JP2003310583A - Fatigue measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fatigue measuring instrument capable of measuring a degree of fatigue of the crew of a vehicle from voices of the crew by calling speaking to the crew. <P>SOLUTION: A fatigue measuring instrument 1 is composed of an environmental change judging part 2 for judging an environmental change in a traveling vehicle, an operation judging part 4 for judging whether or not on-vehicle equipment is necessary to be operated from the judged environmental change, a voice output part 7 for presenting an inquiry on whether or not the on-vehicle equipment judged necessary is to be operated to the crew, a voice input part 8 for inputting an instruction to operate the on-vehicle equipment in voice, an on-vehicle equipment control part 5 for controlling the operation of the on-vehicle equipment 9 based upon the operating instruction inputted to the voice input part 8 by the crew, and a fatigue measuring part 6 for measuring the degree of fatigue from the speaking voices of the crew in response to the inquiry from the voice output part 7 at least. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fatigue level measuring device for measuring fatigue level from a human voice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional fatigue level measuring device, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 000-113347, when a person to be measured is communicating with another person, the voice of the person to be measured is acquired by a microphone or the like, and the voice data is analyzed by using a computer or the like so that There is a non-contact type that measures the fatigue level.

[0003]

However, when the fatigue of the vehicle occupant is measured by using the above-mentioned fatigue level measuring device, the driver must give a voice when driving the vehicle alone. Therefore, even if the conventional fatigue degree measuring device is simply mounted on the vehicle, it is not always possible to measure the fatigue degree of the driver.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fatigue degree measuring device capable of prompting an occupant of a vehicle to speak and measuring the fatigue degree of the occupant from the voice of the occupant.

[0005]

According to the invention of claim 1, it is necessary to operate an on-vehicle device by an environment change judging means for judging an environment change of a traveling vehicle and an environment change judged by the environment change judging means. And an operation determining unit that determines whether or not the in-vehicle device is operated, a presenting unit that presents an inquiry to the occupant whether or not to operate the in-vehicle device determined to be necessary by the operation determining unit, and the in-vehicle device is operated. Voice input means for inputting an instruction by voice; on-vehicle equipment control means for controlling the operation of the on-vehicle equipment based on an operation instruction input by the occupant to the voice input means in response to an inquiry from the presenting means; and at least the presentation And a fatigue degree measuring means for measuring the fatigue degree of the occupant in response to an inquiry from the means.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the environment change determining means according to the first aspect measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds the reference value, If the elapsed time since the last time the measured value exceeded the reference value was shorter than the preset time interval and the state where the measured value exceeded the reference value continued for a certain period of time, the environment of the traveling vehicle Is determined to have changed.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the environment change determining means according to the first aspect measures a value indicating the environmental condition of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds the reference value, When it is determined that the environment has changed, and when it is determined that the environment has changed, the reference value is changed if the elapsed time from the previous environment change is shorter than a preset time interval. And

In the invention of claim 4, the environment change determining means according to claim 1 measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds a reference value, It is characterized in that it is determined that the environment has changed, and the reference value is changed if the elapsed time from the previous environment change is longer than a preset time interval.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fatigue level measuring apparatus according to the first aspect, the presenting means includes a voice output means for outputting an inquiry to the occupant by voice.
A display means for displaying the contents of an inquiry to the occupant to the occupant, and when the environment judging means judges a plurality of environmental changes within a predetermined time, the presenting means uses the operation judging means. Based on the priority set in advance for each operation determined to be necessary, the inquiries to the occupant are distributed to the voice output means and the display means, and the occupant inputs the reply to the display content of the display means by the operation. It is characterized by having an operation input means for performing.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the environmental change judging means judges the environmental change of the traveling vehicle, and the operation judging means judges that the operation of the vehicle-mounted device is necessary due to the judged environmental change. In addition, by presenting to the occupant an inquiry as to whether or not to operate the in-vehicle device that is determined to be necessary, the occupant can be prompted to input a voice in response to the inquiry, and fatigue from the occupant's voice in the vehicle It becomes possible to measure the degree.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the environment change determining means according to the first aspect measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds the reference value, If the elapsed time from when the measured value exceeds the reference value is shorter than the preset time interval and the state where the measured value exceeds the reference value continues for a certain period of time, the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed. By making the determination, it is possible to prevent excessive inquiries from being made to the occupant in a short time.

