Route search apparatus

Abstract

The present invention presents, to an operator, a route for providing the brain with a stimulus for promoting cognitive function improvement and brain development.　A route search apparatus 1 comprises: a route search unit 112 that searches for a plurality of routes to a destination; a passage history storage unit 131 that stores passage history information for each road that has been passed; a passage result acquisition unit 114 that acquires passage result information for each of the routes on the basis of the passage history information; a biological information detection device 200 that detects biological information of the driver; a biological information storage unit 132 that stores a variation value of the biological information of the driver in response to a change in a travel environment; a history load value calculation unit 117 that calculates a history load value for each of the routes; a travel environment load value calculation unit 118 that calculates a travel environment load value for each of the routes; a total load value calculation unit 119 that calculates a total load value for each of the routes on the basis of the history load value and the travel environment load value; and a control unit 120 that preferentially displays information related to a route having a high total load value.

Description

Route search device

[0001] The present invention relates to a route search device.

[0002] In recent years, vehicles have been equipped with navigation devices that provide driving guidance for the vehicle and enable the driver to easily reach a desired destination. For example, one such technology has been disclosed that, when searching for a route from a departure point to a destination, does not only search for an optimal route, but also searches for, for example, a recommended route, a route that prioritizes toll roads, a route that prioritizes general roads, a route that prioritizes distance, etc., and presents the route to the driver (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-209208

[0004] However, with the above-mentioned technology, the driver is presented with an easy route or a route with the shortest driving distance each time, so even if the driver drives the route that has been searched for, brain activity is not stimulated, and the driver's cognitive function and brain development cannot be improved, which is a problem.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a route search device that presents a driver with routes that stimulate the brain to improve cognitive function and promote brain development.

[0006] Mode 1: One or more embodiments of the present invention are a route search device that searches for a route to a destination specified by a driver, the route search device including: a route search unit that searches for a plurality of routes from a current location of a vehicle to the destination based on map data; a travel history storage unit that stores travel history information including information on the number of times each road traveled by the vehicle and information on the time of travel; a travel history acquisition unit that acquires, based on the travel history information, travel history information including information on the number of times each route has been traveled by the vehicle in the past and information on the elapsed time from the time the route was traveled in the past to the present; and a biometric information acquisition unit that detects biometric information of the driver. a biometric information storage unit that stores fluctuations in the biometric information of the driver due to changes in the driving environment; a historical load value calculation unit that calculates a historical load value for each of the routes based on the traffic performance information; a driving environment load value calculation unit that calculates a driving environment load value for each of the routes based on the driving environment included in the routes and the fluctuations in the biometric information; a total load value calculation unit that calculates a total load value for each of the routes based on the historical load values ​​and the driving environment load values; and a control unit that causes the driver to preferentially be presented with information about routes with high total load values.

[0007] Mode 2: One or more embodiments of the present invention are a route search device that searches for a route to a destination specified by a driver, the route search device comprising: a controller; and a biometric information detection device that detects biometric information of the driver, the controller including one or more processors and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors, the one or more memories including storage that stores travel history information including information on the number of times the driver has traveled for each road and information on the time of travel, and fluctuation values ​​of the biometric information of the driver due to changes in the driving environment, and the one or more processors The present invention proposes a route search device that, based on the travel history information, acquires, for each route, travel history information including information on the number of times the driver has traveled the route in the past and information on the elapsed time from the last time the route was traveled until the present, calculates a historical load value for each route based on the travel history information, searches for and calculates a travel environment load value for each route based on the travel environment included in the route and the variation value of the biometric information, calculates a total load value for each route based on the historical load value and the travel environment load value, and preferentially presents information on routes with a high total load value to the driver.

[0008] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a driver with a route to stimulate the brain to improve cognitive function and promote brain development.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller and a processor of the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of travel history information acquired by the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of travel history information acquired by the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of travel record information acquired by the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of biometric information acquired by the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of biometric information acquired by the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conversion table referred to when the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention calculates a historical load value. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a historical load value calculated by the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a driving environment load value calculated by the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a total load value calculated by the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display mode of information about a searched route presented by the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow of a control unit of the route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] <Embodiment> A route search device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 15 .

[0011] <Configuration of Route Search Device 1> As shown in Fig. 1, the route search device 1 according to this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the route search device 1 is configured to include a controller 100, a biological information detection device 200, and a communication device 300. In this embodiment, the controller 100 is connected to a navigation device 20 installed in the vehicle 10 and transmits and receives information. The controller 100 will be described later.

