Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information processing device and an information processing method for appropriately informing a user of a short time activation of vehicle's turn signals.SOLUTION: A control unit of an information processing device acquires turn signal activation time of a vehicle. Then, the control unit outputs activation information when conditions where the turn signal activation time is equal to or less than a threshold value, the turn signal activation on the previous time that is finished the activation before starting the turn signal activation is within the previous predetermined period than the time starting the turn signal activation, and the speed of the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined speed are met. In addition, the control unit omits outputting activation information when the turn signal activation time is equal to or less than the threshold value and the conditions are met. Here, the activation information is information about whether the turn signal activation time is equal to or less than the threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method. [Background Art]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a driving determination apparatus. The driving determination apparatus acquires at least a captured image in the driving direction of a driving object and information that changes according to the movement of the driving object. The driving determination apparatus calculates, for each predetermined determination item, a driving degree for evaluating the driving manner of the driving object using at least one of the acquired captured image and the information that changes according to the movement of the driving object. The driving determination apparatus calculates a value based on the plurality of calculated driving degrees for each determination item, and calculates a value for comprehensively evaluating the driving manner of the driving object using the value based on the driving degree of each determination item. [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-146162 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to appropriately notify the short-time activation of a vehicle turn signal. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] An information processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: acquiring the activation time of a turn signal of a vehicle; the activation time of the turn signal is equal to or less than a threshold; If the previous turn signal operation, which ended before the start of the turn signal operation, occurred within a predetermined period prior to the start of the turn signal operation, and the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed, then operation information indicating that the turn signal operation time is below the threshold is output. If the above conditions are met, the output of the operation information will be omitted, It includes a control unit configured to perform the following actions.

[0006] The information processing method relating to the second aspect of this disclosure is: A method of information processing performed by a computer, To obtain the operating time of the vehicle's turn signals, The operating time of the aforementioned turn signal is below a threshold, If the previous turn signal operation, which ended before the start of the turn signal operation, occurred within a predetermined period prior to the start of the turn signal operation, and the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed, then operation information indicating that the turn signal operation time is below the threshold is output. If the above conditions are met, the output of the operation information will be omitted, Includes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This disclosure makes it possible to appropriately notify the vehicle of the brief activation of its turn signals. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the evaluation system. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of a vehicle making consecutive right and left turns. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a situation where a vehicle attempts to avoid a stationary vehicle. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram that schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 5]Figure 5 shows an example of the table structure of driving information held in the driving information database. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart of the processes performed by the control unit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Vehicles may make consecutive right or left turns. In this case, depending on the shape of the road the vehicle is traveling on, the time between the first right or left turn and the second right or left turn may be shorter. In that case, even if the turn signal for the next right or left turn (second turn signal) is activated immediately after the first right or left turn is completed and the first turn signal has finished activating, the activation time of the second turn signal may be shorter.

[0010] Furthermore, a vehicle may attempt to avoid a stationary vehicle or obstacle (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "stationary vehicle, etc.") located in the lane. In this case, the vehicle activates the turn signal on the side facing the center line (first turn signal), moves towards the center line to avoid the stationary vehicle, etc., and then immediately activates the turn signal on the opposite side (second turn signal) to return to the original lane. When attempting to avoid a stationary vehicle quickly, it is expected that the time from moving towards the center line to returning to the original lane will be shortened. Therefore, it is expected that the activation time of the second turn signal (the activation time of the turn signal on the opposite side of the center line) will be shortened.

[0011] Thus, there are cases where the operating time of the turn signal (the operating time of the second turn signal) is shortened due to force majeure. In such cases, it is unreasonable for the user to receive information indicating that the operating time of the turn signal is below a threshold.

[0012] On the other hand, assume a case where the host vehicle overtakes another vehicle. In this case, the host vehicle activates the turn signal on the center line side (the first turn signal), then changes lanes toward the center line side, and after overtaking the other vehicle, activates the turn signal on the opposite side (the second turn signal) to return to the original lane. At this time, if the activation time of the second turn signal is short, there is a risk of collision between vehicles because the notification of the lane change to surrounding vehicles is insufficient, for example. Therefore, outputting activation information in such a case is not unreasonable for the user.

