JP2024085977A - Driving assistance device and driving assistance method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method that can more effectively notify a driver of a micromobility vehicle of the direction of travel. [Solution] A driving assistance device 10 according to the present disclosure is a driving assistance device that notifies a driver traveling using micromobility of the direction of travel by vibration or flashing light based on a route to a set destination. The driving assistance device 10 includes a biometric information acquisition unit 11, a psychological state determination unit 12, and a control unit 13. The biometric information acquisition unit 11 acquires biometric information of the driver. The psychological state determination unit 12 determines the psychological state of the driver from the biometric information of the driver. When the micromobility vehicle approaches a point where it is to make a right or left turn, the control unit 13 controls the notification by vibration or flashing light to be emphasized if the psychological state determination unit 12 determines that the driver is not able to concentrate on driving the micromobility vehicle. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

This disclosure relates to a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method.

In recent years, electrically powered micromobility has been attracting attention as a way to realize a carbon-free society. Micromobility drivers drive while checking the route displayed on their own mobile devices.

In Patent Document 1, when the user's biometric information meets a predetermined condition, an image showing the vehicle's traveling direction is highlighted. The information processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 highlights information necessary for the driver according to the timing by shifting the display of image layers back and forth.

JP 2018-042236 A

Here, micromobility drivers often drive on the side of the road and may be in a state of tension, anxiety, or fear while paying attention to the surrounding environment, such as approaching cars and road conditions. For this reason, it is difficult for micromobility drivers to stare at the screen that displays the direction of travel, and the information processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot effectively communicate the direction of travel.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a driving assistance device and driving assistance method that can more effectively notify drivers of micromobility vehicles of their traveling direction.

The driving assistance device according to the present disclosure includes:
A driving assistance device that notifies a driver who is traveling using micromobility of a traveling direction by vibration or flashing light based on a route to a set destination,
A biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of the driver;
a psychological state determination unit for determining a psychological state of the driver from biological information of the driver;
The device is also equipped with a control unit that, when the psychological state determination unit determines that the driver is not able to concentrate on driving the micromobility when the micromobility approaches a point where it needs to turn right or left, controls the notification by vibration or flashing light to be emphasized.

The driving assistance device according to the present disclosure controls vibration or blinking of lights based on the driver's psychological state when the micromobility vehicle approaches a point where it must turn right or left. This makes it possible to more effectively notify the driver of the micromobility vehicle of the direction of travel.

The driving assistance method according to the present disclosure includes:
A driving assistance method for notifying a driver who is moving using micromobility of a traveling direction by vibration or flashing light based on a route to a set destination, comprising:
acquiring biometric information of the driver;
determining a psychological state of the driver from biological information of the driver;
and if it is determined that the driver's psychological state is such that he or she is not able to concentrate on driving the micromobility when the micromobility approaches a point where it needs to turn right or left, the vibration or flashing of the light is controlled to be emphasized to alert the driver.

The driving assistance method disclosed herein controls vibrations or blinking lights based on the driver's psychological state when the micromobility vehicle approaches a point where it must turn right or left. This makes it possible to more effectively notify the driver of the micromobility vehicle of the direction of travel.

This disclosure makes it possible to provide a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method that can more effectively notify drivers of micromobility vehicles of their direction of travel.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a driving assistance device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a case where micromobility turns left. 1 is an enlarged view of a handle portion of a micromobility vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a driving assistance method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a case where micromobility makes a left turn. 1 is an enlarged view of a handle portion of a micromobility vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a driving assistance device according to a second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a driving assistance method according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a driving assistance device according to a third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a driving assistance method according to a third embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals, and for clarity of explanation, duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary. In addition, some reference numerals are omitted so as not to make the drawings cluttered.

(Embodiment 1)
<Driving assistance device>
First, a description will be given of a driving support device 10 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the driving support device according to embodiment 1. The driving support device 10 includes a biological information acquisition unit 11, a psychological state determination unit 12, a control unit 13, and a notification unit 14.

The driving assistance device 10 notifies the driver traveling using micromobility of the direction of travel based on the route to the set destination by vibration or flashing light. In the following description, the driver refers to the driver of the micromobility.

