JP2009075767A - Drive support device and drive support method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To execute proper drive support under the consideration of the personal characteristics of a driver and the unique circumstances of an intersection. <P>SOLUTION: A safety confirmation detection part 306 detects the safety confirming operation of a driver when the driver approaches an intersection in immediate vicinity. A safety confirmation data acquisition part 307 acquires safety confirmation data (data related with the safety confirmation of a driver at an intersection) corresponding to the scheduled passage path of the intersection in immediate vicinity from a database based on guidance information input by the guidance information input part 301. This database stores the passage path-categorized safety confirmation data of individual intersections. A notification decision part 308 decides whether or not it is necessary to notify the driver based on the safety confirmation acquired by the safety confirmation data acquisition part 307, the detection result of the safety confirmation detection part 306, and a distance to the intersection in immediate vicinity. When it is decided that it is necessary to notify the driver, a notification part 309 notifies the driver through a notification device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for supporting driving of a vehicle.

  From the viewpoint of supporting safe driving of vehicles, a technology that detects information inside and outside a running vehicle, issues an alarm as necessary based on the detected information, and alerts the driver is conventionally known. ing. In recent years, driving support technologies that take into account the characteristics of the driver (driving habits, etc.) under various driving conditions have also been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Document 1 includes a detection device that detects a driver's operation state such as a steering wheel operation, a vehicle operation state such as a traveling speed, a vehicle external state such as an approaching oncoming vehicle, and a driver's state such as a line of sight. A driving support system including a database that records these detected situations in association with each other is disclosed. In this system, appropriate warnings or the like according to individual drivers can be performed based on data accumulated in the database in various situations.

Patent Document 2 discloses driving information detecting means for detecting driving information (vehicle conditions such as vehicle speed, driver status such as brake operation, traveling environment such as oncoming lane), and driving information for accumulating and recording the driving information. Disclosed is a driver future situation prediction device that includes storage means, predicts a driver's future unexpected encounter degree according to driving conditions based on the accumulated driving information, and provides the driver with the prediction result. ing.
JP 2005-339378 A Japanese Patent No. 3882541

  By the way, there are various shapes (for example, crossroads, three-way intersections, T-shaped roads, etc.) at intersections, and in general, the timing of a driver's safety confirmation operation (for example, visual inspection in the left-right direction, etc.) It can be said that it is different for each (intersection shape).

  In addition to the shape of the intersection (that is, the shape determined from the number of branch roads and the direction of each branch), the environment of the intersection (for example, the layout of buildings such as buildings and road side walls in the vicinity of the intersection) It can be said that the timing of the driver's safety confirmation operation is greatly influenced by the environment. This is because the environment of the intersection as illustrated (intersection environment) greatly affects the prospect of the intersection traveling direction by the driver, that is, the visibility of the road surface in the traveling direction.

  None of the driving support technologies disclosed in the above-mentioned patent documents consider the above intersection shape and intersection environment. Therefore, it can be said that with the above technology, it is difficult to provide appropriate driving support in accordance with the situation peculiar to the intersection.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and provides a driving support device and a driving support method capable of executing appropriate driving support based on the characteristics of the individual driver and the situation unique to the intersection. With the goal.

  The driving support device according to the present invention includes guidance information input means for inputting guidance information obtained based on map information and vehicle position information, and a current vehicle position on a guidance route based on the guidance information. Based on the guidance information, the distance acquisition means for acquiring the intersection arrival distance that is the distance to the nearest intersection, the safety confirmation detection means for detecting the driver's safety confirmation operation at the nearest intersection, and the driver information at the intersection Safety confirmation data acquisition means for acquiring the safety confirmation data corresponding to a planned traffic route at the nearest intersection from a database that records safety confirmation data related to safety confirmation, detection of the safety confirmation data, and the safety confirmation detection means Based on the result and the intersection reach distance, a determination unit that determines whether or not notification to the driver is necessary, and the determination unit If knowledge is determined to be necessary, characterized in that it comprises, and informing means for informing the driver in a predetermined manner.

  The driving support device having the above-described configuration may further include registration means for registering information on a driver's safety confirmation operation at the intersection in the database after passing the intersection.

  Further, an image pickup means for picking up an image of a driver's face seated on a driving seat of the vehicle, and a face orientation for detecting a face direction angle from the front of the driver based on an image obtained by the image pickup by the image pickup means. Angle detection means, and the safety confirmation detection means may detect the safety confirmation operation based on the detected face orientation angle and the intersection reach distance.

  Further, it further comprises direction indicator state input means for inputting the operation state of the direction indicator, and the safety confirmation detecting means is configured to perform the safety confirmation operation based on the operation state of the direction indicator and the intersection reach distance. May be detected.

  Further, the apparatus further comprises day / night determination means for determining whether it is daytime or nighttime, and in the database, the safety confirmation data is classified as for daytime or nighttime use, and the safety confirmation data acquisition means is the day / night determination means. The safety confirmation data for either daytime or nighttime may be acquired from the database according to the determination result.

