JP2001014599A - Device and method for controlling vigilance and computer readable recording medium with vigilance management program stored therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the safety of a user by safely, naturally and also reliably maintaining and improving user vigilance without preventing a controlling operation such as vehicle driving. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a 1st deciding part 11 which decides the vigilance of a user, a 2nd deciding part 12 that decides whether to perform speech to the user on the basis of the decided vigilance, a speech controlling part 13 which generates a 1st output sentence requesting a user res onse when speech is decided as needed and a voice outputting part 15 which utters the generated 1st output sentence. Then, user's attention is aroused to improve and maintain vigilance by actively starting speech to the user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to an awakening degree management device,
The present invention relates to a wakefulness management method and a computer-readable recording medium storing a wakefulness management program. In particular,
The present invention relates to a technology for improving the safety of a driver by maintaining and improving the awakening degree of the driver safely, naturally, and surely without hindering a driving operation such as driving a car.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the development of a road network, the opportunity for many people to use a car for work or leisure has increased.

[0003] When driving this car, the driver should always be awake and in a stable state of mind and body. However, in general, drivers tend to neglect their own poor physical condition, lack of sleep, and fatigue, so that traffic accidents due to drowsy driving and the like frequently occur.

[0004] In order to prevent such a drowsy driving, as a prior art for monitoring the situation of the driver, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2817559 discloses an awakening degree determination device. A technique for determining is disclosed. Secondly, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-272960 “Awakening degree estimating device” discloses a technique of detecting blinking from a driver's face image and estimating the degree of awakening from the time relationship. Using these techniques, the state of the driver can be estimated and monitored.

[0005]

However, these prior arts have the following problems.

In the above prior art, the vehicle-mounted device having the arousal level estimating function described above is only adapted to output a warning sound or a message when detecting a decrease in arousal level such as a driver falling asleep. That is, these messages and the like are output in one way. However, in the state where the awakening degree of the driver is reduced due to fatigue or the like, the driver's attention is also reduced. Therefore, there has been a problem that the driver does not notice these messages or ignores the warning and continues driving with drowsiness. In this regard, a method of avoiding drowsy driving by navigating to a facility that is effective for eliminating a decrease in arousal level when a decrease in the arousal level of a driver is detected is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
No. 09338, “Navigation device”. However, even in this technique, when the driver ignores the presented navigation, there is no effect of improving the arousal level.

On the other hand, in a device such as a control console of a plant that requires 24-hour operation monitoring by an operator, there is another conventional technology which addresses the problem of the operator falling asleep. In this technique, the alert sound is maintained by forcing the operator to perform some operation, for example, by a method such that the warning sound does not end unless a button is pressed.
However, this technique temporarily creates a state where the hand cannot be used for steering. For this reason, there is a problem in that the risk of an accident increases when the driver tries to apply this technology when driving a moving object such as a car, which normally provides both hands for steering.

As described above, in the prior art, according to the prior art, when the driver does not notice or ignores a warning sound or a message even if the driver's arousal level is reduced, the awakening level is reduced. The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problem that the risk of traffic accidents has increased due to the inability to properly improve the traffic.

The object is to provide a dialogue system mounted on a moving object by stimulating the user's thinking actively from the system side, thereby ensuring safe, natural and reliable driving operation. Another object of the present invention is to provide an awakening management device and an awakening management method that can maintain and improve a user's arousal.

[0010]

A feature of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is that, when a decrease in the arousal level of the user is triggered, the system starts speaking to start a dialogue, thereby allowing the user to think. The point is to stimulate. This utterance
In order to establish a dialog with the user, it is desirable that the output sentence prompts a response from the user.

A first feature of the present invention for realizing such a function is a wakefulness management device which manages a wakefulness of a user by using a dialogue, and a first wakefulness management device for determining the wakefulness of a user.
A determination unit, and a second determination unit that determines whether to speak to the user based on the determined arousal level,
An utterance control unit that generates a first output sentence requesting a response from the user when the utterance is determined, and a voice output unit that utters the generated first output sentence, It is another object of the present invention to provide a waking degree management device, wherein the dialogue is started by speaking a first output sentence.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the dialogue is started by speaking from the system side, triggered by the decrease in the arousal level of the user. Since this utterance is an output message that prompts a user's response, the user's thinking is stimulated, and the alertness is maintained and improved.

