JP2015026255A - Driving support system and driving support method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving support system capable of properly determining a possibility of approach between an own vehicle and a vehicle therearound.SOLUTION: The driving support system comprises a first device used in a first vehicle and a second device used in a second vehicle. The first device comprises: image acquisition means 130 for acquiring a face image of a driver of the first vehicle; recognition state detection means 130 for detecting surroundings recognition state of the driver of the first vehicle on the basis of the face image of the driver of the first vehicle; and first transmission means 120 for transmitting recognition information indicating the surroundings recognition state, and the second device comprises: reception means 120 for receiving the recognition information; recognition determination means 130 for determining on the basis of the recognition information whether the driver of the first vehicle recognizes the second vehicle or not; generation means for generating presentation information indicating that the driver of the first vehicle does not recognize the second vehicle when the determination means determines that the driver of the first vehicle does not recognize the second vehicle; and presentation means 140 for presenting a driver of the second vehicle with the presentation information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support system and a driving support method.

  Conventionally, based on the speed of the host vehicle, the distance from the host vehicle to the surrounding vehicle, etc., the possibility that the host vehicle is close to the surrounding vehicle is determined. A technique for highlighting a vehicle and notifying a driver is known.

JP 2009-40107 A

  However, in the prior art, the possibility of the host vehicle approaching the surrounding vehicle is determined based on the behavior of the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle. For example, when the surrounding vehicle is stopped, the driving of the surrounding vehicle is performed. There is a problem that it is impossible to determine the potential possibility that the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle approach each other, for example, when the person does not recognize the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle starts suddenly and approaches the host vehicle. It was.

  The subject of this invention is providing the driving assistance system which can judge appropriately the possibility that the own vehicle and a surrounding vehicle approach.

  The present invention determines the surrounding recognition state of the driver of the first vehicle based on the face image of the driver of the first vehicle, and drives the first vehicle based on the surrounding recognition state of the driver of the first vehicle. The above-mentioned problem is solved by determining whether the person recognizes the second vehicle.

  According to the present invention, by determining whether or not the driver of the first vehicle recognizes the second vehicle, the behavior of the first vehicle cannot be grasped only by the behavior of the first vehicle or the second vehicle. The possibility of the first vehicle and the second vehicle approaching each other can be appropriately determined based on the driver's internal surrounding recognition state.

It is a schematic diagram showing a driving support system concerning this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the presentation information shown by an information presentation apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the gaze information transmission process by a vehicle-mounted apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the center control process by an information center. It is a flowchart which shows the information presentation process by a vehicle-mounted apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the information presentation process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention relates to the situational awareness during driving (Situation Awareness), and it is determined whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle existing around the host vehicle is viewing the host vehicle, and the determination result is Based on this, information related to surrounding vehicles is presented to the driver of the host vehicle to improve driving safety.

<< First Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a driving support system according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the driving support system according to the present embodiment. In addition, in FIG. 1, the scene where the surrounding vehicle is going to advance to the road where the own vehicle is drive | working from the parking lot is illustrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the driving support system according to the present embodiment includes an in-vehicle device 100 mounted on a vehicle and an information center 200 installed outside the vehicle. The in-vehicle device 100 and the information center 200 can exchange information with each other via the Internet communication network or the telephone communication network. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on the host vehicle is illustrated as 100a, and the in-vehicle device 100 mounted in the surrounding vehicle existing around the host vehicle is illustrated as 100b. Since 100a and 100b have the same configuration, in-vehicle devices 100a and 100b will be described as in-vehicle device 100 below.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the in-vehicle device 100 includes a camera 110, an in-vehicle communication device 120, an in-vehicle control device 130, and an information presentation device 140. Below, each structure of the vehicle-mounted apparatus 100 is demonstrated.

  The camera 110 is installed in the passenger compartment and captures an image of the driver's face. Image data of the driver's face image captured by the camera 110 is transmitted to the in-vehicle control device 130.

  The in-vehicle communication device 120 acquires gaze information (details will be described later) of the driver of the own vehicle and position information of the own vehicle from the in-vehicle control device 130, and the obtained gaze information of the driver of the own vehicle and the own vehicle The position information is transmitted to the information center 200. The in-vehicle communication device 120 receives the gaze information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle and the position information of the surrounding vehicle from the information center 200, and the in-vehicle control device receives the received gaze information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle and the position information of the surrounding vehicle. To 130.

  The in-vehicle control device 130 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a program for supporting driving of the driver is stored, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as an operation circuit for executing the program stored in the ROM, And a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as an accessible storage device. As the operation circuit, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like can be used instead of or in addition to the CPU. .

  The in-vehicle control device 130 executes a program stored in the ROM by the CPU, thereby detecting a gaze direction detection function for detecting the gaze direction of the driver of the host vehicle and a region existing in the gaze direction of the driver of the host vehicle. A line-of-sight area detection function for determining, a position information detection function for detecting position information of the own vehicle, a transmission function for transmitting the line-of-sight information of the driver of the own vehicle and the position information of the own vehicle, and the own vehicle and surrounding vehicles. A relative position calculation function for obtaining a relative positional relationship, a host vehicle visual determination function for determining whether or not a driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle, and a presentation information generation function for generating presentation information regarding the surrounding vehicle And realize. Below, each function with which the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 130 is provided is demonstrated.

