JP2002104018A - Alarm control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alarm control device with which a driver can notice an alarm even in the case when a driving load is high and more effective presentation of the alarm can be made regardless of the driving load. SOLUTION: This alarm control device has an obstacle detection means to detect that an obstacle having possibility to interfere with travelling of a vehicle exists in front of the vehicle, a driving load detection means to detect a driving load state of the driver, an obstacle detecting range restriction means to restrict an obstacle detecting range of the obstacle detection means in accordance with the driving load state, an obstacle classification judgement means to judge classification of the obstacle, an alarm presentation method deciding means to decide a method to present proper alarm information to the driver in accordance with a judgement result of the obstacle classification judgement means and an alarm information presentation means to present proper alarm information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an alarm control device, and more particularly, to an alarm control device for supporting safe driving of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, when there is an obstacle that hinders safe driving when a vehicle is running, the driver is notified of the fact instantly and in an easy-to-understand manner to prevent an accident. Inventions and developments of prevention devices have been made.

[0003] For example, a driving assistance apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-175228 captures a scene in front of a vehicle with a television camera, and the presence of an obstacle causing an accident in an image captured by image processing. When is recognized, the outline of the obstacle is projected on the head-up display device so as to be superimposed on the obstacle to emphasize the presence of the obstacle,
This is a driving support device that makes it easy for a driver to recognize the presence of an obstacle.

[0004] In addition, the vehicular alarm display device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-329657 focuses on the characteristics of the visual field possessed by humans, and when it is necessary to present an alarm in a vehicle, displays the driver's face image. By processing, the driver's gaze direction is detected, and a master warning is displayed at a display position near the detected gaze direction, thereby immediately and easily recognizing that any warning is presented to the driver. This is an alarm device for a vehicle to be driven.

[0005]

By the way, it is said that the cognitive characteristics of a human being when receiving visual information or auditory information change according to the load given to the human.

For example, the lower the driver's driving load, the wider the effective field of view, and the higher the driving load, the narrower the effective field of view. The lower the driver's driving load, the shallower the understanding of the object to be recognized, and the higher the driving load, the deeper the driver's understanding. Further, the lower the driving load, the shorter the time required for recognizing the existence of the object to be recognized, and the higher the driving load, the longer. In other words, when the driver's driving load is low, it is rare to overlook the presence of an obstacle on the course, but it is difficult to distinguish whether the obstacle is truly an obstacle or a pedestrian. It means that it is. On the other hand, when the driving load is high, it is difficult to notice the existence of an obstacle on the route, but once the driver looks at the obstacle, it is difficult to distinguish between an obstacle and a human. Easy.

[0007] In view of the above-described human cognitive characteristics, the former prior art is an effective warning means when the driving load is low, but the presence of the presented warning itself is high when the driving load is high. The driver may not notice. In the latter prior art, uniform master warning is provided regardless of the driving load of the driver, but by considering the driving load of the driver,
It is possible to present a more effective warning.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art, the present invention makes it possible for a driver to notice an alarm even when the driving load is high, and to present a more effective alarm regardless of the driving load. It is an object to provide an alarm control device.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises an obstacle detecting means for detecting the presence of an obstacle which may obstruct the vehicle in front of the vehicle, and detecting a driving load state of the driver. Driving load detection means, obstacle detection range limiting means for limiting the obstacle detection range of the obstacle detection means according to the driving load state, obstacle type determination means for determining the type of obstacle, and obstacle When the detecting means detects an obstacle, an alarm presenting method determining which determines a method of presenting appropriate alarm information to the driver according to the detection result of the driving load detecting means and the determination result of the obstacle type determining means. Means, and alarm information presenting means for presenting appropriate alarm information

[0010]

The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the alarm control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The alarm control device includes an alarm information presentation device 2
4, a controller 23 for controlling this, a biological signal detecting device 20 for detecting a driver's biological signal, and a driving load determining device 2 for detecting a driver's driving load from the detected biological signal.
1. It comprises an obstacle detection device 22 for detecting an obstacle that may cause an accident in front of the vehicle.

In the claims correspondence diagram shown in FIG. 1, the biological signal detecting device 20 and the driving load determining device 21 constitute a driver load determining means 10. Further, the obstacle detection device 22 constitutes the obstacle detection means 12 and the obstacle type determination means 13. Further, the controller 23 constitutes an alarm presenting method determining means 14 and an obstacle detection range deciding means 11, and the alarm information presenting device 24 constitutes an alarm information presenting means 15. It is not necessary that the alarm presentation method determining means 14 and the obstacle detection range determining means 11 are shared by a single controller 23, and they may be constituted by independent devices.

