JP6790440B2 - Driving support device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a driving support device for improving a driver state related to attention.

Patent Document 1 knows a technique for giving an alarm by displaying on a liquid crystal display device and / or outputting sound from a speaker when it is determined that the driver's attention deficit is insufficient based on the frequency distribution in the line-of-sight direction. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-327090

However, it is presumed that the driver repeatedly lacks attention even when an alarm as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is issued. On the other hand, it is conceivable that the alarm is continuously output, but the increase in discomfort causes a problem that the awareness of the alarm is lowered and the effect of improving the driver's state regarding attention is reduced. ..

The present invention has been made based on this circumstance, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device capable of more reliably improving a driver's state regarding attention.

The above object is achieved by a combination of the features described in the independent claims, and the sub-claims define further advantageous specific examples of the invention. The reference numerals in parentheses described in the claims indicate, as one embodiment, the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. ..

In order to achieve the above object, the driving support device of the present invention is used in a vehicle, and when the state determination unit (101) for determining the driver state regarding the attention of the driver of the vehicle and the headlight of the vehicle are lit. The state determination unit includes a change unit (104) for changing at least one of the color of the headlight, the irradiation distance, and the irradiation width according to the driver state determined by the state determination unit. As the driver's attention is paid forward, the attention state continues, the attention good state, the driver's attention is not paid forward, the careless state continues, and the attention state and the inadequate state. a distraction state where the attentional state are repeated, determined by dividing, the changing unit, when it is determined that the distraction state in a state determination unit, irradiation distance of the headlamp is Ru is changed to be shorter.

According to this, at least one of the color, irradiation distance, and irradiation width of the headlight light is changed according to the driver's state regarding attention, so that the color, irradiation distance, and irradiation width of the headlight light are changed. At least one of these can make the driver aware of changes in the driver's state with respect to attention. Since the change of the light is performed when the headlight is turned on, the driver is less likely to feel uncomfortable with the change of the originally illuminated light. Further, since the driver is less likely to cause discomfort, the decrease in awareness of the change in the light is suppressed, and the driver can more reliably notice the change in the driver state. Further, since the light of the headlight is noticed by the driver during driving, the driver can more reliably notice the change in the driver state in this respect as well. As a result, it becomes possible to more reliably improve the driver state regarding attention.

It is a figure which shows an example of the schematic structure of the driving support system 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the schematic structure of the driving support device 10. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the relationship between the default irradiation distance, the irradiation distance changed when it is determined to be "distracted", and the stop distance. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the relationship between the default irradiation range and the irradiation range when it is determined to be "distracted state". It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the light-related processing in the driving support device 10.

A plurality of embodiments and modifications for disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the parts having the same functions as the parts shown in the figures used in the explanations so far are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted among the plurality of embodiments and modifications. May be done. For the parts with the same reference numerals, the description in other embodiments and / or modifications can be referred to.

(Embodiment)
<Outline configuration of driving support system 1>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The driving support system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle and includes a driving support device 10, a DSM (Driver Status Monitor) 20, a vehicle speed sensor 30, a headlight 40, and a body ECU 50. The driving support device 10 is connected to the DSM 20, the vehicle speed sensor 30, and the body ECU 50, and the body ECU 50 is connected to the headlight 40. A vehicle equipped with the driving support system 1 is hereinafter referred to as a own vehicle.

As an example, the DSM20 is composed of a near-infrared light source, a near-infrared camera, a control unit for controlling them, and the like. The DSM20 is arranged, for example, on the upper surface of the instrument panel in a posture in which the near-infrared camera is directed toward the driver's seat side of the own vehicle. The DSM 20 uses a near-infrared camera to photograph the head of the driver irradiated with near-infrared light by a near-infrared light source. The image captured by the near-infrared camera is image-analyzed by the control unit. The control unit sequentially detects, for example, the line-of-sight direction of the driver from the captured image.

As an example, the DSM 20 detects parts such as the contour of the face, eyes, nose, and mouth by image recognition processing from the captured image obtained by capturing the driver's face with a near-infrared camera. Then, the face orientation of the driver is detected from the relative positional relationship of each part. Further, as an example, the DSM20 detects the driver's pupil and corneal reflex by image recognition processing from the captured image obtained by capturing the driver's face with a near-infrared camera, and looks at the detected pupil and the corneal reflex from the positional relationship. Detect the direction. The line-of-sight direction may be configured to detect the face direction in consideration. The DSM 20 outputs the detected driver's line-of-sight direction information to the driving support device 10.

