JP4973953B2 - Driver state determination device and driver state determination method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driver state determination device and a driver state determination method for a vehicle, and more specifically, a driver's state based on a combination of a driver's line of sight, a driver's operation state, and an environment around the vehicle. The present invention relates to a driver state determination device and a driver state determination method.

Conventionally, an apparatus for determining a driver's careless state such as a state in which the driver is blurred has been proposed. For example, there is an apparatus described in Patent Document 1. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, first, the driver's line-of-sight direction is detected. Next, a frequency distribution in the detected gaze direction is calculated. Then, the psychological or physiological state of the driver is determined by comparing a predetermined frequency distribution pattern in the gaze direction with the detected frequency distribution in the gaze direction. For example, the apparatus described in Patent Literature 1 determines that the driver is driving silently when the driver's line-of-sight direction is concentrated at one point.
JP-A-6-251273

  As described above, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the state of the driver is determined based only on the driver's line-of-sight direction. However, actually, the state of the driver's line of sight varies depending on the environment around the vehicle and the operation state of the driver. For example, when the driver is driving according to the traveling of the preceding vehicle, the line of sight tends to concentrate on the preceding vehicle. In this case, although the driver is in a normal state, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a high possibility of determining that the driver is inadvertent because the line of sight is concentrated. Therefore, if the state of the driver is determined based only on the driver's line-of-sight direction as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a highly accurate determination cannot be made.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to accurately determine the driver's careless state by considering various combinations such as the driver's line of sight, the driver's operation state, and the environment around the vehicle. It is to provide a determination device.

The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. That is, the first aspect includes at least one of a line-of-sight detection unit and an operation state detection unit, an environment identification unit, and an inattentive state determination unit. The line-of-sight detection means detects the state of the driver's line of sight. The operation state detection means detects the operation state of the vehicle by the driver. The environment identification means identifies the environment around the vehicle. The careless state determination means compares the detection value detected by at least one of the line-of-sight detection means and the operation state detection means with each threshold value, and determines the driver's careless state based on the comparison result. To do. Each threshold value changes according to the environment identified by the environment identifying means.

According to this aspect , the driver's careless state can be accurately determined. That is, the state of the driver's line of sight and the operation state of the driver vary depending on the environment around the vehicle. In this aspect , the threshold value used for determining the driver's state is changed according to the environment around the vehicle. Thereby, a driver | operator's state can be determined accurately.

In the second aspect , in the first aspect , the line-of-sight detection means may detect the driver's line-of-sight stop time as the line-of-sight state.

According to this aspect , the state of the driver can be determined by detecting the driver's gaze stop time.

In the third aspect , in the first aspect , the operation state detection means may detect the accelerator opening as the operation state of the vehicle.

According to this aspect , the state of the driver can be determined by detecting the accelerator opening.

In the fourth aspect , in the second aspect , the carelessness determination unit may determine that the driver is inadvertent when the gaze retention time is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

According to this aspect , the upper limit value of the driver's line-of-sight stop time in a normal state is set as a threshold value in advance, and when the driver's line-of-sight stop time is equal to or greater than this threshold value, the driver is determined to be careless. Can do.

In the fifth aspect , in the third aspect , the carelessness state determining means has a standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening calculated from the corrected accelerator opening that is a difference between the moving average of the accelerator opening and the accelerator opening. If it is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the driver may be determined to be careless.

According to this aspect , the upper limit value of the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening at normal time is set as a threshold value in advance, and if the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening is equal to or greater than this threshold value, the driver is determined to be careless. can do.

In a sixth aspect , in the first aspect , the line-of-sight detection means may detect the driver's line-of-sight stop time as the state of the line of sight. The operation state detection means may detect the accelerator opening as the operation state of the vehicle. Then, the carelessness state determining means is configured such that the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening calculated from the corrected accelerator opening that is the difference between the moving average of the accelerator opening and the accelerator opening is equal to or greater than a threshold value, or the gaze stop time May be determined that the driver is inadvertent.

According to this aspect , the upper limit value of the gaze stop time and the upper limit value of the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening are set in advance as the respective threshold values. When either the driver's line-of-sight stop time or the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening is equal to or greater than the respective threshold value, it can be determined that the driver is inadvertent.

In a seventh aspect , in the first to sixth aspects , the environment identifying means may identify the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle of the vehicle.

According to this aspect , the threshold value for determining the driver's state can be changed according to the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle.

In an eighth aspect , in the seventh aspect , the careless state determination means may increase the threshold value when there is a preceding vehicle of the vehicle than when there is no preceding vehicle.