  In the above case, it further comprises illumination state input means for inputting the lighting state of the lighting device that performs illumination outside the vehicle, and the day / night determination means determines whether it is daytime or nighttime based on the lighting state of the lighting device. Is preferable.

  The vehicle further comprises a weather determination means for determining whether the weather around the vehicle is good weather or bad weather, and in the database, the safety confirmation data is classified as good weather or bad weather, and the safety confirmation The data acquisition means may acquire the safety confirmation data for good weather or bad weather from the database according to the determination result of the weather determination means.

  In the above case, it is preferable that the apparatus further includes a wiper state input unit for inputting an operation state of the wiper, and the weather determination unit determines whether the weather is good or bad based on the operation state of the wiper.

  Further, communication means for performing data communication with a base station having a common database that records aggregated safety confirmation data related to safety confirmation of a plurality of drivers at intersections for each passage route of each intersection, and contents of the database under predetermined conditions Data transmission means for transmitting data related to the base station via the communication means, and when the safety confirmation data corresponding to the planned traffic route of the nearest intersection does not exist in the database or the response If the safety confirmation data to be satisfied does not satisfy a predetermined requirement, the safety confirmation data acquisition means accesses the common database of the base station via the communication means, and corresponds to the planned traffic route of the nearest intersection Aggregated safety confirmation data is acquired, and the determination means uses the aggregated safety confirmation data to perform the determination. It is also possible to perform.

  The driving support method of the present invention includes a guidance information input step of inputting guidance information obtained based on map information and vehicle position information, and a current vehicle position on a guidance route based on the guidance information. The distance acquisition step to acquire the intersection arrival distance that is the distance to the nearest intersection, the safety confirmation detection step to detect the driver's safety confirmation operation at the nearest intersection, and the safety confirmation data related to the driver's safety confirmation at the intersection A safety confirmation data acquisition step of accessing a database to be recorded for each traffic route of each intersection and acquiring the safety confirmation data corresponding to the planned traffic route of the nearest intersection from the database based on the guidance information; Based on the safety confirmation data, the detection result in the safety confirmation detection step, and the intersection reach distance A determination step for determining whether or not notification to the driver is necessary, and a notification step for notifying the driver using a predetermined notification device when it is determined that notification is required in the determination step; It is characterized by having.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver of the vehicle in accordance with the characteristics of the driver and the characteristics unique to the intersection.

  Embodiments of a driving support apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
The structure of the driving assistance apparatus 1 which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. The driving support device 1 includes an imaging device 2, an ECU 3, an intersection DB 4, and a notification device 5. The ECU 3 is connected to the navigation device 10, the blinker switch 11, the headlamp switch 12, and the like, and is configured to be able to input signals or data from these devices.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging device 2 can position the face of the driver 23 seated on the driving seat 22 of the vehicle 21 from the front (for example, on the steering column or the instrument panel as in this embodiment). Installed on the top surface). The imaging device 2 is configured by, for example, a CCD camera module, a CMOS camera module, or the like, and outputs an image captured at a predetermined time (for example, 1/30 second) to the ECU 3.

  The intersection DB (database) 4 is a database that records data (safety confirmation data) related to the safety confirmation of the driver 23 at the intersection for each traffic route of each intersection.

  The ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 3 is an electronic control device for controlling the entire driving support device 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the ECU 3 includes a CPU 30, an image memory 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, an I / F unit 34, and the like.

  The image memory 31 is a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory that stores an image sent from the imaging device 2. The ROM 32 stores a program executed by the CPU 30 that is a main body of the control and calculation. The RAM 33 is used as a work area when the program is executed by the CPU 30. The I / F unit 34 performs an I / F (interface) process with each device connected to the ECU 3.

  The notification device 5 is a device that externally outputs warning information in a predetermined manner in accordance with a command from the ECU 3, and a device (for example, a buzzer sound, a voice message, etc.) that outputs auditory information (for example, a buzzer sound, a voice message, etc.) or a visual ( For example, it is configured by a device (for example, a display device, an LED, or the like) that outputs to light, characters, images, or the like. In the present embodiment, it is a head-up display that projects and displays a warning message for the driver 23 on the windshield of the vehicle 21.

  The navigation device 10 searches for a route (route search) from the current location (departure location) to the destination designated by the driver 23, and guides the driver 23 to the destination according to the search result. This is an electronic device that uses voice or video. Moreover, the navigation apparatus 10 outputs the guidance information mentioned later to ECU3 for every predetermined time (for example, 1 second).

