Road rage driving warning device and road rage driving warning method

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to accurately determine road rage driving and warn a driver. This road rage driving warning device (101) is provided with: an induction behavior detection unit (11) for detecting a predetermined road rage inducing behavior as a behavior for inducing road rage driving by a peripheral vehicle traveling around an object vehicle; an emotion detection unit (12) for detecting a specific emotion associated with road rage driving in a driver of the object vehicle; a dangerous behavior detection unit (13) for detecting a predetermined dangerous behavior by the object vehicle; a road rage driving determination unit (14) for determining that the driver has performed the road rage driving when the road rage inducing behavior by the peripheral vehicle, the specific emotion of the driver, and the dangerous behavior by the object vehicle are detected; and a warning control unit (15) for causing a warning device (24) mounted on the object vehicle to issue a warning to the driver determined to have performed the road rage driving.

Description

Apparatus and method for warning against tailgating

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aggressive driving warnings.

[0002] In recent years, aggressive driving, where drivers approach other vehicles from behind or to the side by getting extremely close, or suddenly stop to impede the driving of vehicles behind, has become a social problem. Therefore, there is a demand for technology to detect aggressive driving and to curb it.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for determining aggressive driving based on the driver's state, including the driver's emotions such as anger, and the vehicle's behavior, such as closing the distance between vehicles.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-056602

[0005] The technology of Patent Document 1 considers only the driver's emotions and vehicle behavior when determining whether the driver is tailgating, and does not consider whether the target of the driver's anger is another vehicle. Therefore, with the technology of Patent Document 1, for example, if a driver who normally drives at a close following distance is arguing with another passenger and in an angry state, it may be erroneously determined that the driver is tailgating. If a warning is given to the driver or vehicle control is implemented based on the erroneous determination, it can be stressful for the driver.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to accurately determine aggressive driving and issue a warning based on that determination.

[0007] The tailgating warning device disclosed herein includes an induced behavior detection unit that detects predetermined tailgating-inducing behavior by surrounding vehicles traveling around the target vehicle as behavior that induces tailgating; an emotion detection unit that detects specific emotions associated with tailgating by the driver of the target vehicle; a dangerous behavior detection unit that detects predetermined dangerous behavior by the target vehicle; a tailgating determination unit that determines that the driver has engaged in tailgating when tailgating-inducing behavior by surrounding vehicles, the driver's specific emotion, and dangerous behavior by the target vehicle are detected; and a warning control unit that causes a warning device installed in the target vehicle to issue a warning to the driver who has been determined to have engaged in tailgating.

[0008] The present disclosure provides a road rage warning device that accurately identifies road rage by a driver based on the road rage-inducing behavior of surrounding vehicles, the driver's specific emotions, and the specific behavior of the target vehicle, and can provide a warning to the driver. Objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a road rage warning device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a warning given by the road rage warning device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the road rage warning device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a road rage warning device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the road rage warning device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a road rage warning device according to embodiment 3. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the road rage warning device according to embodiment 3. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a road rage warning device. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a road rage warning device.

[0010] <A. Embodiment 1> <A-1. Configuration> Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a road rage warning device 101 according to embodiment 1. The road rage warning device 101 detects road rage by a vehicle driver and issues a warning to urge the driver to stop road rage. In this specification, a vehicle driven by a driver who is the target of road rage detection by the road rage warning device 101 is referred to as a target vehicle, and other vehicles traveling around the target vehicle are referred to as nearby vehicles.

[0011] The road rage warning device 101 is connected to and configured to be able to use a monitoring sensor 21, a surrounding sensor 22, an operation sensor 23, and a warning device 24. First, the peripheral configuration of these will be described.

[0012] The monitoring sensor 21 is mounted on the target vehicle and acquires information for determining the driver's emotions, such as anger or disgust, when the driver is engaging in aggressive driving. The monitoring sensor 21 is configured, for example, as a camera that photographs the driver's face or a biometric sensor that measures the driver's heart rate, etc. The monitoring sensor 21 is provided, for example, on the windshield, dashboard, steering wheel, or ceiling of the target vehicle.