According to this aspect, it is possible to more accurately determine the state of the driver when there is a preceding vehicle.

The ninth aspect may include line-of-sight detection means, operation state detection means, and carelessness state determination means. The line-of-sight detection means detects the state of the driver's line of sight. The operation state detection means detects the operation state of the vehicle by the driver. The careless state determination means compares the detection value detected by the line-of-sight detection means and the detection value detected by the operation state detection means with each threshold value, and determines the driver's careless state based on the comparison result. To do.

According to this aspect , the state of the driver can be determined by combining the driver's gaze stop time and the accelerator opening.

In a tenth aspect , in the ninth aspect , at least one of the detection value detected by the line-of-sight detection unit or the detection value detected by the operation state detection unit is greater than or equal to a threshold value. In this case, it may be determined that the driver is careless.

According to this aspect , the upper limit value of the line-of-sight stop time and the upper limit value of the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening are set in advance as the respective threshold values. When either the driver's line-of-sight stop time or the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening is equal to or greater than the respective threshold value, it can be determined that the driver is inadvertent.

In the eleventh aspect , in the first to tenth aspects , the inattentive state determining means determines that the driver is inadvertently instructed to the driver with respect to the support means for assisting the driver. You may request assistance.

According to this aspect , when the driver is careless, the driver can be supported appropriately and an accident can be prevented.

In the twelfth aspect , in the eleventh aspect , the inattentive state determination means may request the driver to be alerted to the pre-crash safety system that is the support means.

According to this aspect , when the driver is in a careless state, the driver can be alerted.

In a thirteenth aspect , in the first to twelfth aspects , the inattentive state determining unit determines whether the driver is in an inattentive state, the external world notifying unit that notifies the external world of the vehicle, You may request an alert to

According to this aspect , when the driver is in a careless state, it is possible to alert the outside of the vehicle.

In a fourteenth aspect , in the thirteenth aspect , the careless state determination means may request the pedestrian or approaching vehicle to be alerted to the infrastructure cooperation system, which is an external notification means.

According to this aspect , when the driver is careless, attention can be given to pedestrians and surrounding vehicles.

The fifteenth aspect is a method for determining the state of the driver. That is, the fifteenth aspect includes at least one of a line-of-sight detection step and an operation state detection step, an environment identification step, and an inattentive state determination step. The line-of-sight detection step detects the state of the driver's line of sight. The operation state detection step detects the operation state of the vehicle by the driver. The environment identification step identifies the environment around the vehicle. The careless state determination step compares the detected value detected by at least one of the line-of-sight detection step and the operation state detection step with each threshold value, and determines the driver's careless state based on the comparison result. judge. And each threshold value changes according to the environment identified by the said environment identification step.

According to this aspect , a method for accurately determining the driver's careless state can be provided. That is, the state of the driver's line of sight and the operation state of the driver vary depending on the environment around the vehicle. In this aspect , the threshold value used for determining the driver's state is changed according to the environment around the vehicle. Thereby, a driver | operator's state can be determined accurately.

The sixteenth aspect is a method for determining the state of the driver. That is, the sixteenth aspect includes a line-of-sight detection step, an operation state detection step, and an inattention state determination step. The line-of-sight detection step detects the state of the driver's line of sight. The operation state detection step detects the operation state of the vehicle by the driver. The careless state determination step compares the detection value detected in the line-of-sight detection step and the detection value detected in the operation state detection step with each threshold value, and determines the driver's careless state based on the comparison result. To do.

According to this aspect , a method for determining the state of the driver can be provided by combining the driver's gaze stop time and the accelerator opening.

  According to this invention, the driver's careless state can be determined with high accuracy. That is, as a determination criterion for the driver's state, the driver's state can be accurately determined by combining the driver's line of sight and the driver's operation state. Further, by considering the environment, the driver's state can be determined with higher accuracy.

  Hereinafter, a driver state determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a driver state determination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The driver state determination device 1 includes a line-of-sight detection unit 2, an operation state detection unit 3, an environment identification unit 4, and an inattentive state determination unit 5. In addition, the driver state determination device 1 is connected to the support means 6 and the outside world notification means 7 that alerts the outside.

  The line-of-sight detection means 2 detects the state of the driver's line of sight. The operation state detection means 3 detects the operation state of the vehicle by the driver. The environment identification unit 4 identifies the environment around the vehicle. The careless state determination unit 5 compares the detection values detected by the line-of-sight detection unit 2 and the operation state detection unit 3 with respective threshold values, and determines the driver's careless state based on the comparison result.

