Virtual passenger system, method for evaluating driving performance using a virtual passenger, and program

Abstract

To allow a driver to have a virtual feeling that a passenger evaluates the driver's driving.SOLUTION: A virtual passenger system 1 which issues an audio evaluation of driving of a driver 50 includes: a virtual passenger storage unit 162 for storing a virtual passenger 60; a driving situation acquisition unit for acquiring the driving situation of the driver 50; an incident storage unit 161 for storing the relation between an incident registered in advance and positional information of a vehicle 20 in which the incident is registered; a selection unit 13 for selecting the incident stored in the incident storage unit 161 on the basis of the positional information of the vehicle 20 driven by the driver 50; a determination unit 14 for determining whether the selected incident has occurred on the basis of the driving situation; and an output unit for outputting an audio message in which the virtual passenger 60 stored in the virtual passenger storage unit 162 highly evaluates the driver 50, when no occurrence of the incident has been determined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a virtual passenger system, a virtual passenger method, and a program for performing driver driving evaluation by voice notification.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for evaluating a driver's driving skills are known. In Patent Document 1, an imaging image including the face of a driver of at least one of a host vehicle and other vehicles is acquired, and the driving skills of the driver are evaluated by referring to the imaging image and the driving state of the vehicle, and a technique for outputting an evaluation result is proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when a driver receives a warning for dangerous driving, the awareness of safe driving is temporarily enhanced. However, if a person continues to receive only negative evaluations, their motivation will be dampened. Although Patent Document 1 performs not only negative evaluations but also positive evaluations such as "Well done", there is a problem that the effect of improving motivation is weak with character information or mechanical voice.

[0005] Therefore, in view of these problems, the present invention relates to a virtual passenger system, a virtual passenger method, and a program that enable a driver to virtually feel the sense of being evaluated for driving by a passenger.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention is a virtual passenger system that performs voice notification of driver driving evaluation, and includes a virtual passenger storage unit that stores virtual passengers and​、 A driving status acquisition unit that acquires the driving status of the aforementioned driver and The system stores past incidents in association with their location information, as well as the driver's accident history and / or incident history. An incident memory unit that stores related information, and the location information of the vehicle driven by the driver. And the accident history and / or incident history of the aforementioned driver Based on, The need is high depending on the driver's driving history. A selection unit for selecting an incident, a determination unit for determining whether or not the selected incident has occurred based on the driving conditions, and, if it is determined that no incident has occurred, the virtual passenger storage unit memory The virtual passenger The aforementioned incident The present invention provides a virtual passenger system comprising an output unit that outputs a voice message praising the driver.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention provides that the incident storage unit is the Past The incident, Occurred The selection unit further associates and stores the characteristics of the vehicle and / or the characteristics of the driver of the vehicle, and together with the location information, provides a virtual passenger system that selects the incident based on the characteristics of the vehicle and / or the characteristics of the driver.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention provides a virtual passenger system in which the message includes an incident that the determination unit has determined has not occurred.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention provides a virtual passenger system in which the incident is at least one of a crime, an accident, or driving advice.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention relates to the output unit, Past This system provides a virtual passenger system that outputs a map plotting incidents using their location information.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention provides that the incident storage unit extracts predetermined incident data based on an incident map in which predetermined incidents are associated with locations, and converts the extracted incident data into audio, and the incident is occurrenceThe system provides a virtual passenger system in which the location information of the vehicle is stored in association with the location information of the vehicle, and the selection unit selects from the incident storage unit incidents having location information within a predetermined range, including the location information of the vehicle being driven by the driver.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention provides a virtual passenger system in which the predetermined range is set for each incident.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention provides a virtual passenger system in which the virtual passenger storage unit stores the voice data of the virtual passenger, and the output unit outputs the message based on the stored voice data of the virtual passenger.

