JP2021163201A - Evaluation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To effectively evaluate cognitive functions of a driver of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An evaluation device comprises: a vehicle state acquisition unit 20 for acquiring a vehicle state; a driving operation acquisition unit 30 for acquiring an operation by a driver of the vehicle; a test execution unit 52 for detecting a dangerous driving on the basis of the acquired vehicle state and the acquired operation by the driver and checking a risk level of the dangerous driving by the driver; and a cognition function reduction evaluation unit 53 for evaluating reduction in cognition function of the driver of the vehicle in a predetermined period on the basis of a frequency of dangerous driving detected by the inspection execution unit 52 and/or the risk level of the dangerous driving.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to an evaluation device, and more particularly to an evaluation device that evaluates the cognitive function of a vehicle driver.

Conventionally, various devices for evaluating the driving skill of a vehicle driver have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for determining a driver's driving skill based on a driving skill determination standard when a vehicle travels in a driving skill determination area. Further, Patent Document 2 provides a technique for recording a driving history of a vehicle according to a driver's operation while the vehicle is running and displaying the running history on a monitor after the vehicle is running, which is useful for evaluation of driving skill. It is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-271960 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-139489

By the way, in the techniques described in Documents 1 and 2 above, the driving skill according to the actual operation of the driver is evaluated, but the cognitive function of the driver is not evaluated. When the driver's cognitive function deteriorates, not only does it interfere with the driving of the vehicle, but it may also cause a serious accident. Therefore, it is desired to provide a device for effectively evaluating the cognitive function of the driver.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a device capable of effectively evaluating the cognitive function of a vehicle driver.

The technology of the present disclosure includes a vehicle state acquisition means for acquiring a vehicle state, a driving operation acquisition means for acquiring the operation of the driver of the vehicle, the acquired state of the vehicle, and the acquired driver of the vehicle. Based on the operation, the inspection execution means for detecting the dangerous driving by the driver and inspecting the degree of danger of the dangerous driving, the frequency of the dangerous driving detected by the inspection execution means in a predetermined period, and the frequency of the dangerous driving. Alternatively, it is characterized by comprising an evaluation means for evaluating the cognitive decline of the driver of the vehicle based on the degree of danger of the dangerous driving.

Further, the vehicle state acquisition means acquires the current position of the vehicle and the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the driving operation acquisition means acquires the operation of the accelerator pedal and the operation of the brake pedal of the driver. The inspection executing means said, based on the current position acquired when the vehicle reaches a predetermined dangerous driving inspection point, the vehicle speed, the operation of the accelerator pedal, and the operation of the brake pedal. It is preferable to inspect the degree of risk.

Further, the inspection executing means detects dangerous driving by the driver for a plurality of inspection items, and inspects the degree of danger of the dangerous driving for each inspection item, and the evaluation means is among the plurality of inspection items. , When the frequency of at least one or more inspection items reaches a predetermined frequency, or when the degree of danger of at least one or more inspection items reaches a predetermined upper limit threshold value, or the cumulative value of the degree of danger in a plurality of items. When the average value of the above reaches a predetermined value, it is preferable to evaluate that the cognitive function of the driver of the vehicle is deteriorated.

In addition, the inspection items preferably include at least one of pedestrian obstruction, temporary non-stop at a designated place, violation of traffic prohibition, and entry into a railroad crossing.

According to the technique of the present disclosure, the cognitive function of the driver of the vehicle can be effectively evaluated.

It is a schematic overall block diagram which shows the evaluation apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure explaining an example of the dangerous driving inspection performed in the state that the vehicle which concerns on this embodiment reaches the front of a pedestrian crossing. It is a figure explaining an example of the dangerous driving inspection performed in the state that the vehicle which concerns on this embodiment reaches the front of the intersection with a stop sign. It is a figure explaining an example of the dangerous driving inspection performed in the state that the vehicle which concerns on this embodiment reaches the front of the road with the sign of prohibition of entry. It is a figure explaining an example of the dangerous driving inspection performed in the state that the vehicle which concerns on this embodiment reaches the front of a railroad crossing.

Hereinafter, the evaluation device according to the present embodiment will be described based on the attached drawings. The same parts have the same reference numerals, and their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed explanations about them will not be repeated.

