JPH04301875A - Device for deciding degree of skill in driving - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To objectively measure the degree of driving skill of a driver. CONSTITUTION:A transverse acceleration applied at the time of running of a vehicle is detected, and its peak value is obtained. An average Pm and a variance Psigma<2> of plural peak values detected in a prescribed time are obtained by calculation, and the degree of driving skill is decided based on these average value Pm and variance Psigma<2>. That is, the driver is judged to be an unskilled driver when the average value Pm of peak values is low, and he is judged to be a skilled driver when the average value Pm is larger and the variance Psigma<2> is small, and he is judged to be a dangerous driver when the average value Pm is high but the variance Psigma<2> is larger.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving proficiency determining device, and more particularly to a device for determining driving proficiency based on lateral acceleration applied when a vehicle is running.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Since there are large individual differences in automobile driving skills, it is preferable that safety standards are not uniformly determined, but are set individually according to the skill level of each driver. However, conventional automobiles generally have uniform safety standards set regardless of the skill level of the driver, and are not designed to be efficient. For example, speed control devices used to ensure car safety set uniform safety standards for all drivers, making them too restrictive for experienced drivers and insufficiently restrictive for unskilled drivers. This is the current situation.

[0003] In order to set safety standards according to the driver's skill level, it is necessary to objectively measure the driver's skill level. In order to adequately manage the safety of automobile operation, devices such as tachographs have been used for a long time to record the driving conditions of each driver. Also, JP-A-63-
Japanese Patent No. 288390 discloses a device that can record operations such as sudden steering, sudden stopping, and sudden turning by a driver.

0004

However, although the above-mentioned driving state recording device can record some information regarding past driving states, it is not possible to objectively judge the driving skill level. In order to set safety standards according to a driver's skill level, a device that can measure driving skill level as an objective numerical value is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a driving skill level determining device that can objectively measure a driver's driving skill level.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a driving proficiency determination device that includes: lateral acceleration detection means for detecting lateral acceleration applied when a vehicle is running; and peak value detection means for detecting the peak value of the detected lateral acceleration. , an average value/variance calculation means for calculating the average value and variance of a plurality of peak values detected within a predetermined time; a proficiency determination means for determining driving proficiency based on the calculated average value and variance; It has been established.

[0007]

[Operation] In the driving skill level determining device according to the present invention, the lateral acceleration applied in the lateral direction of the vehicle is detected by the lateral acceleration detection means. Generally, the detected value of this lateral acceleration becomes a graph in which a peak is formed each time the vehicle passes through a curve. The peak value detection means detects the peak value of this mountain. If this peak value is large, it means that the vehicle traveled around the curve while applying a large centrifugal force. In this way, one peak value is detected each time the vehicle travels around each curve. If such a detection operation is continued for a predetermined period of time, a plurality of peak values will be obtained. The determination device of the present invention determines driving skill level based on the average value and variance of these plurality of peaks. In other words, if the average value of the peak is low,
If the driver can be determined to be an inexperienced driver and the average value of the peak is high, the driver can be determined to be an expert driver if the variance is small, and the driver can be determined to be a dangerous driver if the variance is large.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be explained below based on illustrative embodiments. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a driving skill level determining device according to the present invention. This device includes a lateral acceleration detection means 1 for detecting lateral acceleration applied when the vehicle is running;
A peak value detection means 2 that detects the peak value of the detected lateral acceleration, and an average value/variance calculation means 3 that calculates the average value and variance of a plurality of peak values detected within a predetermined time.
and a proficiency determining means 4 for determining the driving proficiency based on the calculated average value and variance.

The lateral acceleration detection means 1 may be any sensor as long as it can detect acceleration in the lateral direction of the vehicle, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel. In addition, the peak value detection means 2, the average value
The distributed calculation means 3 and the skill level determination means 4 may be any means as long as they have the function of performing the above-described processing. For example, the analog signal from the sensor used as the lateral acceleration detection means 1 may be processed by an analog circuit, or the analog signal from the sensor may be captured as a digital signal via an A/D converter, and the analog signal may be processed by the digital circuit. Alternatively, it may be processed by a microcomputer.

The detection signal of the lateral acceleration detection means 1 is, for example, as shown in FIG. That is, with respect to time t, the lateral acceleration A forms a graph having peak values P1, P2, P3, and P4. Here, each peak is obtained each time the vehicle passes through a curve. Note that the polarity of the detection signal from the lateral acceleration detection means 1 changes depending on the direction of acceleration (for example, acceleration in the right direction is positive and acceleration in the left direction is negative), but in the present invention, only the absolute value thereof is Make it a problem. Therefore, the lateral acceleration A in this embodiment indicates the absolute value of the actual lateral acceleration detected by the sensor.

Now, when the lateral acceleration A shown in FIG. 2 is detected, the peak value detection means 2 detects its peak values P1, P2, P3, and P4. An example of this peak value detection algorithm is shown in the flowchart of FIG. first,
In step S1, the current lateral acceleration value Anew
The past lateral acceleration value Aold is updated by. Initially, both have an initial value of 0. Next, step S
2, a new lateral acceleration value Anew at the present time is input from the lateral acceleration detection means 1. In step S3, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, in step S4, Anew and Aold
The value is compared. If the lateral acceleration A is increasing,
Since Anew>Aold, the process returns to step S1 and the above-described procedure is repeated. Therefore, while the lateral acceleration is increasing, the loop of steps S1 to S4 is repeated, and the value of Aold continues to increase.

