JP2000326758A - Preventive safety device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly perform processing, and to improve safety by judging a dozing driving state and an inattentive driving state from state information on a driver, and preferentially taking a judgment of the dozing driving state when judged as a travel situation of easily causing the dozing driving state by a travel situation judging means. SOLUTION: When a vehicle travels, a vehicle state and a vehicle surrounding travel environment such as a vehicle speed are detected by a driver state detecting means CL1, and a dozing driving state and an inattentive driving state are judged by a dozing/inattentive driving anticipating/judging means CL3 from state information on a driver detected by the means CL1. A dozing driving warning means CL4 or an inattentive driving warning means CL5 is actuated according to the judging result. In this case, a travel situation judging means CL6 is arranged, and when a travel situation is judged as a travel situation of easily causing dozing driving, a judgment of a dozing driving state is preferentially taken by a selecting means CL7, and when judged as a travel situation of easily causing inattentive driving, a judgment of an inattentive driving state is preferentially taken.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a preventive safety device capable of quickly switching between a drowsiness warning and an inattentive warning according to the running conditions of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional apparatus of this type is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-6-262959 or JP-A-10-40.
No. 481 is disclosed. The former one is
This is a technology that detects drowsy driving and issues an alarm to prevent drowsy driving, and the latter technology detects inattentive driving and issues an alarm to prevent inattentive driving. Therefore, the drowsy driving and the inattentive driving can be respectively prevented by the respective devices.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional device, in order to perform both a drowsy driving alarm and an inattentive driving alarm, a separate controller is provided for each of the alarms for dozing driving and inattentive driving. , Two controllers are required, which results in an increase in cost and an increase in weight. On the other hand, if a single controller is provided with the functions of drowsiness and inattentiveness and is simultaneously processed, there is a problem that the processing speed is reduced.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a preventive safety device capable of suppressing a reduction in processing speed while processing can be performed by a single controller.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driver state detecting means for detecting a driver state, and a vehicle running state detecting means for detecting a running state of a vehicle. A drowsy driving aside driving prediction / judgment means for judging a dozing driving state or an inattentive driving state from information of a person's state; a dozing driving alarming means for giving an alarm by judging the dozing driving state; An alarming means, a driving situation judging means for judging a driving situation in which a drowsy driving is likely to occur or a driving situation in which an inattentive driving is likely to occur based on the detected driving condition information of the vehicle; When it is determined that the drowsy driving state is likely to occur while giving priority to the drowsy driving state determination by the drowsy inattentive driving prediction determining means, When it is characterized by comprising more selection means to prioritize the judgment in inattentive driving state.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the preventive safety device according to the first aspect, the driver state detecting means has an image inputting means for inputting a driver's face image, and the drowsy inattentive prediction judgment is performed. The means extracts continuous data extending in the lateral direction of the face from the input face image, specifies an eye position based on the continuous data, and determines a dozing driving state and an inattentive driving state from the eye position and the continuous data. Is determined.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the preventive safety device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the vehicle running condition detecting means comprises:
A vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed as the traveling state,
Based on the vehicle speed, the traveling condition determining means determines that the driving condition is likely to cause a drowsy driving when the substantially constant speed continues for a predetermined time, and performs the inattentive driving when the substantially constant speed does not continue for a predetermined time. It is characterized in that it is determined that the driving situation is likely to occur.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the preventive safety device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the vehicle running condition detecting means comprises:
A vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed as the traveling state,
When the detected vehicle speed is higher than a set threshold value, the driving condition determination unit determines that the vehicle is in a situation in which drowsy driving is likely to occur, and when the vehicle speed is lower than the set threshold value, the driving is likely to cause inattentive driving. It is characterized by judging that it is a situation.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the preventive safety device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the vehicle running condition detecting means comprises:
A vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed as the traveling state,
The driving condition determining means is a driving condition in which a drowsy driving is likely to occur when the vehicle speed is higher than a set threshold value or when a substantially constant speed continues for a predetermined time even when the vehicle speed is lower than the set threshold value. When the vehicle speed is lower than the set threshold value and the substantially constant speed does not continue for a predetermined time, it is determined that the driving state is likely to cause inattentive driving.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the preventive safety device according to the first aspect, the vehicle traveling state detecting means detects whether the traveling path of the vehicle is an expressway or a general road as the traveling state. The traveling condition determination means determines that drowsy driving is likely to occur when the traveling road is an expressway, and determines that inattentive driving is likely to occur when the traveling road is a general road.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the preventive safety device according to the third aspect, the vehicle traveling state detecting means detects an environment having a scenery that attracts the driver's attention as the traveling state, and The situation determining means determines, based on the vehicle speed, that the inattentive driving is likely to occur when the substantially constant vehicle speed has continued for a predetermined time and the vehicle is running in the environment in which the attention is drawn. I do.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the preventive safety device according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein the vehicle running condition detecting means comprises:
The detection is performed by inputting information from a navigation system provided in the vehicle.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the drowsy driving state and the inattentive driving state are determined from the information on the driver's state detected by the driver state detecting means based on the dozing inattentive prediction judgment, and the dozing state is determined by the driving state determining means. When it is determined that the driving state is likely to occur, the selection means may give priority to the determination of the dozing driving state, and when it is determined that the inattentive driving is likely to occur, the determination of the inattentive driving state may be prioritized. it can. Thus, the drowsy driving warning means and the inattentive driving warning means can be selectively operated by controlling with a single controller, and the processing speed can be prevented from being reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, continuous data extending in the lateral direction of the face is extracted from the face image of the driver input by the image input means, and a predetermined area is set. Thus, the drowsy driving state and the inattentive driving state can be determined from the information of the predetermined area and the continuous data, and control can be performed with more reliable determination.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, it is possible to determine whether the drowsy driving state or the inattentive driving state is more likely to occur depending on whether or not the vehicle speed is constant. It can be controlled by making reliable judgments with a simple structure.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, which of the drowsy driving state and the inattentive driving state is more likely to occur depending on whether or not the detected vehicle speed exceeds a set threshold value. It is possible to make a determination, and control can be performed with more accurate determination.

