JP2020135698A - Driving assistance device, driving assistance system, driving assistance method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a driving assistance device capable of performing appropriate driving assistance in accordance with a situation.SOLUTION: A driving assistance device comprises: an environment information acquisition unit that acquires traveling environment information on an environment in which a vehicle is traveling; a safety level calculation unit that calculates a safety level of the traveling of the vehicle on the basis of the traveling environment information; and an assistance degree determination unit that determines a degree of automation of driving on the basis of the safety level. The traveling environment information includes at least one of road state, weather, and time period, for example.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

In recent years, the development of technology related to driving support that automatically performs driving operations related to vehicle driving on behalf of the driver has been promoted. In Patent Document 1, a function of switching between a manual operation mode and a driving support mode based on a driver's operation and a function of automatically switching coexist, and the driver can freely perform these functions. The technology to make it possible to handle is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-024521

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the arousal level of the driver is determined, and the automatic driving mode is performed when the arousal level of the driver is lowered due to the driver feeling drowsy or dozing. Switch to. However, there are cases where driving assistance is required even when the driver's alertness is high.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device capable of providing appropriate driving support according to a situation.

The driving support device according to the present invention includes an environment information acquisition unit that acquires driving environment information on which the vehicle travels, a safety degree calculation unit that calculates the safety degree of driving by the vehicle based on the driving environment information, and the safety. It is provided with a support degree determination unit that determines the degree of automation of driving based on the degree.

The driving support system according to the present invention includes a vehicle including an environment information acquisition unit for acquiring driving environment information, a first communication unit for performing wireless communication, and a driving control unit for driving support in driving the vehicle, and the driving. A safety degree calculation unit that calculates the safety degree of driving by the vehicle based on environmental information, a support degree determination unit that determines the degree of automation of driving by the driving control unit based on the safety degree, and a support level determination unit for performing wireless communication. It has a server including a second communication unit, the first communication unit transmits the driving environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit to the second communication unit, and the second communication unit transmits the driving environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit. The degree of automating the operation determined by the support degree determining unit is transmitted to the communication unit, and the operation control unit performs operation control according to the degree of automating the operation.

The driving support method according to the present invention includes a step of acquiring driving environment information on which the vehicle travels, a step of calculating the safety degree of driving by the vehicle based on the driving environment information, and the vehicle based on the safety degree. It includes steps to determine the degree to which the operation of the vehicle is automated.

The program according to the present invention includes a step of acquiring driving environment information on which the vehicle travels, a step of calculating the safety degree of traveling by the vehicle based on the driving environment information, and driving of the vehicle based on the safety degree. Let the computer perform the steps to determine the degree of automation.

According to the present invention, appropriate driving support can be provided depending on the situation.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving support apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which determines the degree of automation of the operation in the operation support device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving support apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving support apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving support apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving support system which concerns on Embodiment 5.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Moreover, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are indispensable as means for solving the problem.

[Embodiment 1]
First, the configuration of the driving support device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the driving support device 10 includes an environmental information acquisition unit 20 and a control unit 30. The environmental information acquisition unit 20 acquires the traveling environment information on which the vehicle travels.

The control unit 30 includes an operation control unit 31, a safety degree calculation unit 32, and a support degree determination unit 33. The driving control unit 31 provides driving support in driving the vehicle. The safety degree calculation unit 32 calculates the safety degree of traveling by the vehicle based on the traveling environment information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 20. The present embodiment may be a form in which the driver is notified of the degree of support determined by the support degree determination unit 33 without including the operation control unit 31.