According to the invention of claim 3, the environment change determining means according to claim 1 measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds the reference value, the environment of the traveling vehicle is Along with determining that the environment has changed, if the elapsed time from the previous environment change is shorter than the preset time interval, by changing the reference value, the traveling vehicle When the value that indicates the state of the environment changes frequently in a short period of time, the frequency of environmental changes that determine that the in-vehicle device needs to be operated can be reduced, and the occupants frequently answer inquiries. It is possible to reduce the hassle of having to.

According to the invention of claim 4, the environment change judging means according to claim 1 measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds a reference value, the environment of the traveling vehicle. Is determined to have changed, and if the elapsed time from the previous environment change is longer than the preset time interval, the reference value is changed so that the environment does not change for a long time. If you can lower the reference value,
The value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle does not exceed the reference value, and the situation in which the occupant is not inquired is unlikely to occur.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the environment determining means determines a plurality of environment changes within a predetermined time, the presenting means preliminarily performs each operation determined to be necessary by the operation determining means. Based on the set priority, inquires to the occupants are divided into voice output means and display means,
Since the fatigue level measuring device has the operation input means for inputting the response to the display contents of the display means by the operation, even if the environmental changes occur frequently or a plurality of environmental changes occur almost simultaneously, the occupant It is possible to reduce the annoyance of having to reply by voice to all inquiries.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a fatigue degree measuring apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fatigue degree measuring device 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIG.
Is mounted on a vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted device 9 and the notification device 10, and measures the fatigue level of the occupant from the voice uttered by the occupant of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, as the vehicle-mounted device 9, for example, an audio device including a radio,
A defogger that removes water droplets adhering to the inner wall of vehicle windows,
Vehicles are equipped with air conditioners (air conditioners) that adjust the temperature and humidity of the air in the passenger compartment, and information and communication devices that have the functions of a telephone and sending and receiving e-mail.

The fatigue level measuring device 1 includes an environment change determining section 2 for determining a change in the environment of the traveling vehicle and a voice input section 8 for inputting a voice uttered by an occupant of the traveling vehicle with a microphone or the like.
And a control unit 3 that performs various processes described below based on signals from the environment change determination unit 2 and the voice input unit 8, and a control unit 3.
And a voice output unit 7 that outputs a voice to an occupant of the vehicle based on a signal from. The control unit 3 uses the operation determination unit 4 that determines whether or not the operation of the in-vehicle device 9 is necessary due to the environmental change determined by the environmental change determination unit 2 and the in-vehicle device 9 based on a signal from the voice input unit 8. A vehicle-mounted device control unit 5 that outputs a signal for operating the vehicle-mounted device 9 to control the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 9; and a fatigue level measurement unit 6 that measures the fatigue level of the occupant from the voice input by the voice input unit 8. Have

The fatigue level measuring unit 6 outputs the measurement result to the notification unit 10, and the notification unit 10 notifies the occupant of the fatigue level measured by the fatigue level measuring unit 6. Notification device 1
0 may be a voice output means for transmitting the degree of fatigue to the occupant by voice output, or a display means for transmitting the degree of fatigue to the occupant by screen display. Good. In addition, the notification device 10
For example, the alarm may be transmitted to the occupant by voice output or screen display only when the occupant's fatigue level exceeds a predetermined value. Furthermore, a communication device that transmits the measurement result of the fatigue level measuring unit 6 to the outside of the vehicle may be mounted on the vehicle, whereby the fatigue level measured by the fatigue level measuring unit 6 may be a person outside the vehicle, It can be sent to a base station for monitoring traffic conditions.

Next, the above-mentioned components will be described in more detail.

The environment change judging section 2 constantly monitors the environment of the traveling vehicle, and judges whether or not an environment change has occurred which causes the operation of the vehicle-mounted device. Specifically, the environment change determination unit 2 determines the outside temperature of the traveling vehicle, the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle, the cloudiness of the window of the vehicle, whether or not the program has changed at the broadcasting station receiving the radio, and the reception status of the radio. Monitor incoming calls, receiving emails, etc.