In the invention of claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 4, when the detected vehicle speed exceeds the set threshold value, it is determined that the drowsy driving state is likely to occur and the vehicle speed falls below the set threshold value. At this time, it is possible to determine which of the drowsy driving state and the inattentive driving state is likely to occur based on whether or not the detected vehicle speed is constant, and control can be performed with more accurate determination.

According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, when the detected traveling road is an expressway,
In addition to determining that a drowsy driving state is likely to occur, it is possible to determine that an inattentive driving state is likely to occur when the vehicle is on a general road, and control can be performed by simple determination.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the third aspect, when the detected vehicle speed is a constant speed, an inattentive driving state is determined depending on whether or not the vehicle is running in the detected attention-causing environment. By judging which of the following and the drowsy driving state is more likely to occur, it is determined that the driver will perform inattentive driving if the detected environment is of interest to the driver even if the vehicle speed is constant. And control can be performed with more accurate judgment.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the sixth or seventh aspect, an environment such as a sightseeing spot that attracts the driver's attention can be detected as a driving environment by inputting information from the navigation system. , More accurate control can be performed.

[0021]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the preventive safety device of the present invention includes a driver state detecting means CL1, a vehicle running state detecting means CL2,
It is provided with a drowsy inattentive driving prediction judging means CL3, a dozing driving alarm means CL4, an inattentive driving alarm means CL5, a driving situation judging means CL6, and a selecting means CL7.

The driver condition detecting means CL1 detects the condition of the driver. The vehicle running state detecting means CL2
Detects a driving state of the vehicle, for example, a vehicle state such as a vehicle speed, and a traveling environment around the vehicle. The drowsy inattentive driving prediction determining means CL3 determines a dozing driving state and an inattentive driving state from the information on the driver's state detected by the driver state detecting means CL1.

The drowsy driving alarm means CL4 gives an alarm by judging the drowsy driving state. Inattentive driving warning means C
L5 gives an alarm by judging the inattentive driving state.

The running condition judging means CL6 judges from the detected information on the running condition of the vehicle whether the driving condition is likely to cause a drowsy driving or the inattentive driving.