According to a second feature of the present invention, the awakening level management device further includes a voice input unit for recognizing the voice input of the user and converting the voice input into an input sentence. Analyzing the input sentence corresponding to the first output sentence, determining whether to generate a second output sentence, and generating the second output sentence based on the result of the determination; It is in.

According to the above configuration, the user can naturally continue the conversation.

[0015] A third feature of the present invention is that the first output sentence is a suggestion sentence or a question sentence to the user.

A fourth feature of the present invention is that the utterance control unit is configured to, when the input sentence corresponding to the first output sentence is not obtained within a predetermined time, input the voice of the user. In generating a third output sentence for prompting

According to the above configuration, even when the user does not notice or ignores the first output sentence, it is possible to more reliably improve the arousal level of the pilot.

According to a fifth feature of the present invention, the awakening degree management device further includes an estimating unit for estimating a user's burden due to the generated output sentence, and the utterance control unit includes the estimating unit. The generated output sentence is corrected based on the user's burden.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to utter an output sentence having an appropriate load enough to call the user's attention so that the user concentrates on the response and does not lose attention to the operation.

According to a sixth feature of the present invention, the arousal level management device further comprises a complementary output unit that outputs output information other than voice in response to the utterance of the generated first output sentence. In that it has

According to the above configuration, since the user is alerted from another channel in addition to the audio output, the user's awakening degree can be more reliably improved.

A seventh feature of the present invention is that the arousal level management device further includes an arousal level detection unit that detects the arousal level from the action of the user.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to more accurately grasp the decrease in the arousal level of the user.

An eighth feature of the present invention resides in that the awakening degree management device is mounted on a moving object which is operated by the user.

A ninth feature of the present invention is that the arousal level management device further includes a position data storage unit for storing current position data of the moving object, and the first determination unit includes: The point lies in determining the degree of arousal of the user based on the accumulated current position data.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to dynamically predict the possibility that the user's arousal level will decrease based on the route information to the current position.

According to a tenth feature of the present invention, the awakening level management device further includes another device mounted on the moving object in response to the utterance of the generated first output sentence. In that it has a device control unit that operates.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to directly alert the user by operating the equipment mounted on the car or the like that the user operates.

An eleventh feature of the present invention is a wakefulness management method for managing the wakefulness of a user by using a dialogue, wherein a first determining step of determining the wakefulness of the user;
A second determining step of determining whether or not to utter a user based on the determined arousal level; and a first output sentence requesting a response from the user when the utterance is determined. An arousal level including an output sentence generating step of generating, and a voice output step of uttering the generated first output sentence, wherein the dialogue is started by uttering the first output sentence. The point is to provide a management method.

A twelfth feature of the present invention resides in that the output sentence is a suggestion sentence or a question sentence to the user.

A thirteenth feature of the present invention is that the awakening degree management method further includes a position data storing step of storing current position data of a moving object steered by the user, The determining step is to determine the arousal level of the user based on the accumulated current position data.

A fourteenth feature of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process of managing a user's arousal level by using a dialogue. Judgment first
Determination processing, and a second determination processing for determining whether to perform utterance to the user based on the determined arousal level, and a second request processing for requesting a response from the user when the utterance is determined. Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable recording medium including an output sentence generation process for generating one output sentence and a voice output process for uttering the generated output sentence.

A fifteenth feature of the present invention resides in that the output sentence is a suggestion sentence or a question sentence to the user.

According to a sixteenth feature of the present invention, the computer-readable recording medium further includes a position data storage process for storing current position data of a moving object controlled by the user. A first determination process is to determine the arousal level of the user based on the accumulated current position data.

