WO2014203308A1

WO2014203308A1 - Drive assist device

Info

Publication number: WO2014203308A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/066595
Authority: WO
Inventors: 琢也上撫; 川真田　進也; 清人埴田; 修尾崎
Original assignee: トヨタ自動車株式会社
Priority date: 2013-06-17
Filing date: 2013-06-17
Publication date: 2014-12-24

Abstract

A drive assist device (1) for informing a driver of a situation around a vehicle at an intersection is provided with: a peripheral sound acquisition unit (11), a detection result warning unit (17), a peripheral sound processing unit (18), and a peripheral sound informing unit (19) which acquire sound around the vehicle and output the sound in the vehicle; and an intersecting object detection unit (12) and a peripheral state acquisition unit (13) which determine whether there is a mobile object approaching around the vehicle. When it is determined by the intersecting object detection unit (12) and the peripheral state acquisition unit (13) that there is the mobile object, the peripheral sound acquisition unit (11), the detection result warning unit (17), the peripheral sound processing unit (18), and the peripheral sound informing unit (19) output the sound around the vehicle in the vehicle at greater volume than when it is not determined that there is the mobile object. In this way, the driver is enabled to more reliably recognize that another vehicle is approaching around the driver's vehicle.

Description

Driving assistance device

The present invention relates to a driving support device.

Conventionally, regarding a technique for warning the approach of a vehicle, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-098854, when the host vehicle enters an intersection, a voice or the like that conveys the approach of the host vehicle to the intersection is used. There is known a technique for sending a warning to a portable device such as a subject in the vicinity of a vehicle. This portable device includes a device that collects ambient sounds and converts them into signals, and can output signals from the devices as sound.

JP 2009-098854 A JP 2011-028651 A

It is conceivable to apply such a vehicle approach notification device to an automobile. For example, it is conceivable that ambient sounds of the host vehicle are collected and output to the driver of the host vehicle. However, environmental sounds that are not necessary for the driver are also collected, and it may be difficult for the driver to understand even if another vehicle approaches the vehicle.

Therefore, the present invention is intended to provide a driving support device that can make a driver recognize more reliably that another vehicle is approaching around the host vehicle.

A driving support apparatus according to the present invention is a driving support apparatus that notifies a driver of a situation at an intersection around a host vehicle, an output unit that acquires a surrounding sound of the host vehicle and outputs the sound in the host vehicle, A determination unit that determines whether or not there is a moving body approaching the surroundings, and when the determination unit determines that the moving body exists, the output unit does not determine that the moving body exists Ambient sounds are output in the vehicle at a louder volume.

According to the present invention, when it is determined that a moving body is present, the ambient sound is simply output in the vehicle at a louder volume than when it is not determined that the moving body is present. The driver can be surely recognized that a moving body such as another vehicle is approaching the surroundings of the host vehicle rather than outputting without changing the vehicle.

Further, in the driving support device according to the present invention, the output unit, when the determination unit determines that the moving body is present, has a louder volume than when the moving body is not determined to exist, You may output the sound regarding the existing direction in the own vehicle.

In this case, when it is determined that the moving body exists, the sound related to the direction in which the moving body exists in the surrounding sound is output to the own vehicle at a louder volume than when it is not determined that the moving body exists. Rather than simply outputting without changing the volume of the ambient sound, it is possible to make the driver recognize that the other vehicle is approaching the surroundings of the host vehicle more reliably, and erroneously recognize the direction in which this other vehicle exists The possibility of doing so can be reduced.

Further, in the driving support device according to the present invention, the output unit is configured such that when the determination unit determines that the moving body is present, the moving body in the surrounding sound is louder than when the moving body is not determined to be present. You may output the sound to emit in the own vehicle.

In this case, when it is determined that a moving body is present, the surrounding sound is simply output by outputting a sound generated by the moving body in the surrounding sound at a louder volume than when it is not determined that the moving body is present. Rather than outputting the sound without changing the sound volume, the driver can be surely recognized that another vehicle is approaching the periphery of the host vehicle, and the possibility of erroneously recognizing the other vehicle can be reduced.