[0012] In the present embodiment, the navigation device 20 includes a display unit 21. In the present embodiment, the display unit 21 is a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel, and displays a display screen for acquiring destination information from the driver of the vehicle 10 and information about a route from the current location to the destination selected by the driver. In the present embodiment, the navigation device 20 provides route guidance by displaying, for example, information about a route from the current location of the vehicle 10 to the destination on the display unit 21. In the present embodiment, the navigation device 20 displays, for example, information about a route searched for using a route search mode, for example, a "standard mode" or a "brain activation mode," on the display unit 21. In the present embodiment, when the "standard mode" is selected, for example, the navigation device 20 performs a route search from the current location of the vehicle 10 to the destination. In the present embodiment, when the "standard mode" is selected, for example, the navigation device 20 searches for routes such as a toll road priority route, a general road priority route, or a distance priority route, and provides guidance for the route selected by the driver. In this embodiment, for example, when the "brain activation mode" is selected, the navigation device 20 causes the route search device 1 to execute a route search from the current location of the vehicle 10 to the destination. In this embodiment, for example, when the "brain activation mode" is selected, the navigation device 20 outputs destination information specified by the driver to the controller 100. In this embodiment, for example, when the "brain activation mode" is selected, the navigation device 20 displays information about the route acquired from the controller 100 (the route searched by the route search device 1) on the display unit 21, and executes guidance for the route selected by the driver. Details of the route acquired from the controller 100 will be described later.

[0013] The biometric information detection device 200 detects biometric information of the driver of the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, for example, when a request to transmit biometric information is input from the controller 100, the biometric information detection device 200 detects the biometric information of the driver of the vehicle 10 and outputs the detection result to the controller 100. In this embodiment, the biometric information detection device 200 detects the biometric information of the driver based on information acquired from a sensor 30 installed in the cabin of the vehicle 10 and information acquired from a wearable terminal 400 worn by the driver of the vehicle 10. Examples of the sensor 30 include a camera that captures an image of the driver of the vehicle 10, and a biometric sensor installed on the seat or steering wheel. In this embodiment, the biometric information detection device 200 detects, for example, the heart rate, respiratory rate, etc. based on video information of the driver captured by the camera. In this embodiment, the biometric information detection device 200 detects, for example, the driver's level of fatigue and concentration on driving based on the driver's eye opening and eye movement, etc., captured by the camera. In this embodiment, the biological information detection device 200 may detect the driver's heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, etc., based on the sensor output of a biological sensor installed on the seat, steering wheel, etc. In this embodiment, for example, when the driver is wearing a wearable terminal 400, the biological information detection device 200 communicates with the wearable terminal 400 and acquires the driver's biological information, such as the heart rate and blood pressure, acquired by the wearable terminal 400. The biological information detection device 200 may further detect the driver's brain waves, etc., based on the sensor output of a sensor installed on the headrest of the driver's seat or a sensor worn on the driver's head, etc. In this embodiment, the biological information detection device 200 outputs the detected biological information of the driver to the controller 100.

[0014] In this embodiment, the communication device 300 is, for example, a known wireless communication device, and functions as an interface for communicating with a server 500 connected to a network N. An example of the network N is the Internet. In this embodiment, the server 500 stores, for example, information regarding traffic volume for each road (e.g., congested / congested / smooth, etc.) and information regarding weather for each road (e.g., information regarding the current weather and weather forecast, etc.). The information stored in the server 500 is updated to the latest information as appropriate.

[0015] <Configuration of Controller 100> The controller 100 is configured to include one or more processors and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors. As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the controller 100 is configured to include a processor 110 and a memory 130. The configuration of the processor 110 will be described later.

[0016] The memory 130 includes a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. (not shown). In this embodiment, the memory 130 stores, for example, a control program and various data input from the processor 110. In this embodiment, the memory 130 stores, for example, map data in advance.

[0017] In this embodiment, the memory 130 includes a travel history storage unit 131 and a biometric information storage unit 132 .

[0018] The travel history storage unit 131 stores travel history information including information on the number of times each road has been traveled by the vehicle 10 and information on the time of travel. In this embodiment, the travel history storage unit 131 stores travel history information input from the processor 110 via the bus line BL, for example. The travel history information stored in the travel history storage unit 131 will be described later.

[0019] The biometric information storage unit 132 stores variation values ​​of the driver's biometric information due to changes in the driving environment. In this embodiment, the biometric information storage unit 132 stores variation values ​​of the driver's biometric information input from the processor 110 via the bus line BL, for example. The variation values ​​of the biometric information stored in the biometric information storage unit 132 will be described later.

[0020] 2 , the processor 110 includes a location information acquisition unit 111, a route search unit 112, a travel history acquisition unit 113, a travel record acquisition unit 114, a driving environment detection unit 115, a biometric information acquisition unit 116, a history load value calculation unit 117, a driving environment load value calculation unit 118, a total load value calculation unit 119, and a control unit 120. The individual units of the processor 110 and the memory 130 input and output various types of information via a bus line BL.

[0021] In this embodiment, the location information acquisition unit 111 acquires location information of the vehicle 10 and the current time. The location information acquisition unit 111 acquires the current location of the vehicle 10 and the current time, for example, based on radio waves received from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite. In this embodiment, when a location information acquisition request is input from a control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the location information acquisition unit 111 acquires the current location of the vehicle 10 and the current time, for example, every second. In this embodiment, when a location information acquisition request is input from the control unit 120 (described later), the location information acquisition unit 111 continuously outputs the location information of the vehicle 10 and current time information to a route search unit 112 and a travel history acquisition unit 113 (described later).