Micromobility is a vehicle that is more compact and maneuverable than a car, and is suitable for traveling short distances both indoors and outdoors. Micromobility is a vehicle that the driver drives while standing, such as an electric kick scooter. Micromobility also includes vehicles that the driver drives while sitting, such as a wheelchair. Micromobility also includes vehicles that the driver drives by choosing between standing and sitting, such as a bicycle.

The biometric information acquisition unit 11 acquires biometric information of the driver of the micromobility. The biometric information includes at least one of the following: body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, heart rate, and brain waves.

The biometric information acquisition unit 11 is, for example, a thermometer, a pulse sensor, a blood pressure sensor, or an EEG sensor, and measures body temperature, pulse rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and brain waves. The biometric information acquisition unit 11 is also a camera or a microphone, and acquires an image and voice of the driver. Body temperature may be measured from the acquired image of the driver. As another example, the biometric information acquisition unit 11 may measure body temperature, pulse rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and brain waves using a wearable device such as a smart watch worn on the driver's arm, and acquire the information.

The psychological state determination unit 12 determines the psychological state of the driver from the biometric information of the driver acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 11. A psychological state is a state in which the driver is unable to concentrate on driving the micromobility, such as emotions indicating the autonomic nerves or the level of arousal, or tension, anxiety, fear, anger, relaxation, fatigue, or drowsiness. For example, a micromobility driver may feel fear when a car passes the micromobility on a relatively narrow road, or feel tension or anxiety when a car is driving closely behind the micromobility, and thus may be unable to concentrate on driving. The psychological state determination unit 12 determines the psychological state in which such a driver is unable to concentrate on driving the micromobility.

For example, when the pulse interval of the driver acquired by the bioinformation acquisition unit 11 is short, the psychological state determination unit 12 determines that the driver is in a psychological state in which he or she is unable to concentrate on driving the micromobility, such as tension, anxiety, fear, anger, etc. As another example, when the pulse rate measured by the bioinformation acquisition unit 11 is normal, the psychological state determination unit 12 determines that the driver is in a relaxed state.
Furthermore, the psychological state determination unit 12 may determine the driver's drowsiness or fatigue level using the body temperature from the face image of the driver measured by the biological information acquisition unit 11. In addition, a known means for determining the driver's psychological state by using one or a combination of biological information such as body temperature, blood pressure, and brain waves may be used.
In addition, the psychological state determination unit 12 may use known technology to determine the driver's emotions from the driver's facial image and voice, and determine the driver's psychological state, such as tension, anxiety, fear, anger, etc., that prevents the driver from concentrating on driving the micromobility vehicle.

When the micromobility makes a right or left turn, the notification unit 14 notifies the driver of the traveling direction. The notification unit 14 is, for example, a vibration device that can be attached to the micromobility or worn by the driver. The vibration device is, for example, a vibrator. The vibrators are preferably built into or attached to the handlebars, and are attached to the left and right handlebars that the driver holds. When the micromobility makes a right turn, the vibrator attached to the right handlebar vibrates. When the micromobility makes a left turn, the vibrator attached to the left handlebar vibrates.

As another example, the notification unit 14 is a flashing device that can be attached to the micromobility or worn by the driver. The flashing device is, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light. The LED lights are preferably attached to the left and right handlebars that the driver holds. When the micromobility turns right, the LED light attached to the right handlebar flashes. When the micromobility turns left, the LED light attached to the left handlebar flashes.
Moreover, the shape of the LED illumination is preferably one that allows the driver to easily notice the blinking, for example, an arrow shape indicating either the left or right.

It should be noted that the notification unit 14 is not limited to either a vibration device or a light-emitting device, but may be both a vibration device and a flashing device.

Because the notification unit 14 is a vibration device or a light-emitting device, the driver can safely check the direction indications without taking his or her hands off the steering wheel. In addition, the driver can check the direction indications even in a noisy environment.

The control unit 13 controls the strength or cycle of the notification by vibration or flashing light based on the psychological state when the micromobility approaches a point where it will make a right or left turn. More specifically, when the micromobility approaches a point where it will make a right or left turn, for example when it passes a point 30 m or 50 m before an intersection where it will make a right or left turn, the control unit 13 generates a control signal that controls the strength or cycle of the notification by the notification unit 14 based on the psychological state determined by the psychological state determination unit 12. The control unit 13 transmits the generated control signal to the notification unit 14. The notification unit 14 changes the strength or cycle of the notification based on the received control signal. The cycle of the notification unit 14 may be a cycle that corresponds to the pulse or heart rate measured by the bioinformation acquisition unit 11.