The selecting means CL7 gives priority to the determination of the dozing driving state by the dozing inattentive driving prediction judging means CL3 when it is determined that the driving state in which the drowsy driving is likely to occur, and determines that the driving state is likely to cause the inattentive driving. When the judgment is made, the judgment of the inattentive driving state is prioritized.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram according to one embodiment of the present invention. Detection information from the driver state detector 3, the vehicle state detector 5, and the traveling environment detector 7 is input to the controller 1. The controller 1 selects and operates the first alarm device 9 and the second alarm device 11.

The controller 1 is constituted by a microcomputer, and the drowsy inattentive driving prediction determining means CL3
And the driving condition determining means CL6 and the selecting means CL7.

The driver status detector 3 constitutes the driver status detection means CL1. The vehicle state detector 5 constitutes the vehicle running state detecting means CL2, and detects, for example, a vehicle speed as a driving state of the vehicle, and controls the controller 1
Is entered. The traveling environment detector 7
Constitutes the vehicle traveling condition detecting means CL2, for example, detects whether the traveling route of the vehicle is an expressway or a general road as a traveling condition from a signal of a navigation system mounted on the vehicle, or detects a driver's attention such as a sightseeing spot. Is detected as the driving situation.

The first alarm device 9 constitutes the drowsy driving alarm means CL4. The second alarm device 1
1 constitutes the inattentive driving alarm means CL5. First
For example, the alarm device 9 and the second alarm device 11 can be distinguished from each other, for example, the tone of a buzzer can be changed, or can be directly expressed and output by voice.

Accordingly, the controller 1 determines the drowsy driving state and the inattentive driving state from the information on the driver's state detected by the driver state detector 3. Controller 1
When the information on the driving condition of the vehicle is input from the vehicle condition detector 5 and the information on the driving environment of the vehicle is input from the driving condition detector 7, when it is determined that the driving condition in which the drowsy driving condition is likely to occur is determined, In addition to giving priority to the determination of the drowsy driving state, when it is determined that the driving state is likely to cause inattentive driving, the determination of the inattentive driving state is given priority. Accordingly, the controller 1 selects and activates the first alarm device 9 based on the determination of the dozing driving state, and selects and activates the second alarm device 11 based on the determination of the inattentive driving state.

FIG. 3 shows a specific example of a device for detecting a driver's state by the driver's state detector 3 and issuing an alarm for drowsy driving.

That is, the driver state detector 3 is constituted by a TV camera 13. The controller 1 has A
It includes a −D converter 15, an image memory 17, an image data calculation circuit 19, an eye position detection circuit 21, an open / closed eye detection circuit 23, and a wakefulness determination circuit 25. The arousal level determination circuit 25 outputs a warning command to the first warning device 9.

The TV camera 13 is mounted on the instrument of the vehicle and mounted so as to photograph the driver's face from the front. The input image of the TV camera 13 is 520 pixels in the horizontal (X) direction and vertical ( It consists of 480 pixels in the Y) direction. The input image captured by the TV camera 13 is stored in the image memory 17 as digital input image data via the A / D converter 15. The output of the image memory 17 is input to the image data operation circuit 19. The image data calculation circuit 19 detects the density of the pixel row in the vertical direction of the face based on the input image data, extracts points according to the increase in the density in the pixel row and its change state (extraction points), and extracts adjacent pixels. Consecutive data is extracted in the lateral direction of the face by continuing points adjacent to each other in the pixel column direction of the column.

The eye position detection circuit 21 detects an eye position by selecting an eye from the continuous data. That is, the eye position detection circuit 21 sets a predetermined area including the eye (eye tracking area), and extracts points from the increase in the density in the vertical direction and the change state in the predetermined area (extraction point). Then, continuous data in the horizontal direction of the face is successively extracted from points adjacent to each other in the pixel column direction.

The open / closed eye detection circuit 23 detects the degree of opening of the eye from the density change state of the continuous data of the eye position in the predetermined area specified by the eye position detection circuit 21.

The arousal level determination circuit 25 determines the arousal level based on the change in the open / closed state of the eyes detected by the open / closed eye detection circuit 23. When the arousal level determination circuit 25 determines that the arousal level has decreased, an alarm command is output to the first alarm device 9 to issue an alarm based on the determination of a dozing driving state, and the first alarm device 9 issues an alarm. Is performed.

