JP6618636B2 - Notification control device and notification control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a notification control apparatus and a notification control method for notifying a driver who is traveling in an automatic driving manner regarding operation of a device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been disclosed a technique for performing a cancellation notice of automatic driving in a vehicle traveling in automatic driving (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the driver can prepare in advance when the vehicle shifts from the automatic driving to the manual driving by performing the automatic driving cancellation notice.

JP 2015-230573 A

  When the vehicle is traveling by manual driving, the driver cannot view video content such as a television due to travel operation restrictions. Here, the traveling operation restriction means that the operation by the driver is restricted while the vehicle is traveling by manual driving by the driver. For example, in the case of video content, the video is not displayed while the vehicle is running and is limited to only audio. As described above, the travel operation restriction is a concept including a video viewing restriction.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling in an automatic driving that automatically performs all of acceleration, steering, and braking, the driver can view the video content. However, if the driver is watching video content while driving in automatic driving, manual driving will be effective when automatic driving is canceled, and the driving operation restriction will be effective. There is a possibility of dissatisfaction because it is interrupted without. If the driver knows in advance when the travel operation restriction is effective, the driver can take measures such as temporarily stopping and recording the video content being viewed. Further, if video content recording is started before the travel operation restriction becomes effective, it is possible to suppress power consumption required for viewing the video content thereafter.

  In Patent Document 1, since the driver does not give notice of canceling the automatic driving in consideration of the driving operation restriction, the driver does not know when the driving operation restriction is effective and cannot take measures in advance. There is room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a notification control device and a notification control method capable of suppressing power consumption.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a notification control apparatus according to the present invention includes an operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information that is information related to an operation of a device by a driver in a vehicle that is traveling in an automatic operation, and an operation information acquisition unit Based on the operation information acquired by the vehicle and a predetermined automatic driving plan for the vehicle, the control for notifying that the operation of the device is restricted when the automatic operation is canceled before the operation of the device is restricted. The operation information includes information related to video content being viewed by the driver .

In addition, the notification control method according to the present invention acquires operation information that is information related to operation of a device by a driver in a vehicle that is traveling in automatic driving, the acquired operation information, and a predetermined vehicle automatic driving plan information, have row control for notifying before releasing operation of the device that the operation of the device is limited with the automatic operation is limited, the operation information, the driver related to the video content being viewed based on Including

  According to the present invention, the notification control device includes an operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information that is information related to an operation of a device by a driver in a vehicle that is traveling in an automatic operation, the operation information that the operation information acquisition unit has acquired, It is possible to reduce power consumption because it is equipped with a control unit that performs control to notify in advance that the operation of the device is restricted with the cancellation of automatic driving based on a predetermined automatic driving plan of the vehicle It becomes.

  Further, the notification control method acquires operation information that is information related to the operation of a device by a driver in a vehicle that is traveling in automatic driving, and is based on the acquired operation information and a predetermined automatic driving plan for the vehicle. Since the control is performed to notify in advance that the operation of the device is restricted with the cancellation of the automatic operation, it is possible to suppress power consumption.

  Objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the alerting | reporting control apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the alerting | reporting control apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the alerting | reporting control apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the alerting | reporting control apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display in the alerting | reporting control apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the alerting | reporting control apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the alerting | reporting control system by embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment>
<Configuration>
First, the configuration of the notification control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a notification control device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 shows the minimum necessary configuration for configuring the notification control apparatus according to the present embodiment. In addition, the notification control device 1 is mounted on a vehicle, and the vehicle can be switched between automatic driving for automatically performing all of acceleration, steering, and braking, and manual driving by a driver.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the notification control device 1 includes an operation information acquisition unit 2 and a control unit 3. The operation information acquisition unit 2 acquires operation information that is information related to an operation of a device by a driver in a vehicle that is traveling in automatic driving. Based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 2 and a predetermined automatic driving plan for the vehicle, the control unit 3 notifies in advance that the operation of the device is restricted with the cancellation of the automatic driving. Take control.

  Next, another configuration of the notification control apparatus including the notification control apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the notification control device 4.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the notification control device 4 includes an operation information acquisition unit 2, a control unit 3, a current position information acquisition unit 5, an automatic driving plan generation unit 6, a first communication unit 7, and a second communication unit. A communication unit 8 and a display output unit 9 are provided. The 1st communication part 7 is connected so that communication with the passenger | crew state recognition apparatus 10 is possible. The second communication unit 8 is communicably connected to the mobile communication terminal 12. The display output unit 9 is connected to the display 13.