  In addition, the vehicle information from the blinker switch 11 and the headlamp switch 12 is input to the ECU 3. Specifically, the vehicle information from the blinker switch 11 indicates the operating state of the direction indicator, that is, the blinking state of the left and right blinkers (24L, 24R) shown in FIG. 3, and the vehicle information from the headlamp switch 12 is FIG. 3 shows the lighting / extinguishing state of the headlamp 25 shown in FIG. Although not shown, the winkers 24 </ b> L and 24 </ b> R are also provided on the rear portion of the vehicle 21.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ECU 3 functionally includes a guidance information input unit 301, a distance acquisition unit 302, a face angle detection unit 303, a vehicle information acquisition unit 304, a day / night determination unit 305, a safety A confirmation detection unit 306, a safety confirmation data acquisition unit 307, a notification determination unit 308, a notification unit 309, and a registration unit 310 are provided.

  The guidance information input unit 301 inputs guidance information obtained based on the map information and the position information of the vehicle 21. In the present embodiment, the guidance information input unit 301 inputs guidance information output from the navigation device 10 every predetermined time, and the inputted guidance information is abbreviated as a work memory area such as the RAM 33 (hereinafter referred to as “RAM 33 etc.”). .) To save. The guidance information is information obtained from a route calculation result for guiding the vehicle 21 to the destination. The guidance information includes current location information, latest intersection information, and the like. The current location information is information including the current position (latitude, longitude), road information, and the like. The intersection information is information including an intersection position (latitude, longitude), information on each road constituting the intersection, guidance information (designation of intersection shape, intersection passage route), and the like.

  The distance acquisition unit 302 extracts the current position and the intersection position from the guidance information input by the guidance information input unit 301, and based on these, the distance (intersection) from the current position of the vehicle 21 to the nearest intersection (intersection center position). Reach distance). The calculated intersection reach distance is stored in the RAM 33 or the like. When the input guidance information includes information corresponding to the intersection arrival distance, the distance acquisition unit 302 extracts the information from the guidance information and stores it in the RAM 33 or the like as the intersection arrival distance.

  The face orientation angle detection unit 303 analyzes the captured image transmitted from the imaging device 2 every predetermined time, and detects the face orientation angle in the left-right direction from the front of the driver 23. For this detection, a known technique can be used, and the method is not limited. Hereinafter, an example of a face direction angle detection method by the face direction angle detection unit 303 will be described.

  The face angle detection unit 303 acquires the face image of the driver 23 captured by the image capturing device 2 from the image memory 31. Then, the Sobel filter processing is performed on the acquired face image to detect the horizontal edge (upper and lower side edges of the face) and the vertical edge (left and right side edges of the face), as shown in FIG. An edge image 50 of the face of the driver 23 is acquired. Based on the edge image 50, the face angle detection unit 303 acquires feature points of the constituent parts of the face, for example, center points 51L and 51R of binocular balls as shown in FIG. Then, the face center of the driver 23 is obtained from the acquired center points 51 </ b> L and 51 </ b> R of the binocular eyeball from the target property of the constituent parts of the face.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the face direction angle detection unit 303 acquires the face direction and angle of the driver 23 based on the distances u <b> 1 and u <b> 2 between the face center line and both ends in the face width direction. In this case, in the processing of the face angle detection unit 303, if u1 = u2, it is determined that the driver 23 is facing the front in the left-right direction of the vehicle 21, and if u1> u2, the left direction, u1 < If it is u2, it is judged that it faces right. The face direction angle detection unit 303 refers to a face direction angle map indicating the relationship between the difference between the intervals u1 and u2 and the face direction angle θ based on the acquired u1 and u2, and thereby the face from the front of the driver 23. Get the orientation angle. The face orientation angle map is created based on experiments and the like, and is stored in advance in the ROM 32 or the like. The face direction angle detection unit 303 stores the detected face direction angle and the intersection arrival distance at the time of detection in the RAM 33 or the like.

  The vehicle information acquisition unit 304 inputs the vehicle information described above from the blinker switch 11 and the headlamp switch 12 and stores the vehicle information in the RAM 33 or the like. The day / night determination unit 305 determines whether the current day / night is on the basis of the current lighting state of the headlamp 25 and stores information about the determination result (daytime or nighttime) in the RAM 33 or the like. Specifically, the day / night determination unit 305 determines that it is daytime if the headlamp 25 is turned off, and determines that it is nighttime if the headlamp 25 is turned on.

  The safety confirmation detection unit 306 detects the safety confirmation operation of the driver 23 at the intersection. The safety confirmation operation in the present embodiment corresponds to a visual confirmation in the left-right direction by the driver 23 and a winker operation, and the safety confirmation detection unit 306 detects each separately. For the visual confirmation in the left-right direction, it is determined whether or not the safety confirmation operation has been performed based on the face orientation angle of the driver 23 detected by the face orientation angle detection unit 303 and the intersection arrival distance at that time. The

Specifically, the detected face direction angle theta _C is greater than the threshold value theta _T preset face angle, and an intersection reach L _C of the vehicle 21, from the reference distance L ₁ that is set in advance When it is smaller, the safety confirmation detection unit 306 considers that the driver 23 has performed a visual safety confirmation operation. By providing such a condition, it is possible to eliminate as much as possible the movement of the line of sight of the driver 23 that is not related to safe driving from the detection target. When the safety confirmation detection unit 306 detects the safety confirmation operation, the safety confirmation detection unit 306 stores, as detection information, the face orientation angle and the intersection arrival distance when the face orientation angle is detected in the RAM 33 or the like.