[0022] The route search unit 112 searches for multiple routes from the current location of the vehicle 10 to the destination based on map data. In this embodiment, for example, when a "brain activation mode" is selected in the navigation device 20, the route search unit 112 searches for multiple routes from the current location to the destination that can activate the brain. In this embodiment, when destination information is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the route search unit 112 searches for multiple routes from the current location to the destination based on destination location information included in the destination information, current location information acquired from the location information acquisition unit 111, and map data stored in the memory 130. Examples of routes that can activate the brain include a route that requires many right and left turns to the destination, a route that requires driving on roads with heavy traffic, and a route that requires driving on narrow roads. In this embodiment, the route search unit 112 outputs information about the searched route to a traffic record acquisition unit 114, a history load value calculation unit 117, a driving environment load value calculation unit 118, a total load value calculation unit 119, and a control unit 120, which will be described later, for example, via the bus line BL.

[0023] The travel history acquisition unit 113 acquires travel history information including information on the number of times the driver has traveled each road and information on the time of travel. In this embodiment, when a travel history acquisition request is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the travel history acquisition unit 113 acquires the number of times the vehicle 10 has traveled each road and information on the time the vehicle 10 last traveled on that road. In this embodiment, for example, when the vehicle 10 travels on the road 1 from point A to point B shown in FIG. 3 , the travel history acquisition unit 113 acquires information on the time and direction of travel (e.g., uphill) of travel by the vehicle 10 based on information acquired from the position information acquisition unit 111. In this embodiment, the travel history acquisition unit 113 stores travel history information such as that shown in FIG. 4 in the travel history storage unit 131 based on information on the time and direction of travel. In this embodiment, the travel history acquisition unit 113 acquires, for example, information regarding the travel time and travel direction for each road traveled by the vehicle 10, and updates the travel history information stored in the travel history storage unit 131. The updating of travel history information will be described. In this embodiment, for example, when the vehicle 10 travels on Road 1 (upbound), the travel history acquisition unit 113 updates the time information of the "last traveled time" for Road 1 (upbound) included in the travel history information shown in FIG. 4 to the time information acquired from the location information acquisition unit 111. In this embodiment, for example, when the vehicle 10 travels on Road 1 (upbound), the travel history acquisition unit 113 updates the value of the "number of travels" for Road 1 (upbound) included in the travel history information (for example, the value of the number of travels in the upbound direction for Road 1 is increased by 1). In this embodiment, the travel history acquisition unit 113 stops acquiring travel history information, for example, when a travel history acquisition stop request is input from the control unit 120, which will be described later.

[0024] The travel history acquisition unit 114 acquires, for each route searched by the route search unit 112, travel history information including information on the number of times the vehicle 10 has traveled the route in the past and information on the elapsed time from the previous travel to the present, based on the travel history information stored in the travel history storage unit 131. In this embodiment, when information on a searched route is input from the route search unit 112 via the bus line BL, for example, the travel history acquisition unit 114 acquires, for each route, information on the number of times the vehicle 10 has traveled the route in the past and information on the elapsed time from the previous travel to the present, based on the travel history information stored in the travel history storage unit 131. In this embodiment, the travel history acquisition unit 114, for example, checks the number of times each road constituting the searched route has traveled and acquires the minimum value of the travel count as information on the travel count. In this embodiment, the travel history acquisition unit 114, for example, calculates the elapsed time for each road constituting the searched route and acquires the maximum value of the elapsed time as information on the elapsed time. 5, in this embodiment, when information about four routes (e.g., Route 1 to Route 4) is input from the route search unit 112, the travel history acquisition unit 114 acquires information about the number of times each route has been traveled and information about the elapsed time from the last time the route was traveled to the present. In this embodiment, the travel history acquisition unit 114 outputs the travel history information for each route searched for by the route search unit 112 to the historical load value calculation unit 117 (described later) via the bus line BL, for example.

[0025] In this embodiment, the driving environment detection unit 115 detects, for example, the driving environment around the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, when a driving environment detection request is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the driving environment detection unit 115 detects the driving environment around the vehicle 10 based on peripheral image information of the vehicle 10 captured by a camera (not shown). Examples of the driving environment include weather, the number of surrounding vehicles, the number of pedestrians and bicycles, and the brightness of the road. In this embodiment, the driving environment detection unit 115 outputs information about the detected driving environment to the biometric information acquisition unit 116 (described later) via the bus line BL, for example.

[0026] The biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires variation values ​​of the driver's biometric information due to changes in the driving environment. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 stores the acquired variation values ​​of the driver's biometric information in the biometric information storage unit 132. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, variation values ​​of the biometric information when traveling on a road that has been traveled on less than a predetermined number of times, variation values ​​of the biometric information due to changes in the driving environment around the vehicle 10, and variation values ​​of the biometric information when the driver performs a specific vehicle operation of the vehicle 10. The variation values ​​of the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 116 will be described below.