[0013] Here, when the vehicle makes consecutive right and left turns, it is assumed that if the speed of the vehicle is increased, the vehicle will not be able to respond to the right and left turns. Further, when the vehicle attempts to overtake another vehicle, the other vehicle cannot be overtaken unless there is a speed difference from the other vehicle that is traveling, so it is assumed that the speed of the vehicle will be higher than when avoiding a stopped vehicle or the like. Therefore, in both the case where the vehicle makes consecutive right and left turns and the case where the vehicle attempts to avoid a stopped vehicle or the like, it is assumed that the speed of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed.

[0014] Therefore, the control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present disclosure acquires the activation time of the turn signal of the vehicle. Then, the control unit outputs activation information when the activation time of the turn signal is equal to or less than a threshold and a predetermined condition is not satisfied. Further, the control unit omits outputting the activation information when the activation time of the turn signal is equal to or less than the threshold and the predetermined condition is satisfied.

[0015] Here, the predetermined condition is a condition that the previous turn signal, whose activation ended before the start of activation of the current turn signal, was activated within a predetermined period before the start of activation of the current turn signal, and the speed of the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined speed. Further, the length of the predetermined period is set such that the user of the vehicle continuously it is a length of time that is considered to be a period during which the turn signal is activated. Further, the previous turn signal may be a turn signal on the same side as or a different side from the turn signal whose activation time is equal to or less than the threshold.

[0016] As described above, the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present disclosure omits output of operation information when the operation time of the turn signal is equal to or less than a threshold and a predetermined condition is satisfied. Therefore, when the operation time of the turn signal of the vehicle is shortened due to force majeure, output of the operation information is suppressed. As a result, short-time operation of the vehicle turn signal can be appropriately notified.

[0017] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise stated, the hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, and the like described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure only thereto.

[0018] <Embodiment> (Outline of System) The evaluation system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the evaluation system 1. The evaluation system 1 is configured to include a user terminal 100 and a traveling ECU 200. In the evaluation system 1, the user terminal 100 and the traveling ECU 200 are mutually connected via an in-vehicle network.

[0019] (Traveling ECU) The traveling ECU 200 is an electronic control unit that controls traveling of the vehicle 10. The traveling ECU 200 transmits traveling information of the vehicle 10 to the user terminal 100 in real time via the in-vehicle network. Here, the traveling information of the vehicle 10 includes information indicating the speed of the vehicle 10. Further, when the turn signal of the vehicle 10 starts operation, the traveling ECU 200 transmits traveling information including information indicating that the turn signal of the vehicle 10 has started operation to the user terminal 100. Further, when the turn signal of the vehicle 10 ends operation, the traveling ECU 200 transmits traveling information including information indicating that the turn signal of the vehicle 10 has ended operation to the user terminal 100. The information indicating that the turn signal of the vehicle 10 has started or ended operation includes information indicating the time when the turn signal of the vehicle 10 started or ended operation.

[0020] (User Terminal) The user terminal 100 is a device installed in the vehicle 10. The user terminal 100 provides various types of information to the user of the vehicle 10 (display on a screen, audio output, etc.). The user terminal 100 also receives real-time driving information from the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network. The user terminal 100 refers to the driving information of the vehicle 10 and monitors the driving status of the vehicle 10 (vehicle 10's speed and whether the turn signals are activated) in real time.

[0021] The user terminal 100 refers to the driving status of the vehicle 10 and measures the operating time of the vehicle 10's turn signals. If the operating time of the turn signals is less than or equal to an appropriate operating time, it may indicate that the user of the vehicle 10 is not driving properly. Therefore, the user terminal 100 may output operating information if the operating time of the turn signals is below a threshold.

[0022] Here, the threshold for activation time is a sufficient amount of time for the turn signal to activate. In this embodiment, a fixed value is set as the threshold for activation time. The threshold for activation time is, for example, the legally defined time for activating the turn signal when the vehicle turns right or left, or when the vehicle changes lanes or overtakes. Alternatively, the threshold for activation time may be a variable value. In this embodiment, the activation information is information for notifying the user of vehicle 10 that the activation time of the turn signal was below the threshold. Specifically, The motion information is information intended to notify the user that the turn signal was activated for a short time. The user terminal 100 outputs the motion information to the user of the vehicle 10 by displaying it on a screen or outputting it as audio.

