WO2018168121A1 - Driving state determination device, driving state determination method, and program for determination of driving state - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention can determine suitability/unsuitability of driving with high accuracy. This driving state determination device is provided with: an information acquisition unit that acquires information about the surrounding environment of a vehicle and the state of a driver of the vehicle; an information detection unit that detects change in the environment and change in the state from the information; a driving state determination unit that determines suitability/unsuitability of driving on the basis of the relationship between the change in the environment and the change in the state; and a signal output unit that outputs a signal corresponding to the determination result of suitability/unsuitability of driving.

Description

Driving state determination device, driving state determination method, and driving state determination program

The present invention relates to a driving state determination device, a driving state determination method, and a program for driving state determination that determine whether driving is appropriate according to the state of the driver.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, technology development has been advanced to prevent various types of sensing technology from causing vehicle contact due to driver's carelessness.
For example, a travel control device that can clearly detect the driver's attention behavior and take measures for safe travel driving has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-181020).

Further, as a driving mode of the vehicle, in addition to the manual driving mode in which the vehicle is driven based on the driving operation of the driver, an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle is driven along a preset route regardless of the driving operation of the driver. Development is underway.

運 転 Driving by a driver who lacks attention is dangerous, and it can be said that driving by such a driver is inappropriate. In addition, various techniques for detecting such an inappropriate driving state have been proposed, but are not sufficient. In order to improve safety, there is a demand for a technique for accurately detecting an inappropriate driving state.

The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and intends to provide a driving state determination device, a driving state determination method, and a program for driving state determination that can accurately determine driving suitability. .

In order to solve the above-described problems, a first aspect of the present invention is an information acquisition unit that acquires information about an environment around a vehicle and a state of a driver of the vehicle, and detects an environmental change and a state change from the information. A driving state determination comprising: an information detection unit that performs a driving state determination unit that determines driving suitability based on the relationship between the environmental change and the state change; and a signal output unit that outputs a signal according to the determination result of driving suitability Device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the driving state determination device according to the first aspect, the driving state determination unit determines that driving is inappropriate when the state change corresponding to the environmental change is not detected. It is what you do.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the driving state determination device according to any one of the first to second aspects, the information detection unit is configured to detect changes in the driver's line-of-sight trend and changes in the driver's biological information. The state change is detected based on at least one of them.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the driving state determination device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the information detection unit detects the environmental change corresponding to the travel of the emergency vehicle. is there.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the driving state determination device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the signal output unit assists the driver when it is determined that driving is inappropriate. An instruction signal for instructing execution is output.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the operation state determination device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the signal output unit determines whether the automatic operation mode and the manual operation mode are based on the determination result of the operation suitability. The driving | running state determination apparatus of any one of Claim 1 to 5 which outputs the control signal which controls switching between.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the driving state determination device according to the sixth aspect, when the signal output unit driving state determination unit determines that driving is inappropriate during execution of the automatic driving mode, The control signal for maintaining the automatic operation mode is output without switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the operation state determination apparatus according to the sixth or seventh aspect, the signal output unit determines that the operation is inappropriate during execution of the manual operation mode. The control signal for requesting switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode is output.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information acquisition process for acquiring information related to an environment around a vehicle and a state of the driver of the vehicle, an information detection process for detecting an environmental change and a state change from the information, and the environment An operation state determination method comprising: an operation state determination process that determines whether or not driving is appropriate based on a relationship between a change and the state change; and a signal output process that outputs a signal corresponding to the determination result of the operation appropriateness.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is a program for determining an operation state that causes a computer to function as each unit included in the operation state determination device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving state determination device can determine whether driving is appropriate or not based on the relationship between environmental changes around the vehicle and changes in the state of the driver of the vehicle. Generally, a driver who concentrates on driving reacts to environmental changes. This reaction is detected as a state change. If the driver is not focused on driving, the response to the environmental change is dull or non-responsive, and therefore the state change corresponding to the environmental change is not detected. That is, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the driver is in a state suitable for driving from the correspondence relationship between environmental changes and state changes. In addition, since a signal corresponding to the determination result of driving suitability is output, this signal can be used for driving control to improve safety.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the state change corresponding to the environmental change is not detected, that is, when the driver's state does not change despite the environmental change, the driving is inappropriate. It can be determined that

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the suitability of driving is accurately determined by detecting a state change based on at least one of a change in the driver's line-of-sight trend and a change in the driver's biological information. Can do.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the propriety of driving can be determined in correspondence with the travel of the emergency vehicle. Although it is dangerous if the driving state is improper when the emergency vehicle is traveling, the danger can be avoided by using the determination result of the driving suitability.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that driving is inappropriate, it is possible to output an instruction signal instructing execution of assistance to the driver. As a result, contents acting on the driver can be output as assistance to the driver, and danger can be avoided in an inappropriate driving state.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to output a control signal for controlling switching between the automatic operation mode and the manual operation mode based on the determination result of the suitability for operation. It is possible to avoid danger by controlling the operation mode according to the determination result.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the operation is inappropriate during the execution of the automatic operation mode, the automatic operation mode is maintained without switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. can do. As a result, it is possible to prevent the automatic operation mode from being switched to the manual operation mode when the operation is inappropriate, and to improve safety.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the control signal for requesting switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode is output based on the determination result of the inappropriate operation during the execution of the manual operation mode, the automatic operation from the manual operation mode is performed. Switching to the mode can improve safety.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the operating state determination method can obtain the same effects as those of the first aspect described above. That is, the driving state determination method can accurately determine whether driving is appropriate, and can improve safety.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the program for determining the driving state can obtain the same effects as those of the first to eighth aspects described above. In other words, the program for determining the driving state can accurately determine whether or not the driving is appropriate, and can improve safety.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a vehicle including a driving state determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operating state determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the information detection unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of driving suitability determination by the driving state determination device and driving control by the automatic driving control device. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of driving suitability determination by the driving state determination device. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation control by the automatic operation control apparatus.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[One Embodiment]
(Constitution)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a vehicle 1 provided with a driving state determination device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The driving state determination device 2 is mounted on a vehicle 1 such as a passenger car. The configuration of the driving state determination device 2 will be described later. The vehicle 1 may be, for example, any one of an automobile, a bus, a truck, a train, and the like, or a vehicle on which a driver (hereinafter also referred to as a driver) other than these rides.