[0035]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment Referring now to the drawings, a first embodiment of a computer-readable recording medium storing an arousal level management device, an arousal level management method and an arousal level management program according to the present invention will be described. An embodiment will be described in detail. In the first embodiment, a situation change such as a decrease in the arousal level of a user is determined, and a dialogue with the user is started from the system side.
Provide a function to improve and maintain naturally and surely.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the alertness management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. First
The awakening degree management device according to the embodiment is mounted on a steerable moving object such as an automobile. As shown in FIG. 1, the awakening degree management device according to the first embodiment includes a driver situation determination unit 11 that determines a situation of a user, and a dialog start determination that determines a start of a dialog between the user and the system. Part 12
A dialogue control unit 13 that controls a dialogue between the user and the system, a voice input unit 14 that receives and analyzes a voice input from the user, and a voice output unit 15 that outputs an output sentence to the user by voice. Be composed. The alertness management device according to the first embodiment includes various sensors (not shown).
Dialogue with the user using voice to maintain or improve the user's arousal level, based on the information obtained from the user or the like, to determine the decrease in the user's arousal level, or to predict the possibility that the user's arousal level will decrease. To start.

The driver status determination unit 11 determines a driving status from information obtained from various sensors and the like, and detects a decrease in the arousal level of a user (hereinafter, referred to as a driver), or reduces the arousal level of the driver. Predict the possibility of doing. When the driver's situation determination unit 11 detects a decrease in the arousal level or the possibility of the decrease, the driver situation determination unit 11 notifies the dialog start determination unit 12 of data indicating the reduction in the arousal level.

The dialogue start determination unit 12 determines whether or not to start a dialogue (interaction) with the driver based on the data obtained from the driver situation determination unit 11, and determines that the dialogue is to be started. , The start of the dialogue is notified to the dialogue control unit 13.

The dialog control unit 13 generates an output sentence to the driver according to the situation of the driver when the dialog start determination unit 12 notifies the start of a new dialog with the driver.
It is desirable that the output sentence generated here includes a content that prompts the driver to respond. The dialog control unit 13 transmits the generated output sentence to the voice output unit 15. Further, the dialog control unit 13 responds to the utterance of the output sentence by
It is determined whether or not it is necessary to give a new output to the content of the input from the driver obtained in 4 according to the driver's situation. The dialogue control unit 13 generates a new output sentence to the driver according to the determined driver situation, and transmits the output sentence to the voice output unit 15.

The voice input unit 14 receives a voice generated by the driver in response to the voice transmitted from the voice output unit 15,
To analyze. This analysis result is transmitted to the dialog control unit 13.

The voice output section 15 converts the output sentence to the driver generated by the dialog control section 13 into voice and outputs the voice from an output device such as a speaker.

Next, the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described.

The awakening degree management device according to the first embodiment comprises:
It may be implemented in various hardware devices, or may be implemented in software by creating a program for realizing the processing of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an internal configuration of hardware for executing the software when the alertness management process according to the first embodiment is realized by software. The hardware part of the alertness management device according to the first embodiment includes a CPU 1, a main storage unit 2, an input unit 3, an output unit 4, a large-capacity external storage device 5, a drive device 6,
The communication unit 7 is provided. These devices are mutually connected via a bus 23. Main memory 2
Is a memory for storing programs for implementing the functions of the first embodiment, necessary data, and the like. CPU1
It is the center of arithmetic and control for executing various programs and various controls by executing programs stored in the main storage unit 2. The input unit 3 captures a user's voice, and converts the voice into data using surface processing such as voice recognition and syntax analysis.
The input unit 3 also receives input characters, performs character recognition / syntax analysis, converts the data into data, and converts the input information into a CPU.
1 may be given. The output unit 4 outputs a recognition result such as a voice,
The analysis result and final output are displayed or output as data. The large-capacity external storage device 5 is mounted on a hard disk or an optical disk that holds various dictionaries and the like. The drive device 6 includes an optical disk, a CD-ROM, and a CD-ROM.
Access to general-purpose storage media such as R, CD-RW, and DVD. The communication unit 7 acquires the current position of a moving object such as an automobile on which the first embodiment is mounted, and performs communication with an external system.

The driver status determination unit 11, the dialog start determination unit 12, the dialog control unit 13, the voice input unit 14, and the voice output unit 15 shown in FIG. 1 are constituted by programs describing respective processing procedures. A program describing these processing procedures is stored in the main storage unit 2 as a program for controlling the computer system of FIG. 3, and is executed by the CPU 1 according to the procedure described in the program.
The CPU 1 realizes the functions provided by the arousal level management device and the arousal level management method according to the first embodiment by executing this program.

