JP6579183B2 - Driving assistance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device.

  The driver of the vehicle recognizes various situations in the next driving scene according to changes in road conditions (for example, straight travel, curve driving, right turn, left turn, merge, etc.), and what kind of driving operation is performed based on this recognition. It is determined whether or not to perform the driving operation based on the determination result. And this recognition, judgment, and operation are frequently performed while driving.

  The judgment based on the cognitive behavior and cognition for the next driving scene has a considerably large input amount to the driving resource (the driving load becomes large). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151561 discloses that information is provided according to the driving scene after switching when the driving scene is switched.

JP 2013-250633 A

  By the way, the information recognizing ability that can be exhibited by the driver is considerably different for each driver, and even for the same driver, the information recognizing ability is different depending on the physical condition and mental state at that time. Therefore, even if the support information provided for the next driving scene is the same, there are cases where information is excessive or information is insufficient due to a difference in information recognition ability of the driver.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to appropriately provide support information for the next driving scene according to the information recognition ability of the driver. It is to provide a driving assistance device.

In order to achieve the above object, the following solution is adopted in the present invention. That is, as described in claim 1,
Cognitive timing estimation means for estimating the timing of the driver's cognitive behavior for the next driving scene,
Support information providing means for providing support information corresponding to the next driving scene to the driver before the timing of the cognitive behavior estimated by the recognition timing estimating means;
Information recognition ability estimation means for estimating the information recognition ability of the driver;
A providing mode changing unit that changes a mode of providing support information by the support information providing unit according to the information recognition capability estimated by the information recognition capability estimating unit;
Bei to give a,
The support information providing means is configured to display a driver's line of sight;
The providing mode changing means causes the visual guidance provided by the support information providing means to be displayed more distantly as the information recognition ability estimated by the information recognition ability estimating means is higher.
It is Unishi.

According to the above-described solution method, it is possible to appropriately provide support information for the next driving scene according to the information recognition ability of the driver, and it is possible to prevent the information from becoming excessive or insufficient. Preferred above. In addition to the above, when the information recognition ability is high, it is preferable to guide the line of sight far away and let the driver fully recognize the distant information, and also to recognize the behavior for the next driving scene It is also preferable for improving the driving skill by reducing the number of times of performing. On the other hand, when the information recognition ability is low, it is assumed that the line of sight is guided to the vicinity, so that the situation where the distant information is unnecessarily recognized is prevented, and the driver is confused with information processing. It is also preferable for preventing the above.

A preferred mode based on the above solution is as described in claim 2 and the following. That is,
The providing mode changing means increases the amount of support information provided by the support information providing means as the information recognition ability estimated by the information recognition ability estimating means increases (corresponding to claim 2). In this case, when the information recognition ability is high, it is preferable to sufficiently provide support information so that the mind for the next driving scene can be sufficiently taken.

Further comprising required driving ability estimating means for estimating the required driving ability required of the driver in response to the traffic environment around the host vehicle,
The provision mode changing unit corrects the amount of support information provided by the support information providing unit to decrease as the required driving capability estimated by the required capability estimating unit increases.
(Corresponding to claim 3 ). In this case, in a situation where the required driving ability is high, the driver must pay close attention to the surrounding environment including the vicinity of the host vehicle. Sufficient attention can be given to grasping.

Further comprising required driving ability estimating means for estimating the required driving ability required of the driver in response to the traffic environment around the host vehicle,
The provision mode changing unit corrects the display of the gaze guidance provided by the support information providing unit to be a gaze guidance closer to the vicinity as the required driving capability estimated by the required capability estimation unit is higher.
(Corresponding to claim 4 ). In this case, in a situation where the required driving ability is high, the driver must pay close attention to the surrounding environment including the vicinity of the own vehicle, so it is unnecessary by guiding the line of sight so that the line of sight is directed to the vicinity. Therefore, it is preferable to prevent a situation where the user is distracted by information far away.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, provision of the assistance information performed toward the next driving scene can be performed appropriately according to the driver's information recognition ability.

The figure which shows simply the example of the condition where a driving scene switches. The figure which shows the relationship between the action pattern which a driver | operator performs toward the next driving scene, and the amount of driving | running | working resource inputs, and support information provision time. The figure which shows the timing of cognitive action. The figure which shows the condition which switches a map display according to a driver | operator's information recognition capability. The figure which shows collectively an example of the support information provided toward the next driving scene. The figure which shows the condition which is performing gaze guidance. The figure which shows the relationship between a required driving capability and driving performance. The figure which shows the example of a control system of this invention. The flowchart which shows the example of control of this invention.