The voice output unit 7 is a presenting means for presenting an inquiry to the occupant by a voice using a speaker or the like to inquire whether or not the operation determined by the operation determination unit 4 is necessary. The voice output unit 7 stores the operation determined by the operation determination unit 4 and the word inquiring whether or not to perform the operation in association with each other by a correspondence table prepared in advance. Then, the voice output unit 7 selects a word to inquire of the occupant from the operation judged by the operation judging unit 4 according to the correspondence table, and reads the selected word to the occupant.

The voice input unit 8 converts the input voice into voice data and sends the voice data to the in-vehicle device control unit 5 and the fatigue level measurement unit 6, respectively. In-vehicle device controller 5
Determines whether or not the voice input by the occupant to the voice input unit 8 is a response to the inquiry as to whether or not to use the in-vehicle device. Here, the in-vehicle device control unit 5 stores a preset word as a response of the occupant to the inquiry, and determines whether the stored word and the utterance of the occupant match. When the in-vehicle device control unit 5 determines that the voice of the occupant is a reply to the inquiry,
The in-vehicle device control unit 5 determines whether or not to operate the in-vehicle device based on the reply from the occupant. If the response from the occupant is to operate the in-vehicle device, the in-vehicle device control unit 5
An operation instruction suitable for the reply is output to the vehicle-mounted device 9.

When the voice input unit 8 acquires the voice of the occupant, the fatigue level measurement unit 6 measures the fatigue level of the occupant from the voice data from the voice input unit 8. Here, as a method of measuring the degree of fatigue, a method of performing chaotic analysis on the acquired voice data and measuring the degree of fatigue using the Lyapunov index as an index can be used.

Next, the operation of the fatigue measuring device 1 will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. Hereinafter, a case where the vehicle-mounted device 9 is an audio device including a radio will be described as an example.

First, when the fatigue degree measuring device 1 is actuated by turning on the ignition key, the environment change judging section 2
The state of the environment is continuously monitored until it is determined that the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed (step S1). For example, the environment change determination unit 2 stores a program list of a radio broadcasting station in advance, and monitors whether the program being received is changed to another program based on the program list and time information. When the environment change determination unit 2 determines that the radio program has changed, that is, the environment change has occurred, the operation unit determines whether or not the operation of the vehicle-mounted device according to the environment change is necessary. The determination unit 4 determines (step S2). Here, since it is expected that the occupant will change the radio station, the operation determination unit 4 determines that the operation of changing the radio station is necessary. In this case, the voice output unit 7 selects a word to inquire of the occupant, for example, "Do you want to change the radio station?", And voice-outputs the inquiry in that word to the occupant (step S).
3). When it is determined in step S2 that the operation of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the generated environmental change is not necessary, the environment of the traveling vehicle is continuously monitored.

Next, the occupant inputs a voice response to the inquiry output from the voice output unit 7 to the voice input unit 8 (step S4). In response to the inquiry "Do you want to change the radio station?", The occupant inputs by voice the reply "Change the broadcast station" or "Do not change the broadcast station". For this voice input,
The in-vehicle device control unit 5 determines whether the response content of the occupant is an instruction to operate the in-vehicle device (step S5). If the reply content of the occupant is an operation instruction to “change the radio station”, the onboard device control unit 5 controls the audio device to change the station (step S6).
Then, the fatigue level of the occupant is measured by the fatigue level measurement unit 6 from the voice when the occupant responds (step S7). In step S5, if the response from the occupant is that "the broadcast station will not be changed", the fatigue level of the occupant is measured by the fatigue level measuring unit 6 without operating the audio device, from the voice when the occupant answers. (Step S7).

