JP2009048307A - Driving support device, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driver with driving support suitable for each driver more easily. <P>SOLUTION: An attribute estimation part 82 estimates an attribute of a driver based on a feature amount extracted by a face image of the driver. A driving support level setting part 83 sets a driving support level based on the estimated attribute of the driver. A driving support level learning part 85 learns a level of driving skill based on driving information indicating history of driving operation collected by a driving information part 84, and updates the driving support level based on the level of driving skill. A driving support part 87 performs a driving support according to the driving support level. The present invention can be applied to an on-vehicle driving support device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support apparatus and method, and a program, and more particularly, to a driving support apparatus and method that supports driving of a vehicle, and a program.

  Conventionally, obstacles around the vehicle are detected using millimeter wave radar, laser radar, etc., and when there is a risk of collision with the obstacle, an alarm to alert the driver or automatic control of the brake A driving support system has been put into practical use. However, the function of such a driving support system may be troublesome for a driver with high driving skill.

  Therefore, in order to provide driving assistance suitable for each driver, the driver's license number, driving history (date of driver's license acquisition), age, gender, residential area, driver's driving skill (traffic law violation history, A driver's license IC card that stores driver information such as traffic accident history) and driving preferences is loaded into the reading / writing device provided in the vehicle, and the distance between vehicles is determined based on the driver information read from the IC card. It has been proposed to control the distance, acceleration, deceleration, upper limit speed, generation timing of alarm sound, and the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-118425 A

  However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to load an IC card and read driver information every time driving is performed, which may cause the driver to feel troublesome. Also, if you lose, forget, or forget to load your IC card, you will not be able to receive driving assistance.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and makes it easier for a driver to receive driving assistance suitable for each person.

  A driving support device according to an aspect of the present invention is a driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle. Attribute estimation that estimates a driver attribute based on a face image that is an image including a driver's face driving the vehicle. A driving assistance degree setting means for setting a driving assistance degree indicating a degree of assistance for driving of the driver according to the estimated attribute, and a driving skill of the driver based on the driving operation history of the driver. A learning means for learning a driving proficiency level indicating the level and updating the driving support level based on the driving proficiency level, and a driving support means for supporting driving with a degree corresponding to the driving support level are provided.

  In the driving support device according to one aspect of the present invention, the attribute of the driver is estimated based on the face image that is an image including the face of the driver driving the vehicle, and the driver's attribute is determined according to the estimated attribute. A driving assistance level indicating the degree of driving assistance is set, a driving skill level indicating a driving skill level of the driver is learned based on the driving history of the driver, and the driving assistance level is determined based on the driving skill level. It is updated, and driving assistance is performed to the extent corresponding to the degree of driving assistance.

  Therefore, the driver can receive driving assistance suitable for each person more easily. In addition, driving assistance can be obtained without using the driver's personal information, and there is no need to consider measures for leakage of personal information.

  The attribute estimation means, driving support level setting means, learning means, and driving support means are constituted by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  This attribute estimation means can further obtain an estimated reliability indicating the likelihood of the estimation result of the driver's attribute, and the driving support setting means has a lower estimated reliability depending on the attribute. The set driving assistance level can be greatly corrected.

  Thereby, even if the estimated attribute is different from the actual one, the driver can receive driving assistance suitable for each driver.

  This driving assistance level setting means can correct the driving assistance level so that the lower the reliability, the lower the value for the same attribute.

  Thereby, even if the estimated attribute is different from the actual one, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling troublesome due to excessive driving assistance.

  When this learning means is instructed to change the driving support level, the driving support level is set based on the command, and learning of the driving proficiency level for the driver and updating of the driving support level based on the driving proficiency level are stopped. Can be made.

  As a result, the driver can receive driving assistance desired by the driver.

  The driving support device further includes an authentication unit that performs a driver authentication process using a face image. In the driving support unit, when the driver is specified by the authentication process, the previous driver's previous identification is performed. Driving assistance can be started based on the driving assistance degree.

  Thereby, after the second time, driving assistance can be performed without using the attribute of the driver.

  This driving support means is constituted by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  The driving support device includes driving environment information means for collecting driving environment information indicating a driving environment of a vehicle set by each driver, authentication means for performing driver authentication processing using a face image, and authentication processing. When the driver is specified, it is possible to provide driving environment setting means for setting the driving environment of the vehicle based on the driving environment information corresponding to the specified driver.

  Accordingly, it is possible to provide a driving environment that suits each person's preference without imposing a burden on the driver.