  The operation information acquisition unit 2 acquires operation information, which is information related to the operation of the device by the driver, when the vehicle is in automatic driving according to the instruction of the control unit 3. The operation information includes information to which travel operation restrictions are applied. In the present embodiment, the operation information is described as information relating to video content being viewed by the driver. Examples of video content include television programs and videos stored on DVDs. The information regarding the video content includes at least the predicted total playback time of the video content. The predicted total playback time is the time until the video content that the driver is currently viewing ends, or the time until the video content that the driver plans to view ends. As the video content scheduled to be viewed by the driver, for example, there is a TV program scheduled to be viewed by the driver, and the time until the TV program ends is assumed as the predicted total playback time.

  The current position information acquisition unit 5 acquires the current position information of the vehicle from, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System). The automatic driving plan generation unit 6 is configured to store the vehicle current position information acquired from the current position information acquisition unit 5 according to an instruction from the control unit 3, a destination set in advance by a user such as a driver, and map information storage (not shown). Based on the map information stored in the unit, an automatic driving plan for the vehicle is generated. The automatic operation plan includes a long-term automatic operation plan and a short-term automatic operation plan. A long-term automatic operation plan refers to an automatic operation plan that is performed along the route from the current position to the destination. A short-term automatic driving plan refers to an automatic driving plan that is performed based on the situation around the vehicle. The map information stored in the map information storage unit includes information on road sections where automatic driving is possible and information on positions where automatic driving is canceled. The map information storage unit may be provided inside the vehicle or may be provided outside. The automatic driving plan generation unit 6 has a function of calculating a route from the current position to the destination.

  Further, the automatic operation plan generated by the automatic operation plan generation unit 6 includes a predicted time until the automatic operation is canceled. Specifically, the automatic driving plan generation unit 6 predicts the time until the automatic driving is canceled based on the current position of the vehicle acquired from the current position information acquisition unit 5 every predetermined time and the map information. To do. The predicted time until the automatic driving is canceled is synonymous with the predicted time until the travel operation restriction is activated. Hereinafter, the predicted time until the travel operation restriction is validated will be described as the predicted time until the automatic driving is canceled. The automatic driving plan may include a position for canceling automatic driving, or may include both a predicted time until canceling automatic driving and a position for canceling automatic driving. Further, the automatic driving plan generation unit 6 may generate the automatic driving plan so that the predicted time until the automatic driving is canceled is close to the predicted total reproduction time of the video content acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 2.

  The first communication unit 7 acquires occupant state information indicating the occupant state of the vehicle from the occupant state recognition device 10 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 3. The occupant includes a driver and a passenger present in the vehicle. That is, the 1st communication part 7 has a function as a driver state information acquisition part which acquires the driver state information which is the information which shows a driver | operator's state. In this Embodiment, the 1st communication part 7 shall acquire driver state information.

  The occupant state recognition device 10 recognizes the awake state as the state of the occupant from the in-vehicle image captured by the camera 11. The occupant state recognition device 10 acquires at least a binary value of “high” or “low” as the wakefulness state of the occupant. For example, “high” in the awake state indicates a state in which the occupant is gazing at the front of the vehicle, and “low” in the awake state indicates other states. The wakefulness state of the occupant can be determined using a known technique. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the occupant state recognition device 10 recognizes the driver's arousal state.

  The occupant state recognition device 10 is not limited to recognizing the wakefulness state of the occupant, and may recognize the occupant state by other methods. For example, the occupant state recognition device 10 may recognize the degree of blur according to the state of the occupant's pupil.

  The second communication unit 8 acquires operation information from the mobile communication terminal 12 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 3. The operation information is information indicating that the passenger is operating the mobile communication terminal 12. Specifically, the operation information is, for example, information indicating that the occupant is touch-operating the mobile communication terminal 12, or whether the occupant is operating the mobile communication terminal 12 with a camera mounted on the mobile communication terminal 12. Contains information about whether or not. Examples of the mobile communication terminal 12 include a smartphone that a passenger has brought into the vehicle.

  In addition, the second communication unit 8 establishes communication with the mobile communication terminal 12 by an application installed in the mobile communication terminal 12 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 3, a message that informs the activation of the travel operation restriction, the travel operation An icon for informing the activation of the restriction or an alarm sound for informing the activation of the driving operation restriction is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 12. The message, icon, and alarm sound are generated by the control unit 3. Note that the application installed in the mobile communication terminal 12 may be, for example, a dedicated application for informing the activation of the travel operation restriction, or an existing application such as e-mail.