The biological signal detecting device 20 comprises an electrocardiographic signal detecting device 201 and a respiratory curve detecting device 202. The electrocardiographic signal detection device 201 detects the heart beat by an ultrasonic sensor. Since the heartbeat signal to be detected is not for accurate waveform diagnosis of the electrocardiogram, as shown in FIG. By incorporating 51 in seat 52, a heartbeat signal can be detected. The respiratory curve detecting device 202 is a respiratory sensor that detects a respiratory motion as a waveform by the expansion and contraction of a strain gauge disposed on the chest. As shown in FIG. Signal detection is possible.

The driving load determining device 21 determines the driving load of the driver based on the signals detected by the electrocardiographic signal detecting device 201 and the respiratory curve detecting device 202. When the operating load is determined from the electrocardiogram signal detected by the electrocardiogram signal detection device 201, an R wave is extracted from the electrocardiogram signal and a time interval (R
RI), and if the RRI indicates a relatively small value, the operating load is determined to be high, and if the RRI indicates a relatively large value, the operating load is determined to be low, or the variance value (RR) of the time interval of the R wave is determined.
V), a method for determining that the operating load is high if the RRV indicates a relatively small value, and determining that the operating load is low if the RRV indicates a relatively small value, and a high frequency component (HF) obtained by frequency analysis of the RRI. And the ratio of the low frequency component (LF) (LH = LF)
/ HF), it is possible to apply a method of determining that the operating load is high if LH indicates a relatively large value and that the operating load is low if LH indicates a relatively small value.

When the operating load is determined from the respiratory curve detected by the respiratory curve detecting device 202, if the respiratory frequency obtained by frequency analysis of the respiratory curve indicates a relatively small value, the operating load increases. If a relatively large value is indicated, a method for determining that the driving load is low is obtained, and a variance value of a respiration frequency obtained by frequency analysis of a respiration curve is obtained. If the variance value indicates a relatively large value, the driving load is high. If a relatively small value is indicated, a method of determining that the operating load is low can be applied.

Further, in the present operating load determination device 21, the operating loads obtained by the above-mentioned respective methods are integrated to be the operating load of the driver. At this time, the operating load can be assigned to five stages of operating load categories stored in advance in the operating load determining device 21 according to the magnitude of the value. The driving load classification of the driver determined by the driving load determination device 21 is stored in the driving load classification holding memory 211.

The obstacle detecting device 22 includes a television camera 221 for photographing a scene ahead of the vehicle, an image processing device 222 for extracting an obstacle from an image of the television camera, and an image memory 22.
3 and an obstacle classification holding memory 224. The image processing device 222 extracts an obstacle that may cause a running accident from an image signal in front of the vehicle using an analog signal or a digital signal captured by the video camera 221. The flow of this processing will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In step S501, an image is input from a television camera. Subsequently, in step S502, an obstacle detection range and an obstacle detection level that determines how deeply the detection work is performed in the obstacle detection processing are input.

In step S503, a process of extracting an outline from the image signal from the television camera using a differential filter or the like and extracting only the outline of the obstacle from the image signal by a pattern matching technique is performed. In addition,
Since it is possible to limit the range in which an obstacle is detected by limiting the range in which pattern matching is performed on the image signal, contour extraction processing is performed only in the obstacle detection range input in step S202.

In step S504, step S503
If there is a contour recognized as an obstacle in the image signal in step S505, the process proceeds to step S505, and the image signal is stored in the image memory 223 inside the image processing device 22 as a contour image. If no obstacle is found, the process ends.

In step S506, step S502
Then, it is determined whether or not the detection level input is “high”.
If it is “high”, the process proceeds to step S507,
If it is not "high", the process ends.

In step S507, step S503
The obstacle detected by is classified as a pedestrian or an obstacle.
This result is stored in the obstacle classification holding memory 224 in step S508, and the process is terminated.

The alarm information presenting device 24 comprises a head-up display (HUD) 241, an image memory 242, and a buzzer 243.

The controller 23 is a device that appropriately controls alarm information presented to the driver via an alarm information presenting device 24 based on the processing results of the driving load determining device 21 and the obstacle detecting device 22. Appropriate alarm determination circuit 23
1. An appropriate alarm determination rule storage memory 233, an obstacle detection range determination circuit 233, and an obstacle detection range determination rule storage memory 234. Hereinafter, the flow of processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S10, the driving load classification of the driver is read from the driving load classification holding memory 211 of the driving load determination device 21. In the next step S11, the driving load classification read in step S10 and the controller 23 are read. Internal obstacle detection range determination rule holding memory 23
The obstacle detection range determination circuit 232 in the controller 23 determines the obstacle detection range and the obstacle detection level based on the obstacle detection range determination rule shown in FIG.

In the following, in this embodiment, the range of obstacle detection and the display position of the visual alarm are shown in FIG.
Assuming that a point where a straight line extending from the headrest center point 62 of the headrest 61 of the driver's seat 60 toward the front window 63 and extending in the traveling direction of the vehicle horizontally with respect to the ground intersects the front window 63 is a specific point 64, the headrest A straight line connecting the center point 62 and the specific point 64 is defined as a reference line 7
If 0, any point 65 on the front window 63
Line 71 connecting reference and headrest center point 62 and reference line 70
Is expressed by an angle θ.