The driving environment information includes at least one of road conditions, weather, and time of day. Here, the road conditions include, for example, road-specific conditions such as speed limit, road width, number of lanes, and the number of curves, traffic congestion, whether there are many or few pedestrians, and whether an accident has occurred. , Etc. are incidental to the road. Information on road conditions can be obtained from, for example, the cloud. Further, the road condition may be acquired, for example, by analyzing an image taken by a front camera installed in front of the vehicle by a trained model. For example, it is possible to acquire the speed limit by recognizing a sign, or to acquire the distance between another vehicle traveling around the vehicle by recognizing the vehicle. The safety degree calculation unit 32 lowers the safety degree when it is determined that the acquired road condition is relatively difficult to drive than when it is determined that the condition is relatively easy to drive. calculate. Here, the situation where it is relatively difficult to drive is, for example, a situation where the road width is narrow, the curve continues, the traffic is congested, and there are many pedestrians.

Regarding the weather, for example, on a rainy day, the road surface is wet and slippery, and visibility is poor. Therefore, the safety degree calculation unit 32 calculates the safety degree lower when the weather is rainy than when it is sunny or cloudy. The weather information can be obtained from a point weather forecast such as a cloud. In addition, when the weather is rainy, the amount of rainfall should be taken into consideration when calculating the degree of safety. Rainfall can be estimated from the number of wiper operations, in-vehicle rain sensor, and rain cloud radar such as cloud computing.

Regarding the time zone, for example, during the sunset time zone, the visibility is poor and the incidence of traffic accidents is particularly high. Therefore, the safety degree calculation unit 32 calculates the safety degree lower than other time zones when it is in the sunset time zone. Further, the degree of safety at dark night may be calculated lower than the degree of safety during bright hours with sunlight. The time zone can be obtained from the clock.

The support degree determination unit 33 determines the degree to which the operation is automated by the operation control unit 31 based on the safety degree. The degree of automation of driving may correspond to, for example, the level of automation defined by the American Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (SAE). The automated driving level is defined in 6 stages from level 0 to level 5.

Level 0 is defined as the driver performing all dynamic driving tasks. That is, the operation is not automated. From level 1 to level 2, the main body responsible for driving is the driver, and the automatic driving system provides driving support for manual driving by the driver. Level 1 is defined as the autonomous driving system continuously performing either the longitudinal or lateral vehicle motion control subtasks of the dynamic driving task in a specific limited area. That is, at level 1, among the dynamic driving tasks, the automatic driving system is responsible for only the operation of the accelerator and the brake, or only the operation of the steering wheel. Level 2 is defined as an autonomous driving system continuously performing both longitudinal and lateral vehicle motion control subtasks of a dynamic driving task in a particular limited area. That is, at level 2, the automatic driving system is responsible for the operation of the accelerator and the brake and the operation of the steering wheel.

From level 3 to level 5, the main body responsible for driving is an automatic driving system. In other words, Levels 3 to 5 are not positioned so that the autonomous driving system provides driving support for manual driving by the driver, but basically all driving operations are assumed to be autonomous vehicles performed by the autonomous driving system. is there. Level 3 is defined as an autonomous driving system continuously performing all dynamic driving tasks in a limited area. At level 3, the driver is responsible for driving operations only in an emergency. Level 4 is defined as the autonomous driving system continuously performing all dynamic driving tasks and responses to cases where it is difficult to continue operation in a limited area. Level 5 is defined as the driving automation system continuously and unlimitedly performing all dynamic driving tasks and responses to cases where it is difficult to continue operation.

The driving support device 10 according to the present embodiment targets a vehicle in which manual driving and automatic driving coexist in the driving operation. As described above, the support degree determination unit 33 determines the degree to which the operation is automated in the operation operation by the operation control unit 31. That is, the support degree determination unit 33 determines, for example, whether to change the above-mentioned automatic driving level from level 0 to level 2 based on the driving environment information. The degree to which the operation by the operation control unit 31 is automated does not have to correspond to the above-mentioned automatic operation level. The support degree determination unit 33 may determine, for example, whether to operate only the accelerator and the brake or only the operation of the handle based on the traveling environment information.