[0027] In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires a variation value of the biometric information when the driver travels on a road that has been traveled on less than a predetermined number of times, when the driver is not driving on a route searched for by the route search device 1. In this embodiment, when a request for acquiring biometric information is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 outputs a request for transmitting biometric information to the biometric information detection device 200 and acquires the biometric information from the biometric information detection device 200. The variation value of the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 116 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, travel history information of a road on which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling from the travel history storage unit 131, and checks whether the number of times the vehicle 10 has traveled on that road is less than a predetermined number (for example, five times). In this embodiment, for example, when the number of times the vehicle 10 has traveled on a road is less than a predetermined number, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires a variation value of the biometric information while traveling based on the driver's biometric information acquired from the biometric information detection device 200. The variation value of the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 116 will be described using the heart rate acquired from the biometric information detection device 200 as an example. In this embodiment, for example, when the vehicle 10 is traveling on Road 1 (uphill) shown in FIG. 3 , the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires the difference (e.g., 16 times) between the maximum and minimum heart rate (e.g., heart rate per minute) while traveling on Road 1 (uphill). In this embodiment, for example, when the vehicle 10 travels on Road 1 (uphill), the biometric information acquisition unit 116 checks whether the variation value of the acquired heart rate is greater than the variation value of the heart rate for Road 1 (uphill) stored in the biometric information storage unit 132. As shown in FIG. 6 , in this embodiment, for example, if the heart rate fluctuation value (e.g., 16 times) acquired when the vehicle 10 travels on road 1 (uphill) is greater than the heart rate fluctuation value (e.g., 13 times) stored in the biometric information storage unit 132, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 updates the heart rate fluctuation value stored in the biometric information storage unit 132 to the acquired heart rate fluctuation value (e.g., 16 times).

[0028] In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires a variation value of the driver's biometric information due to a change in the driving environment around the vehicle 10 when the driver is not driving the route searched for by the route search device 1. In this embodiment, when a request for acquiring biometric information is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, for example, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires a variation value of the biometric information when the driving environment changes based on information about the driving environment around the vehicle 10 acquired from the driving environment detection unit 115. The variation value of the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 116 will be described using the heart rate acquired from the biometric information detection device 200 as an example. As shown in FIG. 7 , in this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, an average heart rate during a period when the weather around the vehicle 10 is sunny. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, an average heart rate during a period when the weather around the vehicle 10 is rainy. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, the difference between the average heart rate during a period when the weather is sunny and the average heart rate during a period when the weather is rainy, as the fluctuation value of the biometric information. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, the fluctuation value of the heart rate with changes in traffic volume. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, the average heart rate during a period when the weather around the vehicle 10 is rainy. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, the average heart rate during a period when the vehicle is driving on a road with no traffic jams / congestion. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, the average heart rate during a period when the vehicle is driving on a road with traffic jams / congestion. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, the difference between the average heart rate during a period when the vehicle is driving on a road with no traffic jams / congestion and the average heart rate during a period when the vehicle is driving on a road with traffic jams / congestion, as the fluctuation value of the biometric information. In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 stores information relating to the variation value of the acquired biometric information in the biometric information storage unit 132 .

[0029] In this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires a variation value of the driver's biometric information when the driver performs a specific vehicle operation of the vehicle 10 while the driver is not driving a route searched by the route search device 1. In this embodiment, when a biometric information acquisition request is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires information about the driver's vehicle operation from a vehicle control unit (not shown) and acquires a variation value of the biometric information when the driver performs a specific vehicle operation. Examples of specific vehicle operations include a right / left turn operation, a lane change operation, a parking operation, and a start / stop operation. The variation value of the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 116 will be described using the heart rate acquired from the biometric information detection device 200 as an example. In this embodiment, for example, when the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires information that a left turn operation has been initiated from the vehicle control unit (not shown), the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires the difference between the maximum and minimum heart rates during the left turn operation as the variation value of the biometric information. 8 , in this embodiment, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 acquires, for example, the difference between the maximum and minimum heart rate values ​​acquired during a specific vehicle operation as the fluctuation value of the biometric information. In this embodiment, for example, if the fluctuation value of the heart rate acquired for each specific vehicle operation is greater than the fluctuation value of the heart rate stored in the biometric information storage unit 132, the biometric information acquisition unit 116 updates the fluctuation value of the heart rate stored in the biometric information storage unit 132 to the acquired fluctuation value of the heart rate.

[0030] The historical load value calculation unit 117 calculates a historical load value based on the traffic record information acquired from the traffic record acquisition unit 114. In this embodiment, when a historical load value calculation request is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the historical load value calculation unit 117 quantifies the magnitude of the load (historical load value) on the driver's brain based on information on the number of times traveled for each route and information on elapsed time acquired from the traffic record acquisition unit 114. An example of a method for calculating the historical load value will be described below. In this embodiment, the historical load value calculation unit 117 converts the information on the number of times traveled and information on elapsed time acquired from the traffic record acquisition unit 114 into a numerical value, thereby calculating the historical load value. In the above-mentioned conversion table, for example, a smaller number of times traveled is converted into a larger numerical value. In the above-mentioned conversion table, for example, a longer time elapsed since the previous travel was performed is converted into a larger numerical value. 10 , in this embodiment, the historical load value calculation unit 117 calculates the historical load value by multiplying a numerical value (a) converted based on the number of times the vehicle has traveled (for example, for route 3, the number of times the vehicle has traveled is 15, so the value is 4) by a numerical value (b) converted based on the time elapsed since the vehicle last traveled (for example, for route 3, the elapsed time is 5,000 hours, so the value is 6) (for route 3, 4 x 6 = 24). In this embodiment, the historical load value calculation unit 117 outputs the calculated historical load value to a total load value calculation unit 119 (described later) and a control unit 120 via the bus line BL. Note that the historical load value calculation unit 117 is not limited to the above-described calculation method as long as it can quantify the magnitude of the load on the driver's brain based on the driver's travel history.

