JP2007069756A - Vehicle input operation restricting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle input operation restricting device enabling a driver to safely make input operation even during the running of the vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A vehicle navigation system 10 is controlled by a navigation ECU 14. Upon receiving electric wave from a plurality of artificial satellites through a GPS antenna 16, both a present position and its surrounding maps are displayed at a liquid crystal display 18. The navigation ECU 14 has a face orientation discriminating means 60 for discriminating whether or not the face of a driver 38 detected by a camera 22 for the driver faces to a direction other than a front surface of a vehicle 12, means 62 for calculating a total looking aside time while driving by calculating a time period in which the face of the driver 38 discriminated by a face orientation discriminating means 60 does not face against the front surface of the vehicle 12 and computing the total looking aside time, an input allowing means 64 for allowing input operation to be carried out when the total looking aside time set by the total looking aside time calculating means 62 is less than a predetermined specific time, and an input restricting means 66 for restricting an inputting operation when the total looking aside time exceeds the predetermined specific time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle input operation restricting device, and more particularly to a vehicle that permits or restricts an input operation according to a driver's state when the driver performs an input operation of a device mounted on the vehicle while driving the vehicle. The present invention relates to an input operation restriction device.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, for vehicles such as automobiles, position information obtained by GPS (Global Positioning System) and map information stored in a storage device such as a hard disk device or a DVD (Digital Video Disk) device are displayed on a display. A navigation system is listed.

  In this type of vehicle navigation system, operations such as changing destinations and entering search conditions are prohibited during driving to ensure safety while the vehicle is running, and when the vehicle is stopped It is set so that the input operation can be performed only in (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the vehicle navigation system described in Patent Document 1, when a pressure sensor is provided on the steering wheel and it is detected by the pressure sensor that the driver is holding the steering wheel, input by a passenger other than the driver is performed. The operation is allowed.
JP 2004-271488 A

  However, in the system described in the above cited document, for example, when the driver is holding the steering wheel at a place other than the pressure sensor, it is not detected that the driver is performing the driving operation. In some cases, other passengers may not be able to perform an input operation such as changing the destination even if the user holds the.

  In addition, in a vehicle navigation system, if a passenger in the front passenger seat is performing an input operation such as changing the destination, the driver may change the gripping position by holding the steering wheel. Since it is prohibited, improvement in convenience during driving has been demanded.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular input operation restriction device that solves the above-described problems by detecting the orientation of a driver's face.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following means.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle input operation restricting device for restricting an input operation of a device mounted on a vehicle based on a predetermined condition, a face detecting means for detecting a face of a driver of the vehicle, and the face Face orientation determining means for determining whether or not the driver's face detected by the detecting means is facing in a direction other than the front of the vehicle, and the driver's face determined by the face orientation determining means is the Total look-ahead time calculating means for calculating the total look-ahead time by adding the times when the vehicle is not facing the front, and the input operation when the total look-ahead time by the total look-ahead time calculating means is less than a predetermined time set in advance And an input restricting means for restricting an input operation when the total look-ahead time by the total look-ahead time calculating means exceeds a predetermined time set in advance.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the driver's face direction returns from the look-ahead direction to the front of the vehicle and does not look aside for a predetermined time set by the face-direction determining means, the total look-ahead time calculating means It has the reset means which makes the total look-ahead time by zero become zero.

  The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the input restriction means releases the restriction on the input operation when the total look-aside time is set to zero by the reset means.

The invention according to claim 4 is an imaging camera in which the face detection unit images the driver's face from the front.
The face orientation determining means determines whether or not the driver's face orientation is looking aside based on the driver's face image captured by the camera.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, whether or not the face of the driver faces the front based on the position of the face outline and the face centerline of the driver captured by the imaging camera. It is characterized by determining.

  The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the total look-ahead time calculating means sets a time when the driver's face is facing the device as a look-aside time.