[0014] Furthermore, the present invention provides a virtual passenger system in which the virtual passenger storage unit stores voice data of multiple virtual passengers, and the output unit outputs the message based on the voice data of the virtual passenger selected by the driver.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention provides a virtual passenger system in which the output unit outputs the message based on the selected incident and the voice data of a virtual passenger selected from the plurality of virtual passengers in the virtual passenger storage unit.

[0016] Furthermore, the present invention provides a virtual passenger system that is implemented by a computer that provides voice notifications for driver performance evaluations. Driving evaluation by A method comprising the steps of: remembering a virtual passenger; acquiring the driver's driving status; remembering past incidents in association with their location information, and remembering the driver's accident history and / or incident history in association with them; selecting incidents of high necessity according to the driver's driving history based on the location information of the vehicle driven by the driver and the driver's accident history and / or incident history; determining whether the selected incident has occurred based on the driving status; and if it is determined that the incident has not occurred, The stored Provided is a driving evaluation method by a virtual passenger, comprising a step of voice-outputting a message in which the virtual passenger praises the driver regarding the incident.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention provides a computer for performing voice notification of a driver's driving evaluation, comprising a step of storing a virtual passenger, a step of acquiring the driving situation of the driver, a step of storing past incidents in association with their location information, and storing the driver's accident history and / or the history of incidents that have occurred in association, a step of selecting an incident that is highly necessary according to the driver's driving history based on the location information of the vehicle driven by the driver and the driver's accident history and / or the history of incidents that have occurred, a step of determining whether or not the selected incident has occurred based on the driving situation, and when it is determined that the incident has not occurred, The stored Provided is a computer-readable program for causing a virtual passenger to execute a step of voice-outputting a message in which the virtual passenger praises the driver regarding the incident.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, the driver can virtually feel the sense of being evaluated for driving by a passenger.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a diagram for explaining the outline of a virtual passenger system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a virtual passenger system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram schematically showing a virtual passenger database according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a diagram schematically showing an incident database according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5]This figure shows the virtual passenger processing flow executed by the virtual passenger system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is an example of an incident map according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the following drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same numbers or reference numerals throughout the description of the embodiments.

[0021] [Basic concept / basic configuration] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the outline of a virtual passenger system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The virtual passenger system 1 is a system in which a virtual passenger, who is not actually a passenger, praises the driver if no incident occurs at a pre-recorded incident location.

[0022] The virtual passenger system 1 includes a virtual passenger device 10, a drive recorder 30 mounted on a vehicle 20, and a terminal 40 located within the vehicle 20. The virtual passenger device 10 is connected to the drive recorder 30 and the terminal 40 via a wireless communication network. The virtual passenger device 10 may be on-premise or on a cloud server, but in this embodiment it is a cloud server. In this embodiment the vehicle 20 is an automobile, but any vehicle requiring a driver 50 is acceptable, and may be a bicycle or motorcycle. In this embodiment the terminal 40 is a mobile terminal held by the driver 50, but it may be a car navigation terminal or the like mounted on the vehicle.

[0023] Terminal 40 sets up a virtual passenger 60 based on the driver's input 50. The virtual passenger 60 can be a real person such as the driver's family, friends, boss, or a celebrity or famous person, or a character. Specifically, the virtual passenger 60 can be set up by launching an application installed on terminal 40 and storing the voice data stored on terminal 40 in the virtual passenger device 10. It is also possible to select and set a virtual passenger from those stored in the virtual passenger device 10, or to set multiple people as virtual passengers 60.

[0024] The drive recorder 30 acquires the driving status of the vehicle 20 and transmits the driving status to the virtual passenger device 10 at a predetermined timing. The driving status includes at least location information acquired by a positioning sensor (e.g., a GNSS sensor or GPS sensor) and moving or still images of the interior and exterior of the vehicle taken by an on-board camera, but may also include various conditions related to the vehicle acquired from on-board sensors other than the positioning sensor.

[0025] The virtual passenger device 10 determines whether or not an incident has occurred in the vehicle 20 based on the driving conditions received from the drive recorder 30 and the incident occurrence information stored in advance. Here, the incident occurrence information includes past incidents and the location where the incident occurred, and is compiled from information obtained from the vehicle 20 and terminal 40 via the communication network, as well as information obtained from websites and social media, etc.

