JP2009099060A - Driving support system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving support system enabling a driver to safely stop his vehicle just before an intersection even when he is color-blind. <P>SOLUTION: The driving support system is provided with a determining means for determining whether the driver is color-blind to make alarm at earlier timing when it is determined that the driver is color-blind than when it is not determined that the driver is color-blind. Since the driver being color-blind can recognize the state of a traffic light at earlier timing in this way, the driver can perform subsequent action early. Therefore, even when the driver is color-blind, his vehicle can be safely stopped just before an intersection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support system that acquires traffic signal information of an intersection and issues an alarm so that the host vehicle can stop before the intersection.

Conventionally, a technique for obtaining a signal cycle (signal information) of a traffic signal at an intersection, calculating a traveling speed condition capable of stopping before the intersection, and warning the driver so that the own vehicle can stop before the intersection is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-139707 A

  For example, when the driver is a color blind person, it may take time to confirm the signal state by visual observation, and there is a risk that a subsequent deceleration action will be delayed.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve such problems, and provides driving assistance so as to prevent a delay in deceleration action before a signal when the driver is a color blind person. The purpose is to provide a system.

  The driving support system according to the present invention is a driving support system that acquires traffic signal information of an intersection and issues a warning so that the host vehicle can stop before the intersection based on the acquired traffic signal information and the traveling state of the host vehicle. When the driver of the own vehicle is determined to be a color blind person by the color blind person determining means and the color blind person determining means for determining whether or not the driver of the vehicle is a color blind person, And a warning means for giving a warning at an earlier timing than when it is determined that the driver is not a color blind person abnormal person.

  According to such a driving support system, it is provided with a color blind person judging means for judging whether or not the driver is a color blind person, and when it is judged that the driver is a color blind person, Compared to a case where it is not determined that the person is a color blind person, an alarm can be given at an earlier timing. As a result, the driver who is a color blind person can recognize the traffic light state at an earlier timing than before, so that the subsequent deceleration action can be performed earlier. Therefore, even when the driver has color blindness, the host vehicle can be safely stopped before the intersection.

  Further, the color blind person determining means determines whether or not the person is a color blind person based on a reaction time from the switching of the traffic light state at the intersection to a red signal or a yellow signal until the driver starts a deceleration operation. Is preferred.

  Moreover, it is preferable that an alarm means displays the present signal condition based on the acquired signal information. The alarm means may display the current traffic light state in a blinking manner. Thus, the visibility of the alarm display can be improved by blinking and displaying the traffic light state.

  The warning means may give a warning by voice when it is determined that the driver is a color blind person.

  According to the driving support system of the present invention, even when the driver has color vision abnormality, the host vehicle can be safely stopped before the intersection.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating approach of an own vehicle equipped with a driving support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram illustrating the driving support apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. .

  The driving support device (driving support system) 10 of the present embodiment is mounted on the host vehicle 100, acquires signal cycle information and the like from the optical beacon device 102 installed on the roadside, the driving state of the host vehicle 100, and the signal cycle. Based on the information or the like, driving assistance (warning for warning) is performed so that the own vehicle 100 can stop before the intersection 104.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the driving support device 10 includes a driving support electronic control unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as “driving support ECU”). The driving support ECU 12 is electrically connected to an optical beacon transceiver 14, a GPS receiver 16, a navigation system 18, a wheel speed sensor 20, a brake switch 22, an accelerator pedal opening sensor 24, and a notification means 26. .

  The optical beacon transmitter / receiver 14 can transmit / receive data to / from the optical beacon device 102 using near infrared rays, receives VICS information and infrastructure cooperation information from the optical beacon device 102, and transmits vehicle ID information and the like to the optical beacon device 102. be able to. The infrastructure cooperation information received from the optical beacon device 102 is transmitted to the driving support ECU 12.

  VICS information includes, for example, road traffic information such as traffic jam information, traffic regulation information, and parking lot information. The infrastructure cooperation information includes lane information such as signal cycle information (traffic signal information), road shape information, stop line information, speed limit information, and lane identification information. The signal cycle information includes a lighting time of each of a blue signal, a yellow signal, and a red signal, a lighting time of a right turn instruction signal, a currently lit signal, and an elapsed time after the signal is lit. From this signal cycle information, for example, it can be determined how many seconds later the red signal is generated, and in the case of a right turn lane, how many seconds it takes to give a right turn instruction, and how many seconds later. The road shape information is information indicating the shape of the surrounding road and includes information on each lane. The stop line information is stop line position information and the like.

  The GPS receiver 16 receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite and estimates the current position of the host vehicle 100. The GPS receiver 16 demodulates the received GPS signal, and calculates the current position (latitude, longitude) of the host vehicle based on the demodulated position data of each GPS satellite. Then, the GPS receiver 16 transmits the current position information of the host vehicle to the driving support ECU 12.

