JP2009198216A - Break facilitating equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a driver's intention of taking a break be reflected on the contents of an instruction to urge the break. <P>SOLUTION: This break facilitating equipment 10 has a map data storage part 12 which stores road network information provided with the information on a break location, a driver information storage part 13 which stores the information on a driver of the driver's own vehicle, a bladder capacity estimating part 23 which estimates the capacity of a driver's bladder, based on the information on the driver, a weight sensor 16 which detects the weight of drink, a drink quantity calculating part 24 which calculates the quantity of drink taken by the driver from a change in the weight of the drink, a urinating desire time estimating part 25 which estimates the time when the driver has a desire to urinate, based on the capacity of the bladder and the quantity of the drink taken by the driver, a navigation processing part 22 which acquires the break location at which the driver's own vehicle can arrive by the time when the driver has the desire to urinate, and an output control part 26 and an output part 15 which notify the driver of the driver's own vehicle of the break location. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a break promoting device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, an in-vehicle navigation device that outputs an instruction signal for instructing a driver to take a break on a display unit when detecting that traveling at a predetermined speed or more has continued for a predetermined time or longer while traveling on an automobile exclusive road Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-71976

By the way, according to the vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the above-described prior art, an instruction signal that prompts a break is simply output according to the traveling state of the vehicle, and the driver's intention to take a break is determined according to the instruction signal. The timing cannot be appropriately reflected, and the driver may feel uncomfortable with the content of the break instruction. In this case, the instruction signal is output wastefully.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a break promoting device capable of appropriately reflecting the driver's intention to take a break in the instruction content of the instruction to promote a break.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the break promotion device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a road network information storage means (for example, implementation) that stores road network information including information on a break position. Map data storage unit 12) in the form, driver information storage means (for example, driver information storage part 13 in the embodiment) for storing information of the driver of the own vehicle, and the driver information storage means Based on the stored driver information, bladder capacity estimating means for estimating the driver's bladder capacity (for example, bladder capacity estimating unit 23 in the embodiment) and weight detection for detecting the weight of the beverage Beverage amount calculating means (for example, the embodiment) for calculating the beverage amount of the driver from means (for example, weight sensor 16 in the embodiment) and a change in the weight of the beverage detected by the weight detecting means. Beverage quantity calculation unit 2 ) And the bladder capacity estimated by the bladder capacity estimating means and the beverage amount of the driver estimated by the beverage amount estimating means, for example, a time estimating means for estimating the time when the driver is urinating (for example, The urine time estimation unit 25 in the embodiment, the current position detection unit that detects the current position of the host vehicle (for example, the current position detection unit 21 in the embodiment), and the time estimation unit Based on the time and the current position of the host vehicle detected by the current position detecting unit, the road position where the host vehicle can reach the vehicle by the time is stored in the road network information storage unit A break position acquisition unit (for example, the navigation processing unit 22 in the embodiment) acquired from the network information and the driver of the host vehicle are notified of the break position acquired by the break position acquisition unit. That includes a notification unit (for example, the output control section 23 and the output unit 15 in the embodiment).

  According to the break promoting device according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately report the rest position that can be reached at the time when the driver makes urine intentions, and the driver's intention to rest is included in the instruction content that prompts the break. Can be appropriately reflected.

Hereinafter, a break promoting device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the break promotion device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle state sensor 11, a map data storage unit 12, a driver information storage unit 13, an ECU 14, an output unit 15, and a weight sensor. 16.

  The vehicle state sensor 11 includes, as vehicle information of the host vehicle, for example, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed (vehicle speed) of the host vehicle, a gyro sensor that detects the posture and traveling direction of the vehicle body, and a yaw rate (around the vertical axis of the center of gravity of the vehicle). Positioning signal such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal for measuring the position of the vehicle using an artificial satellite, for example. Positioning signal receiver, and each sensor that detects driving operation by the driver (for example, accelerator pedal depression amount, brake pedal depression amount, steering wheel rudder angle, etc.) Yes.

The map data storage unit 12 stores map data for displaying a map on the display screen of the display device 31 of the output unit 15, for example.
The map data includes, for example, topographic map data and road network data. The road network data includes, for example, the road shape, road type, width, intersection angle, road connection state, and various facilities (for example, expressways). Service area, parking area, and other resting facilities).

  The driver information storage unit 13 stores various types of information necessary for estimating the driver's bladder capacity, such as weight, as information on the driver of the host vehicle (driver information).

  The ECU 14 includes, for example, a current position detection unit 21, a navigation processing unit 22, a bladder capacity estimation unit 23, a beverage amount calculation unit 24, a urine time estimation unit 25, and an output control unit 26. .