[0026] If the virtual passenger device 10 determines that no incident has occurred in the vehicle 20, it sends an audio message to the terminal 40 praising the driver 50 for safe driving that avoided an incident. Upon receiving the audio message, the terminal 40 then has the virtual passenger 60 speak the message.

[0027] This type of virtual passenger system allows drivers who safely avoid incidents at the location of an incident to be praised not through text or automated voice messages, but through the speech of a virtual passenger. This allows drivers to virtually feel as if their driving has been evaluated by a passenger, thereby improving their awareness of safe driving. Furthermore, the voice of the virtual passenger makes the driver feel as if they have a passenger with them, which also contributes to improving the driver's awareness of safe driving.

[0028] [Functional Configuration of the Virtual Passenger System] Figure 2 shows the functional configuration of a virtual passenger system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The virtual passenger system 1 comprises a virtual passenger device 10, a drive recorder 30 connected to the virtual passenger device 10 via a wireless communication network, and a terminal 40.

[0029] (Functional configuration of a dashcam) The drive recorder 30 has a function as a driving status acquisition unit that acquires the driving status of the driver 50 operating the vehicle 20. The drive recorder 30 includes a transmitting / receiving unit 31 that transmits and receives data with the virtual passenger device 10, a control unit 32, a storage unit 33, various sensors 34, and a camera 35. The various sensors 34 include, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, a sound detection sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, an infrared sensor, and an optical sensor.

[0030] The control unit 32 acquires moving and still images (hereinafter, when not distinguishing between moving and still images, they are simply referred to as "images") of the interior and exterior of the vehicle from the camera 35, and stores them in the storage unit 33 in association with the date and time the images were taken. The control unit 32 also acquires vehicle conditions such as location information (latitude, longitude), voice, speed, acceleration, steering wheel rotation angle, brake pedal depression amount, and interior / exterior temperature from various sensors 34, and stores these vehicle conditions in the storage unit 33 in association with the date and time the vehicle conditions were detected.

[0031] The storage unit 33 stores vehicle information such as driver ID, vehicle type, and vehicle ID, in addition to images and vehicle status. The vehicle information may also store driver characteristics (age, driving history, occupation, etc.) associated with the driver ID. The vehicle information may also store vehicle characteristics (vehicle class, vehicle maintenance information, mileage, etc.) associated with the vehicle ID. The transmitting / receiving unit 31 transmits the images and vehicle status stored in the storage unit 33, along with the vehicle information stored in the storage unit 33, as driving status to the virtual passenger device 10 sequentially or at predetermined intervals.

[0032] (Functional configuration of the virtual passenger device) The virtual passenger device 10 includes a transmission / reception unit 11 that transmits and receives data with the drive recorder 30 and terminal 40, a management unit 12, a selection unit 13, a determination unit 14, a message generation unit 15, and a storage unit 16.

[0033] The storage unit 16 includes a virtual passenger database (in this specification, the database may be referred to as DB) 160 that stores voice data of the virtual passenger 60 set in the terminal 40, an incident database 161 that stores incident information related to incidents that have occurred in the past, and a message database 162 that stores messages spoken by the virtual passenger when no incident occurs. In this embodiment, since the virtual passenger device 10 is a cloud server, it is desirable that the storage unit 16 be composed of cloud storage or a distributed ledger.

[0034] The management unit 12 generates and updates the virtual passenger database 160 based on the virtual passenger information acquired from the terminal 40 via the transmission / reception unit 11, and records and manages it in the storage unit 16.

[0035] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the virtual passenger database according to this embodiment. The virtual passenger information in the virtual passenger database includes information such as a virtual passenger ID that identifies the virtual passenger, a driver ID that identifies the driver who set up the virtual passenger, the virtual passenger name, and the virtual passenger's voice data.

