JP2005157480A - System for determining driver's psychological state - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To determine a change in a driver's psychological state, according to the change in the travel speed of own vehicle, the distance and relative speed between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and the like. <P>SOLUTION: A sudden change in inter-vehicle distance is determined based on the distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle detected by a laser radar 102 and a history of inter-vehicle distance, stored in a own vehicle status history storage memory 107. A sudden increase in the own vehicle speed is determined, according to a vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed sensor 101 and the history of inter-vehicle distance stored in the own vehicle status history storage memory 107. Lane change for the own vehicle is denied, according to an operation signal of a blinker switch 103. Under these conditions, change in the driver's psychological state is determined, if the current inter-vehicle distance is not larger than a preset reference value, that is, smaller than the inter-vehicle distance minimally necessary for safety, depending on the speed of the own vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a driver psychological state determination apparatus that determines a change in a driver's psychological state based on a traveling speed of the host vehicle, a distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, a change in relative speed, and the like.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867 discloses a driver psychological determination device that detects a traveling speed of a host vehicle and a distance between the host vehicle and another vehicle and determines a driver's psychological state based on the information.

JP 2003-51097 A

  However, such a driver psychological judgment device has a problem that a change in driver psychology due to a sudden event such as an interruption of another vehicle cannot be detected immediately.

  The driver psychological state determination device according to claim 1 is an inter-vehicle distance detection unit that detects an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, a vehicle speed detection unit that measures a vehicle speed of the host vehicle, and the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. A relative speed detecting means for detecting the relative speed of the vehicle, a lane change detecting means for detecting a lane change of the host vehicle, a distance between the detected host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, a vehicle speed of the host vehicle, the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, And a first driver psychological state change determining means for determining a change in the driver's psychological state based on the relative speed of the vehicle and the lane change of the host vehicle.

  According to the present invention, by monitoring the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, the relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and the presence or absence of a lane change of the host vehicle, Changes in psychological state can be determined immediately.

-First embodiment-
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a vehicle 100 equipped with a driver psychological state determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The driver psychological state determination device determines the psychological state of the driver based on a change in traveling speed of the host vehicle, a distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, a change in relative speed, and the like. 1 is equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 101 that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, a laser radar 102 that detects the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle. The winker switch 103 for switching ON / OFF of the winker is provided. The vehicle 100 also includes a control device 104 having a psychological state determination unit 104a that detects a change in the psychological state of the driver, a ROM 105 and a RAM 106, and a host vehicle that stores a history of the detected vehicle speed, inter-vehicle distance, and relative speed. And a status history storage memory 107.

  The vehicle speed sensor 101 detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle by measuring the number of rotations of the wheels and the number of rotations on the output side of the transmission, and outputs the detected vehicle speed to the control device 104. The laser radar 102 is attached to the front grill or bumper of the vehicle and scans infrared light pulses in the horizontal direction. The laser radar 102 measures the reflected wave of the infrared light pulse reflected by a plurality of reflectors (usually the rear end of the preceding vehicle) ahead of the host vehicle, and determines the distance from the arrival time of the reflected wave to the preceding vehicle. Detects inter-vehicle distance and relative speed. The detected inter-vehicle distance and relative speed are output to the control device 104. These vehicle speed, inter-vehicle distance, and relative speed (hereinafter referred to as “own vehicle status information”) are continuously output to the control device 104 while the vehicle is traveling. The winker switch 103 outputs an operation signal to the control device 104 when the driver operates the switch. The own vehicle status information sequentially input from each of the sensors is stored in the own vehicle status history storage memory 107.

  The psychological state determination unit 104a determines a change in the driver's psychological state by executing a control program stored in the ROM 105 using the RAM 106 as a work area in the control device 104 including a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits. . That is, a change in the vehicle situation is detected by comparing the vehicle status information sequentially input from each sensor with the history of the vehicle status information immediately before stored in the vehicle status history storage memory 107. Changes in the person's psychological state.

  Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a process of determining that the driver's psychological state has changed when the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle has changed due to the preceding vehicle has been described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of processing for determining a change in the driver's psychological state in the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 2 is executed as a program that is activated when an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on.

  If it is determined in step S10 that the vehicle speed sensor 101 has started traveling of the host vehicle, in step S20, storage of the host vehicle status information detected by the sensors in the host vehicle status history storage memory 107 is started. The The storage in the own vehicle state history storage memory 107 is continued at a predetermined time interval set in advance, for example, in units of 1 ms until the ignition switch is turned off.

  In step S20, various reference values used in the following processing are simultaneously read. The reference value changes to the driver's psychological state when the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle that causes the change in the psychological state changes within a predetermined time when determining the change in the driver's psychological state. It is used as a criterion for determining whether it is determined that there has been. The reference value is stored in a reference value storage memory (not shown) and is set in advance by setting means (not shown).

  In step S30, it is determined whether or not the ignition switch has been turned off. If it is determined that the ignition switch has been turned off, the process proceeds to step S90, the storage in the vehicle status history storage memory 107 is terminated, and the process is terminated. If it is determined that the ignition switch is not turned off, the process proceeds to step S40, and the following processing is continued until the ignition switch is turned off.

In step S40, it is determined whether or not there is a sudden change in the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. This compares the current inter-vehicle distance L1 detected by the laser radar 102 with the history of the immediately preceding inter-vehicle distance L2 stored in the host vehicle status history storage memory 107, and the difference is a predetermined reference value read in step S20. Judgment is made based on whether or not it is greater than or equal to L. That is, the determination is made by the conditional expressions represented by the following expressions (1) and (2).
if L2−L1 ≧ L then There is a sudden change (1)
else if L2−L1 <L then no sudden change (2)
For example, if the reference value L in 0.1 seconds is 3 m, the present time and the history for the previous 0.1 seconds are compared, and if there is a decrease in inter-vehicle distance of 3 m or more in 0.1 seconds, That is, when L2−L1 ≧ 3, it is determined that there is a sudden change in the inter-vehicle distance.