The operation control unit 31 performs operation control according to the degree of automating the operation determined by the support degree determination unit 33. For example, when the degree of automating the operation determined by the support degree determination unit 33 is extremely high, the operation control unit 31 controls the operation of the accelerator and the brake, and the operation of the steering wheel. On the other hand, for example, when the degree of automating the operation determined by the support degree determination unit 33 is extremely low, the operation control unit 31 does not control the operation operation, and the driver performs all the operation operations. In other words, when the degree of automating the operation determined by the support degree determination unit 33 is the automatic operation level 0, the operation is not controlled by the operation control unit 31, and the operation is manual operation by the driver.

Next, in the driving support device 10, a process of determining the degree of automation of driving will be described. In the following description, FIG. 1 will also be referred to as appropriate.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for determining the degree of automation of driving in the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, first, the environment information acquisition unit 20 acquires the traveling environment information in which the vehicle travels (step S101). Subsequently, the safety degree calculation unit 32 calculates the safety degree of traveling by the vehicle based on the traveling environment information (step S102). Subsequently, the support degree determination unit 33 determines the degree of automating the driving of the vehicle based on the safety degree (step S103). Subsequently, the driving control unit 31 performs driving control according to the degree of automating the driving of the vehicle (step S104). In step S104, instead of driving control, the driver may be notified of the degree to which the driving of the vehicle is automated, and the driver may be entrusted with the determination of the degree to automate the driving. For example, when the support degree determination unit 33 determines that the automation of driving corresponding to the automation level 2 of driving is preferable, the notification unit (not shown) proposes to the driver to set the automation of driving to level 2. You may.

From the above, the driving support device 10 according to the present embodiment is left to the voluntary driving operation by the driver when the driving environment is relatively safe, and the driving control unit 31 when the driving environment is not safe. Increase the degree to which is involved in driving operations. By doing so, it is possible to achieve both safety and convenience for the driver. That is, depending on the situation, the driving support device 10 can provide appropriate driving support.

[Embodiment 2]
The configuration of the driving support device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the driving support device 110 according to the second embodiment. In the configuration of the driving support device 110 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the driving information acquisition unit 40 is added to the configuration of the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. .. Further, in the control unit 130 of the driving support device 110 shown in FIG. 3, a skill level calculation unit 34 is added to the control unit 30 of the driving support device 10 shown in FIG. Other configurations of the driving support device 110 are the same as those of the driving support device 10 shown in FIG.

The driving information acquisition unit 40 acquires driving information related to the driving of the vehicle when the driver is driving. Here, the traveling information is, for example, the operating status of the accelerator, the brake, the steering wheel, and the blinker in the traveling of the vehicle when the driver is driving. Further, the traveling information may be, for example, a traveling condition such as a vehicle speed and a vehicle acceleration in the traveling of the vehicle when the driver is driving and operating. This information is acquired from the vehicle via an in-vehicle network such as CAN (Controller Area Network). Various sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor and an acceleration sensor may be provided and acquired from these sensors.

Regarding the operation status of the accelerator, for example, it can be known whether the driver tends to accelerate suddenly or gradually depending on the rate of increase in acceleration. Regarding the operating state of the brake, for example, it can be known whether the driver tends to brake suddenly or gradually decelerates depending on the degree of decrease in acceleration. Regarding the operation status of the steering wheel, it can be understood from the time from when the turn signal is turned on to when the steering wheel is turned, whether the driver tends to operate the steering wheel suddenly or the steering wheel with a margin. The proficiency level calculation unit 34 calculates the proficiency level of the driver based on the driving information. For example, for a driver who often performs sudden acceleration, sudden braking, sudden steering operation, etc., the skill level calculation unit 34 calculates the driver's skill level to be relatively low.

The flow of the process for determining the degree of automation of the operation in the operation support device 110 is basically the same as the flow of the process for determining the degree of automation of the operation in the operation support device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Is. In the driving support device 110, in step S103 of FIG. 2, the support degree determination unit 33 determines the degree to which the operation is automated by the operation control unit 31, and the skill level calculation unit matches the safety degree calculated by the safety degree calculation unit 32. The determination is made in consideration of the skill level calculated by 34. That is, when the driver's skill level is calculated to be relatively low, the degree to which the operation is automated by the operation control unit 31 is increased as compared with the case where the driver's skill level is calculated to be relatively high. By doing so, it is possible to further enhance the safety in driving the vehicle.

