JP2009251647A - Driver awakening device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driver awakening device for improving the level of awakening of a driver by promoting the active operation of the driver to remove any water drop attached to a windshield or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This driver awakening device for awakening a driver according to the state of a driver who drives a vehicle includes: a driver information acquisition means for acquiring information related with the operation of the driver; a driver's state detection means for detecting such a state that the driver does not concentrate on driving based on the information acquired by the driver information acquisition means; and a driver awakening means for spraying water vapor to the room of the vehicle when the state is detected by the driver state detection means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for awakening a driver by spraying water vapor toward a windshield when the driver enters a predetermined state.

Conventionally, when it is detected that the driver of the vehicle is falling asleep, control of warning sound, seat vibration, steering vibration, etc. is performed to alert the driver and awaken Is promoted (Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-62911 A

  However, in the above technique, the purpose is to give a driver a stimulus directly or indirectly to promote attention and arousal. There was a problem that it was.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a driver awakening device that promotes the driver's active work of removing water droplets attached to the windshield and the like and improves the driver's arousal level. And

  The driver wake-up device according to the present invention is a driver wake-up device that wakes up the driver in accordance with the state of the driver driving the vehicle, and acquires driver information for acquiring information related to the operation of the driver. Based on the information acquired by the driver information acquisition means, a driver state detection means for detecting a state where the driver is not concentrated on driving, and the state detected by the driver state detection means And a driver awakening means for spraying water vapor into the interior of the vehicle.

  Moreover, in one form of the driver | operator awakening apparatus which concerns on this invention, the state which is not concentrating on the said driving | operation is a dozing state, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In one form of the driver awakening device according to the present invention, the driver awakening means sprays the water vapor toward a windshield of the vehicle.

  Moreover, in one form of the driver wake-up device according to the present invention, the driver wake-up means sprays the water vapor toward the driver.

  In one form of the driver awakening device according to the present invention, the driver awakening means sprays the water vapor and emits a warning sound.

  In one form of the driver wake-up device according to the present invention, the driver wake-up means changes the amount of the water vapor sprayed according to the level of the state not concentrated on the drive. .

  Moreover, in one form of the driver wake-up device according to the present invention, the driver wake-up means changes the warning sound according to the level of the state not concentrated on the driving.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a driver wake-up device that promotes the driver's active work of removing water droplets attached to the windshield and the like and improves the driver's wakefulness.

  In the present invention, it is possible to provide a driver wake-up device that promotes the driver's active work of removing water droplets attached to the windshield and the like and improves the driver's wakefulness.

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

(Operation Principle of Driver Awakening Device According to this Embodiment)
The operation principle of the driver awakening device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the operating principle of the driver awakening device 100 according to the present embodiment.

  The driver awakening device 100 includes a driver information acquisition unit 110, a driver state detection unit 120, a waking method determination unit 130, a driver awakening unit 140, an air conditioning control unit 150, a speaker control unit 160, a database 240, an in-vehicle camera 250, It has a water vapor sprayer (air conditioner) 260 and a warning sound / audio output device (speaker) 270.

  The database 240 is a database used for image recognition processing for detecting a driver's sleep state.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the photographing of the driver by the in-vehicle camera 250. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle camera 250 is a device that is installed in the vicinity of the driver and photographs the head of the driver.

  The water vapor sprayer 260 is a device that sprays water vapor onto a target.

  The warning sound / sound output device 270 is a device that outputs a warning sound such as a chime or a buzzer and a sound such as an instruction / warning for the driver.

  The driver information acquisition unit 110 acquires information related to the driver's operation. The information related to the driver's operation is image data of the driver taken by the in-vehicle camera 250.

  Moreover, the form which acquires the information which concerns on the said driver | operator's operation | movement from the operation | movement detection sensor which detects not the vehicle-mounted camera 250 but a driver | operator's operation | movement may be sufficient.

  Here, the operation of the driver is a movement of the driver's head, face direction, line of sight, shoulders, etc., and may be a minute operation such as blinking.

  For example, the driver state detection unit 120 detects a state in which the driver is not concentrated on driving based on information related to the driver's operation acquired by the driver information acquisition unit 110.

  Here, the state where the driver is not concentrating on driving is a state where the driver is not in a normal driving state, such as a dozing state or a state of looking aside with a low level of consciousness.

  The driver state detection unit 120 performs image recognition processing on the image of the driver's head acquired by the in-vehicle camera 250, and recognizes the driver's line-of-sight direction, face orientation, head position, and the like.