FIG. 4 shows the face of the driver on the TV camera 13.
2 shows a binarized image of a curve group extracted by the image data calculation circuit 19.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the eye portion of the image shown in FIG. FIG. 5A shows a state in which the eyes are open, and the height Hmax of the eyes is measured from the image data. FIG. 5 (b)
Is a state in which the eyes are closed, and the height Hmax of the eyes when the eyes are closed is measured. A threshold value for determining a drowsy driving state is set in advance between the height of the eyes when the eyes are open and the height of the eyes when the eyes are closed. If the eye height is less than the threshold, it is determined that the eyes are closed.

That is, the face image of the driver taken by the TV camera 13 is converted into a digital quantity by the AD converter 15 and stored in the image memory 17. Then, based on the stored input image data, the image data arithmetic circuit 19 detects the density of the pixel row in the vertical direction of the face, and extracts points based on the increase in the density of the pixel row and its change state. , A group of curves in the horizontal direction of the face is extracted as continuous data by continuously connecting points in the pixel column direction. From this curve group, as shown in FIG.
A predetermined area 27 including the eyes is set, points are extracted from the density increase in the vertical direction and the change state thereof in the predetermined area 27, and points adjacent to the adjacent pixel row in the pixel row direction are continuously faced. 5A is extracted by the open / closed eye detection circuit 23 based on the continuous data 29 in the predetermined area 27 as shown in FIGS. The arousal level is determined by the arousal level determination circuit 25 based on the threshold value, and when it is determined that the arousal level has decreased, the first alarm device 9 is activated to issue an alarm.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a warning of an inattentive driving state by detecting the driving state of the driver by the driving state detector 3. This block diagram also includes a TV camera 13 as the operating state detector 3 as in FIG.

On the other hand, also in this block diagram, the controller 1 includes an A / D converter 15, an image memory 17, an image data operation circuit 19, and an eye position detection circuit 21,
Further, an eye detection area setting circuit 31, a monitoring circuit 33 for the number of data in the area, and an inattentive judgment circuit 35 are provided.

The TV camera 13, the AD converter 15,
The image memory 17, the image data calculation circuit 19, and the eye position detection circuit 21 are the same as those described in FIG.

On the other hand, the eye detection area setting circuit 31
A predetermined area (search area) including the eye is set based on the position of the eye detected by the eye position detection circuit 21. The data monitoring circuit 33 monitors the number of eyes and eyebrows in the search area. The number of data refers to the eyes and eyebrows in the search area as the extraction points from the density changes in the vertical pixel rows, and further grouping the extraction points closer to the horizontal direction, the data It becomes something.

By such image processing, it is possible to determine the number of data in the search area. In a situation where the total number of eyes and eyebrows is four, it can be determined that the driver is looking ahead. If the number of data is 0, it is determined that the position of the eye is not at the normal position, and it is determined that the eye is inattentive. That is, the inattentiveness determination circuit 35 determines that the driver is not looking forward when the number of eyes and eyebrows in the search area is 0 or decreases, and performs inattentiveness determination from time and frequency. .

The second alarm device 11 is operated by the output of an alarm command from the inattentive judgment circuit 35.

Accordingly, an A / D converter 15 and an image memory 1 are used based on the driver's face image captured by the TV camera 13.
7, processing is performed with the image data calculation circuit 19 and the eye position detection circuit 21, the position of the eye is detected, and a predetermined search area surrounding the eye is set by the eye detection area setting circuit 31,
The number of data of the eyes and eyebrows included in the search area is determined by the monitoring circuit 33 of the number of data in the area,
The inattentiveness determination circuit 35 performs inattentiveness determination based on the number,
When the inattentive driving state is determined, the second alarm device 11 is activated, and an alarm is issued.

FIG. 7 shows an image of the driver's eyes and eyebrows taken by the TV camera 13. That is, the photographing area 37
A state in which the eyebrows 39 and the eyes 33 are caught inside is shown.