Note that these programs can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium 8.
By reading this recording medium 8 using the drive device 6 shown in FIG.
Is stored in Alternatively, it is once installed in the drive device 6 or the like, and is executed from the device to the main storage unit 2 at the time of execution.
May be stored. Here, the recording medium is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD).
Etc.) and all devices capable of recording programs.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a processing procedure of the alertness management method according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the alertness management method according to the first embodiment.

First, when the processing is started, it is determined whether or not the moving object on which the first embodiment is mounted is in an end state such as a stop (step S10). Here, if there is a state to end (step S10Y), the processing ends. On the other hand, if the state is not to be terminated (step S10N), the process proceeds to step S20. Next, the dialogue start determination unit 12 determines whether the current driver situation meets the start condition for starting the dialogue (S2).
0). Here, if the dialogue start condition is not satisfied (step S20N), the process returns to step S10. on the other hand,
If the dialogue start condition is satisfied (step S20)
Y), and proceed to step S30. The dialog start determination unit 12
Based on the driver's situation, such as a decrease in arousal level, obtained from the driver situation determining unit 11, it is determined whether or not the dialogue start condition is met. The dialogue control unit 13 generates an output sentence to the driver. The voice output unit 15 converts the generated output sentence into voice and outputs it (step S30). Dialogue control unit 1
3 initializes the variable t to o (step S40).
The variable t is a variable used for determining a timeout when waiting for a voice input from the operator. The dialog control unit 13 determines whether or not a voice input has been received from the operator (step S50). Here, when there is a voice input from the operator (step S50Y), the process returns to step S10. On the other hand, if there is no voice input from the operator (step S50N), the dialog control unit 13 sets the variable t
Is incremented (S60). Here, the interaction control unit 13 determines whether or not the value of t is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (n) that defines a timeout (Step S70). Here, if the variable t is equal to or less than n and the timeout has not occurred, the process returns to step S50. On the other hand, when the variable t is greater than n and the timeout has been reached, it is estimated that the driver did not notice or ignored the output sentence output in step S30. For this reason, the dialog control unit 13
Generates a reminder message for prompting the pilot to speak again. The voice output unit 15 converts the generated reminder message into voice and outputs it (step S80). Next, the dialog control unit 13 initializes the variable t and proceeds to step S
Return to 50.

Next, a specific processing procedure of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2 again, taking the driving of an automobile as an example.

When the driver starts driving the automobile, the alertness management process shown in FIG. 2 is started. Here, while the driver situation determination unit 11 does not detect that the driver's arousal level has decreased based on the information from the sensor or the like, the driver's awakening degree does not match the dialogue start condition (step S20N). No output sentence is output from the audio output unit 15.

For example, when the driver is drowsy and the driver's condition is reduced by the driver's situation determination unit 11, the dialogue start condition is satisfied (step S20Y). For this reason, the dialogue control unit 13 generates a message of a proposal such as "Do you want to eat soon?" Alternatively, the dialogue control unit 3
A message of some kind of question may be generated asking the driver for an answer. That is, the output sentence here may be any message that prompts the driver for some response. This generated message is presented to the driver by voice via the voice output unit 15 (step S30). Here, it is assumed that the driver has not yet been hungry and has ignored this output message. In this case, since no input from the driver is obtained, the dialog control unit 13 waits for a voice input from the driver for a certain period of time until a timeout occurs (steps S50 to S70). If an input from the driver is not obtained within a predetermined time (step S50N), the dialog control unit 13 generates a next message, for example, a question message "Is there any place to drop in?"
The generated question message is output via the audio output unit 15 (Step S80).

In response to this question message, the driver
When a message such as "Is there anything good?" Is input from the voice input unit 14, a dialogue between the system and the driver is established. The dialog control unit 13 manages and controls the dialog between the system and the driver. Such a dialogue is started triggered by a decrease in the detected arousal level. At the time of this dialogue, the output message from the voice output unit 15 prompts the driver to respond. For this reason, the driver is stimulated to think, and the arousal level of the driver is improved or maintained. The pilot sends a response message to the voice input unit 14.
(Step S50Y), the process returns to Step S10.