Next, in step S12, step S11
In order to determine whether or not an obstacle exists within the range of the obstacle detection range determined in step (1), a command is issued to cause the obstacle detection device 22 to detect an obstacle existing within the specified range at the specified detection level. For example, as shown in the obstacle detection range determination rule in FIG. 5, when the driving load of the driver stored in the driving load division holding memory 211 is level 1, the range of the obstacle detection is “θ ≧ 15”. ° ”, so θ is 15 °
Obstacle detection device 2 detects an obstacle in the above range.
2 and the fact that the detection level is “high”, it is transmitted that the obstacle detection is performed up to the level that distinguishes the obstacle from the pedestrian. Next, in step S13, based on the detection result from the obstacle detection device 22, if it is determined that an obstacle exists in the traveling direction, the process proceeds to step S14. If it is determined that no obstacle exists, the process proceeds to step S14. It returns to S10.

Next, in step S14, the operation load division holding memory 211 is read, and if the operation load level is "1", the processing of the operation load level 1 is executed according to the operation load level held therein. If the operating load level is "2", the process proceeds to step S16 where the process of the operating load level 2 is performed. If the operating load level is "3", the process of the operating load level 3 is performed. The operation load level is “4”.
In the case of, the process proceeds to step S18 in which the processing of the operation load level 4 is performed, and in the case where the operation load level is “5”, the process proceeds to step S19 in which the processing of the operation load level 5 is performed.
These processes are performed by the appropriate alarm determination circuit 241 inside the controller 24.

Hereinafter, the processing from the operation load level 1 to the operation load level 5 will be described in order. These processes are performed by the appropriate alarm determination circuit 231 in the controller 23 referring to the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in FIG. Note that the angle θ shown in FIG. 7 is also described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the processing at the operation load level 1.

First, in step S151, the obstacle classification holding memory 224 of the obstacle detection device 22 is referred to, and if the obstacle classification held in the memory is a pedestrian, step S1 is executed.
The process proceeds to 52, and if it is an obstacle, the process proceeds to step S155.

At step S152, the image memory 221
The position of the pedestrian is calculated from the image held in step S154. Subsequently, in step S153, when the image of the pedestrian is present on the front window within θ = 20 °, step S154 is performed.
If it does not exist within θ = 20 °, it is determined to proceed to step S155.

In step S154, no warning is displayed. This is an image of a pedestrian located within θ = 20 ° on the front window to show cognitive characteristics that enable the driver to grasp the overall environment when the driving load is as low as level 1. Is definitely detectable. On the other hand, in step S155, the presence of a pedestrian is determined by displaying a character or an icon at a position within θ = 15 ° on the front window with a viewing angle of 2 ° using a head-up display. The visual alert shown is given. This is because, even when the driving load is as low as about level 1, there is a possibility that an image of a pedestrian located at θ = 20 ° or more on the front window may be overlooked.

In step S156, the image memory 231
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S157. Subsequently, in step S157, when the image of the obstacle exists within θ = 25 ° on the front window, the process proceeds to step S158, and the position of the obstacle exists within θ = 25 °. If not, step S
A determination is made to proceed to 159.

In step S158, no alarm display is performed. This is because when the driving load is as low as level 1, the driver has a cognitive characteristic that can grasp the overall environment. This is because it can be detected without detection. On the other hand, in step S159, θ =
By displaying a character or an icon or the like at a position within 15 ° using a head-up type display with a viewing angle of 2 ° using a head-up display, a visual alarm indicating the presence of an obstacle is presented. This is because, even when the driving load is as low as level 1, there is a possibility that an obstacle whose image is located at θ = 25 ° or more on the front window may be overlooked.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the flow of the processing at the operation load level 2.

First, in step S161, the obstacle classification holding memory 224 of the obstacle detection device 22 is referred to, and if the obstacle classification held in the memory is a pedestrian, step S1 is executed.
The process proceeds to 62, and if it is an obstacle, the process proceeds to step S165.

In step S162, the image memory 223
The position of the pedestrian is calculated from the image held in step S163. Subsequently, in step S163, when the image of the pedestrian exists within θ = 15 ° on the front window of the vehicle, step S1 is performed.
Proceeding to 64, if it does not exist within θ = 15 °, it is determined to proceed to step S165.

In step S164, no alarm display is performed. This means that when the driving load is as low as level 2, the driver can perceive the overall environment, so that the image of the pedestrian located within θ = 15 ° on the front window is incorrect. This is because it can be detected without detection. On the other hand, in step S165, θ =
By displaying a character, an icon, or the like at a position within 10 ° with a viewing angle of 5 ° using a head-up type display, a visual warning indicating the presence of a pedestrian is provided. This is because, even when the driving load is as low as about level 2, there is a possibility that an image of a pedestrian located at θ = 15 ° or more on the front window may be overlooked.