The blinker operation, blinker 24L or 24R is a blinking state, and, if the intersection arrival distance _{L C} of the vehicle 21, the reference distance _{L 2} is less than a preset, safety check detector 306, the driver 23 It is considered that the safety confirmation operation was performed by operating the blinker. By providing such a condition, it is possible to eliminate as much as possible the winker operation unrelated to the safety check at the intersection such as an erroneous operation of the driver 23 or lane movement from the detection target. When the safety confirmation detection unit 306 detects the safety confirmation operation, the safety confirmation detection unit 306 stores, as detection information, the intersection arrival distance at the time of the winker operation (or when the safety confirmation operation is detected) in the RAM 33 or the like.

  The safety confirmation data acquisition unit 307 acquires safety confirmation data corresponding to the planned route of the nearest intersection from the intersection DB 4 based on the guidance information from the navigation device 10.

The safety confirmation data is data obtained by integrating information related to safety confirmation (safety confirmation information) when the vehicle 21 has passed the intersection in the past. Safety confirmation data includes data corresponding to the case of visual confirmation (visual correspondence data) and data corresponding to the case of blinker operation (winker operation correspondence data). FIG. 7 shows an example of visual correspondence data. The visual correspondence data includes data on the intersection arrival distance (visual map 1) and data on the face orientation angle (visual map 2). FIG. 7A is a visual map 1, which shows the relationship between the intersection arrival distance and the frequency when visual safety confirmation is detected. Here, the distance L _A (m) indicates the intersection arrival distance with the highest frequency. FIG. 7B is a visual map 2, which shows the relationship between the face orientation angle of the driver 23 and the frequency when visual safety confirmation is detected. Here, the angle θ _A (°) indicates the most frequent face orientation angle.

The winker operation correspondence data is composed of data (winker map) regarding the intersection reach distance. FIG. 8 shows an example of the winker map. The winker map shows the relationship between the intersection arrival distance and the frequency when the driver 23 performs the winker operation. The distance L _B (m) indicates the intersection arrival distance with the highest frequency.

  Moreover, the intersection DB 4 classifies and records the safety confirmation data (that is, the visual maps 1 and 2 and the winker map) for daytime and nighttime.

  More specifically, the intersection DB 4 includes a data management unit that associates each traffic route of each intersection with the safety confirmation data, and a data recording unit that records the safety confirmation data (each map). In the data management unit, as shown in FIG. 9, the name of each map corresponding to each traffic route (specified by the approach route and the exit route) of the intersection is recorded for each intersection. Each intersection is identified by an intersection position indicated by latitude and longitude, and is given a unique ID. Here, the intersection in FIG. 9 is, for example, a cruciform intersection formed by branch paths A, B, C, and D as shown in FIG. For example, in FIG. 1 (traffic route pattern 1) indicates a case where the approach route is the branch route A and the exit route is the branch route B (that is, when the vehicle travels straight). 2 shows a case where the approach path is a branch path A and the exit path is a branch path C (that is, when turning left).

  Each map (visual map 1, 2 and winker map) is given a name that can be uniquely identified for each route pattern and day and night. In the present embodiment, the map is assigned based on the type of map, day and night, intersection ID, and traffic route pattern number. For example, in the visual map 1 (E-MAP1-D-XXXX-01) of the traffic route pattern 1 in FIG. 9, “E-MAP1” in the first half indicates the type of the map, and “D” in the center indicates day and night. (“N” for nighttime use), and “XXXX-01” in the latter half indicates an intersection ID and a traffic route pattern number.

When the vehicle 21 approaches the nearest intersection when the vehicle 21 approaches the nearest intersection, the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 307 determines the position of the nearest intersection (latitude, longitude) and the planned route (that is, the approach) based on the guidance information from the navigation device 10. Road, exit road). Then, the intersection DB 4 is searched based on these information and the determination result (daytime or nighttime) by the day / night determination unit 305, and corresponding safety confirmation data (visual map 1, 2 and winker map) is acquired. And when the vehicle 21 is approaching the nearest intersection, intersection reach distance L _C is referred to when reference distance becomes L ₁ or less than at least one of L _2.

  The notification determination unit 308 uses the safety confirmation data acquired by the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 307 to determine whether notification to the driver 23 is necessary.