The vehicle 1 includes, as basic equipment, a power unit 3 including a power source and a transmission, a steering device 4 equipped with a steering wheel 5, and further includes a manual operation mode and an automatic operation mode as operation modes. . An engine and / or a motor is used as the power source.

The manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle 1 is driven mainly by a driver's manual driving operation, for example. In the manual driving mode, for example, an operation mode for driving the vehicle 1 based only on the driving operation of the driver and an operation for performing driving operation support control for supporting the driving operation of the driver while mainly driving the driving operation of the driver. Mode is included.

The driving operation support control assists the steering torque so that the driver's steering becomes an appropriate steering amount based on the curvature of the curve when the vehicle 1 is traveling on the curve, for example. The driving operation support control includes control for assisting a driver's accelerator operation (for example, operation of an accelerator pedal) or brake operation (for example, operation of a brake pedal), manual steering (manual operation of steering), and manual speed adjustment (speed). Adjustment manual operation) is also included. In manual steering, the vehicle 1 is steered mainly by the driver's operation of the steering wheel 5. In the manual speed adjustment, the speed of the vehicle 1 is adjusted mainly by the driver's accelerator operation or brake operation.

It should be noted that the driving operation support control does not include control for forcibly intervening in the driving operation of the driver to automatically drive the vehicle 1. That is, in the manual driving mode, the driving operation of the driver is reflected in the driving of the vehicle 1 within a preset allowable range, but the driving of the vehicle 1 is compulsory under certain conditions (for example, lane departure of the vehicle 1). Interventive control is not included.

On the other hand, the automatic operation mode is a mode for realizing an operation state in which the vehicle 1 is automatically driven along the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, for example. The automatic driving mode includes, for example, a driving state in which the vehicle 1 is automatically driven toward a preset destination without driving by the driver. In the automatic driving mode, it is not always necessary to automatically control all of the vehicle 1, and the driving state in which the driving operation of the driver is reflected in the traveling of the vehicle 1 within a preset allowable range is also included in the automatic driving mode. That is, the automatic driving mode includes control for forcibly intervening in the traveling of the vehicle 1 under certain conditions, while reflecting the driving operation of the driver in the traveling of the vehicle 1 within a preset allowable range.

The vehicle 1 further includes an outside camera 6, a steering sensor 7, an accelerator pedal sensor 8, a brake pedal sensor 9, a GPS receiver 10, a gyro sensor 11, a vehicle speed sensor 12, a navigation device 13, an automatic An operation control device 14, a driver camera 15, an audio output device 16, a communication device 17, and a biosensor 18 are provided.

The outside camera 6 is installed at an arbitrary position of the vehicle 1 so that the outside of the vehicle 1 can be photographed. Although one vehicle exterior camera 6 is shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 may include a plurality of vehicle exterior cameras that capture different directions. The outside camera 6 continuously captures the driving environment in the vicinity of the vehicle 1. The vehicle exterior camera 6 is activated in response to the start of operation of the vehicle 1 and continuously captures the outside of the vehicle 1. The outside camera 6 is an example of a sensor that monitors the outside of the vehicle 1. The vehicle exterior camera 6 outputs the captured image (hereinafter also referred to as vehicle exterior image data) to the driving state determination device 2 and the automatic driving control device 14.

The steering sensor 7 detects a steering angle. The steering sensor 7 outputs the detection result to the automatic driving control device 14.
The accelerator pedal sensor 8 detects an operation amount of the accelerator pedal. The accelerator pedal sensor 8 outputs the detection result to the automatic operation control device 14.
The brake pedal sensor 9 detects the operation amount of the brake pedal. The brake pedal sensor 9 outputs the detection result to the automatic operation control device 14.
The GPS receiver 10 receives current position information of the vehicle 1. The GPS receiver 10 outputs the current position information to the driving state determination device 2, the navigation device 13, and the automatic driving control device 14.
The gyro sensor 11 detects the behavior of the vehicle 1. The gyro sensor 11 outputs the detection result to the automatic operation control device 14.
The vehicle speed sensor 12 detects the speed of the vehicle 1. The vehicle speed sensor 12 outputs the detection result to the automatic driving control device 14.

The navigation device 13 is an example of a video display device that includes a display 131 that displays video. The navigation device 13 stores map information. The navigation device 13 extracts route information from the current position to the destination by using information on the destination input by the driver or the like, map information, and current position information from the GPS receiver 10. The navigation device 13 displays route information on the display 131. The navigation device 13 can also display information other than route information on the display 131.
The navigation device 13 outputs the route information to the driving state determination device 2 and the automatic driving control device 14.

The route information described above may include not only information on the route from the current position to the destination, but also information on the road environment from the current position to the destination.
Some examples of information about the road environment will be described.
The information on the road environment may include information on the type of road that passes from the current position to the destination. The types of roads are classified into, for example, roads in which human traffic is restricted or roads in which human traffic is not restricted. The road where the passage of people is restricted is, for example, an expressway. The highway can also be called a motorway. The road where the passage of people is not restricted is, for example, a general road.

The information on the road environment may include information on the speed limit of the road that passes from the current position to the destination.
The information regarding the road environment may include position information of an installation on the road passing from the current position to the destination. The installed object is, for example, a sign, but may be an object installed on the road.
The information regarding the road environment may include position information of a building near the road passing from the current position to the destination.
Information about the road environment may include information on the number of lanes on the road.
The information on the road environment may include information on the position of the curve section that passes between the current position and the destination. Information on the road environment may include information on the curvature of the curve in the curve section.
The information on the road environment may include information on the gradient of the road that passes between the current position and the destination.
Note that the route information may include information other than the above example as information on the road environment.