[0031] The driving environment load value calculation unit 118 calculates a driving environment load value for each route based on the driving environment included in the route searched by the route search unit 112 and fluctuations in the biometric information due to changes in the driving environment. In this embodiment, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 quantifies the magnitude of the load (driving environment load value) on the driver's brain for each route, for example, based on the driving environment included in the route searched by the route search unit 112 and the biometric information stored in the biometric information storage unit 132. In this embodiment, when a driving environment load value calculation request is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 acquires information about the driving environment for each route searched by the route search unit 112 from the server 500 via the communication device 300. Examples of the information about the driving environment include information about the traffic volume of the route searched by the route search unit 112 (e.g., traffic jam / crowded / smooth traffic) and information about the weather.

[0032] An example of a method for calculating a driving environment load value will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . In this embodiment, when a driving environment load value calculation request is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 checks the variation value of the biometric information stored in the biometric information storage unit 132 and determines whether there is a change in the driving environment that causes the variation value of the biometric information to fluctuate more than a predetermined value. In other words, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 checks what kind of change in the driving environment will cause a significant variation in the driver's biometric information. In this embodiment, for example, when information on the variation value of heart rate as shown in FIG. 7 is stored in the biometric information storage unit 132, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 checks whether there is a change in the driving environment that causes the variation value of heart rate to fluctuate more than a predetermined value (e.g., 15 times). In this embodiment, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 determines that the driver's biometric information will fluctuate significantly when a "weather change" occurs because the fluctuation value (17 times) of the biometric information in the "weather change" is greater than a predetermined fluctuation value (e.g., 15 times). In this embodiment, for example, when the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 determines that the driver's biometric information will fluctuate significantly when a "weather change" occurs, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 sets the numerical value (c) to 2 when the weather of the route searched by the route search unit 112 is rainy (e.g., route 2), and sets the numerical value (c) to 1 when the weather of the route searched by the route search unit 112 is sunny. In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 7 , the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 sets the numerical value (d) to 1 regardless of the state of traffic volume because the fluctuation value of the driver's biometric information in the "traffic volume change" is smaller than a predetermined fluctuation value (e.g., 15 times).

[0033] In this embodiment, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 checks, for example, the biometric information (see FIG. 6 ) stored in the biometric information storage unit 132 and determines whether a road on which the heart rate fluctuation value is greater than a predetermined fluctuation value (e.g., 15 times) is included in the route searched by the route search unit 112. In this embodiment, for example, if a road on which the heart rate fluctuation value is greater than a predetermined fluctuation value (e.g., 15 times) is included in the route searched by the route search unit 112, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 sets the value of the numerical value (e) to 2. In this embodiment, for example, if a road on which the heart rate fluctuation value is greater than a predetermined fluctuation value (e.g., 15 times) is not included in the route searched by the route search unit 112, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 sets the value of the numerical value (e) to 1.

[0034] In this embodiment, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 checks, for example, the biometric information (see FIG. 8 ) stored in the biometric information storage unit 132 and determines whether or not to perform a specific vehicle operation (e.g., a lane change operation) that results in a heart rate fluctuation greater than a predetermined fluctuation value (e.g., 15 times) when traveling along the route searched by the route search unit 112. In this embodiment, for example, when the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 determines to perform a specific vehicle operation that results in a heart rate fluctuation greater than a predetermined fluctuation value (e.g., 15 times) when traveling along the route searched by the route search unit 112, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 sets the value of the numerical value (f) to 2. In this embodiment, for example, when the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 determines not to perform a specific vehicle operation that results in a heart rate fluctuation greater than a predetermined fluctuation value (e.g., 15 times) when traveling along the route searched by the route search unit 112, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 sets the value of the numerical value (f) to 1.

[0035] 11 , in this embodiment, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 calculates the driving environment load value by, for example, multiplying the values ​​(c) through (f) described above. In this embodiment, the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 outputs the calculated driving environment load value to a total load value calculation unit 119 (described later), for example, via the bus line BL. Note that the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 is not limited to the calculation method described above, as long as it can calculate the driving environment load value (the magnitude of the load on the driver's brain) for each route based on the driving environment included in the route searched by the route search unit 112 and the fluctuation value of the biological information due to changes in the driving environment.