The notification determination unit 308 uses these maps acquired by the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 307 to check the timing of visual confirmation of the driver 23, the size of the face orientation angle during visual confirmation, and the timing of the winker operation. Then, according to the result, it is determined whether notification is necessary. For example, for the visual confirmation timing, the visual map 1 (see FIG. 7A) acquired by the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 307 is used. Notification determination unit 308, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the distance _{L A} distance _{L 4} obtained by subtracting the distance _{L 3} from (most frequent intersection reach distance) as threshold, compared with the intersection arrival distance _{L C} Check the timing of visual confirmation. Here, the distance L ₃ is prepared based on experiments and the like, may be a fixed value stored in advance in the ROM32 and the like, or may be one that is derived by a predetermined calculation. The intersection reach L _C is the distance L ₄ a is smaller than if the safety confirmation operation visually has not yet been performed (i.e., if the timing of the visual check is late), the notification determining unit 308 It is determined that notification is necessary.

For the size of the face orientation angle, the visual map 2 (see FIG. 7B) acquired by the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 307 is used. As shown in FIG. 11B, the notification determination unit 308 uses the angle θ ₄ obtained by subtracting the angle θ ₃ from the angle θ _A (the most frequent face orientation angle) as a threshold value, and detects the detected face orientation angle θ _C. To check the size of the face angle. Here, the angle θ ₃ may be a fixed value created based on an experiment or the like and stored in advance in the ROM 32 or the like, or may be derived by a predetermined calculation. When the face orientation angle θ _C is smaller than the angle θ ₄ , the notification determination unit 308 determines that notification is necessary.

For the timing of the winker operation, the winker map (see FIG. 8) acquired by the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 307 is used. Notification determination unit 308, as shown in FIG. 12, the distance L _B the distance L ₆ by subtracting the distance L ₅ from _(most frequent intersection reach distance) as the threshold, by comparing the intersection reaching distance L _C winker Check the timing of the operation. Here, the distance L ₅ represents, is prepared based on experiments and the like, may be a fixed value stored in advance in the ROM32 and the like, or may be one that is derived by a predetermined calculation. Then, (if that is, the timing of the blinker operation is delayed) intersection reach L _C is the distance in the case L ₆ is smaller than if the safety confirmation operation by the turn signal operation is not yet performed, the notification determining unit 308 Determines that notification is necessary.

  When the notification determination unit 308 determines that notification is necessary, the notification unit 309 performs processing for causing the notification device 5 to output a predetermined warning message (character message). The warning message is created in advance according to the determination content and stored in the ROM 32 or the like. The warning message is, for example, “Please check visually” for the timing delay of visual confirmation, etc. “If the face angle is too small”, etc. As for the timing delay of "Please operate the blinker."

  The notification device 5 (in this embodiment, a head-up display) projects the warning message onto a predetermined area of the windshield (driver's seat side) of the vehicle 21 in accordance with a command from the notification unit 309. The notification device 5 projects the warning message in an area that is within the field of view of the driver 23 and does not hinder driving. Accordingly, the driver 23 can safely visually recognize the projected warning message even during the driving operation, and can recognize the warning content.

  After the vehicle 21 passes through the intersection, the registration unit 310 performs processing for registering information (safety confirmation operation information) on the safety confirmation operation of the driver 23 at the intersection in the intersection DB 4. The safety confirmation operation information is information based on the detection result of the safety confirmation detection unit 306. Specifically, the detected face orientation angle, the intersection reach at the time of detection, the blinker operation (or when the safety confirmation operation is detected) Includes intersection reach.

  The registration unit 310, based on the information of the intersection that has been stored stored in the RAM 33 or the like and the latest guidance information input from the navigation device 10, the position (latitude, longitude) of the intersection that has passed, and the confirmed travel route (Entrance route, exit route). The registration unit 310 registers the safety confirmation operation information in the intersection DB 4 based on the acquired information and the determination result (daytime or nighttime) by the day / night determination unit 305. The registered safety confirmation operation information is reflected in the corresponding safety confirmation data by the intersection DB 4 immediately after registration or at a predetermined timing.

  Next, the procedure of the notification process by the ECU 3 will be described along the flowchart of FIG. The notification process is repeatedly executed every predetermined time after the start of the route guidance process by the navigation device 10.

First, the intersection reach _{L C,} compared with the reference distance _{L 1} and _{L 2} each is performed. As a result, intersection reach _{L C} is, if the reference distance _{L 1} or at least either one smaller than _{L 2} is considered to be close to the nearest intersection (YES in step S101). In this case, the intersection DB 4 searches based on the position of the nearest intersection (latitude, longitude), the planned traffic route (entrance route, exit route), and the determination result (daytime or nighttime) by the day / night determination unit 305. Corresponding safety confirmation data (visual map 1, 2 and winker map) is acquired (step S102). For example, in the case of the situation in FIG. 14, the planned traffic route is branching route A → branch route C, and therefore, safety confirmation data of traffic route pattern 2 (No. 2) is acquired in the example of FIG. 9. . On the other hand, in the case of NO in step S101, it is determined that the vehicle is not approaching the nearest intersection, that is, is out of the target of the notification process, and exits this process.