An example of control when the notification unit 14 is a vibrator will be described. If the psychological state determination unit 12 determines that the driver is in a psychological state that prevents the driver from concentrating on driving the micromobility, such as tension, anxiety, fear, or anger, the control unit causes the vibrator to vibrate strongly, since there is a possibility that the driver will not notice the notification of the traveling direction by the notification unit 14. At this time, the control unit 13 may speed up the vibration cycle of the vibrator. This allows the notification unit 14 to notify the traveling direction in an emphasized manner, and effectively notify the driver of the traveling direction when the micromobility approaches a point where it will make a right or left turn.

An example of control when the notification unit 14 is LED lighting will now be described. If the psychological state determination unit determines that the driver is in a psychological state that prevents the driver from concentrating on driving the micromobility, such as tension, anxiety, fear, or anger, the control unit increases the brightness of the LED lighting. At this time, the control unit may increase the blinking interval of the LED lighting. This allows the notification unit 14 to notify the driver of the traveling direction in an emphasized manner, and effectively notify the driver of the traveling direction when the micromobility approaches a point where it must turn right or left.

Here, if the pulse rate measured by the bioinformation acquisition unit 11 is normal and the psychological state determination unit 12 determines that the driver is in a relaxed state, the control unit 13 does not need to change the strength or period of the notification by the notification unit 14. In this case, the notification unit 14 notifies the driver of the traveling direction based on the standard (default) setting of the notification unit. This allows the notification unit 14 to notify the driver of the traveling direction without disturbing the driver's concentration on driving.

With reference to Figures 2 and 3, an example of informing a driver of a traveling direction using a driving assistance device according to embodiment 1 will be described. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a case where a micromobility vehicle turns left. Also, Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a handle portion of a micromobility vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device according to embodiment 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driver U1 is wearing a smart watch S1. The smart watch S1 measures the pulse rate of the driver U1. Also, in FIG. 2, the roadway 201 is a road with a high volume of vehicle 50 traffic.

As shown in FIG. 2, the handle of the micromobility M1 is equipped with a driving assistance device 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the driving assistance device 10 is equipped with a housing unit 101 and an alarm unit 14. The housing unit 101 is equipped with a biometric information acquisition unit 11, a psychological state determination unit 12, and a control unit 13. In FIG. 3, the biometric information acquisition unit 11, the psychological state determination unit 12, and the control unit 13 in the housing unit 101 are omitted. The alarm unit 14 is equipped with arrow-shaped LED lights 141, 142.

When the micromobility turns right, the LED lighting 141 flashes multiple times in a flowing manner from left to right in FIG. 3 to inform the driver U1 of the direction instruction. More specifically, the LED lighting 141 flashes multiple times in the order of LED lighting 1413, 1412, and 1411 to inform the driver U1 of the direction instruction.

On the other hand, when the micromobility turns right, the LED lighting 142 flashes multiple times in a flowing manner from right to left in FIG. 3 to inform the driver U1 of the direction instruction. More specifically, the LED lighting 142 flashes multiple times in the order of LED lighting 1423, 1422, and 1421 to inform the driver U1 of the direction instruction. The LED lighting 141 and 142 continue to flash until the driver U1 completes the right/left turn.

As shown in FIG. 2, driver U1 of micromobility M1 is traveling on a side road 202 of roadway 201. Side road 202 is on the side of roadway 201 where there is a lot of traffic of vehicles 50. As driver U1 drives while being careful about overtaking and approaching vehicles 50, driver U1 feels tense, anxious, and scared, and the pulse rate of driver U1 measured by smartwatch S1 becomes faster. Biometric information acquisition unit 11 acquires pulse information measured by smartwatch S1. Here, psychological state determination unit 12 determines that driver U1 is in a state of tension, anxiety, fear, etc. based on the pulse information acquired by biometric information acquisition unit 11.

The control unit 13 controls the intensity or cycle of the LED lighting 141, 142 shown in FIG. 3. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the driver U1 is turning left, so the control unit 13 controls the intensity or cycle of the LED lighting 142 shown in FIG. 3.

