JP6388513B2 - Vehicle stop system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle stop system that evaluates a driver's arousal level and automatically guides the vehicle to a stop location that does not interfere with other vehicles when it is determined that it is difficult to continue driving.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that forcibly stops a vehicle in a place where it does not hinder the passage of other vehicles when a driver's consciousness decrease (decrease in arousal level) is detected.

JP 2007-331652 A

In the conventional technology represented by Patent Document 1, the driver's arousal level is evaluated based on the driver's brain wave, heart rate, ecological information such as the open eye state, and the driving state such as the steering angle of the steering wheel or the wobble of the vehicle. And according to the result of this evaluation, the vehicle is automatically stopped at a place that does not hinder the passage of other vehicles.
However, in an actual driving environment, there is a case where it is better not to continue driving even when the driver is at a wakefulness level at which driving can be continued. For example, when trying to enter a reverse running line on an expressway, there is a situation where the road is mistaken and not in a normal psychological state.
In such a case, it is possible to make a calm decision from the passenger, but the driver often feels upset and tries to continue driving forcibly.
On the other hand, since Patent Document 1 determines continuation of driving based only on the driver's arousal level, even if it is better for the driver not to continue driving as viewed from the passenger, Could not stop.

  The present invention is made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a vehicle stop system that can automatically stop a vehicle at a place that does not hinder the passage of other vehicles at the discretion of the passenger regardless of the driver. With the goal.

In the vehicle stop system according to the present invention, an evaluation unit that evaluates the awakening level of the driver of the vehicle and determines whether or not the driver should continue driving, and the driver should not continue driving by the evaluation unit. If it is determined, it includes a selection unit for selecting a parking lot to stop the vehicle, and a vehicle control unit for controlling the vehicle to stop the selected parking areas by the selection unit. Further, the vehicle control unit is provided with a stop request switch that requests the vehicle control unit to stop the vehicle, and the vehicle control unit is operated by operating the stop request switch. When the stop is requested, the vehicle is controlled so as to stop at the parking lot selected by the selection unit regardless of the determination result by the evaluation unit.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that the vehicle can be automatically stopped at a place that does not hinder the passage of other vehicles at the judgment of the passenger regardless of the driver.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle stop system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a stop request | requirement switch. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle stop system according to Embodiment 1.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle stop system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a vehicle stop system 1 is a system that is mounted on a vehicle and automatically stops the host vehicle at a stop location that does not interfere with other vehicles. The vehicle stop system 1 includes a control unit 2, a driver state detection device 3, a navigation system 4, a sonar system 5, a vehicle system 6, and a traffic information center 7.
The control unit 2 is a control unit that implements main functions in the vehicle stop system 1, and includes a driver information acquisition unit 20, an evaluation unit 21, a selection unit 22, a vehicle control unit 23, and a communication unit 24 as its functional configuration. Configured.

The driver state detection device 3 is a device that detects driver information indicating the current state of the driver.
For example, a driver's face image captured by an in-vehicle camera, a driver's brain wave detected by various sensors, a biological signal such as heart rate and skin potential, an image of a vehicle's travel path captured by an external camera, and a vehicle steering angle Then, the driver operation information such as the lateral G is analyzed, and driver information indicating the current state of the driver is detected.

  The navigation system 4 searches for a route from the current location to the target location based on position information and map data acquired from a positioning processing unit (not shown) and a map database, and provides route guidance. The navigation system 4 is an in-vehicle device installed in a place that can be operated by passengers in the vehicle, and includes a stop request switch 40, a display unit 41, and an operation unit 42.

The sonar system 5 is a system that detects surrounding situation information indicating the surrounding situation of the vehicle.
For example, an outside camera, an ultrasonic sensor, and a radar sensor are provided, and the presence of other vehicles, two-wheeled vehicles, pedestrians, and the like around the vehicle is detected by analyzing imaging data around the vehicle taken by the outside camera. The ultrasonic sensor and the radar sensor detect the relative distance and speed between an obstacle around the vehicle and the vehicle. These pieces of information are sent to the control unit 2 as peripheral state information.

The vehicle system 6 is mounted on the vehicle and controls the vehicle according to the driving operation of the driver and the vehicle control information from the control unit 2. For example, a steering control ECU (electronic control unit) that performs steering control, a brake control ECU that controls brake and vehicle speed, and an alarm control unit that controls lighting of a lamp such as a hazard lamp and sounding of a horn by a horn .
The vehicle system 6 also determines the vehicle speed, accelerator opening / closing degree, steering angle, vehicle wobble, road surface condition, etc. based on information detected by the vehicle speed sensor, steering angle sensor, accelerator sensor, vehicle exterior camera, and acceleration sensor. And sent to the control unit 2 as vehicle information.