In the driving support device according to the present invention, the moving body may be another vehicle approaching the periphery of the own vehicle.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a driving support apparatus that can make a driver recognize more reliably that another vehicle is approaching the host vehicle.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a driving support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the scene where the driving assistance device of FIG. 1 act | operates. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a series of flows of the process performed by the driving assistance device of FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a series of flows of the process performed by the driving assistance device of FIG. It is a graph about the sound of the wind contained in a surrounding sound at the time of setting a frequency to a horizontal axis and power to a vertical axis. It is a graph regarding the sound of rain included in the ambient sound when the frequency is on the horizontal axis and the power is on the vertical axis. It is a graph at the time of a horizontal axis | shaft and sound pressure being a vertical axis | shaft regarding the instantaneous sound included in a surrounding sound.

Hereinafter, a driving support device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

First, the configuration of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a driving support apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The driving support device 1 is a driving support device that is attached to a vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as a host vehicle) and informs a driver (driver) of a situation at an intersection around the host vehicle so as to intuitively recognize the situation. Here, the intersection means a point where the road and the road intersect, and is a place such as a crossroad, a T-shaped road, a three-way, a five-way, or the like. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the driving support device 1 includes a surrounding sound capturing unit 11, an intersection target detection unit 12, a surrounding state acquisition unit 13, a host vehicle state acquisition unit 14, a driver state acquisition unit 15, a support control unit 16, and detection. A result warning unit 17, an ambient sound processing unit 18, and an ambient sound notification unit 19 are provided. The ambient sound capturing unit 11, the intersection target detection unit 12, and the detection result warning unit 17 surrounded by a broken line include elements that can be realized by a known technique.

The ambient sound capturing unit 11 has a sound collecting function for acquiring ambient sounds (ambient sounds) related to the situation around the host vehicle. The peripheral sound capturing unit 11 includes, for example, a microphone and a memory. One or more microphones are arranged on the left and right of the front surface of the host vehicle (with respect to the traveling direction), and one or more microphones are arranged on the left and right of the rear surface of the host vehicle. The microphone can collect sound separately on the left and right with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle. The memory stores audio information output from the microphone. The surrounding sound capturing unit 11 outputs the acquired audio information to the intersection target detecting unit 12 and the surrounding state acquiring unit 13. The ambient sound capturing unit 11 functions as an output unit described in the claims together with the detection result warning unit 17, the ambient sound processing unit 18, and the ambient sound notification unit 19.

The intersection target detection unit 12 has a determination processing function for determining whether there is an intersection target around the host vehicle based on the ambient sound acquired by the ambient sound capturing unit 11. The intersection target is a moving body D that approaches a direction Dd that intersects the traveling direction Cd of the host vehicle C, as shown in FIG. Examples of intersections include other vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. The intersection target detection unit 12 can determine whether or not an intersection target exists based on the power of each frequency included in the surrounding sound described above and the temporal change in the sound pressure of the surrounding sound described above. . The intersection target detection unit 12 outputs the determination result to the support control unit 16. The intersection target detection unit 12 functions as a determination unit described in the claims together with the surrounding state acquisition unit 13.

The surrounding state acquisition unit 13 has an estimation processing function for estimating the surrounding state of the host vehicle based on the surrounding sound acquired by the surrounding sound capturing unit 11. Examples of the surrounding state of the host vehicle include the presence / absence and strength of wind, the presence / absence of rainfall, and the presence / absence of instantaneous noise. The peripheral state acquisition unit 13 can estimate the peripheral state of the host vehicle based on the power of each frequency included in the peripheral sound described above and the temporal change in the sound pressure of the peripheral sound described above. The peripheral state acquisition unit 13 outputs the estimation result to the support control unit 16. The peripheral state acquisition unit 13 functions as a determination unit described in the claims together with the intersection target detection unit 12.