  The navigation system 18 is a system that performs estimation of the current position and traveling direction of the host vehicle, route guidance to a destination, and the like. In particular, the navigation system 18 reads the shape information of the road that is currently running from the map database, and transmits the road shape information to the driving support ECU 12. Further, the navigation system 18 transmits route guidance information indicating the planned traveling route of the host vehicle to the driving assistance ECU 12.

  The wheel speed sensor 20 is a sensor that is provided on each of the four wheels of the vehicle and detects the rotational speed of the wheel (the number of pulses corresponding to the rotation of the wheel). The wheel speed sensor 20 detects the number of rotation pulses of the wheel every predetermined time, and transmits the detected number of wheel rotation pulses to the driving assistance ECU 12. The driving assistance ECU 12 calculates the wheel speed from the rotational speed of each wheel, and calculates the vehicle body speed (vehicle speed) from the wheel speed of each wheel.

  The brake switch 22 is attached to, for example, a brake pedal in the passenger compartment, and detects the operation of the brake pedal by the driver. The brake switch 22 outputs a signal to the driving support ECU 12 when the driver operates the brake pedal to cause the vehicle to perform a braking operation.

  The accelerator pedal opening sensor 24 detects the operation of the accelerator pedal by the driver. The accelerator pedal opening sensor 24 outputs a signal related to the opening degree of the accelerator pedal to the driving support ECU 12 when the driver operates the accelerator pedal.

  The driving assistance ECU 12 includes a CPU that performs arithmetic processing, a ROM and a RAM that are storage units, an input signal circuit, an output signal circuit, a power supply circuit, and the like. The driving support ECU 12 performs warning control by the notification means 26 in order to suppress the approach of the own vehicle to the intersection at the red signal and the yellow signal.

  Here, in the driving support device 10 of the present embodiment, when the driver is a color blind person, the timing for performing the warning can be advanced compared to the case where the driver is not a color blind person. In the driving support ECU 12, a color blind person determining unit (color blind person determining unit) 28, a warning start timing setting unit 30, and a control unit 32 are constructed by executing a program stored in the storage unit. The driving support ECU 12 and the notification means 26 function as alarm means of the present invention.

  The color blind person determination unit 28 determines whether or not the driver is a color blind person. The color blind person determination unit 28 determines whether or not the driver is a color blind person based on the reaction time from when the intersection signal switches to a red signal (or yellow signal) until the driver starts a deceleration operation. Determine. The color blind person determination unit 28 can detect the start of the brake operation by the driver based on the signal from the brake switch 22. Further, the color blind person determination unit 28 can detect whether the driver has released the accelerator pedal based on a signal from the accelerator pedal opening sensor 24 and determine whether or not the driver has released the accelerator pedal. The color blind person determination unit 28 detects a driver's brake operation and accelerator pedal operation, and calculates a reaction time until the driver starts a deceleration operation. The color blind person determination unit 28 determines that the driver is a color blind person when the calculated reaction time is longer than a predetermined determination threshold.

  The color blind person determination unit 28 extracts only the situation in which the host vehicle travels in the vicinity of the intersection and the signal changes to red, that is, the situation where the brake operation must be performed immediately after the signal change, and until the driver starts the deceleration operation. Based on the reaction time, it is determined whether or not the driver is a color blind person.

  Moreover, it is good also as a structure provided with the color blind person determination switch operated by a driver | operator, and determining whether a driver is a color blind person by operating a color blind person determination switch. Examples of the color blind person determination switch include a button and a touch panel. For example, it may be input that the driver is a color blind person using a setting screen of a navigation system or the like.

  The alarm start timing setting unit 30 sets a timing for starting an alarm. A map for determining execution of the alarm is stored in the storage unit of the driving support ECU 12. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a map for determining execution of an alarm. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis indicates the distance L from the host vehicle to the intersection, and the vertical axis indicates the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle. Curve A indicates a normal stoppable curve, and curve B indicates a color blind person-capable stoppable curve.

  In FIG. 3, the area above the curves A and B is a warning area where an alarm is executed, and the area below the curves A and B is an area where no alarm is executed. The curve B is set below the curve A. When the driver is not a color blind person, the boundary between the alert area and the area where the warning is not executed is a curve A, and when the driver is a color blind person, the alert area and the area where the warning is not executed The boundary with is a curve B. The alarm start timing setting unit 30 can advance the alarm start timing when the driver is a color blind person by changing the boundary of the alert area from the curve A to the curve B.

For example, when the vehicle driver is not a color blind person is approaching an intersection with the vehicle speed v _1, the distance to the intersection is L _a1, alarm is started, the vehicle driver is color defectives Is approaching the intersection at the vehicle speed v1, the warning is started when the distance to the intersection is L _b1 (> L _a1 ).