Then, the acquired threshold from visual map 1 of the safety check data obtained (distance L _4), compared with the intersection reaching distance L _C is performed. As a result, intersection reach L _C is, if the distance L ₄ is less than (YES in step S103), turn the safety confirmation operation by visual inspection of the driver 23 is checked whether it is detected. If the visual safety confirmation operation has not been detected (NO in step S104), a warning message that prompts the driver 23 to visually confirm, such as “Please check visually” is output to the notification device 5 (step S105). ). On the other hand, when a visual safety confirmation operation is detected (YES in step S104), a threshold value (angle θ ₄ ) is acquired from the visual confirmation map 2 of the safety confirmation data and compared with the face orientation angle θ _C. . As a result, if the face orientation angle θ _C is smaller than the angle θ ₄ (YES in step S106), a warning notifying the driver 23 that the face orientation angle is small, such as “the face orientation angle is too small”. The message is output to the notification device 5 (step S107).

Followed, in the processing of step S108, safety check data winker map from the threshold (distance L ₆₎ is obtained, compared with the intersection reaching distance L _C is performed. As a result, intersection reach L _C is, if the distance L ₆ is smaller than (YES at step S108), turn the safety confirmation operation by the turn signal operation of the driver 23 is checked whether it is detected. If the safety confirmation operation by the winker operation has not been detected (NO in step S109), a warning message for prompting the driver 23 to perform the winker operation such as “Please perform winker operation” is output to the notification device 5 (step S109). S110).

  In addition, each process in the said flowchart is not limited to the order, The order can be arbitrarily changed in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.

  As described above, the driving support device 1 according to the present embodiment records the safety confirmation data obtained by integrating the information on the safety confirmation operation of the driver 23 at the intersection for each passage of the intersection (intersection DB4). It has. Then, when approaching the intersection, the driver 23 is warned using the safety confirmation data under a predetermined condition. Therefore, it is possible to perform appropriate driving support based on the unique environment of the intersection, such as not only the characteristics of the individual driver but also the arrangement of nearby buildings and the like.

[Second Embodiment]
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, parts common to the driving support apparatus 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings to be referred to, and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 15 shows the configuration of a driving support apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The driving support device 200 includes an imaging device 2, an ECU 6, an intersection DB 4, and a notification device 5. The ECU 6 is connected to the navigation device 10, the blinker switch 11, the headlamp switch 12, and the like, and is configured to be able to input signals or data from these devices. The driving support device 200 satisfies all the functions of the driving support device 1 of the first embodiment, and further has the functions described below.

  Unlike the ECU 3 of the driving support device 1, the ECU 6 includes a communication unit 35. As shown in FIG. 16, the communication unit 35 is a device for performing data communication with a base station 201 installed at a predetermined location using a predetermined communication method. The base station 201 includes a common DB 202 that is a database having a structure similar to the intersection DB 4 of the driving support device 200. The common DB 202 is a database that records aggregated safety confirmation data related to safety confirmations of a plurality of drivers at intersections for each traffic route of each intersection. The base station 201 performs data communication with the driving support devices 200 of the plurality of vehicles 21 and collects data collected from the intersection DB 4 of each driving support device 200, thereby generating aggregated safety confirmation data.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the ECU 6 functionally includes a guidance information input unit 301, a distance acquisition unit 302, a face angle detection unit 303, a vehicle information acquisition unit 304, a day / night determination unit 305, a safety A confirmation detection unit 306, a safety confirmation data acquisition unit 601, a notification determination unit 308, a notification unit 309, a registration unit 310, and a data transmission unit 602 are provided.

  As in the first embodiment, the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 601 acquires safety confirmation data corresponding to the planned traffic route of the nearest intersection from the intersection DB 4 based on the guidance information from the navigation device 10. The safety confirmation data acquisition unit 601 of the present embodiment further performs a process of acquiring the aggregated safety confirmation data recorded in the common DB 202 of the base station 201 instead of acquiring the safety confirmation data as necessary. Hereinafter, such processing will be specifically described.

  When the vehicle 21 approaches the nearest intersection, the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 601 determines the position (latitude, longitude) of the nearest intersection and the planned route (that is, the approach) based on the guidance information from the navigation device 10. Road, exit road). Then, the intersection DB 4 is searched based on these information and the determination result (daytime or nighttime) by the day / night determination unit 305. At this time, if the corresponding safety confirmation data does not exist in the intersection DB 4, the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 601 determines that the aggregated safety confirmation data in the common DB 202 needs to be used. Even if the corresponding safety confirmation data exists, if the safety confirmation data is not eligible for use, it is necessary to use the aggregated safety confirmation data in the common DB 202 instead of the safety confirmation data. Judge that there is. The determination as to whether or not there is eligibility for use can be made based on the number of stored data of the safety confirmation data. For example, the data accumulation number is compared with a preset reference accumulation number, and when the data accumulation number is smaller than the reference accumulation number, it is determined that the safety confirmation data is not eligible for use.