  The driving environment information means, the authentication means, and the driving environment means are constituted by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  A driving support method or program according to one aspect of the present invention is a driving support method of a driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle or a driving that drives a vehicle in a program that causes a computer that supports driving of the vehicle to execute processing. Based on a face image that is an image including the driver's face, an attribute estimation step for estimating the driver's attributes, and a driving assistance level indicating the degree of assistance for driving of the driver is set according to the estimated attributes. A driving support level setting step, a learning step for learning a driving skill level indicating a driving skill level of the driver based on a driving operation history of the driver, and a driving step for updating the driving support level based on the driving skill level, and driving A driving support step for supporting driving at a level corresponding to the degree of support.

  In the driving support method or program according to one aspect of the present invention, the attribute of the driver is estimated based on the face image that is an image including the face of the driver driving the vehicle, and the driving is performed according to the estimated attribute. A driving assistance level indicating the degree of driving assistance is set, a driving skill indicating the driving skill level of the driver is learned based on the driving history of the driver, and a driving assistance based on the driving skill is learned. The degree of driving is updated, and driving assistance is performed to the extent corresponding to the driving assistance degree.

  Therefore, the driver can receive driving assistance suitable for each person more easily. In addition, driving assistance can be obtained without using the driver's personal information, and there is no need to consider measures for leakage of personal information.

  This attribute estimation step includes, for example, an attribute estimation step in which a driver attribute is estimated by the CPU based on a face image that includes an image of the driver driving the vehicle. For example, the CPU includes a driving support level setting step for setting a driving support level indicating a degree of driving support for the driver according to the estimated attribute. This learning step is performed by the CPU, for example. Based on the driving operation history, the driving skill level indicating the driving skill level of the driver is learned, and the driving support level is updated based on the driving skill level. It comprises driving support steps in which driving support is performed by the CPU to a degree corresponding to the driving support level.

  As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, driving assistance can be performed. In particular, according to one aspect of the present invention, the driver can easily receive driving assistance suitable for each person.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a driving support system to which the present invention is applied. The driving support system 1 in FIG. 1 performs driving support for a driver who drives a vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as a host vehicle) provided with the driving support system 1. The driving support system 1 includes a camera 11, a distance sensor 12, an acceleration sensor 13, a speed sensor 14, a computer 15, an alarm device 16, a brake control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 17, a car audio device 18, an air conditioner ECU (Electronic Control Unit). 19, an air conditioner actuator 20, a body ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 21, a seat actuator 22, and a mirror actuator 23.

  The camera 11 is configured by a camera using, for example, a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, or a logarithmic conversion type image sensor. The camera 11 is installed at a position where the face of the driver who is driving the vehicle can be photographed almost from the front, and supplies the photographed image (hereinafter referred to as a face image) to the computer 15.

  The distance sensor 12 detects an object around the own vehicle, or detects a distance or relative speed with the detected object. The distance sensor 12 supplies a signal indicating the detection result to the computer 15.

  The distance sensor 12 is configured by, for example, a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a stereo camera, or the like. For example, in the case where the distance sensor 12 is configured by a millimeter wave radar, the distance sensor 12 automatically transmits a millimeter wave having a frequency band of about 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength of about 10 mm (30 GHz) to 1 mm (300 GHz). Radiates to a predetermined area around the car. Then, the distance sensor 12 receives the reflected wave of the millimeter wave and reflects the reflected object reflecting the millimeter wave based on the time until the reflected wave is reflected, the frequency difference between the outgoing wave and the reflected wave, and the like. Distance, the relative speed of the reflecting object with respect to the vehicle, and the like.

  The acceleration sensor 13 detects the acceleration of the host vehicle and supplies a signal indicating the detection result to the computer 15.

  The speed sensor 14 detects the speed of the host vehicle and supplies a signal indicating the detection result to the computer 15.

  The computer 15 estimates the driver attribute or authenticates the driver based on the face image taken by the camera 11. Further, the computer 15 learns the driving skill level of each driver based on signals from the acceleration sensor 13 and the speed sensor 14 and information from the brake control ECU 17. The computer 15 detects an obstacle around the host vehicle based on a signal from the distance sensor 12, and controls the alarm device 16 and the brake control ECU 17 according to the attribute of each driver and the level of driving skill. To provide driving assistance. Further, the computer 15 learns the driving environment preferred by each driver, controls the car audio device 18, the air conditioner ECU 19, and the body ECU 21, and determines the driving environment preferred by the driver according to each driver. Set.

  Details of the processing of the computer 15 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  Under the control of the computer 15, the alarm device 16 notifies the driver that a dangerous state has occurred, for example, by a voice message, a bell, a buzzer, or light.

  The brake control ECU 17 controls the operation of the brake of the own vehicle. Further, the brake control ECU 17 supplies information indicating the content of the brake operation performed by the driver to the computer 15.

  The car audio device 18 includes, for example, a radio, an HDD (hard disk) player, a CD (compact disk) player, and the like. The car audio device 18 supplies the computer 15 with information indicating operations performed by the driver and setting contents.