  According to the present invention, the input operation is permitted when the total look-ahead time by the total look-ahead time calculating means is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time set in advance, and the input operation is restricted when the total look-ahead time exceeds the predetermined time set in advance. Therefore, for example, even when the driver is driving the vehicle, it is determined that the face direction is returned to the front of the vehicle during the input operation, and the input operation by the driver is permitted as confirming the front of the vehicle. And safe driving of the vehicle can be ensured.

  In addition, when the driver's face returns to the front of the vehicle from the look-ahead direction, the total look-ahead time by means of the total look-ahead time calculating means can be made zero so that the input operation can be released and the input operation can be performed. Thus, both driver convenience and vehicle safety can be achieved.

  In addition, by setting the time when the driver's face is facing the device as a look-aside time, for example, when entering a wide road from a narrow road, a forward check is performed when performing a safety check in the left-right direction. As in the case of doing, it is not necessary to add up to the total look-ahead time as it is not a look-aside, and convenience can be improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a vehicle navigation system to which an embodiment of a vehicle input operation restriction device according to the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the inside of the vehicle. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle navigation system 10 is controlled by a navigation ECU (electronic control unit) 14 mounted on a vehicle 12 such as an automobile, and the navigation ECU 14 has a GPS antenna (position When radio waves from a plurality of artificial satellites (not shown) are received by the measuring means 16, the current position is calculated based on the received signals, and a map of the current position and its surroundings is displayed on the liquid crystal display (display means) 18. To do.

  The vehicle navigation system 10 includes a storage device 20 that stores GPS position information, map information, and other search information, and a driver camera (face detection means) that captures the face of the driver 38 when the vehicle is traveling. 22. The driver camera 22 is composed of an in-vehicle camera using a CCD image sensor or a C-MOS image sensor, for example. Further, as the storage device 20, for example, a hard disk device or a DVD device is used.

  The driver camera 22 is provided at a position where the face of the driver 38 is imaged from the front. For example, an upper part of the column cover 26 of the steering wheel 24 or a meter that can image the face of the driver 38 from the front lower side. It is mounted in the upper part of the front surface of the housing or the inner mirror or the upper part of the windshield. The driver camera 22 may be attached to any position as long as it does not interfere with the driving operation. However, since the face image of the driver 38 changes depending on the camera position, the calculation processing for face orientation detection depends on the camera position. An arithmetic method is used.

  The liquid crystal display 18 is provided at a substantially intermediate position on the dashboard 32 so that it can be seen from both the driver's seat 28 and the passenger seat 30. Therefore, various switches (input means) 34 provided around the liquid crystal display 18 are provided so as to be operated from both the driver seat 28 and the passenger seat 29. The screen of the liquid crystal display 18 is a touch panel type, and various input operations (for example, a destination setting operation) can be performed when the driver 38 or the passenger touches the screen.

  Further, the face image data of the driver 38 captured by the driver camera 22 is supplied to the face direction detection ECU 36. Then, the face direction detection ECU 36 generates face direction detection data of the driver 38 based on the face contour shape and the position of the face center line, as will be described later, and the face contour data corresponding to the face direction while the vehicle is running. Is supplied to the navigation ECU 14.

  The navigation ECU 14 receives vehicle speed information from the vehicle speed calculation unit 42 that calculates the vehicle speed from the speed detection signal detected by the vehicle speed sensor 40. When the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value, the navigation ECU 14 determines that the vehicle is running. It becomes an input regulation state. When the vehicle is traveling, the navigation ECU 14 determines whether or not the driver 38 is facing the front (direction A in FIG. 2), and the direction in which the driver 38 looks at the liquid crystal display 18 (direction B in FIG. 2). Even if the face is faced, if it is within a preset time, the state is switched to an input permission state in which an input operation is permitted.