As described above, according to the fatigue level measuring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the environmental change determination unit 2 determines the environmental change of the traveling vehicle, and it is necessary to operate the in-vehicle device according to the determined environmental change. If the operation determination unit 4 determines that there is such a request, the voice output unit 7 presents an inquiry to the occupant as to whether or not to operate the in-vehicle device that is determined to be necessary, thereby prompting the occupant to make a voice input for the inquiry. Therefore, it becomes possible to measure the degree of fatigue from the voice of the occupant in the vehicle. Further, in this case, since the voice used for measuring the fatigue level is the response time to the inquiry about whether or not to operate the in-vehicle device, it is necessary for the occupant to emit the voice only for measuring the fatigue level. The annoyance can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment) The fatigue degree measuring apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the same overall structure as that of the first embodiment, but the environmental change judgment is performed. Part 2
The methods for determining environmental changes are mainly different.
Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will focus on the points different from the first embodiment.

In the fatigue level measuring device 1 of this embodiment, the environment change judging section 2 measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds a preset reference value, If the elapsed time from the last time the measured value exceeded the reference value is shorter than the preset time interval and the state where the measured value exceeds the reference value continues for a certain period of time, the environment of the traveling vehicle is Judge that it has changed.

As described above, the environment change determination unit 2 in this embodiment measures the value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and determines whether the environment change of the traveling vehicle has occurred based on the change in the measured value and the reference value. Is being determined. Further, as in the first embodiment, the environment change determination unit 2 of the present embodiment detects whether or not a certain fixed state has been switched to another state different from that, such as whether or not the received radio program has changed. Then, a process for determining a change in the environment is also performed. In the present embodiment, the environmental change determined by detecting the state change as in the first embodiment is referred to as a first environmental change, and the environmental change determined by the measured value and the reference value is the second environmental change. Called.

Next, the operation of the fatigue degree measuring apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
Hereinafter, a case where the vehicle-mounted device 9 is an audio device including a radio will be described as an example. Environmental change determination unit 2
Monitors the reception status of the radio and whether the program being received by the radio has changed to another program. The audio device outputs a signal indicating the strength of the radio wave received by the radio to the environment change determination unit 2, and the environment change determination unit 2 outputs the value indicating the reception state of the radio as an output signal from the audio device. The radio reception status is monitored by measuring based on the above. The measured value indicating the reception state of the radio has a value that increases as the reception state of the radio deteriorates.

First, when the fatigue degree measuring device 1 is activated by turning on the ignition key, the environment change determination unit 2 monitors the environment of the traveling vehicle and determines whether or not the first environment change has occurred (step S21). ). When it is determined that the first environment change has occurred due to a change in the program received by the radio, as described in the first embodiment, it is necessary to operate the in-vehicle device corresponding to the environment change. The process proceeds to the process of determining whether or not (step S26). In this case, the processes after step S26 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S21 that the first environmental change has not occurred, the environmental change determination unit 2 is used to determine whether the second environmental change has occurred. It is determined whether or not the measured value exceeds the reference value (step S22). Specifically, the radio reception state is monitored, and it is determined whether or not the value indicating the radio wave reception state exceeds a reference value. When the strength of the radio wave of the radio becomes weaker, the value indicating the reception state of the radio wave becomes worse than the reference value, and when it is determined that the measured value exceeds the reference value, the environment change determination unit 2 determines that the measured value When exceeds the reference value, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the time when the measured value exceeds the reference value last time is shorter than a preset time interval T1 (for example, 5 minutes) (step S23). . If the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the time interval T1, it is determined that the second environmental change has occurred (step S25), and the process for determining whether or not the operation of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the environmental change is necessary (step S26). Transition. When it is determined in step S22 that the measured value does not exceed the reference value, the process returns to the process of monitoring the environment (step S21). Since it is expected that the radio power will be turned off when the strength of the radio wave is weakened, the environment change determination unit 2 determines that the operation is necessary (step S26), and the occupant “stops the radio. Are you sure? ”(Step S27).

In response to the inquiry, a reply "stop" is obtained from the occupant (step S28), and the in-vehicle device control unit 5 determines the reply content (step S2).
9) After that, the radio is stopped (step S30), and the degree of fatigue is measured from the voice at the time of reply (step S31). If you get a reply saying "I won't stop," the radio stays
The degree of fatigue is measured from the voice at the time of reply (step S3
1).