  The air conditioner ECU 19 controls the air conditioner actuator 20 to adjust the set temperature of the air conditioner (not shown). The air conditioner ECU 19 supplies information indicating the setting contents set by the driver to the computer 15.

  The body ECU 21 controls the seat actuator 22 to adjust the inclination and position of the seat of the driver's seat (not shown). The body ECU 21 controls the mirror actuator 23 to adjust the positions of the center mirror and door mirror of the host vehicle (not shown). Further, the body ECU 21 supplies the computer 15 with information indicating the inclination and position of the driver's seat set by the driver and the positions of the center mirror and the door mirror.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the computer 15. In the computer 15, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 52, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 53 are connected to each other by a bus 54.

  An input / output interface 55 is further connected to the bus 54. The input / output interface 55 includes an input unit 56 composed of keys, switches, buttons, etc., an output unit 57 composed of a display, a speaker, etc., a recording unit 58 composed of a hard disk or a non-volatile memory, and a communication unit 59 composed of a network interface. A drive 60 for driving a removable medium 61 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory is connected. Further, the camera 11, the distance sensor 12, the acceleration sensor 13, the speed sensor 14, the alarm device 16, the brake control ECU 17, the car audio device 18, the air conditioner ECU 19, and the body ECU 21 are connected to the input / output interface 55.

  There are various connection methods between the input / output interface 55 and each device, and can be selected as appropriate. For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which individual cables are connected with connectors, or a network type configuration such as CAN (Controller Area Network) or LAN (Local Area Network).

  In the computer 15, for example, the CPU 51 loads the program recorded in the recording unit 58 to the RAM 53 via the input / output interface 55 and the bus 54 and executes the program, thereby referring to FIGS. 4 and 5. Thus, a series of processes described later is performed.

  The program executed by the CPU 51 includes, for example, a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk), an optical disk (CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc.), a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory. It is recorded on a removable medium 61 that is a package medium, or provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as the Internet or digital satellite broadcasting.

  The program can be installed in the recording unit 58 via the input / output interface 55 by attaching the removable medium 61 to the drive 60. The program can be received by the communication unit 59 via a wired or wireless transmission medium and installed in the recording unit 58. In addition, the program can be installed in the ROM 52 or the recording unit 58 in advance.

  The recording unit 58 records driver information regarding each driver who drives the vehicle. Driver information includes the driver ID for uniquely identifying the driver, the driver's facial feature, the driver's attributes and the estimated reliability of the attribute, the driving support level indicating the degree of driving support, and the driver Driving skill indicating the level of driving skills, learning flag indicating whether or not to learn driving assistance, driving information indicating driving operation history, driving environment information indicating driving environment set by the driver, etc. Including. Details of each piece of information included in the driver information will be described later.

  Information transmission / reception between each unit in the computer 15 is performed via the bus 54 and the input / output interface 55. However, in order to make the explanation easier to understand, the description of the bus 54 and the input / output interface 55 will be described below. Omitted.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of functions realized by the CPU 15 executing a predetermined program. When the computer 15 executes a predetermined program, the authentication unit 81, the attribute estimation unit 82, the driving support level setting unit 83, the driving information collection unit 84, the driving support level learning unit 85, the obstacle detection unit 86, and the driving support unit 87, a driving environment information collection unit 88, a driver information management unit 89, and a driving environment setting unit 90.

  Using a predetermined method, the authentication unit 81 uses the face image supplied from the camera 11 and the feature amount of each driver's face included in the driver information of each driver recorded in the recording unit 58. Based on this, the driver authentication process is performed. When the authentication unit 81 can identify the driver by the authentication process, the information indicating the driver ID corresponding to the driver is obtained as the driving support degree learning unit 85, the driving support unit 87, the driver information management unit 89, and The operating environment setting unit 90 is supplied. Further, when the driver cannot be identified, the authentication unit 81 supplies the feature amount of the driver's face extracted from the face image to the attribute estimation unit 82.

  Note that the method in which the authentication unit 81 performs the driver authentication process is not limited to a specific method, and it is possible to apply a method that can more accurately, quickly, and easily authenticate the driver. desirable.

  The attribute estimation unit 82 estimates driver attributes such as age and sex based on the feature amount of the driver's face using a predetermined method. Moreover, the attribute estimation part 82 calculates | requires the estimation reliability which shows the certainty of an estimation result. The attribute estimation unit 82 supplies the estimated driver attribute and information indicating the estimated reliability to the driving support level setting unit 83. Further, the attribute estimation unit 82 supplies the driver information management unit 89 with information indicating the estimated driver attribute, its estimated reliability, and the feature amount of the driver's face.