In step S166, the image memory 223
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S167. Subsequently, in step S167, when the image of the obstacle exists within θ = 20 ° on the front window, the process proceeds to step S168, and the position of the obstacle exists within θ = 20 °. If not, step S
A determination is made to proceed to 169.

In step S168, no warning is displayed. This is because, when the driving load is as low as level 2, the driver can recognize the overall environment and has a cognitive characteristic. Therefore, the image of the obstacle located within θ = 20 ° on the front window is incorrect. This is because it can be detected without detection. On the other hand, in step S169, θ =
By displaying a character, an icon, or the like at a position within 10 ° with a viewing angle of 5 ° using a head-up type display, a visual warning indicating the presence of an obstacle is provided. This is because, even when the driving load is low, the presence of an image of an obstacle located at θ = 20 ° or more on the front window may be missed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the processing at the operation load level 3.

First, in step S171, the contents are taken into the image memory 242 provided in the alarm information presentation device 24 with reference to the image memory 223 of the obstacle detection device 22.

In step S172, the image memory 223
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S173. When the image of the obstacle exists within θ = 5 ° on the front window, the process is terminated. When the image does not exist within θ = 5 °, step S173 is performed. Proceed to.

In the step S173, the image memory 242
Is displayed on the head-up type display device 241 by blinking the outline of the obstacle held in red on the front window, so that an image emphasized by bordering the obstacle in red is displayed on the front window. Become. The blinking cycle here is the one shown in FIG.
Based on the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in (2), the lighting time is 200 ms and the lighting time is 200 ms, that is, 2.5 Hz.

In step S174, the image memory 223
The position of the obstacle is calculated based on the image held in step S175. If the image of the obstacle exists at θ = 20 ° or more on the front window, the process proceeds to step S175.

In step S175, the buzzer 243 having a frequency of 3 kHz is controlled at a duty of 100 milliseconds / 300 milliseconds based on the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in FIG.
It is presented for seconds and the process ends.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the processing at the operation load level 4.

First, in step S181, the contents of the image memory are taken into the image memory 242 with reference to the image memory 223 of the obstacle detecting device 22. In step S182, the contour line of the obstacle stored in the image memory 242 is blinked in red by the head-up display device 241 to display an image emphasized by bordering the obstacle in red on the front window. Is displayed. The blinking period here is 5.0 Hz with a lighting time of 100 milliseconds and a light-off time of 100 milliseconds based on the proper alarm determination rule shown in FIG.

In step S183, the image memory 223
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S184. If the image of the obstacle exists at θ = 10 ° or more on the front window, the process proceeds to step S184. If the image exists within θ = 10 °, The process ends.

In step S184, the image memory 223
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S185. If the image of the obstacle exists within θ = 30 ° on the front window, the process proceeds to step S185. Proceed to step S186.

In step S185, the buzzer 242 having a frequency of 3 kHz is controlled for two seconds while controlling the buzzer 242 at a frequency of 3 ms based on the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in FIG. In step S186, the buzzer 242 having a frequency of 3 kHz is presented for 4 seconds while controlling the buzzer at a duty of 50 ms / 50 ms, and the process ends.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the processing at the operation load level 5.

First, in step S191, the contents of the image memory are referred to the image memory 223 of the obstacle detection device 22 and the contents of the image memory are stored in the image memory 242 of the alarm information presentation device 24.
Take in. In step S192, the image memory 242
The outline of the obstacle held by the head-up type display device is blinked in red, so that an image highlighted by bordering the obstacle in red is displayed on the front window. . The blinking cycle here is the one shown in FIG.
Based on the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in (1), the lighting time is 50 milliseconds and the light-off time is 50 milliseconds, which is 10.0 Hz.

In step S193, the image memory 231
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S194. If the image of the obstacle exists at θ = 10 ° or more on the front window, the process proceeds to step S194. If the image exists within θ = 10 °, The process ends.

In step S194, the image memory 231
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S195. If the image of the obstacle exists within θ = 20 ° on the front window, the process proceeds to step S195. Proceed to step S186.

In step S195, the buzzer 242 having a frequency of 3 kHz is controlled at a duty of 100 milliseconds / 300 milliseconds based on the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in FIG.
In step S196, the buzzer 242 having a frequency of 3 kHz is presented for 4 seconds while controlling the buzzer at a duty of 50 milliseconds / 50 milliseconds, and the process ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the driver's driving load is detected based on the driver's biological information, and based on that, the obstacle detection range and the driver's Since the way of giving a warning is changed, it is possible to reliably present warning information when a warning is required, and when presenting a warning, the driving load imposed on the driver and the It is now possible to present warnings according to cognitive characteristics. Therefore, the driver can quickly and surely understand the warning and the contents of the warning in response to the presentation of the warning information, and can immediately move to avoiding an obstacle.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an alarm control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In this figure, the basic configuration is the same as that of the block diagram of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the same reference numerals are given and duplicate explanations are omitted.