[0036] The total load value calculation unit 119 calculates a total load value for each route based on the historical load value and the driving environment load value. In this embodiment, when a total load value calculation request is input from the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, the total load value calculation unit 119 calculates a total load value based on the historical load value acquired from the historical load value calculation unit 117 and the driving environment load value acquired from the driving environment load value calculation unit 118. As shown in FIG. 12 , in this embodiment, the total load value calculation unit 119 calculates a total load value by multiplying the historical load value acquired from the historical load value calculation unit 117 by the driving environment load value acquired from the driving environment load value calculation unit 118. In this embodiment, the total load value calculation unit 119 outputs the calculation result to the control unit 120 (described later) via the bus line BL, for example. The total load value calculation unit 119 is not limited to the calculation method described above, as it is sufficient to be able to quantify the total load value (the magnitude of the load on the driver's brain) for each route based on the historical load value and the driving environment load value.

[0037] In this embodiment, the control unit 120 controls the entire route search device 1 in accordance with a control program stored in the memory 130. In this embodiment, the control unit 120, for example, acquires ignition on / off information of the vehicle 10 from a vehicle control unit (not shown), and when it detects that the ignition of the vehicle 10 has changed from off to on, outputs a travel history acquisition request to the travel history acquisition unit 113 via the bus line BL. In this embodiment, the control unit 120, for example, acquires ignition on / off information of the vehicle 10 from a vehicle control unit (not shown), and when it detects that the ignition of the vehicle 10 has changed from off to on and the vehicle 10 is not traveling along a route searched for by the route search device 1, outputs a travel environment detection request to the travel environment detection unit 115 and outputs a biometric information acquisition request to the biometric information acquisition unit 116 via the bus line BL. In this embodiment, the control unit 120, for example, acquires ignition on / off information of the vehicle 10 from a vehicle control unit (not shown), and when it detects that the ignition of the vehicle 10 has changed from on to off, outputs a history acquisition stop request to the travel history acquisition unit 113 via the bus line BL. In this embodiment, the control unit 120, for example, acquires ignition on / off information of the vehicle 10 from a vehicle control unit (not shown), and when it detects that the ignition of the vehicle 10 has changed from on to off, outputs a driving environment detection stop request to the driving environment detection unit 115 and a biometric information acquisition stop request to the biometric information acquisition unit 116 via the bus line BL. In this embodiment, for example, when destination information is input from the navigation device 20, the control unit 120 outputs the destination information to the route search unit 112 via the bus line BL. In this embodiment, for example, when the control unit 120 acquires information about a searched route from the route search unit 112, it outputs a request for calculating a historical load value to the historical load value calculation unit 117 via the bus line BL, and also outputs a request for calculating a driving environment load value to the driving environment load value calculation unit 118.In this embodiment, for example, when the control unit 120 acquires information about the searched route from the route search unit 112, it outputs a total load value calculation request to the total load value calculation unit 119 via the bus line BL.

[0038] The control unit 120 preferentially presents information about routes with high total load values ​​to the driver. In this embodiment, the control unit 120 preferentially presents information about routes with high total load values ​​obtained from the total load value calculation unit 119 to the driver. In this embodiment, the control unit 120 generates display information to be displayed on the display unit 21 of the navigation device 20 based on, for example, information about the searched route and the total load value, and outputs the generated display information and detailed information about the route searched by the route search unit 112 (e.g., route outline, map information, etc.) to the navigation device 20. An example of the display mode of the display information to be displayed on the display unit 21 of the navigation device 20 will be described. In this embodiment, the control unit 120 generates display information as shown in FIG. 13 and outputs the display information to the navigation device 20. In this embodiment, the control unit 120 displays a comment such as, for example, "The following four routes have been searched for using the brain activation mode. Recommended route 1 is the most recommended route. Take recommended route 1 to activate your brain and improve your cognitive function. Touch the screen to check the details of the recommended route," encouraging the driver to take recommended route 1, which places a heavy load on the driver's brain. In this embodiment, the navigation device 20 detects, for example, an operation on a touch panel or the like installed on the display unit 21, and displays detailed information (such as a route outline and map information) of the route selected by the driver.

[0039] <Processing Flow for Acquiring Travel History Information and Biometric Information> The processing flow for acquiring travel history information and biometric information by the route search device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0040] The control unit 120 determines whether the ignition of the vehicle 10 has changed from off to on (step S110). If the control unit 120 determines that the ignition of the vehicle 10 has not changed from off to on ("NO" in step S110), the control unit 120 returns the process to a standby state. If the control unit 120 determines that the ignition of the vehicle 10 has changed from off to on ("YES" in step S110), the control unit 120 transitions the process to step S120.

[0041] The control unit 120 causes the position information acquisition unit 111 to acquire the current position information of the vehicle 10 and the current time information (step S120), and then causes the process to proceed to step S130.

[0042] The control unit 120 causes the travel history acquisition unit 113 to acquire travel history information of the vehicle 10 and update the travel history information stored in the travel history storage unit 131 (step S130).

[0043] The control unit 120 causes the driving environment detection unit 115 to detect the driving environment around the vehicle 10 (step S140), and then causes the process to proceed to step S150.

[0044] The control unit 120 causes the biometric information acquisition unit 116 to acquire the variation value of the driver's biometric information in the driving environment, and updates the variation value of the biometric information stored in the biometric information storage unit 132 (step S150).