  First, in FIG. 1, an example of a situation where the driving scene is switched will be described. In the figure, D1 is a home as a starting point, and D2 is a destination. The vehicle (own vehicle) is supposed to move along the route set by the navigation device from the home D1 to the destination D2. There are seven driving scenes of ○ 1 and ○ 7 in the travel route (“○ 1” means the number “1” surrounded by “○” marks, and ○ 2 , ○ 3 etc.). The driving scenes ○ 1 and ○ 7 are as shown in the lower part of FIG.

  FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the cognitive behavior performed by the driver in preparation for the next driving scene and the amount of driving resource input at that time when switching from the current driving scene to the next driving scene. Note that the greater the driving resource input, the greater the driving load on the driver.

  The driver first performs a cognitive action before the next driving scene. This cognitive behavior includes, for example, traffic volume in the next driving scene, road structure (for example, road width, road intersection complexity, etc.), weather, traffic participants (for example, pedestrians, bicycles, etc.), and driving conditions (for example, other vehicles). The distance between the vehicle and the vehicle performance (for example, brake performance, etc.).

  Based on the recognition, the driver determines how to operate the host vehicle, and then performs the determined driving operation. If the driver can quickly know the situation in the next driving scene, the burden for recognition is greatly reduced, and driving with a margin can be performed. In particular, since the amount of driving resource input increases in the area where recognition and determination are performed, it is extremely preferable if the driver can know the support information for the next driving scene before taking the cognitive action.

  The provision timing of the support information provided for the next driving scene is as follows in the embodiment. That is, in FIG. 2, the basic provision timing is a predetermined time tb (for example, 1.5 seconds before) from the timing (start timing) of the driver's cognitive behavior toward the next driving scene. And according to the content and quantity of the support information to be provided, and the providing method, the support information can be provided further forward from tb as the basic provision timing. In this case, the provision of the support information is not performed more than a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) from the timing of the cognitive action (the driver does not feel bothered because the provision of the support information is too early). ).

  FIG. 3 shows the basic setting of the timing for performing the cognitive behavior when the driving scene changes as shown in FIG. That is, from the route information (route information), the timing at which the driver will perform the cognitive behavior is automatically predicted in advance, and the timing of this automatic prediction is indicated by white stars in the figure.

  The support information provided for the next driving scene includes at least a map display in the next driving scene (initial time) (for example, the driving route of the next driving scene is shown in FIG. 4). (A map display of either (A) or (C)).

  The map display in FIG. 4 serves as support information. If the display shown in FIG. 4B is a normal display, the display shown in FIG. 4A is a bird's eye view over a wider range. Display, which increases the amount of information. In addition, the display indicated by (C) in the figure is a local display in a narrower range than the display indicated by (B), and is a display in which the amount of information is reduced.

  As support information, in addition to the map display, for example, information as shown in FIG. 5 is also provided. That is, each of them corresponds to the next driving scene, store information around the route (in the embodiment, limited to the type of store that the driver has chosen to provide in advance), speed limit information, accident frequent section information, The information regarding the presence or absence of a parked vehicle on the shoulder, and information regarding a pedestrian (particularly a pedestrian heading for the road in the next driving scene). Of course, the support information is not limited to this.

  FIG. 6 shows an arrangement example of an eye camera and a head-up display on a vehicle. In the figure, P is a driver, and an eye camera S3 directed to the position of the eyes of the driver P is disposed at a front upper position (for example, near the rearview mirror). The driver's mental state and physical condition are also detected by the eye camera S3. In addition, in order to detect a driver | operator's physical condition and mental state, it can carry out by appropriate methods, such as using the sensor which detects a heart rate separately, and the sensor which detects perspiration, so that it may mention later. Assuming that the eye camera S3 also captures the face of the driver P, the physical condition and mental state can be estimated based on the facial expression of the driver.

  A projector 11 in a head-up display is disposed on the upper surface of the instrument panel 10. The support information displayed (projected) on the front windshield 12 by the projector 11 is indicated by the symbol α. The line-of-sight direction of the driver P is guided by changing the height position of the support information α. In particular, the higher the display position of the support information α, the closer the line of sight is guided. The support information α can be displayed in front of the front window glass 12 (virtual image display in the front space). In addition, the support information α may be a dot display or a blinking display for performing only the line-of-sight guidance, but the support information is displayed for the next driving scene (for example, display of speed limit information). You can also.