  Here, each threshold value changes according to the environment identified by the environment identifying means 4. Further, the support means 6 performs predetermined support for the driver in response to a request from the careless state determination means 5. The outside notification means 7 alerts the outside in response to a request from the careless state determination means 5. Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail.

(Description of each part of the driver state determination device 1)
The line-of-sight detection means 2 includes a driver camera 11 and detects the state of the driver's line of sight. The line-of-sight detection means 2 detects the line-of-sight stop time as the state of the driver's line of sight. Here, the gaze stop time is the time during which the driver is staring at one point. The driver camera 11 is composed of a CCD camera, for example, and photographs the driver's face. The line-of-sight detection means 2 detects the driver's line of sight from the photographed driver's face image. When the driver's line of sight is facing the same direction for a predetermined time or more, the line-of-sight detection means 2 recognizes that the driver's line of sight is stopped and calculates the line-of-sight stop time. In the present embodiment, the predetermined time is normally set to 0.35 (sec), for example, considering that the number of times a human can move his / her line of sight per second is about three times. In the present embodiment, in consideration of the accuracy of the line-of-sight detection means 2, the line of sight is directed in the same direction when the line of sight is within a predetermined angle range, for example ± 2.5 °. The line-of-sight detection unit 2 outputs the detected line-of-sight stop time to the careless state determination unit 5. The line-of-sight detection means 2 may have any configuration other than the CCD camera as long as it detects the driver's line-of-sight stop time. Moreover, the numerical value shown here does not limit this invention at all.

  The operation state detection means 3 includes an accelerator opening detector 12 and detects the accelerator opening as the operation state of the driver. The accelerator opening detector 12 measures the accelerator opening. The operation state detection unit 3 outputs the measured accelerator opening to the careless state determination unit 5.

  The environment identification unit 4 includes a radar 13 and a navigation system 14. The radar 13 is configured by, for example, a millimeter wave radar, and detects the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle in front of the vehicle. The navigation system 14 also detects the position where the vehicle is traveling. The environment identification means 4 identifies what type of road the vehicle is traveling from the position information obtained by the navigation system 14. The environment identification unit 4 outputs the presence / absence of a preceding vehicle and the type of road being traveled to the careless state determination unit 5. The information output by the environment identification unit 4 may include a distance from the preceding vehicle. The environment identification unit 4 is not limited to the above configuration, and any configuration can be used as long as it can recognize the outside world. For example, a camera may be provided instead of (or in addition to) the radar 13.

  The carelessness determination means 5 obtains a moving average of the accelerator opening from a value of the accelerator opening output from the operation state detecting means 3 with a predetermined window length, and is a correction that is a difference between the moving average and the accelerator opening. Calculate the accelerator opening. Then, the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening is calculated from the calculated corrected accelerator opening with a predetermined window length. In the present embodiment, the predetermined window length is set to 2 seconds, for example.

  Further, the careless state determination unit 5 transmits a command to the line-of-sight detection unit 2 so as to detect the line-of-sight stop time. The careless state determination unit 5 acquires the gaze stop time output from the gaze detection unit 2.

  Next, the carelessness state determination means 5 indicates that the driver is careless when the calculated gaze stop time is equal to or greater than the threshold value or when the standard deviation of the calculated corrected accelerator opening is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Is determined. Here, the threshold of the line-of-sight stop time and the threshold of the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening vary depending on the environment identified by the environment identifying unit 4. In the present embodiment, the careless state determination unit 5 acquires the presence / absence of a preceding vehicle from the environment identification unit 4, and changes the threshold value when there is a preceding vehicle and when there is no preceding vehicle. Specifically, the careless state determination unit 5 increases the threshold value when there is a preceding vehicle of the vehicle, compared with when the preceding vehicle does not exist. In this embodiment, in an environment where there are many straight lines such as highways and main roads and the vehicle travels at a constant speed for a relatively long time, the carelessness determination means 5 sets the threshold value depending on the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle. Change. Then, the careless state determination unit 5 requests the support unit 6 to assist the driver when it is determined that the driver is in a careless state. In addition, when the driver is determined to be inadvertent, the carelessness determination means 5 replaces (or adds to) the support means 6 with respect to the outside notification means 7, and a pedestrian outside the vehicle or the surrounding area. Request that the vehicle be notified. Details of the careless state determination method by the carelessness state determination means 5 will be described later.