The control unit 13 increases the brightness of the LED lighting 142 because the driver U1 is in a state of tension, anxiety, fear, etc. At this time, the control unit 13 may control the brightness and color of the LED lighting 142 depending on the time of day. For example, when the time of day is nighttime, the control unit 13 increases the brightness of the LED lighting 142. Also, when the time of day is daytime, the control unit 13 may change the color of the LED lighting 142 to a reddish color. This allows the notification unit 14 to effectively notify the driver U1 of the traveling direction.

Furthermore, the control unit 13 may speed up the blinking cycle of the LED lighting 142 because the driver U1 is in a state of tension, anxiety, fear, etc. In other words, the control unit 13 may speed up the blinking intervals of the LED lighting 1423, 1422, and 1421 shown in FIG. 3. This allows the notification unit 14 to effectively notify the driver U1 of the traveling direction.

In FIG. 2, an example of control of the notification unit when the road has a high volume of vehicle 50 traffic is described. Here, an example of control of the notification unit when the road has a low volume of vehicle 50 traffic is described. When no vehicles are traveling on the roadway 201 and there is little need to be aware of overtaking or approaching vehicles, the pulse rate of the driver U1 measured by the smart watch S1 is normal. The biometric information acquisition unit 11 acquires the pulse information measured by the smart watch S1. The psychological state determination unit 12 determines that the driver U1 is in a relaxed state based on the pulse information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 11.

At this time, the control unit 13 controls the notification of the LED lighting 142 shown in FIG. 3 to be set to the standard (default) setting. This allows the notification unit 14 to notify the driver U1 of the traveling direction without disturbing the driver U1's state of concentration on driving.

<Driving assistance method>
Next, a description will be given of the driving assistance method according to the embodiment 1. Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the driving assistance method according to the embodiment 1.

First, the biometric information of the driver is acquired (step ST1). Next, the psychological state of the driver is determined from the biometric information of the driver (step ST2). Next, when the micromobility approaches a point where it will make a right or left turn, the driver is notified by controlling vibrations or blinking lights based on the driver's psychological state (step ST3). More specifically, when the micromobility approaches a point where it will make a right or left turn, if it is determined that the driver's psychological state is such that he or she is not able to concentrate on driving the micromobility, the driver is notified by controlling the vibrations or blinking lights to be emphasized.

<Modification>
Here, the psychological state determination unit 12 may determine that the driver is unable to concentrate on driving the micromobility vehicle if, for example, the driver is feeling drowsy or tired.

With reference to Figures 5 and 6, an example will be described in which the control unit controls to emphasize the notification when the psychological state determination unit 12 determines that the driver is not concentrating on driving the micromobility. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing a case in which the micromobility turns left. In Figure 5, the driver U2 of the micromobility M1 is traveling on a side road 302 of the roadway 301. The side road 302 is on the side of the roadway 301 where there is little vehicle traffic.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the handle of a micromobility equipped with a driving assistance device according to embodiment 1. Figure 6(a) is a diagram showing an example in which the control unit controls the notification of the notification unit to a standard (default) setting. Figure 6(b) is a diagram showing an example in which the control unit controls the notification of the notification unit to be emphasized.

As shown in FIG. 5, the handle of the micromobility M1 is equipped with a driving assistance device 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the driving assistance device 10 is equipped with a housing unit 101 and an alarm unit 14. The housing unit 101 is equipped with a biometric information acquisition unit 11, a psychological state determination unit 12, and a control unit 13. In FIG. 6, the biometric information acquisition unit 11, the psychological state determination unit 12, and the control unit 13 in the housing unit 101 are omitted. The alarm unit 14 is equipped with vibrators 143 and 144.

When the micromobility turns right, the vibrator 143 vibrates from left to right in FIG. 6 to inform the driver of the traveling direction. On the other hand, when the micromobility turns left, the vibrator 144 vibrates from right to left in FIG. 6 to inform the driver of the traveling direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the driver U2 is wearing a smart watch S1. The smart watch S1 measures the pulse rate of the driver U2. The biometric information acquisition unit 11 acquires the pulse rate information measured by the smart watch S1. Here, it is assumed that the psychological state determination unit 12 has determined that the driver U2 is in a state of feeling drowsy.