  The gaze direction detection function of the in-vehicle control device 130 detects the gaze direction of the driver of the host vehicle based on the image data of the driver's face image captured by the camera 110. Specifically, the gaze direction detection function analyzes image data of the face image of the driver of the own vehicle and detects the direction of the face of the driver of the own vehicle and the direction of the eyeball of the driver of the own vehicle. Then, based on the detected face direction of the driver of the host vehicle and the direction of the eyeball, the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the host vehicle is detected.

  The line-of-sight area detection function of the in-vehicle control device 130 is based on the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the own vehicle detected by the line-of-sight direction detection function. A window area corresponding to an opening of a window, a side window, or a rear window, a right side mirror area corresponding to a right side mirror of the own vehicle, or a left side mirror area corresponding to a left side mirror of the own vehicle Or a room mirror area corresponding to the room mirror of the host vehicle. In this embodiment, the correspondence between the driver's line-of-sight direction and each line-of-sight area is set in advance, and the line-of-sight area detection function detects the driver's line-of-sight area based on the driver's line-of-sight direction. can do.

  The position information detection function of the in-vehicle control device 130 receives, for example, a GPS signal from a GPS unit (not shown), and uses information including the vehicle position of the own vehicle and the traveling direction of the own vehicle as position information of the own vehicle. To detect. The position information detection function may be configured to correct the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the detection result of a gyro sensor (not shown), or from vehicle motion information (vehicle speed, steering, lateral acceleration, etc.). The position information of the host vehicle including the vehicle position of the host vehicle and the traveling direction of the host vehicle may be detected.

  The transmission function of the in-vehicle control device 130 includes the gaze direction of the driver of the own vehicle detected by the gaze direction detection function and the driver of the own vehicle detected by the gaze region detection function via the in-vehicle communication device 120. Information regarding the line-of-sight area is transmitted to the information center 200 as line-of-sight information of the driver of the host vehicle. The transmission function transmits the position information of the host vehicle detected by the position information detection function to the information center 200 together with the line-of-sight information of the driver of the host vehicle.

  The relative position calculation function of the in-vehicle control device 130 is based on the position information of the surrounding vehicle received from the information center 200 and the position information of the own vehicle detected by the position information detecting function. To obtain a realistic positional relationship. For example, the relative position calculation function is based on the vehicle position of the surrounding vehicle and the vehicle position of the own vehicle, and places the surrounding vehicle in the vehicle coordinate system with the own vehicle as the coordinate origin, thereby A relative positional relationship can be obtained. The relative position calculation function may be configured to obtain a relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle by arranging the host vehicle in a vehicle coordinate system with the surrounding vehicle as a coordinate origin.

  The own vehicle visual recognition determination function of the in-vehicle control device 130 is based on the line-of-sight information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle received from the information center 200 and the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the surrounding vehicle calculated by the relative position calculation function. Thus, it is determined whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the own vehicle. Specifically, the self-vehicle visibility determination function superimposes the driver's line of sight on the surrounding vehicle in the vehicle coordinate system by superimposing the driver's line of sight on the vehicle position and traveling direction of the surrounding vehicle. Identify. Furthermore, the self-vehicle visibility determination function applies a general human peripheral viewing angle to the direction of the driver's line of sight in the vehicle coordinate system, so that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can pass through the window in the vehicle coordinate system. The range that can be visually recognized is identified as the visible range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle.

  Then, the own vehicle visibility determination function determines whether or not the own vehicle exists in the view range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle based on the view range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle and the vehicle position of the own vehicle in the vehicle coordinate system. Determine whether. The self-vehicle visibility determination function converts the gaze direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle when it can be determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the mirror based on the gaze area of the driver of the surrounding vehicle. And the range which the driver | operator of a surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with a mirror is specified as a driver | operator's visual recognition range.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the presentation information generation function determines the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle based on the relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle calculated by the relative position calculation function. Image data for the driver to grasp is generated as presentation information.

  In addition, the presentation information generation function identifies surrounding vehicles that are not visually recognizing the own vehicle based on the determination result by the own vehicle visual recognition determining function, and as shown in FIG. Presentation information is generated so as to be highlighted. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the presentation information generation function surrounds surrounding vehicles with a frame line, blinks a frame surrounding the surrounding vehicle or an image showing the surrounding vehicle, or changes the color of the image showing the surrounding vehicle. By changing to a more conspicuous color, the presentation information highlighting the surrounding vehicles that are not viewing the host vehicle is generated so that the driver of the host vehicle can easily grasp the surrounding vehicles that are not viewing the host vehicle. . Then, the presentation information generated by the presentation information generation function is transmitted to the information presentation device 140. The presentation information generation function may be configured to generate, as the presentation information, voice data that allows the driver to grasp surrounding vehicles that are not viewing the host vehicle.