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing an evaluation device 10 according to the present embodiment.

The evaluation device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is applied to a vehicle, for example, and evaluates the cognitive function of the driver of the vehicle. The type of vehicle is not particularly limited, and may be a passenger car, a truck, a commercial vehicle, or the like.

Specifically, the evaluation device 10 includes a vehicle side unit 10A mounted on the vehicle side and a management side unit 10B. Here, examples of the management unit 10B include a company such as a carrier that owns a plurality of vehicles, a general household in which a plurality of families share a vehicle, and the like. The vehicle-side unit 10A and the management-side unit 10B are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via the network 70.

The vehicle side unit 10A includes a vehicle state acquisition unit 20, a driving operation acquisition unit 30, a driver state acquisition unit 40, and an evaluation system 50. On the other hand, the management side unit 10B includes a receiving device 100. In the receiving device 100, if the management side unit 10B is, for example, a company such as the above-mentioned carrier, it is an office server or the like, and if the management side unit 10B is, for example, the above-mentioned general household, the driver. It is a terminal such as a smartphone or tablet owned by the family of. In the following description, the evaluation system 50 will be described as being provided in the vehicle side unit 10A, but a part or all of the functions of the evaluation system 50 may be provided in the management side unit 10B.

The vehicle state acquisition unit 20 (an example of the vehicle state acquisition means of the present disclosure) acquires a vehicle state quantity such as the current position of the vehicle and the current vehicle speed, and is a Global Positioning System (hereinafter, GPS). ) A receiving device 21, a vehicle speed sensor 22, and a front camera 23 are provided.

The GPS receiving device 21 receives radio waves for positioning transmitted from GPS satellites and acquires the position information of the vehicle. The vehicle position information acquired by the GPS receiving device 21 is transmitted to the evaluation system 50. The vehicle speed sensor 22 detects the current vehicle speed of the vehicle. The sensor value of the vehicle speed sensor 22 is transmitted to the evaluation system 50.

The front camera 23 is, for example, a CCD (Charged Coupled Devices) camera or the like, which images the front of the vehicle and generates front image data. The front image data generated by the front camera 23 is transmitted to the evaluation system 50.

The driving operation acquisition unit 30 (an example of the driving operation acquisition means of the present disclosure) acquires the amount of operation of the vehicle by the driver, and includes an accelerator pedal sensor 31, a brake pedal sensor 32, and a steering sensor 33. I have. The operation acquisition unit 30 is not limited to these sensors 31 to 33, and may further include a headlight switch, a direction indicator switch, a wiper switch, a shift position sensor, a parking brake switch, and the like.

The accelerator pedal sensor 31 acquires the accelerator operation of the driver in response to the depression of the accelerator pedal (not shown). The brake pedal sensor 32 acquires the driver's brake operation in response to the depression of the brake pedal (not shown). The steering sensor 33 acquires the steering operation of the driver from the operation amount of the steering device (not shown). The sensor values of each of these sensors 31 to 33 are transmitted to the evaluation system 50.

The driver state acquisition unit 40 acquires the state of the driver of the vehicle and the identification information of the driver, and includes a driver camera 41 and a bar code reader 42.

The driver camera 41 is, for example, a CCD camera or the like, and captures at least the face of the driver of the vehicle and generates face image data. The face image data generated by the driver camera 41 is transmitted to the evaluation system 50.

The bar code reader 42 acquires the driver identification information by reading the bar code from the driver's identification card or the like. The driver identification information acquired by the barcode reader 42 is transmitted to the evaluation system 50.

The evaluation system 50 is, for example, a device that performs calculations such as a computer, and is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input port, and an output connected to each other by a bus or the like. It has a port and executes a control program. Further, the evaluation system 50 functions as a device including a driver identification unit 51, an inspection execution unit 52, and a cognitive function deterioration evaluation unit 53 by executing a control program. Each of these functional elements will be described as being included in the evaluation system 50, which is integrated hardware in the present embodiment, but any part of these may be provided in a separate hardware (receiver 100). ..

