JP2009244986A - Warning notification device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly notify warning information when there is a pedestrian having the possibility of being collided with. <P>SOLUTION: When a dangerous pedestrian detecting part 32 detects a pedestrian having the possibility of being collided with, an overlooking easiness determining part 40 respectively determines whether a vehicle speed of one's own vehicle is at a high speed, whether the preceding vehicle and an oncoming vehicle exist, whether to be in an aimless driving state and whether a driver thinks that there no pedestrian around the one's own vehicle on the basis of the detection result by a one's own vehicle state detecting part 34 to determines the degree of the easiness of overlooking a pedestrian by the driver of the one's own vehicle. A looking difficulty determining part 42 determines the degree of the difficulty of looking at the pedestrian by the driver of the one's own vehicle on the basis of a peripheral environment state detected by a peripheral environment state detecting part 38. An alarm level determining part 44 determines an alarm level on the basis of the degree of overlooking easiness and the degree of looking difficulty. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a warning notification device, and more particularly to a warning notification device that notifies a driver of warning information so as to avoid collision with a surrounding pedestrian.

  Conventionally, in the pedestrian detection technology for preventing pedestrian accidents, in order to reduce the troublesomeness of warning to the driver, a method of suppressing notification is proposed for a pedestrian who can properly recognize the presence of the driver. ing. For example, a vehicular information providing device that provides useful information to a driver without excess or deficiency in accordance with a state (visibility or attractiveness) of an object to be recognized by the driver is known (Patent Document 1).

  In the conventional technology, the use of an indicator indicating whether the pedestrian is easily or difficult to see from the driver, or whether the driver's line of sight is looking toward the pedestrian is used to determine whether the notification is possible. Judgment.

Also, in an actual accident, even if it is easy for the driver to see the pedestrian, there is no room for seeing the pedestrian because of the traffic conditions around the vehicle, so the accident occurred because the discovery of the pedestrian was delayed. As a result of driving with the assumption that there will be no pedestrians, the driver's line of sight faces the direction of the pedestrian, but the discovery of the pedestrian is delayed and an accident occurs. There are cases where
JP 2004-30212 A

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 does not consider a situation where the driver cannot afford to see a pedestrian or a situation where the driver is driving with a belief that there will be no pedestrian. There is a problem that it cannot be alarmed.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a warning notification device that can appropriately notify warning information when there is a pedestrian at risk of collision. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a warning notification device according to a first aspect of the present invention detects the position of a pedestrian existing around the host vehicle, and collides with the host vehicle based on the detected position of the pedestrian. A dangerous pedestrian detection means for detecting a possible pedestrian and an oversight for determining the degree of ease of oversight of a pedestrian by a driver of the own vehicle when the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means An easiness determination means, an invisibility determination means for determining the degree of difficulty in viewing a pedestrian by a driver of the own vehicle when the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means, and the ease of oversight When the degree of ease of oversight determined by the determination means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and when the degree of difficulty of visibility determined by the visibility difficulty determination means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the driver is warned. It is configured to include a notification means for notifying the information.

  According to the warning notification device of the first invention, the position of a pedestrian existing around the own vehicle is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means, and the vehicle collides with the own vehicle based on the detected position of the pedestrian. Detect possible pedestrians.

  Then, when the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means, the degree of ease of oversight of the pedestrian by the driver of the own vehicle is determined by the oversight determination means. Further, when the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means, the degree of difficulty in seeing the pedestrian by the driver of the host vehicle is determined by the visibility difficulty determination means.

  When the degree of ease of oversight determined by the ease of oversight determination means by the notification means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and when the degree of difficulty of visibility determined by the difficulty of visibility determination is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the driver Is notified of warning information.

  In this way, when a pedestrian that may collide with the host vehicle is detected, the collision is performed by notifying the driver of warning information based on the ease of oversight and the difficulty of seeing the pedestrian. When there is a dangerous pedestrian, warning information can be appropriately notified.

  A warning notification device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a vehicle speed of a host vehicle, a driving propriety state of a driver of the host vehicle, a safe driving awareness level measured in advance by the driver, a vehicle existing in front of the host vehicle, and the surroundings of the host vehicle. Detecting a pedestrian that may collide with the own vehicle based on the detected position of the pedestrian, and detecting the position of the pedestrian in the vicinity of the own vehicle. Whether the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined value based on a detection result by the host vehicle state detection unit when the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection unit and the dangerous pedestrian detection unit. Determination of whether there is a vehicle ahead that the driver should be aware of, determination of whether the driving suitability state is not normal, and determination of whether the driver thinks that there is no pedestrian around the vehicle Each The overlookability determination means for determining the degree of ease of oversight of a pedestrian by the driver of the own vehicle according to the number of determinations that are satisfied, and the oversight determined by the oversight ease determination means And a notifying means for notifying the driver of warning information when the degree of ease is a predetermined value or more.