[0013] The surrounding sensor 22 is mounted on the target vehicle and acquires information for determining the behavior of the target vehicle and surrounding vehicles. The surrounding sensor 22 is configured, for example, with a front camera that captures images in front of the target vehicle, a rear camera that captures images behind the target vehicle, a radar that measures the distance between the target vehicle and surrounding vehicles, and a microphone that collects sounds around the target vehicle.

[0014] The operation sensor 23 is a sensor that detects driving operations such as steering, accelerator, and brake operations of the target vehicle by the driver. The information detected by the operation sensor 23 is used to determine whether the target vehicle is performing risky behavior that appears to be aggressive driving.

[0015] The warning device 24 is an output device mounted on the target vehicle. The warning device 24 is controlled by the aggressive driving warning device 101 and outputs a warning to urge the driver to stop aggressive driving. The warning device 24 is, for example, a display or a speaker, or may be a combination of both.

[0016] Next, we will explain the configuration of the road rage warning device 101. The road rage warning device 101 is configured to include an emotion detection unit 12, a triggering behavior detection unit 11, a dangerous behavior detection unit 13, a road rage determination unit 14, and a warning control unit 15.

[0017] The emotion detection unit 12 detects a specific emotion of the driver of the target vehicle based on information received from the monitoring sensor 21. The specific emotion is a negative emotion associated with aggressive driving, such as anger or disgust.

[0018] The emotion detection unit 12 determines whether the driver is feeling angry, for example, based on the driver's blood pressure or heart rate. The emotion detection unit 12 can determine that the driver is feeling angry, for example, when the blood pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the emotion detection unit 12 can determine that the driver is feeling angry, for example, when the heart rate exceeds a predetermined threshold. Here, the driver's blood pressure or heart rate may be information detected by a biosensor or may be information obtained from a facial image of the driver.

[0019] The triggering behavior detection unit 11 detects tailgating-inducing behavior by surrounding vehicles traveling around the target vehicle based on information received from the surrounding sensor 22. The tailgating-inducing behavior is a behavior that is predetermined as a behavior that induces aggressive driving. Examples of tailgating-inducing behavior include cutting in front of the target vehicle, driving slowly in front of the target vehicle, flashing the lights from behind the target vehicle, persistent honking, and getting too close from behind the target vehicle.

[0020] For example, the induced behavior detection unit 11 recognizes nearby vehicles traveling around the target vehicle from images captured by a camera mounted on the target vehicle that captures the area around the target vehicle. The induced behavior detection unit 11 also acquires the inter-vehicle distance between the target vehicle and the nearby vehicles from a radar. When the nearby vehicle changes course to enter in front of the target vehicle and the inter-vehicle distance between the nearby vehicle and the target vehicle immediately after the nearby vehicle changes course is less than a predetermined threshold, the induced behavior detection unit 11 can determine that the nearby vehicle has cut in front of the target vehicle.

[0021] For example, if the distance between the target vehicle and a nearby vehicle ahead is constant and the speed of the target vehicle is less than a predetermined threshold, the induced behavior detection unit 11 can determine that the nearby vehicle is traveling at a low speed. The speed threshold for determining that the target vehicle is traveling at a low speed may be determined based on the speed limit of the road on which the target vehicle is traveling.

[0022] For example, the induced behavior detection unit 11 can detect passing of the target vehicle by a nearby vehicle traveling behind the target vehicle by analyzing images captured by a camera mounted on the target vehicle that captures the area behind the target vehicle.

[0023] For example, the triggering behavior detection unit 11 can detect honking by a nearby vehicle by analyzing the sound collected by a microphone mounted on the target vehicle. Furthermore, if the length of a single honk is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, or if the number of consecutive honks is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the triggering behavior detection unit 11 can determine that the nearby vehicle has honked its horn persistently.