  Specifically, the driver state detection means 120 compares the image data of the driver's head with the reference image data in the database 240, and how much the head is tilted or how much it is turned sideways. The operation information of the driving is generated.

  Next, the driver state detection unit 120 determines the state of the driver based on the generated driving operation information. For example, it is determined whether or not the driver's state is a dozing state or a state of looking aside while the level of consciousness is low.

  In addition, it is determined not only whether the patient is in a dozing state or in a state of looking aside while the level of consciousness is low, but also the degree of lightness of the state is determined. For example, it is also determined whether the patient is in a mild doze state or a severe doze state. Here, the above-mentioned severe and mild divisions may be divided into any number.

  The awakening method determination unit 130 determines a method and means for waking up the driver according to the driver's state detected by the driver state detection unit 120. For example, when it is detected that the driver is in a severe doze state, the awakening method determination unit 130 determines to give a very strong stimulus to the driver. On the other hand, when it is detected that the driver is in a mild dozing state, the awakening method determination means 130 determines to stop the stimulus given to the driver to be weak.

  The awakening method determination means 130 may be one or more methods and means that are determined to wake up the driver.

  Here, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation content determined by the level of the driver's sleep state and the level of the sleep state.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the awakening method determination means 130 determines the awakening means according to the level of the dozing state detected by the driver state detection means 120. In the example shown in FIG. 3, level 1 is the level of the lightest dozing state, and the level becomes higher as the level increases.

  Moreover, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the awakening means corresponding to the level 1 of the dozing state (the lightest dozing state) has a small amount of water vapor sprayed and a low warning sound. On the other hand, the awakening means corresponding to level 5 of the dozing state (the most severe dozing state) has a large amount of water vapor to be sprayed, and a voice warning is given.

  The driver awakening means 140 awakens the driver according to the method and means determined by the awakening method determination means 130.

  Specifically, the driver awakening means 140 requests the air conditioning control means 150 (described later) to perform control for spraying water vapor into the interior of the vehicle driven by the driver using the water vapor sprayer 260. . In addition, the driver awakening unit 140 requests the speaker control unit 160 (to be described later) to perform control to output a warning sound or sound using the warning sound / sound output device 270.

  The air conditioning control means 150 controls the water vapor sprayer 260 based on the request from the driver awakening means 140 to spray water vapor into the passenger compartment. The water vapor is sprayed toward the windshield in the passenger compartment. Further, the water vapor may be sprayed in a concentrated manner on the driver side of the windshield. Moreover, the said water vapor | steam is good also as a form sprayed with respect to a driver | operator.

  The speaker control unit 140 controls the warning sound / sound output device 270 based on the request from the driver awakening unit 140 to output a warning sound or sound.

  Here, the said audio | voice is an audio | voice for alert | reporting that a driver | operator is a state of dozing or looking aside. In addition, the voice may be a voice that guides the driver to stop the driving vehicle.

  Hereinafter, the flow of the processing operation of the driver awakening device 100 will be described.

  First, the driver information acquisition unit 110 acquires image data of the driver's head taken by the in-vehicle camera 250.

  Next, the driver state detection unit 120 performs image recognition processing on the image data, and recognizes the driver's line-of-sight direction, face direction, head position, and the like. Subsequently, based on the recognized state of the driver's head, the driver state detection unit 120 determines whether or not the driver is asleep or is looking aside with a low level of consciousness.

  Then, the awakening method determination unit 130 wakes up the driver based on information related to the driver's state detected by the driver state detection unit 120, that is, information such as a dozing state or a state of looking aside. To decide.

  Next, the driver awakening means 140 instructs each of the control means 150 and 160 to control the water vapor sprayer 260 and the warning sound / sound output device 270 according to the method / means determined by the awakening method determination means 130. To be notified.

  Then, each control means 150, 160 controls the water vapor sprayer 260 and the warning sound / sound output device 270 according to the above instructions to spray water vapor into the passenger compartment and output a warning sound or the like.

By performing the processing as described above, it is possible to prompt the driver who is in a dozing state to perform an active work of removing water droplets attached to the windshield, and to improve the driver's arousal level. Further, the driver's arousal level can be further improved by further warning the driver with sound.
As described above, since the driver performs active work, the reduction in the alerting effect due to the driver's familiarity is small.