  Note that the method by which the attribute estimation unit 82 estimates the driver's attribute and obtains the estimated reliability is not limited to a specific method, and more accurately, quickly and easily estimates the driver's attribute. It is desirable to apply a method that can obtain the estimated reliability. In addition, the attribute estimation unit 82 may estimate the driver's attribute based on the direct face image.

  The driving support level setting unit 83 sets the driving support level based on the attributes of the driver and the estimated reliability thereof, as will be described later with reference to FIGS. The driving support level setting unit 83 supplies information indicating the set driving support level to the driving support level learning unit 85, the driving support unit 87, and the driver information management unit 89.

  The driving information collection unit 84 indicates a signal indicating the acceleration of the host vehicle supplied from the acceleration sensor 13, a signal indicating the speed of the host vehicle supplied from the speed sensor 14, and the contents of the brake operation supplied from the brake control ECU 17. Based on the information and the information indicating the content of the driving support supplied from the driving support unit 87, the driving information indicating the driving operation history of each driver is collected. The driving information includes, for example, driving time, the number of times of driving, the number of times of sudden braking and sudden start, the number of times of sudden steering, the content and number of times of driving assistance received by the driver. The driving information collection unit 84 supplies the collected driving information to the driving support degree learning unit 85 and the driver information management unit 89.

  The driving support level learning unit 85 reads the driving support level, the driving skill level, and the driving information included in the driver information of the driver with the driver ID supplied from the authentication unit 81 from the recording unit 58. The driving assistance level learning unit 85 learns the driving skill level indicating the driving skill level of each driver based on the read past driving information and the current driving information supplied from the driving information collecting unit 84. . Then, the driving assistance level learning unit 85 updates the driving assistance level based on the driving skill level. In addition, when a command for changing the driving support level is input via the input unit 56, the driving support level learning unit 85 updates the driving support level based on the input command.

  The driving support level learning unit 85 supplies information indicating the updated driving support level to the driving support unit 87 and the driver information management unit 89. In addition, the driving assistance level learning unit 85 sets a value of a learning flag indicating whether or not to learn the driving assistance level, and supplies information indicating the set learning flag value to the driver information management unit 89. .

  Based on the signal from the distance sensor 12, the obstacle detection unit 86 determines whether there is an obstacle around the vehicle, the type of the obstacle, the relative speed of the obstacle with respect to the vehicle, the position of the obstacle, Detect distance etc. The obstacle detection unit 86 supplies information indicating the detection result to the driving support unit 87.

  The driving support unit 87 reads from the recording unit 58 the driving support level included in the driver information of the driver with the driver ID supplied from the authentication unit 81. As described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the driving support unit 87 is detected by the obstacle detection result by the obstacle detection unit 86, the acceleration of the own vehicle detected by the acceleration sensor 13, and the speed sensor 14. The driving assistance is performed by controlling the alarm device 16 and the brake control ECU 17 to the extent corresponding to the driving assistance degree according to the speed of the own vehicle. When the driving support is performed, the driving support unit 87 supplies information indicating the content of the driving support performed to the driving information collecting unit 84.

  The driving environment information collection unit 88 collects driving environment information indicating the driving environment that the driver likes based on information from the car audio device 18, the air conditioner ECU 19, and the body ECU 21. For example, the driving environment information includes whether or not the car audio device is activated, the selected source, the set sound volume, the set temperature in the vehicle interior, the position and tilt of the driver's seat, the set position of the door mirror and the center mirror, and the like. The driving environment information collection unit 88 supplies the collected driving environment information to the driver information management unit 89.

  As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the driver information management unit 89 generates or updates the driver information, and records the generated or updated driver information in the recording unit 58.

  The driving environment setting unit 90 reads driving environment information included in the driver information of the driver specified by the authentication unit 81 from the recording unit 58. As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the driving environment setting unit 90 controls the car audio device 18, the air conditioner ECU 19, the body ECU 21, and the like based on the read driving environment information, so as to control the driving environment of the own vehicle. Set.

  Next, the driving process executed by the driving support system 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5. This process is started, for example, when a motor (for example, an engine) of the own vehicle is started.

  In step S1, the authentication unit 81 performs personal authentication. Specifically, the camera 11 captures the driver's face and supplies the face image obtained as a result to the authentication unit 81. For example, the authentication unit 81 extracts the feature amount of the acquired face image, and obtains the similarity with the feature amount of each driver's face included in the driver information of each driver recorded in the recording unit 58. . If the maximum value of the obtained similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold, the authentication unit 81 identifies the current driver as the person who has the maximum similarity.