  The navigation ECU 14 includes a face direction determining unit 60 that determines whether or not the face of the driver 38 detected by the driver camera 22 faces in a direction other than the front (A direction) of the vehicle 12, and a face direction determination. Total look-ahead time calculation means 62 for calculating the total look-ahead time by adding up the times when the face of the driver 38 determined by the means 60 is not facing the front of the vehicle 12 (direction A); An input permission means 64 that permits an input operation when the total look-ahead time by 62 is equal to or less than a predetermined time set in advance; and an input restriction means 66 that restricts an input operation when the total look-ahead time exceeds a predetermined time set in advance. Have

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle navigation system 10. As shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the GPS antenna 16, the liquid crystal display 18, the storage device 20, and the vehicle speed calculation unit 42, a touch panel (input unit) 18 a and a TV tuner 56 are connected to the navigation ECU 14.

  The face direction detection ECU 36 is provided separately from the navigation ECU 14, detects the face direction based on the video signal from the driver camera 22, and detects the face according to the face direction (left-right angle). The direction detection data is output to the navigation ECU 14. The navigation ECU 14 may be integrated so that it also serves as the face direction detection ECU 36.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing a display example of the face image of the driver 38, (A) is a view showing a face image in a state where the driver is looking in front, and (B) is a view of the liquid crystal display 18 by the driver. It is a figure which shows the face image of a state.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the face image of the driver 38 captured by the driver camera 22 with the driver 38 facing the front, the ratio of the horizontal dimension to the vertical dimension is large. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the face image of the driver 38 captured by the driver camera 22 with the driver 38 facing sideways (obliquely lateral direction) is a horizontal image with respect to the vertical dimension. The ratio of dimensions is reduced.

  Therefore, the face direction detection ECU 36 can detect the face direction from the face image of the driver 38 captured by the driver camera 22. As a method for detecting the face orientation of the present embodiment, for example, (1) a method for obtaining a face contour and detecting a change in the face width based on the face contour to detect the face orientation, and (2) detecting the face of the driver 38. A method of finding the face orientation by detecting the position of the face center from the left-right symmetry of the constituent face parts (ear, eye, nose, etc.), (3) From the lateral ratio between the face contour and the movement position of the face centerline There is a method of calculating the face angle. As other face orientation detection methods, it is also possible to detect the face orientation by pattern matching of face contours and face parts (eyes, ears, nose, etc.).

  Hereinafter, a specific example of the face orientation detection method will be described using a method of calculating the face orientation angle from the ratio of the lateral direction between the face contour and the movement position of the face centerline.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing a display example in which the contour of the face image of the driver 38 is image-processed. (A) is a view showing a face contour image when the driver is looking in front. It is a figure which shows the face outline image of the state which is looking at the liquid crystal display.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, a face contour 38A in a state where the driver 38 faces the front of the vehicle 12 is extracted by edge processing, a virtual centerline O of the face is obtained from the face contour 38A, and this virtual center is obtained. The face orientation ratio a / b between the width a of the left face half and the width b of the right face half, which are the left and right regions of the line O, is obtained. For example, when the driver 38 is facing the front, the face orientation ratio is a / b≈1 because the driver 38 is symmetrical.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, a face contour 38B in a state where the driver 38 faces sideways (obliquely lateral direction) is extracted by edge processing, and the virtual center line O ′ of the face is extracted from the face contour 38A. And the face orientation ratio a / b between the width a ′ of the left face half and the width b ′ of the right face half, which are the left and right regions of the virtual center line O, is obtained. For example, when the driver 38 faces sideways, the width a ′ of the left face half increases and the width b ′ of the right face half decreases, so the face orientation ratio is a ′ / b′≈0.3. ~ 0.5.

  Therefore, it is possible to detect the face direction of the driver by calculating the face direction ratio a / b.

  Here, an experimental result on the correlation between the line-of-sight movement (navigation visual recognition time and the number of times of navigation input) of the driver 38 and the front confirmation level when driving the traveling vehicle 12 will be described.

  For example, it has been found that the navigation visual recognition time required for the driver 38 to perform one navigation input operation is 1.5 to 2 seconds on average. On the other hand, the forward visual recognition time for performing forward confirmation between navigation input operations is about 0.5 seconds. The allowable total viewing time required for the navigation input operation during driving is set to, for example, about 6 to 8 seconds (this input allowable time can be set to an arbitrary value). Therefore, the number of times that the driver 38 can perform an input operation while traveling is about four times.