[0023] Here, we consider the case where vehicle 10 makes consecutive right and left turns. Figure 2 shows an example of vehicle 10 making consecutive right and left turns. As shown in Figure 2, vehicle 10 makes a right turn and then a left turn. At this time, before making the right turn, vehicle 10 activates its turn signal (first turn signal) at point 1. The turn signal is deactivated at point 2, where vehicle 10 has completed its right turn. At this time, the user of vehicle 10 immediately reactivates the turn signal (second turn signal) at point 2 in order to make the next left turn. The turn signal is deactivated at point 3, where vehicle 10 has completed its left turn. Thus, the time it takes for vehicle 10 to move from point 2 to point 3 is the duration of the second turn signal activation.

[0024] In the example shown in Figure 2, depending on the distance from the second point to the left turn point, the time required for vehicle 10 to move from the second point to the third point may fall below the threshold for activation time. Therefore, depending on the distance from the second point to the left turn point, the activation time of vehicle 10's turn signal may fall below the threshold.

[0025] In the example shown in Figure 2, vehicle 10 makes consecutive right and left turns, first turning right and then left. However, consecutive right and left turns by vehicle 10 may also involve turning left first and then right. Furthermore, consecutive right and left turns by vehicle 10 may involve turning left first and then left, or turning right after turning right. In these cases as well, depending on the distance between activating the turn signal again and making the right or left turn, the activation time of vehicle 10's turn signal (the activation time of the second turn signal) may fall below a threshold.

[0026] Figure 3 shows an example of a vehicle 10 attempting to avoid a stationary vehicle. As shown in Figure 3, vehicle 10 moves towards the center line to avoid the stationary vehicle, and after avoiding the vehicle, returns to its original lane. At this time, before avoiding the stationary vehicle, vehicle 10 activates the turn signal on the center line side (first turn signal) at point 1. Also, before returning to its original lane, vehicle 10 terminates the activation of the turn signal at point 2 and immediately activates the turn signal on the opposite side of the first turn signal (second turn signal). After avoiding the stationary vehicle, it terminates the activation of the turn signal at point 3. Thus, the time it takes for vehicle 10 to move from point 2 to point 3 is the duration of the second turn signal activation.

[0027] At this time, there may be oncoming vehicles waiting for vehicle 10 to complete its maneuver to avoid the stopped vehicle and return to its original lane. In such a case, if the user of vehicle 10 tries to quickly avoid the stopped vehicle for the sake of smooth traffic flow, it is expected that vehicle 10 will move quickly from point 1 to point 2, and from point 2 to point 3. At this time, the time it takes to move from point 2 to point 3 may fall below the threshold for activation time. As a result, the activation time of vehicle 10's turn signal (the activation time of the second turn signal) may fall below the threshold. Examples of situations in which the time it takes to move from point 2 to point 3 is shortened include vehicle 10 driving in a way that shortens the distance from point 2 to point 3, or vehicle 10 traveling at a high speed.

[0028] Furthermore, when vehicle 10 avoids a stopped vehicle, even if there are no oncoming vehicles, the user of vehicle 10 may still quickly avoid the stopped vehicle to ensure smooth traffic flow. In such cases, for example, when there is a vehicle following behind vehicle 10, the user may quickly avoid the stopped vehicle to prevent congestion. This illustrates a situation where quick avoidance is required. Furthermore, it illustrates a situation where, regardless of the presence of oncoming or following vehicles, the user of vehicle 10 quickly avoids the stopped vehicle to prevent any impact on other vehicles.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the short distance from the second point to the third point may cause the activation time of the second turn signal to fall below the threshold. Similarly, in the example shown in Figure 3, the short travel time from the second point to the third point may cause the activation time of the second turn signal to fall below the threshold. In these cases, the activation time of the second turn signal (the turn signal that starts immediately after the first turn signal has finished activating) may fall below the threshold due to force majeure. Therefore, if the user terminal 100 always outputs activation information to the user when the turn signal activation time is below the threshold, the activation information will also be output when the turn signal activation time falls below the threshold due to force majeure. In this case, it is unreasonable for the user of vehicle 10.

[0030] On the other hand, consider the case where vehicle 10 attempts to overtake another vehicle. In this case, vehicle 10 activates the turn signal on the center line side (first turn signal), moves closer to the center line to change lanes, overtakes the other vehicle, and then activates the turn signal on the opposite side (second turn signal) to return to its original lane. If the activation time of the second turn signal is short, there is a risk of collision between vehicles due to insufficient notification of the lane change to surrounding vehicles. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for the user of vehicle 10 to output activation information in such cases.