When it is determined in step S23 that the elapsed time is shorter than the time interval T1, it is determined whether or not the state in which the measured value exceeds the reference value continues for a certain time (for example, 1 minute) or more (step S24). If the process does not continue for a certain time or longer, the process of monitoring the environment (step S21)
Return to. If it continues for a certain period of time or more, it is determined that the second environment change has occurred (step S25), that is, it is determined that the radio reception state has changed, and it is necessary to operate the in-vehicle device corresponding to the environment change. The process proceeds to the process of determining (step S26). Step S26 in this case
The processes from S31 to S31 are the same as the processes described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

As described above, according to the fatigue level measuring apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the environment change determining section 2 measures the value indicating the environmental condition of the traveling vehicle, and the measured value exceeds the reference value. In this case, if the elapsed time from the last time the measured value exceeded the reference value was shorter than the preset time interval and the state where the measured value exceeded the reference value continued for a certain period of time, Determine that the environment has changed. This makes it possible to prevent excessive inquiries from being made to the occupants within a short time.

(Third Embodiment) The fatigue degree measuring apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the same overall structure as that of the first embodiment, but the environmental change judgment is performed. Part 2
The methods for determining environmental changes are mainly different.
Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will focus on the points different from the first embodiment.

In the fatigue level measuring device 1 of this embodiment, the environment change determining section 2 measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, for example, a value indicating the haze of the window of the vehicle, and the measured value is set in advance. When the set reference value is exceeded, it is determined that the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed. When the environment change determination unit 2 determines that the environment has changed, the environment change determination unit 2 changes the reference value if the elapsed time from the previous environment change is shorter than the preset time interval.

As described above, the environment change determination unit 2 in this embodiment measures the value indicating the environmental condition of the traveling vehicle and travels based on the change in the measured value and the reference value, as in the second embodiment. It is determined whether or not the vehicle environment has changed.
Furthermore, the environment change determination unit 2 of the present embodiment, like the first embodiment, determines whether or not the received radio program has changed.
A process of determining whether a certain state has been switched to another state different from the certain state and determining a change in the environment is also performed. In the present embodiment, the environmental change determined by detecting the state change as in the first embodiment is referred to as a first environmental change, and the environmental change determined by the measured value and the reference value is the second environmental change. Called.

Next, the operation of the fatigue degree measuring apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In the following, an audio device equipped with a radio and a defogger that removes water droplets adhering to the inner wall of the window are mounted on the vehicle as in-vehicle devices 9, respectively, and the environment change determination unit 2 determines the cloudiness of the window of the vehicle and the audio device. It is watching whether the radio reception program has changed. As a method of measuring the haze of the window, for example, a method of irradiating the window with light to obtain the reflectance of the light on the wall surface of the window and measuring the haze by the reflectance can be used.

First, when the fatigue degree measuring apparatus 1 is activated by turning on the ignition key, the environment change judging section 2
The state of the environment is continuously monitored until it is determined that the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed (step S41). When it is determined that the environmental change has occurred, whether the environmental change is the second environmental change, that is, the environmental change that has occurred is determined by the value indicating the state of the environment exceeding the reference value. It is determined whether or not it is the one (step S4)
2).

When the program received by the radio is changed as described in the first embodiment, it is determined that the environmental change is not the second environmental change.
It can be determined that the first environmental change has occurred, and the process proceeds to a process (step S45) of determining whether or not the operation of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the environmental change is necessary. Step S in this case
The processes after 45 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

On the other hand, in step S41, when it is determined that the environmental change has occurred because the measured value of the haze of the vehicle window is equal to or greater than the reference value, the determined environmental change is the second environmental change. It is determined that there is (step S4
2). In this case, at the time when the second environmental change occurs, whether or not the elapsed time from the time when the measurement value last exceeded the reference value is shorter than a preset time interval T2 (for example, 5 minutes). Is determined (step S43). If the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the time interval T2, the process proceeds to a process (step S45) of determining whether or not the operation of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the generated environmental change is necessary. Here, since the use of the defogger is expected, the environment change determination unit 2 determines that the operation is necessary (step S45) and inquires of the occupant, "Do you want to use the defogger?" (Step S4).
6). When a reply "use" is obtained from the occupant (step S47), the in-vehicle device control unit 5 determines the reply content (step S48) and then switches to the defogger (step S49), and the fatigue level is determined from the voice at the time of reply. Measure (step S50). When the response is "not used", the defogger is not switched, and the fatigue level is measured from the voice at the time of response (step S50).