  According to the warning notification device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, the driving propriety state of the driver of the own vehicle, the safe driving awareness level measured in advance by the driver, and the presence in front of the own vehicle are detected by the own vehicle state detecting means. And the surrounding state of the host vehicle are detected. Further, the position of a pedestrian existing around the host vehicle is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means, and a pedestrian that may collide with the host vehicle is detected based on the detected position of the pedestrian.

  And when the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means by the overlookability determination means, based on the detection result by the own vehicle state detection means, whether the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, Judgment is made whether there is a vehicle ahead that the driver should be aware of, whether the driving propriety state is not normal, and whether the driver thinks that there is no pedestrian around the vehicle. The degree of ease of oversight of a pedestrian by the driver of the host vehicle is determined according to the number of determinations that satisfy the determination condition.

  Then, when the degree of ease of oversight determined by the ease of oversight determination means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the notification means notifies the driver of warning information.

  In this way, when a pedestrian who may collide with the host vehicle is detected, a warning with a risk of collision is provided by notifying the driver of warning information based on the ease of oversight of the pedestrian. When there is a person, warning information can be notified appropriately.

  The notification means according to the first invention is an alarm for determining an alarm level according to the degree of ease of oversight determined by the ease of oversight determination and the degree of difficulty of visibility determined by the difficulty of visibility determination. Level determination means is provided, and warning information can be notified based on the alarm level determined by the alarm level determination means. Accordingly, warning information can be more appropriately notified according to the ease of oversight and difficulty of pedestrians' oversight.

  The notification means according to the second invention includes an alarm level determination means for determining an alarm level according to the degree of ease of oversight determined by the oversight ease determination means, and the alarm level determined by the alarm level determination means. Based on the above, warning information can be notified. Thereby, warning information can be notified more appropriately according to the ease of oversight of pedestrians.

  A warning notification device according to a first invention includes a vehicle speed of a host vehicle, a driving propriety state of a driver of the host vehicle, a safe driving awareness level measured in advance by the driver, a vehicle existing ahead of the host vehicle, and a surrounding state of the host vehicle. The vehicle state detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed, and the overlookability determining means, when a pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detecting means, based on the detection result by the own vehicle state detecting means, The driver determines that there is no pedestrian in the vicinity of the host vehicle Each determination of whether or not the situation is present can be performed, and the degree of ease of oversight can be determined according to the number of determinations that satisfy the determination condition.

  The own vehicle state detection means of the warning notification device that determines whether the driver is in a situation that the driver thinks that there is no pedestrian is the signal state of the traffic lights existing around the own vehicle as the surrounding state of the own vehicle, The pedestrian and the quiet state of the vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle are detected, and the ease of oversight determination means is based on the detection result by the own vehicle state detection means, and when the preceding vehicle exists in front of the own vehicle, the signal state of the traffic light Is flashing blue, yellow signal, or red signal, when the surroundings of the own vehicle is in a quiet state, and when the safe driving awareness level is below a predetermined value, pedestrians are around the own vehicle. If not, it can be determined that the driver is in a situation.

  The difficulty of determining visibility according to the first invention determines whether the pedestrian is outside a predetermined range around the host vehicle based on the position of the pedestrian detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection unit. The degree of difficulty in viewing can be determined according to the determination result.

  The warning notification device according to the first aspect of the present invention provides a surrounding environment state that is at least one of a light / dark state, a weather state, and a background state of a pedestrian detected by a dangerous pedestrian detection unit. It further includes a surrounding environment state detecting means for detecting, and the difficulty-of-view determination means can determine the degree of difficulty of viewing based on the surrounding environment state detected by the surrounding environment state detection means.

  As described above, according to the warning notification device of the present invention, when a pedestrian that may collide with the host vehicle is detected, the pedestrian is easily and overlooked, or the pedestrian is overlooked. By notifying the driver of the warning information based on the ease, it is possible to appropriately notify the warning information when there is a pedestrian who has a risk of collision.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to a warning notification device mounted on a vehicle will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the warning notification device 10 according to the first embodiment includes an imaging device 12 that captures an image representing the front of the host vehicle mounted on the host vehicle, and a vehicle speed that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. Sensor 14, face imaging device 16 that captures an image representing the face of the driver, illuminance sensor 18 that detects illuminance outside the host vehicle, an image captured by imaging device 12, and vehicle speed sensor 14 A speaker provided in the vehicle interior so as to avoid a collision with a pedestrian with a possibility of a collision based on the vehicle speed, the image captured by the face imaging device 16, and the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 18. A computer 20 for outputting a warning sound to the driver is provided.