  If it is determined in step S40 that there is no sudden change in the inter-vehicle distance, the preceding vehicle is not a factor that changes the driver's psychological state, so the process returns to step S30 and the process is performed until the ignition switch is turned off. repeat. That is, the monitoring of the inter-vehicle distance is continued until it is determined that there is a sudden change in the inter-vehicle distance. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a sudden change in the inter-vehicle distance, this may cause a change in the driver's psychological state, and thus the process proceeds to step S50.

In step S50, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed of the host vehicle has increased rapidly. This compares the current vehicle speed V1 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 101 with the previous vehicle speed V2 history stored in the host vehicle status history storage memory 107, and the increase is greater than or equal to the predetermined reference value ΔV read in step S20. It is judged by whether or not there is. That is, the determination is made by the conditional expressions represented by the following expressions (3) and (4).
if V1−V2 ≧ ΔV then abrupt increase (3)
else if V1-V2 <ΔV then not increasing rapidly ... (4)
For example, if the reference value ΔV in one second is 5 km / h, the current time is compared with the history for the previous one second, and if there is an increase in vehicle speed of 5 km / h or more in one second, that is, V1− In the case of V2 ≧ 5, it is determined that there has been a sudden change in the vehicle speed of the host vehicle.

  In step S50, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle has increased rapidly, it can be determined that the rapid decrease in the inter-vehicle distance determined in step S40 is due to the action of the host vehicle, that is, the driver. . In this case, for the driver, a sudden decrease in the inter-vehicle distance is an expected result and does not cause a change in the driver's psychological state. Therefore, the process returns to step S30 and the process is repeated until the ignition switch is turned off. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle speed of the host vehicle has not increased sharply, the preceding vehicle has rapidly increased in speed because of a rapid decrease in the inter-vehicle distance regardless of the speed of the host vehicle. Is considered to have decreased. Thereby, since the rapid decrease in the inter-vehicle distance this time may be a factor that changes the driver's psychological state, the process proceeds to step S60.

  In step S60, it is determined whether the lane of the host vehicle has been changed. This is determined by whether or not the winker switch 103 is operated by the driver. If it is determined that the lane of the host vehicle has changed, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle has not increased sharply, but the decrease in the inter-vehicle distance has occurred. It is thought that it was caused by the lane change of the own vehicle, not because it decreased. That is, when the own vehicle changes lanes without changing the speed, the speed of the new preceding vehicle is slower than the speed of the preceding vehicle so far, and thus it is considered that the inter-vehicle distance has sharply decreased. Therefore, this rapid decrease in the inter-vehicle distance is caused by the driver's own action and does not cause the driver's psychological state to change. In this case, the process returns to step S30, and the process is repeated until the ignition switch is turned off.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the lane of the host vehicle has not been changed, the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is abruptly increased even though the host vehicle is traveling on the same lane without increasing the vehicle speed. Since it can be determined that the number has decreased, the process proceeds to step S70.

In step S70, it is determined whether or not the current inter-vehicle distance L1 is equal to or less than the reference value L3 read in step S20. Here, the reference value L3 is set to a minimum inter-vehicle distance required for safety according to the speed of the host vehicle. For example, if the speed of the host vehicle is 100 km / h, it is 40 m, and if it is 60 km / h, it is 15 m. The inter-vehicle distance when the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle has suddenly decreased, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle at that time, and the reference value of the inter-vehicle distance determined according to the above speed are expressed by the following equations (5) and (6). Judgment is made by making a comparison using the following conditional expressions.
if L1 ≧ L3 then no change in psychological state (5)
else if L1 <L3 then There is a change in psychological state (6)

  In step S70, when it is determined that the current inter-vehicle distance L1 is equal to or greater than the reference value L3, the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle has rapidly decreased due to the preceding vehicle. It is not a factor that changes the driver's psychological state because it still maintains a sufficiently safe distance. Therefore, it returns to step S30 and continues processing again. On the other hand, if it is determined that the current inter-vehicle distance L1 is equal to or less than the reference value L3, the process proceeds to step S80, and the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle decreases rapidly due to the preceding vehicle. As a result, since it is no longer possible to maintain a safe inter-vehicle distance, it is determined that the driver's psychological state has changed.

  Thereafter, the process returns to step S30, and the above processing is repeated until the ignition switch is turned off. That is, when the inter-vehicle distance with respect to the preceding vehicle, the change in the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, and the lane change of the own vehicle are monitored, the driver's psychological state may change due to the behavior of the preceding vehicle. Determines whether or not the driver's psychological state has changed based on the current inter-vehicle distance and the reference value of the inter-vehicle distance. If it is determined in step S30 that the ignition switch has been turned off, as described above, the process proceeds to step S90, the storage in the vehicle status history storage memory 107 is terminated, and the process is terminated.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the distance between the vehicles rapidly decreases due to the preceding vehicle, and as a result, the safe distance between the vehicles cannot be maintained, it is determined that the driver's psychological state has changed. It is possible to determine the change in the driver's psychological state.