The configuration of the automatic operation control device 14 will be described.
The automatic operation control device 14 automatically controls traveling of the vehicle 1 when the operation mode is the automatic operation mode.
The automatic driving control device 14 includes an outside image data from the outside camera 6, a detection result from the steering sensor 7, a detection result from the accelerator pedal sensor 8, a detection result from the brake pedal sensor 9, and a GPS receiver 10. Current position information, a detection result from the gyro sensor 11, a detection result from the vehicle speed sensor 12, and route information from the navigation device 13 are acquired. For example, the automatic driving control device 14 automatically controls the traveling of the vehicle 1 based on these information and traffic information acquired by road-to-vehicle communication of the communication device 17 described later.

Automatic control includes, for example, automatic steering (automatic steering operation) and automatic speed adjustment (automatic driving of speed). Automatic steering is an operating state in which the steering device 4 is automatically controlled. Automatic steering includes LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System). For example, the LKAS automatically controls the steering device 4 so that the vehicle 1 does not deviate from the traveling lane even when the driver does not perform the steering operation. Note that the steering operation of the driver may be reflected in the steering of the vehicle 1 within a range (allowable range) in which the vehicle 1 does not deviate from the travel lane even during execution of LKAS. Note that automatic steering is not limited to LKAS.

Automatic speed adjustment is an operating state in which the speed of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled. Automatic speed adjustment includes ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control). For example, when there is no preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle 1, ACC performs constant speed control that causes the vehicle 1 to travel at a constant speed at a preset speed, and when the preceding vehicle exists ahead of the vehicle 1. Is a follow-up control that adjusts the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. The automatic operation control device 14 decelerates the vehicle 1 according to the driver's brake operation (for example, operation of the brake pedal) even when ACC is being executed. Further, the automatic driving control device 14 can operate the driver's accelerator operation (for example, accelerator) up to a preset maximum permissible speed (for example, the maximum speed legally determined on the traveling road) even when ACC is being executed. The vehicle 1 can be accelerated according to the pedal operation. The automatic speed adjustment is not limited to ACC but also includes CC (Cruise Control).

The configuration of the driver camera 15 will be described.
The driver camera 15 is installed, for example, at a position that is in front of the driver as on a dashboard. The driver camera 15 is an example of a sensor that monitors a driver. The driver camera 15 is activated in response to the start of driving of the vehicle 1 and continuously captures a predetermined range including the driver's face. The driver camera 15 outputs the captured image (hereinafter referred to as driver image data) to the driving state determination device 2. Driver image data is an example of monitoring data used to detect the state of the driver. The driver's condition is, for example, driver's forward gaze, drowsiness, looking aside, putting on and taking off clothes, telephone operation, leaning on the window / armrest, driving disturbance by passengers and pets, onset of illness, backwards, kneeling, eating and drinking , Smoking, dizziness, abnormal behavior, car navigation / audio operation, attachment / detachment of glasses / sunglasses, photography, and a target recognition index. The degree of object recognition is an index of how much the driver has recognized the object (for example, visually), and is the degree that the driver is aware of the object (for example, visually). The state of the driver may include an index other than the index exemplified here.

The audio output device 16 includes a speaker 161. The audio output device 16 outputs various information as audio.

The communication device 17 includes a vehicle-to-vehicle communication module 171 and a road-to-vehicle communication module 172.
The inter-vehicle communication module 171 communicates directly with another vehicle by radio. Another vehicle is a general vehicle or an emergency vehicle. The inter-vehicle communication module 171 transmits, for example, information related to the vehicle 1 to another vehicle close to the vehicle 1 by inter-vehicle communication. The information regarding the vehicle 1 is, for example, position information, speed information, vehicle type information, and the like, but is not limited thereto. On the other hand, the inter-vehicle communication module 171 receives, for example, information on another vehicle that is close to the vehicle 1 from the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication. The information regarding another vehicle is, for example, position information, speed information, vehicle type information, and the like, but is not limited thereto. As vehicle type information, for example, there is information indicating an emergency vehicle.

The road-to-vehicle communication module 172 communicates wirelessly with roadside devices installed on the road. The road-to-vehicle communication module 172 transmits, for example, information on the vehicle 1 to the roadside machine through road-to-vehicle communication. On the other hand, the road-to-vehicle communication module 172 receives various information exemplified below from the roadside machine through road-to-vehicle communication. The road-to-vehicle communication module 172 may receive, for example, information about another vehicle that is close to the vehicle 1 from the roadside machine. The road-to-vehicle communication module 172 may receive traffic information from a roadside machine, for example. The traffic information may include, for example, lane regulation information and closed information. The traffic information may include, for example, signal information related to the display of signals installed in the vicinity of the roadside machine. The road-to-vehicle communication module 172 may receive weather information from a roadside machine, for example. The road-vehicle communication module 172 may receive, for example, information on the presence / absence of a person crossing a road near the roadside machine from the roadside machine. The road-vehicle communication module 172 may receive information other than the information described above from the roadside machine.

The communication device 17 outputs information obtained by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication and the road-to-vehicle communication as described above to the driving state determination device 2 and the automatic driving control device 14.

The biological sensor 18 is at least one of a blood pressure sensor and a pulse sensor. The blood pressure sensor may be a wearable sensor, and transmits the blood pressure sensing data of the driver to the driving state determination device 2 in real time by wireless communication or the like. For example, the pulse sensor is a sensor integrally formed with a vehicle seat, and transmits sensing data of the driver's pulse to the driving state determination device 2 in real time by wireless communication or the like. In addition, you may make it the sensing data from each sensor transmit to the driving | running state determination apparatus 2 via a server by radio | wireless communication.