On the other hand, when the elapsed time is shorter than the time interval T2, the reference value of the haze is changed such that the reference value used for judging the environmental change is increased (step S4).
4) After that, the process returns to step S41 to determine the environmental change using the changed reference value. Then, the same processing as the above-mentioned processing is repeated.

As described above, in the fatigue level measuring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the environment change determining section 2 measures the value indicating the environmental condition of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds the reference value, the traveling vehicle When it is determined that the environment has changed and the environment has changed, the reference value is changed if the elapsed time from the previous environment change is shorter than the preset time interval. As a result, when the value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle changes frequently in a short time, it is possible to reduce the frequency of occurrence of the environmental change that determines that the operation of the in-vehicle device is necessary. Can reduce the hassle of having to answer inquiries frequently.

(Fourth Embodiment) The fatigue degree measuring apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention has the same overall structure as that of the first embodiment, but the environmental change judgment is performed. Part 2
The methods for determining environmental changes are mainly different.
Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will focus on the points different from the first embodiment.

In the fatigue level measuring device 1 of this embodiment, the environment change judging section 2 measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds the reference value, the environment of the traveling vehicle changes. To determine. Then, the environment change determination unit 2 changes the reference value when the elapsed time from the previous environment change is longer than the preset time interval.

Next, the operation of the fatigue degree measuring apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
Hereinafter, an example will be described in which the environment change determination unit 2 monitors the humidity in the vehicle compartment with a humidity sensor and the vehicle-mounted device 9 is an air conditioner that adjusts the temperature and humidity of the air in the vehicle compartment.

First, when the fatigue degree measuring apparatus 1 is activated by turning on the ignition key, the environment change judging section 2
The humidity inside the vehicle compartment is measured as a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and the state of the environment is monitored until it is determined that the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed due to a change in the humidity inside the vehicle compartment (step S61). In the initial stage, the environment change determination unit 2 sets the reference value of humidity to 30%, and determines that the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed when the humidity in the vehicle compartment is higher than 30%. If it is determined that the measured value of humidity does not exceed 30% and environmental change has not occurred, the elapsed time from the time when the environmental change was determined last time and the voice was acquired is the preset time. It is determined whether it is shorter than the interval T3 (for example, 30 minutes) (step S62). Elapsed time is time interval T3
If the above is the case, the reference value used to determine the environmental change, that is, the reference value of humidity is changed from 30% to 25% (step S63), and then the process returns to step S61. It is determined whether the measured humidity value exceeds the reference value 25%, that is, the environmental change is determined.

When the elapsed time is shorter than the time interval T3 in step S62, the reference value used for judging the environmental change is not changed and the process returns to the environment monitoring in step S61. When it is determined in step S61 that the measured value of humidity exceeds the reference value and the environmental change has occurred, the process of determining the operation of the in-vehicle device (step S64).
Move to. Here, since dehumidification by the air conditioner is expected, the environment change determination unit 2 determines that the operation is necessary (step S64), and inquires of the occupant “Do you want to dehumidify?” (Step S65). When the reply "dehumidify" is obtained from the occupant (step S66), the in-vehicle device controller 5 determines the reply content (step S6).
After 7), dehumidification is performed (step S68), and the fatigue level is measured from the voice at the time of reply (step S69). When a response from the occupant that "does not dehumidify" is obtained, the degree of fatigue is measured from the voice at the time of reply without dehumidifying (step S).
69).

In the present embodiment, when the environment change determination unit 2 determines that an environment change has occurred after the reference value is changed in step S44, it is preferable to return the reference value to the value before the change.