The own vehicle state acquisition unit 14 has a function as a state acquisition unit that acquires the state of the own vehicle. The own vehicle state acquisition unit 14 is a vehicle-mounted LAN (Local Area) such as a CAN (Controller Area Network).
It is possible to acquire vehicle state information related to the state of the host vehicle using the network and acquire the state of the host vehicle based on the vehicle state information. The own vehicle state acquisition unit 14 outputs the acquired vehicle state information to the support control unit 16.

The driver status acquisition unit 15 has a function as a status acquisition unit that acquires the status of the driver. The driver state acquisition unit 15 can acquire driver state information related to the driver state such as the driver's face direction and line-of-sight direction, and can acquire the driver state based on the driver state information. The driver state information is generated based on, for example, output information from a driver camera that captures a driver installed in the vehicle of the host vehicle. The driver status acquisition unit 15 outputs the acquired driver status information to the support control unit 16.

The support control unit 16 drives the driver based on the content input from the intersection target detection unit 12, the surrounding state acquisition unit 13, the host vehicle state acquisition unit 14, and the driver state acquisition unit 15 and the intersection target detection result. It has a function as an information processing unit that mediates and determines the contents to be supported. The function by the support control part 16 is implement | achieved by ECU which is an electronic control apparatus mounted in the inside of each vehicle, for example. ECU is CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only)
This unit includes a microcomputer including a memory (RAM) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a main component. The support control unit 16 outputs information indicating the determined content to the detection result warning unit 17 and the ambient sound processing unit 18.

The detection result warning unit 17 has a function of performing a buzzer sound reproduction process using a buzzer and a light emission process using an LED (light emitting diode) based on the output content from the support control unit 16. When it is determined that there is an intersection target, the detection result warning unit 17 performs a reproduction process and a light emission process for notifying the existence of the intersection target. The detection result warning unit 17 functions as an output unit described in the claims together with the ambient sound capturing unit 11, the ambient sound processing unit 18, and the ambient sound notification unit 19.

The peripheral sound processing unit 18 has a function of determining the content to be notified to the driver based on the output content from the support control unit 16. The ambient sound processing unit 18 performs signal processing on the ambient sound based on the determined notification content. When the intersection target detection unit 12 determines that the intersection target exists, the ambient sound processing unit 18 outputs the ambient sound in the own vehicle with a louder volume than when the intersection target is not determined to exist. It is possible to control the surrounding sound notification unit 19 so as to make it happen. The ambient sound processing unit 18 functions as an output unit described in the claims together with the ambient sound capturing unit 11, the detection result warning unit 17, and the ambient sound notification unit 19.

Also, the ambient sound processing unit 18 can extract the ambient sound related to the direction in which the intersection is present from the ambient sound. The ambient sound processing unit 18, for example, from the ambient sound based on the audio information output from one or more microphones arranged on the left and right sides (with respect to the traveling direction) of the host vehicle from the direction in which the intersection is present. Can be extracted. Then, when the intersection target detection unit 12 determines that the intersection target is present, the peripheral sound processing unit 18 performs the intersection extracted from the peripheral sound at a louder volume than when the intersection target is not determined to exist. It is possible to control the ambient sound notification unit 19 so that ambient sounds related to the direction in which the target exists are output in the host vehicle.

Furthermore, the ambient sound processing unit 18 can extract the ambient sound generated by the intersection target by performing a process of reducing the weather-related sound component from the ambient sound. For example, the ambient sound processing unit 18 can extract ambient sounds generated by the intersection target by removing weather-related sounds such as wind sounds and rain sounds from the ambient sounds. Then, when the intersection target detection unit 12 determines that the intersection target is present, the peripheral sound processing unit 18 performs the intersection extracted from the peripheral sound at a louder volume than when the intersection target is not determined to exist. It is possible to control the ambient sound notification unit 19 so that the ambient sound emitted by the object is output into the host vehicle.