The vehicle speed sensor 30 outputs a signal according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. An example of a signal according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is a pulse signal according to the wheel speed of the own vehicle. The headlight 40 is a device provided in the front part of the vehicle and irradiates visible light in front of the vehicle. For example, in the headlight 40, it is assumed that a plurality of LED modules in which a set of light emitting diodes (hereinafter, LEDs) of three colors of red, green, and blue are arranged in the vehicle width direction and in the vertical direction of the own vehicle. Further, the headlight 40 can change the angle of the optical axis in the vertical direction (hereinafter, simply the vertical direction) of the own vehicle by, for example, an actuator.

The body ECU 50 is an electronic control device that controls the lighting of the headlights. For example, the body ECU 50 switches the on / off of the headlight according to the position of the light switch for switching the on / off of the headlight 40. When the light switch is in the auto position, the body ECU 50 automatically controls turning on and off the headlights according to the brightness of the surroundings of the vehicle.

When the headlight 40 is lit, the body ECU 50 produces white light by simultaneously emitting three-color LEDs to mix the colors, and causes the headlight 40 to illuminate the white light. Further, the body ECU 50 changes the color of the light from the headlight 40 by controlling the light emission of each of the three color LEDs and changing the mixing ratio.

In addition, the body ECU 50 changes the irradiation distance by changing the angle of the optical axis of the headlight 40 in the vertical direction. For example, the irradiation distance may be the maximum distance at which the light is irradiated to the road surface when the vehicle is located on a horizontal road surface. The body ECU 50 shortens the irradiation distance by tilting the optical axis of the headlight downward, while also returning the length of the irradiation distance by returning the optical axis upward.

The body ECU 50 may be configured to change the irradiation distance by switching between the traveling headlight (hereinafter, high beam) and the passing headlight (hereinafter, low beam) of the headlight 40. Further, the irradiation distance may be changed by changing the angle of the optical axis of the high beam in the vertical direction, or the irradiation distance may be changed by changing the angle of the optical axis of the low beam in the vertical direction. When it is necessary to finely adjust the irradiation distance, it is preferable to change the irradiation distance by changing the angle of the optical axis of the low beam and / or the high beam in the vertical direction.

Further, the body ECU 50 irradiates the headlights 40 by, for example, decreasing the number of lighting the LED modules arranged in the vehicle width direction toward the inside or increasing the number toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. Change the width. The body ECU 50 changes the irradiation width widely by increasing the number of lighting the LED modules arranged in the vehicle width direction of the headlight 40 toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, while the number of lighting the LED modules. Is reduced inward in the vehicle width direction to narrow the irradiation width.

The operation support device 10 includes a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, an I / O, and a bus connecting these, and executes various processes by executing a control program stored in the non-volatile memory. The driving support device 10 determines the driver state regarding attention for the driver of the own vehicle, and causes the body ECU 50 to perform lighting control according to the determined driver state. The details of the processing by the driving support device 10 will be described below.

<Outline configuration of driving support device 10>
Subsequently, the schematic configuration of the driving support device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The driving support device 10 includes a forward attention determination unit 100, a state determination unit 101, a vehicle speed acquisition unit 102, a stop distance estimation unit 103, and a change unit 104. A part or all of the functions executed by the driving support device 10 may be configured in hardware by one or a plurality of ICs or the like.

The forward attention determination unit 100 determines whether or not the driver of the own vehicle is paying attention to the front by using the line-of-sight direction of the driver detected by the DSM20. The determination method may be configured in the same manner as the known inattentive determination. For example, it may be determined whether or not the driver is paying attention to the front depending on whether or not the driver's line of sight is stopped within a predetermined angle range in front of the vehicle for a predetermined time or longer.