  Next, the required driving capacity and driving performance will be described. First, the required driving ability will be described. The driver needs to drive the vehicle so as to adapt to the traffic environment. Various factors are related to the traffic environment. For example, traffic volume, road structure (for example, road width, complexity of road intersection, etc.), weather, traffic participants (for example, pedestrians, bicycles, etc.), running conditions ( For example, the distance between other vehicles), vehicle structure (difference between AT / MT vehicles, vehicle size, etc.), vehicle performance (eg, brake performance, etc.), and the like are related. Therefore, the driver is required to have a driving ability adapted to the traffic environment according to various factors of the traffic environment (for example, careful steering operation, attention to jumping out, attention to the movement of other vehicles, dead angle) ). The driving capability required due to the actual traffic environment is defined as the required driving capability. That is, it can be grasped as required driving ability D = traffic environment factor Dt.

  On the other hand, the driver has a driving skill for driving the vehicle in accordance with the traffic environment. However, the driving skill is not always exerted to the maximum according to the physical state (body) and mental state (mind) of the driver. Based on the driving skill, physical condition (physical condition), and mental state, if the driving ability that the driver can actually exhibit at the present time is defined as the driving performance, the driving performance is expressed by the following equation.

Driving performance P = Driving skill factor Ps, physical factor Pp, mental factor Pm
The driving performance P described above can be grasped as the information recognition ability of the driver. That is, it can be determined that the information recognition ability is higher as the driving performance P is higher.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram in which driving performance P that is information recognition capability and required driving capability D are set as parameters. In the figure, B1 and B2 have the same required driving capability D, and B2 has a higher driving performance P than B1. Compared with B1 and B2, the information recognition ability is high in B2, so the amount of support information for the next driving scene is increased compared to B1, and the driver is further guided to the line of sight. The

  On the other hand, B11 and B12 have the same driving performance P, but B12 has a higher required driving capacity D than B11. Compared to B11 and B12, since the required driving ability D is higher in B12, the amount of support information for the next driving scene is reduced compared to B11, and the driver guides the driver to the vicinity. Is done.

  In FIG. 7, the driving performance P and the required driving ability D are balanced in the L line and the surrounding area, and the driving performance P can be appropriately exhibited according to the required driving ability D. This is a preferable area for giving a sense of security and reliability.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a control system of the present invention. In the figure, U is a controller configured using a microcomputer. The controller U includes a storage unit M and a control unit C. The memory | storage part M has the driving history part D1 which memorize | stores a driving history, and the change data part D2. The control unit C includes an estimation unit D3 that estimates the driving performance P, an estimation unit D4 that estimates the required driving capability D, and a change unit D5.

  In the estimation part D3, the present driving performance P is estimated based on driving history data. The estimation unit D4 estimates the required driving capacity D based on the driving history data. The changing unit D5 performs a process of increasing or decreasing the required driving capacity D and the driving performance P based on the change table D2.

  In principle, the estimation unit D3 that estimates the driving performance P evaluates the accelerator operation, the brake operation, and the steering operation by the driver based on the driving history data, calculates the driving skill factor Ps, and also calculates the driving performance factor Ps. The amount of decrease (Pp, Pm) according to the state (physical state, mental state) is calculated, and these differences are output as driving performance P.

  In order to calculate the driving skill Ps, sensor data such as speed, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, yaw rate, accelerator opening, engine speed, AT gear position, brake switch, brake hydraulic pressure, steering angle, steering torque, and the like are used. For example, acceleration stability, steering angle stability, speed stability, brake timing, and the like are evaluated and scored by comparing them with the driving operation ideal model (example data) separately stored in the storage unit M. The The storage unit M constantly acquires sensor data and updates the operation history 24. Along with this, the estimation unit D3 updates the driving skill factor Ps. The evaluation of the driving skill factor Ps is not limited to the evaluation method as described above, and other evaluation methods may be applied.

  In order to calculate the physical factor Pp and the mental factor Pm, at least one of in-vehicle image data, biological data, and voice data at the time of calculation is used. The estimation unit D3 can perform, for example, driver's facial expression, posture analysis, and the like based on in-vehicle image data. In addition, it is possible to analyze the driver's stress, tension, fatigue, and the like based on biometric data (pulse, heartbeat, sweating). In addition, emotion analysis can be performed using the endocrine model based on voice data. From these analyses, the physical factor Pp and the mental factor Pm can be calculated by evaluating the driver's physical condition (sleepiness, fatigue level, health condition, etc.). The evaluation of the body factor Pp and the mental factor Pm is not limited to the above evaluation method, and other evaluation methods may be applied.