  The traffic information center 7 is a server device that provides traffic information to vehicles. The vehicle stop system 1 transmits an emergency signal to the traffic information center 7 when the driver's arousal reduction or stop request switch 40 is operated to stop the vehicle. When the traffic information center 7 receives an emergency signal from the vehicle stop system 1, for example, the traffic information center 7 creates traffic information reflecting the emergency signal (vehicle position, etc.) and provides it to other vehicles.

The driver information acquisition unit 20 acquires the driver information detected by the driver state detection device 3.
Based on the driver information acquired from the driver information acquisition unit 20, the evaluation unit 21 evaluates the awakening level of the driver of the vehicle and determines whether or not the driver should continue driving.
For example, based on a biological signal such as a driver's brain wave, heart rate, and skin potential, an image of a driver who is driving, an image of a driving path of a vehicle, a steering angle and a lateral G of the vehicle, the driver The arousal level that quantitatively represents the arousal state is detected. Then, the evaluation unit 21 compares the driver's arousal level with a predetermined allowable threshold, and determines that the driver should continue driving if the driver's arousal level is equal to or greater than the allowable threshold. If it is below the allowable threshold, it is determined that the driver should not continue driving.

  When the evaluation unit 21 determines that the driver should not continue driving, the selection unit 22 selects a stop place where the vehicle is stopped. For example, when a determination result indicating that driving should not be continued is obtained, the selection unit 22 instructs the navigation system 4 to search for a stop place of the vehicle. When the navigation system 4 receives an instruction from the selection unit 22, the navigation system 4 searches for a place around the vehicle that does not hinder the passage of other vehicles. Places that do not hinder the passage of other vehicles include shoulders, shoulder straps, parking lots, and the like.

When the evaluation unit 21 determines that the driver should not continue driving, the vehicle control unit 23 controls the vehicle to stop at the stop location selected by the selection unit 22. For example, when receiving information on the stop location selected by the selection unit 22, the vehicle control unit 23 generates vehicle control information for stopping the vehicle at the stop location and sends it to the vehicle system 6. Thereby, the vehicle system 6 stops the vehicle at the stop location according to the vehicle control information of the vehicle control unit 23.
In addition, when the vehicle control unit 23 is requested to stop the vehicle by operating the stop request switch 40, the vehicle control unit 23 stops the vehicle at the stop location selected by the selection unit 22 regardless of the determination result by the evaluation unit 21. To control.

  The communication unit 24 communicates with the traffic information center 7. For example, when the evaluation unit 21 determines that the driver should not continue driving or when the stop of the vehicle is requested by operating the stop request switch 40 and the vehicle stops at the stop location, the communication unit 24 An emergency signal is transmitted to the traffic information center 7 in response to an instruction from the control unit 23.

  Note that the driver information acquisition unit 20, the evaluation unit 21, the selection unit 22, the vehicle control unit 23, and the communication unit 24 are configured such that, for example, the microcomputer executes a program describing processing unique to the present invention, It is realized as a concrete means that software and software cooperate.

  The stop request switch 40 is a switch that can be operated by a passenger in a place other than the driver's seat in the vehicle and requests the vehicle control unit 23 to stop the vehicle. In FIG. 1, it is provided in the navigation system 4 and is operated, for example, when it is determined that it is better for the driver not to continue driving as seen from the passenger. In addition, since the navigation system 4 is an in-vehicle device installed in a place that can be operated by both the driver and the passenger, it is possible to realize the stop request switch 40 that can be operated by both the driver and the passenger. it can.

The display unit 41 is a display unit included in the navigation system 4 and is, for example, a liquid crystal display device that is disposed at the center in front of the vehicle and can be operated by the driver and passengers in the passenger seat.
The operation unit 42 is an operation unit that receives operations from a driver and a passenger, and corresponds to, for example, a touch panel, a hardware button, or the like provided on the screen of the display unit 41.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the stop request switch 40, and a button (indicated as “E” in FIG. 2) indicating the stop request switch 40 on the navigation screen 410 displayed on the display unit 41 of the navigation system 4. Button) is displayed. In FIG. 2, the operation unit 42 is a touch panel provided on the screen of the display unit 41, and accepts a pressing operation of a button indicating the stop request switch 40.