  The computer 20 includes a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM that stores a program for executing a warning notification processing routine described later, and is functionally configured as follows. The computer 20 has a right / left turn intention detection unit 30 that detects that the driver intends a right / left turn based on on / off of a blinker switch (not shown), and a right / left turn intention detection unit 30 that determines whether the driver has a right / left turn intention. When detected, the dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32 that detects a pedestrian that may collide with the host vehicle based on the image captured by the imaging device 12, and the host that detects information about the host vehicle and the driver. A vehicle information detection unit 34, a surrounding traffic state detection unit 36 for detecting a traffic state around the host vehicle, and a state for detecting a state quantity that affects the visibility of a pedestrian in the surrounding environment of the host vehicle When a pedestrian that may collide is detected by the environmental state detection unit 38 and the dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32, the detection result and the surrounding traffic state detection by the own vehicle information detection unit 34 are detected. Based on the detection result by the unit 36, when an overlookability determination unit 40 that determines the degree of ease of oversight of a pedestrian by a driver and a pedestrian that may collide are detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32 Further, based on the detection result by the surrounding environment state detection unit 38, the determination result of the difficulty of seeing determination unit 42 for determining the degree of difficulty of seeing the pedestrian by the driver and the determination result of the ease of oversight determination unit 40 and the determination of difficulty of seeing Based on the determination result of the unit 42, an alarm level determination unit 44 that determines the alarm level to the driver, and an output that outputs a warning sound to the driver by the speaker 22 based on the alarm level determined by the alarm level determination unit 44 And a control unit 46.

  When the winker switch is turned on, the right / left turn intention detector 30 determines that the driver has performed a winker operation with the intention of making a right / left turn, and detects that the driver is making a right / left turn. Note that the driver's intention to turn left or right is detected based on the route setting information of the navigation system installed in the host vehicle or information obtained from the navigation system indicating that the host vehicle is traveling in a dedicated lane. May be.

  The dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32 extracts a pedestrian from a front image captured by the imaging device 12 when a right / left turn intention is detected, and the position of the pedestrian is extracted for each of the extracted pedestrians. Then, based on the moving direction, it is determined whether or not there is a possibility of colliding with the own vehicle, and a pedestrian who may collide with the own vehicle is detected.

  Based on the vehicle speed detected from the vehicle speed sensor 14, the host vehicle information detection unit 34 determines whether the host vehicle is at a high speed or a low speed, and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 14. On the basis of the safety awareness measuring unit 52 that measures the safe driving awareness level of the driver of the host vehicle and the image representing the driver's face imaged by the face imaging device 16, the driver is in a normal state as a driving suitability state. And an abrupt driving determination unit 54 that determines whether or not the vehicle is in a driving state.

  The vehicle speed height determination unit 50 determines that the vehicle speed is “low speed” when the vehicle speed is less than a threshold (for example, 30 km / h), and uses the determination criterion that determines “high speed” when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the threshold. It is determined whether the vehicle speed detected from the sensor 14 is high speed or low speed.

  The safety consciousness measurement unit 52 stores the ratio of the number of times that the driver has finished turning left and right at a constant speed without decelerating and stopping among the number of times determined as “no alarm” by the alarm level determination unit 44 described later. In addition, when the value is equal to or higher than a threshold (for example, 40%), a low safe driving awareness level (safe driving awareness level below a predetermined level) is measured. High safety driving awareness level) is measured and the measurement result is stored.

  Here, in this embodiment, the case where a low safe driving awareness level is measured is defined as follows. When the alarm level determination unit 44 determines “no alarm”, at least the dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32 detects a pedestrian that may collide with the host vehicle. Nevertheless, the situation where the driver has finished turning right and left without decelerating and stopping at a constant speed is considered to be because the driver has not confirmed safety. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ratio of the number of times the driver finishes turning left and right at a constant speed without performing deceleration stop out of the number of times determined as “no alarm” by the alarm level determination unit 44 is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Is defined as a case where a low safe driving awareness level is measured.

  The random driving determination unit 54 detects the movement of the eyeball from the face image of the driver imaged by the facial imaging device 16 and when the movement of the eyeball is not seen at all for a certain time (for example, 3 seconds), It is determined that Note that it may be determined whether or not the vehicle is in an abrupt driving state based on a delay in the steering reaction.