[0024] For example, if the distance between the target vehicle and a surrounding vehicle behind it is less than a predetermined threshold, the induced behavior detection unit 11 can determine that the surrounding vehicle behind it is too close to the target vehicle.

[0025] The dangerous behavior detection unit 13 determines whether the target vehicle is engaging in a dangerous behavior that is predetermined as a component of aggressive driving, based on information received from the surrounding sensors 22 and the operation sensor 23. Examples of dangerous behavior include sudden acceleration, sudden approach, meandering, reckless overtaking, obstruction of the path, and persistent flashing of the lights.

[0026] For example, the risky behavior detection unit 13 can determine sudden acceleration of the target vehicle based on the accelerator operation amount acquired from the operation sensor 23. Furthermore, if the sudden acceleration causes the inter-vehicle distance between the target vehicle and a nearby vehicle ahead to fall below a predetermined threshold, the risky behavior detection unit 13 can determine that the target vehicle has made a sudden approach.

[0027] For example, the risky behavior detection unit 13 can determine whether the target vehicle is meandering based on the steering operation amount acquired from the operation sensor 23 .

[0028] For example, the risky behavior detection unit 13 detects that the target vehicle has overtaken a nearby vehicle by analyzing an image captured by a camera capturing an image of the area around the target vehicle. The risky behavior detection unit 13 then acquires the inter-vehicle distance between the target vehicle and the nearby vehicle at the time of overtaking from a radar, and can determine that the target vehicle has performed a reckless overtaking if the inter-vehicle distance is less than a predetermined threshold.

[0029] For example, the dangerous behavior detection unit 13 analyzes images taken by a camera capturing the surroundings of the target vehicle, and if it determines that the target vehicle has changed course in the same direction as the surrounding vehicle behind it in accordance with the change in course of the surrounding vehicle behind it, it can detect this as the target vehicle obstructing the course of the surrounding vehicle behind it.

[0030] For example, if the dangerous behavior detection unit 13 determines from the headlight operation information obtained from the operation sensor 23 that the target vehicle has repeatedly flashed its lights more than a predetermined number of times, it can detect this as persistent flashing.

[0031] The tailgating determination unit 14 determines whether or not the driver is tailgating based on the detection results of the emotion detection unit 12, the triggering behavior detection unit 11, and the dangerous behavior detection unit 13. The tailgating determination unit 14 determines that the driver is tailgating when the emotion detection unit 12 determines that the driver of the target vehicle has a specific emotion, the triggering behavior detection unit 11 determines that the surrounding vehicle is performing tailgating-inducing behavior, and the dangerous behavior detection unit 13 determines that the target vehicle is performing dangerous behavior.

[0032] The warning control unit 15 acquires the determination result from the road rage determination unit 14, and when the road rage determination unit 14 determines that the driver is driving recklessly, causes the warning device 24 to issue a warning urging the driver to stop road rage. For example, when the warning device 24 is a display device, as shown in Fig. 2, a message such as "This is road rage. Please be careful" may be displayed. Alternatively, this warning may be issued by voice.

[0033] If the road rage determination unit 14 determines that the driver is engaging in road rage, the warning control unit 15 may acquire details of the road rage from the road rage determination unit 14. In this case, the warning control unit 15 can include details of the road rage, i.e., details of dangerous behavior by the target vehicle, in the warning. For example, if the driver engages in road rage by closing the distance between the vehicle and a nearby vehicle in front, the warning control unit 15 can cause the warning device 24 to output a display or sound such as "Keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the target vehicle." Furthermore, if the driver suddenly decelerates despite the presence of a nearby vehicle behind them, the warning control unit 15 can cause the warning device 24 to output a display or sound such as "You are suddenly decelerating. Be careful."