  The information presentation device 140 is a device such as a speaker or a display, and as shown in FIG. 3, presents the presentation information generated by the in-vehicle control device 130 to the driver of the host vehicle. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the presentation information presented by the information presentation device 140. Thus, by presenting the presentation information to the driver of the host vehicle, the driver of the host vehicle can grasp the surrounding vehicles that do not recognize the host vehicle. Can be improved.

  Next, the information center 200 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the information center 200 includes a center communication device 210 and a center control device 220.

  The center control device 220 includes a ROM, a CPU, and a RAM. From the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on each vehicle via the center communication device 210, the driver's line-of-sight information of each vehicle and the position of each vehicle Collect information and. In addition, the center control device 220 identifies surrounding vehicles existing around each vehicle based on the position information of each vehicle, and via the center communication device 210, the position information of the identified surrounding vehicles and the driving of the surrounding vehicles. The person's line-of-sight information is transmitted to each vehicle.

  Next, the driving support process according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a flowchart showing the line-of-sight information transmission processing by the in-vehicle device 100, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the center control processing by the information center 200, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the information presentation processing by the in-vehicle device 100. is there.

  The line-of-sight information transmission process shown in FIG. 4 includes line-of-sight information including the line-of-sight direction and line-of-sight area of the driver of each vehicle, and position information including the vehicle position and the traveling direction of each vehicle. And the detected driver's line-of-sight information and position information of each vehicle are transmitted to the information center 200. Details of the line-of-sight information transmission process shown in FIG. 4 will be described below.

  First, in step S101, the position of the host vehicle including the vehicle position of the host vehicle and the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the GPS signal output from the GPS unit (not shown) by the position information detection function of the in-vehicle control device 130. Information detection is performed. In step S102, the gaze direction detection function of the in-vehicle control device 130 detects the gaze direction of the driver of the host vehicle based on the face image of the driver of the host vehicle captured by the camera 110.

  In step S103, the line-of-sight detection function of the vehicle-mounted control device 130 causes the driver's line-of-sight direction detected in step S102 to detect the right-side mirror of the vehicle. A determination is made whether a corresponding right side mirror region exists. In this embodiment, the correspondence between the driver's line-of-sight direction of the host vehicle and the driver's line-of-sight region of the host vehicle is determined in advance, and the line-of-sight region detection function is based on the driver's line-of-sight direction of the host vehicle. In addition, there is a window area corresponding to the opening of the front window, side window, or rear window of the own vehicle in the direction of the driver's line of sight, or a right side mirror area corresponding to the right side mirror of the own vehicle. It is possible to determine whether there is a left side mirror area corresponding to the left side mirror of the host vehicle, or whether there is a room mirror area corresponding to the room mirror of the host vehicle.

  If it is determined in step S103 that the right side mirror area is present in the line of sight of the driver of the own vehicle, the process proceeds to step S104, and the line of sight is detected in the direction of the driver of the own vehicle by the line of sight area detection function. A right side mirror area is set as the line-of-sight area to be operated.

  In step S105, the position information of the host vehicle detected in step S101, the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the host vehicle detected in step S102, and the driving of the host vehicle in step S104 are performed by the transmission function of the in-vehicle control device 130. The driver's line-of-sight information including the right side mirror area set as the person's line-of-sight area is transmitted to the information center 200 via the in-vehicle communication device 120.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that the right side mirror region does not exist in the line of sight of the driver of the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, as in step S103, it is determined whether or not there is a left side mirror area corresponding to the left side mirror in the line of sight direction of the driver of the host vehicle by the line of sight detection function. If it is determined in step S106 that the left side mirror area exists in the line of sight of the driver of the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S107, and the left side mirror area is set as the line of sight of the driver of the host vehicle. The Then, the process proceeds to step S105, and the position information of the own vehicle and the line-of-sight information of the driver of the own vehicle including the left side mirror region set as the line-of-sight region of the driver of the own vehicle in step S107 are sent to the information center 200. Sent.

  If it is determined in step S106 that the left side mirror region does not exist in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S108. In step S108, as in steps S103 and S106, it is determined whether or not there is a room mirror area corresponding to the room mirror of the host vehicle in the line of sight of the driver of the host vehicle by the line of sight detection function. . If it is determined in step S108 that a room mirror region exists in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S109, where the room mirror region is set as the line-of-sight region of the driver of the host vehicle. Then, the process proceeds to step S105, and the position information of the own vehicle and the line-of-sight information of the driver of the own vehicle including the room mirror area set as the line-of-sight region of the driver of the own vehicle in step S109 are transmitted to the information center 200. Is done.