As described above, in the fatigue degree measuring device 1 of the present embodiment, the environment change determination unit 2 measures the value indicating the environmental condition of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds the reference value, the traveling vehicle It is determined that the environment has changed, and the reference value is changed if the elapsed time from the previous environment change is longer than the preset time interval. As a result, it is possible to lower the reference value when the environment does not change for a long time, and the value indicating the environmental condition of the traveling vehicle does not exceed the reference value, and the occupant is not inquired. It becomes difficult to occur.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the structure of a fatigue level measuring device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Fatigue degree measuring device 2 of the present embodiment shown in FIG.
1 is a display unit 12 as a display unit for displaying the contents of an inquiry to an occupant, as compared with the first embodiment,
The difference is that an occupant further has an operation switch 11 as an operation input means for inputting a reply to the displayed contents. In FIG. 6, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and in the following, the points different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

The display unit 12 displays to the occupant the content of an inquiry as to whether or not to perform the operation determined to be necessary by the operation determination unit 4, and the display unit 12 and the voice output unit 7 are provided. Therefore, the presenting means for inquiring the occupant about the operation of the in-vehicle device is configured. In the fatigue level measuring device 21 of the present embodiment, when the environment change determining unit 2 determines a plurality of environment changes within a predetermined time, the presenting means causes the voice output unit 7 and the display unit 12 to send an inquiry to the occupant. Sort and perform. Here, the distribution of the inquiries is performed based on the priority order set in advance for each operation determined to be necessary by the operation determination unit 4.

Next, the operation of the fatigue degree measuring apparatus 21 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the following, a case where the in-vehicle device 9 is an information communication device having a telephone function and a function of transmitting / receiving an e-mail, and the environment change determination unit 2 monitors an incoming call and an e-mail reception will be described as an example. In this example, the preset importance table defines that the operation of responding to an incoming call is of high importance and the operation of checking the content of the received electronic mail is of low importance. Also, when a plurality of environmental changes are determined within 3 minutes as a preset predetermined time,
It is determined that the frequency of environmental changes is high.

First, when the fatigue degree measuring device 21 is activated by turning on the ignition key, the environment change determination unit 2
However, it continues to monitor the state of the environment until it is determined that the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed (step S81). For example, if it is determined that an environmental change has occurred due to an incoming call,
The operation unit determination unit 4 determines whether or not it is necessary to operate the vehicle-mounted device according to the environmental change (step S8).
2). Here, since the occupant is expected to answer the call, the operation determination unit 4 determines that the occupant needs to operate the information communication device such as starting a call.

Next, a preset predetermined time (for example, 3
It is determined whether the frequency of environmental changes within a minute) is low or high, that is, whether the frequency of presenting an inquiry to the occupant is low or high (step S83). When the environment change due to the incoming call is the first one, it is determined that the frequency of the environment change is low. If it is determined that the frequency of environmental changes is low, the process proceeds to voice output of an inquiry (step S89). This voice output asks the passenger, for example, "Do you want to answer the phone?" (Step S89).
When a response "exit" is obtained from the crew (step S9
0), the in-vehicle device control unit 5 determines the response content (step S91), and then starts the call (step S9).
2) Measure the fatigue level from the voice at the time of reply (step S
93). When the reply "Do not answer" is received from the occupant, the fatigue level is measured from the voice at the time of reply without calling (step S93).

Further, for example, if the reception of an electronic mail occurs within one minute following the incoming call, it is determined in step S81 that an environmental change has occurred due to the reception of the electronic mail. Next, the operation unit determination unit 4 determines whether or not it is necessary to operate the vehicle-mounted device according to the environmental change (step S82). Here, since it is expected that the occupant will confirm the content of the email, the operation determination unit 4
It is determined that it is necessary to operate the information communication device such that the contents of the electronic mail are read to the passenger or the contents of the electronic mail are displayed to the passenger.

Next, since the reception of this e-mail occurs within 1 minute after the incoming call, it is determined that the frequency of environmental changes is high (step S83). When it is determined that the frequency of environmental changes is high, the importance (priority) of each operation corresponding to those environmental changes is determined by a correspondence table prepared in advance (step S84). here,
If it is determined that the importance of the operation is high, the process moves to a process of outputting an inquiry about the operation by voice (step S8).
9) If it is determined that the importance of the operation is low, the inquiry content of the operation is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 12 (step S85). In this example, the operation for confirming the content of the received e-mail is determined to be lower in importance than the operation for responding to the incoming call, based on the correspondence table of the importance set in advance as described above. As a result, the message "Received a mail. Do you want to view the mail?" Is displayed on the display unit 12 without making a voice inquiry (step S).
85).