Next, the structure of the driving | running state determination apparatus 2 is demonstrated.
The driving state determination device 2 acquires information about the environment around the vehicle 1 and the state of the driver of the vehicle 1, detects the environment around the vehicle 1 and the state of the driver of the vehicle 1 from the acquired information, Detect environmental changes and state changes. Further, the driving state determination device 2 determines whether or not the driver is in a state suitable for driving the vehicle 1 based on the relationship between the environmental change and the state change, and outputs a signal corresponding to the determination result. The driving state determination device 2 estimates the driving concentration level of the driver based on the above-described driver state, and determines whether the driver is in a state suitable for driving the vehicle 1 based on the driving concentration level. You may do it. The driving concentration degree is a degree suitable for the driver to drive the vehicle 1. As the driving concentration increases, the driver becomes more suitable for driving the vehicle 1. Conversely, as the degree of driving concentration decreases, the driver becomes more unsuitable for driving the vehicle 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the driving state determination device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The operating state determination device 2 includes an input / output interface unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23.

The input / output interface unit 21 includes an outside camera 6, a GPS receiver 10, a navigation device 13, an automatic driving control device 14, a driver camera 15, an audio output device 16 and a communication device 17, and a biological sensor 18, and a control unit 23. Connecting.

The configuration of the storage unit 22 will be described.
The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile memory that can be written and read at any time, such as a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD). The storage unit 22 includes a monitoring data storage unit 221 and a vehicle exterior image data storage unit 222.

The monitoring data storage unit 221 stores driver image data that the control unit 23 acquires from the driver camera 15.
The vehicle exterior image data storage unit 222 stores vehicle exterior image data that the control unit 23 acquires from the vehicle exterior camera 6.

The configuration of the control unit 23 will be described.
The control unit 23 includes a processor 231 and a memory 232.
The processor 231 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that constitutes a computer. The configuration of each unit included in the processor 231 will be described later. Note that although one processor 231 is shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 23 may include one or more processors.
The memory 232 is a non-volatile memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) that can be written and read at any time, or a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random-Access Memory). The memory 232 includes a program that causes the processor 231 to perform processing of each unit included in the processor 231. The program can also be referred to as an instruction for operating the processor 231. The program is stored in the storage unit 22 and is read from the storage unit 22 to the memory 232. The program in the memory 232 is read by the processor 231. One embodiment may be realized by a program.

The configuration of each unit included in the processor 231 will be described.
The processor 231 includes a monitoring data acquisition unit 2311, a vehicle exterior image data acquisition unit 2312, a vehicle information acquisition unit 2313, a route information acquisition unit 2314, a current position information acquisition unit 2315, an information detection unit 2316, and a driving state determination. A unit 2317 and a signal output unit 2318. Each unit may be distributed among one or more processors.

The monitoring data acquisition unit 2311 acquires driver image data from the driver camera 15 via the input / output interface unit 21. The monitoring data acquisition unit 2311 stores the driver image data in the monitoring data storage unit 221. The monitoring data acquisition unit 2311 acquires driver biometric data from the biometric sensor 18 via the input / output interface unit 21. The monitoring data acquisition unit 2311 stores the driver biometric data in the monitoring data storage unit 221.
The vehicle exterior image data acquisition unit 2312 acquires vehicle exterior image data from the vehicle exterior camera 6 via the input / output interface unit 21. The vehicle exterior image data acquisition unit 2312 stores the vehicle exterior image data in the vehicle exterior image data storage unit 222.

The vehicle information acquisition unit 2313 acquires information regarding another vehicle that is close to the vehicle 1 from the communication device 17 via the input / output interface unit 21. The vehicle information acquisition unit 2313 outputs information related to another vehicle to the information detection unit 2316.
The route information acquisition unit 2314 acquires route information from the navigation device 13 via the input / output interface unit 21. The route information acquisition unit 2314 outputs the route information to the information detection unit 2316.
The current position information acquisition unit 2315 acquires current position information from the GPS receiver 10 via the input / output interface unit 21. The current position information acquisition unit 2315 outputs the current position information to the information detection unit 2316.

The information detection unit 2316 detects the environment around the vehicle 1 from at least one of the vehicle exterior image data from the vehicle exterior image data storage unit 222 and the information related to another vehicle from the vehicle information acquisition unit 2313, and the time Detect environmental changes over time. In addition, the information detection unit 2316 detects the state of the driver from at least one of the driver image data and the driver biometric data stored in the monitoring data storage unit 221, and further drives with time. Detect changes in the person's condition.
In addition to the driver image data, the information detection unit 2316 detects, for example, the above-described object recognition level as the driver's state using at least one of image data outside the vehicle, route information, and current position information. May be.
Further, the information detection unit 2316 may detect the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the traveling information of the vehicle 1.
The information detection unit 2316 outputs an environmental change around the vehicle 1 and a driver state change to the driving state determination unit 2317. Further, the information detection unit 2316 may output the degree of object recognition to the driving state determination unit 2317.

The driving state determination unit 2317 determines driving suitability based on the relationship between the environmental change around the vehicle 1 from the information detection unit 2316 and the state change of the driver of the vehicle 1. For example, the driving state determination unit 2317 may determine whether or not the automatic driving mode is appropriate while the automatic driving mode is being executed, and may determine whether or not the manual driving mode is appropriate while the manual driving mode is being executed. Good. The driving suitability determination will be described in detail later. Driving state determination unit 2317 outputs the determination result of driving suitability to signal output unit 2318.

Further, the driving state determination unit 2317 may estimate the driving concentration level of the driver based on the driver's state. In addition, when detecting a driver | operator's state from driver | operator image data, it can also be said that the driving | running state determination part 2317 estimates a driver | operator's driving concentration degree from driver | operator image data. The driving state determination unit 2317 estimates the driving concentration corresponding to each of one or more indicators included in the driver's state. For example, the driving state determination unit 2317 estimates a driving concentration level using sleepiness as an index, and also estimates a driving concentration level using a side look as an index. Note that the driving state determination unit 2317 may estimate, for example, one driving concentration degree by comprehensively determining a plurality of indexes included in the driver's state.