-Second embodiment-
In the second embodiment, when the preceding vehicle has caused a sudden decrease in the inter-vehicle distance, it is determined what action the preceding vehicle has caused and the inter-vehicle distance has been reduced abruptly. A method for determining a change in the driver's psychological state according to the behavior of the driver will be described. In the present embodiment, the behavior of the preceding vehicle that sharply decreases the inter-vehicle distance is defined as “sudden braking”, “crossing”, “interrupt”, “passing”, that is, “sudden braking of the preceding vehicle”, “ Judgment is made by classifying into four patterns of “crossing”, “interrupt from side road of other vehicle”, and “interrupt by overtaking of other vehicle”. Further, in the first embodiment, it was only determined whether or not the driver's psychological state has changed, but in this embodiment, the degree, that is, whether the psychological state has changed significantly. It is determined whether it has changed “smallly” or “not changed”. Note that the configuration diagram of the driver psychological state determination apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart of processing for determining a change in the psychological state of the driver in the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 3 is executed as a program that is activated when an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on. In FIG. 3, the processing in steps S110 to S160 is the same as the processing in steps S10 to S60 in FIG.

  If it is determined in step S160 that the lane of the host vehicle has not been changed, that is, the host vehicle is traveling on the same lane without increasing the vehicle speed, the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is rapidly decreased. If it is determined that the process has been performed, the process proceeds to step S170.

  In step S170, it is determined whether the preceding vehicle has been switched. This is determined by comparing the current inter-vehicle distance L 1 detected by the laser radar 102 with the history of the immediately preceding inter-vehicle distance L 2 stored in the host vehicle status history storage memory 107. The comparison here is performed in the same manner as when it is determined in step S40 in FIG. 2 whether or not the inter-vehicle distance has decreased sharply. That is, the current inter-vehicle distance L1 detected by the laser radar 102 is compared with the history of the immediately preceding inter-vehicle distance L2 stored in the host vehicle status history storage memory 107, and the difference is the predetermined reference value read in step S120. Judgment is made by whether or not it is larger than L4.

By setting this reference value L4 more strictly than the reference value L in step S140, the inter-vehicle distance with the same preceding vehicle is not simply reduced, but the preceding vehicle is switched to another vehicle. It can be judged. The determination is made according to the conditional expressions expressed by the following expressions (7) and (8).
if L2-L1 ≧ L4 then There is a change of the preceding vehicle ... (7)
else if L2-L1 <L4 then There is no change of the preceding vehicle (8)
For example, if the reference value L4 in 0.1 second is 5 m, the current time and the history for the previous 0.1 second are compared, and if there is a decrease in the inter-vehicle distance of 5 m or more in 0.1 second It is determined that the preceding vehicle has been switched.

  If it is determined in step S170 that the preceding vehicle has not been switched, the process proceeds to step S180. In step S180, it can be determined that the preceding vehicle has suddenly braked because the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle has suddenly decreased even though the preceding vehicle has not been switched. Therefore, “processing when it is determined that the preceding vehicle suddenly brakes” described later is executed. If it is determined that the preceding vehicle has been switched, the process proceeds to step S190.

In step S190, it is determined the direction of the preceding vehicle such as whether the preceding vehicle is traveling in the same direction as the own vehicle or whether the preceding vehicle is traveling in the direction opposite to the own vehicle. The direction of the preceding vehicle can be determined by the conditional expressions shown in the following expressions (10) and (11) by calculating the speed V3 of the preceding vehicle by the following expression (9).
V3 = Relative speed R−Vehicle speed V1 (9)
if V3> 0 then traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle (10)
else if V3 ≦ 0 then travel or stop in the direction opposite to the host vehicle (11)

  If it is determined in step S190 that the preceding vehicle is traveling or stopped in the direction opposite to that of the host vehicle according to equation (11), the process proceeds to step S200. In step S200, as a result of the preceding vehicle being switched, the preceding vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction to the own vehicle, and therefore it can be determined that the oncoming vehicle has crossed in front of the own vehicle due to a right turn or the like. Therefore, “processing when it is determined that the vehicle is crossing” described later is executed. If it is determined by equation (10) that the preceding vehicle is traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S210.

In step S210, the vehicle speeds of the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle are compared. This compares the vehicle speed V1 of the host vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor 101 with the speed V3 of the preceding vehicle calculated by the equation (9) using conditional expressions represented by the following equations (12) and (13). By doing.
if V1 ≧ V3 then interrupt determined (12)
else if V1 <V3 then pass and judge (13)

  As a result of the comparison, if it is determined by the equation (12) that the host vehicle is traveling at a speed higher than that of the preceding vehicle, the other vehicle is traveling at the same or slower speed than the host vehicle before the host vehicle. Can be judged to have interrupted from the side street. In this case, the process proceeds to step S220, and “processing when determined to be an interrupt” described later is executed. If it is determined by Equation (13) that the preceding vehicle is traveling at a higher speed than the own vehicle, the other vehicle overtakes the own vehicle at a faster speed than the own vehicle and It can be judged that it entered. In this case, the process proceeds to step S230, and the “processing when it is determined that overtaking” described later is executed.

  By executing the above-mentioned “processing when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is suddenly braked”, “processing when it is determined that the vehicle is crossing”, “processing when it is determined that it is an interruption”, and “processing when it is determined that it is overtaken” The change in the driver's psychological situation in each situation is determined. Thereafter, the process returns to step S130, and the above processing is repeated until the ignition switch is turned off. If it is determined in step S130 that the ignition switch has been turned off, as in the first embodiment, the process proceeds to step S240, the storage in the vehicle status history storage memory 107 is terminated, and the process is terminated. To do.