  The control unit 32 controls the notification unit 26 to give an alarm. As an alarm using the notification means 26, for example, an alarm display using a display device of a navigation system is performed. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an alarm display displayed on the display device. As shown in FIG. 4, the display device 34 displays an image 36 a indicating a traffic light and a character image 36 b of “Signal attention”.

  In the image 36a indicating the traffic light, a red signal that is the current signal state is displayed based on the signal cycle information. Here, visibility is improved by blinking and displaying the red signal 36c which is a lighting part.

  The character image 36b is not limited to “Signal attention”, and may be, for example, “Red signal attention”, “Red signal”, “Decelerate”. In short, any display that prompts the driver to decelerate may be used. Further, the visibility may be improved by blinking a character image.

  In addition, the notification unit 26 is not limited to the display device of the navigation system, but may be another display device, such as a head-up display.

  Further, as an alarm using the notification means 26, an alarm by voice output may be performed. For example, "Signal attention", "Red signal", "The signal has changed to red. Please be careful." Thereby, even when the driver is a color blind person, the signal state can be reliably recognized, and the subsequent deceleration can be suitably performed.

  Next, an example of a control process executed by the driving support ECU 12 will be described along the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by the driving assistance ECU according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, the driving assistance ECU 12 determines whether or not the driver is a color blind person (S1). The driving support ECU 12 determines whether or not the driver is a color blind person based on the reaction time from when the intersection signal is switched to a red signal (or yellow signal) until the driver starts a deceleration operation. be able to. If it is determined that the driver is a color blind person, the process proceeds to step S2, and if the driver is not determined to be a color blind person, the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S2, the curve B is set at the boundary of the alert area, and in step S3, the curve A is set at the boundary of the alert area. Thereby, when the driver is a color blind person, the alarm start timing can be advanced.

  In step S4, the driving assistance ECU 12 refers to the map stored in the storage unit, determines whether to issue an alarm based on the vehicle speed V and the distance L to the intersection, and executes the alarm control. . That is, when it is estimated that the host vehicle enters the intersection with a red signal and a yellow signal based on the signal cycle information, the driving support ECU 12 issues a warning and prompts the driver to decelerate.

  As described above, in the driving support device 10 of the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the driver is a color blind person, and when it is determined that the driver is a color blind person, the driver is a color blind person. Compared to a case where it is not determined that there is an alarm, an alarm can be given at an earlier timing. As a result, the driver who is a color blind person can recognize the traffic light state at an earlier timing, so that the subsequent deceleration action can be performed quickly. Therefore, even when the driver has color blindness, the host vehicle can be safely stopped before the intersection.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to prevent the signal from being overlooked by displaying the current signal information using the display device 34 and issuing an alarm. Furthermore, since the red signal 36c is displayed in a blinking manner, even if the driver is a color blind person, it can be easily recognized that it is a red signal. In addition, it is possible to make the driver recognize the signal state more reliably by performing an alarm by voice.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was concretely demonstrated based on the embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. You may change the alerting area which performs a warning according to a vehicle type, a load amount, a passenger, and the amount of wear of a brake pad. For example, when the vehicle type is a sports car, since the brake performance is superior to that of a general vehicle, the alarm start timing may be delayed. In addition, when there are many loads or passengers, or when the brake pads are heavily worn, the alarm start timing may be advanced.

It is the schematic which shows the approach to the intersection of the own vehicle carrying the driving assistance device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block block diagram which shows the driving assistance device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the map for determining execution of an alarm. It is a figure which shows the warning display displayed on the display apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure performed with the driving assistance ECU which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Driving assistance device (driving assistance system), 12 ... Driving assistance ECU, 16 ... GPS receiver, 18 ... Navigation system, 20 ... Wheel speed sensor, 22 ... Brake switch, 24 ... Accelerator pedal opening sensor, 26 ... Notification Means 28 ... Color vision abnormal person determination part 30 ... Alarm start timing setting part 32 ... Control part 34 ... Display device (notification means) 100 ... Own vehicle 102 ... Optical beacon device 104 ... Intersection

Claims (5)

In the driving support system that obtains traffic signal information of an intersection, and issues a warning based on the acquired traffic signal information and the traveling state of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle can stop before the intersection,
A color blind person judging means for judging whether or not the driver of the own vehicle is a color blind person;
When the driver of the own vehicle is determined to be a color blind person by the color blind person determining means, at an earlier timing than when the driver of the host vehicle is not determined to be a color blind person abnormal person, A driving support system comprising: an alarm means for performing the alarm.   The color blind person judging means judges whether or not the person is a color blind person based on a reaction time from the switching of the traffic light state at the intersection to a red signal or a yellow signal until the driver starts a deceleration operation. The driving support system according to claim 1.   The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the warning unit displays a current traffic signal state based on the acquired traffic signal information.   4. The driving support system according to claim 3, wherein the alarm means blinks and displays the current traffic light state.   The driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the warning means performs the warning by voice when it is determined that the driver is a color blind person.

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