  The support means 6 provides support to the driver in response to a request from the careless state determination means 5. In this embodiment, the pre-crash safety system, which is the support means 6, provides support to the driver. The pre-crash safety system prevents collisions or reduces impacts in the event of a collision by performing warnings, warnings, information provision, automatic brake control, automatic steering control, etc. to the driver before the vehicle collides. It is a system to do. In the present embodiment, when the driver is careless, the pre-crash safety system provides information to the driver. In the present embodiment, when the carelessness determination means 5 determines that the driver is inadvertent, the information provided to the driver by the pre-crash safety system is determined not to be inadvertent. To be done early. In other words, when the driver is in a normal state, information is not provided to the driver when the distance to the preceding vehicle is a certain distance, whereas when the driver is careless Information is provided to the driver even at that distance. The support means 6 is not limited to the pre-crash / safety system, and any support means 6 may be used as long as it provides support to the driver.

  The outside notification means 7 notifies the outside world in response to a request from the careless state determination means 5. In this embodiment, the infrastructure cooperation system which is the external notification means 7 notifies an external pedestrian and surrounding vehicles. The infrastructure cooperation system provides information to pedestrians and surrounding vehicles through communication between the information communication device installed in the vicinity of the road, such as signals and signs, and the information communication device mounted on the surrounding vehicle and the host vehicle. It is a system that performs alerts and alerts. In the present embodiment, when the driver is inadvertent, the infrastructure cooperation system alerts pedestrians and surrounding vehicles. In addition, the external world notification means 7 is not restricted to an infrastructure cooperation system, As an alerting method, you may alert an external world by horn, for example.

  The above is description of each part of the driver | operator state determination apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment. Next, with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, a method for determining the driver's careless state performed by the careless state determination means 5 will be described in detail.

(Explanation of carelessness judgment method)
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of driver state determination by the driver state determination device 1 according to the present embodiment. The processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is controlled by the careless state determination unit 5. The processing shown in FIG. 2 is repeatedly executed while, for example, the vehicle's igusset is on or while the vehicle is traveling. Hereinafter, the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

  First, in step S <b> 101, the careless state determination unit 5 calculates the moving average of the accelerator opening degree output from the operation state detection unit 3. The careless state determination unit 5 stores the accelerator opening (detection value) output from the operation state detection unit 3 in a memory. The careless state determination means 5 calculates the moving average of the accelerator opening stored in the memory with a predetermined window length. The careless state determination means 5 stores the average accelerator opening in each window length section on the memory. Next, the careless state determination unit 5 advances the processing to step S102.

  In step S102, the careless state determination means 5 calculates the corrected accelerator opening. The corrected accelerator opening is the difference between the detected value of the accelerator opening in each window length section and the moving average of the accelerator opening calculated in step S101. Next, the careless state determination means 5 advances the process to step S103.

  In step S103, the careless state determination means 5 calculates the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening with a predetermined window length from the corrected accelerator opening calculated in step S102. The predetermined window length may be the same value as the window length in step S101. The standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening calculated in this way indicates the variation in the change in the accelerator opening. The variation in the change in the accelerator opening within a certain time is larger when the driver is careless than when the driver is normal. Therefore, by comparing the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening thus obtained with the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening in the normal state, it is determined whether the driver is in a normal state or inadvertent state. Can do. A method of calculating the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a method for obtaining the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening from the detected accelerator opening. FIG. 3A shows the accelerator opening (detected value) detected by the operation state detecting means 3. The vertical axis represents the accelerator opening (%), and the horizontal axis represents time.

  Next, the moving average of the detected accelerator opening is calculated with a predetermined window length (see FIG. 3B). Here, the predetermined window length is 2 seconds. FIG.3 (b) is the figure which showed the moving average of the calculated accelerator opening.

  Next, the corrected accelerator opening is calculated (see FIG. 3C). The corrected accelerator opening is obtained by subtracting the moving average of the accelerator opening from the detected value of the accelerator opening. The corrected accelerator opening represents only the variation in the accelerator opening. FIG. 3C is a diagram showing the calculated corrected accelerator opening.

  Then, the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening is calculated from the calculated corrected accelerator opening with a predetermined window length (see FIG. 3D). FIG. 3D is a diagram showing the standard deviation of the calculated corrected accelerator opening. The standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening calculated in this way indicates the variation in the change in the accelerator opening within a certain time. The variation in the change in the accelerator opening increases when the driver is careless.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the careless state determination unit 5 performs the process of step S104 in parallel with the processes of steps S101 to S103.