[Embodiment 3]
The configuration of the driving support device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the driving support device 210 according to the third embodiment. In the configuration of the driving support device 210 according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the driving information acquisition unit 40 is added to the configuration of the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. .. Further, in the control unit 230 of the driving support device 210 shown in FIG. 4, a driving tendency estimation unit 35 is added to the control unit 30 of the driving support device 10 shown in FIG. Other configurations of the driving support device 210 are the same as those of the driving support device 10 shown in FIG.

The traveling information acquisition unit 40 is as described in the second embodiment. As described above, the driving information acquired by the driving information acquisition unit 40 includes, for example, the operating status of the accelerator, the brake, the steering wheel, the vehicle speed, the vehicle acceleration, etc. in the driving of the vehicle when the driver is driving. It is the driving situation of.

Regarding the operation status of the accelerator, for example, what kind of acceleration the driver prefers can be known from the degree of increase in acceleration. Regarding the operation status of the brake, for example, what kind of deceleration the driver prefers can be known from the degree of decrease in acceleration. The driving tendency estimation unit 35 estimates the driving tendency of the driver, that is, the driver's preference and habit in the driving operation, based on the driving information.

The flow of processing for determining the degree of automation of driving in the driving support device 210 is basically the same as the flow of processing for determining the degree of automation of driving in the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Is. In the driving support device 210, in step S104 of FIG. 2, the driving control unit 31 adds the driving tendency of the driver estimated by the driving tendency estimation unit 35 to the automatic driving method when automating the driving. In other words, automatic driving is performed by changing the timing and amount of operation of the accelerator, brake, and steering wheel according to the driving tendency of the driver. By doing so, it is possible to make the automatic driving by the driving control unit 31 more comfortable for the driver.

[Embodiment 4]
The configuration of the driving support device according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the driving support device 310 according to the fourth embodiment. In the configuration of the driving support device 310 according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the biological information acquisition unit 50 is added to the configuration of the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. .. Other configurations of the driving support device 310 are the same as those of the driving support device 10 shown in FIG. The biometric information acquisition unit 50 acquires the biometric information of the driver. Here, the biological information includes at least one of the driver's facial expression, heart rate, pulse, body temperature, and brain wave. The biological information acquisition unit 50 acquires driver information from, for example, an in-vehicle camera for photographing the driver, various sensors built in a wristband or smart watch worn by the driver, and the like.

The flow of the process for determining the degree of automation of the operation in the operation support device 310 is basically the same as the flow of the process for determining the degree of automation of the operation in the operation support device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Is. In the driving support device 310, in step S103 of FIG. 2, the support degree determining unit 33 considers the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 50 in determining the degree to which the driving is automated by the driving control unit 31.

In the acquired biometric information of the driver, for example, brain waves indicating that the driver has an angry expression, the heart rate is higher than normal, the pulse is faster than normal, the body temperature is higher than normal, and the driver is drowsy. It is assumed that there is an unfavorable condition for driving, such as being out. In such a case, the support degree determination unit 33 adds the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 50 to the safety degree calculated by the safety degree calculation unit 32 in determining the degree to which the operation is automated by the operation control unit 31. Make the decision you made. The degree to which the operation is automated by the operation control unit 31 is increased. By doing so, it is possible to further enhance the safety in driving the vehicle.

[Embodiment 5]
The configuration of the driving support system according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the driving support system 410 according to the fifth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the driver assistance system 410 includes a vehicle 420 and a server 430.

The vehicle 420 includes an environmental information acquisition unit 20, a driving control unit 31, and a first communication unit for performing wireless communication. The server 430 includes a safety degree calculation unit 32, a support degree determination unit 33, and a second communication unit 36 for performing wireless communication. The vehicle 420 and the server 430 exchange information by wireless communication via the first communication unit 21 and the second communication unit 36.