  Furthermore, if it is determined in step S108 that no room mirror area exists in the direction of the driver's line of sight, the process proceeds to step S110. In step S110, similarly to steps S103, S106, and S108, a window area corresponding to the opening of the front window, side window, or rear window of the host vehicle in the direction of the driver's line of sight by the line-of-sight detection function. A determination is made whether or not exists. If it is determined in step S110 that there is a window area in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the own vehicle, the process proceeds to step S111, and the window area is set as the line-of-sight area of the driver of the own vehicle. Then, the process proceeds to step S105, and the position information of the own vehicle and the line-of-sight information of the driver of the own vehicle including the window area set as the line-of-sight area of the driver of the own vehicle in step S111 are transmitted to the information center 200. The

  Thus, in the line-of-sight information transmission process shown in FIG. 4, the position information of the host vehicle and the line-of-sight information of the driver of the host vehicle are transmitted to the information center 200. Note that the line-of-sight information transmission process shown in FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed by the in-vehicle control device 130 at a predetermined cycle, whereby the position information of the own vehicle and the line-of-sight information of the driver of the own vehicle are It is repeatedly transmitted to the information center 200.

  Next, the center control process shown in FIG. 5 will be described. In the center control process shown in FIG. 5, the information center 200 collects the position information of each vehicle and the line-of-sight information of each vehicle transmitted in the line-of-sight information transmission process shown in FIG. The apparatus 100 transmits position information of surrounding vehicles existing around the vehicle and line-of-sight information of drivers of the surrounding vehicles.

  First, in step S201, the position information of each vehicle transmitted from each in-vehicle device 100 by the center control device 220, the line-of-sight information including the line-of-sight direction of the driver of each vehicle and the line-of-sight area of the driver of each vehicle, Received via the center communication device 210.

  In step S202, the center control device 220 performs a database processing of the position information of each vehicle received in step S201 and the line-of-sight information including the line-of-sight direction and line-of-sight area of the driver of each vehicle. In step S203, the center control device 220 identifies the positional relationship of each vehicle based on the position information of each vehicle stored in the database in step S202. Specifically, the center control device 220 identifies surrounding vehicles existing around the vehicle for each vehicle based on the position information of each vehicle.

  In step S204, the center control device 220 transmits the position information of the surrounding vehicle specified in step S203 and the line-of-sight information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle to the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on each vehicle. .

  As described above, in the center control process shown in FIG. 5, the position information of the surrounding vehicle and the line-of-sight information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle are transmitted to the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on each vehicle. Note that the center control process shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed by the information center 200 at a predetermined cycle, whereby the position information of the surrounding vehicle and the driver of the surrounding vehicle are provided to the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on each vehicle. The line-of-sight information is repeatedly transmitted at regular intervals.

  Next, the information presentation process shown in FIG. 6 will be described. In the information presentation process shown in FIG. 6, the driver of the surrounding vehicle self-appropriates based on the position information of the surrounding vehicle and the line-of-sight information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle transmitted by the center control process shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is visually recognized, and based on the determination result, presentation information indicating surrounding vehicles is presented to the driver of the host vehicle.

  The information presentation process shown in FIG. 6 is performed for each surrounding vehicle that exists around the host vehicle. For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 3, there are two surrounding vehicles, and it is determined that one surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle by performing the information presentation process illustrated in FIG. 6 for each surrounding vehicle. However, it is determined that the other surrounding vehicle does not visually recognize the host vehicle. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, presentation information highlighting only one surrounding vehicle viewing the host vehicle is presented to the driver of the host vehicle.

  First, in step S301, the in-vehicle control device 130 receives the position information of the surrounding vehicle and the gaze information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle via the in-vehicle communication device 120. In step S302, the position information of the host vehicle is detected by the position information detection function of the in-vehicle control device 130.

  In step S303, the relative position calculation function of the in-vehicle control device 130 determines the own vehicle and the surrounding vehicles based on the position information of the surrounding vehicle received in step S301 and the position information of the own vehicle detected in step S302. Relative positional relationship is required. In this embodiment, the relative positional relationship between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicles is obtained by arranging the vehicle position of the host vehicle and the vehicle positions of the surrounding vehicles in the same vehicle coordinate system.

  In step S304, based on the gaze area of the driver of the surrounding vehicle received in step S301 by the vehicle visibility determination function of the in-vehicle control device 130, the driver of the surrounding vehicle can detect the front window, side window, or It is determined whether or not the window area corresponding to the opening of the rear window is visually recognized. In this embodiment, the own vehicle visual recognition determination function determines that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the window area when the line-of-sight area of the driver of the surrounding vehicle is the window area. If it is determined that the driver of the host vehicle is visually recognizing the window area, the process proceeds to step S305. If the driver of the host vehicle is determined not to be visually recognizing the window area, the step is performed. The process proceeds to S308.