In one example, the driving state determination unit 2317 can estimate the driving concentration degree by a numerical value such as a ratio. The numerical value estimated by the driving state determination unit 2317 may be increased as the driving concentration level is increased, or may be decreased as the driving concentration level is increased.

The estimation of the driving concentration by the driving state determination unit 2317 may be performed using an AI (Artificial Intelligence) function such as machine learning or deep learning. In this case, the driving state determination unit 2317 can estimate the driver's state with high accuracy by using the past estimation result for estimation of the current driving concentration degree, for example.

In addition, the driving state determination unit 2317 compares the driving concentration level with a reference. When the driving state determination unit 2317 estimates the driving concentration level for each of the plurality of indices, the driving concentration level for each of the plurality of indices may be compared with a reference. Operation state determination unit 2317 outputs the comparison result to signal output unit 2318. Note that the reference may be arbitrarily changed.

The signal output unit 2318 outputs a signal to each unit via the input / output interface unit 21. Hereinafter, examples of some signals output from the signal output unit 2318 will be described.
For example, the signal output unit 2318 outputs a signal corresponding to the determination result of driving suitability to the automatic driving control device 14. The automatic driving control device 14 may control driving based on a signal corresponding to the determination result of driving suitability. The output of the signal according to the determination result of driving suitability and the operation control based on the signal according to the determination result will be described in detail later.

Further, the signal output unit 2318 may output a signal corresponding to the determination result of driving suitability to at least one of the navigation device 13 and the audio output device 16. For example, the signal output unit 2318 outputs an instruction signal that instructs execution of assistance to the driver in response to the inappropriate driving determination to the assistance providing apparatus. The support for the driver may be any output content that acts on the driver, and includes various types of support for improving the degree of driving concentration in addition to warning, alerting, and information provision. When receiving the instruction signal from the signal output unit 2318, the support providing device executes predetermined support for the driver. The support providing device is, for example, the navigation device 13 or the audio output device 16. Based on the instruction signal, the support providing device displays an image or video that gives attention to the driver, or outputs the attention to the driver by voice. For example, the signal output unit 2318 outputs a first instruction signal in response to an inappropriate driving determination during execution of the automatic operation mode, and a second in response to an inappropriate driving determination during execution of the manual operation mode. An instruction signal may be output. Based on the first instruction signal, the support providing device “continues the automatic operation mode because it is inappropriate for driving” or “switches to the manual operation mode because it is inappropriate for driving”. A message such as "Not accepted" is output. In addition, the support providing device, based on the second instruction signal, “switches the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode because it is inappropriate for driving” or “notifies the vehicle because it is inappropriate for driving”. “Stop (or decelerate)” message is output. The driver can recognize from the message that the driver is not in a state suitable for driving the vehicle 1. For example, the signal output unit 2318 may output an instruction signal to a device that gives an external stimulus such as vibration to the driver.

Further, the signal output unit 2318 may determine whether or not to output an instruction signal for giving attention to the driver to the support providing device based on a comparison result between the driving concentration level and the reference. For example, the signal output unit 2318 may output an instruction signal to the driver when the driving concentration estimated by the information detection unit 2316 is lower than the reference. For example, the signal output unit 2318 outputs an instruction signal to the support providing apparatus. The signal output unit 2318 can output an instruction signal when one or more driving concentration degrees among a plurality of driving concentration degrees estimated from a plurality of indices are lower than a reference. The signal output unit 2318 may output an instruction signal when a predetermined number or more of the driving concentration degrees estimated from the plurality of indices is lower than the reference.

Next, an example of detection of environmental changes around the vehicle 1 and changes in the state of the driver of the vehicle 1 by the information detection unit 2316 will be described. In addition, the detection method of an environmental change and a state change is not restricted to the example demonstrated here.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the information detection unit 2316. For example, the information detection unit 2316 includes an environment detection unit 23161, an environment change detection unit 23162, a local state detection unit 23163, a global state detection unit 23164, a driver state detection unit 23165, and a driver state change detection unit. 23166.

The environment detection unit 23161 detects the environment around the vehicle 1 from at least one of the vehicle exterior image data from the vehicle exterior image data storage unit 222 and the information related to another vehicle from the vehicle information acquisition unit 2313. Then, the environment change detection unit 23162 detects the environment change with the lapse of time of the environment around the detected vehicle 1. The environment detection unit 23161 includes at least one of the route information from the route information acquisition unit 2314 and the current position information from the current position information acquisition unit 2315 as at least one of the image data outside the vehicle and the information related to another vehicle. In addition, the environment around the vehicle 1 is detected, and the environment change detection unit 23162 detects an environment change in which the driver may react with the passage of time of the detected environment around the vehicle 1. . For example, a vehicle around the vehicle 1 is assumed as the surrounding environment, and a running of the vehicle around the vehicle 1 is assumed as an environmental change with which the driver may react. As an example, at least one of approaching, parallel running, overtaking, and the like of traveling vehicles around the vehicle 1 is assumed as an environmental change. An emergency vehicle may be assumed as the traveling vehicle.

The local state detection unit 23163 detects the state of at least one of the organs included in the driver's face in the driver image data. The organs included in the face are, for example, the eyes, mouth, nose and ears, but other organs may be used. When the local state detection unit 23163 detects the eye state, the local state detection unit 23163 detects, for example, the degree of opening / closing of the driver's eyes, the direction of the line of sight, and the direction of the face. Local state detection unit 23163 outputs a detection result (hereinafter also referred to as local information) to driver state detection unit 23165.
The global state detection unit 23164 detects at least one of the global states of the driver in the driver image data. The global state is, for example, the movement and posture of the driver, but may be other than these. The global state detection unit 23164 outputs a detection result (hereinafter also referred to as global information) to the driver state detection unit 23165.
The driver state detection unit 23165 detects the above-described driver state using the local information from the local state detection unit 23163 and the global information from the global state detection unit 23164. Furthermore, the driver state change detection unit 23154 detects a change in the state of the driver as time elapses in the detected state of the driver.
Next, some detection examples of the degree of object recognition by the information detection unit 2316 will be described. The information detection unit 2316 can detect the degree of object recognition using the monitoring data and the position information of the object.