[0034] When the tailgating determination unit 14 determines that the driver is tailgating, the warning control unit 15 may acquire details of the tailgating-inducing behavior of the surrounding vehicle from the tailgating determination unit 14. In this case, the warning control unit 15 can include details of the tailgating-inducing behavior of the surrounding vehicle in the warning. For example, when a surrounding vehicle cuts in front of the target vehicle and then the anger of the driver of the target vehicle and the dangerous behavior of the target vehicle are detected, the warning control unit 15 can cause the warning device 24 to output a display or voice message such as, "You've been cut in front of me, but please try to stay calm." This enables an effective warning that takes into consideration the driver's feelings.

[0035] <A-2. Operation> Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the road rage warning device 101. Below, the operation of the road rage warning device 101 will be explained according to the flow in Figure 3. The flow in Figure 3 is repeated as needed, for example, at regular intervals, when the target vehicle starts traveling.

[0036] First, in step S101, the triggering behavior detection unit 11 determines whether or not there is any tailgating-inducing behavior by a nearby vehicle. If there is no tailgating-inducing behavior, the processing of the tailgating warning device 101 ends.

[0037] If a tailgating-inducing behavior is detected in step S101, the processing of the tailgating warning device 101 proceeds to step S102. In step S102, the emotion detection unit 12 determines whether the driver of the target vehicle is angry. If the driver is not angry, the processing of the tailgating warning device 101 ends.

[0038] If the driver is angry in step S102, the process of the road rage warning device 101 proceeds to step S103. In step S103, the dangerous behavior detection unit 13 determines whether the target vehicle is behaving dangerously. If the target vehicle is not behaving dangerously, the process of the road rage warning device 101 ends.

[0039] If the target vehicle is engaged in dangerous behavior in step S103, the processing of the road rage warning device 101 proceeds to step S104. In step S104, the warning control unit 15 controls the warning device 24 to issue a warning urging the target vehicle to stop road rage.

[0040] A-3. Effects The road rage warning device 101 according to the first embodiment includes an induced behavior detection unit 11 that detects predetermined road rage-inducing behavior by a nearby vehicle traveling around the target vehicle as behavior that induces road rage, an emotion detection unit 12 that detects a specific emotion associated with road rage of the driver of the target vehicle, a dangerous behavior detection unit 13 that detects predetermined dangerous behavior by the target vehicle, a road rage determination unit 14 that determines that the driver has engaged in road rage when the road rage-inducing behavior of the nearby vehicle, the specific emotion of the driver, and the dangerous behavior of the target vehicle are detected, and a warning control unit 15 that causes a warning device mounted on the target vehicle to issue a warning to the driver determined to have engaged in road rage. In this way, the road rage warning device 101 determines road rage when the road rage-inducing behavior of the nearby vehicle, the specific emotion of the driver, and the dangerous behavior of the target vehicle are all detected, thereby enabling accurate road rage determination and warning to the driver.

[0041] <B. Embodiment 2> <B-1. Configuration> Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a road rage warning device 102 according to embodiment 2. The road rage warning device 102 is connected to a vehicle control device 25 in addition to a monitoring sensor 21, a surrounding sensor 22, an operation sensor 23, and a warning device 24, and is configured to be able to use these.

[0042] The vehicle control device 25 is controlled by the tailgating warning device 102 and controls the target vehicle to forcibly stop the dangerous behavior. For example, the vehicle control device 25 controls at least one of acceleration, deceleration, and steering of the target vehicle to stop the dangerous behavior of the target vehicle related to driving. Alternatively, the vehicle control device 25 controls the horn or headlights of the target vehicle to stop the dangerous behavior related to the horn or high beam irradiation.

[0043] The road rage warning device 102 is configured by adding a vehicle control unit 16 to the configuration of the road rage warning device 101 according to the first embodiment.