  However, when a navigation input operation is performed, for example, (Procedure 1) display of an initial menu screen, (Procedure 2) selection of search method, (Procedure 3) selection of information field to be displayed, (Procedure 4) setting of search conditions, The number of operations has increased, such as (procedure 5) search execution operation, (procedure 6) search result confirmation operation, and the like. Therefore, in practice, it is difficult to complete an input operation such as a destination change operation or a change of displayed information within a limited input allowable time as described above. Furthermore, since the driver 38 performs the input operation while paying attention to the front, it is easy to make a mistake in the input operation. If the correction operation is included, it is difficult to accurately perform the target input operation within the allowable input time. .

  FIG. 6 is a graph showing experimental results when the driver performs an input operation while viewing the liquid crystal display 18 continuously. FIG. 6A shows a case where the driver is viewing the liquid crystal display 18 continuously. In the graph, (B) is a graph showing the confirmation (forward attention) level of the vehicle traveling direction when continuous visual observation is performed. FIG. 7 is a graph showing experimental results when the driver intermittently performs an input operation while viewing the liquid crystal display 18, and FIG. 7A shows a case where the driver is intermittently viewing the liquid crystal display 18. (B) is a graph showing a confirmation (forward attention) level of the vehicle traveling direction when intermittent visual inspection is performed.

  When the experimental results of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are compared, the following can be found. As shown in FIG. 6A, the driver 38 looks at the liquid crystal display 18 (direction of sight line B: see FIG. 2) at t1 (about 1.5 seconds to about 2 seconds) and looks ahead of the vehicle 12 (sight line A). When viewing time (direction: see FIG. 2) for time t2 (about 0.5 seconds), the navigation input operation is performed in the direction of the line of sight B, and the line of sight is moved in the direction A to check forward. In this case, since the forward confirmation time t2 is shorter than the input operation time t1, as shown in FIG. 6B, the forward confirmation level decreases to the limit level Q when the input operation is performed six times. The Therefore, when an input operation is performed at short time intervals, the number of input operations can be allowed up to six.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7A, the driver 38 looks at the liquid crystal display 18 (direction of sight line B: see FIG. 2) for t1 seconds, and in front of the vehicle 12 (direction of sight line A: see FIG. 2). ) At time t2 ′ (about 1.5 seconds), the forward confirmation is performed at time t2 ′ (about 1.5 seconds) longer than time t2 (about 0.5 seconds). In this case, since the forward confirmation t2 'is long, it can be seen that when the input operation is performed eight times, the forward confirmation level is reduced to the limit level Q as shown in FIG. From this, it is possible to alleviate the decrease in the forward confirmation level by increasing the forward confirmation time during the navigation input operation. Therefore, it can be understood that the driver 38 can achieve both safety and convenience while traveling by distributing the navigation input operation time and the forward confirmation time to the same extent.

  Here, a control process executed by the navigation ECU 14 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the accessory switch of the vehicle 12 is turned on in S11 shown in FIG. 8, the navigation ECU 14 proceeds to S12 and the face orientation data (for example, face contour data and face orientation supplied from the face orientation detection ECU 36). (Including the ratio and the like) is registered in the storage device 20 as determination reference data when the driver 38 faces the front. Normally, when the driver 38 gets on the vehicle 12 and turns on the accessory switch to start the engine, the vehicle state is confirmed by looking at a meter arranged in front of the driver's seat 28. At this time, the face image of the driver 38 captured by the driver camera 22 provided on the column cover 26 is in a state in which the face is facing the front, and thus is registered as the face orientation determination reference data of the driver. The

  Further, the setting of the face orientation data when the driver 38 of S12 faces the front may be automatically performed as described above, or the driver camera 22 is operated by the driver by operating the driver. 38 face images may be taken, and the face images may be registered in the storage device 20 as determination reference data. When the driver operates the shutter switch of the driver camera 22, for example, “To recognize the driver's face from now on. When you make a sound, please stand still for 3 seconds. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the determination accuracy by setting the face orientation data by manual operation.