The driver identification unit 51 identifies the driver who drives the vehicle. Specifically, the driver identification unit 51 gets into the driver's seat of the vehicle based on the driver identification information transmitted from the barcode reader 42 or the face recognition based on the face image data transmitted from the driver camera 41. Identify the driver. Further, when the specified driver corresponds to a preset inspection execution target person, the driver identification unit 51 informs the inspection execution unit 52, which will be described later, that the inspection execution target person has boarded the vehicle. Notice. Here, the setting of the inspection execution target person is arbitrary, but in the present embodiment, it is assumed that an elderly person (for example, 75 years old or older) is set in particular. The identification of the driver is not limited to the above-mentioned barcode reader 42 and face authentication, and other authentication techniques can be used.

When the vehicle driven by the inspection execution target person (hereinafter, simply referred to as a driver) reaches a predetermined inspection execution point, the inspection execution unit 52 (an example of the inspection execution means of the present disclosure) sets a predetermined value preset by the driver. Perform a dangerous driving inspection to inspect whether or not to perform a driving operation corresponding to the dangerous driving item of. Specifically, road map information is stored in advance in the memory of the evaluation system 50. In this road map information, information such as pedestrian crossings and intersections with stop signs is registered as points where drivers can easily drive dangerously. The inspection execution unit 52 determines whether or not the vehicle has reached a predetermined inspection execution point based on the road map information and the current position information of the vehicle acquired by the GPS receiving device 21.

Further, when the inspection execution unit 52 determines that the vehicle has reached the inspection execution point, the driver's driving behavior is added to any item of the dangerous driving database D based on the information of the acquisition units 20, 30, and 40. Determine if it applies. Here, the dangerous driving database D is stored in the memory of the evaluation system 50 in advance, and the items of the dangerous driving database D include the types of traffic violations that elderly people with dementia are likely to cause (for example, the Road Traffic Act No. 1). 18 items of violations subject to the extraordinary cognitive function test stipulated in Article 101-7, Paragraph 1) are included.

The inspection execution unit 52 evaluates the degree of danger of the driving when the driver performs dangerous driving based on various operations of the driver when the vehicle passes the inspection execution point, the behavior of the vehicle, and the like. do.

Hereinafter, the evaluation of the degree of danger by the inspection execution unit 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 based on a specific example.

[Specific example 1]
FIG. 2 shows a state in which the vehicle 1 has reached the front of the pedestrian crossing 201 as an inspection execution point. In the state shown in FIG. 2, the inspection execution unit 52 executes an inspection of an item corresponding to, for example, "interference with pedestrians crossing at a pedestrian crossing or the like" in the dangerous driving database D. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 202 indicates a pedestrian waiting in front of the pedestrian crossing 201.

When the vehicle 1 reaches the front of the pedestrian crossing 201, the inspection execution unit 52 properly stops the vehicle 1 before the stop line 203 based on various information such as forward image data, accelerator operation, brake operation, and vehicle speed. Get whether to do or not. When the vehicle 1 stops before the stop line 203, the inspection execution unit 52 evaluates the degree of danger as zero.

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 passes the stop line 203, the inspection execution unit 52 estimates the degree of danger higher as the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 increases. Further, if the brake operation is not performed by the driver and the accelerator operation is performed, it is presumed that the cause is an operation error. Therefore, the inspection execution unit 52 estimates the degree of danger in this case as well. The evaluation result of the degree of risk by the inspection execution unit 52 is sequentially transmitted to the cognitive function deterioration evaluation unit 53. It should be noted that a function of acquiring the driver's line-of-sight direction based on the driver's face image data and estimating the degree of danger according to the line-of-sight direction may be added.

[Specific example 2]
FIG. 3 shows a state in which the vehicle 1 has reached the front of the intersection 301 with the stop sign 302 as the inspection execution point. In the state shown in FIG. 3, the inspection execution unit 52 executes an inspection of an item corresponding to, for example, "temporary non-stop at a designated place" in the dangerous driving database D.

When the vehicle 1 reaches the front of the intersection 301, the inspection execution unit 52 properly stops the vehicle 1 before the stop line 303 based on various information such as forward image data, accelerator operation, brake operation, and vehicle speed. Get whether or not. When the vehicle 1 stops before the stop line 303, the inspection execution unit 52 evaluates the degree of danger as zero.