(Hardware Configuration of Driver Awakening Device According to this Embodiment)
The hardware configuration of the driver awakening device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an example of a hardware configuration of the driver awakening apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  The driver awakening device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 210, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 220, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 230, a HDD (Hard Disc Drive) 240, an in-vehicle camera 250, an air conditioner 260, and a speaker 270. And a display device 280.

  The CPU 210 is a device that executes a program stored in the ROM 220 and performs arithmetic processing on the data expanded (loaded) in the RAM 230 in accordance with instructions of the program to control the entire driver awakening device 100.

  The ROM 220 stores programs executed by the CPU 210 and data.

  When the CPU 210 executes a program stored in the ROM 220 by the CPU 210, the program or data to be executed is expanded (loaded), and temporarily holds the operation data during the operation.

  The HDD 240 is a device that stores an OS (Operating System) that is basic software, an application program according to the present embodiment, and the like together with related data. In the present embodiment, when the driver state detection unit 120 performs the driver head image recognition process, the HDD 240 stores basic image data for comparison with the driver head image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 250. It is also used as a database to store.

  The in-vehicle camera 250 is a device for acquiring a subject image. Here, the acquired image may be a still image or a moving image. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle camera 250 is installed in the vicinity of the driver and photographs the head of the driver.

  The air conditioner 260 is a device that adjusts the air in the passenger compartment. In the present embodiment, the air conditioner 260 sprays water vapor into the passenger compartment from the air outlet of the air conditioner 260. The water vapor is sprayed on the windshield.

  The speaker 270 is a device that generates sound such as sound by converting an electrical signal into physical vibration. In this embodiment, the speaker 270 outputs a warning sound or a sound for warning the driver.

  The display device 280 includes a key switch using hard keys and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and functions as a user interface when the user uses the functions of the driver awakening device 100 or when performing various settings. Device.

  Hereinafter, the processing flow of the driver awakening device 100 will be described including the hardware used by each means. However, since each means is realized by the CPU 210 executing a program corresponding to each means stored in the ROM 220 or the HDD 240, description thereof will be omitted.

  First, the driver information acquisition unit 110 acquires image data of the driver's head taken by the in-vehicle camera 250.

  Next, the driver state detection unit 120 compares the image data with the basic image data stored in the HDD 240 to recognize the driver's line-of-sight direction, face direction, head position, and the like. Subsequently, based on the recognized state of the driver's head, the driver state detection unit 120 determines whether or not the driver is asleep or is looking aside with a low level of consciousness.

  Then, the awakening method determination means 130 includes information such as the driver's drowsiness state detected by the driver state detection means 120, and a correspondence table between the levels of the drowsiness state and the awakening means as shown in FIG. 3 stored in the HDD 240. To determine how to wake the driver.

  Next, the driver awakening means 140 notifies the air conditioning control means 150 or the speaker control means 160 to instruct to control the air conditioner 260 and the speaker 270 according to the method and means determined by the awakening method determination means 130. To do.

  And the air-conditioning control means 150 or the speaker control means 160 controls the air conditioner 260 and the speaker 270 according to the said instruction | indication, sprays water vapor | steam in a vehicle interior, and outputs a warning sound etc.

(Processing example of driver awakening device according to the present embodiment)
A processing example of the driver awakening device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing example of the driver awakening apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  In S1, the driver awakening device 100 starts processing.

  In S2, the in-vehicle camera 250 images the driver's head and outputs image data.

  In S3, the driver information acquisition unit 110 acquires image data of the driver's head taken by the in-vehicle camera 250.

  In S4, the driver state detection unit 120 compares the image data acquired by the driver information acquisition unit 110 with the basic image data stored in the HDD 240, and the driver's line-of-sight direction, face direction, and head position. Is detected.

  In S5, the driver state detection unit 120 detects and determines the driver's dozing state based on information relating to the driver's line-of-sight direction, face direction, and head position detected in S4.

  If the driver state detection unit 120 determines in S6 that the driver is in a doze state (Yes in S6), the awakening method determination unit 130 determines a method / means for waking the driver in S7.

  Here, when the driver state detection unit 120 detects the driver's drowsiness state, the driver state detection unit 120 detects the lightness of the degree of drowsiness. Then, as shown in the left column of FIG. 3, the driver state detection unit 120 detects level 1 to level 5 of the dozing state by distinguishing the dozing level based on the lightness of the dozing level.