The following is a detailed description of each process of “processing when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is suddenly braked”, “processing when it is determined that the vehicle is crossing”, “processing when it is determined that it is an interruption”, and “processing when it is determined that it is overtaken” explain. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing “a process when it is determined that the preceding vehicle suddenly brakes”. In step S410, based on the inter-vehicle distance L1 between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the relative speed R between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, a time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is calculated by the following equation (14).
T1 = L1 / R (14)
As a result, when the vehicle continues traveling while maintaining the current relative speed, the time until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle, that is, the time until the rear-end collision can be calculated.

In step S420, the time T1 until the host vehicle calculated by the equation (14) reaches the preceding vehicle and the reference value T read in advance in step S120 are compared with the conditional equations shown in the following equations (15) and (16). By doing so, it can be determined whether or not the driver's psychological state has changed.
if T1> T then It is determined that there is no change in psychological state (15)
else if T1 ≦ T the determination that there is a change in psychological state (16)

  Here, the reference value T is set to a time sufficient for the driver to avoid a rear-end collision. If the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is greater than the reference value T, the driver has a margin. Therefore, it is possible to determine that the driver's psychological state does not change because it is possible to deal with lane changes and deceleration. Therefore, in this case, the process proceeds to step S430, where “no change in psychological state” is determined, and the process returns to step S130 in FIG. On the other hand, if the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is less than or equal to the reference value T, the driver must hurry to avoid a rear-end collision, and the psychological state has changed. Judgment can be made. Therefore, in this case, the process proceeds to step S440.

  In step S440, the difference between the reference value T and the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle calculated in step S420 is calculated, and whether or not the difference exceeds the reference value T2 read in advance in step S120. Judgment is made. Here, the specified value T2 is a limit that allows the normal operation to avoid a rear-end collision with the preceding vehicle if the difference is up to T2 even when the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is equal to or less than the reference value T. Is set. In other words, when performing an operation to avoid a rear-end collision, there is not enough time as T1, but if the driver suddenly decelerates or changes lanes or the preceding vehicle accelerates, the rear-end collision is avoided. Is a possible limit value. Therefore, if this difference is less than the prescribed value T2, it can be determined that the driver's psychological state does not change significantly. However, if the difference is greater than or equal to the specified value T2, the rear-end collision with the preceding vehicle cannot be avoided in normal operation, and the driver needs emergency operation such as forcible lane change or sudden braking, or It can be determined that the preceding vehicle needs to perform rapid acceleration, and the driver's psychological state changes greatly.

When the above determination is expressed by a conditional expression, the following expressions (17) and (18) are obtained.
if T−T1 ≧ T2 then Determined as a large change in psychological state (17)
else if T−T1 <T2 then It is determined that the change in psychological state is small (18)

  As represented by Expression (17), when the difference between the reference value T and the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference value T2, the driver needs to perform an emergency operation. Therefore, it progresses to step S450 and it determines with the change of a psychological state being large. On the other hand, as expressed by Expression (18), when the difference between the reference value T and the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is less than the reference value T2, the driver is sufficient. Although there is no time allowance, a rear-end collision can be avoided by a normal operation, so the process proceeds to step S460 and it is determined that the change in psychological state is small. When the determination is completed, the process returns to step S130 in FIG.

  Specific examples in the above-described “processing when judged to be sudden braking” are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIG. 5, in FIG. 5A, the host vehicle 5 b travels following the preceding vehicle 5 a. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the preceding vehicle suddenly brakes, the distance between the preceding vehicle 5a and the own vehicle 5b decreases, and accordingly, the time until the own vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle. T1 is decreasing. Thereafter, in FIG. 5C, the preceding vehicle 5a is gradually accelerated, and T1 is gradually increased.

  FIG. 6 is a graph showing the increase and decrease of T1 in FIG. FIG. 6A is a graph showing a case where the condition represented by the expression (15) is satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the driver's psychological state does not change”. In FIG. 6 (a), even when the preceding vehicle applies sudden braking and the time T1 until the host vehicle indicated by reference numeral 6a reaches the preceding vehicle decreases, the reference value T or higher indicated by reference numeral 6d is maintained. Therefore, it is determined that “the driver's psychological state does not change”.

  FIG. 6B is a graph showing a case where the condition represented by the expression (18) is satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the change in the psychological state is small”. In FIG. 6B, when the preceding vehicle suddenly brakes and the time T1 until the host vehicle indicated by reference numeral 6a reaches the preceding vehicle decreases, the reference value T indicated by reference numeral 6d falls below. Since the width below this time, that is, the difference between the reference value T and the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is less than the reference value T2, it is determined as “small change in psychological state”. The

  FIG. 6C is a graph showing a case where the condition represented by the expression (17) is satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the psychological state is greatly changed”. Similar to the graph shown in FIG. 6 (b), in FIG. 6 (c), when the preceding vehicle suddenly brakes and the time T1 until the host vehicle shown in reference numeral 6a reaches the preceding vehicle decreases, It is below the reference value T indicated by reference numeral 6d. Since the width below this time, that is, the difference between the reference value T and the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference value T2, it is determined that the psychological state is greatly changed. .

Next, “processing when it is determined to cross” will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the “processing when it is determined that the vehicle is crossing”. In step S510, based on the inter-vehicle distance L1 between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the relative speed R between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, a time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is calculated by equation (14). In step S520, the time T1 until the host vehicle calculated by the equation (14) reaches the preceding vehicle and the reference value T3 read in advance in step S120 are compared with the conditional equations shown in the following equations (19) and (20). It is possible to determine a change in psychological state by performing the above.
if T1 ≧ T3 then It is determined that there is little or no change in psychological state (19)
else if T1 <T3 then Determined as a large change in psychological state (20)

  Here, the reference value T3 can be set to a value different from the reference value T2 used in the equations (17) and (18) in the above-mentioned “processing when it is determined that the preceding vehicle sudden braking”. Accordingly, when the behavior of the preceding vehicle is different, it is possible to determine the change in the driver's psychological state according to the behavior.