[0036] Furthermore, the management unit 12 creates incident information based on the driving conditions acquired via the transmission / reception unit 11 from the drive recorder 30 of the vehicle 20 where the incident occurred. Based on the created incident information, the management unit 12 generates and updates the incident DB 161, which is then recorded and managed in the storage unit 16. Note that the incident information is not limited to the vehicle equipped with the virtual passenger system 1, but may also include information acquired from the drive recorders of other vehicles. In addition, the management unit 12 may create incident information from information about incidents posted on websites and social media, etc., in addition to driving conditions.

[0037] In this embodiment, an incident includes both near misses, which are situations where there is a risk of an accident or other danger occurring, and accidents. More specifically, an incident includes crimes related to vehicles, accidents related to vehicles, and driving advice indicating situations that could lead to or cause crimes or accidents related to vehicles. Examples of driving advice include checking for pedestrians, school zones, areas with a lot of parked cars, caution against sudden pedestrians running out, narrow roads, areas where passing is impossible, height restrictions, and safe driving items.

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an incident database according to an embodiment of the present invention. The incident information includes information such as an incident ID to identify the incident, the latitude / longitude of the location where the incident occurred, the category of the incident, the name of the incident, the start time of the incident, and the end time of the incident. Furthermore, the incident information may also include information such as the characteristics of the driver who caused the incident (age, driving history, industry, etc.) and the characteristics of the vehicle (vehicle class, vehicle type, vehicle maintenance information, vehicle inspection information, mileage, etc.). Note that the incident information only needs to include at least the name of the incident and the latitude / longitude of the location where the incident occurred.

[0039] Returning to Figure 2, the selection unit 13 selects an incident from the incident DB 161 based on the location information of the driving situation acquired from the drive recorder 30 of the vehicle 20. More specifically, the selection unit 13 acquires incident information from the incident DB 161 that has location information that matches the acquired location information.

[0040] The selection unit 13 may also acquire incident information from the incident DB 161 that includes location information within a predetermined range, even if it does not match the acquired location information. This expands the area for determining whether an incident has occurred, from the location where the incident occurred to the vicinity of the location where the incident occurred. The predetermined range may be set in advance and set for each incident.

[0041] Furthermore, the selection unit 13 may include the current time as a selection criterion along with location information, allowing it to select only incidents that occur only at the current time, for example, incidents that occur at night.

[0042] Furthermore, the selection unit 13 may include vehicle characteristics and driver characteristics in its selection criteria along with location information, allowing it to select only incidents that match the vehicle and driver. For example, if the vehicle is a truck, it can select incidents that occur in trucks, and if the driver is a novice, it can select incidents that occur in novice drivers. Moreover, each of these conditions may be weighted for the determination. In this way, by considering time information, vehicle characteristics, driver characteristics, etc., in combination, it becomes possible to select incidents that truly require attention for that driver or vehicle.

[0043] The determination unit 14 determines whether or not the incident selected by the selection unit 13 has occurred, based on the driving conditions acquired from the drive recorder 30 of the vehicle 20. Specifically, the storage unit 16 is equipped with a determination condition DB (not shown) that stores the determination conditions for each incident, and the determination unit 14 acquires the determination conditions for the incident selected by the selection unit from the determination condition DB. The determination unit 14 then determines whether or not the incident has occurred based on whether or not the driving conditions satisfy the determination conditions. In addition, the determination unit 14 determines whether or not the incident has occurred based on learning data created from driving conditions in which the incident occurred.

[0044] When the selection unit 13 acquires incident information from the incident DB 161 that includes location information within a predetermined range, the determination unit 14 determines whether or not the incident selected by the selection unit 13 has occurred, based on all operating conditions until the same incident information is no longer acquired by the selection unit 13. In other words, the determination unit 14 determines whether or not an incident has occurred not only in the location where the incident occurred, but also in a range extended to the vicinity of the location where the incident occurred.

[0045] The message generation unit 15 generates an audio message in which a virtual passenger 60, configured on the terminal 40, praises the driver 50, in response to the determination unit 14 determining that no incident has occurred. If the determination unit 14 determines that no incidents have occurred for multiple incidents, it may select an incident for which to generate a message according to a pre-configured priority. Specifically, the message generation unit 15 first retrieves messages from the message DB 162 for incidents that the determination unit 14 determined to be non-existent.