[0044] If the risky behavior of the target vehicle continues even after a predetermined grace period has elapsed since the warning by the warning device 24, the vehicle control unit 16 controls the vehicle control device 25 to forcibly stop the risky behavior. Specifically, in response to an instruction from the vehicle control unit 16, the vehicle control device 25 suppresses the acceleration of the target vehicle, performs automatic driving of the target vehicle, or stops the horn or high beam illumination of the target vehicle.

[0045] Furthermore, if a new risky behavior by the target vehicle is detected within the grace period, the vehicle control unit 16 may also control the vehicle control device 25 to forcibly stop the new risky behavior. Here, the "new risky behavior" includes risky behavior of the same type as the risky behavior that caused the warning, i.e., the basis for the warning, and risky behavior of a different type. The former corresponds to, for example, a case where the target vehicle passes its lights and receives a warning, but then repeats passing its lights within the grace period after the warning. The latter corresponds to, for example, a case where the target vehicle passes its lights and receives a warning, but then engages in a different type of risky behavior, such as closing the distance with the vehicle ahead after the warning.

[0046] The vehicle control unit 16 determines the degree of danger for the dangerous behavior of the target vehicle, and if the new dangerous behavior is more dangerous than the dangerous behavior that was the basis for the warning, it may control the vehicle control device 25 to forcibly stop the new dangerous behavior.

[0047] For example, if closing the distance between vehicles is an example of risky behavior, the shorter the distance between vehicles, the higher the risk. Also, if honking the horn is an example of risky behavior, the longer the horn is honked continuously or the more frequently the horn is honked intermittently, the higher the risk.

[0048] <B-2. Operation> Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the road rage warning device 102. The flow in Fig. 5 is obtained by adding steps S105 to S108 to the flow in Fig. 3 described in the first embodiment.

[0049] The road rage warning device 102 issues a warning in step S104 as in the first embodiment, and then proceeds to the processing in step S105.

[0050] In step S105, the risky behavior detection unit 13 determines whether the target vehicle has stopped its risky behavior. If the target vehicle has stopped its risky behavior in step S105, the processing of the road rage warning device 102 ends.

[0051] If the target vehicle does not stop the dangerous behavior in step S105, the processing of the road rage warning device 102 proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the vehicle control unit 16 determines whether a predetermined grace period has elapsed since the warning.

[0052] If it is determined in step S106 that the grace period has not elapsed, the process of the roadblock warning device 102 proceeds to step S107. In step S107, the risky behavior detection unit 13 determines whether the target vehicle has engaged in a new risky behavior.

[0053] If it is determined in step S107 that the target vehicle has not engaged in any new risky behavior, the processing of the road rage warning device 102 returns to step S105.

[0054] If the target vehicle engages in new dangerous behavior in step S107, this indicates the driver's intention to continue the dangerous behavior without accepting the warning. Similarly, if the grace period has elapsed in step S106, it can be determined that the driver has no intention of stopping the dangerous behavior. Therefore, in these cases, the processing of the tailgating warning device 102 proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the vehicle control unit 16 controls the vehicle control device 25 to forcibly stop the dangerous behavior of the target vehicle. Here, the dangerous behavior of the target vehicle that the vehicle control unit 16 stops includes both the dangerous behavior that was the basis of the warning and the new dangerous behavior added in step S107. Thereafter, the processing of the tailgating warning device 102 ends.

[0055] <B-3. Effects> The tailgating warning device 102 according to the second embodiment includes a vehicle control unit 16 in addition to the configuration of the tailgating warning device 101 according to the first embodiment. If the target vehicle continues to exhibit dangerous behavior even after a predetermined grace period has elapsed since the warning, the vehicle control unit 16 causes the vehicle control device 25 to control the target vehicle to stop the dangerous behavior. Therefore, according to the tailgating warning device 102, if the target vehicle continues to exhibit dangerous behavior despite receiving a warning, the dangerous behavior can be forcibly stopped, thereby ensuring the safety of the target vehicle and surrounding vehicles.