  If it is determined from the equation (20) that the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is less than the reference value T3, the process proceeds to step S580, and the driver needs to perform an emergency operation. It is determined that the state change is large, and the process returns to step S130 of FIG. On the other hand, as shown in Expression (19), when it is determined that the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference value T3, the process proceeds to step S530, and the change in the psychological state is “small” Or “None” to continue the process.

  In step S530, the direction of the preceding vehicle is determined by equations (9), (10), and (11). If it is determined that the direction of the preceding vehicle is the same direction as that of the host vehicle, the vehicle has temporarily crossed, but it can be determined that the crossing vehicle has already passed. For this reason, it progresses to step S570, it determines with there being no change of a driver | operator's psychological state, and returns to step S130 of FIG.

If it is determined that the preceding vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction to the host vehicle or is stopped, it can be determined that a preceding vehicle has crossed, such as a right turn of an oncoming vehicle at the present time. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S540, and based on the current relative speed and the inter-vehicle distance, the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is calculated again by the equation (14). Based on this result and the reference value T3, in step S550, a change in the driver's psychological state is determined by the conditional expressions (21) and (22) below.
if T1 ≧ T3 then It is determined that there is no change in psychological state (21)
else if T1 <T3 then It is determined that the change in psychological state is small (22)
If it is determined from Equation (22) that the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is smaller than the reference value T3, the process proceeds to step S560, where it is determined that the change in the driver's psychological state is small. Returning to step S130 of FIG.

  If the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is determined to be greater than or equal to the reference value T3 according to Expression (21), it is determined that there is no change in the driver's psychological state at the present time. In this case, the process returns to step S530, and the direction of the preceding vehicle is determined again using equations (9), (10), and (11). Here, when it is determined that the direction of the preceding vehicle is the same direction as the own vehicle, it can be determined that the crossing vehicle has already passed, so the process proceeds to step S570, and finally it is determined that there is no change in the psychological state. If it is determined that the preceding vehicle is still traveling in the opposite direction to the own vehicle or is stopped, the psychological state of the driver may change due to the approach of the crossing vehicle in the future, so step S540, Steps S550 and S530 are repeated.

  As a result of repeatedly performing Step S540, Step S550, and Step S530, when the process finally proceeds to Step S560, it is determined that the change in the driver's psychological state is small, and when the process proceeds to Step S570, the driver's It is determined that there is no change in psychological state.

  Specific examples of the “processing when it is determined that the vehicle is crossing” described above are shown in FIGS. In FIG. 8, in FIG. 8 (a), the host vehicle 5b travels following the preceding vehicle 5a, and the crossing vehicle 8a, that is, the oncoming vehicle that makes a right turn, moves the opposite lane in the opposite direction to the own vehicle 5b. Running. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8B, the crossing vehicle 8a makes a right turn, and the preceding vehicle for the host vehicle is temporarily switched from 5a to 8a. As a result, the inter-vehicle distance between the crossing vehicle (new preceding vehicle) 8a and the host vehicle 5b decreases, and accordingly, the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle decreases. Thereafter, in FIG. 8C, the crossing vehicle 8a completes the right turn, the preceding vehicle for the host vehicle returns to 5a, and T1 increases.

  FIG. 9 is a graph showing the increase and decrease of T1 in FIG. In each figure of FIG. 9, it represents that the preceding vehicle has switched from 5a to the crossing vehicle 8a by the point shown with the code | symbol 9e. That is, it represents that the state shown in FIG. 8A is switched to the state shown in FIG. Therefore, in 9e, the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is reduced. And at the point shown with the code | symbol 9f, it represents that the right turn of the crossing vehicle 8a was completed, the preceding vehicle returned to 5a, and switched to the state shown in FIG.8 (c).

  FIG. 9A is a graph showing a case where the conditions represented by the equations (19) and (21) are satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the driver's psychological state does not change”. When the crossing vehicle 8a makes a right turn and the preceding vehicle switches from 5a to the crossing vehicle 8a at the point indicated by reference numeral 9e, the decrease in T1 starts. At this time, T1 is equal to or greater than the reference value T3 at the time of the reference numeral 9e, and before reaching the reference value T3, the right turn of the crossing vehicle 8a is completed as shown in FIG. 8C, and the preceding vehicle becomes the preceding vehicle 5a. Since it has returned, it is determined that “the driver's psychological state has not changed”.

  FIG. 9B is a graph showing a case where the conditions represented by the equations (19) and (22) are satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the driver's psychological state is small in change”. The crossing vehicle 8a makes a right turn, and T1 starts decreasing at a point indicated by reference numeral 9e. At this time, T1 is equal to or greater than the reference value T3 at the time of reference numeral 9e, but as the crossing vehicle 8a crosses by a right turn, the inter-vehicle distance with the host vehicle decreases as shown in FIG. 8B. Thereby, since T1 is less than the reference value T3 at the point indicated by reference numeral 9g, it is determined that the psychological state is small.

  FIG. 9C is a graph showing a case where the condition represented by the expression (20) is satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the psychological state is greatly changed”. The crossing vehicle 8a makes a right turn, and T1 starts decreasing at a point indicated by reference numeral 9e. At this time, since T1 has already fallen below the reference value T3 at the time of the reference numeral 9e, it is determined that the psychological state is greatly changed.