Incidentally, the detailed control of the dialogue itself between the first embodiment and the operator is out of the scope of the present invention, and the description thereof will be omitted. The control of these dialogues can be realized by using a generally known natural language dialogue technology.

As described above, the driver status determination unit 1
1 determines a decrease in the arousal level of the driver detected by a sensor or the like. When the decrease in the arousal level is determined, the dialog start determination unit 12 determines the start of the dialog with the driver.

Conventionally, for the above-mentioned decrease in the degree of arousal, etc.
The driver was warned with an alarm sound or a warning message. However, a driver who has become inattentive due to a decrease in arousal level due to fatigue or the like often does not notice this warning.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, when it is determined that the arousal level has decreased, an output message for prompting the driver to respond is output to the driver, so that the system side can output the message to the driver. Ask for natural language spoken dialogue.
That is, the first embodiment includes the voice output unit 15 that outputs a message by voice, and the voice input unit 14 that receives a voice input by an utterance from the driver. Interact with For this reason, the message of the system is noticed in a manner that is natural for the driver, and further, the driver's thinking is stimulated by causing the driver to think and speak the uttered content. Therefore, the driver's arousal level can be improved or maintained.

Conventionally, even when a driver recognizes a warning such as the above-mentioned alarm sound or a warning message, the driver disregards poor physical condition, lack of sleep or fatigue, etc. Or they felt unpleasant and ignored this warning.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, a dialog is reliably established by outputting an output message that evokes the driver's attention and interest and prompts a response. That is, since the first embodiment includes the interaction control unit 13 that determines the output content in the natural language, the interaction with the driver that naturally prompts the driver to speak is performed. For this reason, by outputting a message that makes the driver want to respond, such as a question message to the driver or a suggestion message of a stopover, the driver's utterance can be naturally given without giving the driver discomfort. Obtainable.

Conventionally, when a warning is issued to the driver, some physical operation such as a warning sound that does not stop unless the driver presses a button is required. However, at the same time, a situation in which the driver cannot use his / her hand for steering occurred temporarily, increasing the risk of an accident.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the driver is surely alerted without requesting the physical operation of the driver. That is, the first embodiment includes the above-described audio output unit 15, the audio input unit 14, and the dialogue control unit 15, so that the physical operation and the movement of the line of sight are performed without hindering the driving operation of the driver. By obtaining the driver's response with no utterance, the driver can grasp the contents of the system warning safely and reliably.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, the dialogue control unit 13 according to the first embodiment starts a dialogue by catching an event of a decrease in arousal level and actively speaking to the driver from the system side. Therefore, the message of the system can be noticed in a manner that is natural for the driver. The output message uttered from this system includes a message requesting the driver's response, so that the driver thinks the contents of the utterance and makes the utterance stimulate the driver's thinking,
The message can be surely grasped. Therefore,
The driver's arousal level can be improved and maintained.

The output message provided by the first embodiment is related to driving for stimulating the driver's thinking without requiring a huge amount of dictionary data required for general dialogue. Proposals and question sentences with relatively simple syntax based on data are sufficient. Even if it is a simple output message, an utterance from an in-vehicle device that is not predicted by the driver has a high effect of calling the driver's attention. For this reason, the arousal level of the driver can be improved and maintained with a simple configuration. Furthermore, unlike the mere warning message, this output message is a message for forming a natural dialogue, so it alerts the driver without discomfort, and improves the driver's alertness in a natural way or Can be maintained. Since the warning is given by dialogue, there is no need for a physical operation by the operator, and therefore, safety is not impaired.

Second Embodiment Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, a second embodiment of a wakefulness management apparatus and a wakefulness management method according to the present invention will be described only with respect to differences from the first embodiment. .