The ambient sound notification unit 19 has an output reproduction function for reproducing (notifying) the ambient sound in the own vehicle using a speaker based on the signal processed by the ambient sound processing unit 18. One or more speakers are arranged on the left and right sides of the traveling direction of the host vehicle in the vehicle. When it is determined by the intersection target detection unit 12 that the intersection target exists, the surrounding sound notification unit 19 outputs the peripheral sound in the own vehicle at a louder volume than when the intersection target is not determined to exist. It is possible. The ambient sound notification unit 19 functions as an output unit described in the claims together with the ambient sound capturing unit 11, the detection result warning unit 17, and the ambient sound processing unit 18.

In addition, when the intersection target detection unit 12 determines that the intersection target is present, the peripheral sound notification unit 19 is extracted from the above-described peripheral sound with a louder volume than when the intersection target is not determined to exist. It is possible to output the ambient sound related to the direction in which the intersection is present in the own vehicle. For example, the ambient sound notification unit 19 can reproduce by increasing the volume of a speaker close to the direction in which the crossing target exists among one or more speakers arranged on the left and right of the own vehicle. is there. Further, the ambient sound notification unit 19 is a direction in which one or more speakers arranged on the left and right sides of the own vehicle are not careful by the driver acquired by the driver state acquisition unit 15 (for example, the line-of-sight direction). It is possible to reproduce by increasing the volume of the speaker close to the opposite direction.

Furthermore, when the intersection target detection unit 12 determines that the intersection target is present, the peripheral sound notification unit 19 is extracted from the above-described peripheral sound with a louder volume than when the intersection target is not determined to exist. It is possible to output the surrounding sound emitted by the intersection object as the main in the own vehicle. For example, when the surrounding sound described above is buried in the sound of rain or wind (or sudden sound), by removing this rain sound or wind sound (or sudden sound) It becomes possible to output the surrounding sound as a main signal in the host vehicle.

Subsequently, a series of processes executed by the driving support apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a series of this process.

First, the ambient sound capturing unit 11 acquires ambient sounds related to the situation around the host vehicle (step S1, audio processing step). Here, a sound generation process for extracting and generating a specific sound from the surrounding sound may be performed. In this case, the generated ambient sound is reproduced in step S4 described later. For example, as described above, this sound generation process may be a process of extracting a peripheral sound related to the direction in which the intersection is present from the peripheral sound, and a process of reducing a weather-related sound from the peripheral sound. It may be a process of extracting the ambient sound emitted by the intersection target by performing the above. And the intersection object detection part 12 performs the process which detects whether the intersection object exists around the own vehicle based on the surrounding sound acquired by the surrounding sound taking-in part 11 (step S2, determination step). . Here, the support control unit 16 determines whether there is an intersection target around the host vehicle based on the output content from the intersection target detection unit 12 (step S3, determination step). When it is determined that there is an intersection around the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S4 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no intersection target around the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S5 described later.

In step S4, the support control unit 16 is based on the output content from the intersection target detection unit 12, the surrounding state acquisition unit 13, the host vehicle state acquisition unit 14, the driver state acquisition unit 15, and the conventional intersection target detection result. , Mediate and determine the content to support the driver's driving. And the surrounding sound process part 18 controls the surrounding sound alerting | reporting part 19 so that a surrounding sound may be output in the own vehicle with a volume larger than the case where it is not determined that the intersection object exists. And the surrounding sound alerting | reporting part 19 outputs a surrounding sound in the own vehicle with a louder volume than the case where it is not determined that the intersection object exists (voice processing step). At this time, under the control of the peripheral sound processing unit 18, the peripheral sound notification unit 19 extracts the peripheral sound related to the direction in which the intersection target exists (or the peripheral sound emitted by the intersection target) from the peripheral sound, You may output this extracted surrounding sound in the own vehicle. Then, the series of processing ends, and after a predetermined time elapses, the process proceeds to step S1 again.