  Next, the “processing when it is determined that an interruption has occurred” will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the “processing when it is determined that an interruption occurs”. In step S610, based on the inter-vehicle distance L1 between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the relative speed R between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, a time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is calculated according to Equation (14). In step S620, the time T1 until the host vehicle calculated by the equation (14) reaches the preceding vehicle and the reference value T3 read in advance in step S120 are compared using the conditional expressions shown in the equations (19) and (20). The change of the psychological state is determined by performing.

  Here, the reference value T3 uses the same value as the reference value T3 used in the equations (19) and (20) in the above-mentioned “processing when judged to be crossing”, but is different as T4 or the like. It is also possible to set a value. Accordingly, when the behavior of the preceding vehicle is different, it is possible to determine the change in the driver's psychological state according to the behavior. In the present embodiment, for simplification of description, description will be made using T3 which is the same as the above-described “processing when it is determined that the vehicle has crossed”.

  If it is determined from equation (20) that the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is less than the reference value T3, the process proceeds to step S680, where it is determined that the change in the psychological state is large, and step S130 in FIG. Return to. On the other hand, as shown in Expression (19), when it is determined that the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference value T3, the process proceeds to step S630, and the change in the psychological state is “small”. Or “None” to continue the process.

  In step S630, the vehicle speed V1 of the host vehicle is compared with the speed V3 of the preceding vehicle calculated by the equation (9). If it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling at a slower speed than the preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance is temporarily reduced due to the interruption, but the inter-vehicle distance is gradually opened thereafter, so that step S670 is performed. It is determined that there is no change in the driver's psychological state. If it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling at a higher speed than the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S640, where the own vehicle is determined by the formula (14) based on the current relative speed and the inter-vehicle distance. The time T1 until reaching is calculated again. Based on this result and the reference value T3, in step S650, a change in the driver's psychological state is determined by the conditional expressions (21) and (22).

  If it is determined from Equation (22) that the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is smaller than the reference value T3, the process proceeds to step S660, where it is determined that the change in the driver's psychological state is small. Returning to step S130 of FIG.

  If the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is determined to be greater than or equal to the reference value T3 according to Expression (21), it is determined that there is no change in the driver's psychological state at the present time. In this case, the process returns to step S630, and the vehicle speed V1 of the host vehicle is again compared with the speed V3 of the preceding vehicle calculated by Expression (9). If it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling at a slower speed than the preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S670, where it is determined that there is no change in the driver's psychological state. If it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling at a higher speed than the preceding vehicle, the driver's psychological state may change due to a decrease in the predicted distance between the vehicles in the future. , Steps S550 and S530 are repeated.

  That is, if the preceding vehicle accelerates or decelerates before the time T1 until the own vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle becomes smaller than the reference value T3, the operation finally proceeds from step S630 to step S670. It is determined that there is no change in the person's psychological state. On the other hand, if the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle after a certain time has elapsed becomes smaller than the reference value T3, the process finally proceeds from step S660 to step S670, and the driver's psychological state Is determined to be small.

  Specific examples of the “processing when it is determined that an interrupt has occurred” described above are shown in FIGS. In FIG. 11, in FIG. 11A, the host vehicle 5 b travels following the preceding vehicle 5 a, and an interrupting vehicle 11 a, that is, a vehicle that interrupts between the preceding vehicle 5 a and the own vehicle 5 b is a side road. Is approaching. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), the interrupting vehicle 11a interrupts, and the preceding vehicle for the host vehicle is switched from 5a to 11a. As a result, the inter-vehicle distance between the interrupting vehicle (new preceding vehicle) 8a and the host vehicle 5b is reduced, and accordingly, the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is reduced. Thereafter, in FIG. 11C, T1 increases as the new preceding vehicle 8a accelerates.

  FIG. 12 is a graph showing the increase and decrease of T1 in FIG. In each figure of FIG. 12, it represents that the preceding vehicle has switched from 5a to the interruption vehicle 11a by the point shown with the code | symbol 12e. That is, it represents that the state shown in FIG. 11A is switched to the state shown in FIG. Therefore, in 11e, the time T1 until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle is reduced. Then, T1 increases due to the subsequent acceleration of the preceding vehicle 11a.

  FIG. 12A is a graph showing a case where the conditions expressed by the equations (19) and (21) are satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the psychological state of the driving F does not change”. When the interrupting vehicle 11a interrupts and the preceding vehicle switches from 5a to the interrupting vehicle 11a at the point indicated by reference numeral 12e, T1 decreases as shown in FIG. 11 (b). At this time, T1 is equal to or greater than the reference value T3 at the time of the reference numeral 12e, and since the interrupting vehicle 11a is accelerating as shown in FIG. No state change ”is determined.

  FIG. 12B is a graph showing a case where the conditions represented by the expressions (19) and (22) are satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the driver's psychological state is small in change”. When the interrupting vehicle 11a interrupts and the preceding vehicle switches from 5a to the interrupting vehicle 11a at the point indicated by reference numeral 12e, T1 decreases as shown in FIG. 11 (b). At this time, T1 is equal to or greater than the reference value T3 at the time of reference numeral 11e, but T1 falls below the reference value T3 at a point indicated by reference numeral 12f between the time when the interrupting vehicle 11a makes an interruption and acceleration. Thereby, it is determined that “the change in the psychological state is small”.

  FIG. 12C is a graph showing a case where the condition represented by the equation (20) is satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the psychological state is greatly changed”. The interrupting vehicle 11a interrupts, and T1 decreases at the point indicated by reference numeral 12e. At this time, since T1 has already fallen below the reference value T3 at the time of the reference numeral 12e, it is determined that the psychological state is greatly changed.