As an example, the information detection unit 2316 can detect the degree of object recognition using the image data outside the vehicle in addition to the driver image data as follows. The information detection unit 2316 extracts a target for detecting the degree of object recognition from the image data outside the vehicle. For example, the information detection unit 2316 divides the image data outside the vehicle into a plurality of areas, and extracts a target from the divided plurality of areas. Thereby, the position (direction) of the object can be detected. The target is, for example, an installation such as a sign and a guardrail, and a building, but is not particularly limited as long as the driver can visually recognize the object. In addition, by registering an image of a dangerous object that may come into contact with the vehicle in advance, the information detection unit 2316 can extract the extracted object from the pattern matching between the extracted object and the registered dangerous object. It may be determined whether or not is a dangerous article.

The information detection unit 2316 detects the driver's line of sight and the face direction from the driver image data captured at substantially the same timing as when the image data outside the vehicle from which the target was extracted was captured. The driver's line of sight and face orientation are detected by the local state detection unit 23163 as described above. The information detection unit 2316 detects the degree of object recognition using at least one of the driver's line of sight and face orientation and target position information. For example, the degree of object recognition may be detected when the time during which at least one of the driver's line of sight and the face direction is facing the object is a predetermined time or more. It can be said that the degree of object recognition increases as the driver's line of sight and face direction face the object.

As another example, the information detection unit 2316 can detect the degree of object recognition using the route information and the current position information in addition to the driver image data as follows.
The information detection unit 2316 extracts a target located near the vehicle 1 with reference to the route information and the current position information. As described above, the target is, for example, an installation such as a sign or a building, but is not particularly limited as long as the driver can visually recognize it. The information detection unit 2316 detects the driver's line of sight and the direction of the face from the driver image data captured at approximately the same timing as the vehicle 1 passes through the vicinity of the target. The information detection unit 2316 detects the degree of object recognition using at least one of the driver's line of sight and face orientation and target position information.

As another example, the information detection unit 2316 may obtain the target position and the timing at which the vehicle 1 passes through the vicinity of the target through road-to-vehicle communication. In this case, the information detection unit 2316 detects the driver's line of sight and the direction of the face from the driver image data captured at substantially the same timing as the vehicle 1 passes through the vicinity of the target. The information detection unit 2316 detects the degree of object recognition using at least one of the driver's line of sight and face orientation and target position information.

As another example, the information detection unit 2316 may use a message displayed on the display 131 of the navigation device 13 as a target. In this case, the information detection unit 2316 detects the driver's line of sight and the face direction from the driver image data captured at substantially the same timing as when the message is displayed on the display 131. The information detection unit 2316 detects the degree of object recognition using at least one of the driver's line of sight and face orientation and target position information.

As described above, when the information detection unit 2316 uses at least the monitoring data and the target position information, the information detection unit 2316 can appropriately detect the driver's state using the degree of object recognition as an index.
Note that the information detection unit 2316 may use an object located in the vicinity of the front, rear, left, or right of the vehicle 1. The information detection unit 2316 preferably uses an object located near the left side or the right side rather than the front side of the vehicle 1. If the object is located on the front side of the vehicle 1, the driver's line of sight and face do not move much. On the other hand, if the target is located near the left side or the right side of the vehicle 1, the driver's line of sight and face move to the left or right side. Therefore, the information detection unit 2316 can detect the degree of object recognition appropriately.

(Operation)
Next, operation | movement of the driving | running state determination apparatus 2 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of driving suitability determination by the driving state determination device 2 and driving control by the automatic driving control device 14.
The driving state determination device 2 acquires information about the environment around the vehicle 1 and information about the state of the driver of the vehicle 1 (step S11). For example, as information about the environment around the vehicle 1, at least one of the information about the outside image data from the outside image data acquisition unit 2312 and the information about another vehicle close to the vehicle 1 from the vehicle information acquisition unit 2313 is used. get. Furthermore, at least one of the route information from the route information acquisition unit 2314 and the current position information from the current position information acquisition unit 2315 may be acquired. Moreover, the monitoring data acquisition part 2311 acquires at least one of driver image data and driver biometric information as information regarding the state of the driver of the vehicle 1. Moreover, you may make it acquire the information of object recognition degree as information regarding the driver | operator's state of the vehicle 1. FIG.

The information detection unit 2316 detects an environmental change from information related to the environment around the vehicle 1 (step S12). For example, when an environmental change is detected, the driving state determination unit 2317 detects whether the driver's state changes or does not change, and determines whether or not driving is appropriate. If no environmental change is detected, it is not necessary to determine whether or not driving is appropriate. Moreover, the information detection part 2316 detects the state change of the driver | operator of the vehicle 1 from the information regarding the state of the driver | operator of the vehicle 1 (step S12).

The driving state determination unit 2317 determines driving suitability based on the relationship between the environmental change and the state change (step S13). The driving suitability determination will be described in detail later. The signal output unit 2318 outputs a signal corresponding to the determination result of driving suitability (step S14). For example, the signal output unit 2318 may output a signal indicating appropriate driving or inappropriate driving, or may output an instruction signal instructing execution of assistance such as warning according to a determination result of inappropriate driving. Alternatively, a control signal for controlling switching of the operation mode (switching between the automatic operation mode and the manual operation mode) may be output according to the determination result of the suitability for operation. The signal output will be described in detail later.
Further, the automatic driving control device 14 controls driving based on a signal corresponding to the determination result of driving suitability (step S15). The operation control will be described in detail later.

Here, we will supplement the above control signals. For example, when it is determined that driving is inappropriate during automatic driving, the signal output unit 2318 may output a control signal that does not permit switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. The automatic operation control unit 14 that has received this control signal does not execute the switching to the manual operation mode according to the control signal, even if it receives a request to switch to the manual operation mode. In addition, when it is determined that driving is appropriate during automatic driving, the signal output unit 2318 may output a control signal that permits switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. Upon receiving this control signal, the automatic operation control unit 14 executes switching to the manual operation mode when receiving a request for switching to the manual operation mode according to the control signal.