  The surrounding traffic state detection unit 36 detects a signal state of a traffic light existing in front of the host vehicle from a front image captured by the imaging device 12 and a front side captured by the imaging device 12. The other vehicle detection unit 58 that detects the oncoming vehicle and the preceding vehicle from the image, and the quiet state detection unit that detects from the front image captured by the imaging device 12 that the traffic state around the host vehicle is a quiet state 60.

  For example, when the driver intends to make a right turn, the signal state detection unit 56 determines whether or not there is a pedestrian traffic light at the intersection scheduled to turn right from the front image captured by the imaging device 12. If it is determined that there is a traffic signal for pedestrians at the intersection scheduled to turn right, the signal status of the traffic signal for pedestrians is detected as the signal status of the traffic signal existing ahead, and the traffic signal for pedestrians at the intersection scheduled to turn right If it is determined that no signal exists, the signal state of the traffic signal for the vehicle is detected as the signal state of the traffic signal existing ahead. In addition, you may make it detect the signal state of a signal apparatus by road-to-vehicle communication.

  The other vehicle detection unit 58 extracts a vehicle existing in the vicinity from the front image captured by the imaging device 12, for example, performs image recognition processing, and detects an oncoming vehicle and a preceding vehicle from the extracted vehicle. . The preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle may be detected by inter-vehicle communication.

  The quiet state detection unit 60 determines whether or not other vehicles or pedestrians have been detected from the forward image captured by the imaging device 12 in the travel route of the host vehicle for a certain past time (for example, 5 minutes). A determination is made, and when no other vehicle or pedestrian is detected for a certain period of time in the past, it is detected that the traffic state around the host vehicle is in a quiet state. In addition, you may make it detect that the traffic state around the own vehicle is a quiet state using vehicle-to-vehicle communication or road-to-vehicle communication.

  The surrounding environment state detection unit 38 determines the weather of the surrounding environment based on the light / dark determination unit 62 that determines the brightness of the surrounding environment based on the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 18 and the ON / OFF of the wiper switch of the host vehicle. Detected by the weather determination unit 64, the contrast determination unit 66 that determines whether the contrast between the pedestrian and the background is high or low, and the dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32 from the front image captured by the imaging device 12. A pedestrian position determination unit 68 that determines whether or not a pedestrian who may collide exists within a range where the driver can easily see based on the position of the pedestrian that may collide. .

  The brightness determination unit 62 determines that the surrounding environment is bright when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 18 is equal to or greater than the threshold, and determines that the surrounding environment is dark when the detected illuminance is less than the threshold. . Note that the brightness of the surrounding environment may be determined based on the captured image or on / off of the light switch of the host vehicle.

  The weather determination unit 64 determines that the weather in the surrounding environment is bad when the wiper switch of the host vehicle is on, and the weather in the surrounding environment is favorable when the wiper switch of the host vehicle is off. Judge that there is. The weather in the surrounding environment may be determined using a captured image or a raindrop sensor.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the pedestrian position determination unit 68 determines whether or not the detected position of a pedestrian that may collide exists within a range in which the driver can easily see. For example, when the driver intends to turn right, as shown in FIG. 2B, the angle from the front direction of the host vehicle to the left boundary of the easy-to-view range is 30 degrees as shown in FIG. It is set that the angle from the front direction to the right boundary of the visible range is 50 degrees. Therefore, when the relative angle of the pedestrian position with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle is within an easy-to-view range defined by the angle range from the left boundary to the right boundary, the detected collision occurs. It is determined that a potential pedestrian position is within an easy-to-see range for the driver. On the other hand, when the relative angle of the position of the walking vehicle with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle is outside the above-mentioned range where it is easy to see, the detected position of the pedestrian who may collide is outside the range where the driver can easily see. Is determined to exist. In addition, although the case where the position of a pedestrian is acquired from the detection result by the dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32 has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this, and using radar such as millimeter waves, infrared rays, and lasers, You may make it acquire the position of a pedestrian.

  The overlookability determination unit 40, when a dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32 detects a pedestrian who may collide, the determination result of the vehicle speed height determination unit 50, the measurement result of the safety awareness measurement unit 52, the casual driving determination Based on the determination result of the unit 54, the detection result of the signal state detection unit 56, the detection result of the other vehicle detection unit 58, and the detection result of the quiet state detection unit 60, the degree of ease of pedestrian oversight by the driver is determined. .

  Here, the principle of determining the ease of oversight of pedestrians will be described. The degree of ease of oversight of pedestrians is limited even if the pedestrian has good visibility due to reduced attention to the surroundings of the driver and attention to specific objects other than pedestrians. Represents the degree to which pedestrians cannot be recognized.