The operation state detecting device 30 is a device for detecting a driving operation state of the driver, and specifically, an accelerator opening, a brake operation, a steering angle, a shift operation, and the number of operations of switches provided in the vehicle compartment. , And so on. The vehicle state detection device 31 is a device that detects an operation state of the vehicle, and specifically, includes a method of detecting a vehicle speed, a longitudinal acceleration, a lateral acceleration, a yaw rate, and the like of the vehicle.

The driving load determining device 32 determines the driving load of the driver based on the signals detected by the operation state detecting device 30 and the vehicle state detecting device 31. Various methods can be considered for this determination method.For example, if the method is to obtain the driving load of the driver from the driving operation state, for example, if the accelerator opening is, the time derivative of the accelerator opening for a certain time is summed up. Then, in accordance with the magnitude of the value, it is assigned to five stages of operating load categories stored in the operating load determining device 32 in advance. That is, for example, in the case of a steering angle, the time derivative of the steering angle for a certain period of time is summed up, and the steering load is divided into five stages of driving load stored in advance in the driving load determination device 32 according to the magnitude of the value. Allocate. Further, for example, in the case of a brake operation, a shift operation, and a switch operation, the number of times of the brake operation, the number of shift operations, and the number of operations of the switches for a certain period of time are respectively summed, and the driving load determination device is determined in advance in accordance with the value. A method of allocating to the five-stage operating load categories stored in the storage 32 is conceivable.

In the case of a method for obtaining the driving load from the operating state of the vehicle, for example, in the case of the vehicle speed, the time derivative of the speed for a certain period of time is summed, and the driving load determination is made in advance in accordance with the value. For example, in the case of the longitudinal acceleration, the lateral acceleration, and the yaw rate of the vehicle, the time derivatives of the values are summed up over a certain period of time, and the magnitude of each value is assigned. According to this, a method of allocating to five stages of operating load categories stored in the operating load determination device 32 in advance is conceivable.

Each of these operating load determination methods has detected 5
The driving load of the driver presented by the driving load determination device 32 may be determined by calculating the average of all the driving loads in the stages. The operating load of the driver determined by the operating load determining device 32 is stored in the operating load classification holding memory 321.

The obstacle detecting device 22 includes the television camera 221 and the television camera 2 for photographing a scene ahead of the vehicle.
The image processing apparatus 22 for extracting an obstacle from the image 21
2, the image memory 223 and the pedestrian detection device 225,
It comprises the obstacle classification holding memory 224.

The pedestrian detection device 225 includes a transmitter for transmitting radio waves and the like carried by a pedestrian and a receiver mounted on the vehicle. The pedestrian detection device 225 receives the radio waves emitted from the transmitter on the vehicle. It is possible to detect that a pedestrian is present at a certain position by detecting the aircraft. That is,
When the image processing device 222 detects an obstacle, if the radio wave of the transmitter is received, a record that a pedestrian exists in the traveling direction is stored in the obstacle classification holding memory 224, and the radio wave of the transmitter is Is not received, a record indicating that an obstacle exists in the traveling direction is stored in the obstacle classification holding memory 224.

The processing flow in the controller 23 shown in FIG. 14 is the same as the processing flow in the controller 23 in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the driving load of the driver is detected based on the driving operation information of the driver and the vehicle behavior information, and the detection range and the obstacle are detected based on the detected driving load. The method of changing the alarm at the time is changed, so that it is possible to surely present the alarm information when an alarm is required.In addition, when presenting the alarm, the driving load imposed on the driver and the driving load at that time are determined. It is possible to present an alarm according to the cognitive characteristics.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an alarm control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this figure, the basic structure is the same as the block diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 and the block diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. Therefore, duplicate description will be omitted.

The driving load determining device 41 includes a biological signal detecting device 20, an operation state detecting device 30, and a vehicle state detecting device 31.
That integrates the output signals from the CPU and allocates the driving load of the driver to three stages of driving load divisions stored in advance in the driving load division holding memory 421 in accordance with the magnitude of the value. It is.

The line-of-sight analyzer 42 is a device for detecting the line-of-sight position of the driver. For example, the line-of-sight analyzer 42 takes an image of an eyeball with an eye camera attached to an instrument panel of the vehicle and performs image processing to perform the line of sight of the driver. It is a device that detects the position. Further, the gaze position analyzer 42 is provided therein with a gaze position holding memory 421 capable of holding the detected gaze position information of the driver.