  In step S104, the carelessness state determination unit 5 instructs the line-of-sight detection unit 2 to calculate the line-of-sight stop time. The line-of-sight detection means 2 stores the detected direction of the line of sight and the detected time in the memory. The line-of-sight detection means 2 calculates the line-of-sight stop time from the detected line-of-sight direction and detection time (detection value). That is, the line-of-sight detection means 2 calculates the difference in the direction of the line of sight, and the time during which the difference is within a predetermined angle (± 2.5 ° in the present embodiment) is a predetermined time (in this embodiment, 0). .35 sec), it is determined that the line of sight has stopped. The time during which the difference in the line-of-sight direction is within a predetermined angle is the line-of-sight stop time. The line-of-sight detection unit 2 outputs the calculated line-of-sight stop time to the careless state determination unit 5.

  Next, the careless state determination means 5 advances the process to step S105.

  In step S <b> 105, the careless state determination unit 5 determines whether the vehicle is following traveling or single traveling. The careless state determination unit 5 determines whether the vehicle is following or traveling independently from the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle or the distance from the preceding vehicle output from the environment identification unit 4 and the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling. The careless state determination means 5 determines that the vehicle is following traveling when a preceding vehicle is present when the type of road is an expressway or a main road. Alternatively, the careless state determination unit 5 may determine that the vehicle is following traveling when the distance from the preceding vehicle is within a predetermined distance. The carelessness state determination means 5 advances the process to step S106 when the host vehicle is following traveling. On the other hand, the carelessness determination means 5 advances the process to step S107 when the host vehicle is traveling alone. It should be noted that the above predetermined distance may be determined in consideration of the speed of the host vehicle when determining whether the vehicle is following traveling or traveling alone. That is, when the speed of the host vehicle is relatively fast, it may be determined that the vehicle is following the vehicle even when the distance from the preceding vehicle is long.

  In step S106, the careless state determination means 5 determines whether the driver is in a normal state or inadvertent state. In step S106, since the host vehicle is following traveling, the thresholds A1 and A2 are set to values at the time of following traveling. The carelessness determination means 5 compares a predetermined standard deviation threshold A1 of the corrected accelerator opening with the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening calculated in step S103 described above. Further, a predetermined line-of-sight stop time threshold A2 is compared with the line-of-sight stop time calculated in step S104 described above. The carelessness determination means 5 determines that the driver is inadvertent when the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening is A1 or more, or when the gaze stop time is A2 or more. The careless state determination means 5 determines that the driver is in a normal state when both the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening and the line-of-sight stop time are less than the respective threshold values. If it is determined that the driver is in a careless state, the carelessness state determination unit 5 advances the process to step S108. If the carelessness determination means 5 determines that the driver is in a normal state, the process returns to step S101 and step S104.

  In step S107, the careless state determination means 5 determines whether the driver is in a normal state or inadvertent state. In step S107, since the host vehicle is traveling independently, the threshold values B1 and B2 are set to values at the time of traveling independently. The threshold values B1 and B2 are set to values different from the threshold values A1 and A2 in step S106. A method for calculating the threshold values A1, A2, B1, and B2 will be described later. The carelessness determination means 5 compares the standard deviation threshold B1 of the corrected accelerator opening determined in advance with the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening calculated in step S103 described above. Further, the predetermined eye-gaze stop time threshold B2 is compared with the eye-gaze stop time calculated in step S104 described above. The carelessness determination means 5 determines that the driver is inadvertent when the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening is B1 or more, or when the line-of-sight stop time is B2 or more. The careless state determination means 5 determines that the driver is in a normal state when both the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening and the line-of-sight stop time are less than the respective threshold values. Similarly to step S106, the carelessness state determination means 5 advances the process to step S108 when it is determined that the driver is inadvertently. If the carelessness determination means 5 determines that the driver is in a normal state, the process returns to step S101 and step S104.

  In step S108, the carelessness state determination unit 5 transmits a command to the support unit 6 and / or the outside world notification unit 7 so as to provide support to the driver or / and notification to the outside world. The support means 6 and / or the external notification means 7 that have received the command perform the above-described operations.

  As described above, the carelessness state determination means 5 calculates the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening from the detection value detected by the operation state detection means 3 (from step S101 to step S103), and the line-of-sight detection means 2 The gaze stop time calculated by the above is acquired (step S104). The careless state determination means 5 compares the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening and the line-of-sight stop time with the respective threshold values, and determines the driver's careless state based on the comparison result. Each threshold value varies depending on whether the host vehicle is following traveling or traveling independently (steps S106 and S107).

  Next, a method of calculating the threshold values (A1, A2, and B1, B2) compared for determining the driver inattention state in steps S106 and S107 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. .