  Next, the “processing when it is determined that overtaking” will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the “processing when it is determined that overtaking”. In step S710, the inter-vehicle distance L1 between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the reference value L3 read in advance in step S120 are compared by equations (5) and (6), and a change in the driver's psychological state is determined. If it is determined by equation (5) that the inter-vehicle distance L1 is equal to or greater than the reference value L3, the process proceeds to step S720 and it is determined that there is no change in the driver's psychological state.

If it is determined by equation (6) that the inter-vehicle distance L1 is less than the reference value L3, the process proceeds to step S730, and the difference between the reference value L3 and the current inter-vehicle distance L1 is compared with the reference value L5. . Here, even if the inter-vehicle distance L1 between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is shorter than the reference value L3, the driver can continue driving without feeling dangerous if the difference is less than L5. The maximum possible inter-vehicle distance is set. Therefore, when the difference is equal to or greater than L5, it is possible to determine that the preceding vehicle has forcibly interrupted ahead of the host vehicle, and that the driver has felt danger such as a rear-end collision. Therefore, the change in the driver's psychological state is determined by the following conditional expressions (23) and (24).
if L3−L1 <L5 then It is determined that the change in the psychological state is small (23)
else if L3-L1 ≧ L5 then Determined as a large change in psychological state (24)

  From Expression (23), if the difference between the reference value L3 and the inter-vehicle distance L1 is less than the specified value L5, the process proceeds to step S750, where it is determined that the change in the driver's psychological state is small. However, from the equation (24), when the difference is equal to or greater than the specified value L5, the process proceeds to step S740, where it is determined that the driver's psychological state is greatly changed.

  Specific examples in the above-described “processing when it is determined that overtaking” are shown in FIGS. In FIG. 14, in FIG. 14 (a), the host vehicle 5b travels following the preceding vehicle 5a, and the overtaking vehicle 14a that overtakes the host vehicle 5b in the future travels in the adjacent lane. Thereafter, the overtaking vehicle 14a overtakes as shown in FIG. 14B, and the preceding vehicle for the host vehicle is switched from 5a to 14a. Thereby, the inter-vehicle distance L1 between the overtaking vehicle (new leading vehicle) 14a and the host vehicle 5b decreases. Thereafter, in FIG. 14C, the inter-vehicle distance L1 increases as the new preceding vehicle 14a accelerates.

  FIG. 15 is a graph showing changes in the inter-vehicle distance L1 in FIG. In each figure of FIG. 15, the point shown by the code | symbol 15e represents that the preceding vehicle has switched from 5a to the overtaking vehicle 14a. That is, it represents that the state shown in FIG. 14A is switched to the state shown in FIG. Therefore, at 15e, the inter-vehicle distance L1 between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle decreases. Then, L1 increases due to the subsequent acceleration of the preceding vehicle 14a.

  FIG. 15A is a graph showing a case where the condition represented by Expression (5) is satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the driver's psychological state does not change”. When the overtaking vehicle 14a overtakes and the preceding vehicle is switched from 5a to the overtaking vehicle 14a at the point indicated by reference numeral 15e, L1 decreases as shown in FIG. 14 (b). At this time, L1 is equal to or greater than the reference value L3 at the time of reference numeral 15e, and the vehicle 14a is accelerating as shown in FIG. 14C before reaching the reference value L3. No state change ”is determined.

  FIG. 15B is a graph showing a case where the condition represented by the expression (23) is satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the change in the driver's psychological state is small”. When the overtaking vehicle 14a overtakes and the preceding vehicle is switched from 5a to the overtaking vehicle 14a at the point indicated by reference numeral 15e, L1 decreases as shown in FIG. 14 (b). At this time, L1 is less than the reference value L3 at the time of the reference numeral 15e, and the difference between the reference value L3 and the inter-vehicle distance L1 is less than the reference value L5. Determined.

  FIG. 15C is a graph showing a case where the condition represented by the equation (24) is satisfied, that is, a case where it is determined that “the psychological state is greatly changed”. When the overtaking vehicle 14a overtakes and the preceding vehicle is switched from 5a to the overtaking vehicle 14a at the point indicated by reference numeral 15e, L1 decreases as shown in FIG. 14 (b). At this time, L1 is lower than the reference value L3 at the time of the reference numeral 15e, and the difference between the reference value L3 and the inter-vehicle distance L1 at this time is equal to or greater than the reference value L5. Determined.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, changes in the driver's psychological state are immediately performed in response to sudden preceding vehicle actions such as “sudden braking”, “crossing”, “interrupt”, and “passing”. Can be determined. In addition, it is possible to determine whether the degree of change is large or small when it is determined that the change has occurred.

  In the present embodiment, each reference value is set in advance, but it may be automatically calculated by a predetermined algorithm from past vehicle state information stored in the vehicle state history storage memory 107. Good. In addition, each reference value may be set to a different value for each action of the preceding vehicle such as “sudden braking”, “crossing”, “interrupt”, “pass”, or set a common value for all actions. May be.

  When determining the change in the driver's psychological state, if the action of the preceding vehicle is “Sudden Brake”, “Crossover”, or “Interrupt”, the “Time until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle” Judgment was made based on this. On the other hand, when the action of the preceding vehicle is “pass”, the determination is made based on “the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle”. However, the present invention is not limited to the above method, and the determination may be made based on either “time until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle” or “the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle” in each pattern.