  In S7, the awakening method determination means 130 determines the awakening means shown in the right column of FIG. 3 according to the level of the dozing state detected by the driver state detection means 120. For example, when the driver state detection unit 120 detects that the level is 1 in the dozing state, the wake-up method determination unit 130 determines the wake-up unit as “water vapor amount: low, warning sound: low”. On the other hand, when the driver state detection unit 120 detects that the level is 5 in the dozing state, the wake-up method determination unit 130 determines the wake-up unit as “water vapor amount: high, warning sound”.

  When the driver state detection unit 120 determines in S6 that the driver is not in a dozing state (No in S6), the driver awakening device 100 proceeds to the process of S9.

  In S8, the driver awakening means 140 causes the air conditioning control means 150 and the speaker control means 160 to execute the awakening means determined by the awakening method determination means 130.

  For example, when the awakening method determination means 130 determines that the awakening means is “low water vapor amount, low warning sound: low” in S7, the driver awakening means 140 in front of the air conditioning control means 150 from the air conditioner 260 to the front. Instruct the glass to spray a small amount of water vapor. In this case, in S8, the driver awakening unit 140 instructs the speaker control unit 160 to sound a low-volume warning sound from the speaker 270.

  In step S8, the air conditioning control unit 150 controls to spray a small amount of water vapor from the air conditioner 260 toward the windshield according to the above instruction. At the same time, the speaker control unit 160 follows the above instruction and uses the speaker 270 to reduce the volume. Controls to sound a warning sound.

  On the other hand, when the awakening method determination means 130 determines that the awakening means is “water vapor amount: high, warning sound” in S7, the driver awakening means 140 sends the air conditioning control means 150 to the windshield from the air conditioning control means 150 in S8. Instruct to spray a large amount of water vapor. In this case, the driver awakening unit 140 instructs the speaker control unit 160 to issue a warning with a loud sound from the speaker 270 in S8.

  In step S8, the air conditioning control unit 150 controls to spray a large amount of water vapor from the air conditioner 260 toward the windshield according to the above instruction. At the same time, the speaker control unit 160 follows the above instruction and uses the speaker 270 to increase the volume. Control to output warning sound.

  If the driver awakening device 100 receives a process end command in S9 (Yes in S9), the driver awakening device 100 ends the process in S10.

  If the driver awakening device 100 does not receive the processing end command in S9 (No in S9), the driver awakening device 100 waits in S2.

(Summary)
In this invention, when a driver | operator is in a dozing state, the process which sprays water vapor | steam on a windshield using an air conditioner is performed. By doing so, the driver who is in a dozing state is encouraged to perform an active work of removing water droplets attached to the windshield, and the driver's arousal level is improved.

  Since the driver needs to work actively as described above, the reduction in the alerting effect due to the driver's familiarity is small.

  In addition, the driver's arousal level is further improved by giving a warning by sound to the driver in a dozing state together with the spray of water vapor on the windshield.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.・ Change is possible.

It is a figure which shows the principle of operation of the driver | operator awakening apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure explaining a driver | operator's imaging | photography with the vehicle-mounted camera which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the example of the operation content defined by the level of a driver's dozing state and the level of a dozing state concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the driver | operator awakening apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process example of the driver | operator awakening apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 Driver Awakening Device 110 Driver Information Acquisition Unit 120 Driver State Detection Unit 130 Awakening Method Determination Unit 140 Driver Awakening Unit 150 Air Conditioning Control Unit 160 Speaker Control Unit 210 CPU
220 ROM
230 RAM
240 HDD
250 On-vehicle camera 260 Air conditioner (water vapor sprayer)
270 Speaker (warning sound / audio output device)
280 display device

Claims (6)

A driver awakening device that awakens the driver according to the state of the driver driving the vehicle,
Driver information acquisition means for acquiring information related to the operation of the driver;
Based on the information acquired by the driver information acquisition means, a driver state detection means for detecting a state in which the driver is not concentrated on driving;
A driver wake-up device comprising: driver wake-up means for spraying water vapor into the vehicle interior when the state is detected by the driver state detection means.   The driver wake-up device according to claim 1, wherein the state not concentrated on driving is a dozing state.   The driver awakening device according to claim 1, wherein the driver awakening means sprays the water vapor toward a windshield of the vehicle.   The driver awakening device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driver awakening means sprays the water vapor and emits a warning sound.   5. The driver awakening unit according to claim 1, wherein the driver awakening unit changes an amount of the water vapor to be sprayed according to a level of a state where the driver is not concentrated on the driving. apparatus.   The driver wake-up device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the driver wake-up means changes the warning sound according to a level in a state where the driver is not concentrated on the drive.

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