[0031] Here, if vehicle 10 makes consecutive right and left turns, it is assumed that increasing the speed of vehicle 10 will make it impossible to make the turns. Also, if vehicle 10 attempts to overtake another vehicle, it is assumed that the speed of vehicle 10 will be greater than when avoiding a stationary vehicle, because it cannot overtake the other vehicle unless there is a speed difference with the other vehicle in motion. In other words, it is assumed that the speed of vehicle 10 when avoiding a stationary vehicle or obstacle will be less than the speed at which vehicle 10 attempts to overtake another vehicle.

[0032] Therefore, it can be assumed that the speed of vehicle 10 will be below a predetermined speed when vehicle 10 is making consecutive right and left turns, and when vehicle 10 is attempting to avoid a stationary vehicle. Here, the predetermined speed is determined by the speed at which vehicle 10 is making consecutive right and left turns, and the speed at which vehicle 10 is attempting to avoid a stationary vehicle or obstacle.

[0033] In this embodiment, it is assumed that vehicle 10 is moving slowly when it is making consecutive right and left turns, and when it is trying to avoid a stopped vehicle. On the other hand, when vehicle 10 is trying to overtake another vehicle, a speed difference with the other vehicle is necessary, so the speed of vehicle 10 is not considered to be a slow speed. Therefore, in this embodiment, a predetermined speed is set as a slow speed. By setting the predetermined speed as a slow speed, it is possible to determine whether or not vehicle 10 is trying to overtake another vehicle.

[0034] As a result, if the turn signal is activated a second time and the vehicle 10's speed is below a predetermined speed, the user terminal 10 can determine that the vehicle 10 is making consecutive right or left turns, or that the vehicle 10 is trying to avoid a stationary vehicle. In this case, the user terminal 100 can determine that the activation time of the second turn signal fell below a threshold because the vehicle 10 was making consecutive right or left turns, or because the vehicle 10 was trying to quickly avoid a stationary vehicle. Therefore, the user terminal 100 omits outputting the activation information when the activation time of the second turn signal is below a threshold and the vehicle 10's speed is below a predetermined speed. Details of how the user terminal 100 determines that the activation time of the second turn signal is below a threshold and the vehicle 10's speed is below a predetermined speed will be described later.

[0035] The user terminal 100 is comprised of a computer having a processor 110, a main memory unit 120, an auxiliary memory unit 130, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 140. The processor 110 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The main memory unit 120 is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory). The auxiliary memory unit 130 is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory). Alternatively, the auxiliary memory unit 130 may be, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or a disk recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD disc, or Blu-ray disc. The auxiliary memory unit 130 may also be removable media (portable storage medium). Here, examples of removable media include, for example, a USB memory stick or an SD card. The communication I / F 140 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication.

[0036] In the user terminal 100, the auxiliary storage unit 130 stores the operating system (OS), various programs, and various information tables. Furthermore, in the user terminal 100, the processor 110 loads the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 130 into the main memory unit 120 and executes them, thereby realizing various functions as described later. However, some or all of the functions in the user terminal 100 may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs. Note that the user terminal 100 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration, but may be composed of multiple computers cooperating with each other.

[0037] (Functional Configuration) Next, the functional configuration of the user terminal 100, which constitutes the evaluation system 1, will be explained based on Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a block diagram that schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the user terminal 100.

[0038] The user terminal 100 is comprised of a control unit 101, a communication unit 102, and a driving information database 103 (driving information DB 103). The control unit 101 has the function of performing calculation processing for controlling the user terminal 100. The control unit 101 can be executed by the processor in the user terminal 100. The communication unit 102 has the function of connecting the user terminal 100 to the in-vehicle network. The communication unit 102 can be implemented by the communication I / F 140 in the user terminal 100.

[0039] The control unit 101 receives vehicle 10 driving information from the driving ECU 200 in real time via the communication unit 102. Specifically, the control unit 101 receives vehicle 10 driving information from the driving ECU 200 repeatedly at predetermined intervals, thereby receiving vehicle 10 driving information in real time. The control unit 101 stores the received vehicle 10 driving information in the driving information DB 103.

[0040] The driving information DB 103 has the function of storing driving information. The driving information DB 103 can be implemented by the auxiliary storage unit 130 in the user terminal 100. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the table structure of driving information stored in the driving information DB 103. As shown in Figure 5, the driving information has a date and time field, a speed field, and a turn signal field.