The stop request switch 40 is an information processing module that implements a button display function and a stop request function, and is executed by the microcomputer of the navigation system 4.
Here, the button display function is a function for displaying a button indicating the stop request switch 40 on the display unit 41. The stop request function is a function for outputting, to the vehicle control unit 23, operation information for requesting stop of the vehicle when a button pressing operation is accepted by the operation unit 42.

It is preferable that the button indicating the stop request switch 40 is displayed at a position away from the other operation buttons so that the other operation buttons are not erroneously operated. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the corner part of the navigation screen 410 is mentioned.
Although the case where the stop request switch 40 is displayed as a button image is shown, it may be operated by other methods. For example, it may be assigned to a hardware button or may be voice recognition. A vehicle stop request can be accepted by saying “emergency vehicle stop request” or the like.

Next, the operation will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle stop system 1 according to the first embodiment.
First, the vehicle control unit 23 checks whether or not the stop request switch 40 is operated based on the presence / absence of operation information from the navigation system 4 (step ST1).
If the stop request switch 40 is not operated (step ST1; NO), the evaluation unit 21 is based on the driver information acquired from the driver information acquisition unit 20 and a threshold value in which the awakening level of the driver of the vehicle is determined in advance. It is determined whether or not this is the case (step ST2).

When the driver's arousal level is equal to or higher than the threshold (step ST2; YES), the process returns to step ST1.
On the other hand, if the driver's arousal level is less than the above threshold (step ST2; NO), the evaluation unit 21 determines that the driver should not continue driving and notifies the selection unit 22 of the determination result.
When stop request switch 40 is operated (Step ST1; YES), vehicle control part 23 skips processing of Step ST2, and shifts to Step ST3.
That is, when the stop request switch 40 is operated, the vehicle control unit 23 instructs the selection unit 22 to search for a stop position of the vehicle regardless of the determination result by the evaluation unit 21.

  When the stop request switch 40 is operated, or when the evaluation unit 21 determines that the driver should not continue driving, the selection unit 22 instructs the navigation system 4 to search for a stop position of the vehicle. To do. When the navigation system 4 receives an instruction from the selection unit 22, the navigation system 4 searches for a place around the vehicle that does not hinder the passage of other vehicles. The search result is sent from the selection unit 22 to the vehicle control unit 23.

  Upon receiving information on the stop location from the selection unit 22, the vehicle control unit 23 first instructs the navigation system 4 to display the stop location on the display unit 41, and implements vehicle guidance to the stop location. Furthermore, the vehicle control unit 23 instructs the navigation system 4 to warn that the driver's arousal level is decreasing. For example, a visual warning for displaying text information, image information, or the like on the display unit 41 or an auditory warning for outputting a warning sound from a vehicle speaker is performed. The process so far corresponds to step ST3.

While performing the warning described above, the vehicle control unit 23 checks whether or not a cancel operation has been performed using the operation unit 42 (step ST4). The cancel operation is an operation for canceling the control for stopping the vehicle at the stop location.
When the driver is awakened by the warning made in step ST3, the driver performs a cancel operation (step ST4; YES). When the cancel operation is performed, the process returns to step ST1, and the control by the vehicle control unit 23 to stop the vehicle at the stop location is released. Thereby, the driver can continue driving the vehicle.
Even after the stop request switch 40 is operated to stop the vehicle, when the cancel operation is received, the vehicle control unit 23 releases the control for stopping the vehicle at the stop position. If the passenger's judgment is incorrect and the driver is able to drive appropriately, the driver can continue driving the vehicle by performing a cancel operation.

The cancel operation may be, for example, a cancel button, a hardware button, or voice recognition displayed on the display unit 41 as in the stop request switch 40 shown in FIG. Also good.
By setting the driver's brake operation as a cancel operation, the driver can cancel the stop control only by appropriately performing the brake operation without performing a special operation.
Moreover, the cancellation operation which can be operated from both a driver | operator and a passenger can be implement | achieved by accepting cancellation operation by the operation part 42 of the navigation system 4. FIG.

  If there is no cancel operation even after a predetermined grace period has elapsed (step ST4; NO), the vehicle control unit 23 has a warning object around the vehicle based on the surrounding situation information input from the sonar system 5. (Step ST5). Here, the warning target is another vehicle, a two-wheeled vehicle, a pedestrian, or the like around the vehicle.

If there is no warning target (step ST5; NO), the process proceeds to step ST7.
When there is a warning target around the vehicle (step ST5; YES), the vehicle control unit 23 instructs the vehicle system 6 to report an abnormality to the warning target around the vehicle (step ST6).
For example, an abnormality is reported to the following vehicle by sounding a horn or blinking a hazard lamp.