  In step S <b> 305, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle exists in the line-of-sight range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle by the host vehicle visual determination function. Specifically, the own vehicle visual recognition determination function superimposes the gaze direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle on the vehicle position and the traveling direction of the surrounding vehicle received in step S301, thereby determining the gaze direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle. The vehicle coordinate system obtained in step S303 is specified. In addition, the self-vehicle visibility determination function applies a general human peripheral viewing angle to the direction of the driver's line of sight in the vehicle coordinate system, so that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can visually recognize the vehicle coordinate system. The range is specified as the visible range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle. And the own vehicle visual recognition judgment function judges whether the own vehicle exists in the visual recognition range of the driver of the specified surrounding vehicle. In addition, information on the general peripheral viewing angle of a human is stored in advance in the RAM of the in-vehicle control device 130, and the own vehicle visual recognition determination function is stored in the RAM in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle. By applying a general human peripheral viewing angle, it is possible to specify the viewing range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle.

  In step S305, if it is determined that the host vehicle does not exist in the viewing range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle, it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is not viewing the host vehicle, and the process proceeds to step S306. move on. In step S306, the presentation information generation function of the in-vehicle control device 130 generates presentation information related to surrounding vehicles. Further, in step S306, since it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is not visually recognizing the own vehicle, the presentation information generation function emphasizes the surrounding vehicle not visually recognizing the own vehicle as shown in FIG. Presentation information is generated to be displayed. And the presentation information produced | generated by the presentation information generation function is transmitted to the information presentation apparatus 140, and as shown in FIG. 3, the presentation information which highlighted the surrounding vehicle which has not recognized the own vehicle is shown in FIG. Presented to drivers.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S305 that the host vehicle is present in the viewing range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle, it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle, and the process proceeds to step S307. move on. In step S307, the presentation information generation function generates presentation information related to surrounding vehicles. In step S307, since it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle, the presentation information generation function is emphasized for the surrounding vehicle viewing the host vehicle as shown in FIG. Presentation information is generated so as not to be displayed. Then, the presentation information generated by the presentation information generation function is transmitted to the information presentation device 140, and the presentation information is presented to the driver by the information presentation device 140.

  In step S304, if it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is not viewing the window area, the process proceeds to step S308. In step S308, as in step S304, the driver of the surrounding vehicle corresponds to the right side mirror of the surrounding vehicle based on the line-of-sight area of the driver of the surrounding vehicle received in step S301 by the own vehicle visual recognition determination function. It is determined whether or not the right side mirror area is visually recognized. If it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is visually recognizing the right side mirror area, the process proceeds to step S309, while the driver of the surrounding vehicle is determined not to visually recognize the right side mirror area. In step S310, the process proceeds to step S310.

  In step S309, since it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is visually recognizing the right side mirror region, there is a range in which the driver of the surrounding vehicle can visually recognize the right side mirror of the surrounding vehicle by the own vehicle visual recognition function. , It is specified as the visible range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle. Specifically, the own vehicle visual recognition determination function converts the gaze direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle according to the angle of the right side mirror, and the general human vision is changed to the gaze direction of the converted driver of the surrounding vehicle. By applying the peripheral viewing angle, the range that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can visually recognize through the right side mirror in the vehicle coordinate system is specified as the visual recognition range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle.

  And after the visual recognition range which the driver | operator of a surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with a right side mirror is specified, it progresses to step S305, and the own vehicle exists in the visual recognition range which the driver | operator of a surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with a right side mirror. Judgment is made. When it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle does not exist in the viewable range visible by the right side mirror, the presentation information highlighting the surrounding vehicle is presented (step S306), and the driver of the surrounding vehicle is presented. When it is determined that the host vehicle is present in the viewing range that can be viewed with the right side mirror, the presentation information that does not highlight the surrounding vehicle is presented (step S307).

  If it is determined in step S308 that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is not visually recognizing the right side mirror area, the process proceeds to step S310, and whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle is visually recognizing the left side mirror area. Judgment is made. If it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is visually recognizing the left side mirror region, the process proceeds to step S311 and the viewing range that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with the left side mirror is specified. That is, the self-vehicle visibility determination function converts the gaze direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle according to the angle of the left side mirror, and the general peripheral viewing angle of the human being in the converted gaze direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle By applying the above, in the vehicle coordinate system, the range that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can visually recognize through the left side mirror is specified as the viewing range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle.

  And after the visual recognition range which the driver | operator of a surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with a left side mirror is specified, it progresses to step S305, and when the own vehicle exists in the visual recognition range which the driver | operator of a surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with a left side mirror. (Step S305 = Yes), the presentation information highlighting the surrounding vehicle is presented (step S306), and when the vehicle is in a viewable range visible to the driver of the surrounding vehicle with the left side mirror (step S306) (S305 = No), the presentation information that does not highlight the surrounding vehicle is presented (step S307).

  Similarly, if it is determined in step S310 that the driver of the surrounding vehicle does not visually recognize the left side mirror region, the process proceeds to step S312 and whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle visually recognizes the room mirror region. If it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the room mirror area, the process proceeds to step S313, and the viewing range that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with the room mirror is specified. . And after the visual recognition range which the driver | operator of a surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with a room mirror is specified, it progresses to step S305, and when the own vehicle exists in the visual recognition range which the driver | operator of a surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with a room mirror ( In step S305 = Yes, presentation information highlighting the surrounding vehicle is presented (step S306), and when the vehicle is present in a viewable range visible to the driver of the surrounding vehicle with the room mirror (step S305 = No) ), The presentation information that does not highlight the surrounding vehicle is presented (step S307).