[0041] The date and time field stores information indicating the date and time the driving information was transmitted. The speed field stores information indicating the speed of vehicle 10 at the date and time the driving information was transmitted. The turn signal field stores information indicating the operation status of the turn signals at the date and time the driving information was transmitted. The received driving information contains information indicating that the turn signals of vehicle 10 started operating. If the information is included, the turn signal field will store the information "Activation started". If the received driving information includes information indicating that the vehicle 10's turn signal has finished operating, the turn signal field will store the information "Activation finished". If the received driving information does not include information indicating that the vehicle 10's turn signal has started operating, or information indicating that the vehicle 10's turn signal has finished operating, the information "---" will be stored.

[0042] The control unit 101 starts measuring time if the received driving information includes information indicating that the vehicle 10's turn signal has started operating. The control unit 101 stops measuring time if the received driving information includes information indicating that the vehicle 10's turn signal has stopped operating. In this way, the control unit 101 measures the operating time of the turn signal. The control unit 101 then determines whether the measured operating time of the turn signal is below a threshold.

[0043] If the measured turn signal operation time is below a threshold, the control unit 101 refers to the driving information stored in the driving information DB 103 and determines whether the vehicle's turn signal was operating within a predetermined period. Specifically, the control unit 101 refers to the driving information stored in the driving information DB 103 and determines whether it has received driving information that includes information indicating that the vehicle's turn signal has finished operating within a predetermined period. In other words, the control unit 101 refers to the turn signal field in the driving information and determines whether the turn signal field corresponding to each date and time within the predetermined period contains "operation ended".

[0044] Here, the predetermined period is the period before the start of the turn signal activation. The length of the predetermined period is the length of time during which the vehicle user is expected to continuously activate the turn signal. In this embodiment, a predetermined fixed value is set as the length of the predetermined period. Alternatively, the length of the predetermined period may be determined by the average value of the time from when multiple users have made consecutive right or left turns or attempted to avoid a stopped vehicle, until when they have finished activating the turn signal (first turn signal) and restarted activating the turn signal (second turn signal). Alternatively, the length of the predetermined period may be a variable value. In this case, for example, a different time length may be set for each user. By determining whether the vehicle 10's turn signal is activated within the predetermined period, the control unit 101 can determine whether the turn signal whose activation time falls below a threshold is the second turn signal (a turn signal that started activating immediately after the first turn signal finished activating).

[0045] If the control unit 101 determines that the turn signal of vehicle 10 is activated within a predetermined period, it determines whether the speed at which vehicle 10 started activating the turn signal was below a predetermined speed. If the speed at which vehicle 10 started activating the turn signal was below a predetermined speed, it can be assumed that vehicle 10 is making consecutive right or left turns, or is trying to avoid a stationary vehicle, as described above. Therefore, if the speed at which vehicle 10 started activating the turn signal was below a predetermined speed, the control unit 101 omits outputting the activation information.

[0046] In this way, the control unit 101 determines whether the turn signals of the vehicle 10 are activated within a predetermined period of time, and determines whether the activation of the turn signals whose activation time is below a threshold is a consecutive activation of the turn signals (a second activation of the turn signals). The control unit 101 then determines whether the speed at which the vehicle 10 started activating the turn signals is below a predetermined speed, and determines whether the second activation of the turn signals is for consecutive right or left turns, or for avoiding a stopped vehicle.

[0047] (flowchart) Next, the processing performed by the control unit 101 in the user terminal 100 in the evaluation system 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 shows the processing performed by the control unit 101. This is a flowchart of the process. The process shown in Figure 6 is for outputting operation information. The process shown in Figure 6 is executed when the control unit 101 has finished measuring the operation time of the turn signals of the vehicle 10.

[0048] In the process shown in Figure 6, first, in S101, the operating time of the turn signal of the measured vehicle 10 is acquired. Next, in S102, it is determined whether or not the acquired operating time of the vehicle 10's turn signal is below a threshold. If a negative determination is made in S102, the operating time of the turn signal is sufficient, and output of operating information is not necessary. Therefore, the process shown in Figure 6 is terminated.

[0049] If a positive result is obtained in S102, then in S103, the vehicle 10's driving information is obtained from the driving information DB 103. Next, in S104, the driving information obtained in S103 is referenced to determine whether or not the vehicle 10's turn signals were activated within a predetermined period.

