detection unit 55: Acceleration detection unit

Claims

1. An image acquisition unit that acquires an image including at least the driver's face, An image processing unit that processes the aforementioned image to recognize at least the facial expression of the driver, A vehicle driver is in a state of aggressive driving, such as tailgating other vehicles, and a vehicle driver is in a state of aggressive driving. An interrogation unit that conducts voice-based questioning with the driver, A voice reception unit that receives voice utterances from the aforementioned driver, Equipped with, The aggressive driving determination unit estimates that the driver is in an aggressive driving state, provided that the facial expression recognized by the image processing unit matches a predetermined standard. In the aforementioned aggressive driving determination unit, on the condition that it is estimated that the driver is in an aggressive driving state, the questioning unit asks the driver a predetermined question, and the voice receiving unit receives voice from the driver, thereby determining whether or not the driver is in an aggressive driving state. The aforementioned aggressive driving detection unit, on the condition that it determines the driver is in an aggressive driving state, permits the execution of a voice chat to communicate with the driver. A driver assistance system characterized by the following.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, characterized in that the aggressive driving determination unit determines that the driver is in an aggressive driving state on the condition that a predetermined keyword is included in the driver's utterance received by the voice reception unit.

3. The driving support device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the questioning unit makes inquiries using voice utterances from the driver's close relatives that have been registered in advance.

4. comprising at least one of a speed detection unit for detecting the speed of the vehicle and an acceleration detection unit for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle, The driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the aggressive driving determination unit estimates that the driver is in an aggressive driving state on the condition that the change in the vehicle's speed detected by the speed detection unit exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes, or that the change in the vehicle's acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes.

Images