  The current position detection unit 21 uses the positioning signal received by the positioning signal receiver of the vehicle state sensor 11 or the autonomous navigation calculation process based on the vehicle speed, the yaw rate, etc. detected by the vehicle state sensor 11. The current position is calculated.

For example, the navigation processing unit 22 performs map matching on the map data acquired from the map data storage unit 12 based on the current position output from the current position detection unit 21, and responds to an input operation of the operator. Then, a route search, route guidance, and the like are executed for the set destination, and a control command for instructing operations of the display device 31 and the speaker 32 of the output unit 15 is output.
In addition, the navigation processing unit 22 detects the detection result of the traveling state amount of the host vehicle such as the vehicle speed and the yaw rate detected by the vehicle state sensor 11, the current position output from the current position detection unit 21, and the urinary time estimation described later. Based on the urinary time output from the unit 25, the rest position (for example, the service area and parking area of the highway, other rest facilities, etc.) that the host vehicle can reach by the urinary time is stored in the map data storage unit 12. A search is made from stored map data, and a rest position obtained by the search is set as a route guidance destination.

The bladder capacity estimation unit 23 estimates the driver's bladder capacity based on the driver information (driver information) of the host vehicle stored in the driver information storage unit 13, for example, the weight of the driver.
For example, the bladder capacity estimating unit 23 calculates the bladder capacity of the driver as a bladder capacity of 7 ml per 1 kg of the driver's body weight.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the beverage amount calculation unit 24 determines the beverage of the driver from the change in the weight of the beverage detected by the weight sensor 16 provided in the cup folder disposed in the vicinity of the driver in the vehicle compartment. Calculate the amount.
The urine time estimation unit 25 estimates a urinary time when the driver has a certain degree of urine intent, for example, a time when the driver's bladder is full (bladder full time) according to the beverage amount and bladder capacity of the driver. To do.

  The output control unit 26 controls the display device 31 and the speaker 32 of the output unit 15 according to, for example, a control command output from the navigation processing unit 22 or an input operation of the operator.

  The break promotion apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the operation of the break promotion apparatus 10 will be described next.

First, for example, in step S01 shown in FIG. 3, information on the driver of the host vehicle (for example, weight) is acquired.
In step S02, the bladder capacity of the driver is estimated according to the driver information.
In step S03, the weight of the cup folder detected by the weight sensor 16 is acquired.
In step S04, the beverage amount of the driver is calculated from the change in the weight of the beverage detected by the weight sensor 16 provided in the cup folder.
In step S05, the urinary time at which the driver has a certain degree of urination, for example, the time when the driver's bladder is full (bladder full time) is estimated in accordance with the beverage volume and bladder capacity of the driver. To do.

In step S06, the current position of the host vehicle is acquired by a positioning signal or an autonomous navigation calculation process.
In step S07, based on the current position of the host vehicle, the detection result for the running state amount of the host vehicle, and the bladder full time, the rest position (for example, the host vehicle can reach by the bladder full time (for example, The highway service area and parking area, other rest facilities, etc.) are searched from the map data stored in the map data storage unit 12.
In step S08, the driver is notified of the rest position, and the series of processes is terminated.

  As described above, according to the break promoting device 10 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately notify the rest position that can be reached at the time when the driver makes a urge to urinate, and to the instruction content of the instruction that prompts the break. It is possible to appropriately reflect the intention to take a break.

In the above-described embodiment, the bladder capacity of the driver is estimated based on the driver information (driver information) of the host vehicle stored in advance in the driver information storage unit 13, for example, the weight of the driver. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a weight sensor 41 that can detect the weight of the driver is provided as in the break promoting device 10 according to the modified example of the above-described embodiment shown in FIG. Based on the detection result output from 41, the driver's bladder capacity may be estimated.
Below, operation | movement of the break promotion apparatus 10 which concerns on this modification is demonstrated.
First, for example, in step S11 shown in FIG. 5, a weight acquisition process described later is executed.
And in step S12, the rest guidance threshold value setting process mentioned later is performed.
In step S13, the weight of the cup folder detected by the weight sensor 16 is acquired.
And in step S14, a driver | operator's drink quantity is computed from the change of the weight of the drink detected by the weight sensor 16 with which a cup folder is equipped.

In step S15, the driving time, that is, the continuation time (driving continuation time) after the start of driving of the host vehicle and the travel distance are acquired from the vehicle information of the host vehicle detected by the vehicle state sensor 11, for example. .
In step S16, for example, a value obtained by dividing the driving time by the beverage amount and a break guidance threshold value (driving time / beverage amount × break guidance threshold value) is obtained as a break guidance time. By setting as, the break guide time is calculated.
In step S17, for example, a value obtained by dividing the travel distance by the driving time and further multiplying the break guide time (travel distance / driving time × break guide time) is obtained as an expected arrival distance. By setting as, the expected reach distance is calculated.