The control unit 13 determines that the driver U2 is feeling drowsy and is therefore unable to concentrate on driving the micromobility. In this case, the control unit 13 controls the notification by the vibrator 144 shown in FIG. 6 to be emphasized.

More specifically, the control unit 13 increases the vibration of the vibrator 144 as shown in FIG. 6(b) from the standard (default) setting shown in FIG. 6(a) when notifying the notification unit. The control unit 13 may also increase the vibration period of the vibrator 144. This allows the notification unit 14 to effectively notify the driver U2 of the traveling direction.

Here, an example is described in which the driver U2 is feeling drowsy. For example, when the driver is in an anxious state, the control unit 13 may control the vibration of the vibrator 144 to be large and the cycle to be slow, so as to encourage awareness but not to further increase anxiety. For example, the control unit 13 may control the vibration of the vibrator 144 according to the biorhythm of the driver U1. A biorhythm is, for example, a phenomenon in which body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, etc. generally decrease at night and increase from morning to noon. The control unit 13 may estimate the biorhythm of the driver U1 based on the detection of body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, etc. and the time period, and control the strength and cycle of the vibration of the vibrator 144. The control unit 13 may also control the strength and cycle of the vibration of the vibrator 144 to cause 1/f fluctuation.

The control unit 13 may also control the notification to be emphasized if the driver U1 does not acknowledge the notification from the notification unit 14. This will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 3 and 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the notification unit 14 is an LED light 141 or 142, the control unit 13 includes a gaze detection unit or a switch sensor. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, when the notification unit 14 is a vibrator 143 or 144, the control unit 13 includes a switch sensor.

First, a case will be described in which the notification unit 14 is the LED lights 141, 142 and the control unit 13 includes a gaze detection unit. The gaze detection unit determines whether the driver has confirmed the blinking of the LED lights 141, 142 of the notification unit 14 based on whether the gaze direction of the driver who detected it matches the position of the LED lights 141, 142 of the notification unit 14. If the gaze detection unit determines that the driver has confirmed the blinking of the LED lights of the notification unit 14, the control unit 13 does not emphasize the blinking of the LED lights of the notification unit 14. On the other hand, if the gaze detection unit determines that the driver has not confirmed the blinking of the LED lights of the notification unit 14, the control unit 13 emphasizes the blinking of the LED lights of the notification unit 14. The method of emphasizing the LED lights by the control unit 13 is the same as the example shown in FIG. 3, so the description will be omitted.

Next, a case will be described where the notification unit 14 is a vibrator 143, 144 and the control unit 13 is equipped with a switch sensor. When the driver confirms vibrations caused by the vibrators 143, 144, the driver presses the switch sensor. The control unit 13 controls to emphasize the notification based on whether the driver has pressed the switch sensor. It is preferable that the timing at which the control unit 13 determines whether the driver has pressed the switch sensor is a predetermined distance before the point at which the vehicle is to turn right or left.

If it is determined that the driver has pressed the switch sensor, the control unit 13 does not emphasize the vibrators 143 and 144. On the other hand, if it is determined that the driver has not pressed the switch sensor, the control unit 13 emphasizes the notification by the vibrators 143 and 144. The method of emphasizing the vibrators by the control unit 13 is the same as the example shown in FIG. 6, so a description thereof will be omitted.

In this way, the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment controls vibration or blinking of light based on the driver's psychological state when the micromobility vehicle approaches a point where it must turn right or left. This makes it possible to more effectively notify the driver of the micromobility vehicle of the direction of travel.

(Embodiment 2)
<Driving assistance device>
Next, a description will be given of a driving support device 20 according to embodiment 2. Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a driving support device according to embodiment 2. The driving support device 20 includes a biological information acquisition unit 21, a psychological state determination unit 22, a control unit 23, a notification unit 24, and a driving information detection unit 25.
The biological information acquisition unit 21, the psychological state determination unit 22, and the notification unit 24 are similar to those in the driving support device 10 according to the first embodiment, and therefore their description will be omitted. Here, the control unit 23 and the driving information detection unit 25 will be described.

The driving information detection unit 25 detects the driving state of the micromobility. The driving state of the micromobility is, for example, a state indicating the driving stability of the micromobility, such as the swaying and driving speed. The driving information detection unit 25 is, for example, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor.