[0056] Furthermore, in the tailgating warning device 102, if new dangerous behavior by the target vehicle is detected within the grace period, the vehicle control unit 16 may cause the vehicle control device 25 to control the target vehicle to stop the new dangerous behavior. The target vehicle's new dangerous behavior can be considered to be an indication of the driver's intention to ignore the warning. Therefore, with the above configuration, the safety of the target vehicle and surrounding vehicles can be ensured early by forcibly stopping the dangerous behavior even within the grace period.

[0057] <C. Embodiment 3> <C-1. Configuration> Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a road rage warning device 103 according to embodiment 3. The road rage warning device 103 is connected to a monitoring sensor 21, a surrounding sensor 22, an operation sensor 23, a warning device 24, and a vehicle control device 25, and is configured to be able to use these.

[0058] The road rage warning device 103 includes a history determination unit 17 in addition to the configuration of the road rage warning device 102 according to embodiment 2. Each time a nearby vehicle exhibits road rage-inducing behavior, the history determination unit 17 accumulates information on whether the driver felt anger at the time and whether the target vehicle engaged in road rage as the driving history of the target vehicle.

[0059] The history determination unit 17 calculates the frequency of aggressive driving by the driver based on the driving history. The frequency of aggressive driving is calculated, for example, by dividing the number of times aggressive driving has been performed by a nearby vehicle by the number of times the driver has experienced aggressive behavior from a nearby vehicle and felt angry. Alternatively, the frequency of aggressive driving may be calculated by dividing the number of times aggressive driving has been performed by a nearby vehicle by the number of times the driver has experienced aggressive behavior from a nearby vehicle.

[0060] The history determination unit 17 changes the parameters used to detect the specific emotion so that the detection sensitivity of the specific emotion in the emotion detection unit 12 increases as the frequency of aggressive driving increases. For example, the history determination unit 17 may lower the blood pressure or heart rate threshold at which a driver is determined to have a specific emotion for a driver who frequently engages in aggressive driving. Furthermore, if the emotion detection unit 12 determines that a driver has a specific emotion when the blood pressure or heart rate remains below the threshold for a predetermined determination time, the history determination unit 17 may shorten this determination time for a driver who frequently engages in aggressive driving.

[0061] While the above has described increasing the detection sensitivity of specific emotions, the history determination unit 17 may similarly change the parameters used for detection in the triggering behavior detection unit 11 to increase the detection sensitivity of tailgating-inducing behavior, or may change the parameters used for detecting dangerous behavior to increase the detection sensitivity of dangerous behavior. The history determination unit 17 may change at least one of these parameters depending on the frequency of the driver's tailgating.

[0062] <C-2. Operation> Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the road rage warning device 103. In the flow of Fig. 7, processing from step S109 to step S111 is added to the flow of Fig. 5 described in embodiment 2. The processing from step S109 to step S111 is executed in the cases of No in step S102, No in step S103, and Yes in step S105, and after step S108.

[0063] In step S109, the history determination unit 17 updates the driving history. Specifically, the history determination unit 17 updates the number of times a nearby vehicle has engaged in tailgating-inducing behavior, the number of times the driver has felt angry, or the number of times the target vehicle has engaged in dangerous behavior.

[0064] After step S109, in step S110, the history determination unit 17 calculates the frequency of tailgating by the driver based on the updated driving history, and determines whether the frequency of tailgating is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

[0065] If the frequency of tailgating is less than the threshold in step S109, the processing of the tailgating warning device 103 ends. If the frequency of tailgating is equal to or greater than the threshold in step S109, in step S111, the history determination unit 17 changes the parameters used to detect the driver's specific emotion, the tailgating-inducing behavior of surrounding vehicles, or the dangerous behavior of the target vehicle to increase the detection sensitivity. This ends the processing of the tailgating warning device 103.