  Subsequently, in S13, the current position is obtained based on the position information obtained from the GPS antenna 16, and the current position is displayed on the liquid crystal display 18 together with the map information. In the next S14, vehicle speed information is read from the vehicle speed calculation unit 42, and it is determined whether or not the vehicle 12 is traveling. In S14, when the vehicle 12 is traveling, the process proceeds to S15, and the face orientation data is acquired from the face orientation detection ECU 36.

  Subsequently, in S16, the face orientation data acquired from the current face orientation detection ECU 36 is compared with the face orientation data serving as the criterion data acquired in S12 described above, and whether or not the current driver 38 is facing the front. (Face orientation determination means 60). For example, when the current face direction data and the face direction data as the determination reference data substantially match (the face direction ratio is a / b≈1), it is determined that the face of the driver 38 is looking front, If the face orientation data of the driver does not match the face orientation data as the judgment reference data (face orientation ratio is a / b≈0.3 to 0.5), the face of the driver 38 is lateral (direction of the liquid crystal display 18). It is determined that it is facing.

In the next S17, it is checked whether or not the result of the face orientation determination process in S16 is the front orientation. In S17, for example, when the face orientation determination result in S16 is determined as facing the front, the process proceeds to S18, the driver 38 is preset forward confirmation time T _A is driving facing the front It is checked whether or not a predetermined time (for example, time t2 ′ or more) has elapsed.

  In S18, when the forward confirmation state in which the driver 38 is looking forward has passed a predetermined time (time t2 'or more), the process proceeds to S19, and the timer count value Tn of the total look-ahead time is reset to zero. In S18, when the forward confirmation state where the driver 38 is looking forward is as short as the predetermined time or less, the process proceeds to S28 described later, and the total look-ahead time Tn is integrated.

  In next S20, the input restriction mode is canceled, the vehicle 12 permits the input operation (input permission means 64), and the liquid crystal display 18 displays that the input operation by each switch 34 or the touch panel 18a is possible.

  In the next S21, it is checked whether or not there is an input operation such as destination change or route change. In S21, when there is an input operation such as a destination change or a route change (operations similar to S31 to S36 described later), the process proceeds to S22, and the input destination change or route change is set. In S21, when there is no input operation, the process of S22 is omitted.

  In the next S23, the current position is obtained based on the position information obtained from the GPS antenna 16, and it is checked whether or not the destination has been reached. In S23, if the vehicle has not arrived at the destination, the process returns to S14 to determine whether or not the vehicle 12 is traveling. If the vehicle 12 is traveling, the processes of S14 to S23 are repeated.

  If the destination arrives at S23, the process proceeds to S24, the guidance to the destination is terminated, and the current position display mode (no guidance) for displaying only the current position is shifted to S25. In S26, it is checked whether or not the accessory switch of the vehicle 12 is off. If the accessory switch is on, the process returns to S14 described above, and the processes from S14 onward are repeated. If the accessory switch is turned off, the current process is terminated.

  As described above, when it is determined from the face image of the driver 38 captured by the driver camera 22 that the driver 38 has confirmed ahead of the predetermined time or more even when the vehicle 12 is traveling, FIG. (A) The intermittent input operation conditions shown in (B) are satisfied, and safety is maintained even if a navigation input operation is performed during traveling.

  Furthermore, if it is determined in S17 that the driver 38 is looking aside according to the face orientation determination result, the process proceeds to S27, where it is determined that the driver is looking aside, and the total lookahead time Tn is integrated in S28. (Total looking-aside time calculation means 62).

  In next S29, it is checked whether or not the total look-ahead time Tn is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time α (for example, α = about 6 to 8 seconds). In S29, if the total look-ahead time Tn is equal to or less than the specified time α, the process proceeds to S20, the input operation is permitted, and the processes after S21 are performed. Therefore, when the total look-ahead time Tn is equal to or less than the predetermined time α, navigation input operation is possible even while the vehicle is traveling, for example, the driver himself can perform operations such as changing the destination while driving. it can.