  In step S2, the authentication unit 81 determines whether the driver has been identified based on the result of the process in step S1. If it is determined that the driver cannot be specified, for example, since the current driver performs driving for the first time, and the driver information is not recorded in the recording unit 58, the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, the attribute estimation unit 82 estimates the driver's attributes. Specifically, the authentication unit 81 supplies the extracted feature amount of the driver's face to the attribute estimation unit 82. The attribute estimation unit 82 uses a predetermined method to estimate driver attributes such as age and sex based on the acquired feature amount.

  In step S4, the attribute estimation unit 82 obtains an estimated reliability. Specifically, the attribute estimation part 82 calculates | requires the estimation reliability which shows the reliability of the estimation result of a driver | operator's attribute using a predetermined method. For example, when the driver's attribute is estimated based on the pattern matching technique, the estimated reliability is calculated based on the similarity between the predetermined pattern and the driver's feature amount. The attribute estimation unit 82 supplies the estimated driver attribute and information indicating the estimated reliability to the driving support level setting unit 83. Further, the attribute estimation unit 82 supplies the driver information management unit 89 with information indicating the estimated driver attribute, its estimated reliability, and the feature amount of the driver's face.

  In step S5, the driving assistance level setting unit 83 sets the driving assistance level based on the driver's attributes and the estimated reliability. For example, the driving support level setting unit 83 first sets the driving support level based on the attributes of the driver using the graph shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the driver's age, driving proficiency level, and driving support level. In the graph of FIG. 6, the driving support level becomes higher as the driver's age is higher, and the driving support level is lower as the driver's age is lower. That is, it is set so that the driving assistance is performed more thickly as the elderly person whose motor nerves, reflexes, etc. are lowered and the response to danger becomes dull. In the graph of FIG. 6, the higher the driving skill level of the driver, the higher the driving assistance level, and the lower the driving skill level, the lower the driving assistance level. That is, it is set so that the driver with lower driving proficiency can perform driving assistance more thickly. The driving proficiency level is used in a driving assistance level learning process described later.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, without changing the driving assistance level linearly with respect to the driver's age, for example, it is divided into several age groups, and the driving assistance level is gradually increased as the age group rises. You may make it raise. Further, the driving assistance degree may be changed more finely according to the age based on various statistical information such as the relationship between the age or sex and the incidence of the accident. Further, not only the driver's age but also the driver's gender may be used to set the driving assistance level.

  Next, the driving support level setting unit 83 corrects the driving support level based on the estimated reliability of the attribute using the graph shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the estimated reliability and the correction amount of the driving support level. In the graph of FIG. 7, the lower the estimated reliability, the greater the correction amount for the driving assistance level, and the higher the estimated reliability, the smaller the correction amount for the driving assistance level.

  For example, the driving support level setting unit 83 obtains a correction amount for the reliability of the attribute of the current driver based on the graph of FIG. Then, the driving assistance level setting unit 83 corrects the driving assistance level by subtracting the correction amount obtained from the driving assistance level previously set according to the driver's attribute. In other words, when the estimated reliability is low, it is assumed that the driving support level is set to a value higher than the driving support level according to the actual attribute, the driving support is excessively performed, and the driver feels bothersome. However, in order to prevent this, the driving assistance degree is corrected so that the lower the estimated reliability, the lower the value for the same attribute.

  Conversely, if the estimated reliability is low, the driving support level is set to a value lower than the driving support level according to the actual attribute, and it may be assumed that the driving support is insufficient. The driving assistance degree may be corrected so that the lower the estimated reliability, the higher the value for the same attribute.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the correction amount of the driving assistance degree is not linearly changed with respect to the estimated reliability, and for example, the correction amount is decreased stepwise as the estimated reliability increases. It may be.

  The driving support level setting unit 83 supplies information indicating the set driving support level to the driving support level learning unit 85, the driving support unit 87, and the driver information management unit 89.

  In step S6, the driving assistance level learning unit 85 sets the learning flag to ON. The driving assistance level learning unit 85 supplies information indicating the set learning flag value to the driver information management unit 89.

  In step S7, the driver information management unit 89 generates driver information. Specifically, the driver information management unit 89 assigns a driver ID to the current driver. The driver information management unit 89 generates driver information including the assigned driver ID, the current driver's facial feature amount, attribute, estimated reliability, driving support level, and learning flag. The driver information management unit 89 causes the recording unit 58 to record the generated driver information. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S10.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that the driver has been identified, the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, the driving environment setting unit 90 sets the driving environment. Specifically, the authentication unit 81 provides information indicating the driver ID corresponding to the identified driver as a driving support degree learning unit 85, a driving support unit 87, a driver information management unit 89, and a driving environment setting unit 90. To supply. The driving environment setting unit 90 reads driving environment information included in the driver information of the driver with the acquired driver ID from the recording unit 58. The driving environment setting unit 90 sets the driving environment of the vehicle based on the read driving environment information.