  The estimation unit D3 can detect, for example, the movement of the eyelid from the image data and determine the presence or absence of drowsiness from the position of the eyelid. When there is drowsiness, the body factor Pp is set to a predetermined value. Further, when it is determined by emotion analysis using voice data that the driver is in a tension state, the mental factor Pm is set to a predetermined value.

  The estimation unit D4 that estimates the required driving capability D evaluates the current traffic environment (acquires Dt) based on the sensor data, and outputs the required driving capability D that is scored. In order to calculate the traffic environment factor Dt, the estimation unit D4 analyzes the traffic volume, road structure, weather, traffic participants, driving state, vehicle structure, and vehicle performance, and calculates an evaluation value for the traffic environment. To do.

  For example, it is possible to obtain basic evaluation information related to traffic volume from traffic data by vehicle-infrastructure communication. Evaluation basic information on road structures (lane width, etc.), traffic participants, and (existence, number, type) can be obtained from image data outside the vehicle by the camera outside the vehicle. Evaluation basic information about the road structure can be obtained from the map information obtained by the navigation device. Evaluation basic information relating to the running state (distance between the vehicles) can be obtained from the object data outside the vehicle by the radar. Based on this evaluation basic information, the estimation unit D4 can evaluate the traffic environment using the traffic environment conversion table stored in the storage unit M, and score it.

  The controller U includes a navigation device S1 (map data, route information, GPS position information), a communication device S2 that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication and road-to-vehicle communication (obtains information on pedestrians and roadside parking vehicles existing in the next driving scene). ), A signal from the eye camera S3 for detecting the movement of the driver's eyes and the like is input. In addition, the controller U obtains various information (for example, accelerator opening, brake operation amount, steering wheel operation amount) for obtaining the driving history, and the front camera for estimation by the estimation units D3 and D4. Various information (especially information related to the traffic environment) from the captured front image, biometric information and mental information from a sweat sensor, a heart rate sensor, etc. separately provided in addition to the eye camera S3 are also input. The input sources are collectively indicated by S4.

  And controller U controls display screen S11 (display screen for navigation), speaker S12, and head-up display S13 in order to provide support information. When displaying the support information on the screen, for example, a display screen for the navigation device may be used (support information is displayed together with the map information). In addition, a display screen for the navigation device is provided separately. A display screen may be used, and an appropriate one such as one using the front window glass 12 in front of the driver as a display screen (head-up display) can be adopted.

  Next, an example of control by the controller U will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9, and Q indicates a step in the following description. In the embodiment, the information recognition ability of the driver is basically grasped as the driving performance P, while the driving performance P (that is, the information recognition ability) is substantially reduced as the required driving ability D increases. I have to do it.

  Based on the above, first, the driving performance P is estimated in Q1 of FIG. Next, the required driving capacity D is estimated at Q2.

  After Q2, in Q3, map information and route information (for example, a route from home D1 to destination D2 shown in FIG. 1) are read. In Q4, the timing of the cognitive action is automatically set from the route information. Thereafter, in Q5, it is determined whether or not the timing of the cognitive behavior has been approached. If the determination of Q5 is NO, the process of Q5 is repeated. If YES in Q5, all support information that can be provided for the next driving scene is read (detected) in Q6.

  In Q7, among the support information read in Q6, support information J corresponding to driving performance P is set. The assistance information amount J increases as the driving performance P increases. In Q7, the distance L to the front target position for guiding the driver's line of sight is set according to the driving performance P. The distance L is increased as the driving performance P is increased (the line of sight is guided further away).

  In Q8, the support information amount J set in Q7 is corrected as the support information amount JA according to the required driving ability D. That is, it is corrected so that the degree of decrease in the amount of support information J increases as the required driving capacity D increases. In Q8, the distance L set in Q7 is corrected as the distance LA according to the required driving ability D. That is, correction is performed so that the degree of decrease in the distance L increases as the required driving capacity D increases.

  After Q8, the support information amount JA is displayed in Q9. Further, the information display α is displayed on the front window glass 12 so that the line of sight is guided to the position of the front distance LA.

  Here, when increasing or decreasing the amount of support information, prioritize each of the support information in advance (increase the priority of information related to safety and danger), and in normal times, give priority to the medium priority from the higher priority Support information up to the rank can be displayed. When the information recognition ability is high, the support information to be displayed can be increased in order of priority, and when the information recognition ability is low, the support information can be decreased in the order of low priority. Further, the level of information recognition ability can be set more finely, and for example, the display of support information as shown in FIG. 5 can be increased or decreased one by one.