  In S29, when the total look-ahead time Tn reaches the specified time α, the process proceeds to S30, where the input operation is restricted and an indication that the input operation is not possible is displayed on the liquid crystal display 18 (input restriction means 66). Thereafter, the process returns to S14 described above, and the processes after S14 are repeated.

  Thus, in the vehicle navigation system 10, if the total look-ahead time Tn is within the specified time α, the intermittent input operation condition (see FIGS. 7A and 7B) is satisfied, so the vehicle 12 Even when the driver is traveling, both safety and convenience are ensured even if the driver 38 can perform navigation input operations and change destinations. In addition, when there is a passenger in the passenger seat 30, the passenger can perform an input operation using the switches 34 or the touch panel 18a. In this case, if the driver 38 is facing the front and confirming the front, the input is not prohibited during the input operation by the passenger, and both convenience and vehicle safety can be achieved.

  In S14, when the vehicle 12 is stopped (V = 0 km / h), the process proceeds to S31 shown in FIG. 9 to enable an input operation. That is, in S31, it is checked whether or not a destination has been input. In S31, when the destination is input by the input operation of each switch 34 or the touch panel 18a, the process proceeds to S32, and it is checked whether or not the input destination is confirmed.

  When the destination is determined in S32, the process proceeds to S33, where a route (route) from the current position to the determined destination is searched and based on priority conditions (for example, shortest distance, expressway, general road, etc.) A plurality of routes are displayed on the liquid crystal display 18. In S34, it is checked whether one route is selected from a plurality of routes by an input operation of each switch 34 or the touch panel 18a.

  In S34, when one route is selected, the process proceeds to S35, and it is checked whether or not a guidance start input operation has been performed. In S35, when the guidance start is input, the process proceeds to S36, and shifts to a guidance display mode in which directions are guided and displayed on the map so that the vehicle 12 travels along the selected route. Then, it returns to said S14 and it is judged whether the said vehicle 12 is drive | working. Further, when the guidance start is not input in S35 or when the destination is not input in S31, the process returns to S14 to determine whether or not the vehicle 12 is traveling.

  The processes in S31 to S36 are processes performed in response to an input operation for setting a destination and a travel route to the destination. In S21 described above, the destination and the travel route to the destination are also performed. Is changed, the input operation is performed in the same procedure as in S31 to S36.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a modification of the control process executed by the navigation ECU 14. In FIG. 10, when the accessory switch of the vehicle 12 is turned on in S11, the process proceeds to S12, where the driver 38 uses the driver camera 22 to navigate in the navigation direction (direction B for viewing the liquid crystal display 18, see FIG. 2). ) Is obtained, and this face orientation data is registered in the storage device 20 as determination reference data.

In S17a, it is checked whether or not the result of the face orientation determination process is the navigation direction. If it is determined in S17a that the face orientation determination result is not directed in the navigation direction, the process proceeds to S18, and the driver 38 selects a vehicle traveling direction other than the navigation direction (for example, including the front, left and right directions, and rear). since you are driving look forward confirmation time T _a is preset predetermined time (e.g., time t2 'above) to check whether the elapsed.

  If it is determined in S17a that the face orientation determination result indicates the navigation direction, the process proceeds to S27, where it is determined that the total look-ahead operation is being performed, and the total look-ahead time Tn is integrated in S28.

  As described above, in the modification, when it is determined that the face orientation determination result does not face the navigation direction (direction B), the vehicle traveling direction is confirmed in the same manner as when the driver 38 confirms the front. (For example, when the vehicle 12 goes from a narrow road to a wide road, stop and check the left and right directions, etc.) Can do.

  It is also possible for the passenger in the passenger seat 20 to perform an input operation using the switches 34 or the touch panel 18a while the driver 38 is looking in a direction other than the navigation direction (direction B) while traveling. In this case, input is not prohibited during the input operation by the passenger, and both convenience and vehicle safety can be achieved.