  The display output unit 9 outputs, to the display unit 13, a message for informing the activation of the travel operation restriction or an icon for informing the activation of the travel operation restriction in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 3. A message or icon is displayed on the display 13. Examples of the display device 13 include a HUD (Head Up Display), a display device provided on an instrument panel, and a center display.

  Based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 2 and the automatic operation plan generated by the automatic operation plan generation unit 6, the control unit 3 restricts the operation of the device with the cancellation of the automatic operation, That is, control is performed to notify in advance that the travel operation restriction is enabled. In addition, the control unit 3 controls the operation information acquisition unit 2, the automatic operation plan generation unit 6, the first communication unit 7, the second communication unit 8, and the display output unit 9.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the notification control device 4. The same applies to the notification control apparatus 1.

  The functions of the operation information acquisition unit 2, the control unit 3, the current position information acquisition unit 5, the automatic driving plan generation unit 6, the first communication unit 7, the second communication unit 8, and the display output unit 9 in the notification control device 4 are as follows. This is realized by a processing circuit. That is, the notification control device 4 obtains operation information, performs control to notify in advance that the operation of the device is restricted with the cancellation of automatic driving, acquires current position information, and generates an automatic driving plan. A processing circuit for acquiring occupant state information, communicating with the mobile communication terminal 12 and displaying the information on the display 13 is provided. The processing circuit is a processor 14 (also referred to as a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) that executes a program stored in the memory 15.

  The functions of the operation information acquisition unit 2, the control unit 3, the current position information acquisition unit 5, the automatic driving plan generation unit 6, the first communication unit 7, the second communication unit 8, and the display output unit 9 in the notification control device 4 are as follows. , Software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. Software or firmware is described as a program and stored in the memory 15. The processing circuit reads out and executes the program stored in the memory 15, thereby realizing the function of each unit. That is, the notification control device 4 acquires the operation information, performs the control to notify in advance that the operation of the device is restricted with the cancellation of the automatic operation, acquires the current position information, the automatic operation plan A memory 15 for storing a program in which a step of generating information, a step of acquiring occupant state information, a step of communicating with the mobile communication terminal 12 and a step of displaying information on the display unit 13 are executed as a result. Prepare. In addition, these programs are the procedures of the operation information acquisition unit 2, the control unit 3, the current position information acquisition unit 5, the automatic driving plan generation unit 6, the first communication unit 7, the second communication unit 8, and the display output unit 9. It can also be said that the method is executed by a computer. Here, the memory is, for example, non-volatile or volatile such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), etc. All kinds of storage media such as volatile semiconductor memory, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD, and the like are applicable.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the notification control device 4 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the notification control device 4.

  In step S <b> 1, the automatic driving plan generation unit 6, based on the instruction of the control unit 3, based on the current position information of the vehicle acquired by the current position information acquisition unit 5, the predetermined destination, and the map information, An automatic driving plan including at least the predicted time Trs until the automatic driving is canceled is generated.

  In step S <b> 2, the control unit 3 determines the predicted time Trs until the automatic driving is released included in the automatic driving plan generated by the automatic driving plan generating unit 6 and the predicted total playback time Tav of the video content acquired by the operation information acquiring unit 2. It is determined how many minutes the difference Tdiff is. Here, it is assumed that Tdiff = Tav−Trs. If Tdiff is less than 0 minutes, the process proceeds to step S3. Tdiff less than 0 minutes means that the video content ends before the automatic operation is canceled. When Tdiff is longer than 5 minutes, the process proceeds to step S4. If Tdiff is between 0 minutes and 5 minutes, the process proceeds to step S5. Tdiff equal to or greater than 0 minutes means that the video content ends at the same time as the automatic driving is canceled or the video content ends after the automatic driving is canceled. Note that 5 minutes, which is the determination criterion in step S2, is an example, and may be an arbitrary time.

  In step S <b> 3, the control unit 3 performs control to stop notification that the travel operation restriction is activated. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1. Thereby, the mobile communication terminal 12 and the display device 13 do not display the message for informing the activation of the travel operation restriction and the icon for informing the activation of the travel operation restriction. The mobile communication terminal 12 does not output an alarm that notifies the user that the travel operation restriction is valid.