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 passes the stop line 303, the inspection execution unit 52 estimates the degree of danger higher as the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 increases. Further, if the brake operation is not performed by the driver and the accelerator operation is performed, it is presumed that the cause is an operation error. Therefore, the inspection execution unit 52 estimates the degree of danger in this case as well. The evaluation result of the degree of risk by the inspection execution unit 52 is sequentially transmitted to the cognitive function deterioration evaluation unit 53. It should be noted that a function of acquiring the driver's line-of-sight direction based on the driver's face image data and estimating the degree of danger according to the line-of-sight direction may be added.

[Specific example 3]
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the vehicle 1 is approaching the road 401 (hereinafter referred to as the no-entry road) 401 having the no-entry sign 402 as an inspection execution point. In the state shown in FIG. 4, the inspection execution unit 52 executes an inspection of an item corresponding to, for example, a "traffic prohibition violation" in the dangerous driving database D.

When the vehicle 1 approaches the front of the restricted road 401, the inspection execution unit 52 enters the restricted road 401 based on various information such as forward image data, accelerator operation, brake operation, steering operation, and vehicle speed. Get whether to do or not. If the vehicle 1 stops before the no-entry road 401 or turns left or right by proper steering operation without entering the no-entry road 401, the inspection execution unit 52 evaluates the degree of danger as zero. ..

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 enters the prohibited road 401, the inspection execution unit 52 estimates that the higher the approach speed of the vehicle 1, the higher the degree of danger. The evaluation result of the degree of risk by the inspection execution unit 52 is sequentially transmitted to the cognitive function deterioration evaluation unit 53. It should be noted that a function of acquiring the driver's line-of-sight direction based on the driver's face image data and estimating the degree of danger according to the line-of-sight direction may be added.

[Specific example 4]
FIG. 5 shows a state in which the vehicle 1 has reached the front of the railroad crossing 501 as an inspection execution point. In the state shown in FIG. 5, the inspection execution unit 52 executes an inspection of an item corresponding to, for example, "railroad crossing entry, etc." in the dangerous driving database D.

When the vehicle 1 reaches the front of the railroad crossing 501 while the railroad crossing alarm 502 is ringing, the inspection execution unit 52 determines that the vehicle 1 is a railroad crossing alarm based on various information such as forward image data, accelerator operation, brake operation, and vehicle speed. Acquires whether or not to enter the railroad crossing 501 while the 502 is ringing. If the vehicle 1 is stopped before the stop line 503 while the railroad crossing alarm 502 is sounding, the inspection execution unit 52 evaluates the degree of danger as zero.

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 passes the stop line 503 while the railroad crossing alarm 502 is sounding, the inspection execution unit 52 estimates the degree of danger higher as the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 increases. Further, if the brake operation is not performed by the driver and the accelerator operation is performed, it is presumed that the cause is an operation error. Therefore, the inspection execution unit 52 estimates the degree of danger in this case as well. The evaluation result of the degree of risk by the inspection execution unit 52 is sequentially transmitted to the cognitive function deterioration evaluation unit 53. It should be noted that a function of acquiring the driver's line-of-sight direction based on the driver's face image data and estimating the degree of danger according to the line-of-sight direction may be added.

Returning to FIG. 1, the cognitive decline evaluation unit 53 (an example of the evaluation means of the present disclosure) is a driving in which the inspection is executed based on the degree of danger of each item of the dangerous driving database D inspected by the inspection execution unit 52. A cognitive decline evaluation is conducted to evaluate whether or not there is a sign of cognitive decline that interferes with safe driving.

As a specific example, the cognitive decline evaluation unit 53 calculates the cumulative value of the degree of danger of each item by accumulating the degree of danger sequentially transmitted from the inspection execution unit 52 for each item of the dangerous driving database D. do.

Then, when the cumulative value of a specific item in a predetermined period reaches a predetermined upper limit value, or when the average value of the cumulative values of the degree of danger in each item reaches a predetermined value, the cognitive function deterioration evaluation unit 53 If a certain increasing tendency can be confirmed in the frequency of dangerous driving behavior of the driver, it is evaluated that the driver has a sign of cognitive decline. The evaluation result by the cognitive function deterioration evaluation unit 53 is transmitted to the receiving device 100 of the management side unit 10B, and is appropriately reported to the company to which the driver belongs or the driver's family.