[0066] <C-3. Effects> The road rage warning device 103 according to the third embodiment includes a history determination unit 17 in addition to the configuration of the road rage warning device 101, 102 according to the first or second embodiment. The history determination unit 17 accumulates the results of the driver's road rage determination in response to road rage-inducing behavior by nearby vehicles as a driving history, and calculates the frequency of road rage by the driver based on the driving history. As the road rage frequency increases, the emotion detection unit 12 may increase the detection sensitivity of specific emotions, the dangerous behavior detection unit 13 may increase the detection sensitivity of dangerous behavior, or the induced behavior detection unit 11 may increase the detection sensitivity of road rage-inducing behavior. With the above configuration, the road rage warning device 103 can provide an early warning to drivers who are prone to road rage.

[0067] <D. Hardware Configuration> The triggered behavior detection unit 11, emotion detection unit 12, dangerous behavior detection unit 13, tailgating determination unit 14, warning control unit 15, vehicle control unit 16, and history determination unit 17 in the above-described road rage warning devices 101, 102, and 103 are realized by a processing circuit 81 shown in FIG. 8 . That is, the processing circuit 81 includes the triggered behavior detection unit 11, emotion detection unit 12, dangerous behavior detection unit 13, tailgating determination unit 14, warning control unit 15, vehicle control unit 16, and history determination unit 17 (hereinafter referred to as the "triggered behavior detection unit 11, etc."). The processing circuit 81 may be implemented by dedicated hardware or by a processor that executes a program stored in memory. The processor may be, for example, a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or the like.

[0068] When the processing circuitry 81 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuitry 81 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Each function of the induced behavior detection unit 11 and other units may be realized by a plurality of processing circuits 81, or the functions of the units may be collectively realized by a single processing circuit.

[0069] When the processing circuit 81 is a processor, the functions of the induced behavior detection unit 11 and the like are realized by a combination of software, etc. (software, firmware, or software and firmware). The software, etc. is written as a program and stored in a memory. As shown in FIG. 9 , the processor 82 applied to the processing circuit 81 realizes the functions of each unit by reading and executing a program stored in a memory 83. That is, the tailgating warning devices 101, 102, 103 include a memory 83 for storing a program that, when executed by the processing circuit 81, results in the processing of the induced behavior detection unit 11 and the like. In other words, this program can be said to cause a computer to execute the procedure or method of the induced behavior detection unit 11 and the like. Here, the memory 83 may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) and its drive device, or any storage medium that will be used in the future.

[0070] The above describes a configuration in which each function of the induced behavior detection unit 11 and the like is realized either by hardware or software, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which part of the induced behavior detection unit 11 and the like is realized by dedicated hardware and another part is realized by software, etc. For example, the function of the road rage determination unit 14 can be realized by a processing circuit as dedicated hardware, and the other functions can be realized by the processing circuit 81 as the processor 82 reading and executing programs stored in the memory 83.

[0071] As described above, the processing circuit can realize each of the above functions by hardware, software, or a combination of these.

[0072] Although the road rage warning devices 101, 102, and 103 are typically in-vehicle devices installed in target vehicles, they can also be applied to a system constructed by appropriately combining a PND (Portable Navigation Device), a communication terminal (e.g., a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet), the functions of applications installed thereon, a server, etc. In this case, the functions or components of the road rage warning devices 101, 102, and 103 described above may be distributed among the devices that make up the system, or may be centrally located in one of the devices.

[0073] It should be noted that the embodiments can be freely combined, modified, or omitted as appropriate. For example, the road rage warning device 103 according to the third embodiment has been described as a road rage warning device 102 according to the second embodiment to which a history determination unit 17 has been added. However, the road rage warning device 103 may also be a road rage warning device 101 according to the first embodiment to which a history determination unit 17 has been added. The above description is illustrative in all respects. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned.