Next, according to the contents displayed on the display unit 12, an operation input from the occupant by the operation switch 11 is received (step S86), and it is determined whether the operation input is an instruction to operate the vehicle-mounted device. (Step S87). If the operation input is an operation instruction of the in-vehicle device, the in-vehicle device control unit 5 controls the in-vehicle device 9 (step S88), and then returns to the process of monitoring the environment (step S81). If the response is that the operation of the operation switch 11 does not operate the in-vehicle device, the process returns to the process of monitoring the environment without operating the in-vehicle device (step S81).

Specifically, the occupant selects and reads "read mail" or "do not read mail" with the operation switch 11, and the in-vehicle device control section 5 determines the operation content of the operation switch 11. When "View mail" is selected by the operation switch 11, the content of the received e-mail is displayed, and then the process returns to the process of monitoring the environment.
If "Do not read mail" is selected, the electronic mail is not displayed and the process returns to the environment monitoring.

As described above, according to the fatigue level measuring apparatus 21 of the present embodiment, when the environment change judging section 2 judges a plurality of environment changes within a predetermined time, the operation judging section 4 needs the operation. The voice output unit 7 sends an inquiry to the occupant based on the priority order preset for each operation determined to be present.
And the display unit 12, and the fatigue degree measuring device 21
However, by having the operation switch 11 for inputting a reply to the display content of the display unit 12 by operation, even if the environment changes frequently or a plurality of environment changes occur at the same time, the occupant does not It is possible to reduce the inconvenience of having to reply to the inquiry by voice.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fatigue degree measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the fatigue degree measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the fatigue degree measuring device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the fatigue degree measuring device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the fatigue degree measuring device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fatigue degree measuring device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation of the fatigue level measuring device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,21 Fatigue measuring device 2 Environment change judgment section 3 control unit 4 Operation determination unit 5 In-vehicle equipment control section 6 Fatigue measurement section 7 Audio output section 8 voice input section 9 In-vehicle equipment 10 Notification device 11 Operation switch 12 Display

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An environment change determination means for determining an environment change of a traveling vehicle, an operation determination means for determining whether or not an operation of an on-vehicle device is necessary due to the environment change determined by the environment change determination means, Presentation means for presenting to the occupant an inquiry as to whether or not to operate the in-vehicle device determined to be necessary by the operation determination means; voice input means for inputting an instruction to operate the in-vehicle device by voice; Means for controlling the operation of the in-vehicle device based on the operation instruction input by the occupant to the voice input means in response to the inquiry by the means, and the occupant from at least the voice uttered by the occupant in response to the inquiry by the presenting means. And a fatigue degree measuring device for measuring the fatigue degree of the. 2. The environment change determining means measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, and when the measured value exceeds a reference value, the measured value from the time when the measured value exceeds the reference value last time. When the elapsed time is shorter than a preset time interval and the measured value exceeds the reference value for a certain period of time, it is determined that the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed. Fatigue degree measuring device described in. 3. The environment change determining means measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, determines that the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed when the measured value exceeds a reference value, and changes the environment. The fatigue level measuring device according to claim 1, wherein, when it is determined that the environment has changed, the reference value is changed when the elapsed time from the previous environment change is shorter than a preset time interval. 4. The environment change determining means measures a value indicating the state of the environment of the traveling vehicle, determines that the environment of the traveling vehicle has changed when the measured value exceeds a reference value, and determines the environment last time. The fatigue level measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the reference value is changed when the elapsed time from the time of change is longer than a preset time interval. 5. The presenting means has a voice output means for outputting an inquiry to the occupant by voice and a display means for displaying the inquiry content to the occupant to the occupant. When a plurality of environmental changes are determined within the time period, the presenting means issues an inquiry to the occupant based on the priority set in advance for each operation determined to be necessary by the operation determining means. The fatigue degree measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising operation input means for performing an operation by inputting a response to the display content of the display means by an occupant, which is divided into output means and display means.