In step S18, the map data stored in the map data storage unit 12 is a rest position (for example, a service area and a parking area of an expressway, other rest facilities, etc.) around the position according to the expected arrival distance. Search from.
In step S19, the driver is notified of the break position, and the series of processes ends.

Hereinafter, the process of acquiring the weight in step S11 described above will be described.
First, for example, in step S21 shown in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the weight of the driver can be measured.
If this determination is “YES”, the flow proceeds to step S22, where the measured value obtained by measuring the weight of the driver is set as the weight, and the series of processing ends.
On the other hand, if this determination is “NO”, the flow proceeds to step S23.

In step S23, it is determined whether or not information (for example, body weight) of the driver of the host vehicle is stored in advance.
If this determination is “YES”, the flow proceeds to step S 24, and in this step S 24, the acquired value of the information related to the weight of the driver obtained from the driver information storage unit 13 is set as the weight. Then, a series of processing ends.
On the other hand, if this determination is “NO”, the flow proceeds to step S 25, and a predetermined value (eg, average body weight) stored in advance in the bladder capacity estimation unit 23 is set as the body weight, and a series of processes Exit.

The rest guidance threshold value setting process in step S12 described above will be described below.
First, for example, in step S31 shown in FIG. 7, for example, by setting a value obtained by multiplying the body weight (kg) by a predetermined value (7 (ml / kg)) as the bladder capacity (ml), the bladder capacity Is calculated.
In step S32, for example, by setting a value obtained by multiplying the bladder capacity (ml) by a predetermined coefficient α (for example, 0.7) as the break guidance threshold (ml), the break guidance threshold is set. Calculate and end the series of processing.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the predicted arrival time to the parking area PA is 120 minutes as the reachable rest position for the host vehicle that has started traveling from time t0, and the service area SA is the reachable rest position. In a state where the predicted arrival time is 150 minutes, the driver of the host vehicle that has started traveling from time t0 ingested 20 ml of beverage during an elapsed time of 10 minutes (that is, driving time). When t1 is reached, the rest guidance time is 150 minutes, and the service area SA whose predicted arrival time is 150 minutes is guided to the driver by the output unit 15 as a rest position corresponding to the rest guidance time. .
Furthermore, when the driver of the host vehicle has taken 30 ml of beverage during 10 minutes elapsed from time t1 (that is, driving time) and has reached time t2, the rest guidance time after the start of traveling The parking area PA whose estimated arrival time is 120 minutes is guided to the driver by the output unit 15 as a rest position corresponding to the rest guidance time.
Furthermore, when the driver of the host vehicle ingests 10 ml of beverage during 5 minutes from time t2 (that is, driving time) and reaches time t4, the rest guidance time after the start of traveling The parking area PA whose predicted arrival time is 120 minutes is guided by the output unit 15 to the driver as a rest position corresponding to this rest guidance time.

It is a lineblock diagram of a break promotion device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the weight sensor which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the break promotion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the break promotion apparatus which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the rest promotion apparatus which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of weight acquisition which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a rest guidance threshold value setting which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the correspondence of the rest guidance time and the rest position which concern on the modification of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Break Promotion Device 12 Map Data Storage Unit (Road Network Information Storage Means)
13 Driver information storage unit (Driver information storage means)
15 Output unit (notification means)
16 Weight sensor (weight detection means)
21 Current position detection unit (current position detection means)
22 Navigation processing unit (rest position acquisition means)
23 Output control unit (notification means)
24 Beverage amount calculation unit (beverage amount calculation means)
25 Urinary time estimation unit (time estimation means)

Claims (1)

Road network information storage means for storing road network information including information on break positions;
Driver information storage means for storing information on the driver of the host vehicle;
Bladder capacity estimating means for estimating the driver's bladder capacity based on the driver information stored in the driver information storage means;
Weight detection means for detecting the weight of the beverage;
A beverage amount calculating means for calculating the driver's beverage amount from a change in the weight of the beverage detected by the weight detecting means;
A time estimation means for estimating a time when the driver is willing to urinate based on the bladder capacity estimated by the bladder capacity estimation means and the beverage amount of the driver estimated by the beverage amount estimation means;
Current position detection means for detecting the current position of the host vehicle;
Based on the time estimated by the time estimating means and the current position of the host vehicle detected by the current position detecting means, the rest position that the host vehicle can reach by the time is stored in the road network information. Break position acquisition means for acquiring from the road network information stored in the means;
A break promoting device, comprising: a notifying means for notifying a driver of the host vehicle of the break position acquired by the break position acquiring means.

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