In addition, when it is determined that driving is inappropriate during manual driving, the signal output unit 2318 may output a switching control signal from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. Upon receiving this control signal, the automatic operation control unit 14 switches the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode in accordance with this control signal.

In addition, when it is determined that driving is inappropriate during automatic driving, the signal output unit 2318 may output a control signal that requests the continuation of the automatic driving mode. Upon receiving this control signal, the automatic operation control unit 14 continues the automatic operation mode in accordance with this control signal, and does not execute the switch to the manual operation mode even if a request for switching to the manual operation mode is received.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of driving suitability determination by the driving state determination device 2.

The driving state determination unit 2317 checks the correspondence between the environmental change and the state change (step S1311). When it is determined that there is a correlation between the detection timing of the environmental change and the detection timing of the state change, the driving state determination unit 2317 determines that there is a state change corresponding to the detection of the environmental change (YES in step S1311). For example, a case where a state change is detected within a predetermined time from the detection of the environmental change is determined to be a state change corresponding to the detection of the environmental change. For example, when an event such as approaching, parallel running, and overtaking of a vehicle (including an emergency vehicle) occurs, the information detection unit 2316 detects an environmental change corresponding to the occurrence of this event. In addition, when the driver shows some kind of reaction or a startle reaction within a predetermined time (for example, within 1 second) in response to the occurrence of this event, the information detection unit 2316 displays a state change corresponding to this reaction. To detect. Thereby, the driving | running state determination part 2317 determines with the state change corresponding to the detection of an environmental change (step S1311, YES). A state change is detected from one or more of the line-of-sight direction, face direction, blood pressure, and pulse fluctuation.

When the state change corresponding to the detection of the environmental change is detected (step S1311, YES), the driving state determination unit 2317 determines that the driving is appropriate (step S1313). In addition, when the state change corresponding to the detection of the environmental change is not detected, that is, when the state change corresponding to the detection of the environmental change is not detected (step S1311, NO), the driving state determination unit 2317 performs the driving. It is determined that it is inappropriate (step S1312).

As described above, when an event such as approach of a vehicle (including an emergency vehicle), parallel running, and overtaking occurs, in general, a driver having a concentration appropriate for driving reacts to the occurrence of this event. That is, the driving state determination unit 2317 determines that the driving is in an appropriate state when a state change is detected corresponding to the timing at which an environmental change is detected, and the driving state is inappropriate when the change is not detected. It is determined that it is in a state. For example, the driver's line of sight is directed in the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, but even if the environmental change occurs, it is determined that there is no state change when the reaction is small or no reaction, and the driving is inappropriate. It is determined that

For example, if the driving state determination unit 2317 determines that driving is inappropriate during execution of the automatic driving mode (step S1314, YES), the driving state determination unit 2317 may request to continue the automatic driving mode (step S1314). S1315). Thereby, the signal output unit 2318 outputs a signal indicating a request to continue the automatic operation mode. Alternatively, when the operation state determination unit 2317 determines that the operation is inappropriate during the execution of the automatic operation mode, the operation state determination unit 2317 may reject switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. Thereby, the signal output unit 2318 outputs a signal indicating rejection of switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode.

In addition, when the operation state determination unit 2317 determines that the operation is inappropriate during the execution of the manual operation mode (NO in step S1314), the operation state determination unit 2317 requests to switch from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode. (Step S1316). Thereby, the signal output unit 2318 outputs a signal indicating a request for switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation control by the automatic operation control device 14.
For example, on the assumption that the driving state determination unit 2317 determines whether driving is appropriate and the signal output unit 2318 outputs a signal indicating appropriate driving or inappropriate driving, an example of the driving control of the automatic driving control device 14 in this case will be described. explain.

The automatic operation control device 14 receives a signal indicating appropriate operation or inappropriate operation from the signal output unit 2318. The automatic operation control device 14 receives a request for the manual operation mode (step S1512, YES) during execution of the automatic operation mode (step S1511, YES), and receives a signal indicating inappropriate operation (step S1512). (S1513, YES), the manual operation mode is rejected (step S1514), and the automatic operation mode is maintained (step S1515).

In addition, the automatic operation control device 14 receives a request for the manual operation mode (step S1512, YES) during execution of the automatic operation mode (step S1511, YES), and receives a signal indicating appropriate operation (step S1512, YES). In step S1513, NO), the automatic operation mode is switched to the manual operation mode (step S1516).

In addition, when the automatic operation control device 14 receives the signal indicating inappropriate operation (step S1518, YES) during execution of the manual operation mode (step S1511, NO) (step S1517), the automatic operation control device 14 changes the manual operation mode. The mode is switched to the automatic operation mode (step S1519). Furthermore, the automatic driving control device 14 may execute the automatic driving mode to decelerate or stop the vehicle 1.

(effect)
As described above in detail, in one embodiment of the present invention, the driving state determination device 2 can determine driving suitability based on the relationship between the environmental change around the vehicle 1 and the state change of the driver of the vehicle. For example, when an event such as approach, parallel running, and overtaking of an emergency vehicle or the like occurs, an environmental change corresponding to the occurrence of this event is detected. In general, a driver who is concentrating on driving shows a reaction such as surprise at the occurrence of this event, and a change in the state of the driver corresponding to this reaction is detected. If the driver is not focused on driving, the response to the occurrence of this event is dull or unresponsive, and therefore a state change corresponding to the environmental change is not detected. That is, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the driver is in a state suitable for driving from the correspondence relationship between the environmental change and the state change. In addition, since a signal corresponding to the determination result of driving suitability is output, this signal can be used for driving control to improve safety.