The control unit 23 controls the vibration or flashing of the light based on the psychological state of the driver, and further controls the vibration or flashing of the light to emphasize the notification when it is determined that the driving condition acquired by the driving information detection unit 25 is not appropriate. The wheels of a micromobility vehicle are smaller than those of an automobile, and are therefore more susceptible to the influence of the road. For example, if the road is not flat, the driving information detection unit 25 detects the shaking of the micromobility vehicle. The control unit 23 determines that the driver is likely to be feeling tension, anxiety, or fear due to the shaking, and controls the vibration or flashing of the light to emphasize the notification.

As another example, when the road is a slope, the driving information detection unit 25 detects the speed of the micromobility. When the control unit 23 determines that the driver has difficulty controlling the driving speed and is likely to be feeling nervous, anxious, or scared, the control unit 23 controls the notification by vibration or flashing light to be emphasized.
The method of emphasizing the notification by the control unit 23 is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

<Driving assistance method>
Next, a description will be given of a driving assistance method according to the embodiment 2. Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the driving assistance method according to the embodiment 2.

First, the biometric information of the driver is acquired (step ST01). Next, the psychological state of the driver is determined from the biometric information of the driver (step ST02). When the micromobility approaches a point where it will make a right or left turn, vibration or blinking of the light is controlled based on the psychological state (step ST03). Steps ST01 to ST03 are equivalent to steps ST1 to ST3 according to the first embodiment.
Next, the driving condition of the micromobility is detected (step ST04). Next, it is determined whether the detected driving condition is appropriate (step ST05). If the driving condition of the micromobility is appropriate (step ST05 YES), a vibration or flashing light is issued based on the driver's psychological state (step ST06). Also, if the driving condition of the micromobility is not appropriate (step ST05 NO), it is determined that the driver is likely to be feeling nervous, anxious, or scared, and the notification is controlled to be emphasized by vibration or flashing light (step ST07).

In this way, when the micromobility approaches a point where it must turn right or left, if the driving conditions of the micromobility are not appropriate, the driving assistance device of embodiment 2 determines that the driver is likely to be feeling tense, anxious, or scared, and controls to emphasize vibrations or flashing lights. Therefore, when the driving conditions of the micromobility are not appropriate, the driving direction can be more effectively notified to the driver of the micromobility.

(Embodiment 3)
<Driving assistance device>
Next, a description will be given of a driving support device according to embodiment 3. Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a driving support device according to embodiment 3. The driving support device 30 includes a biological information acquisition unit 31, a psychological state determination unit 32, a control unit 33, a notification unit 34, and a road environment determination unit 35.
The biological information acquisition unit 31, the psychological state determination unit 32, and the notification unit 34 are similar to those in the driving assistance device 10 according to the first embodiment, and therefore their description will be omitted. Here, the control unit 33 and the road environment determination unit 35 will be described.

The road environment determination unit 35 determines whether a road is suitable for micromobility travel based on information including the route. Information including the route includes, for example, information such as the route to the destination, the vehicle traffic volume, the road width, and whether a bicycle lane is provided. The road environment determination unit 35 may determine whether a road is suitable for micromobility travel based on information including the route obtained from a mobile device held by the driver.

The road environment determination unit 35 obtains information including the route, such as vehicle traffic volume, road width, and whether the road has a bicycle lane, and determines whether the road is suitable for driving micromobility. For example, if the vehicle traffic volume is less than a predetermined threshold, or if the road has a road width wider than a predetermined threshold and has a bicycle lane, the road environment determination unit 35 determines that the road is suitable for driving micromobility. On the other hand, if the vehicle traffic volume is more than a predetermined threshold, or if the road has a road width narrower than a predetermined threshold and has no bicycle lane, the road environment determination unit 35 determines that the road is not suitable for driving micromobility. The vehicle traffic volume may be a value detected in real time, a predicted value for each day of the week or time period, or an average value of values actually measured in the past. The predetermined threshold may be determined individually for each road.

The control unit 33 controls the vibration or flashing of the light based on the psychological state of the driver, and further controls the vibration or flashing of the light to emphasize the notification when the road environment determination unit 35 determines that the route is a road that is not suitable for driving a micromobility. For example, if the road is narrow and has no bicycle lanes, the road environment determination unit 35 determines that the road is not suitable for driving a micromobility. At this time, the control unit 33 determines that there is a high possibility that the driver will feel nervous, anxious, or frightened, and controls the vibration or flashing of the light to emphasize the notification.
The method of emphasizing the notification by the control unit 33 is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.
<Driving assistance method>
Next, a description will be given of a driving assistance method according to embodiment 3. Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the driving assistance method according to embodiment 3.