The flow of processing for determining the degree of automation of driving in the driving support system 410 is basically the same as the flow of processing for determining the degree of automation of driving in the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Is. In the driving support system 410, in step S101 of FIG. 2, the first communication unit 21 transmits the driving environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit to the second communication unit 36. Further, in the driving support system 410, in step S103 of FIG. 2, the second communication unit 36 transmits to the first communication unit 21 the degree to which the operation determined by the support degree determination unit 33 is automated. By having the server take charge of the process of determining the degree of automation of driving in this way, the processing load on the computer mounted on the vehicle 420 can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit. The plurality of examples described above can be carried out in combination as appropriate.

The processing in each part of the driving support device according to the present invention can be realized by causing a computer or the like to execute a program. More specifically, a program stored in the program memory for executing processing in each part of the operation support device is loaded into the main storage device, and the program is executed and realized under the control of the CPU. Here, the program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transient computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media (tangible storage media). Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (eg, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (eg, magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, It includes a CD-R / W, a semiconductor memory (for example, a mask ROM, a PROM (Programmable ROM), an EPROM (Erasable PROM), a flash ROM, and a RAM (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to the computer by various types of temporary computer readable media (transitory computer readable media). Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical, optical, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path. Further, the processing in each part of the driving support device is not limited to being realized by software by a program, and may be realized by any combination of hardware, firmware, and software.

10, 110, 210, 310 Driving support device 20 Environmental information acquisition unit 21 First communication unit 30, 130, 230 Control unit 31 Operation control unit 32 Safety degree calculation unit 33 Support degree determination unit 34 Skill level calculation unit 35 Driving tendency estimation Unit 36 Second communication unit 40 Driving information acquisition unit 50 Biometric information acquisition unit 410 Driving support system 420 Vehicle 430 Server

Claims (8)

The environment information acquisition unit that acquires the driving environment information on which the vehicle is traveling,
A safety degree calculation unit that calculates the safety degree of driving by the vehicle based on the driving environment information,
A driving support device including a support degree determining unit that determines the degree of automation of driving based on the safety degree. A driving information acquisition unit that acquires driving information related to the driving of the vehicle when the driver is driving and operating
Further provided with a skill level calculation unit that calculates the skill level of the driver based on the driving information.
The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the support degree determining unit makes a determination in consideration of the skill level in determining the degree of automating driving. It also has a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires the driver's biometric information.
The driving support device according to claim 2, wherein the support degree determining unit makes a decision in consideration of the biometric information in determining the degree of automating driving. The driving support device according to claim 3, wherein the biological information includes at least one of a driver's facial expression, heart rate, pulse, body temperature, and brain wave. A driving tendency estimation unit that estimates the driving tendency of the driver based on the driving information,
Further provided with a driving control unit that assists driving in the driving of the vehicle.
The operation control unit controls the automatic driving method when automating the driving in consideration of the driving tendency of the driver estimated by the driving tendency estimation unit, according to any one of claims 2 to 4. The described driving support device. A vehicle equipped with an environment information acquisition unit for acquiring driving environment information, a first communication unit for wireless communication, and a driving control unit for driving support.
A safety degree calculation unit that calculates the safety degree of driving by the vehicle based on the driving environment information, a support degree determination unit that determines the degree of automation of driving by the driving control unit based on the safety degree, and wireless communication are performed. With a server and a second communication unit for
The first communication unit transmits the driving environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit to the second communication unit.
The second communication unit transmits to the first communication unit the degree of automating the operation determined by the support degree determination unit.
The driving control unit is a driving support system that performs driving control according to the degree of automation of the driving. Steps to acquire driving environment information on which the vehicle is traveling,
A step of calculating the safety level of driving by the vehicle based on the driving environment information, and
A driving support method comprising a step of determining the degree of automation of driving of the vehicle based on the degree of safety. Steps to acquire driving environment information on which the vehicle is traveling,
A step of calculating the safety level of driving by the vehicle based on the driving environment information, and
A program that causes a computer to perform a step of determining the degree to which the driving of the vehicle is automated based on the degree of safety.

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