In the second embodiment, in addition to the first embodiment, a function for dynamically predicting a decrease in the arousal level of the driver is provided.
It provides a function of correcting an output sentence to the pilot, and a function of presenting output information to the pilot by complementary output means together with voice output.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the alertness management device according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle position detection unit 24, a wakefulness determination unit 25, a complement output unit 26, a driver burden evaluation unit 27, This is a modification of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

The own vehicle position detecting section 24 acquires the current position of a moving object such as a car equipped with the awakening degree management device according to the second embodiment, and notifies the driver situation determining section 21 of the current position. In order to obtain the current location, for example, a generally known GP
Techniques such as S (Global Positioning System) can be used.

The wakefulness determination section 25 determines the wakefulness of the pilot. The determination of the arousal level is based on the above-mentioned Patent Publication No. 28.
No. 17559 “Arousal level determination device” and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-272
A known technique such as 960 “Arousal level estimation device” can be used.

The driver status determining unit 21 (driver status determining unit 11 in the first embodiment of FIG. 1) determines the driving status from driver status information obtained from various sensors. In addition, the driver situation determination unit 21 according to the second embodiment determines, based on information obtained from the own vehicle position detection unit 24, a possibility that the driver's arousal level may decrease, and responds to the decrease in the arousal level. Predict. In addition, the driving vehicle condition determination unit 21 recognizes a decrease in the driver's arousal level based on the information obtained from the arousal level determination unit 25. Specifically, the driving vehicle status determination unit 21
For example, based on static information such as the current location is a zone where accidents frequently occur, or dynamic information such as a route to the current location being straight ahead or a road, for example, the awakening degree of the driver is It is determined or predicted whether or not the situation is likely to decrease. When the reduction in the arousal level is determined or predicted, the driver situation determination unit 21 notifies the dialog start determination unit 12 of information indicating the reduction in the arousal level.

The dialogue start judging section 12 judges whether or not to start a dialogue (interaction) with the driver based on the information of the driver's awakening degree obtained from the driver situation judging section 11. , And notifies the dialog control unit 23 of the start of the dialog.

The dialogue control unit 23 (the dialogue control unit 13 in the first embodiment of FIG. 1) receives a notification of the start of a new dialogue with the driver from the dialogue start determination unit 12 and changes the driver status. An output sentence candidate for the driver is generated accordingly. It is desirable that the output sentence candidates generated here include contents that prompt the driver to respond.

Here, the dialogue control unit 23 according to the second embodiment, when the driver burden evaluation unit 27 determines that the output sentence candidate is not a high demand resource sentence that imposes a high burden on the driver, The generated output sentence candidate is transmitted to the audio output unit 15 as an output sentence. At the same time, output information to be displayed on a liquid crystal display or the like is transmitted to the complementary output unit 26. Also, control information for operating other devices such as an air conditioner is transmitted to the device control unit 28. On the other hand, the driver burden evaluation unit 2
7 determines that it is dangerous to give the output sentence candidate to the driver when the output sentence candidate is the above-described high demand resource sentence, and generates an alternative output sentence. The alternative output sentence generated here is desirably, for example, a message that is shorter than the above-mentioned output sentence candidate or that is easy to respond to. The dialog control unit 23 determines whether it is necessary to provide a new output for the content of the driver's input obtained from the voice input unit 14 according to the driver's situation. The dialog control unit 23 generates an output sentence to the driver according to the determined driver situation, and transmits the output sentence to the voice output unit 15.

The voice input unit 14 receives a voice generated by the driver in response to the voice transmitted from the voice output unit 15,
To analyze. This analysis result is transmitted to the dialog control unit 23.

The voice output unit 15 converts the output sentence to the driver generated by the dialog control unit 23 into voice and outputs the voice from an output device such as a speaker.

The complementary output unit 26 presents output information to an output device other than sound, such as a liquid crystal display screen, according to an instruction from the dialog control unit 23.

The driver burden evaluator 27 includes the dialogue controller 23
Evaluates the burden when the output sentence candidate generated by the driver is given to the driver. Specifically, the driver burden evaluation unit 27
Determines whether the output sentence candidate is a high-requested resource sentence that requires the driver's thinking power to the extent that the driver cannot concentrate on driving, and notifies the dialog control unit 23 of the determination result.

The equipment control unit 28 controls other on-vehicle equipment on which the second embodiment is mounted, for example, by changing the set temperature of the air conditioner of the car in response to an instruction from the dialog control unit 23.