In this way, by acquiring the driver's dangerous driving behavior in real time and evaluating it based on the degree of danger and the frequency of occurrence of the dangerous driving behavior, the driver causes a serious accident due to the onset of dementia or the like. At the previous stage, it is possible to effectively detect signs of cognitive decline.

In addition, by appropriately reporting signs of cognitive decline to the company or family to which the driver belongs, it becomes possible to provide appropriate advice, alerts, and appropriate management to drivers with such signs. It is also possible to prevent the occurrence of serious accidents.

[others]
The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

For example, the evaluation of cognitive decline is not limited to the above mode, and the driver's judgment ability is acquired based on the operation signals of the headlight switch, the direction indicator switch, the wiper switch, the shift position sensor, the parking brake switch, and the like. However, it may be configured to evaluate the deterioration of cognitive function from these. Specifically, for example, when the wiper is operated at high speed in fine weather and the operation is continued for a long time, when the wiper is not operated and the operation is continued for a long time in heavy rain, or when the vehicle in front is a taillight or an oncoming vehicle. When the car is driving with the headlights on (while driving in a dark environment), if the vehicle continues to drive for a long time without lights, it will be recognized by the driver by judging that the judgment ability is reduced. It may be evaluated that the function is deteriorated.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described as evaluating the cognitive decline leading to the onset of dementia of the driver, but the driver is serious based on the degree of danger and the frequency of occurrence of dangerous driving behavior of the driver. It may be configured to detect signs of non-dementia disorders that may cause accidents (eg, symptomatic epilepsy due to stroke, schizophrenia, etc.). In this case, the driver to be inspected is not limited to the elderly, but may include young people with diseases and the like.

1 Vehicle 10 Evaluation device 10A Vehicle side unit 10B Management side unit 20 Vehicle condition acquisition unit (Vehicle condition acquisition means)
21 GPS receiver 22 Vehicle speed sensor 23 Front camera 30 Driving operation acquisition unit (driving operation acquisition means)
31 Accelerator pedal sensor 32 Brake pedal sensor 33 Steering sensor 40 Driver status acquisition unit 41 Driver camera 42 Bar code reader 50 Evaluation system 51 Driver identification unit 52 Inspection execution unit (inspection execution means)
53 Cognitive decline evaluation department (evaluation means)
70 Network 100 Receiver

Claims (4)

Vehicle condition acquisition means to acquire the vehicle condition and
A driving operation acquisition means for acquiring the operation of the driver of the vehicle, and
An inspection execution means for detecting dangerous driving by the driver and inspecting the degree of danger of the dangerous driving based on the acquired state of the vehicle and the acquired operation of the driver.
It is provided with an evaluation means for evaluating the cognitive decline of the driver of the vehicle based on the frequency of the dangerous driving detected by the inspection executing means and the degree of danger of the dangerous driving in a predetermined period. An evaluation device characterized by the fact that. The vehicle state acquisition means acquires the current position of the vehicle and the vehicle speed of the vehicle.
The driving operation acquisition means acquires the operation of the accelerator pedal and the operation of the brake pedal of the driver.
The inspection executing means is based on the current position acquired when the vehicle reaches a predetermined dangerous driving inspection point, the vehicle speed, the operation of the accelerator pedal, and the operation of the brake pedal. The evaluation device according to claim 1, wherein the degree is inspected. The inspection executing means detects dangerous driving by the driver for a plurality of inspection items, and inspects the degree of danger of the dangerous driving for each inspection item.
The evaluation means is used when the frequency of at least one or more inspection items among the plurality of inspection items reaches a predetermined frequency, or when the degree of risk of at least one or more inspection items reaches a predetermined upper threshold value. Or, according to claim 1 or 2, it is evaluated that the cognitive function of the driver of the vehicle is deteriorated when the average value of the cumulative values of the degrees of danger in a plurality of items reaches a predetermined value. Evaluation device. The evaluation device according to claim 3, wherein the inspection items include at least one of pedestrian obstruction, temporary non-stop at a designated place, violation of traffic prohibition, and entry into a railroad crossing.

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