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the frequency and cumulative frequency distribution of the forward gaze stop time in the normal state where the subtask is not given to the driver and the careless state where the subtask is given. Here, the subtask is a task other than the driving operation, and is a task given to the driver during driving. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents the gaze stop time, and the vertical axis represents the frequency and cumulative frequency of the gaze stop time within a certain time. FIG. 4 shows the gaze stop time of the driver within a certain time, and shows how much each gaze stop time is within that time. FIG. 4 (a) shows the frequency and cumulative frequency of the line-of-sight stop time in the normal state (upper figure) and the careless state (lower figure) during independent traveling. As apparent from FIG. 4A, in the normal state, the driver's gaze stop time does not exceed 2 seconds. On the other hand, in the careless state, the driver's gaze stop time often exceeds 2 seconds. As is apparent from a comparison between the upper diagram and the lower diagram in FIG. 4A, in the careless state, the driver's gaze stop time is longer than that in the normal state. Moreover, the variation is also large. As described above, the gaze stop time is different between the normal state and the careless state, and it is possible to estimate whether the driver is in the normal state or the careless state by detecting the gaze stop time.

  On the other hand, FIG. 4B shows the frequency and cumulative frequency of the line-of-sight stop time in the normal state (upper figure) and the careless state (lower figure) during the follow-up running. 4A and 4B, when the driver is in a normal state, the line-of-sight stop time tends to be longer during follow-up driving than during independent driving. There is a tendency that the variation becomes large. As described above, the line-of-sight stop time becomes longer during follow-up traveling and during independent traveling even when the driver is in a normal state. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), even during follow-up, when the normal state (upper figure) is compared with the careless state (lower figure), the careless state is more stationary than the normal state. The time is getting longer and the variation is getting bigger. Accordingly, even during follow-up traveling, the line-of-sight stop time differs between the normal state and the careless state, and it is possible to estimate whether the driver is in the normal state or the careless state by detecting the line-of-sight stop time.

  In the present embodiment, the line-of-sight retention time when the cumulative frequency in the normal state reaches a predetermined value is set as a threshold for determining whether the state is the normal state or the careless state. For example, the line-of-sight stop time when the cumulative frequency in the normal state becomes 90% or 95% may be set as a threshold for determining the careless state. In the present embodiment, the line-of-sight stop time at which the cumulative frequency in the normal state is 95% is set as the threshold of the line-of-sight stop time. Therefore, when the threshold value is obtained from FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the threshold value when traveling alone is 1.5 seconds, and the threshold value when following traveling is 3.0 seconds. The threshold values obtained in this way are set to the threshold values A2 and B2 in step S106 and step S107 in FIG. 2, and are used to determine whether the driver is in a normal state or inadvertent state. Note that the numerical values shown above (cumulative frequency, threshold value based on cumulative frequency) are not limited to these numerical values. Further, it may be changed depending on the traveling environment, weather, time zone, and the like.

  Next, a method for obtaining the standard deviation threshold value of the corrected accelerator opening will be described. The method for calculating the threshold value of the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening is the same as in the case of the gaze stop time. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the standard deviation frequency and cumulative frequency distribution of the corrected accelerator opening in a normal state where no subtask is given to the driver and an inattentive state where a subtask is given. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening, and the vertical axis represents the frequency and cumulative frequency of the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening within a certain time. FIG. 5 shows the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening within a certain time, and shows how much the value of each standard deviation is within that time. FIG. 5A shows the frequency and cumulative frequency of the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening in the normal state (upper diagram) and inadvertent state (lower diagram) during independent traveling. As apparent from FIG. 5 (a), the standard deviation distribution of the corrected accelerator opening is different between the normal state and the careless state of the driver. In the careless state, the value of the standard deviation has a wider distribution than in the normal state. Therefore, it is possible to estimate whether the driver is in a normal state or inadvertent state by detecting the value of the standard deviation when traveling alone.

  FIG. 5B shows the standard deviation frequency and cumulative frequency of the corrected accelerator opening in the normal state (upper diagram) and the careless state (lower diagram) during the follow-up running. Even during follow-up traveling, as is apparent from a comparison between the upper diagram and the lower diagram in FIG. 5B, the value of the standard deviation differs depending on whether the driver is in a normal state or inadvertent. Accordingly, it is possible to estimate whether the driver is in a normal state or inadvertent state by detecting the value of the standard deviation even during follow-up traveling. Further, as is apparent from a comparison between the upper diagrams of FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, when the driver is in a normal state, the corrected accelerator opening degree is greater in the follow-up traveling than in the independent traveling. Standard deviation tends to be small.

  In the present embodiment, the standard deviation value of the corrected accelerator opening at which the cumulative frequency in the normal state is 95% is set as the standard deviation threshold value, similarly to the threshold value for the gaze stop time. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the standard deviation threshold is set to 6.5 for independent traveling and 5.5 for follow-up traveling. The threshold values obtained in this way are set as the threshold values A1 and B1 in step S106 and step S107 in FIG. 2, and are used to determine whether the driver is in a normal state or inadvertent state. As described above, the threshold value shown here is not limited to these values.