[0045] The control unit 120 determines whether the ignition of the vehicle 10 has changed from on to off (step S160). If the control unit 120 determines that the ignition of the vehicle 10 has not changed from on to off ("NO" in step S160), the control unit 120 returns to step S120 and continues the process. If the control unit 120 determines that the ignition of the vehicle 10 has changed from on to off ("YES" in step S160), the control unit 120 ends the process.

[0046] <Processing Flow by the Control Unit 120 for Presenting the Searched Route to the Driver> A processing flow by the control unit 120 for presenting the searched route to the driver will be described with reference to FIG.

[0047] The control unit 120 determines whether or not destination information has been acquired from the navigation device 20 (step S210). If the control unit 120 determines that destination information has not been acquired from the navigation device 20 ("NO" in step S210), the control unit 120 returns the process to a standby state. If the control unit 120 determines that destination information has been acquired from the navigation device 20 ("YES" in step S210), the control unit 120 transitions the process to step S220.

[0048] The control unit 120 causes the route search unit 112 to search for multiple routes to the destination (step S220), and then causes the process to proceed to step S230.

[0049] The control unit 120 causes the historical load value calculation unit 117 to calculate a historical load value for each route found in step S220 (step S230), and then causes the process to proceed to step S240.

[0050] The control unit 120 causes the driving environment load value calculation unit 118 to calculate the driving environment load value for each route found in step S220 (step S240), and then causes the process to proceed to step S250.

[0051] The control unit 120 causes the total load value calculation unit 119 to calculate the total load value for each path found in step S220 (step S250), and then causes the process to proceed to step S260.

[0052] The control unit 120 outputs the display information generated based on the total load value calculated in step S250 to the navigation device 20 (step S260), and ends the process.

[0053] <Operations and Effects> As described above, the route search device 1 according to this embodiment includes a route search unit 112 that searches for a plurality of routes from the current location of the vehicle 10 to the destination based on map data, a travel history storage unit 131 that stores travel history information including information on the number of times each road traveled by the vehicle 10 has traveled and information on the time of travel, a travel record acquisition unit 114 that acquires, based on the travel history information, travel record information including information on the number of times each route has been traveled by the vehicle 10 in the past and information on the elapsed time from the time the route was traveled in the past to the present, and a biometric information detection unit 115 that detects biometric information of the driver. The system includes an information detection device (200), a biometric information storage unit (132) that stores variations in the driver's biometric information due to changes in the driving environment, a historical load value calculation unit (117) that calculates a historical load value for each route based on travel history information, a driving environment load value calculation unit (118) that calculates a driving environment load value for each route based on the driving environment included in the route and variations in the biometric information due to changes in the driving environment, a total load value calculation unit (119) that calculates a total load value for each route based on the historical load value and the driving environment load value, and a control unit (120) that preferentially displays information about routes with high total load values. It can be assumed that when the same stimulus is applied to brain neurons multiple times, the first stimulus will produce the strongest response, and the response will become weaker with each stimulus. In other words, it can be assumed that when driving a route (road) that the driver has traveled for the first time, the driver's brain activity will be most active, and that the brain activity will be more active for routes (roads) that have been traveled less frequently or that the driver has a weaker memory of having traveled such routes. It is believed that anxiety and tension can cause significant fluctuations in a driver's biological information when driving on a route (road) that the driver has never driven before, when driving in bad weather conditions such as a thunderstorm or snow, or when driving on a complexly connected highway. In other words, it can be assumed that driving on a route (road) where biological information fluctuates significantly increases the load on the driver's brain. Therefore, the route search device 1 quantifies the magnitude of the load on the driver's brain for each searched route based on the travel history information of roads that the driver has traveled in the past and the fluctuations in the driver's biological information due to changes in the driving environment, and preferentially presents routes that impose a greater load on the driver's brain to the driver.This allows the route search device 1 to present to the driver routes that stimulate the brain to improve cognitive function and promote brain development.

[0054] The biometric information storage unit 132 of the route search device 1 according to this embodiment stores a variation value of biometric information when the driver travels on a road that has been traveled less than a predetermined number of times when not driving a route searched by the route search device 1, a variation value of the driver's biometric information due to changes in the driving environment around the vehicle 10, and a variation value of the driver's biometric information when performing a specific vehicle operation. The variation value of biometric information when driving on a road that the driver has traveled on for the first time differs for each driver. The variation value of the driver's biometric information when the traffic volume of vehicles around the vehicle 10 changes differs for each driver. Furthermore, the variation value of biometric information when the driver performs a specific driving operation (such as a right / left turn or lane change) differs for each driver. In other words, even when traveling on the same road or performing the same driving operation, the amount of strain on the driver's brain differs for each driver. Therefore, the biometric information storage unit 132 stores a variation value of the driver's biometric information that is specific to each driver. The route search device 1 quantifies the magnitude of the load on the driver's brain for each searched route based on travel history information of roads traveled by the driver in the past and fluctuations in the driver's specific biometric information due to changes in the driving environment, and preferentially presents routes that place a greater load on the driver's brain to the driver. This allows the route search device 1 to present to the driver routes that stimulate the brain to improve cognitive function and promote brain development.