[0074] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 Triggering behavior detection unit, 12 Emotion detection unit, 13 Risky behavior detection unit, 14 Driving determination unit, 15 Warning control unit, 16 Vehicle control unit, 17 History determination unit, 21 Monitoring sensor, 22 Surrounding sensor, 23 Operation sensor, 24 Warning device, 25 Vehicle control device, 81 Processing circuit, 82 Processor, 83 Memory, 101 Driving warning device, 102 Driving warning device, 103 Driving warning device.

Claims

1. A tailgating warning device comprising: an induced behavior detection unit that detects predetermined tailgating-inducing behavior by surrounding vehicles traveling around a target vehicle as behavior that induces tailgating; an emotion detection unit that detects a specific emotion associated with tailgating by the driver of the target vehicle; a dangerous behavior detection unit that detects predetermined dangerous behavior by the target vehicle; a tailgating judgment unit that determines that the driver has engaged in tailgating when the tailgating-inducing behavior by the surrounding vehicles, the specific emotion of the driver, and the dangerous behavior by the target vehicle are detected; and a warning control unit that causes a warning device mounted on the target vehicle to issue a warning to the driver determined to have engaged in tailgating.

2. The road rage warning device according to claim 1, wherein the warning includes a notification of the content of the dangerous behavior.

3. The road rage warning device according to claim 1, wherein the warning includes a notification of the content of the road rage-inducing behavior.

4. The tailgating warning device of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle control unit that, if the dangerous behavior of the target vehicle continues after a predetermined grace period has elapsed since the warning, causes a vehicle control device to control the target vehicle to stop the dangerous behavior.

5. The road rage warning device according to claim 4, wherein the control of the target vehicle by the vehicle control device includes at least one of steering, acceleration, and deceleration control.

6. The tailgating warning device of claim 4, wherein when new dangerous behavior by the target vehicle is detected within the grace period, the vehicle control unit causes the vehicle control device to control the target vehicle to stop the new dangerous behavior.

7. The tailgating warning device of claim 6, wherein the vehicle control unit, if the new dangerous behavior is more dangerous than the dangerous behavior that was the basis of the warning, stops the new dangerous behavior by causing the vehicle control device to control the target vehicle.

8. The tailgating warning device of claim 1, further comprising a history judgment unit that accumulates the judgment results of the driver's tailgating in response to the tailgating-inducing behavior of the surrounding vehicles as a driving history and calculates the frequency of the driver's tailgating based on the driving history, wherein the higher the frequency of the tailgating, the higher the detection sensitivity of the emotion detection unit to the specific emotion.

9. The tailgating warning device of claim 1, further comprising a history judgment unit that accumulates the judgment results of the driver's tailgating in response to the tailgating-inducing behavior of the surrounding vehicles as a driving history and calculates the frequency of the driver's tailgating based on the driving history, wherein the higher the frequency of the tailgating, the higher the detection sensitivity of the dangerous behavior detection unit is.

10. The tailgating warning device of claim 1, further comprising a history memory unit that accumulates the results of the driver's judgment of tailgating in response to the tailgating-inducing behavior of the surrounding vehicles as a driving history and calculates the frequency of tailgating by the driver based on the driving history, and the higher the frequency of tailgating, the higher the detection sensitivity of the tailgating-inducing behavior of the induced behavior detection unit.

11. A tailgating warning method, in which an inducing behavior detection unit detects predetermined tailgating-inducing behavior by surrounding vehicles traveling around a target vehicle as behavior that induces tailgating, an emotion detection unit detects a specific emotion associated with tailgating by the driver of the target vehicle, a dangerous behavior detection unit detects predetermined dangerous behavior by the target vehicle, a tailgating judgment unit judges that the driver has engaged in tailgating when the tailgating-inducing behavior by the surrounding vehicles, the specific emotion of the driver, and the dangerous behavior by the target vehicle are detected, and a warning control unit causes a warning device installed in the target vehicle to issue a warning to the driver determined to have engaged in tailgating.

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