FIG. 8 shows a processed image after the processing area 47 has been set. 43a and 43b are continuous data corresponding to eyebrows, and 45a and 45b are continuous data corresponding to eyes.

FIG. 9 shows a processed image when the driver turns to the lower left, and shows a state in which the continuous data 45a, 45b, 43a, 43b of the eyes and eyebrows have disappeared from the predetermined eye search area 47.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which continuous data 45a, 45b, 43
An example of the time frequency when a and 43b have disappeared is shown. In this graph, the vertical axis indicates the number (frequency) of forward non-gaze, and the horizontal axis indicates the time required for one forward non-gaze. This is an example of data during normal driving, and includes safety confirmation and the like. In normal driving,
As shown in FIG. 10, there is a peak of the non-gaze frequency near the front non-gaze time of about 1 sec. Here, the time for judging inattentiveness is set to 1.8 sec, and if the time is longer than this, it is determined to be inattentive.

As described above, the photographing of the driver's face image by the TV camera 13 allows the controller 1 to judge the drowsy driving state or the inattentive driving state, and activates the first alarm device 9 or the second alarm device 11. In addition, the driver can be notified of the dozing driving state or the inattentive driving state.

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the judgment of the drowsy driving state and the inattentive driving state is not made by the separate controllers but by the single controller 1, so that the downsizing is achieved and the drowsiness is reduced. When the driving situation is likely to occur, the processing in FIG. 3 is prioritized, and when it is determined that the inattentive driving is likely to occur, the processing in FIG. 6 is prioritized, thereby enabling quick processing. is there.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart in this embodiment. In the present embodiment, it is conceivable that monotonous driving continues for a long time as a major factor inducing dozing. Therefore, it is determined whether the driving condition in which the drowsy driving is likely to occur or the driving condition in which the inattentive driving is likely to occur depending on whether the vehicle speed detected by the driving condition determining means CL6 is substantially constant or not. At the time, the drowsiness driving alarm processing of FIG. 3 is prioritized, and when the driving state in which inattentive driving is likely to occur, the inattentive driving alarm processing of FIG. 6 is prioritized.

That is, in step S11, a vehicle speed signal is input, and it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed input in step S12 is substantially constant. When it is determined that the speed is constant, it is determined that the drowsy driving is likely to occur, and the execution of the drowsiness driving warning process in step S13 is prioritized. If it is determined in step S12 that the speed is not substantially constant, it is determined that the driving state is such that the inattentive driving is likely to occur, and the execution of the inattentive driving alarm process of step S14 is prioritized.

Here, the substantially constant speed refers to, for example, a case where the speed falls within a certain range of fluctuation (for example, 10 km / h) and continues for a certain time (for example, 10 minutes). Although the vehicle speed has been described as an example of detecting a monotonous driving, a case where either one of the vehicle speed and the steering operation amount, that is, a small steering angle is satisfied may be adopted.

Therefore, by such processing, the amount of calculation performed by the controller 1 is only one of the execution of the drowsy driving alarm processing and the execution of the inattentive driving alarm processing, but not the calculation amount of both. Quick calculation can be performed, and quick processing can be performed. Since only one controller 1 is required, the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart according to another embodiment. In the present embodiment, as the traveling state determining means CL6, the controller 1 determines the traveling state based on whether the detected vehicle speed exceeds a set threshold value.

That is, in contrast to step S12 in the flowchart of FIG. 11, step S12 in the flowchart of FIG.
It is set to 15. That is, in step S15, when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value, for example, 80 km / h for 10 minutes, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the highway, and the execution of the dozing driving warning process in step S13 is prioritized. When the vehicle speed is less than the threshold value, for example, less than 80 km / h, most of the time the vehicle runs on a general road, and pays more attention to the fact that the driver looks aside more frequently than falling asleep on a general road. Is given priority.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, substantially the same operation and effect as those of the above embodiment can be obtained. In the present embodiment, the traveling state is determined based on whether or not the speed exceeds the threshold value, so that more rapid processing can be performed.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart according to still another embodiment. This embodiment is a combination of the embodiment in FIG. 11 and the embodiment in FIG. 12. Based on the flowchart in FIG. 12, after step S15, step S12 for determining whether the vehicle speed is substantially constant is performed. In addition. That is, in the present embodiment, when the detected vehicle speed is higher than the threshold value, it is determined that the vehicle is in a driving state in which drowsy driving is likely to occur, and when the detected vehicle speed is lower than the set threshold value, whether the detected vehicle speed is a constant speed is determined. Thus, it is determined whether the driving condition is such that the drowsy driving is likely to occur or the inattentive driving is likely to occur.