  Below, the factors affecting the degree of ease of pedestrian oversight will be described. When there is an oncoming vehicle, the driver's attention tends to overlook the pedestrian by turning to the oncoming vehicle. Therefore, the presence of the oncoming vehicle increases the degree of pedestrian oversight. In addition, when the driver is in a vague driving state, it is easy to overlook a pedestrian because the driver's consciousness level is lowered. Therefore, the degree of the ease of overlooking a pedestrian increases by detecting the vague driving state. Also, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is high, the time that can be used for checking the surroundings is shorter than when the vehicle speed is low, so that it is easy to overlook pedestrians. Therefore, if the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is high, the degree of ease of pedestrian oversight increases.

  Also, if the driver thinks that there are no pedestrians, it will be easy to overlook pedestrians because sufficient confirmation will not be performed. growing.

  Next, factors that affect the determination of whether or not the driver thinks that there is no pedestrian will be described. If there is a preceding vehicle, the driver has the belief that the host vehicle will be able to proceed because the preceding vehicle is traveling. Therefore, it is determined that the driver is presuming that there is no pedestrian. In addition, when the signal state of the traffic light is flashing blue, yellow signal, and red signal, it is determined that the pedestrian will not cross, so it is determined that the driver is convinced that there is no pedestrian. . In addition, when the surrounding traffic is in a quiet state, the driver has the belief that there will be no pedestrians in such a surrounding environment. Therefore, it is determined that the driver thinks that there is no pedestrian. . In addition, when the driver's awareness level of safe driving is low, the driver's belief that there is no need to confirm the surrounding safety is generated by the driver, so it is determined that the driver is convinced that there is no pedestrian. .

  From the above, in the present embodiment, the oversight ease determination unit 40 first detects the measurement result by the safety consciousness measurement unit 52, the detection result of the signal state detection unit 56, the detection result of the other vehicle detection unit 58, and the quiet state detection. Based on the detection result of the unit 60, it is determined whether there is a preceding vehicle, whether the signal state of the traffic signal ahead is a blinking blue light, a yellow signal, or a red signal, and whether it is a quiet state And if it is determined that the driver is at a low safe driving awareness level, and if at least one determination criterion is satisfied, the driver determines that there is no pedestrian, and either If the determination condition is not satisfied, it is determined that the driver does not think that there is no pedestrian. When the dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32 detects a pedestrian that may collide, the overlookability determination unit 40 determines the determination result of the vehicle speed height determination unit 50, the determination result of the casual driving determination unit 54, etc. Based on the detection result of the vehicle detection unit 58 and the determination result of whether or not the driver thinks, the determination of whether there is an oncoming vehicle, the determination of whether the driver is in a casual driving state, or the driver thinks that there is no pedestrian And whether or not the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is high, and as shown in FIG. 3, the degree of ease of oversight is determined according to the number of determinations that satisfy the above determination conditions. .

  For example, the greater the number of determinations that satisfy the determination condition, the greater the degree of ease of oversight, and if none of the determination conditions are satisfied, the minimum value (0 points) as the degree of ease of oversight. If all the determination conditions are satisfied, the maximum value (4 points) is determined as the degree of ease of oversight.

  When the dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32 detects a pedestrian who may collide, the visibility difficulty determination unit 42 determines the determination result of the light / dark determination unit 62, the determination result of the weather determination unit 64, and the contrast determination unit 66. Based on the determination result and the determination result of the pedestrian position determination unit 68, the degree of difficulty of seeing the pedestrian by the driver is determined.

  Here, the principle of the visibility difficulty will be described. The degree of difficulty in viewing represents the degree of poor visibility for a pedestrian as viewed from the driver due to ambient brightness, weather, and the like.

  Hereinafter, factors that affect the degree of difficulty in viewing will be described. When the surrounding environment of the host vehicle is dark, it is difficult for the driver to see the pedestrian, so the degree of difficulty in viewing increases. In addition, when the weather condition of the surrounding environment is bad weather, it becomes difficult for the driver to see the pedestrian due to rain or the like, and thus the degree of difficulty of viewing increases. Also, when the contrast between the pedestrian and the background is low, the pedestrian blends into the background, making it difficult for the driver to see the pedestrian, and thus the degree of difficulty in viewing increases. In addition, when the position of a pedestrian that may collide is outside the range where it is easy to see, the pedestrian is present at a position that is difficult for the driver to see. The degree increases.