For example, when the state change corresponding to the environmental change is not detected, that is, when the driver's state does not change despite the environmental change, it can be determined that the driving is inappropriate. For example, it is determined that driving is inappropriate when an event such as approaching, parallel running, and overtaking of an emergency vehicle has occurred and the driver remains unresponsive while facing forward. can do. For example, if the manual operation mode is being executed, for example, a level 1 warning may be issued from the navigation device 13 and the audio output device 16 based on the determination of inappropriate driving. Further, even when the automatic driving mode is being executed, when a certain degree of driving concentration is requested, a warning of level 2 lower than level 1, for example, is issued from the navigation device 13 and the voice output device 16 based on the determination of inappropriate driving. May be issued.

For example, when the state change corresponding to the environmental change is not detected during execution of the automatic driving mode, that is, when the driver's state does not change despite the environmental change, the driving in the manual driving mode is not performed. It can be determined to be inappropriate. For example, it is possible to determine that driving in the manual driving mode is inappropriate for a state in which the user is not yet sufficiently awake from sleep during execution of the automatic driving mode. For example, blue light may be emitted from the navigation device 13 to give the driver an awakening action.

For example, the suitability of driving can be determined with high accuracy by detecting a state change based on at least one of a change in the driver's line-of-sight trend and a change in the driver's biological information. In general, a driver who concentrates on driving often changes the line-of-sight trend in accordance with environmental changes. In addition, if the driver is concentrating on driving, the blood pressure or the pulse often fluctuates according to environmental changes. In order to increase the determination accuracy, the state change may be comprehensively determined from the change in the line-of-sight trend and the change in the biological information.

For example, by applying emergency vehicle travel as an indicator of environmental changes, it is possible to avoid danger during travel of the emergency vehicle. For example, if the driver's state change is not detected even though the emergency vehicle is traveling, the driver is in an inappropriate driving state. In such a case, the danger can be avoided by executing the automatic operation mode or switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode to bring the vehicle 1 to the road shoulder, decelerate, or stop.

For example, since a signal requesting continuation of the automatic operation mode is output based on the determination result of the inappropriate operation during execution of the automatic operation mode, it is possible to prevent switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode in an inappropriate state of operation, Safety can be improved. For example, even if the driver is not sufficiently awakened and tries to switch from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode, the automatic operation mode is maintained and safety can be ensured.

For example, a signal that requests switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode is output based on the determination result of the inappropriate operation during execution of the manual operation mode, so the safety is improved by switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode. Can be achieved.

[Other Embodiments]
Hereinafter, some other embodiments will be described.
Although it has been described that environmental information is detected by the outside camera 6 and the communication device 17 and the like, further, a microphone is installed outside the vehicle 1 to collect external noise and sounds such as sirens, and even collected information The environmental information may be detected based on the above. For example, the detection accuracy of emergency vehicle travel can be increased.

Further, the vehicle 1 may cause an environmental change to occur at a predetermined timing. For example, a warning image may be displayed on the display 131 of the navigation device 13 based on an instruction to generate an environmental change from the driving state determination device 2. In addition, a warning sound may be output from the sound output device 16 based on an instruction to generate an environmental change from the driving state determination device 2. In this case, it becomes easy to detect environmental changes. Moreover, an environmental change can be generated at an arbitrary timing. For example, when there is a possibility that the driver's concentration level is lowered, it is possible to determine whether or not driving is appropriate by generating an environmental change.

In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably.

In addition, the above-described embodiment may be realized by a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a program that causes the processor 231 to perform processing of each unit included in the processor 231.

A part or all of the above embodiment can be described as in the following supplementary notes, but is not limited thereto.
(Appendix 1)
Obtaining information about the environment around the vehicle and the state of the driver of the vehicle,
Detect environmental changes and state changes from the information,
Judging driving suitability based on the relationship between the environmental change and the state change,
A processor configured to output a signal corresponding to the determination result of driving suitability;
A memory for storing instructions for operating the processor;
A driving state determination device comprising:

(Appendix 2)
With at least one processor,
Obtaining information about the environment around the vehicle and the state of the driver of the vehicle,
Detect environmental changes and state changes from the information,
Judging driving suitability based on the relationship between the environmental change and the state change,
A driving state determination method that outputs a signal according to a determination result of driving suitability.

Claims (10)

1. An information acquisition unit for acquiring information about the environment around the vehicle and the state of the driver of the vehicle;
   An information detector for detecting environmental changes and state changes from the information;
   A driving state determination unit that determines driving suitability based on the relationship between the environmental change and the state change;
   A signal output unit that outputs a signal according to the determination result of driving suitability;
   A driving state determination device comprising:
2. The driving state determination device according to claim 1, wherein the driving state determination unit determines that driving is inappropriate when the state change corresponding to the environmental change is not detected.
3. 3. The driving state determination device according to claim 1, wherein the information detection unit detects the state change based on at least one of a change in the driver's line-of-sight trend and a change in the driver's biological information.
4. The driving state determination apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information detection unit detects the environmental change corresponding to travel of an emergency vehicle.
5. The driving state determination according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the signal output unit outputs an instruction signal instructing execution of assistance to the driver when it is determined that driving is inappropriate. apparatus.
6. The operation state according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the signal output unit outputs a control signal for controlling switching between the automatic operation mode and the manual operation mode based on the determination result of the suitability for operation. Judgment device.
7. The signal output unit maintains the automatic operation mode without switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode when it is determined that the operation is inappropriate during execution of the automatic operation mode. The driving | running state determination apparatus of Claim 6 which outputs a control signal.
8. The signal output unit outputs the control signal for requesting switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode when it is determined that the operation is inappropriate during execution of the manual operation mode. The driving | running state determination apparatus of 6 or 7.
9. An information acquisition process for acquiring information about the environment around the vehicle and the state of the driver of the vehicle;
   An information detection process for detecting environmental changes and state changes from the information;
   A driving state determination process for determining driving suitability based on the relationship between the environmental change and the state change;
   A signal output process for outputting a signal according to the determination result of driving suitability;
   A driving state determination method comprising:
10. A program for operating state determination that causes a computer to function as each unit included in the operating state determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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