  As described above, the threshold for the line-of-sight stop time and the threshold for the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening can be obtained. And the driver | operator state determination apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment is a driver | operator is in a normal state by comparing the calculated | required threshold value with the standard deviation of the detected gaze stop time and correction accelerator opening, or It can be determined whether it is careless.

  Next, a method for assisting when the driver is careless will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a reaction time for the deceleration of the preceding vehicle in a normal state where no subtask is given and an inattentive state where a subtask is given. Both ends of the line segment in FIG. 6 indicate the maximum and minimum time of the reaction time, and the center point of the line segment indicates the average value. As shown in FIG. 6, in the careless state, it is delayed to notice the deceleration of the preceding vehicle, and the response to the deceleration of the preceding vehicle is delayed. Therefore, when the driver is inadvertent, it is preferable that assistance is performed earlier than in the normal state.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an oversight rate of an object located 30 degrees from the driver in the traveling direction in a normal state where no subtask is given and an inattentive state where a subtask is given. Both ends of the line segment in FIG. 7 indicate the maximum value and minimum value of the oversight rate, and the center point of the line segment indicates the average value. As shown in FIG. 7, in the careless state, oversight to the periphery increases. Therefore, when the driver is inadvertent, it is preferable to alert the vicinity of the vehicle.

  In the present embodiment, when the driver state determination device 1 determines that the driver is inadvertent, the pre-crash safety system as described above provides information to the driver or / and walks by the infrastructure cooperation system. Alerts to the passengers and surrounding vehicles.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing that information is provided to the driver earlier than usual by the pre-crash safety system when it is determined that the driver is careless. As shown in FIG. 8, when the driver state determination device 1 determines that the driver is in the normal state, when the host vehicle 20 approaches a certain distance behind the other vehicle 21, the pre-crash safety system is Provide information to the driver. In contrast, when the driver state determination device 1 determines that the driver is inadvertent, the pre-crash safety system provides information to the driver earlier than in the normal state.

  Further, FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating that alerting to the outside world is performed by the infrastructure cooperation system when it is determined that the driver is in a careless state. As shown in FIG. 9, when the driver state determination device 1 determines that the driver is inadvertent, the infrastructure cooperation system alerts the other vehicle 21 and the pedestrian 22. The alerting is performed on the other vehicle 21 or the pedestrian 22 by a notification means mounted on the other vehicle 21, a notification means installed around the road, a notification means possessed by the pedestrian, or the like.

  As described above, the driver state determination device 1 according to the present embodiment determines the driver's careless state, and if the driver state is determined to be careless, the driver and / or the pedestrians around the vehicle. And support for other vehicles.

  In this embodiment, the driver is determined to be careless when at least one of the line-of-sight stop time or the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening is equal to or greater than the threshold. In this case, the driver may determine that he / she is careless.

  In the present embodiment, the driver's state is determined by detecting the gaze stop time as the gaze state. However, in other embodiments, the gaze state may be determined using the gaze direction. Good. The driver's state may be determined by comparing the line-of-sight direction pattern between the normal state and the careless state. Alternatively, the driver's state may be determined using a combination of a specific line-of-sight direction and a line-of-sight stop time as the line-of-sight state. That is, for example, the frequency of the driver looking at the rearview mirror or side mirror within a certain time and the time is detected as the line of sight, and the driver's careless state is determined by comparing these values with a threshold value. May be. Furthermore, a driver | operator's state may be determined combining the surrounding situation and the direction and time of a specific gaze. That is, the approaching vehicle may be detected by the environment identification unit 4, and whether or not the direction of the line of sight is directed to the detected vehicle and the time thereof may be detected, and the driver's state may be determined from these.

  Further, in this embodiment, the accelerator opening is detected as the operation state, and the careless state is determined by the variation in the change. In other embodiments, the steering angle is added (or replaced) in addition to the accelerator opening. Etc. may be considered. For example, the driver's state may be determined by detecting whether or not the driver is steering the steering wheel along the lane using a camera or the like. Further, in determining the careless state, it may be considered whether or not the operation of the direction indicator is correctly performed. That is, when the driver steers the steering wheel, if the driver is operating the direction indicator at the same time, it is highly likely that the driver is driving normally. Therefore, in this case, the above threshold value may be increased to determine the driver's state.