[0046] Here, the messages stored in the message DB162 are text information praising the driver 50, and it is desirable that they be set for each incident or for each incident category, and that the messages include the incident name. For example, the message for avoiding an incident in the school zone might be "Safely passed through the school zone! Well done!", and the message for avoiding a rear-end collision might be "You didn't cause a rear-end collision. Impressive!".

[0047] Next, the message generation unit 15 retrieves voice data of the virtual passenger 60 configured on the terminal 40 from the virtual passenger DB 160. Subsequently, the message generation unit 15 generates a voice message for the virtual passenger 60 from the retrieved message based on the retrieved voice data. This makes it possible to create voice data that reflects the characteristics of the person or character designated as the virtual passenger 60, such as their tone of voice, phrasing, and voice quality. Finally, the message generation unit 15 transmits the generated voice message to the terminal 40 via the transmission / reception unit 11.

[0048] (Device Functional Configuration) Terminal 40 is operated by the driver 50 and is, for example, a mobile terminal or a car navigation terminal, and is connected to the virtual passenger device 10 via a network to send and receive information. Terminal 40 includes, for example, a display input / output unit (not shown) which is configured as a touch panel, and a sound output unit (not shown) which is configured as a speaker.

[0049] When the driver 50 gets into the vehicle, they operate the display input / output unit to launch a designated application and use the application to set up a virtual passenger 60. After that, when the driver 50 starts the vehicle 20, the drive recorder 30 starts transmitting driving status information to the virtual passenger device 10. If an incident is avoided while driving, an audio message received from the virtual passenger device 10, in which the virtual passenger 60 praises the driver 50, is output from the sound output unit.

[0050] The functional configuration of this system described above is merely an example, and a single functional block (database and functional processing unit) may be divided, or multiple functional blocks may be combined into a single functional block. Each functional processing unit is realized by a computer program (for example, core software or an application that causes the CPU to execute the various processes described above) stored in a storage device (storage unit) such as ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, SSD (Solid State Drive), or hard disk, which is read by the CPU (Central Processing Unit) built into the device or terminal, and executed by the CPU. In other words, each functional processing unit is realized by this computer program reading and writing necessary data such as tables from a database (DB) stored in the storage device or from a storage area in memory, and, if necessary, controlling related hardware (for example, input / output devices, display devices, communication interface devices). Furthermore, the database (DB) in the embodiments of the present invention may be a commercial database, but it also means a mere collection of tables and files, and the internal structure of the database itself is not specified.

[0051] [Processing flow] Figure 5 shows the virtual passenger processing flow performed by the virtual passenger system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the virtual passenger processing is performed by the virtual passenger device.

[0052] First, the management unit 12 generates and updates the virtual passenger DB 160 (see Figure 3) based on the virtual passenger information acquired from the terminal 40 via the transmission / reception unit 11, and stores and manages it in the storage unit 16 (S1). Next, the selection unit 13 acquires the driving status from the drive recorder 30 (S2). Subsequently, the selection unit 13 selects an incident from the incident DB 161 (see Figure 4) whose location information matches or is within a predetermined range, based on the location information included in the driving status acquired in S2 (S3).

[0053] Next, the determination unit 14 determines whether or not the incident selected in S3 has occurred based on the operating status acquired in S2 (S4). If an incident has occurred (YES), the process proceeds to S7; if no incident has occurred (NO), the process proceeds to S5.

[0054] Next, the message generation unit 15, in response to the determination in S4 that no incident has occurred, generates an audio message in which the virtual passenger 60 configured in terminal 40 praises the driver 50 (S5). Next, the transmission / reception unit 11 sends the audio message generated in S5 to terminal 40 and outputs it from the sound output unit of terminal 40, causing the virtual passenger 60 to speak (S6).