  From the above, in the present embodiment, the difficulty-of-visibility determination unit 42 determines whether the surrounding environment is dark or dark, determines whether the weather in the surrounding environment is bad, and whether the contrast between the pedestrian and the background is low Each of the determination and whether the position of the pedestrian is outside the range where it is easy to see is performed, and as shown in FIG. 4, the degree of difficulty in viewing is determined according to the number of determinations that satisfy the above determination conditions. To do.

  For example, the greater the number of determinations that satisfy the determination condition, the greater the degree of difficulty in viewing, and if none of the determination conditions is satisfied, the minimum value (0 points) is set as the degree of difficulty in viewing. When all the determination conditions are satisfied, the maximum value (4 points) is determined as the degree of difficulty in viewing.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the alarm level determination unit 44 is based on the degree of ease of oversight determined by the ease of oversight determination 40 and the degree of ease of oversight determined by the ease of oversight determination 40. Determine the alarm level to the driver. For example, when the degree of ease of oversight determined by the oversight ease determination unit 40 is 2 or more, it is determined that the pedestrian is easily overlooked, the alarm level is determined so as to output a warning sound, and When the degree of difficulty of visibility determined by the difficulty of visibility determination unit 42 is two or more, it is determined that the pedestrian is difficult to see and the warning level is determined so as to output a warning sound. Further, when the degree of easy oversight is 2 points or more and the degree of difficulty in viewing is 2 points or more, “strong” is determined as the alarm level. When the degree of ease of oversight is 2 points or more and the degree of visibility is 1 point or less, or the degree of ease of oversight is 1 point or less and the degree of visibility is When the number is two or more, “weak” is determined as the alarm level. Further, when the degree of ease of oversight is 1 point or less and the degree of visibility is 1 point or less, it is determined that the alarm level is “no alarm”.

  The output control unit 46 outputs a warning sound from the speaker 22 so as to notify the driver of the danger of a collision with a pedestrian according to the determination result of the alarm level determination unit 44. At this time, the loudness of the warning sound is changed according to the warning level of the warning level determination unit 44, and the warning sound is output to the speaker 22. For example, when the alarm level “weak” is determined, a small warning sound is output, and when the alarm level “strong” is determined, a large warning sound is output. Note that the warning information may be notified to the driver by changing the frequency of the warning sound or the flashing of the warning light according to the warning level.

  Next, the operation of the warning notification device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. In the computer 20, a warning notification processing routine shown in FIG. 6 is executed.

  First, in step 100, it is determined whether or not the driver's intention to turn left or right is detected based on the turn-on / off of the winker switch. If the winker switch is off, the driver's intention to turn left or right is not detected. However, if the winker switch is turned on, the driver's intention to turn left or right is detected, and the routine proceeds to step 102.

  In step 102, it is determined whether or not a pedestrian that may collide is detected from the front image of the imaging device 12, and a pedestrian is not extracted from the front image of the imaging device 12, or a pedestrian from the front image. If no pedestrian with a possibility of collision is detected even if the pedestrian is extracted, the process returns to step 100. On the other hand, if a pedestrian with a possibility of collision is detected, the process proceeds to step 104. .

  In step 104, based on the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor 14, the front image from the image pickup device 12, and the face image from the face image pickup device 16, the vehicle state is determined as a vehicle speed level, a safe driving awareness level level, and Each of them is detected whether or not it is in a state of driving. Then, in step 106, based on the front image from the imaging device 12, the surrounding traffic state is detected as a signal state of a traffic light existing ahead, the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle, and whether or not it is a quiet state. To do.

  In the next step 108, the degree of ease of pedestrian oversight is determined based on the host vehicle state detected in step 104 and the surrounding traffic state detected in step 106. In step 110, based on the illuminance from the illuminance sensor 18, the ON / OFF of the wiper switch, the front image from the imaging device 12, and the position of the pedestrian who may collide detected in step 102, the surrounding environment The state is detected as whether the surrounding environment is bright or dark, the surrounding environment weather, the level of contrast between the pedestrian and the background, and whether or not a pedestrian who may collide is out of a visible range.

  In step 112, the degree of difficulty in seeing the pedestrian is determined based on the surrounding environment state detected in step 110. In the next step 114, the alarm level is determined based on the degree of ease of oversight determined in step 108 and the degree of difficulty in visibility determined in step 112.

  In step 116, it is determined whether or not “no alarm” is determined as the alarm level in step 114. If it is determined that the alarm level is “no alarm”, no warning sound is output and Return to Step 100. On the other hand, if it is determined in step 116 that the alarm level is “strong” or “weak”, a warning sound having a magnitude corresponding to the alarm level is output from the speaker 22 in step 118, and the above step is performed. Return to 100.