That is, in step S15, the state where the vehicle speed is lower than the threshold value continues, that is, a substantially constant speed may continue even on a general road. In such a case, the driving condition induces drowsy driving. The priority is given to the execution of the drowsy driving warning process in S13. For example, if 60 km / h continues for 10 minutes even when the speed is lower than the threshold value while traveling on a general road, it is determined that dozing driving is induced, and execution of the dozing driving warning process is prioritized. By such processing, more accurate control can be performed.

FIG. 14 shows a configuration in which a navigation system 51 is used as the traveling environment detector 7, and the traveling situation is detected by inputting information from the navigation system 51. That is, the navigation system 51 has a monitor 53, receives a signal from the GPS antenna 55, and inputs the information to the controller 1. Although not shown in FIG. 14, the overall configuration is as shown in FIG.

The navigation system 51 as the traveling environment detector 7 detects whether the traveling route of the vehicle is an expressway or a general road as a traveling situation,
When the detected traveling road is a highway, it is determined that drowsy driving is likely to occur, and when the detected traveling road is a general road, it is determined that inattentive driving is likely to occur and processing is performed.

That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
In step S17, the navigation system 51
, And it is determined in step S18 whether or not the road is a general road. When it is determined that the vehicle is not a general road, that is, when the vehicle is on an expressway, the driving tends to be monotonous. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S13, and the execution of the drowsiness driving warning process is prioritized. When it is determined in step S18 that the vehicle is on a general road, it is determined that the vehicle is in a traveling state in which inattentive driving is likely to occur, and the execution of the inattentive driving warning process in step S14 is prioritized. Therefore, the information from the navigation system 51 can accurately determine whether the road is an ordinary road or an expressway, and can perform more accurate control. In the present embodiment, the navigation system is used as the traveling environment detector 7. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, road-vehicle communication for receiving information from a beacon or the like installed on the road may be used.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart according to a modification in which the navigation system 51 is used as the traveling environment detector 7. In FIG. 16, the driving environment detector 7 detects an environment that draws the driver's attention, such as a sightseeing spot, as the driving situation, and the controller 1 detects the detected attention environment when the detected vehicle speed is constant. The processing is performed by determining whether the inattentive driving or the drowsy driving is likely to occur depending on whether or not the vehicle is running. That is, even when the vehicle speed is running at a substantially constant speed that easily induces drowsy driving, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a sightseeing spot or a road with a good view, the inattentive driving warning process is preferentially executed. .

In step S11, a vehicle speed signal is input, in step S17, road information from the navigation system 51 is input, and in step S12, it is determined whether the speed is substantially constant. If the vehicle speed is substantially constant, it is determined in step S19 whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a sightseeing spot or a road with a good view, based on the information from the navigation system 51. When it is determined that the driving has not been performed, the execution of the drowsy driving warning process in step S13 is prioritized, and when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a sightseeing spot or a road with a good view, the in-view driving warning process in step S14 is performed. Execution takes precedence. Therefore, more accurate control can be performed.

In the above embodiment, both the vehicle state detector 5 and the traveling environment detector 7 are provided for control, but either one of the vehicle state detector 5 or the traveling environment detector 7 is controlled. It is also possible to perform the process by providing only one.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a drowsiness alarm process according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a face image taken by a TV camera according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams showing a predetermined area and continuous data according to an embodiment, wherein FIG. 5A shows an open eye state and FIG.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an inattentive driving warning process according to an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing images of eyes and eyebrows taken by a TV camera according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a processed image after an eye search area is set, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a processed image when the driver looks aside, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing a time frequency when data of eyes and eyebrows disappears from a search area during traveling according to an embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart according to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart according to a modification of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart according to another modification of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram using a navigation system according to one embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart according to one embodiment when a navigation system is used.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart according to a modification of the embodiment when a navigation system is used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 CL1 Driver state detecting means CL2 Vehicle running state detecting means CL3 Drowsy inattentive driving prediction determining means CL4 Dozing driving warning means CL5 Inattentive driving warning means CL6 Running state determining means CL7 Selection means 1 Controller 3 Driver state detector 5 Vehicle state detector 7 Driving environment detector 9 First alarm device 11 Second alarm device 13 TV camera 51 Navigation system