[0012] In step S4, Anew <Ao
If it becomes ld, this means that the lateral acceleration A has started to decrease, and the value of Aold is held as the peak value in step S5. In the example of FIG. 2, the peak value P1 will be held. In the following step S6, Aold is updated by Anew, and the value of Aold also enters a decreasing process. In step S7, a new lateral acceleration value Anew at the present time is input from the lateral acceleration detection means 1. Then, in step S8, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the values of Anew and Aold are compared in step S9. If the lateral acceleration A is decreasing, since Anew < Aold, the process returns to step S6 and the above-described procedure is repeated. Therefore, while the lateral acceleration is decreasing, the loop of steps S6 to S9 is repeated, and the value of Aold continues to decrease.

[0013] In step S9, Anew>Ao
If it becomes ld, it means that the lateral acceleration A has started to increase, and the process returns to step S1 again. The above is the process until the first peak having the peak value P1 shown in FIG. 2 passes. Thereafter, the same process is repeated for the second peak, third peak, and fourth peak, and the peak values P2, P3, and P4 are held. Eventually, when a predetermined set time has elapsed, it is determined in step S3 or S8 that the time has elapsed,
The peak detection process by the peak value detection means 2 is completed.

[0014] When a plurality of peak values P are thus obtained by the detection process within the scheduled set time, the average value Pm and variance Pσ2 of the plurality of peak values P are calculated by the mean value/variance calculation means 3. Finally, the skill level determining means 4 determines the driver's skill level based on the average value Pm and the variance Pσ2. The basic principle of this determination will be explained based on FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example in which peak values P of lateral acceleration A for three drivers are plotted with time t plotted on the horizontal axis. Mark the results for skilled workers with an ○ mark, and mark the results for unskilled workers with a cross mark.
The results for dangerous drivers are indicated by a △ mark. The lateral acceleration A of an automobile is caused by the frictional force between the tires and the road surface, and if this lateral acceleration exceeds a predetermined limit T, the tires will slip on the road surface, leading to an accident. A skilled person understands this limit T intuitively and performs driving such that a lateral acceleration with an appropriate margin is obtained with respect to this limit T. That is, in the graph of FIG. 4, the ◯ marks indicating the results for experts are distributed at approximately the same height slightly below the limit T. This indicates that the vehicle is traveling around a curve so that the peak value P of lateral acceleration does not exceed this limit T and is as large as possible within a safe range. On the other hand, the average unskilled person drives around curves with as little lateral acceleration as possible.
As shown by the x mark in FIG. 4, the peak value P of the lateral acceleration is kept low overall. However, the dangerous driver does not fully understand this limit T, and as shown by the △ mark in FIG. 4, the peak value of the lateral acceleration becomes larger overall and the variation becomes larger. In addition, sometimes the vehicle exceeds the T limit when driving around a curve, which can easily cause an accident.

In the end, the proficiency determining means 4 determines the proficiency level based on the pattern shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the driving pattern of each driver, with the peak average value Pm plotted on the horizontal axis and the peak variance Pσ2 plotted on the vertical axis. In other words, a region where the peak average value Pm is small is a driving pattern of an unskilled person, regardless of the variance Pσ2. On the other hand, in a region where the average value Pm of the peaks is large, if the variance Pσ2 is small, it becomes a driving pattern of an expert driver, but if the variance Pσ2 is large, it becomes a driving pattern of a dangerous driver. In this way, the skill level of the driver can be objectively determined based on the two numerical values.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, drivers are divided into three driving patterns, but this is a rough concept, and in reality, more detailed classification may be possible. Further, the driving skill level determining device of the present invention can not only be used by being installed in an actual automobile, but also be used in a driving simulation device to determine the driving skill level.

Furthermore, the results of the proficiency determination according to the present invention are as follows:
It is also possible to apply it to vehicle safety control. For example, as described above, the peak mean value Pm and the variance P
When σ2 is determined, the constant a is determined and the set value S is set as S=
It is defined as Pm+a·(Pσ2)1/2, and when the lateral acceleration exceeds this set value S, some kind of safety control processing may be performed to prevent the lateral acceleration from increasing any further. For example, the lateral acceleration detected by the sensor is
If a mechanism is provided that automatically limits the throttle opening to a predetermined amount or less when the set value S is exceeded, it is possible to suppress tire slippage due to an increase in lateral acceleration.

[0018]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the driving proficiency determination device of the present invention, the average and variance of the peak values of the lateral acceleration applied to the vehicle are determined, so the driving proficiency level of the driver can be objectively measured. You will be able to do this.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a driving skill level determination device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a detection signal of the lateral acceleration detection means 1 in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a peak value detection algorithm of the peak value detection means 2 in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

4 is a diagram illustrating the basic principle of the determination method of the proficiency determination means 4 in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

5 is a diagram showing a judgment pattern of the skill level judgment means 4 in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1... Lateral acceleration detection means 2...Peak value detection means 3... Mean value/variance calculation means 4...Proficiency level determination means A...Lateral acceleration (absolute value) P1 to P4...Peak value of lateral acceleration Pm...Average of peak values of lateral acceleration Pσ2...Dispersion of peak value of lateral acceleration

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Lateral acceleration detection means for detecting lateral acceleration applied when a vehicle is running; peak value detection means for detecting a peak value of the detected lateral acceleration; and an average of a plurality of peak values detected within a predetermined time. A driving proficiency determination device comprising: an average value/variance calculation means for calculating a value and a variance; and a proficiency determination means for determining a driving proficiency based on the calculated average value and variance.