The predetermined angle range referred to here is a value that can be set arbitrarily, and is a range that allows a degree of deviation in the line-of-sight direction that is deviated from the front when the driver gazes at the traveling direction when the vehicle turns. Just do it. The predetermined time referred to here may be any time as long as it can be said that the user is watching. The forward attention determination unit 100 may be configured to determine whether or not the driver of the own vehicle is paying attention to the front by using the face direction of the driver instead of the line-of-sight direction of the driver.

The state determination unit 101 determines the driver state regarding attention. As an example, the following description will be given assuming that the driver state is classified into a "good attention state", a "distracted state", and a "distracted state". The determination of the driver state may be performed based on the attention state of the driver determined by using the determination result in the forward attention determination unit 100. The attention state referred to here means a state in which the driver's attention is paid forward.

As an example, the state determination unit 101 determines that the driver of the own vehicle is paying attention to the front by the front attention determination unit 100, and the saccade obtained from the line-of-sight direction of the driver detected by the DSM 20 is 2 per second. If it occurs more than once, it is determined to be in the caution state. Further, the state determination unit 101 determines that the state is inattentive when this condition is not satisfied. The saccade may be configured to be obtained from the change in the position of the pupil of the driver detected by the DSM20.

The state determination unit 101 determines that the attention state is "good attention state" when the attention state is continuous. For example, when the attention state is continued for 5 seconds or more, it is determined as "attention good state". On the other hand, the state determination unit 101 determines that the inattentive state is a "loose state" when the careless state is continuous. For example, when the careless state is continued for 5 seconds or more, it is determined to be a "loose state".

Further, the state determination unit 101 determines that the driver's attention is intermittently paid forward, and when the attention state and the careless state are repeated, the state determination unit 101 determines the "distracted state". For example, when the switching between the attention state and the careless state occurs a predetermined number of times within a unit time, it is determined as the "distracted state". As an example, when the switching between the attention state and the careless state occurs three times or more in 10 seconds, it may be determined as the "distracted state". According to this, since the temporal characteristics of attention can be taken into consideration, the driver state related to the attention state can be appropriately determined.

The vehicle speed acquisition unit 102 sequentially acquires the vehicle speed of the own vehicle by obtaining the vehicle speed of the own vehicle from the signals sequentially output by the vehicle speed sensor 30. The stop distance estimation unit 103 estimates the stop distance of the own vehicle from the vehicle speed of the own vehicle acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit 102. The stopping distance is the total distance of the free running distance and the braking distance. The idle running distance is the mileage from when the driver determines that the braking operation is to be performed until the braking operation is performed and the braking is actually started. The braking distance is the mileage from the start of braking to the stop of the own vehicle. The stop distance estimation unit 103 may be configured to estimate the stop distance according to the vehicle speed by using, for example, an arithmetic expression or a table showing the correspondence between the vehicle speed and the stop distance stored in the non-volatile memory in advance. Good.

When the state determination unit 101 determines that the state is "involuntary", the change unit 104 gives an instruction to the body ECU 50 to change the color of the light of the headlight 40 from white to red. According to this, by changing the color of the light to red, it is possible to remind the driver of the brake lamp of the preceding vehicle or the rotating light of the police car and improve the driver's condition. The change unit 104 may be configured to blink the headlight 40 in addition to changing the color of the light of the headlight 40 to red. According to this, it becomes possible for the driver to easily recall the brake lamp of the preceding vehicle or the revolving light of the police car by blinking the red light.

The change unit 104 gives an instruction to the body ECU 50 when the driver state determined by the state determination unit 101 changes from the "involuntary state" to the "good attention state", and headlights when the state is determined to be in the "involuntary state". The color of the light of the headlight 40 is restored more slowly than the speed at which the color of the light of the light 40 is changed. As an example, the time for changing the color of the light of the headlight 40 from white to red may be less than 1 second, whereas the time for returning from red to white may be about 10 seconds.

In a situation where the driver state is improved and the time is short, when the color of the light returns from red to white, the driver may feel relaxed and return to the "loose state". On the other hand, according to the above configuration, by slowing the time for returning the color of the light of the headlight 40, the driver state is improved and the alert is continued in a short time, and "involuntarily". Make it difficult to return to the "state". The change unit 104 may be configured to return the light of the headlight 40 from red to white while tracing an intermediate color from red to white.