[0050] In other words, in S104, it is determined whether there was a turn signal activation (first turn signal) that ended before the activation of the turn signal whose activation time fell below the threshold within a predetermined period. This allows it to determine whether the activation of the turn signal whose activation time fell below the threshold was a consecutive turn signal activation (second turn signal activation). If a negative determination is made in S104, the activation of the turn signal whose activation time fell below the threshold is not a second turn signal activation. Therefore, it is assumed that the activation of the turn signal whose activation time fell below the threshold was not for consecutive right or left turns or for avoiding a stopped vehicle. Consequently, it is not unreasonable for the user of vehicle 10 even if activation information is output. Therefore, in S106, activation information is output. Then, the process shown in Figure 6 is terminated.

[0051] If a positive determination is made in S104, then in S105, the driving information acquired in S103 is referenced to determine whether the speed of vehicle 10 when the turn signal started to operate was below a predetermined speed. In other words, it is determined whether the speed of vehicle 10 when the turn signal whose operating time was below a threshold started to operate was below a predetermined speed. If a negative determination is made in S105, it can be assumed that the operation of the turn signal whose operating time was below a threshold was not for continuous right or left turns, or for avoiding a stationary vehicle. For example, it can be assumed that the operation of the turn signal whose operating time was below a threshold was for vehicle 10 to overtake another vehicle. Therefore, if a negative determination is made in S105, the operation information is output in S106. Also, if a positive determination is made in S105, it can be determined that vehicle 10 is making continuous right or left turns, or avoiding a stationary vehicle. Therefore, if a positive determination is made in S105, the output of the operation information is omitted, and the process shown in Figure 6 is terminated.

[0052] As explained above, in the evaluation system 1, if the turn signal activation time is below a threshold, the turn signal is activated within a predetermined period, and the vehicle 10's speed is below a predetermined speed, the output of activation information is omitted. Therefore, if the activation time of the vehicle 10's turn signal is shortened due to force majeure, the output of activation information is suppressed. As a result, the user can be appropriately notified of the short-term activation of the vehicle 10's turn signal.

[0053] (Variation 1) In this embodiment, the operation information is information for notifying the user of vehicle 10 that the turn signal operation time was below a threshold. The user terminal 100 also outputs the operation information to the user of vehicle 10. The operation information may also be information for notifying an external server that the turn signal operation time was below a threshold. In this case, the user terminal 100 outputs (transmits) the operation information to the external server via a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone. Here, the external server is, for example, a server that evaluates the driving of the user of vehicle 10.

[0054] At this time, the operation information includes information indicating that the turn signal operation time was below a threshold, as well as information indicating the measured turn signal operation time. The external server refers to the information indicating the measured turn signal operation time included in the operation information and evaluates the driving of the vehicle 10 user. In this way, the short-term operation of the vehicle's turn signals can be appropriately notified to the external server. The user terminal 100 may output operation information (information to notify the vehicle 10 user that the turn signal operation time was below a threshold) to the user, and also output operation information (information including information indicating the measured turn signal operation time) to the external server.

[0055] (Modification 2) In this embodiment, the user terminal 100 determines whether or not to output operation information. However, an external device other than the user terminal 100 may also determine whether or not to output operation information. In this case, the external device obtains driving information from the user terminal 100 via a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone. The external device then refers to the driving information and determines whether or not to output (transmit) operation information to the user terminal 100. When the user terminal 100 receives operation information, it outputs a message notifying the user of the vehicle 10 that the turn signal operation time was below a threshold. Even in this way, the short-term operation of the vehicle's turn signal can be appropriately notified.

[0056] (Variation 3) In this embodiment, the threshold for operating time is a constant time. On the other hand, in this modified example, the threshold for operating time fluctuates.

[0057] Let's consider a scenario where a vehicle makes consecutive right and left turns. In this case, if the speed is high when the first turn signal is activated, the time required to begin the second right or left turn will be shorter compared to when the speed is low. In other words, in the example shown in Figure 2, if the speed at the second point is high, the time required to reach the point where the left turn begins will be shorter compared to when the speed at the second point is low. Therefore, it can be assumed that if the speed is high when the first turn signal is activated, the activation time for the second turn signal is likely to be shorter compared to when the speed is low.