The gaze guidance device 44 displays information for guiding the gaze position of the driver to a predetermined position on the head-up display 241 based on the input from the controller 43, and the gaze position of the driver is set to a predetermined value. Is a device that determines whether or not it has reached the position.

The controller 43 includes the operating load determining device 4
1. Apparatus for appropriately controlling the alarm information presented to the driver via the alarm information presenting apparatus 24 based on the processing results of the line-of-sight analyzing apparatus 42 and the obstacle detecting apparatus 22. Alarm decision rule holding memory 43
2. It comprises an obstacle detection range determination circuit 433 and an obstacle detection range determination rule holding memory 434.

Hereinafter, the flow of processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
9, the basic process flow is the same as the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and therefore, steps different from those of the first embodiment will be described. In the following, in the present embodiment, the range of obstacle detection and the position of the visual alarm display are shown by the driver's line-of-sight position 66 and the driver's eyebrow position 6 shown in FIG.
7 is defined as the line-of-sight direction line 72, and is expressed by an angle η between a line 73 connecting an arbitrary position 68 of the front window 63 and the position between the eyebrows and the line of sight direction.

In step S 31, the line-of-sight analyzer 42 detects the driver's line-of-sight position, and stores the detected line-of-sight position in the line-of-sight position storage memory 421. Subsequently, in step S32, based on the gaze position detected in step S31, the driving load division read in step S10, and the obstacle detection range determination rule shown in FIG. The obstacle detection range determination circuit 433 determines the obstacle detection range and the obstacle detection level. For example, as shown in the obstacle detection range determination rule of FIG.
When the driver's driving load held at 11 is level 1, the range of obstacle detection is “η = 15 ° or more” and the detection level is “high”.

In step S33, the operation load division holding memory 211 is read, and 3
When the operating load level is “1”, the process proceeds to step S34 for executing the processing of the operating load level 1, and when the operating load level is “2”, the process of the operating load level 2 is performed. The process proceeds to step S35 to execute, and if the operation load level is “3”, the process proceeds to step S36 to execute the processing of the operation load level 3. These processes are performed by the appropriate alarm determination circuit 431 inside the controller 43.

Hereinafter, the processing from the operation load level 1 to the operation load level 3 will be described in order. These processes are performed by the appropriate alarm determination circuit 431 inside the controller 43 referring to the appropriate rule holding rule shown in FIG. 18 held in the appropriate alarm determination rule holding memory 432.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the flow of the processing at the operation load level 1.

First, in step S341, the obstacle classification holding memory 224 of the obstacle detection device 22 is referred to, and if the obstacle classification held in the memory is a pedestrian, step S3
The process proceeds to step S346 if it is an obstacle.

At step S342, the image memory 221
The position of the pedestrian is calculated from the image stored in the line of sight, and the line of sight of the driver stored in the line of sight storage 421 is read. Subsequently, in step S343, the process proceeds to step S344 when the image of the pedestrian exists within the angle η = 20 ° with the driver's line of sight, and proceeds to step S345 when the image does not exist within η = 20 °. I do.

At step S344, no alarm is presented. This indicates that the driver can recognize the overall environment when the driving load is as low as about level 1, so that the pedestrian located within an angle η = 20 ° with the line of sight is incorrect. This is because it can be detected without detection. on the other hand,
In step S345, at a position within an angle η = 15 ° with respect to the line of sight, using a head-up display to present a visual warning using characters or icons indicating the presence of a pedestrian with a viewing angle of 2 ° Done by this is,
This is because, even when the driving load is as low as about level 1, there is a possibility that a pedestrian located at an angle η = 20 ° or more with the line of sight may miss its existence.

In step S346, the image memory 231
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image stored in the line of sight, and the line of sight of the driver stored in the line of sight storage 421 is read. Subsequently, in step S347, it is determined that the process proceeds to step S348 when the obstacle exists within an angle η of 25 ° with the driver's line of sight, and when the obstacle does not exist within 25 °, the process proceeds to step S349.

In step S348, no alarm is presented. This means that when the driving load is as low as level 1, the driver has a cognitive characteristic that allows the driver to grasp the overall environment. Therefore, an obstacle located within an angle η = 25 ° from the line of sight is incorrect. This is because it can be detected without detection. on the other hand,
In step S349, at a position within an angle η = 15 ° with respect to the line of sight, a head-up type display is used to present a visual warning using characters or icons indicating the presence of an obstacle with a viewing angle of 2 °. Done by this is,
This is because, even when the driving load is as low as about level 1, there is a possibility that a pedestrian located at an angle η = 25 ° or more with the line of sight may miss its existence.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing the flow of the processing at the operation load level 2.

First, in step S351, the contents of the image memory held by referring to the image memory 223 of the obstacle detection device 22 are fetched into the image memory 242.
The driver's line-of-sight position held by referring to the line-of-sight position holding memory 421 is acquired.