  For example, the driving environment setting unit 90 controls whether the car audio device 18 is activated, the selection of a source (radio, HDD (hard disk) player, CD (compact disk) player, etc.), volume, and the like based on the driving environment information. To do. For example, the driving environment setting unit 90 supplies the air conditioner ECU 19 with information indicating the vehicle interior temperature indicated in the driving environment information. The air conditioner ECU 19 controls the air conditioner actuator 20 to control the air conditioner in the vehicle (not shown) so that the instructed vehicle interior temperature is reached. Further, the driving environment setting unit 90 supplies the body ECU 21 with information indicating the position and inclination of the seat in the front-rear direction, the position of the door mirror, and the position of the center mirror indicated in the driving environment information. The body ECU 21 controls the seat actuator 22 so that a driver's seat (not shown) has a designated position and inclination. Further, the mirror actuator 23 controls the mirror actuator 23 so that the set positions of the door mirror and the center mirror (not shown) are the designated positions.

  Thereby, the driving environment suitable for each driver's preference is quickly and automatically set.

  In addition, the content of the driving environment that is the target of the automatic setting described above is an example, and it is possible to set the position of the steering wheel, the design of the instrument panel, etc. according to the driver. .

  In step S <b> 9, the driving support unit 87 reads from the recording unit 58 the driving support level included in the driver information of the driver with the driver ID supplied from the authentication unit 81. As will be described later, in the second and subsequent driving, driving assistance is started based on the driving assistance degree set in the previous driving without using the driver attribute.

  In step S10, the driving support system 1 starts driving support. That is, the following process is started. Based on the signal from the distance sensor 12, the obstacle detection unit 86 determines whether there is an obstacle around the vehicle, the type of the obstacle, the relative speed of the obstacle with respect to the vehicle, the position of the obstacle, Detect distance etc. The obstacle detection unit 86 supplies information indicating the detection result to the driving support unit 87. The driving support unit 87 is based on the detection result of the obstacle by the obstacle detection unit 86, the acceleration of the own vehicle detected by the acceleration sensor 13, the speed of the own vehicle detected by the speed sensor 14, and the degree of driving support. Then, it is determined whether the current situation is a situation requiring driving assistance.

  For example, the driving support unit 87, when it is determined that the vehicle has advanced as it is and collides with an obstacle such as a vehicle ahead, the driver is determined based on the time until the collision and the degree of driving support. It is determined whether it is necessary to perform alarm or brake control. For example, when the driving support level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the driving support unit 87 determines that the driving support is necessary when the time until the collision is 4 seconds, and the driving support level is the predetermined threshold. If the time is less than 3 seconds, it is determined that driving assistance is necessary when the time until the collision is 3 seconds. That is, it is determined that driving support is necessary at an earlier timing as the driving support level is higher.

  When the driving support unit 87 determines that driving support is necessary, the driving support unit 87 controls the alarm device 16 so as to output an alarm notifying that the vehicle may collide with an obstacle, or starts the brake of the own vehicle. The brake control ECU 17 is controlled as described above. Thereby, driving assistance is performed at an appropriate timing based on the driving assistance level so that the driver can avoid danger.

  When the driving support is performed, the driving support unit 87 supplies information indicating the content of the driving support performed to the driving information collecting unit 84.

  Note that the above-described driving assistance content is an example, and it is possible to provide assistance other than that described above according to the degree of driving assistance. For example, it is conceivable to change an alarm sound or operation time for detecting contact around a vehicle such as a corner sensor. In addition, it is possible to increase or decrease the number of driving support items to be implemented according to the driving support level.

  Further, the driving support unit 87 may change the content of the driving support based on the driving information. For example, it is determined whether the driver is aiming for high fuel efficiency driving from the vehicle speed information while driving, and depending on the result, the mode is switched to the high fuel efficiency mode, fuel efficiency information is displayed, acceleration is suppressed, etc. It is also possible to do so. In addition, for example, when it is determined that the gravitational acceleration G during cornering is large, it is possible to change the settings of the suspension and the stabilizer to suppress the generation of G.

  In step S11, the driving environment information collection unit 88 starts collecting driving environment information. Specifically, the driving environment information collection unit 88 collects driving environment information indicating the driving environment preferred by the current driver based on information from the car audio device 18, the air conditioner ECU 19, and the body ECU 21. Processing to be supplied to the driver information management unit 89 is started. The driver information management unit 89 adds the acquired driver environment information to the current driver information of the driver recorded in the recording unit 58.