First, the biometric information of the driver is acquired (step ST001). Next, the psychological state of the driver is determined from the biometric information of the driver (step ST002). When the micromobility approaches a point where it will make a right or left turn, vibration or blinking of the light is controlled based on the psychological state (step ST003). Steps ST001 to ST003 are equivalent to steps ST1 to ST3 according to the first embodiment.
Next, it is determined whether the road is suitable for micromobility travel based on information including the route (step ST004). If the road is suitable for micromobility travel (step ST004 YES), a vibration or flashing light is issued based on the driver's psychological state (step ST005). Also, if the road is not suitable for micromobility travel (step ST004 NO), it is determined that the driver is likely to feel nervous, anxious, or scared, and the notification is controlled to be emphasized by vibration or flashing light (step ST006).

In this way, when the micromobility approaches a point where it must turn right or left and the road is not suitable for driving the micromobility, the driving assistance device of embodiment 3 determines that the driver is likely to be feeling tense, anxious, or scared, and controls to emphasize the vibration or flashing of the light. Therefore, when driving on a road that is not suitable for driving the micromobility, the driver of the micromobility can be more effectively notified of the direction of travel.

The driving assistance device according to the first to third embodiments is not limited to being a single physical device. In other words, the driving assistance device may be distributed across multiple devices. For example, the bioinformation acquisition unit 11, psychological state assessment unit 12, and control unit 13 may be physically configured as a single personal computer, and the notification unit 14 may be configured as a separate device.

In addition, a part or all of the processing in the driving assistance devices 10, 20, and 30 described above can be realized as a computer program. Such a program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R/Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)). In addition, the program may be supplied to a computer by various types of temporary computer-readable media. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, 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 or optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

Although the present disclosure has been described above in accordance with the above-mentioned embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment, and of course includes various modifications, alterations, and combinations that a person skilled in the art could make within the scope of the claims of the present application.

10, 20, 30 Driving support device 11, 21, 31 Biometric information acquisition unit 12, 22, 32 Psychological state determination unit 13, 23, 33 Control unit 14, 24, 34 Notification unit 25 Driving information detection unit
35 Road environment determination unit 50 Vehicle 101 Housing unit 141, 1411, 1412, 1413 LED lighting 142, 1421, 1422, 1423 LED lighting 143, 144 Vibrator 201, 301 Roadway 202, 302 Side road M1 Micromobility S1 Smart watch U1, U2 Driver

Claims (5)

A driving assistance device that notifies a driver who is traveling using micromobility of a traveling direction by vibration or flashing light based on a route to a set destination,
A biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of the driver;
a psychological state determination unit for determining a psychological state of the driver from biological information of the driver;
A driving assistance device comprising: a control unit that controls the vibration or flashing light to emphasize the alert when the psychological state determination unit determines that the driver is not able to concentrate on driving the micromobility when the micromobility approaches a point where it needs to turn right or left. The control unit includes at least one of a line of sight detection unit and a switch sensor, and when the control unit determines that the driver has not confirmed the notification by the vibration or the flashing of the light, the control unit controls the notification to be emphasized.
The driving assistance device according to claim 1 . A driving information detection unit that detects a driving state of the micromobility is further provided.
The control unit further controls the notification by the vibration or the flashing of the light to be emphasized when the driving state is determined to be inappropriate.
A driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2. A road environment determination unit determines whether a road is suitable for traveling the micromobility based on information including the route,
The control unit further controls the notification by vibration or flashing light to be emphasized when the route is a road that is not suitable for micromobility traveling.
A driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2. A driving assistance method for informing a driver who is moving using micromobility of a traveling direction by vibration or flashing light based on a route to a set destination, comprising:
acquiring biometric information of the driver;
determining a psychological state of the driver from biological information of the driver;
and if it is determined that the psychological state of the driver is such that the driver is not able to concentrate on driving the micromobility when the micromobility approaches a point where it needs to turn right or left, controlling the vibration or flashing of the light to emphasize the vibration or flashing of the light to notify the driver.

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