[0055] <Modification 1> The program for the processing of the route search device 1 described above may be executed in a processor and memory provided in the navigation device 20.

[0056] <Variation 2> The above-described route search device 1 may store travel history information and biometric information for each driver if the individual driver can be identified by, for example, a driver monitoring system installed in the vehicle 10. This allows the route search device 1 to present a route based on information specific to the driver. The route search device 1 can present the driver with a route that stimulates the brain to improve cognitive function and promote brain development.

[0057] <Variation 3> The above-described route search device 1 may, for example, acquire risk information for traveling a route to be presented to the occupant, and may not display information about a route that is determined to have a high driving risk based on the risk information. For example, the route search device 1 may determine an allowable total load value for each driver's age, and if the calculated total load value exceeds the allowable total load value, the route search device 1 may not present information about the route to the driver because this would place a greater load on the driver's brain. This makes it possible to prevent the presentation of a route that places an excessive load on the driver's brain.

[0058] The route search device 1 of the present invention can be realized by recording the processes of the above-mentioned route search unit 112, travel history acquisition unit 113, travel record acquisition unit 114, driving environment detection unit 115, biometric information acquisition unit 116, history load value calculation unit 117, driving environment load value calculation unit 118, total load value calculation unit 119, and control unit 120 on a recording medium readable by a computer system, and loading and executing the program recorded on this recording medium into memory. The computer system here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0059] The above computer system also includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if it utilizes a WWW (World Wide Web) system. The above program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves in the transmission medium. The transmission medium for transmitting the above program refers to a medium having the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.

[0060] The above program may be for realizing some of the above functions, or may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can realize the above functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0061] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, all route search devices that can be implemented by a person skilled in the art through appropriate design modifications based on the above-described route search device as an embodiment of the present invention also fall within the scope of the present invention as long as they incorporate the gist of the present invention. Within the scope of the concept of the present invention, a person skilled in the art may conceive of various modifications and alterations, and it is understood that these modifications and alterations also fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, devices in which a person skilled in the art appropriately adds, deletes, or modifies components of the above-described embodiments, or adds, omits, or modifies processes, also fall within the scope of the present invention as long as they incorporate the gist of the present invention.

[0062] Furthermore, other effects brought about by the aspects described in the present embodiment that are apparent from the description in this specification or that can be appropriately conceived by a person skilled in the art are naturally understood to be brought about by the present invention. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all of the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components across different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0063] 1; Route search device 10; Vehicle 20; Navigation device 30; Sensor 100; Controller 110; Processor 111; Position information acquisition unit 112; Route search unit 113; Travel history acquisition unit 114; Travel record acquisition unit 115; Travel environment detection unit 116; Biometric information acquisition unit 117; History load value calculation unit 118; Travel environment load value calculation unit 119; Total load value calculation unit 120; Control unit 130; Memory 131; Travel history storage unit 132; Biometric information storage unit 200; Biometric information detection device 300; Communication device 400; Wearable terminal 500; Server N; Network

Claims

1. A route search device that searches for a route to a destination specified by a driver, comprising: a route search unit that searches for a plurality of routes from the current location of a vehicle to the destination based on map data; a traffic history storage unit that stores traffic history information including information on the number of times each road has been traveled by the vehicle and information on the time of travel; a traffic record acquisition unit that acquires, based on the traffic history information, traffic record information for each route including information on the number of times the vehicle has traveled along the route in the past and information on the elapsed time since the route was traveled in the past; a biometric information detection device that detects biometric information of the driver; a biometric information storage unit that stores fluctuations in the biometric information of the driver due to changes in the driving environment; a historical load value calculation unit that calculates a historical load value for each route based on the traffic record information; a driving environment load value calculation unit that calculates a driving environment load value for each route based on the driving environment included in the route and the fluctuations in the biometric information; and a total load value calculation unit that calculates a total load value for each route based on the historical load value and the driving environment load value. a control unit that causes the driver to preferentially present information about the route with a high total load value.

2. The route search device described in claim 1, characterized in that the biometric information storage unit stores the following: a fluctuation value of the biometric information when the driver travels on a road that has been traveled on fewer than a predetermined number of times in a case where the driver is not driving the route searched for by the route search device; a fluctuation value of the biometric information due to a change in the driving environment around the vehicle; and a fluctuation value of the biometric information when the driver performs a specific vehicle operation of the vehicle.

3. A route search device that searches for a route to a destination specified by a driver, comprising: a controller; and a biometric information detection device that detects biometric information of the driver, wherein the controller includes one or more processors and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more memories include storage that stores travel history information including information on the number of times the driver has traveled for each road and information on the time of travel, and a variation value of the driver's biometric information due to changes in the travel environment, wherein the one or more processors: acquire, based on the travel history information, for each route, travel record information including information on the number of times the driver has traveled the route in the past and information on the elapsed time from the last time the driver traveled the route to the present, calculate a historical load value for each route based on the travel record information, search for and calculate a travel environment load value for each route based on the travel environment included in the route and the variation value of the biometric information, and calculate a total load value for each route based on the historical load value and the travel environment load value, A route search device that preferentially presents information about routes with high total load values ​​to the driver.

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