In step S5, the support control unit 16 is based on the output content from the intersection target detection unit 12, the surrounding state acquisition unit 13, the host vehicle state acquisition unit 14, and the driver state acquisition unit 15, and the conventional intersection target detection result. , Mediate and determine the content to support the driver's driving. Then, the ambient sound processing unit 18 outputs the ambient sound acquired by the ambient sound capturing unit 11 at a normal volume in the own vehicle. Then, the series of processing ends, and after a predetermined time elapses, the process proceeds to step S1 again.

Subsequently, the contents of the sound generation process described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a series of flow of this processing.

First, the ambient sound capturing unit 11 acquires ambient sounds relating to the situation around the host vehicle (step S1). And the surrounding state acquisition part 13 estimates the surrounding state of the own vehicle based on the surrounding sound acquired by the surrounding sound taking-in part 11 (step S12). More specifically, the sound pressure level of the peripheral sound other than the sound estimated as the traveling sound by the frequency or the like among the peripheral sounds acquired by the peripheral sound capturing unit 11 is the predetermined threshold α dB (decibel). It is determined whether it is above. If the sound pressure level of the surrounding sounds other than the running sound is less than the predetermined threshold α dB, the process proceeds to step S13 described later. On the other hand, if the sound pressure level of the surrounding sounds other than the running sound is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold value α dB, the process proceeds to step S14 described later.

In step S13, the process of transition to step S2 shown in FIG. 3 is performed. That is, based on the acquired ambient sound, it is determined whether there is a crossing target around the host vehicle. If it is determined that there is a crossing target around the host vehicle, it is determined that there is a crossing target. Surrounding sounds are output in the host vehicle at a louder volume than when there was no sound. Then, the series of processing ends, and after a predetermined time elapses, the process proceeds to step S1 again. On the other hand, if it is determined that there are no intersections around the host vehicle, the surrounding sound is output in the host vehicle at a normal volume. Then, the series of processing ends, and after a predetermined time elapses, the process proceeds to step S1 again.

In step S14, the surrounding state acquisition unit 13 determines whether or not weather-related sounds are included in the surrounding sound acquired by the surrounding sound capturing unit 11. Examples of weather-related sounds include wind sounds and rain sounds. As shown in FIG. 5, the wind sound has a characteristic that a low-frequency power lower than a predetermined first frequency is larger than a predetermined first power value (broken line portion: possibility of wind sound is high). . Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the rain sound has a characteristic that the power of the high frequency higher than the predetermined second frequency is larger than the predetermined second power value (dotted line portion: rain sound). Is likely). The surrounding state acquisition unit 13 determines whether or not weather-related sounds such as wind sounds and rain sounds are included in the surrounding sounds by detecting the presence or absence of such features. When it is determined that weather-related sounds are included in the surrounding sounds, the process proceeds to step S15 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the ambient sound does not include a weather-related sound, the process proceeds to step S16 described later.

In step S15, the surrounding state acquisition unit 13 removes weather-related sounds from the surrounding sounds. For example, when the peripheral state acquisition unit 13 determines that the wind sound is included in the peripheral sound, the peripheral state acquisition unit 13 removes the sound of the broken line portion illustrated in FIG. Further, when it is determined that the peripheral sound includes rain sound, the peripheral state acquisition unit 13 removes the sound indicated by the broken line shown in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S16.

In step S <b> 16, the peripheral state acquisition unit 13 determines whether or not instantaneous sound is included in the peripheral sound acquired by the peripheral sound capturing unit 11. As shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to determine an abrupt change in sound pressure (occurrence of a sound pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined sound pressure within a predetermined time) by using a dispersion value, a slope, or the like for an instantaneous sound. There is a characteristic (broken line part: there is a high possibility of instantaneous noise). When it is determined that the instantaneous sound is included in the ambient sound, the process proceeds to step S17 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined that the instantaneous sound is not included in the surrounding sound, the process proceeds to step S13 described above.