In step S352, the image memory 223
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in the processing. When the image of the obstacle exists within the angle η = 5 ° with the line of sight, the process ends. When the image does not exist within η = 5 °, Proceed to step S353.

In step S353, the image memory 242
The outline of the obstacle held in the front window is blinked in red using a head-up display, and an image emphasized by bordering the obstacle in red is displayed on the front window. Will be. The blinking cycle here is the one shown in FIG.
Based on the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in FIG. 8, the lighting time is 200 milliseconds and the lighting time is 200 milliseconds, that is, 2.5 Hz.

In step S354, the image memory 223
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S355. If the image of the obstacle exists at an angle η = 20 ° or more with respect to the driver's line of sight, the process proceeds to step S355, and the position of the obstacle becomes η = 20 ° or more. If not, the process ends.

In step S355, the buzzer 243 having a frequency of 3 kHz is controlled at a duty of 100 milliseconds / 300 milliseconds based on the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in FIG.
It is presented for seconds and the process ends.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing the flow of the processing at the operation load level 3.

First, in step S 361, the contents of the image memory are taken into the image memory 242 with reference to the image memory 223 of the obstacle detection device 22. Capture the gaze position. In step S362, the image memory 242
The outline of the obstacle held in the front window is blinked in red using a head-up display, and an image emphasized by bordering the obstacle in red is displayed on the front window. Will be. 5 is stored in the appropriate alarm determination rule storage memory 232.
Based on the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in (1), the lighting time is 50 milliseconds and the light-off time is 50 milliseconds, which is 10.0 Hz.

In step S363, the image memory 231
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S364. If the image of the obstacle is located at an angle η = 10 ° or more with respect to the driver's line of sight, the process proceeds to step S364, and η = 1
If it exists within 0 °, the process ends.

In step S364, the image memory 231
The position of the obstacle is calculated from the image held in step S365. If the image of the obstacle exists within an angle η = 20 ° with the driver's line of sight, the process proceeds to step S365, and η = 20 ° or more. If it exists, the process proceeds to step S366.

In step S365, the buzzer 242 having a frequency of 3 kHz is controlled at a duty of 100 milliseconds / 300 milliseconds based on the appropriate alarm determination rule shown in FIG. It is presented for seconds and the process ends.

In step S366, the buzzer 242 having a frequency of 3 kHz is controlled with a duty of 50 ms / 50 ms. Further, information for guiding the driver's line of sight is presented using the head-up display and the line-of-sight guiding device 44 installed in the front window 63. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23, an arrow 82 indicating the direction in which the obstacle / pedestrian 81 exists from the driver's line-of-sight position 80 is displayed.

At step S367, the line of sight position of the driver is detected again, and then at step S368,
It is determined whether the driver's line of sight has reached the position where the obstacle exists. If the driver's line of sight has reached the obstacle, the process proceeds to step S369 to stop the alarm sound and terminate the process. If the driver's line of sight has not reached the obstacle, the process proceeds to step S366. Return.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the driver's driving load is detected based on the driver's biological information, driving operation information, and vehicle behavior information, and the obstacle detection range and obstacle The method of warning when a warning is detected is changed, so that it is possible to reliably present warning information when a warning is required. In addition, the driving load imposed on the driver when the warning is presented And an alarm presentation according to the cognitive characteristics at that time can be performed. Furthermore, since the presentation position of the visual warning is changed depending on the line of sight, and the gaze guidance is performed when the driving load is high, the warning information can be presented more accurately.

[0100]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the detection range of the presence of an obstacle that may make it difficult for the vehicle to travel in front of the vehicle is limited according to the driving load state of the driver. With this configuration, when an obstacle is present at a position where the driver can easily recognize the vehicle under a predetermined driving load, the driver does not receive a warning that is unnecessary and bothersome. Further, when an obstacle to be warned to the driver is detected, obstacle warning information is presented to the driver according to the driving load state of the driver and the type of the obstacle, so that the warning can be easily generated. The contents indicated by the alarm can be recognized, whereby the operation for the alarm can be performed quickly.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the warning presenting method determining means can select one of an auditory display and a visual display based on a cognitive characteristic of the driver with respect to the driving load. Alternatively, when the warning information is determined to be presented by both, and when the warning information is further presented by the visual display, the warning presenting method determining means determines the appropriate display position of the visual display based on the cognitive characteristics of the driver with respect to the driving load. Is determined, the driver can obtain alarm information suitable for the cognitive characteristics. Therefore, the warning and the contents indicated by the warning can be recognized more reliably.