  The provision of the support information is not limited to the display on the display screen, but can also be performed by voice (provision of support information by hearing). In particular, when the information recognition ability is low, support information related to safety and danger is performed by voice, while other support information can be displayed on a display screen (providing visual support information). And the increase / decrease in the amount of support information according to information recognition ability can also be limited to the support information provided visually.

  Here, when the line-of-sight guidance is performed further away, a distance corresponding to two driving scenes can be set as the target position. For example, in FIG. 1, when providing support information immediately before the timing of the cognitive behavior toward the driving scene ○ 2, normally, the distance L1 (for example, 150 m) traveled in the next driving scene ○ 2 is set. A target position may be set, but a distance (= L1 + L2, for example, 150 m) obtained by adding a distance L2 (for example, 50 m) that is traveled in the next driving scene 3 can be set as the target position for gaze guidance. . In particular, when the driving performance is higher than a preset threshold value, for example, by reducing the distance to guide the line of sight, the number of cognitive actions performed for the next driving scene may be reduced. Thus, it is possible to improve the driving skill.

  Here, it is conceivable that the provision of the support information is assumed to be a factor that reduces the required driving ability D. When such an idea is adopted, since the required driving ability D decreases as the amount of support information increases, it can be considered that the information recognition ability increases accordingly. That is, it is conceivable to correct the driving performance P, which is the information recognition capability, with the required driving capability D after it is assumed that the driving performance P is reduced by providing the support information. In other words, in FIG. 7, when the driving performance P in the region above the L line is greater than the required driving capability D, or the driving performance P in the region above the L line is less than the required driving capability D, It is also possible to perform control such that the amount of support information is changed to be as close to the L line as possible.

  Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and appropriate modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, the estimation of the timing of the cognitive behavior is automatically set according to the travel route, while the timing of the cognitive behavior after correction is corrected by correcting the gaze movement or blinking performed by the driver for the cognitive behavior. Can be stored and updated in association with the travel route as the timing of the final cognitive behavior (the timing of the cognitive behavior can be estimated more accurately when traveling on the same route thereafter). The information recognition ability of the driver can be estimated by an appropriate method. For example, correction according to the required driving ability D can be avoided. Of course, the object of the present invention is not limited to what is explicitly stated, but also implicitly includes providing what is substantially preferred or expressed as an advantage.

  The present invention is preferable in reducing the burden on the driver.

U: Controller M: Storage unit C: Control unit D3: Estimation unit (operation performance)
D4: Estimating unit (required driving capacity)
S1: Navigation device S2: Communication device S3: Eye camera S4: Various sensors S11: Display screen S12: Speaker S13: Head-up display P: Driver 10: Instrument panel 11: Projector α: Support information (for visual guidance) )

Claims (4)

Cognitive timing estimation means for estimating the timing of the driver's cognitive behavior for the next driving scene,
Support information providing means for providing support information corresponding to the next driving scene to the driver before the timing of the cognitive behavior estimated by the recognition timing estimating means;
Information recognition ability estimation means for estimating the information recognition ability of the driver;
A providing mode changing unit that changes a mode of providing support information by the support information providing unit according to the information recognition capability estimated by the information recognition capability estimating unit;
Bei to give a,
The support information providing means is configured to display a driver's line of sight;
The providing mode changing means causes the visual guidance provided by the support information providing means to be displayed more distantly as the information recognition ability estimated by the information recognition ability estimating means is higher.
Driving support device comprising a call. In claim 1,
The driving support apparatus, wherein the providing mode changing unit increases the amount of support information provided by the support information providing unit as the information recognition capability estimated by the information recognition capability estimating unit increases. In claim 2,
Further comprising required driving ability estimating means for estimating the required driving ability required of the driver in response to the traffic environment around the host vehicle,
The provision mode changing unit corrects the amount of support information provided by the support information providing unit to decrease as the required driving capability estimated by the required capability estimating unit increases.
A driving support device characterized by that. In claim 1 ,
Further comprising required driving ability estimating means for estimating the required driving ability required of the driver in response to the traffic environment around the host vehicle,
The provision mode changing unit corrects the display of the gaze guidance provided by the support information providing unit to be a gaze guidance closer to the vicinity as the required driving capability estimated by the required capability estimation unit is higher.
A driving support device characterized by that.

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