  In the above embodiment, the driver 38 can perform the input operation of the vehicle navigation system 10 even while traveling within a predetermined time set in advance. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other devices (for example, traveling) (Such as connecting to an information network such as the Internet, car stereo switch operation, air conditioner switch operation, etc.), and restricting the input operation within a specified time period. Of course it is good.

It is a block diagram which shows one Example of the navigation system for vehicles which becomes this invention. It is a top view which shows the inside of a vehicle typically. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle navigation system 10. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of a face image of the driver 38, (A) is a diagram showing a face image when the driver is looking at the front, and (B) is a face when the driver is looking at the liquid crystal display 18. It is a figure which shows an image. It is a figure which shows the example of a display which image-processed the outline of the face image of the driver | operator 38, (A) is a figure which shows the face outline image in the state which the driver | operator looks at the front, (B) is a driver | operator's liquid crystal display 18 It is a figure which shows the face outline image of the state which is watching. It is a graph which shows the experimental result at the time of a driver | operator's inputting operation while observing the liquid crystal display 18 continuously, (A) is a graph which shows the case where the driver | operator is observing the liquid crystal display 18 continuously, (B) is a graph showing the level of confirmation (forward attention) of the vehicle traveling direction when continuous visual observation is performed. It is a graph which shows the experimental result at the time of a driver | operator's intermittently performing input operation, looking at the liquid crystal display 18, and (A) is a graph which shows the case where the driver | operator is looking at the liquid crystal display 18 intermittently. , (B) is a graph showing the confirmation (forward attention) level of the vehicle traveling direction when intermittent visual inspection is performed. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control processing which ECU14 for navigation performs. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control process which navigation ECU14 performs while a vehicle stops. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a modification of the control process executed by the navigation ECU.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle navigation system 12 Vehicle 14 Navigation ECU
16 GPS antenna 18 Liquid crystal display 20 Storage device 22 Driver camera 28 Driver seat 30 Passenger seat 36 Face orientation detection ECU
42 Vehicle speed calculation unit 60 Face orientation determination means 62 Total looking-aside time calculation means 64 Input permission means 66 Input restriction means

Claims (6)

In a vehicle input operation restricting device that restricts an input operation of a device mounted on a vehicle based on a predetermined condition,
Face detection means for detecting the face of the driver of the vehicle;
Face orientation determining means for determining whether or not the driver's face detected by the face detecting means is facing in a direction other than the front of the vehicle;
Total look-ahead time calculating means for calculating a total look-ahead time by adding up times when the driver's face determined by the face orientation determining means is not facing the front of the vehicle;
An input permission means for permitting the input operation when a total look-ahead time by the total look-ahead time calculating means is equal to or less than a predetermined time set in advance;
Input restriction means for restricting an input operation when the total look-ahead time by the total look-ahead time calculating means exceeds a preset specified time;
A vehicle input operation restricting device, comprising:   When the driver's face orientation returns from the look-ahead direction to the front of the vehicle and does not look aside for a predetermined time set by the face-direction determination means, the total look-ahead time by the total look-ahead time calculation means is set to zero. The vehicle input operation restricting device according to claim 1, further comprising a reset unit.   The vehicle input operation restriction device according to claim 2, wherein the input restriction unit releases the restriction on the input operation when the total look-aside time is set to zero by the reset unit. The face detection means is an imaging camera that images the driver's face from the front,
2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the face orientation determination unit determines whether or not the driver's face orientation is looking aside based on the driver's face image captured by the camera. Input operation restriction device.   The face orientation determining means determines whether or not the driver's face is facing the front based on a contour of the driver's face imaged by the imaging camera and a position of a face center line. The vehicle input operation restricting device according to claim 4.   The vehicle input operation restricting device according to claim 1, wherein the total look-ahead time calculating means sets a time when the driver's face is facing the device as a look-aside time.

Images