  As described above, according to the warning notification device according to the first embodiment, when a pedestrian that may collide with the host vehicle is detected, the degree of pedestrian oversight and the difficulty in seeing. By outputting a warning sound to the driver based on the degree, the warning information can be appropriately notified to the driver when there is a pedestrian who has a risk of collision.

  In addition, the warning level is determined based on the degree of ease of pedestrian oversight and the degree of difficulty in seeing, and the warning information according to the warning level is output, so that the warning information is more appropriately notified to the driver. be able to.

  In addition, for pedestrians with a possibility of collision, the degree to which the driver easily overlooks the pedestrian and the degree to which the pedestrian is difficult to see from the driver are determined. Since an alarm can be given only to an easy pedestrian, it is less troublesome for the driver and an effective alarm can be given.

  In addition to the degree that pedestrians are difficult to see, the alarm level is set in consideration of the degree to which pedestrians are easily overlooked. When only the alarm is large, it is possible to notify the alarm according to the degree of danger with reduced troublesomeness to the driver, such as an alarm of a reference level.

  In the above embodiment, a case where a warning sound is output when the risk of a collision with a pedestrian is notified to the driver has been described as an example. Audio output may be performed. Further, the warning message may be displayed on a display unit such as a navigation screen.

  Next, a warning notification device according to a second embodiment will be described. In addition, about the part which becomes the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the alarm level is determined based only on the degree of ease of oversight.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, the warning notification device 210 according to the second embodiment includes an imaging device 12, a vehicle speed sensor 14, a facial imaging device 16, an image captured by the imaging device 12, and the vehicle speed sensor 14. Based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle and the image captured by the facial imaging device 16, a warning sound is generated by the speaker 22 provided in the vehicle interior so as to avoid a collision with a pedestrian with a possibility of a collision. A computer 220 for outputting to the driver is provided.

  The computer 220 includes a right / left turn intention detection unit 30, a dangerous pedestrian detection unit 32, a host vehicle information detection unit 34, a surrounding traffic state detection unit 36, an oversight ease determination unit 40, and an oversight ease determination unit 40. Based on the determination result, an alarm level determination unit 244 that determines an alarm level for the driver and an output control unit 46 are provided.

  The alarm level determination unit 244 determines the alarm level for the driver according to the degree of ease of oversight determined by the oversight ease determination unit 40. For example, when the degree of ease of oversight determined by the oversight ease determination unit 40 is 2 or more, it is determined that the pedestrian is easily overlooked, and the alarm level is determined so as to output a warning sound. If the degree of ease of oversight is 3 or more, “strong” is determined as the alarm level. If the degree of ease of oversight is two points, “weak” is determined as the alarm level. If the degree of ease of oversight is 1 point or less, it is determined that there is no alarm as the alarm level.

  In the warning notification processing routine according to the second embodiment, it is determined whether or not the driver's intention to turn left or right is detected. If the driver's intention to turn right or left is detected, a pedestrian who may collide It is determined whether or not is detected. When a pedestrian with a possibility of collision is detected, it is detected whether the host vehicle is in a vehicle speed level, a safe driving consciousness level, and a casual driving state. And as a surrounding traffic state, the signal state of the traffic signal which exists ahead, the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle and a preceding vehicle, and whether it is a quiet state are each detected. And the degree of the ease of an oversight of a pedestrian is determined based on the detected own vehicle state and the detected surrounding traffic state.

  Then, the alarm level is determined based on the determined degree of ease of oversight. When “no alarm” is determined as the alarm level, no warning sound is output. When “strong” or “weak” is determined as the alarm level, a warning sound having a magnitude corresponding to the alarm level is output from the speaker 22.

  As described above, according to the warning notification device according to the second embodiment, when a pedestrian that may collide with the host vehicle is detected, based on the degree of ease of oversight of the pedestrian. By outputting a warning sound to the driver, the warning information can be appropriately notified to the driver when there is a pedestrian who has a risk of collision.

  Moreover, warning information can be more appropriately alert | reported by determining a warning level based on the ease of oversight of a pedestrian, and outputting the warning sound according to a warning level.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the warning alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) The image figure which shows the range where a driver is easy to see, and (B) The table | surface which shows the angle to each of the left boundary and the right boundary of the range which is easy to see from the front. It is a table | surface which shows the determination result of the degree of ease of oversight of a driver. It is a table | surface which shows the determination result of the degree of a driver's visibility difficulty. It is a table | surface which shows the determination result of an alarm level. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the warning alerting | reporting process routine in the alerting alerting apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the warning alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 210 Warning notification device 12 Imaging device 14 Vehicle speed sensor 20, 220 Computer 22 Speaker 30 Right / left turn intention detection unit 32 Danger pedestrian detection unit 34 Own vehicle information detection unit 36 Surrounding traffic state detection unit 38 Surrounding environment state detection unit 40 Oversight Easiness determination unit 42 Invisibility determination unit 44, 244 Alarm level determination unit 46 Output control unit 50 Vehicle speed height determination unit 52 Safety awareness measurement unit 54 Random driving determination unit 56 Signal state detection unit 58 Other vehicle detection unit 60 Light state detection Unit 62 brightness determination unit 64 weather determination unit 66 contrast determination unit 68 pedestrian position determination unit