According to the invention set forth in claim 3, according to claim 1,
In addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 2, the driving load detecting means includes a driving load of the driver to the biological information driving load detecting means,
Driver's electrocardiographic signal, pulse wave signal, respiratory signal, blood pressure signal, detected from at least one or more biological information of myoelectric signal,
Further, the driving load is detected by the driving load detecting means based on at least one of the vehicle operation information of the accelerator operation amount, the brake operation amount, and the steering wheel operation amount of the driver. For operating load detection means,
Since it is detected from at least one or more vehicle behavior information of the speed, the lateral acceleration, and the yaw rate of the vehicle, the driving load of the driver while driving the vehicle can be detected from the biological information, the vehicle operation information, and the vehicle behavior information. .

According to the invention set forth in claim 4, according to claim 1,
In addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 2 or claim 3, the driving load detecting means causes the driving load state classification means to classify the driving load state of the driver according to the degree thereof, and furthermore, an alarm presentation method determining means Determines the appropriate warning information presentation method according to the classification indicated by the driving load state classification means, so that it is possible to present the driver with the alarm information according to the classification of the driving load.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the obstacle type judging means allows the person / object classification means to place an obstacle between a person and a person other than a person. Since the warning presentation method determining means determines the appropriate warning information presentation method according to the classification indicated by the person / thing classification means, the warning information corresponding to the classification of the obstacle type is provided to the driver. Can be presented.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first to fifth aspects, the detection range of the obstacle limited by the obstacle detection range limiting means is determined by the operation load detection means. The larger the driving load of the driver, the wider the obstacle, so that the larger the driving load, it is possible to detect a wider range of obstacles. It becomes possible to detect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of mounting the ultrasonic sensor and the respiration sensor of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure in the obstacle detection device of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of information stored in an obstacle detection range determination rule holding memory of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an angle θ used to indicate an obstacle detection range and a visual alarm display position in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of information stored in an appropriate alarm determination rule holding memory of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an arithmetic processing procedure in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a calculation processing procedure when the operation load level is 1 in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure in the case of an operation load level 2 in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure when the operation load level is 3 in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure in the case of an operation load level 4 in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a calculation processing procedure when the operation load level is 5 in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of an angle η used to indicate an obstacle detection range and a visual alarm display position in the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of information stored in an obstacle detection range determination rule holding memory of the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of information stored in a proper alarm determination rule holding memory of the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a calculation processing procedure when the operation load level is 1 in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a calculation processing procedure when the operation load level is 2 in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure in the case of an operation load level 3 in the controller of the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the gaze guidance device of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Driver load determination apparatus 11 Obstacle detection range determination means 12 Obstacle detection means 13 Obstacle type determination means 14 Warning presentation technique determination means 15 Warning information presentation means

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An obstacle detecting means for detecting the presence of an obstacle which may hinder vehicle running ahead of a vehicle, a driving load detecting means for detecting a driving load state of a driver, and the obstacle An obstacle detection range limiting unit that limits an obstacle detection range of the obstacle detection unit according to the driving load state; an obstacle type determination unit that determines a type of the obstacle; If an object is detected,
An alarm presenting method determining unit that determines a method of presenting appropriate warning information to a driver according to a detection result of the driving load detecting unit and a determination result of the obstacle type determining unit; and presenting the appropriate alarm information. And a warning information presenting means. 2. The alarm control device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm presenting method determining unit is configured to perform one or both of an audio display and a visual display based on a cognitive characteristic of the driver with respect to a driving load state. When it is determined to present the appropriate warning information, and furthermore, when the appropriate warning information is presented by the visual display, the appropriate display position of the visual display is determined based on a recognition characteristic of the driver with respect to the driving load state. An alarm control device comprising means for determining 3. The alarm control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving load detecting means is at least one of an electrocardiographic signal, a pulse wave signal, a respiratory signal, a blood pressure signal, and a myoelectric signal of the driver. Biological driving load detecting means for detecting a driving load from the above biological information, operating driving load detecting means for detecting a driving load from at least one vehicle operation information of an accelerator operation amount, a brake operation amount, and a steering wheel operation amount of a driver An alarm control device comprising at least one of vehicle behavior driving load detecting means for detecting a driving load from vehicle behavior information of at least one of vehicle speed, lateral acceleration, and yaw rate. 4. The alarm control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving load detection unit includes a driving load state classification unit that classifies a driving load state of a driver according to a degree of the driving load state. An alarm control device, wherein the alarm presenting method determining means determines the appropriate alarm information presenting method according to the classification indicated by the driving load state classification means of the driving load detecting means. 5. The alarm control device according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle type determined by the obstacle type determination unit is:
The apparatus further includes a person / object classification unit that classifies the obstacle into a person and a person other than a human, and the warning presentation method determination unit is configured to perform the warning according to the classification indicated by the person / object classification unit of the obstacle type determination unit. An alarm control device characterized by determining a method of presenting appropriate alarm information. 6. The alarm control device according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle detection range limited by the obstacle detection range limiting means is the driving load of the driver detected by the driving load detection means. The alarm control device, characterized in that the larger is the larger, the wider it is.