When the state determination unit 101 determines that the change unit 104 is in the "distracted state", the change unit 104 gives an instruction to the body ECU 50 and determines that the irradiation distance of the headlight 40 is in the "attention good state" ( Hereinafter, the irradiation distance is changed to be shorter than the default) irradiation distance. For example, the changing unit 104 may be configured to change the irradiation distance by instructing the body ECU 50 of the angle of the optical axis of the headlight 40 according to the target irradiation distance.

Further, when the irradiation distance is changed to be shorter, the changing unit 104 is changed so that the irradiation distance becomes longer as the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit 102 increases. In a vehicle, the higher the vehicle speed, the more distant the driver needs to check. On the other hand, by changing the irradiation distance so that the larger the vehicle speed, the longer the irradiation distance, it becomes possible to obtain an irradiation area in which a range corresponding to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle can be confirmed.

Further, when the irradiation distance is changed to be shorter, the changing unit 104 preferably changes the irradiation distance to be shorter within a range in which the irradiation distance is longer than the stop distance estimated by the stop distance estimation unit 103. The default irradiation distance is set longer by a predetermined distance (for example, 10 m, etc.) than the stop distance when the own vehicle travels at 100 km / h, and the default irradiation distance is within the speed range in compliance with the law. It is assumed that the distance is set longer than the stopping distance. As an example, the changing unit 104 may be configured to determine the target irradiation distance by adding the above-mentioned predetermined distance to the stopping distance when the irradiation distance is changed to be short. Further, the changing unit 104 uses, for example, a calculation formula or a table showing the correspondence between the angle of the optical axis of the headlight 40 and the irradiation distance stored in advance in the non-volatile memory, and the target irradiation distance. The angle of the optical axis of the headlight 40 may be determined according to the above.

Here, the default irradiation distance (see Ld in FIG. 3), the irradiation distance changed when it is determined to be in the "distracted state" (see Lc in FIG. 3), and the stopping distance according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle (see Lc in FIG. 3). The relationship with (see Ls in FIG. 4) is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the irradiation distance Lc is shorter than the irradiation distance Ld, but the irradiation distance Lc is not shorter than the stop distance Ls. According to this, when it is determined that the driver is in a "distracted state", the distant field of view of the driver is reduced by changing the irradiation distance to a shorter value. Therefore, the driver has to pay attention to drive or slow down to respond, so that he / she can maintain his / her attention and can effectively eliminate the distracted state. Further, even when the irradiation distance is changed to be shorter, by not making it shorter than the stop distance, the distracted state can be effectively eliminated and safety can be ensured.

Further, the change unit 104 is changed so that the irradiation width of the headlight becomes wider when the state determination unit 101 determines that the state is "distracted" and changes the irradiation distance of the headlight 40 to be shorter. Let me. According to this, even if the distance illuminated by the headlight 40 is shortened, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the brightness in the vicinity of the own vehicle by widening the width illuminated by the headlight 40. For example, the changing unit 104 may change the irradiation width by instructing the body ECU 50 of the number of lighting of the LED modules arranged in the vehicle width direction of the headlight 40 according to the target irradiation width. Good.

Further, when the state determination unit 101 determines that the state determination unit 101 is in a "distracted state" and changes the headlight 40 so that the irradiation distance is shortened, the irradiation distance and the irradiation width of the headlight 40 are changed. It is preferable to change the irradiation width so as to be inversely proportional. In this case, the changing unit 104 is, for example, an arithmetic formula or a table showing the correspondence relationship between the irradiation distance and the irradiation width for maintaining the irradiation area of the headlight 40 on the road surface, which is stored in the non-volatile memory in advance. Etc. may be used to determine the irradiation width that is inversely proportional to the irradiation distance. Further, the changing unit 104 uses, for example, an arithmetic formula or a table indicating the correspondence between the number of lighting of the LED modules arranged in the vehicle width direction of the headlight 40 and the irradiation width stored in advance in the non-volatile memory. It may be configured to determine the number of lighting of the LED modules arranged in the vehicle width direction of the headlights 40 according to the target irradiation width.

Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the relationship between the default irradiation range and the irradiation range when the “distracted state” is determined will be described. When the "distracted state" is determined, the irradiation distance (see Lc in FIG. 4) is shorter than the default irradiation distance (see Ld in FIG. 4) as shown in FIG. On the other hand, in inverse proportion to this, the irradiation width (see Wc in FIG. 4) is wider than the default irradiation width (see Wd in FIG. 4). Therefore, although the irradiation range when it is determined to be "distracted" with respect to the default irradiation range is changed, the irradiation area (see B in FIG. 4) is changed with respect to the default irradiation area (see A in FIG. 4). ) Is maintained. According to this, the brightness can be maintained by maintaining the irradiation area of the headlight 40, so that the driver can secure the field of view in the near field of the own vehicle as before the irradiation distance is changed. ..

When the driver state determined by the state determination unit 101 changes from the "distracted state" to the "good attention state", the changing unit 104 gives an instruction to the body ECU 50 to determine the "distracted state". The irradiation distance of the headlight 40 is restored at a slower speed than the speed at which the irradiation distance of the headlight 40 is shortened. As an example, the time for shortening the irradiation distance of the headlight 40 may be less than 1 second, whereas the time for returning the irradiation distance to the original length may be about 10 seconds.

In a situation where the driver state is improved and the time is short, when the irradiation distance that has been changed shortly is restored, the driver may become relaxed and return to the "distracted state". On the other hand, according to the above configuration, by slowing the time for returning the irradiation distance of the headlight 40, the driver state is improved and attention is maintained in a short time situation, and "distraction" is achieved. Make it difficult to return to the "state".

In addition, when the driver state determined by the state determination unit 101 changes from the "distracted state" to the "good attention state", the change unit 104 also causes the irradiation width of the headlight 40 to be inversely proportional to the irradiation distance. It may be configured to return to.

<Light-related processing>
Subsequently, an example of the flow of the process for performing the light control according to the driver state in the driving support device 10 (hereinafter, the light-related process) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 5 may be configured to start when the ignition power of the own vehicle is turned on, for example.

First, in step S1, if the headlight 40 is lit (YES in S1), the process proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, if the headlight 40 is not lit (NO in S1), the process proceeds to step S12. Whether or not the headlight 40 is lit may be determined by the driving support device 10 by monitoring the body ECU 50. In step S2, if the state determination unit 101 determines that the state is “involuntary” (YES in S2), the process proceeds to step S3. On the other hand, if it is not determined to be in the "loose state" (NO in S2), the process proceeds to step S7.

In S3, in which processing is performed when it is determined in S2 that the state is "involuntary", the changing unit 104 changes the color of the light of the headlight 40 from white to red. In step S4, if the state determination unit 101 determines that the "attention is good state" (YES in S4), the process proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, if it is not determined that "attention is good" (NO in S4), the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, when it is the end timing of the light-related process (YES in S5), the light-related process is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the lighting-related processing (NO in S5), the process returns to S4 and the processing is repeated. As an example of the end timing of the light-related processing, the ignition power of the own vehicle is turned off. In S6, in which processing is performed when it is determined in S4 that the "attention is good state", the changing unit 104 returns the color of the headlight 40 from red to white.

In step S7, if the state determination unit 101 determines that the state is “distracted” (YES in S7), the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if it is not determined as "distracted state" (NO in S7), the process proceeds to step S12. In step S8, the changing unit 104 changes the irradiation distance of the headlight 40 to be shorter within a range in which the irradiation distance is longer than the stop distance estimated by the stop distance estimation unit 103, and irradiates the headlight 40 so as to be inversely proportional to the irradiation distance. Change the width.

In step S9, if the state determination unit 101 determines that the “attention is good state” (YES in S9), the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if it is not determined that "attention is good" (NO in S9), the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, when it is the end timing of the light-related process (YES in S10), the light-related process is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the lighting-related processing (NO in S10), the process returns to S8 and the processing is repeated. In step S12, when it is the end timing of the light-related process (YES in S12), the light-related process is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the lighting-related processing (NO in S12), the process returns to S1 and the processing is repeated.