  When it is determined that the corresponding safety confirmation data does not exist or the acquired safety confirmation data is not eligible for use, the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 601 accesses the common DB 202 of the base station 201 via the communication unit 35. To do. Then, the common DB 202 is searched using information including the position of the nearest intersection, the planned route of travel, and another designation of day and night, and corresponding aggregated safety confirmation data is acquired. The notification determination unit 308 uses the aggregated safety confirmation data acquired by the safety confirmation data acquisition unit 601 and determines whether notification to the driver 23 is necessary in the same manner as in the first embodiment. I do.

  The data transmission unit 602 performs processing for transmitting data related to the contents of the intersection DB 4 to the base station 201 via the communication unit 35 under a predetermined condition. For example, the data transmission unit 602 can collectively transmit all recorded contents of the intersection DB 4 to the base station 201 at regular time intervals. Further, in response to a request from the base station 201, requested data (a part of the recorded contents of the intersection DB 4) can be transmitted. The safety confirmation operation information may be transmitted to the base station 201 in synchronization with the registration process of the safety confirmation operation information to the intersection DB 4 by the registration unit 310.

  As described above, the driving support apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment can perform notification determination for the driver 23 using the aggregated safety confirmation data in which the individual driver's safety confirmation data is aggregated. Therefore, even when the driver 23 passes the intersection for the first time or when the number of passes is small, it is possible to perform appropriate driving support. Further, the aggregated safety confirmation data can be used in various modes as well as an alternative to the safety confirmation data. For example, the safety confirmation data may be compared with the aggregated safety confirmation data corresponding to the safety confirmation data, and the result may be notified to the driver 23 via a monitor or the like.

  The present invention is not limited to the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, the driving support device 1 (200) of the above embodiment uses both the left and right visual confirmations and the blinker operation by the driver 23 as the targets of the safety confirmation operation at the intersection, but only one of the operations is safe. It may be configured to be a target of the confirmation operation. In addition, it is possible to make other operations the subject of the safety confirmation operation. For example, the deceleration operation (detected from the brake signal, vehicle speed, etc.) of the driver 23 when approaching the nearest intersection may be the target of the safety confirmation operation.

  In addition, the day / night determination unit 305 of the above embodiment determines whether the day and night are different based on the lighting state of the headlamp 25. In addition to this, for example, based on the time of day, the ambient illuminance of the vehicle 23, and the like. It may be determined whether day or night.

  Further, the safety confirmation data can be arbitrarily classified and managed according to various conditions as well as day and night. For example, the safety confirmation data may be managed according to the weather (for example, for good weather and bad weather), and the driver 23 may be notified using the safety confirmation data according to the current weather. In this case, a weather determination unit that determines whether the weather around the vehicle 21 is good or bad is added to the function of the ECU 3 (ECU 6). For example, the weather determination unit may determine whether the weather is good or bad based on the operation state of the wiper.

  Specifically, the vehicle information from the wiper switch (ie, the wiper operating state) is input to the ECU 3 (ECU 6), and the weather determination unit is in good weather if the wiper is in the non-operating state. If it is operating, it is determined that the weather is bad. Then, the notification determination unit 308 acquires safety confirmation data for good weather or bad weather from the intersection DB 4 according to the determination result of the weather determination unit, and performs notification determination using this. Also, the registration unit 310 registers the safety confirmation operation information in the intersection DB 4 as being either for good weather or for bad weather according to the determination result of the weather determination unit.

  Moreover, you may perform the alerting | reporting with respect to the driver | operator 23 via the apparatus normally equipped with the vehicle 21. FIG. For example, notification may be performed by changing the illumination of a meter or the illuminance of an interior light, or by sounding a vehicle-mounted buzzer. Furthermore, when the vehicle 21 is equipped with a bending lamp, the driver 23 may be notified by turning on the bending lamp corresponding to the right or left turn direction scheduled for the intersection at night.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the installation aspect of an imaging device. It is an external view which shows the front part of the vehicle carrying the driving assistance device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of ECU shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows a driver | operator's face image, (a) shows an edge image, (b) shows the feature point of an edge image. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a distance between a face center line and both ends of a face in the width direction in the edge image of FIG. 5. It is a figure which shows visual correspondence data, (a) shows the data (visual map 1) about an intersection arrival distance, (b) shows the data (visual map 2) about a face direction angle. It is a figure which shows winker operation corresponding | compatible data (winker map). It is a figure which shows the content managed by the data management part of intersection DB. It is a figure which shows the example of the intersection corresponding to the content of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the threshold value obtained from visual correspondence data, (a) shows the threshold value of the distance obtained from the visual map 1, (b) shows the threshold value of the face direction angle obtained from the visual map 2. It is a figure for demonstrating the threshold value obtained from winker operation corresponding | compatible data (winker map). It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of an alerting | reporting process. It is a figure which shows the example of a situation used by description of the alerting | reporting process of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the base station which performs data communication with the driving assistance apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of ECU shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1,200 Driving support device 2 Imaging device (imaging means)
4 intersection DB (database)
5. Notification device (notification means)
21 Vehicle 22 Driving seat 23 Driver 24L, 24R Winker (direction indicator)
25 Headlamp (lighting device)
201 base station 202 common DB (common database)
301 Guidance information input unit (guidance information input means)
302 Distance acquisition unit (distance acquisition means)
303 Face angle detector (face angle detector)
304 Vehicle information acquisition unit (direction indicator state input means, illumination state input means, wiper state input means)
305 Day / Night Judgment Unit (Day / Night Judgment Unit)
306 Safety confirmation detection unit (safety confirmation detection means)
307, 601 Safety confirmation data acquisition unit (safety confirmation data acquisition means)
308 Notification determination unit (determination means)
309 Notification unit (notification means)
310 Registration section (registration means)
602 Data transmission unit (data transmission means)