  The correspondence between the constituent elements of the claims and the embodiment will be described. The vehicle speed sensor 101 serves as vehicle speed detection means, reduction determination means and recognition means, the laser radar 102 serves as inter-vehicle distance detection means, relative speed detection means, reduction judgment means and recognition means, and the blinker switch 103 serves as lane change detection means and recognition means. Equivalent to. The own vehicle situation history storage memory 107 corresponds to storage means, and the psychological state determination unit 104a corresponds to first and second psychological state change determination means. Note that the present invention is not limited to the configurations in the above-described embodiments as long as the characteristic functions of the present invention are not impaired.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the driver | operator's psychological state determination apparatus by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process which determines the change of the driver | operator's psychological state in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process which determines the change of the driver | operator's psychological state in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of a process at the time of determining with a preceding vehicle sudden brake. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the vehicle at the time of determining that it is a preceding vehicle sudden brake. It is a figure which shows the graph of a driver | operator's psychological state at the time of determining with a preceding vehicle sudden brake. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of a process when it is judged that it crosses. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the vehicle of the process at the time of determining that it is crossing. It is a figure which shows the graph of the driver | operator's mental state of the process at the time of determining that it is crossing. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of a process when it is judged as interruption. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the vehicle of the process at the time of determining with interruption. It is a figure which shows the graph of the driver | operator's psychological state of the process at the time of determining with interruption. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of a process when it is judged that it overtakes. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the vehicle of the process at the time of determining with overtaking. It is a figure which shows the graph of the driver | operator's psychological state of the process at the time of determining with overtaking.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Psychological state determination apparatus 101 Vehicle speed sensor 102 Laser radar 103 Winker switch 104 Psychological state determination circuit 105 ROM
106 RAM
107 Vehicle status history storage memory

Claims (7)

An inter-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;
Vehicle speed detection means for measuring the vehicle speed of the host vehicle;
A relative speed detecting means for detecting a relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;
Lane change detection means for detecting a lane change of the host vehicle;
Based on the detected inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, the relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and the lane change of the host vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “host vehicle situation”). A driver psychological state determination device characterized by comprising first driver psychological state change determining means for determining a change in a driver's psychological state. In the driver psychological state determination device according to claim 1,
Storage means for storing a history of the detected vehicle situation;
When the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle decreases by a predetermined distance or more during a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as “reduction in inter-vehicle distance”), the current host vehicle status and the storage means are stored. And a reduction determination means for determining whether or not the decrease in the inter-vehicle distance is caused by the preceding vehicle based on the history of the own vehicle situation,
The first driver psychological state change determining unit determines that the current inter-vehicle distance is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value when the decrease determining unit determines that the decrease in the inter-vehicle distance is caused by the preceding vehicle. A driver psychological state determination apparatus, characterized in that in some cases, the driver's psychological state is determined to have changed. In the driver psychological state determination device according to claim 1,
An arrival time calculating means for calculating a time until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle (inter-vehicle time) based on an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and a relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;
A driver psychological state determination device further comprising second driver psychological state change determination means for determining a change in a driver's psychological state based on the inter-vehicle time. In the driver psychological state determination device according to claim 2 or 3,
The decrease in the inter-vehicle distance is caused by any one of the four patterns of “the sudden braking of the preceding vehicle”, “crossing of the other vehicle”, “interrupt from the side road of the other vehicle”, and “interrupt by overtaking of the other vehicle”. A recognition means for recognizing
The driver psychological state determination device, wherein the first or second driver psychological state change determination unit determines a change in the driver's psychological state according to each pattern recognized by the recognition unit. The driver psychological state determination device according to claim 2,
An arrival time calculating means for calculating a time until the host vehicle reaches the preceding vehicle (inter-vehicle time) based on an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and a relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;
A driver psychological state determination device further comprising second driver psychological state change determination means for determining a change in a driver's psychological state based on the inter-vehicle time. The driver psychological state determination device according to claim 5,
The decrease in the inter-vehicle distance is caused by any of the four patterns of “sudden braking of the preceding vehicle”, “crossing of another vehicle”, “interrupt from side road of other vehicle”, and “interrupt by overtaking of other vehicle”. A recognition means for recognizing whether
The driver psychological state determination device, wherein the first or second driver psychological state change determination unit determines a change in the driver's psychological state according to each pattern recognized by the recognition unit. The driver psychological state determination device according to claim 6,
Preceding vehicle switching determination means for determining whether or not the preceding vehicle has been switched based on the current inter-vehicle distance and the inter-vehicle distance stored in the storage means;
Preceding vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the speed of the preceding vehicle based on the speed of the own vehicle and the relative speed between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle;
The recognition means is
(1) When it is determined by the phenomenon determination means that the decrease in the inter-vehicle distance is caused by a preceding vehicle, and the preceding vehicle switching determination means determines that the preceding vehicle has not been switched, Recognizing that it is a sudden braking of the preceding vehicle,
(2) The other vehicle is determined from the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle (the other vehicle) detected by the preceding vehicle speed detecting unit after the switching determination by the preceding vehicle switching determining unit. When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction to the host vehicle or is stopped, the vehicle is recognized as “crossing another vehicle”,
(3) From the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle (the other vehicle) that is determined by the preceding vehicle switching determination means that the preceding vehicle has been switched and is detected by the preceding vehicle speed detection means after the switching determination, If it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle and that the speed of the host vehicle is higher than the speed of the preceding vehicle, it is the “interrupt from the side road of the other vehicle”. Recognized,
(4) The other vehicle is determined from the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle (the other vehicle) detected by the preceding vehicle speed detecting unit after the switching determination by the preceding vehicle switching determining unit. If it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle, and the host vehicle speed is determined to be lower than the speed of the other vehicle, Judgment,
The first or second driver psychological state change determination means determines the driver's psychological state by a different algorithm for each of the determinations (1) to (4) determined by the recognition means. Driver psychological state determination device.

Images