Claims (8)

Danger pedestrian detection means for detecting a pedestrian that may collide with the own vehicle based on the detected position of the pedestrian that detects the position of the pedestrian existing around the own vehicle;
When the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means, an overlookability determination means for determining the degree of ease of oversight of the pedestrian by the driver of the own vehicle;
When the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means, the difficulty of visibility determination means for determining the degree of difficulty of seeing the pedestrian by the driver of the own vehicle;
When the degree of ease of oversight determined by the ease of overlook determination means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and when the degree of difficulty of visibility determined by the difficulty of visibility determination is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, to the driver An informing means for informing the warning information;
A warning notification device. A vehicle speed of the host vehicle, a driving propriety state of the driver of the host vehicle, a safe driving awareness level measured in advance by the driver, a vehicle existing in front of the host vehicle, and a host vehicle state detecting means for detecting a surrounding state of the host vehicle;
Danger pedestrian detection means for detecting a pedestrian that may collide with the own vehicle based on the detected position of the pedestrian that detects the position of the pedestrian existing around the own vehicle;
When the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection means, based on the detection result by the own vehicle state detection means, a determination as to whether the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, a vehicle to which the driver should be careful The vehicle is in front of the vehicle, whether the driving suitability state is not normal, and whether the driver thinks that there are no pedestrians around the vehicle. According to the number of determinations made, the ease of oversight determination means for determining the degree of ease of pedestrian oversight by the driver of the vehicle,
Informing means for informing the driver of warning information when the degree of ease of oversight determined by the overlookability determining means is a predetermined value or more;
A warning notification device.   The notification means determines an alarm level according to the degree of ease of oversight determined by the ease of oversight determination and the degree of difficulty of visibility determined by the difficulty of visibility determination. The warning notification device according to claim 1, wherein the warning information is notified based on the warning level determined by the warning level determination means.   The notification means includes alarm level determination means for determining an alarm level according to the degree of ease of oversight determined by the ease of oversight determination, and based on the alarm level determined by the alarm level determination means. The warning notification device according to claim 2 which reports the warning information. Self-vehicle state detection means for detecting a vehicle speed of the host vehicle, a driving propriety state of the driver of the host vehicle, a safe driving awareness level measured in advance by the driver, a vehicle existing in front of the host vehicle, and a surrounding state of the host vehicle. Including
Whether the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined value based on a detection result by the host vehicle state detection unit when the pedestrian is detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection unit. Determination of whether there is a vehicle ahead that the driver should be aware of, determination of whether the driving suitability state is not normal, and determination of whether the driver thinks that there is no pedestrian around the vehicle The warning notification device according to claim 1, wherein each is performed and the degree of ease of oversight is determined according to the number of determinations that satisfy the determination condition. The host vehicle state detection means detects the signal state of traffic lights existing around the host vehicle as the surrounding state of the host vehicle, and the pedestrian and vehicle idle states around the host vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the host vehicle state detection unit, the overlookability determination unit determines whether the signal state of the traffic light is a blinking blue signal, a yellow signal, or a red signal when there is a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle. If it is any of the above, if the surroundings of the host vehicle is in the quiet state, and if the safe driving awareness level is a predetermined value or less, it is determined that the driver thinks that there is no pedestrian around the host vehicle. The warning notification device according to claim 2 or 5.   The visibility difficulty determining unit determines whether or not the pedestrian is outside a predetermined range around the host vehicle based on the position of the pedestrian detected by the dangerous pedestrian detection unit, and determines The warning notification device according to claim 1, wherein the degree of difficulty in viewing is determined according to a result. It further includes a surrounding environment state detecting means for detecting a surrounding environment state that is at least one of a light and dark state of the surrounding environment of the host vehicle, a weather state, and a background state of the pedestrian detected by the dangerous pedestrian detecting means,
The warning notification device according to claim 1, 3 or 7, wherein the difficulty-of-visibility determination means determines the degree of difficulty of visibility based on the surrounding environment state detected by the surrounding environment state detection means.

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