  In step S <b> 4, the control unit 3 controls the mobile communication terminal 12 and the display device 13 to display an icon for informing the activation of the travel operation restriction. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1. The icon may be an icon that can at least know the estimated time Trs until the automatic driving is canceled. Thus, the driver can know the estimated time until the travel operation restriction is activated.

  In addition, the control unit 3 specifies the mobile communication terminal 12 that the occupant is operating based on the operation information acquired from the mobile communication terminal 12 via the second communication unit 8, and only the specified mobile communication terminal 12 is specified. Then, the second communication unit 8 may be controlled so as to transmit a message notifying the activation of the travel operation restriction as shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows an example in which a message is displayed on the center display as the display 13. In the example of FIG. 5, the video content is displayed on the display device 13, and an indicator indicating that it becomes impossible to view after 20 minutes is displayed as a message. The period from 5 minutes to 20 minutes after the indicator indicates a period during which the occupant prepares for switching from automatic operation to manual operation. The message is not limited to the example in FIG. 5 and may be a message indicating that the travel operation restriction is activated.

  In step S <b> 5, the first communication unit 7 acquires driver state information indicating the driver's arousal state from the occupant state recognition device 10 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 3. In step S <b> 6, the control unit 3 determines whether the driver's arousal state acquired by the first communication unit 7 is “high” or “low”. When the driver's arousal state is “high”, the process proceeds to step S8. When the driver's arousal state is “low”, the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S <b> 7, the second communication unit 8 transmits, to the mobile communication terminal 12, an alarm sound that notifies the activation of the travel operation restriction in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 3. The mobile communication terminal 12 outputs an alarm sound.

  In step S <b> 8, the control unit 3 controls the display output unit 9 to display a message for informing the display device 13 that the travel operation restriction has been activated. In addition, the second communication unit 8 transmits a message notifying the activation of the travel operation restriction to the mobile communication terminal 12 according to the instruction of the control unit 3. The display 13 and the mobile communication terminal 12 display a message for informing the activation of the travel operation restriction as shown in FIG.

  If the driver is watching a TV program in step S8, a screen that allows the driver to select whether or not to record the TV program currently being viewed may be displayed on the display 13. In this case, when the driver selects to record the television program, the display of the television program on the display device 13 is stopped and the television program is recorded.

<Modification>
Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the notification control device 16 according to a modification.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the notification control device 16 is connected to an automatic operation control device 17. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the notification control device 4 shown in FIG.

  The automatic driving control device 17 generates an automatic driving plan, and controls acceleration, steering, and braking of the vehicle based on the generated automatic driving plan. The automatic operation plan generated by the automatic operation control device 17 includes time information until the automatic operation is canceled.

  The control unit 3 directly acquires the time information from the automatic operation control device 17 to the automatic operation cancellation, rather than acquiring the automatic operation plan including the predicted time until the automatic operation cancellation generated by the automatic operation plan generation unit 6. It is possible to acquire the time until the automatic driving is canceled earlier. For example, when it is determined that the estimated time until the automatic driving is canceled is within one minute, the control unit 3 may acquire information on the time until the automatic driving is canceled from the automatic driving control device 17. Specifically, the first communication unit 7 acquires information on the time from the automatic driving control device 17 until the automatic driving is canceled according to the instruction of the control unit 3.

  In a situation where the estimated time until the automatic driving is canceled is less than 1 minute, when the driver is viewing the video content, the video content may be automatically recorded.

  From the above, according to the present embodiment, since the driver is informed in advance that the operation of the device is restricted along with the cancellation of the automatic operation, that is, the travel operation restriction is enabled, the driver The video content being viewed can be recorded before the travel operation restriction is activated. If video content recording is started, it is possible to reduce power consumption required for viewing the video content thereafter.

  Note that the notification control device 4 shown in FIG. 2 and the notification control device 16 shown in FIG. 6 may output an alarm sound that notifies the activation of the travel operation restriction from a speaker (not shown).

  The notification control device described above is not only a vehicle-mounted navigation device, that is, a car navigation device, but also a navigation device or navigation constructed as a system by appropriately combining a PND (Portable Navigation Device) and a server that can be mounted on a vehicle. The present invention can be applied to apparatuses other than the apparatus. In this case, each function or each component of the notification control device is distributed and arranged in each function that constructs the system.

  Specifically, as an example, the function of the notification control device can be arranged in a server or a mobile communication terminal. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a notification control device 18, an occupant state recognition device 10, a camera 11, a mobile communication terminal 12, and a display 13 are provided on the vehicle side, and an automatic driving plan generation unit 6 is provided in the server 19. Thus, a notification control system can be constructed. The same applies to the notification control device 16 shown in FIG. In this case, the notification control device 18 acquires an automatic driving plan including the predicted time until cancellation of the automatic driving from the server 19.