<Summary of Embodiment>
According to the configuration of the embodiment, the color of the light of the headlight 40 is changed when the state determination unit 101 determines that the state is in a loose state, so that the driver notices the change to the loose state due to the change in the color of the light. Can be made. By changing the color of the light, it is possible to notify the surroundings that the driver is driving indiscriminately. In addition, the driver is conscious of avoiding casual driving in order to avoid such a situation. Further, when the state determination unit 101 determines that the headlight 40 is in the distracted state, the irradiation distance and the irradiation width of the headlight 40 are changed. Therefore, the driver changes to the distracted state by changing the irradiation distance and the irradiation width. Can be noticed. In addition, as the irradiation distance becomes shorter, the driver becomes aware of the danger to a distant place and drives more carefully, so that the distracted state is easily eliminated.

Since this light change is performed when the headlight 40 is lit, the driver is less likely to feel uncomfortable with respect to the change in the light originally emitted. Further, since the driver is less likely to cause discomfort, the decrease in awareness of the change in the light is suppressed, and the driver can more reliably notice the change in the driver state. Further, since the light of the headlight 40 is noticed by the driver during driving, the driver can more reliably notice the change in the driver state in this respect as well. As a result, it becomes possible to more reliably improve the driver state regarding attention.

(Modification example 1)
In the above-described embodiment, the state determination unit 101 shows a configuration in which the driver state related to attention is determined by using the detection result of the DSM20, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the state determination unit 101 may determine the driver state related to attention by using a result other than the detection result of the DSM 20. For example, the state determination unit 101 may determine the driver state related to attention using the biological signals detected by the sensors that measure biological signals such as brain waves and pulse waves. Alternatively, the state determination unit 101 may determine the driver state regarding attention using vehicle signals such as time-series data of steering angles.

(Modification 2)
In the above-described embodiment, the body ECU 50 shows a configuration in which the irradiation distance is changed by changing the angle of the optical axis of the headlight 40 in the vertical direction, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the body ECU 50 irradiates the headlights 40 by decreasing the number of lighting the LED modules arranged in the vertical direction from the upper side to the lower side or increasing the number of lightings from the lower side to the upper side. It may be configured to change the distance.

(Modification 3)
In the above-described embodiment, the body ECU 50 reduces the number of lighting the LED modules arranged in the vehicle width direction of the headlight 40 toward the inside in the vehicle width direction or increases the number toward the outside. Although the configuration for changing the irradiation width is shown, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, by using a headlight 40 that can change the light reflection angle using a concave mirror, the body ECU 50 changes the light reflection angle using this concave mirror to change the irradiation width of the headlight 40. May be configured to change.

(Modification example 4)
In the above-described embodiment, the changing unit 104 shows a configuration in which the irradiation width of the headlight 40 is changed, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the changing unit 104 may change the irradiation distance of the headlight 40, but do not change the irradiation width.

(Modification 5)
In the above-described embodiment, the changing unit 104 shows a configuration in which the irradiation distance of the headlight 40 is changed, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the changing unit 104 may change the irradiation width of the headlight 40, but do not change the irradiation distance. In this case, the change unit 104 may be configured to change the irradiation distance of the headlight 40 to be narrower than the default irradiation width when the state determination unit 101 determines that the state is “distracted”.

According to this, when it is determined that the driver is in a "distracted state", the visibility in the vehicle width direction of the driver is reduced by narrowly changing the irradiation range. Therefore, the driver has to pay attention to drive or slow down to respond, so that he / she can maintain his / her attention and can effectively eliminate the distracted state.

Further, the change unit 104 irradiates the headlight 40 when the driver state determined by the state determination unit 101 changes from the "distracted state" to the "good attention state" and when the driver state determines the "distracted state". It is preferable that the irradiation width of the headlight 40 is restored at a slower speed than the speed at which the distance is narrowly changed. In a situation where the driver state is improved and the time is short, when the irradiation width that has been changed narrowly is restored, the driver may become relaxed and return to the "distracted state". On the other hand, according to the above configuration, by slowing the time for returning the irradiation width of the headlight 40, the driver state is improved and attention is maintained in a short time situation, and "distraction" is achieved. Make it difficult to return to the "state".

(Modification 6)
In the above-described embodiment, when the driver state determined by the state determination unit 101 changes from the "blunt state" to the "good attention state", the color of the light of the headlight 40 is restored from red to white. Although shown, it is not always limited to this. For example, regardless of whether or not the transition from the "loose state" to the "good attention state" has occurred, the color of the light of the headlight 40 may be changed and then returned after a certain period of time.