Next, the vehicle control unit 23 instructs the vehicle system 6 to guide the vehicle to a stop location and stop it (step ST7). For example, the vehicle is decelerated to a certain speed or less, the steering control ECU of the vehicle system 6 is instructed and steered, and the vehicle is guided to a stop location and stopped.
Thereafter, the communication unit 24 transmits an emergency signal to the traffic information center 7 in accordance with an instruction from the vehicle control unit 23 (step ST8).

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the vehicle stop system 1 is provided so as to be operable from a passenger in a place other than the driver's seat in the vehicle, and requests the vehicle control unit 23 to stop the vehicle. A stop request switch 40 is provided. When the vehicle control unit 23 is requested to stop the vehicle by operating the stop request switch 40, the vehicle control unit 23 stops the vehicle at the stop location selected by the selection unit 22 regardless of the determination result by the evaluation unit 21. To control.
By comprising in this way, regardless of the determination result by the evaluation part 21, a vehicle can be automatically stopped by the passenger's judgment in the place which does not obstruct the passage of other vehicles.
For example, if the driver's arousal level is high, but it is determined that the driver is not in a normal psychological state and should not continue driving when viewed by the passenger, the vehicle is stopped regardless of the driver's arousal level. Can be stopped appropriately.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, when the cancel operation is accepted after the stop of the vehicle is requested by the operation of the stop request switch 40, the vehicle control unit 23 releases the control for stopping the vehicle at the stop position. . With this configuration, the driver can continue driving the vehicle when the passenger's judgment is incorrect and the driver can drive appropriately.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, the cancel operation is a brake operation of the vehicle by the driver. With this configuration, it is possible to release the stop control only by appropriately performing the brake operation without the driver performing a special operation.

  Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the stop request switch 40 is provided in the navigation system 4 installed at a location where it can be operated by a passenger in the vehicle. The navigation system 4 notifies the vehicle control unit 23 of a vehicle stop request received by operating the stop request switch 40. Thereby, the stop request switch 40 that can be operated by both the driver and the passenger can be realized.

  Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the navigation system 4 includes the operation unit 42 that accepts a cancel operation, and after the stop request switch 40 is operated to stop the vehicle, the operation unit 42 performs a cancel operation. When accepted, the vehicle control unit 23 is notified that a cancel operation has been performed. Thus, by accepting the cancel operation by the operation unit 42 of the navigation system 4, a cancel operation that can be operated by both the driver and the passenger can be realized.

  In the present invention, any component of the embodiment can be modified or any component of the embodiment can be omitted within the scope of the invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle stop system, 2 Control part, 3 Driver state detection apparatus, 4 Navigation system, 5 Sonar system, 6 Vehicle system, 7 Traffic information center, 20 Driver information acquisition part, 21 Evaluation part, 22 Selection part, 23 Vehicle Control unit, 24 communication unit, 40 stop request switch, 41 display unit, 42 operation unit, 410 navigation screen.

Claims (6)

An evaluation unit that evaluates the awakening level of the driver of the vehicle and determines whether or not the driver should continue driving, and when the evaluation unit determines that the driver should not continue driving, A vehicle stop system comprising: a selection unit that selects a parking lot that stops the vehicle; and a vehicle control unit that controls the vehicle to stop at the parking lot selected by the selection unit,
It is provided so that it can be operated from a passenger in a place other than the driver's seat in the vehicle, and includes a stop request switch for requesting the vehicle control unit to stop the vehicle,
When the vehicle control unit is requested to stop the vehicle by operating the stop request switch, the vehicle control unit stops at the parking lot selected by the selection unit regardless of the determination result by the evaluation unit. Vehicle stop system to control. The said vehicle control part cancels | releases the control which stops the said vehicle at a parking lot , if cancellation operation is received after the stop of the said vehicle is requested | required by operation of the said stop request | requirement switch. Vehicle stop system.   3. The vehicle stop system according to claim 2, wherein the cancel operation is a brake operation of the vehicle by the driver. The stop request switch is provided in an in-vehicle device installed in a place that can be operated from the passenger in the vehicle,
2. The vehicle stop system according to claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle device notifies the vehicle control unit of a stop request of the vehicle received by operating the stop request switch.   The in-vehicle device includes an operation unit that accepts a cancel operation. When a cancel operation is accepted in the operation unit after the stop request of the vehicle is requested by an operation of the stop request switch, the cancel operation is performed. The vehicle stop system according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle control unit is notified.   6. The vehicle stop system according to claim 4, wherein the in-vehicle device is a navigation system.

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