  In step S12, the driving assistance level learning unit 85 determines whether the learning flag is on. If the driving assistance level learning unit 85 determines that the learning flag included in the driver information of the current driver is on, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, the driving information collecting unit 84 starts collecting driving information. The driving information collection unit 84, for example, the acceleration and deceleration of the own vehicle obtained based on the signal from the acceleration sensor 13, the transition of the own vehicle speed obtained based on the signal from the speed sensor 14, and the brake control ECU 17 The history of current driving operations of the driver, such as the frequency of sudden braking required based on the information of the driver, the frequency and content of driving assistance required based on the information from the driving support unit 87, the driving time, and the number of times of driving. Is started, and the process of supplying the driving information to the driving support level learning unit 85 and the driver information management unit 89 is started. The driver information management unit 89 adds the acquired driver information to the driver information of the current driver recorded in the recording unit 58.

  Note that the content of the operation information described above is an example, and other information may be collected. For example, parking technology is one of the indicators for determining the level of driving technology. For example, parking position information is recorded in a car navigation system (not shown), and driving time and shift position in the parking lot are recorded. May be collected as driving information. Thereby, the level of the driver's parking technique can be grasped from the number of times of turning back and forth of the vehicle when parking in the back.

  In step S14, the driving support level learning unit 85 starts learning of the driving support level. Specifically, the driving assistance level learning unit 85 reads the driving assistance level, the driving skill level, and the driving information included in the current driver information of the driver from the recording unit 58. The driving support level learning unit 85 learns the driving proficiency level based on the read past driving information and the current driving information supplied from the driving information collection unit 84.

  For example, when the driving support level learning unit 85 updates the driving proficiency level to a higher value than before based on the graph of FIG. 6 described above, the driving support level learning unit 85 updates the driving support level to a lower value than the current level and sets the driving proficiency level to the previous level. When updated to a lower value, the driving support level is updated to a value higher than the current level. When the driving support level is updated, the driving support level learning unit 85 supplies information indicating the updated driving support level to the driving support unit 87. Thereafter, the driving support unit 87 performs driving support based on the updated driving support level.

  Further, when the driving support level is updated, the driving support level learning unit 85 supplies information indicating the updated driving proficiency level and the driving support level to the driver information management unit 89. The driver information management unit 89 updates the values of the driving assistance level and the driving proficiency level of the driver information of the current driver recorded in the recording unit 58.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the driving assistance level may be increased stepwise as the driving proficiency level increases without changing the driving support level linearly with respect to the driving proficiency level. .

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that the learning flag included in the driver information of the current driver is on, the processes in steps S13 and S14 are skipped, and the collection of driving information and the learning of the driving support level are performed. Without starting, the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, the driving assistance level learning unit 85 determines whether a change in driving assistance level has been commanded. Specifically, for example, when the driver inputs a command for changing the driving support level via the input unit 56, and the input command is supplied from the input unit 56 to the driving support level learning unit 85, the driving support The degree learning unit 85 determines that the change of the driving assistance degree is instructed, and the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S16, the driving support level learning unit 85 updates the driving support level based on the command. For example, the command for changing the driving assistance level input by the user includes information indicating an amount for correcting the driving assistance level. The driving support level learning unit 85 sets the driving support level to be larger or smaller by the correction amount specified by the user. The driving support level learning unit 85 supplies information indicating the updated driving support level to the driving support unit 87. Thereafter, the driving support unit 87 performs driving support based on the driving support level set by the user.

  The driving support level learning unit 85 supplies information indicating the updated driving support level to the driver information management unit 89. The driver information management unit 89 updates the value of the driving assistance degree of the driver information of the current driver recorded in the recording unit 58.

  In step S17, it is determined whether the learning flag is on by the same process as in step S6. If it is determined that the learning flag is on, the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S18, the driving assistance level learning unit 85 sets the learning flag to OFF. The driving assistance level learning unit 85 supplies information indicating the set learning flag value to the driver information management unit 89. The driver information management unit 89 sets the value of the learning flag of the driver information of the current driver recorded in the recording unit 58 to off.

  In step S19, the driving information collection unit 84 stops collecting driving information.

  In step S20, the driving assistance level learning unit 85 stops learning of the driving assistance level. That is, it is considered that the driver commanded the change of the driving assistance level because there is a high possibility that the driver is not satisfied with the current driving assistance contents corresponding to the driving assistance level set by the learning process. Therefore, thereafter, the learning of the driving support level is stopped, and driving support is performed according to the driver's setting.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S17 that the learning flag is off, the processes in steps S18 to S20 are skipped, and the process proceeds to step S21.

  In Step S15, when it is determined that the change of the driving support level is not instructed, the processes in Steps S16 to S20 are skipped, and the process proceeds to Step S21.

  In step S21, the driving support unit 87 determines whether to stop driving support. If it is determined not to stop the driving support, the process returns to step S15, and the processes of steps S15 to S21 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step S21 that the driving support is stopped.