  In this embodiment, the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle is detected as an environmental state on a highway, a main road, or the like. However, in other embodiments, a threshold is set according to the type of the road in consideration of various types of roads. It may be set. For example, the threshold value may be set according to a road with many curves such as a mountain road, a signal such as a general road in an urban area, a road with many intersections, a road with a large traffic volume, and the like. Moreover, a threshold value may be set according to a time zone (daytime or nighttime) or the weather. Further, the threshold value may be set according to the presence or absence of a following vehicle, the presence or absence of a vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane, and the like.

  As described above, in the present invention, the state of the driver can be determined, and for example, it can be used as a driver state determination device mounted on a vehicle.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the driver state determination apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of a driver | operator's state determination by the driver | operator state determination apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the method of calculating the standard deviation of the correction accelerator opening from the detected accelerator opening A diagram showing the frequency and cumulative frequency distribution of the forward gaze stop time in the normal state where no subtask is given to the driver and the careless state where the subtask is given The figure which shows the frequency and the cumulative frequency distribution of the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening in the normal state where the subtask is not given to the driver and the careless state where the subtask is given The figure which shows the reaction time with respect to the deceleration of the preceding vehicle in the normal state where the subtask is not given and the careless state where the subtask is given The figure which shows the oversight rate of the object in the position of 30 degree | times with respect to the advancing direction from a driver | operator in the normal state which has not given the subtask, and the careless state which gave the subtask. Diagram showing that pre-crash safety system provides information to the driver earlier than usual when it is determined that the driver is careless A diagram showing that the infrastructure coordination system alerts the outside world when the driver is determined to be careless

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Driver state determination apparatus 2 Eye-gaze detection means 3 Operation state detection means 4 Environment identification means 5 Inattention state determination means 6 Support means 7 Outside world notification means 11 Driver camera 12 Accelerator opening detector 13 Radar 14 Navigation system 20 Own vehicle 21 Other vehicle 22 Pedestrian

Claims (11)

A device for determining the state of a driver,
An operation state detection means to detect an accelerator opening as the operation state of the vehicle by the OPERATION person,
Environmental identification means for identifying the environment around the vehicle;
Comparing pre SL and more the detection value detected in the operation status detection hand stage and a first threshold value, and a careless state determining means for determining a careless condition of the driver based on the comparison result,
Wherein the first threshold value, Ri river depending on the environment identified by the environment recognition means,
The careless state determination means is configured when the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening calculated from the corrected accelerator opening that is the difference between the moving average of the accelerator opening and the accelerator opening is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. the driver is characterized that you determined to be careless state, the driver state determination device. It further comprises line-of-sight detection means for detecting the state of the driver's line of sight,
The careless state determination means further compares the detection value detected by the line-of-sight detection means with a second threshold value, determines a driver's careless state based on the comparison result,
The driver state determination device according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold value changes according to an environment identified by the environment identification unit. The driver state determination device according to claim 2 , wherein the line-of-sight detection unit detects a driver's line-of-sight stop time as the state of the line of sight. The driver state determination according to claim 3 , wherein the careless state determination unit determines that the driver is in a careless state when the gaze stop time is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. apparatus. The environment identification means may identify the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle of the vehicle, the driver condition determination apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The driver state determination device according to claim 5 , wherein the carelessness state determination unit makes the first threshold higher when the preceding vehicle is present than when the preceding vehicle is not present. The inattentive state determination means requests the support means for assisting the driver to assist the driver when it is determined that the driver is inadvertent. impaired operation determination device according to any one of 6. The driver state determination apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the careless state determination unit requests the driver to be alerted to a pre-crash safety system that is the support unit. The inattentive state determining means, when it is determined that the driver is in an inattentive state, requests the outside world notification means for notifying the outside world of the vehicle to call attention to the outside world, The driver state determination apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 . The driver state determination according to claim 9 , wherein the careless state determination unit requests the infrastructure cooperation system, which is the outside world notification unit, to alert a pedestrian or an approaching vehicle. apparatus. A method for determining the state of a driver,
An operation state detection steps for detecting an accelerator opening as the operation state of the vehicle by the OPERATION person,
An environment identification step for identifying an environment around the vehicle;
Comparing the detection value and the threshold value that is more detected before Symbol operation status detection steps, and a careless state determination step of determining careless condition of the driver based on the comparison result,
Before Ki閾 value Ri river depending on the environment identified by the environment identification step,
In the careless state determination step, when the standard deviation of the corrected accelerator opening calculated from the corrected accelerator opening that is the difference between the moving average of the accelerator opening and the accelerator opening is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the driving is performed. who characterized that you determined to be careless state, the driver state determination method.

Images