Claims (10)

Guidance information input means for inputting guidance information obtained based on map information and vehicle position information;
Based on the guidance information, distance acquisition means for acquiring an intersection arrival distance that is a distance from the current vehicle position to the nearest intersection on the guidance route;
Safety confirmation detection means for detecting the driver's safety confirmation operation at the nearest intersection;
Based on the guidance information, safety confirmation data acquisition means for acquiring the safety confirmation data corresponding to the planned traffic route of the nearest intersection from a database that records safety confirmation data related to driver safety confirmation at the intersection;
Determination means for determining whether or not notification to the driver is necessary based on the safety confirmation data, the detection result of the safety confirmation detection means, and the intersection reach distance;
A notification means for notifying the driver in a predetermined manner when the determination means determines that notification is necessary;
A driving support apparatus comprising: After passing through the intersection, further comprising registration means for registering information about the driver's safety confirmation operation at the intersection in the database,
The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein Imaging means for imaging a driver's face seated on a vehicle driving seat;
A face direction angle detecting unit for detecting a face direction angle from the front of the driver based on an image obtained by imaging of the image pickup unit;
The safety confirmation detecting means detects the safety confirmation operation based on the detected face orientation angle and the intersection reach distance.
The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein It further comprises direction indicator state input means for inputting the operating state of the direction indicator,
The safety confirmation detection means detects the safety confirmation operation based on an operation state of the direction indicator and the intersection reach distance.
The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein It further includes day / night determination means for determining whether it is daytime or nighttime,
In the database, the safety confirmation data is classified as daytime or nighttime,
The safety confirmation data acquisition means acquires the safety confirmation data for either daytime or nighttime from the database according to the determination result of the daytime / nighttime determination means,
The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein It further includes an illumination state input means for inputting a lighting state of an illumination device that performs illumination outside the vehicle,
The day / night determination means determines whether it is daytime or nighttime based on the lighting state of the lighting device.
The driving support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein Weather determination means for determining whether the weather around the vehicle is good or bad,
In the database, the safety confirmation data is classified as good weather or bad weather,
The safety confirmation data acquisition means acquires the safety confirmation data for good weather or bad weather from the database according to the determination result of the weather determination means,
The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein Further provided is a wiper state input means for inputting an operation state of the wiper,
The weather determination means determines whether the weather is good or bad based on the operating state of the wiper.
The driving support apparatus according to claim 7. A communication means for performing data communication with a base station including a common database that records aggregate safety confirmation data regarding safety confirmation of a plurality of drivers at an intersection for each traffic route of each intersection;
Data transmission means for transmitting data related to the contents of the database to the base station via the communication means under a predetermined condition;
When the safety confirmation data corresponding to the planned traffic route of the nearest intersection does not exist in the database or when the corresponding safety confirmation data does not satisfy the predetermined requirements,
The safety confirmation data acquisition means accesses the common database of the base station via the communication means, acquires the aggregated safety confirmation data corresponding to the planned traffic route of the nearest intersection,
The determination means performs the determination using the aggregated safety confirmation data.
The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein A guidance information input step for inputting guidance information obtained based on map information and vehicle position information;
Based on the guidance information, a distance acquisition step of acquiring an intersection arrival distance that is a distance from the current vehicle position to the nearest intersection on the guidance route;
A safety confirmation detection step for detecting a driver's safety confirmation operation at the nearest intersection;
Access to a database that records safety confirmation data related to driver safety confirmation at an intersection for each traffic route of each intersection, and based on the guidance information, the safety confirmation data corresponding to the planned traffic route of the nearest intersection A safety confirmation data acquisition step acquired from the database;
A determination step for determining whether or not notification to the driver is necessary based on the safety confirmation data, the detection result in the safety confirmation detection step, and the intersection reach distance;
A notification step of notifying the driver using a predetermined notification device when it is determined in the determination step that notification is required;
A driving support method characterized by comprising:

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