(Modification 7)
Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the state determination unit 101 determines that the headlight is in a “loose state”, the color of the headlight 40 is changed to red, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it may be configured to be changed to a color other than red such as orange. In addition, the color to be changed may be different depending on the recognition result of the surrounding environment of the own vehicle. As an example, if the distance to the front obstacle is less than the set distance, it is changed to red, while if the distance to the front obstacle is longer than the set distance or the front obstacle is not detected, it is changed to yellow. You can let them do it. The surrounding environment of the own vehicle may be detected by using a camera, sonar, millimeter wave radar, LIDAR, or the like. Further, the color of the headlight 40 may be changed when the state determination unit 101 determines that the state is “distracted”.

(Modification 8)
In the above-described embodiment, the state determination unit 101 shows a configuration in which the driver state is classified into a "good attention state", a "distracted state", and a "distracted state", but the driver state is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the state determination unit 101 may be configured to classify the driver state into a "good attention state" and a "blunt state" for determination.

(Modification 9)
Further, the function of the body ECU 50 described in the embodiment may also be provided in the operation support device 10. In addition, the driving support device 10 may be configured to include a plurality of electronic control devices.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments and modifications, respectively. The embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the above are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Driving support system, 10 Driving support device, 20 DSM, 30 Vehicle speed sensor, 40 Headlight, 50 Body ECU, 100 Forward attention judgment unit, 101 Status judgment unit, 102 Vehicle speed acquisition unit, 103 Stop distance estimation unit, 104 Change Department

Claims (10)

Used in vehicles
A state determination unit (101) for determining the driver state regarding the driver's attention of the vehicle,
A change unit (104) that changes at least one of the color, irradiation distance, and irradiation width of the headlights of the headlights according to the driver state determined by the state determination unit when the headlights of the vehicle are lit. ) and equipped with a,
In the state determination unit, as the driver state, the attention state in which the driver's attention is paid forward continues and the careless state in which the driver's attention is not paid forward continues. The distracted state and the distracted state in which the caution state and the careless state are repeated are separately determined and determined.
The changing unit, when it is determined that the distraction state by the state determination section, the headlamp illumination range is the driving support device Ru is changed to be shortened. In claim 1 ,
The changing unit is a driving support device that changes the color of the light of the headlight when the state determining unit determines that the state is inadequate. In claim 2 ,
The change unit changed the color of the light of the headlight when the driver state determined by the state determination unit changed from the inattentive state to the caution good state, and when it was determined to be in the inattentive state. A driving support device that restores the color of the headlights at a slower speed than the speed. In claim 2 or 3 ,
The changing unit is a driving support device that changes the color of the light of the headlight to red when the state determining unit determines that the state is inadequate. In any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The state determination unit is a driving support device that determines the distracted state when the switching between the attention state and the careless state occurs a predetermined number of times or more within a unit time. In any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
In the changing unit, when the driver state determined by the state determination unit changes from the distracted state to the good attention state, the irradiation distance of the headlight becomes shorter when the driver state is determined to be the distracted state. A driving support device that restores the irradiation distance of the headlights at a slower speed than the speed changed as described above. In any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
A vehicle speed acquisition unit (102) for acquiring the vehicle speed of the vehicle is provided.
When the state determination unit determines that the distracted state and changes the headlight irradiation distance so that the change unit shortens the irradiation distance, the larger the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit, the greater the irradiation distance. A driving support device that can be changed to be longer. In claim 7 ,
A stop distance estimation unit (103) for estimating the stop distance of the vehicle according to the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit is provided.
When the state determination unit determines that the distracted state is determined and the headlight irradiation distance is changed to be shorter, the change unit has an irradiation distance larger than the stop distance estimated by the stop distance estimation unit. A driving support device that changes the distance so that it becomes longer. In any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
When the state determination unit determines that the distracted state is determined and the headlight irradiation distance is changed to be short, the changing unit is changed so that the headlight irradiation width is widened. Support device. In claim 9 .
When the state determination unit determines that the distracted state is determined and the change unit is changed so that the irradiation distance of the headlight is shortened, the irradiation distance and the irradiation width of the headlight are inversely proportional to each other. A driving support device that changes the irradiation width as described above.

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