  If it is determined in step S312 that the driver of the surrounding vehicle does not visually recognize the room mirror region, the process proceeds to step S307, where presentation information that does not highlight the surrounding vehicle is presented. In such a case, it may be configured to present presentation information indicating that the surrounding recognition state of the driver of the surrounding vehicle is unknown.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle based on the line-of-sight information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle existing around the host vehicle. When it is determined that the driver of the vehicle is not visually recognizing the own vehicle, information indicating surrounding vehicles that are not visually recognizing the own vehicle is presented to the driver of the own vehicle. In this way, in the first embodiment, the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle approach based on the internal surrounding recognition state of the driver of the surrounding vehicle that cannot be grasped only by the behavior of the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle. Since the possibility can be judged and presented to the driver of the host vehicle, the driver's attention can be appropriately raised, thereby improving the driving safety of the driver. Can do. That is, in the related art, since the possibility of the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle approaching based on the behavior of the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle is determined, for example, even when the surrounding vehicle is stopped, Since the vehicle is not recognized, it is impossible to determine the possibility that the surrounding vehicle suddenly starts and approaches the host vehicle. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle is visually recognizing the own vehicle, and if the driver of the surrounding vehicle is not visually recognizing the own vehicle, the driving of the own vehicle is determined. By transmitting that fact to the driver, the driver of the host vehicle can appropriately recognize surrounding vehicles that may approach the host vehicle.

  Further, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the region existing in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle is a window region corresponding to the front window, the side window, or the rear window of the surrounding vehicle, When the line-of-sight area of the driver of the surrounding vehicle is a window area, the range that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can visually recognize through the window is specified as the visual range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle. It is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the driver recognizes the host vehicle.

  Further, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the region existing in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle is a right side mirror region corresponding to the right side mirror of the surrounding vehicle, and the line of sight of the driver of the surrounding vehicle When the area is the right side mirror area, by identifying the range that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with the right side mirror of the surrounding vehicle as the viewing range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle, the driver of the surrounding vehicle It is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the host vehicle is recognized. Similarly, when the line-of-sight area of the driver of the surrounding vehicle is the left side mirror area, the range that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can visually recognize with the left side mirror of the surrounding vehicle is specified as the viewing range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle When the line-of-sight area of the driver of the surrounding vehicle is the room mirror area, the range that the driver of the surrounding vehicle can see with the room mirror of the surrounding vehicle is specified as the viewing range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle. It is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle recognizes the own vehicle.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, by applying a general peripheral viewing angle of the human to the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle, the viewing range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle is specified, and the driver of the surrounding vehicle By determining whether or not the own vehicle exists in the viewing range, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle recognizes the own vehicle.

<< Second Embodiment >>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The driving support system according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the driving support system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is the same as the first embodiment except that it operates as shown in FIG. 7. Operate. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the information presentation process according to the second embodiment.

  Steps S401 to S405, S410 to S416 are similar to Steps S301 to S305 and S308 to S313 of the first embodiment, and the viewing range that is recognized by the driver of the surrounding vehicle is specified. A determination is made as to whether or not the user is viewing the host vehicle.

  If it is determined in step S405 that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is not viewing the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S406. In step S406, the presentation information generation function generates presentation information that highlights the surrounding vehicles that are not viewing the host vehicle to the maximum, and the generated presentation information is presented to the driver of the host vehicle.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S405 that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S407. In step S407, a process of counting the time during which the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle as the viewing time is performed by the host vehicle viewing determination function. Specifically, the own vehicle visual recognition determination function repeatedly determines whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle is visually recognizing the own vehicle a predetermined number of times at a constant cycle (for example, a cycle of 300 milliseconds). By multiplying the number of times it is determined that the driver is visually recognizing the host vehicle and the period, the viewing time during which the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle is calculated.

  In step S408, the degree of attention, which is the degree to which the driver of the surrounding vehicle is paying attention to the own vehicle, is calculated based on the visual recognition time calculated in step S407 by the own vehicle visual recognition determination function. In this embodiment, the own vehicle visual recognition determination function divides the attention level into three stages according to the visual recognition time, and sets the attention level of the driver of the surrounding vehicle to a larger value as the visual recognition time is longer.

  In step S409, presentation information is generated by the presentation information generation function. In step S409, the presentation information generation function generates presentation information so that surrounding vehicles are highlighted according to the degree of caution calculated in step S408. For example, the presentation information generation function highlights a surrounding vehicle with a low level of attention by increasing the blinking speed of a surrounding vehicle with a low level of attention, or by enlarging the frame surrounding the surrounding vehicle. Generate presentation information. The generated presentation information is presented to the driver by the information presentation device 140.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, when it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle, the time during which the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle is counted as the viewing time. However, as the visual recognition time is shorter, the driver's attention level of the surrounding vehicle is calculated with a lower value. And presentation information is produced | generated so that the surrounding vehicle with a low alertness may be emphasized and displayed, and the produced | generated presentation information is shown to the driver | operator of the own vehicle. Thereby, in 2nd Embodiment, since the driver | operator of the surrounding vehicle can transmit appropriately the degree to which the driver of the surrounding vehicle is paying attention to the driver of the own vehicle, the driver's attention of the own vehicle is more appropriate. The driver's driving can be further improved.