[0055] Next, the selection unit 13 determines whether or not it has acquired driving conditions from the drive recorder 30. If it has not acquired driving conditions (NO), it determines that the vehicle 20 has stopped and driving has ended, and terminates the process. If it has acquired driving conditions (YES), it determines that driving is continuing, and returns to process S3 (S7).

[0056] This type of virtual passenger system allows drivers who perform safe driving to avoid incidents at or near the incident site to be praised not through text or automated voice messages, but through the speech of a virtual passenger. This allows drivers to virtually feel as if their driving is being evaluated by a passenger, thereby improving their awareness of safe driving. Furthermore, the voice of the virtual passenger makes the driver feel as if they have a passenger with them, which also contributes to improving the driver's awareness of safe driving.

[0057] The virtual passenger can be set by the driver, and they can choose from a close family member, a favorite celebrity or character, or even a boss to make them feel more formal, allowing them to select a virtual passenger that suits their mood at the time.

[0058] [Differentiation] (1) For example, a virtual passenger system can exclude incidents that do not occur or are unlikely to occur depending on the vehicle's driving environment by including environmental information, such as the weather conditions at the time of the incident, in the incident information. This enables a more accurate driving evaluation.

[0059] (2) For example, the virtual passenger system can select an incident according to the individual's driving history by using the driver's accident history and / or incident history as selection criteria in the selection unit. Alternatively, the message generation unit may, if the determination unit determines that no multiple incidents have occurred, select an incident to generate a message according to the individual's driving history, based on the driver's accident history and / or incident history.

[0060] This allows for praising drivers only for incidents that are highly relevant to them, such as incidents related to past accidents or incidents that occur frequently. As a result, it prevents drivers from becoming annoyed by frequent praise from the virtual passenger, thus preventing a decrease in the effectiveness of improving safe driving awareness.

[0061] (3) For example, the virtual passenger system may include the driver's name in the virtual passenger information. This allows the message generation unit to create a message that includes the driver's name, for example, "You didn't cause a rear-end collision. Taro, you're amazing." This makes it easier for the driver to feel that they are being praised, and improves the effect of raising awareness of safe driving. It also enhances the feeling of having a passenger.

[0062] (4) For example, the virtual passenger system may store map information in its memory unit and generate an incident map (see Figure 6) based on the map information and incident information, displaying icons indicating the incidents at the locations of the incidents on the map, and transmit this map to the driver's terminal or the like. This allows the driver to confirm the location where the incident occurred and to be reminded to drive safely. The incident map may display different icons for each incident, or it may be searchable by the date the incident occurred or the incident name. In addition, comments collected from the driver of the vehicle where the incident occurred may also be displayed.

[0063] (5) For example, the virtual passenger system may accumulate incidents that the judgment unit has determined to be incidents for the driver's driving over a predetermined period (e.g., one day, one week), and extract the incidents that occurred most frequently or the most dangerous incidents. If the extracted incidents no longer occur in subsequent driving, the system may praise the driver for the improvement in their driving. The system may also provide feedback to the driver regarding the extracted incidents. This can further enhance the driver's awareness of safe driving.

[0064] (6) For example, the virtual passenger system may include the incident name and incident category in the virtual passenger information. The message generation unit can select a virtual passenger based on the incident that the determination unit has determined not to have occurred, and generate an audio message in which the selected virtual passenger praises the driver. This makes it possible to have different virtual passenger audio messages for each incident and each incident category. This makes it possible to differentiate the audio messages according to the danger level and importance of the incident, such as using an audio message from a supervisor for high-risk incidents and an audio message from a character for minor incidents that only require caution.

[0065] (7) For example, the virtual passenger system may include a point awarding unit that awards points when the judgment unit determines that no incident has occurred. By accumulating points, users can receive gifts, which can increase their motivation to drive safely.