Next, the processing procedure of the dialogue control method according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Step S10 is the same as in the first embodiment. In step S20, the own vehicle position detection unit 24
And information obtained from the arousal level determination unit 11, ie,
For example, static information such as the current location is an accident-prone zone, etc., dynamic information such as the driver's awakening degree may be reduced due to running a route without stimulation for a long time, or from sensors etc. Based on the information, it is determined from multiple aspects whether or not the dialogue start condition is satisfied.

In step S 30, based on the information obtained from driver burden evaluator 27, whether the output sentence candidate generated is a message with a light load that does not impair the driver's driving safety. It is determined whether or not the message is a heavy load message, and an alternative output sentence is generated. Further, in the second embodiment, the message is presented via the supplemental output unit 26 together with or instead of the audio output of the message, or the device control unit 28
The driver is directly alerted from other in-vehicle devices via the.

The processing after step S40 is the same as in the first embodiment. However, also in step S80,
As in step S30, the evaluation of the output sentence and the complementary output are executed.

Conventionally, the possibility of a decrease in arousal level at a place where a driver is driving is detected based on static information such as that the current location is a zone where accidents occur frequently. It was not possible to determine the possibility of dynamic arousal reduction depending on the driving route.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the own-vehicle-position detecting unit 24 compares the own-vehicle position with the set route to reduce the arousal level when the road section continues for a long distance. For example, it is possible to dynamically determine the possibility of a decrease in arousal level, for example, by making a prediction.

In the related art, when generating an output that prompts the driver to input, a difficult problem that, for example, the driver cannot immediately think of a response has been given to the driver. For this reason, the driver needs great thinking power in addition to driving, and the driver's concentration on driving is interrupted, increasing the risk of accidents.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, when the driver's burden evaluation unit 27 generates an output sentence requiring the driver's thinking power more than necessary, the output sentence is actually Audio output can be suppressed.
For this reason, it is possible to safely, naturally and surely improve and maintain the arousal level of the driver without performing a dialogue (interaction) that requires the driver with excessive thinking.

According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, the own-vehicle position detection unit 24 and the arousal level determination unit 25 according to the second embodiment predict a decrease in the arousal level of the driver based on not only static information but also dynamic information. can do. For this reason, the driver situation determination unit 2
Accuracy in the determination of the lowering of the arousal level is improved, and the lowering of the arousal level can be more reliably prevented.

Further, the driver burden evaluator 27 according to the second embodiment suppresses the voice output of the output sentence which places a heavy burden on the driver, so that it is possible to cause the driver to perform a dialogue requiring excessive thinking. Absent. For this reason, the arousal level of the driver can be safely and naturally improved and maintained.

Further, the complementary output unit 2 according to the second embodiment
6 and the device control unit 28 directly alert the driver together with or instead of the audio output. For this reason, the arousal level of the driver can be more reliably improved and maintained.

In the above embodiment, the generated system message is described in the form of a proposal message or a question message. However, the format of these messages is not limited to the format of the above embodiment. For example, if the message is a safe message that is not evaluated as a high burden by the driver burden evaluator 27, such as a fishing game, it may be a simple change of mind such as a game between the system and the driver. In the above embodiment,
The description is made by taking the driving of a car as an example. However, the moving object on which the above embodiment is mounted is not limited to an automobile. For example, any moving object that requires maneuvering, such as a train, a ship, an airplane, or a spacecraft, may be used. Such implementations are also within the scope of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention can be variously modified and modified with respect to the above embodiment, and these modifications and modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0092]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The following effects are obtained. That is, the awakening degree management device, the awakening degree management method, and the computer-readable recording medium storing the awakening degree management program according to the present invention can be used in a moving environment in which the user operates a moving object such as a car. The system provides a function that prompts the user to interact safely and naturally by making an utterance requesting a voice response actively from the system side in response to a maneuvering situation such as a decrease in the vehicle speed.

[0093] This makes it possible to safely, naturally and surely maintain and improve the arousal level of the driver in the moving environment without hindering the driving operation.