In step S <b> 17, the peripheral state acquisition unit 13 removes instantaneous sound from the peripheral sound. For example, when the peripheral state acquisition unit 13 determines that the peripheral sound includes an instantaneous sound, the peripheral state acquisition unit 13 removes the sound of the broken line portion illustrated in FIG. 7. The peripheral state acquisition unit 13 can extract only the traveling sound by removing the sound of the frequency that increases rapidly. And it transfers to step S13 mentioned above.

As described above, according to the driving support apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, first, the ambient sound related to the situation around the host vehicle is acquired, and whether there is an intersection target around the host vehicle based on the ambient sound. It is determined whether or not. When it is determined that the intersection target is present, the above-described peripheral sound is output in the own vehicle at a louder volume than when the intersection target is not determined to be present. This makes it possible for the driver to more reliably recognize that an intersection subject such as another vehicle is approaching around the host vehicle, rather than simply outputting the surrounding sound without changing the volume. As a result, the driver can intuitively recognize the situation around the host vehicle. Furthermore, when it is determined that there are no intersections around the vehicle and there is no need to notify the driver, extra environmental sound for the driver is amplified (ie, the volume is increased) and output is reproduced. You do n’t have to. As a result, it becomes unnecessary for the driver to recognize extra environmental sounds, and thus it is possible to improve the convenience of the driver during driving.

In addition, when it is determined that the intersection target is present, the sound related to the direction in which the intersection target exists in the surrounding sound is output in the own vehicle at a louder volume than when the intersection target is not determined to exist. Rather than simply outputting the surrounding sound without changing the volume, it is possible to make the driver recognize that the crossing object is approaching the surroundings of the vehicle, and misidentify the direction in which this other vehicle exists The possibility of doing so can be reduced.

Also, when it is determined that there is an intersection target, the surrounding sound is simply output to the surroundings by outputting the sound generated by the intersection target in the surrounding sound at a louder volume than when the intersection target is not determined to exist. Rather than outputting the sound without changing the sound volume, the driver can be surely recognized that the intersection is approaching around the host vehicle, and the possibility of erroneous recognition of the intersection is reduced.

Note that the above-described embodiment describes the embodiment of the driving support apparatus according to the present invention, and the driving support apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the one described in the present embodiment. The driving assistance apparatus according to the present invention may be a modification of the driving assistance apparatus according to the embodiment or application to other things so as not to change the gist described in each claim.

According to the present invention, the driver can be surely recognized that another vehicle is approaching the host vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving assistance device, 11 ... Ambient sound taking-in part, 12 ... Intersection object detection part, 13 ... Ambient state acquisition part, 14 ... Own vehicle state acquisition part, 15 ... Driver state acquisition part, 16 ... Support control part, 17 ... Detection result warning unit, 18 ... Ambient sound processing unit, 19 ... Ambient sound notification unit, C ... Own vehicle, Cd, Dd ... Direction, D ... Moving body.

Claims

In a driving support device that informs the driver of the situation at intersections around the host vehicle,
An output unit for acquiring ambient sound of the host vehicle and outputting the sound in the host vehicle;
A determination unit for determining whether or not there is a moving body that approaches the periphery of the host vehicle;
With
The output unit outputs the ambient sound in the vehicle with a louder volume when the determination unit determines that the moving body is present than when it is not determined that the moving body exists.
Driving assistance device.
The output unit relates to a direction in which the moving body exists in the ambient sound at a louder volume when the determining unit determines that the moving body exists than when the moving body is not determined to exist. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein a sound is output into the host vehicle.
When the determination unit determines that the moving body is present, the output unit generates a sound emitted by the moving body in the ambient sound at a louder volume than when it is not determined that the moving body exists. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the driving support device outputs the information to the own vehicle.
The driving support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the moving body is another vehicle that approaches the periphery of the host vehicle.