  The embodiment described above is described for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle is visually recognizing the own vehicle by detecting the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle based on the face image of the driver of the surrounding vehicle. Although the structure to determine was illustrated, it is not limited to this structure, For example, based on the face image of the driver of a surrounding vehicle, the awakening state of the driver of the surrounding vehicle and the state where the driver of the surrounding vehicle is frustrated Based on the degree of awareness (recognition internal state) of the driver of the surrounding vehicle, the surrounding vehicle that may approach the own vehicle is identified, and the presentation information indicating the identified surrounding vehicle is automatically determined. It is good also as a structure shown to the driver | operator of a vehicle.

  In the above-described embodiment, the driving support system including the in-vehicle devices 100a and 100b and the information center 200 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the in-vehicle device capable of inter-vehicle communication. You may comprise a driving assistance system from 100a, 100b. For example, the vehicle-mounted device 100b mounted on the host vehicle receives the position information of the surrounding vehicle and the line-of-sight information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle from the vehicle-mounted device 100a mounted on the surrounding vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle communication. It is good also as a structure which judges whether the driver | operator of the vehicle is visually recognizing the own vehicle.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration including the in-vehicle devices 100a and 100b having the same configuration in the surrounding vehicle and the host vehicle is illustrated. However, the configuration is not limited to this configuration. For example, the driver's line-of-sight information and position information The vehicle-mounted device 100a having only the function of transmitting the detected driver's line-of-sight information and position information to the information center 200, and receiving the line-of-sight information and position information of drivers of surrounding vehicles from the information center 200, Based on the line-of-sight information and position information of the driver of the surrounding vehicle, it is determined whether or not the driver of the surrounding vehicle is viewing the host vehicle, and the presentation information indicating the surrounding vehicle not viewing the host vehicle is displayed. The driving support system may be configured by the in-vehicle device 100b having only the function presented to the driver. In this case, the processing load on the in-vehicle device 100b can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the in-vehicle devices 100a and 100b mounted on the vehicle have been illustrated and described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and examples thereof include mobile phones and smartphones used in the own vehicle and surrounding vehicles. The driving support system of the present invention may be configured by providing the mobile terminal with the functions described above.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the in-vehicle device 100 determines whether the driver of the surrounding vehicle recognizes the own vehicle, and the surrounding vehicle that does not recognize the own vehicle is highlighted. Although the structure which produces | generates presentation information was illustrated, it is not limited to this structure, For example, in the information center 200, it is judged whether the driver of the surrounding vehicle has recognized the own vehicle, and has recognized the own vehicle. It is good also as a structure which produces | generates presentation information and transmits the produced | generated presentation information to the vehicle-mounted apparatus 100b of the own vehicle so that the surrounding vehicle which does not have it may be highlighted.

  Note that the in-vehicle communication device 120 of the in-vehicle device 100 of the above-described embodiment is the first transmission unit, the reception unit, and the second transmission unit of the present invention, and the in-vehicle control device 130 of the in-vehicle device 100 is the image acquisition unit of the present invention. In the recognition state detection means, the line-of-sight area determination means, the recognition determination means, the generation means, the first vehicle position detection means, and the second vehicle position detection means, the information presentation device 140 of the in-vehicle device 100 is a presentation means of the present invention. The center communication device 210 of the information center 200 corresponds to the third transmission means of the present invention, and the center control device 220 of the information center 200 corresponds to the collection means and surrounding vehicle detection means of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... In-vehicle apparatus 110 ... Camera 120 ... In-vehicle communication apparatus 130 ... In-vehicle control apparatus 140 ... Information presentation apparatus 200 ... Information center 210 ... Center communication apparatus 220 ... Center control apparatus

Claims (9)