[0058] Furthermore, consider the case where a vehicle avoids a stationary vehicle or other obstacle. In this case, if the speed is high when the first turn signal is activated, the time it takes to return to the original lane will be shorter compared to when the speed is low. In other words, in the example shown in Figure 3, if the speed at point 2 is high, the time it takes to reach point 3 from point 2 will be shorter. Therefore, it can be assumed that if the speed is high when the first turn signal is activated, the activation time for the second turn signal is likely to be shorter compared to when the speed is low.

[0059] Therefore, in this modified example, the threshold for activation time is set according to the speed at the time the first activation of the turn signal is completed. Specifically, the higher the speed at the time the first activation of the turn signal is completed, the lower (shorter) the threshold for activation time becomes. As a result, when the speed at the time the first activation of the turn signal is completed is high, the likelihood of the turn signal activation time falling below the threshold is suppressed compared to when the threshold for activation time is a constant value. This makes it possible to omit the determination of whether the vehicle 10's turn signal is activated within a predetermined period, and the determination of whether the speed at which the vehicle 10 started activating the turn signal is below a predetermined speed. As a result, the computational load on the user terminal 100 can be reduced while appropriately notifying the user of the short-term activation of the vehicle's turn signal.

[0060] In this modified example, the threshold for the activation time is determined according to the speed at which the first turn signal operation ends. However, for the same reasons as described above, it can be assumed that the activation time of the second turn signal will be shorter when the speed is high compared to when the speed is low. Therefore, the threshold for the activation time may be determined according to the speed of the vehicle 10 at which the second turn signal operation begins.

[0061] (Modification 4) In this embodiment, the predetermined speed is a slow speed. However, the predetermined speed does not necessarily have to be a slow speed. The predetermined speed may be set as the larger of the average values ​​of the speed at which the vehicle makes consecutive right and left turns and the speed at which the vehicle attempts to avoid a stationary vehicle or obstacle, calculated from the driving data of multiple users.

[0062] Furthermore, for example, it may be assumed that the speed at which a vehicle makes consecutive right and left turns is a slow speed, and the speed at which the vehicle avoids a stationary vehicle is greater than the slow speed. In this case, by setting the predetermined speed to a speed greater than the slow speed (the speed at which the vehicle avoids a stationary vehicle), it is possible to detect both consecutive right and left turns and avoiding stationary vehicles. Alternatively, by setting the predetermined speed to a slow speed, it is possible to detect only consecutive right and left turns without detecting avoiding stationary vehicles. Even in this way, it is possible to appropriately notify the driver of the short-term activation of the vehicle's turn signals.

[0063] <Other Embodiments> The embodiments described above are merely examples, and this disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from its essence. Furthermore, the processes and means described in this disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical inconsistencies arise.

[0064] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by a single device may be divided and executed by multiple devices. Conversely, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is implemented can be flexibly changed.

[0065] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the embodiments above to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the computer's system bus, or it may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-temporary computer-readable storage medium includes any type of disk, such as magnetic disks (floppy disks or hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.), optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, or optical cards, and any other type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0066] 1. Evaluation System 10. Vehicles 100 User Terminals 101. Control Unit 102. Communications Department 103. Driving Information Database 200... Traveling ECU

Claims

1. To obtain the operating time of the vehicle's turn signals, The operating time of the aforementioned turn signal is below a threshold, If the previous turn signal operation, which ended before the start of the turn signal operation, occurred within a predetermined period prior to the start of the turn signal operation, and the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed, then operation information indicating that the turn signal operation time is below the threshold is output. If the above conditions are met, the output of the operation information will be omitted, A control unit configured to perform the following actions: Information processing device.

2. The threshold is set according to the speed of the vehicle. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned operation information includes information for notifying the vehicle user that the operation time of the turn signal was short. Outputting the aforementioned operational information includes outputting the aforementioned operational information to the user's terminal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned operation information includes information indicating the operating time of the turn signal, Outputting the aforementioned operational information includes outputting the operational information to a server device for evaluating the user's driving of the vehicle. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A method of information processing performed by a computer, To obtain the operating time of the vehicle's turn signals, The operating time of the aforementioned turn signal is below a threshold, If the previous turn signal operation, which ended before the start of the turn signal operation, occurred within a predetermined period prior to the start of the turn signal operation, and the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed, then operation information indicating that the turn signal operation time is below the threshold is output. If the above conditions are met, the output of the operation information will be omitted, including, Information processing methods.

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