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3D037 FA01 FA05 FA13 FA23 FB09 FB10 5C086 AA23 BA22 CA21 CA28 CB36 DA07

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A driver's state detecting means for detecting a state of a driver, and a vehicle driving state detecting means for detecting a driving state of a vehicle, wherein a drowsy driving state or an inattentive driving state is obtained from information of the detected driver's state. A drowsy inattentive driving prediction judging means for judging a driving state; a dozing driving alarm means for giving an alarm by judging the dozing driving state; an inattentive driving alarming means for giving an alarm by judging the inattentive driving state; and the detected driving condition of the vehicle. The driving condition determining means for determining whether the driving condition in which the drowsy driving is likely to occur or the driving condition in which the inattentive driving is likely to occur from the information of the information, and the drowsy inattentive driving prediction determining means when the driving condition is determined to be the driving condition in which the dozing driving is likely to occur. The priority is given to the determination of the drowsiness driving state by the driver, and when it is determined that the inattentive driving is likely to occur, the inattentive driving state is determined. Preventive safety system which is characterized more becomes possible selection means to prioritize a decision. 2. The preventive safety device according to claim 1, wherein the driver state detecting means has an image inputting means for inputting a face image of the driver, and the drowsy inattentiveness prediction judging means comprises the inputting means. Extracting continuous data extending in the lateral direction of the face from the obtained face image, specifying the position of the eyes based on the continuous data, and determining the drowsy driving state and the inattentive driving state from the eye positions and the continuous data. Features preventive safety devices. 3. The preventive safety device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle traveling state detecting means includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed as the traveling state, and the traveling state determining means includes a vehicle speed sensor. Is determined to be a driving situation in which drowsiness driving is likely to occur when the substantially constant speed continues for a predetermined time, and is determined to be a driving situation in which inattentive driving is likely to occur when the substantially constant speed does not continue for a predetermined time. A preventive safety device characterized in that: 4. The preventive safety device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle traveling state detecting unit has a vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed as the traveling state, and the traveling state determining unit includes the detecting unit. When the set vehicle speed is higher than a set threshold, it is determined that a drowsy driving is likely to occur, and when the vehicle speed is lower than a set threshold, it is determined that the inattentive driving is likely to occur. And preventive safety devices. 5. The preventive safety device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle traveling condition detecting means has a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed as the traveling condition, and the traveling condition judging device includes the vehicle speed detecting device. When the vehicle speed exceeds the set threshold value, or when the vehicle speed is lower than the set threshold value, if the substantially constant speed continues for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that the vehicle is in a driving situation in which drowsy driving is likely to occur, and the vehicle speed is set. A preventive safety device characterized in that when the vehicle speed falls below a threshold value and the substantially constant speed does not continue for a predetermined time, it is determined that the vehicle is in a driving situation in which inattentive driving is likely to occur. 6. The preventive safety device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle traveling state detecting means detects whether the traveling path of the vehicle is an expressway or a general road as the traveling state, and the traveling state determining means includes: A preventive safety device that determines that drowsy driving is likely to occur when the travel path is an expressway, and determines that inattentive driving is likely to occur when the travel path is a general road. 7. The preventive safety device according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle driving condition detecting means detects an environment having a scenery that draws the driver's attention as the driving condition, and the driving condition determining means includes: A preventive safety device, based on the vehicle speed, that determines that inattentive driving is likely to occur when the substantially constant vehicle speed has continued for a predetermined period of time and the vehicle is running in the environment of interest. 8. The preventive safety device according to claim 6, wherein the vehicle running condition detecting means performs the detection by inputting information from a navigation system provided in the vehicle. Safety device.