A driving support system comprising: a first device used in a first vehicle; and a second device capable of exchanging information with the first device and used in a second vehicle,
The first device includes:
Image acquisition means for acquiring a face image of the driver of the first vehicle;
Recognition state detection means for detecting the surrounding recognition state of the driver of the first vehicle based on the face image of the driver of the first vehicle;
First transmission means for transmitting information indicating the surrounding recognition state of the driver of the first vehicle as recognition information,
The second device includes:
Receiving means for receiving the recognition information;
Recognizing determination means for determining whether or not the driver of the first vehicle recognizes the second vehicle based on the recognition information;
Generating to generate presentation information indicating that the driver of the first vehicle does not recognize the second vehicle when it is determined that the driver of the first vehicle does not recognize the second vehicle Means,
Presenting means for presenting the presentation information to the driver of the second vehicle. The driving support system according to claim 1,
The recognition state detection means detects the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the first vehicle based on the face image of the driver of the first vehicle as a surrounding recognition state of the driver of the first vehicle,
The recognition determining means determines whether the second vehicle exists in the line of sight of the driver of the first vehicle based on the recognition information, and the direction of the line of sight of the driver of the first vehicle A driving support system, wherein when there is a second vehicle, the driver of the first vehicle determines that the second vehicle is recognized. The driving support system according to claim 2,
In the first device, a line-of-sight area existing in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the first vehicle is a window area corresponding to the window of the first vehicle based on the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the first vehicle. A visual line region determining means for determining whether or not,
When it is determined that the line-of-sight area of the driver of the first vehicle is the window area of the first vehicle, the recognition determination means allows the driver of the first vehicle to pass through the window of the first vehicle. It is determined whether or not the second vehicle exists in a visually recognizable range, and the driver of the first vehicle recognizes the second vehicle when the second vehicle exists in the visual recognition range. A driving support system characterized by determining that the vehicle is driving. The driving support system according to claim 3,
The line-of-sight area determination means is a mirror area corresponding to a mirror of the first vehicle, wherein the line-of-sight area existing in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the first vehicle is based on the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the first vehicle. Determine if there is,
When it is determined that the line-of-sight area of the driver of the first vehicle is the mirror area of the first vehicle, the recognition determination means causes the driver of the first vehicle to pass through the mirror of the first vehicle. It is determined whether or not the second vehicle exists in a viewable range that can be visually recognized. When the second vehicle exists in the viewable range, the driver of the first vehicle moves the second vehicle. A driving support system characterized in that it is judged to be recognized. The driving support system according to claim 3 or 4,
The driving support system, wherein the recognition determination unit identifies a range of a general peripheral viewing angle of a human in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the first vehicle as the line-of-sight range. The driving support system according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The generation means repeatedly determines whether or not the second vehicle exists in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the first vehicle, so that the driver of the first vehicle visually recognizes the second vehicle. The driving support system is characterized in that the presenting information is generated so that the first vehicle is displayed with emphasis as the continuation determination is detected. The driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The driving support system further includes an information center installed outside the vehicle and capable of communicating with the first device and the second device;
The first device includes:
The vehicle further comprises first vehicle position detecting means for detecting position information of the first vehicle,
The first transmission means transmits the position information of the first vehicle together with the recognition information to the information center,
The second device includes:
Second vehicle position detection means for detecting position information of the second vehicle;
Second transmission means for transmitting the position information of the second vehicle to the information center,
The information center
Collecting means for collecting the recognition information and the position information of the first vehicle from the first device, and collecting the position information of the second vehicle from the second device;
Surrounding vehicle detection means for detecting the first vehicle existing around the second vehicle as a surrounding vehicle based on the positional information of the first vehicle and the positional information of the second vehicle;
A driving support system comprising: third transmission means for transmitting recognition information of a driver of the surrounding vehicle to the second device. A first device used in the first vehicle, a second device used in the second vehicle, and an information center installed outside the vehicle and capable of communicating with the first device and the second device. A driving support system comprising:
The first device includes:
Image acquisition means for acquiring a face image of the driver of the first vehicle;
Recognition state detection means for detecting the surrounding recognition state of the driver of the first vehicle based on the face image of the driver of the first vehicle;
First vehicle position detecting means for detecting position information of the first vehicle;
Recognizing information indicating a surrounding recognition state of the driver of the first vehicle, and first transmitting means for transmitting position information of the first vehicle to the information center,
The second device includes:
Second vehicle position detection means for detecting position information of the second vehicle;
Second transmission means for transmitting the position information of the second vehicle to the information center,
The information center
Collecting means for collecting the recognition information and the position information of the first vehicle from the first device, and collecting the position information of the second vehicle from the second device;
Surrounding vehicle detection means for detecting the first vehicle existing around the second vehicle as a surrounding vehicle based on the positional information of the first vehicle and the positional information of the second vehicle;
Recognizing determination means for determining whether a driver of the surrounding vehicle recognizes the second vehicle based on the recognition information;
Generating means for generating presentation information indicating that the driver of the surrounding vehicle does not recognize the second vehicle when it is determined that the driver of the surrounding vehicle does not recognize the second vehicle; ,
Third transmission means for transmitting the presentation information to the second device,
The driving support system, wherein the second device further includes a presentation unit that presents the presentation information to a driver of the second vehicle.   Obtain the gaze information of the drivers of the surrounding vehicles existing around the host vehicle, and determine whether the own vehicle exists in the gaze direction of the drivers of the surrounding vehicles based on the gaze information of the drivers of the surrounding vehicles When it is determined that the host vehicle does not exist in the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the surrounding vehicle, the presentation information indicating that the driver of the surrounding vehicle is not viewing the host vehicle is generated, and the driver of the host vehicle is generated. A driving support method comprising presenting the presentation information.

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