  On the other hand, in step S21, for example, the driving support unit 87 determines that the driving support is to be stopped when the prime mover of the host vehicle is stopped, and the operation support processing is ended.

  In this way, the driver can receive driving assistance suitable for each person more easily. That is, the driver can receive driving assistance according to his / her attribute and level of driving skill without performing a special operation, except when changing driving assistance at the driver's will.

  In addition, since driving assistance can be obtained without using the driver's personal information, there is no risk of leakage of personal information, and there is no need to consider leakage countermeasures.

  In the above description, an example is shown in which the driver stops learning the driving assistance degree after instructing the driver to change the driving assistance degree. However, the driving assistance degree learning is continued based on the changed value. It may be.

  Moreover, although the example which updates a driving assistance degree at any time by a learning process was shown in the above description, for example, you may make it update for every predetermined period, and may make it update at the end of a driving | operation.

  Furthermore, although the embodiment supposing an automobile has been described above, the present invention can also be applied to the case of assisting driving of a vehicle other than an automobile, such as a train, a ship, and an airplane. .

  The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or can be executed by software. The program executed by the computer may be a program that is processed in time series in the order described in this specification, or in parallel or at a necessary timing such as when a call is made. It may be a program for processing.

  Further, in the present specification, the term “system” means an overall apparatus composed of a plurality of apparatuses and means.

  Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a driving support system to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the computer in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration realized by a CPU of the computer in FIG. 2. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the driving assistance process performed by a driving assistance system. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the driving assistance process performed by a driving assistance system. It is a figure which shows the example of the graph used for the setting of a driving assistance degree. It is a figure which shows the example of the graph used for correction | amendment of a driving assistance degree.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Driving support system 11 Camera 12 Distance sensor 13 Acceleration sensor 14 Speed sensor 15 Computer 16 Alarm device 17 Brake control ECU
18 Car audio system 19 Air conditioner ECU
21 Body ECU
51 CPU
56 Input unit 58 Recording unit 81 Authentication unit 82 Attribute estimation unit 83 Driving support level setting unit 84 Driving information collection unit 85 Driving support level learning unit 86 Obstacle detection unit 87 Driving support unit 88 Driving environment information collection unit 89 Driver information management 90 Operating environment setting section

Claims (8)

In a driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle,
Attribute estimation means for estimating the attribute of the driver based on a face image that is an image including the face of the driver driving the vehicle;
Driving assistance degree setting means for setting a driving assistance degree indicating the degree of assistance for driving the driver according to the estimated attribute;
Learning means for learning a driving skill level indicating a level of the driving skill of the driver based on the driving operation history of the driver, and updating the driving assistance level based on the driving skill level;
And a driving support means for supporting driving with a degree corresponding to the degree of driving support. The attribute estimation means further obtains an estimated reliability indicating the certainty of the estimation result of the driver attribute,
The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance degree setting unit largely corrects the driving assistance degree set according to the attribute as the estimated reliability is lower. The driving support device according to claim 2, wherein the driving support level setting unit corrects the driving support level so that the lower the reliability, the lower the value for the same attribute. When the change of the driving support level is commanded, the learning means sets the driving support level based on the command, and learns the driving proficiency level for the driver and the driving based on the driving proficiency level The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein updating of the support level is stopped. An authentication means for performing an authentication process of the driver using the face image;
The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein when the driver is specified by the authentication process, the driving support means starts driving support based on the previous driving support level of the specified driver. . Driving environment information means for collecting driving environment information indicating the driving environment of the vehicle set by each driver;
Authentication means for performing a driver authentication process using the face image;
The driving environment setting means for setting the driving environment of the vehicle based on the driving environment information corresponding to the specified driver when the driver is specified by the authentication process. The driving assistance apparatus as described. In a driving support method of a driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle,
An attribute estimation step for estimating the attribute of the driver based on a face image that is an image including the face of the driver driving the vehicle;
A driving assistance degree setting step for setting a driving assistance degree indicating the degree of assistance for driving the driver according to the estimated attribute;
A learning step of learning a driving skill level indicating a level of the driving skill of the driver based on the driving operation history of the driver, and updating the driving support level based on the driving skill level;
And a driving support step for supporting driving at a level corresponding to the degree of driving support. In a program that causes a computer that supports driving of a vehicle to execute processing,
An attribute estimation step for estimating the attribute of the driver based on a face image that is an image including the face of the driver driving the vehicle;
A driving assistance degree setting step for setting a driving assistance degree indicating the degree of assistance for driving the driver according to the estimated attribute;
A learning step of learning a driving skill level indicating a level of the driving skill of the driver based on the driving operation history of the driver, and updating the driving support level based on the driving skill level;
And a driving support step for performing driving support to a degree corresponding to the driving support level.

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