  In addition, not the server 19 but the mobile communication terminal 12 may include the automatic driving plan generation unit 6. In this case, the notification control device 18 acquires an automatic driving plan including a predicted time until cancellation of the automatic driving from the mobile communication terminal 12.

  Even if it is a case where it is said structure, the effect similar to said embodiment is acquired.

  Further, software (notification control method) for executing the operation in the above-described embodiment may be incorporated in, for example, a server or a mobile communication terminal.

  Specifically, as an example, the above-described notification control method acquires operation information that is information related to an operation of a device by a driver in a vehicle that is traveling in an automatic operation, the acquired operation information, and a predetermined vehicle Based on the automatic operation plan, control is performed to notify in advance that the operation of the device is restricted with the cancellation of the automatic operation.

  As described above, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained by operating the software for executing the operation of the above-described embodiment by incorporating it in a server or a mobile communication terminal.

  In the present invention, the embodiments can be appropriately modified and omitted within the scope of the invention.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is understood that countless variations that are not illustrated can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information control apparatus, 2 Operation information acquisition part, 3 Control part, 4 Information control apparatus, 5 Current position information acquisition part, 6 Automatic driving plan production | generation part, 7 1st communication part, 8 2nd communication part, 9 Display output part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Passenger state recognition apparatus, 11 Camera, 12 Portable communication terminal, 13 Display, 14 Processor, 15 Memory, 16 Notification control apparatus, 17 Automatic driving control apparatus, 18 Notification control apparatus, 19 Server

Claims (9)

An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information that is information related to the operation of the device by the driver in a vehicle that is running in automatic driving;
And the operation information in which the operation information acquiring unit acquires, based on the automatic operation plan of the vehicle to a predetermined operation of the device that the operation of the device is limited with the release of the automatic operation A control unit that performs control to notify before being restricted ,
The operation control information is a notification control apparatus including information related to video content being viewed by the driver . The control unit determines whether the automatic operation is canceled according to a difference between an estimated time until the automatic operation included in the automatic operation plan is canceled and a time at which the video content ends. The operation of the device is determined to determine whether or not the content is to be terminated, and the operation of the device is restricted along with the cancellation of the automatic driving when the video content does not end before the automatic driving is canceled. The notification control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the notification control is performed before notification is limited . The control unit determines that the operation of the device is restricted along with the cancellation of the automatic driving according to a difference between a predicted time until the automatic driving is canceled and a time at which the video content ends. The notification control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a notification method to be notified before operation of the device is restricted is changed. A driver state information acquisition unit that acquires driver state information that is information indicating the state of the driver ;
A display output unit that outputs a message to the display notifying that the operation of the device is restricted with the cancellation of the automatic operation;
A second communication unit for transmitting to the mobile communication terminal an alarm sound for notifying that the operation of the device is restricted with the cancellation of the message and the automatic operation ;
When the control unit determines that the driver's arousal state is “high” based on the driver state information acquired by the driver state information acquisition unit, the control unit displays the message on the display. When the display output unit is controlled to output and the second communication unit is controlled to transmit the message to the mobile communication terminal, and when the driver's arousal state is determined to be “low” Controls the second communication unit to transmit the alarm sound to the mobile communication terminal, controls the display output unit to output the message to the display, and sends the message to the mobile communication terminal The notification control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second communication unit is controlled so as to transmit to the terminal. The control unit performs control to notify the device being operated by the driver that the operation of the device is restricted when the automatic operation is canceled before the operation of the device is restricted. The notification control device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit controls the operation of the device with respect to the mobile communication terminal existing in the vehicle that is communicably connected to the notification control device , with the operation of the device being restricted along with the release of the automatic driving. The notification control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification control is performed before notification is limited .   The notification control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires information on the automatic driving plan from outside. The notification control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the automatic driving plan is planned so that the automatic driving is canceled in accordance with a time when the video content ends. Obtain operation information, which is information related to the operation of equipment by the driver in a vehicle that is running in automatic driving,
Based on the acquired operation information and a predetermined automatic driving plan for the vehicle, before the operation of the device is restricted, the operation of the device is restricted with the release of the automatic driving. have line control to inform the,
The notification control method , wherein the operation information includes information related to video content being viewed by the driver .

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