As described above, when the present invention is used, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the awakening level of a sneezing driver with high accuracy in a moving environment, and, consequently, to achieve a high level of safety in maneuvering dangerous moving objects. Is realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an alertness management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an awakening degree management method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a system in which the arousal level management device and the arousal level management method according to the present invention are implemented.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an alertness management device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11, 21 Driver situation determination unit 12 Dialogue start determination unit 13, 23 Dialogue control unit 14 Voice input unit 15 Voice output unit 24 Own vehicle position detection unit 25 Arousal level determination unit 26 Complementary output unit 27 Driver burden evaluation unit 28 Equipment Control unit

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Munehiko Sasashima 8-6-26 Motoyama Minamicho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo F-term in Toshiba Kansai Research Laboratories Co., Ltd. 3D037 FA01 FA10 FB09 5H180 AA01 AA25 AA26 BB13 CC12 FF05 LL07 LL08 LL20

Claims (16)

[Claims] A wakefulness management device that manages a wakefulness level of a user using a dialogue, comprising: a first determination unit configured to determine a wakefulness level of a user; A second determination unit that determines whether or not to make an utterance; an utterance control unit that generates a first output sentence requesting a response from the user when the utterance is determined; A voice output unit that utters one output sentence, wherein the dialogue is started by uttering the first output sentence. 2. The alertness management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a voice input unit configured to recognize a voice input of the user and convert the voice input into an input sentence, wherein the utterance control unit corresponds to the first output sentence. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input sentence is analyzed to determine whether to generate a second output sentence, and the second output sentence is generated based on a result of the determination. Alertness management device. 3. The alertness management device according to claim 1, wherein the first output sentence is a suggestion sentence or a question sentence to the user. 4. The utterance control unit generates a third output sentence that prompts the user to input voice when the input sentence corresponding to the first output sentence cannot be obtained within a predetermined time. The arousal level management device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the awakening level management device performs the awakening level management device. 5. The alertness management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an estimating unit configured to estimate a user's burden due to the generated output sentence, wherein the utterance control unit generates the user's burden based on the estimated user's burden. The alertness management device according to claim 1, wherein the output sentence is corrected. 6. The arousal level management device according to claim 1, further comprising a complementary output unit that outputs output information other than voice in response to the utterance of the generated first output sentence. Item 6. The alertness management device according to any one of Items 1 to 5. 7. The wakefulness management device according to claim 1, wherein the wakefulness management device further comprises a wakefulness detection unit that detects a wakefulness from the action of the user. . 8. The alertness management device according to claim 1, wherein the alertness management device is mounted on a moving object steered by the user. 9. The awakening degree management device further includes a position data storage unit that stores current position data of the moving object, wherein the first determination unit is configured to store the current position data based on the stored current position data. The arousal level management device according to claim 8, wherein the arousal level of the user is determined. 10. The arousal level management device further includes a device control unit that operates another device mounted on the moving object in response to the utterance of the generated first output sentence. The arousal level management device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: 11. A wakefulness management method for managing a user's wakefulness using a dialogue, comprising: a first determination step of determining a wakefulness of a user; A second determination step of determining whether or not to make an utterance; an output sentence generation step of generating a first output sentence requesting a response of the user when the utterance is determined; A voice output step of uttering a first output sentence, wherein the dialogue is started by uttering the first output sentence. 12. The alertness management method according to claim 11, wherein the output sentence is a suggestion sentence or a question sentence to the user. 13. The awakening degree management method further includes a position data storage step of storing current position data of a moving object controlled by the user, wherein the first determination step includes the step of storing the stored current 13. The awakening degree management method according to claim 11, wherein the awakening degree of the user is determined based on the position data. 14. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process of managing a user's arousal level using an interaction, wherein the first determination process determines a user's arousal level; A second determination process for determining whether or not to utter a user based on the determined arousal level; and a first output sentence requesting a response from the user when the utterance is determined. A computer-readable recording medium, comprising: an output sentence generating process for generating; and an audio output process for uttering the generated output sentence. 15. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 14, wherein the output sentence is a suggestion sentence or a question sentence to the user. 16. The computer-readable recording medium further includes a position data storage process for accumulating current position data of a moving object steered by the user, wherein the first determination process includes 16. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 14, wherein the awakening degree of the user is determined based on the current position data.