[0066] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, it is clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention. In the above embodiments, the present invention was described as a product invention, specifically a virtual passenger system, but the present invention can also be considered as an invention of a method executed by the virtual passenger system, or a program that makes the virtual passenger system function as various means. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1. Virtual Passenger System 10 Virtual Passenger Device 11 Transmitter / Receiver 12 Management Department 13 Selection Section 14 Judgment section 15 Message Generation Unit 16 Memory section 160 Virtual Passenger Database 161 Incident DB 162 Message DB 20 vehicles 30 Dashcams 31 Transmitter / Receiver 32 Control Unit 33 Storage section 34 Various Sensors 35 Camera 40 devices 50 Driver 60 virtual passengers

Claims

1. A virtual passenger system that provides voice notifications for driver performance evaluations, A virtual passenger memory unit that stores virtual passengers, A driving status acquisition unit that acquires the driving status of the aforementioned driver, An incident storage unit that stores past incidents in association with their location information, and also stores the driver's accident history and / or incident history in association with it, A selection unit that selects incidents of high necessity according to the driver's driving history, based on the location information of the vehicle driven by the driver and the driver's accident history and / or incident history. A determination unit that determines whether or not the selected incident has occurred based on the operating conditions, If it is determined that the incident has not occurred, the output unit outputs a voice message from the virtual passenger stored in the virtual passenger memory unit praising the driver regarding the incident, A virtual passenger system equipped with this feature.

2. The incident storage unit further associates and stores the characteristics of the vehicle in which the incident occurred and / or the characteristics of the driver of that vehicle with the past incident. The virtual passenger system according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the incident based on the characteristics of the vehicle and / or the characteristics of the driver, in conjunction with the location information.

3. The virtual passenger system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the message includes an incident that the determination unit has determined has not occurred.

4. The virtual passenger system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the incident is at least one of a crime, an accident, or driving advice.

5. The virtual passenger system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the output unit outputs a map plotting past incidents using the location information of those incidents.

6. The incident storage unit extracts predetermined incident data based on an incident map in which predetermined incidents are associated with locations. The extracted incident data is converted into audio, and the incident is stored in association with the location information of the vehicle in which the incident occurred. The virtual passenger system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the selection unit selects from the incident storage unit an incident having location information within a predetermined range, including location information of a vehicle driven by the driver.

7. The virtual passenger system according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined range is set for each incident.

8. The virtual passenger storage unit stores the voice data of the virtual passenger. The virtual passenger system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the output unit outputs the message as an audio based on the stored voice data of the virtual passenger.

9. The virtual passenger storage unit stores voice data of multiple virtual passengers, The virtual passenger system according to claim 8, wherein the output unit outputs the message as voice based on the voice data of the virtual passenger selected by the driver.

10. The virtual passenger system according to claim 9, wherein the output unit outputs the message as voice based on the voice data of a virtual passenger selected from the plurality of virtual passengers in the virtual passenger storage unit based on the selected incident.

11. A method of evaluating a driver's driving performance using a virtual passenger, which is performed by a computer that provides voice notifications for the driver's driving performance evaluation, Steps to remember the virtual passenger, The steps include obtaining the driving status of the aforementioned driver, The steps include storing past incidents in association with their location information, and storing the driver's accident history and / or incident history in association with them, A step of selecting an incident that is of high necessity according to the driver's driving history, based on the location information of the vehicle driven by the driver and the driver's accident history and / or incident history. A step of determining whether the selected incident has occurred based on the aforementioned operating conditions, If it is determined that the incident has not occurred, the stored virtual passenger voices a message praising the driver regarding the incident. A driving evaluation method using a virtual passenger, which includes the following features.

12. The computer that provides voice notifications for driver performance evaluations, Steps to remember virtual passengers, A step of acquiring the driving status of the aforementioned driver, The steps include storing past incidents in association with their location information, and storing the driver's accident history and / or incident history in association with them, A step of selecting an incident that is of high necessity according to the driver's driving history, based on the location information of the vehicle driven by the driver and the driver's accident history and / or incident history. A step of determining whether the selected incident has occurred based on the aforementioned operating conditions, If it is determined that the incident has not occurred, the stored virtual passenger voices a message praising the driver regarding the incident. A computer-readable program for executing [something].

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