JP2012194060A - Information providing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-vehicle information providing device which can appropriately communicate information to a driver.SOLUTION: A control unit of a navigation device determines a driving skill of a driver based on age, driving experience, and driving operations of the driver, and also estimates a driving load on the driver based on the driving skill, driving operations of an own vehicle, and static and dynamic environments of the own vehicle. Then, when the driver receives a low driving load, the control unit notifies the driver of various generated message (S1225), on the other hand, when the driver receives a high driving load, the control unit refrains from providing the messages (S1230) and provides the reserved messages when the driver receives a low driving load (S1245).

Description

  The present invention relates to an on-vehicle information providing apparatus.

  There are known navigation devices that provide route guidance information and traffic information, driving support devices that provide information about pedestrians and other vehicles around the host vehicle, and support safe driving. In addition to these, in-vehicle devices that provide information for improving convenience and entertainment such as news, weather forecasts, sightseeing information, and information on various facilities are known. By using such devices, It is possible to perform safer and more comfortable driving and enjoy driving more.

  However, even if information is provided when the driving load is rising, such as when driving on a busy road or passing through an intersection, the driver cannot understand the information provided. May not be fully communicated.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle that determines the driving load of the driver based on the behavior of the own vehicle, the driving operation, and the like, and provides information when the driving load is reduced, so that the information is surely transmitted to the driver. An information providing apparatus is described.

JP 2002-87111 A

  However, for example, even for beginners and experienced drivers, even when driving a vehicle under the same conditions, the difficulty of driving for each driver is greatly different, and the driving load of each driver depends on the driving skill. It will be very different. On the other hand, in the information providing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the driving load is uniformly determined based on the behavior of the vehicle without considering the driving skill of each driver, the accuracy of determining the driving load is determined. In some cases, the information was not sufficiently communicated to the driver.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle information providing apparatus that can transmit information to a driver more reliably.

  The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, which has been made in view of the above problems, includes driving skill storage means that stores a driving skill of a driver, information relating to a driving operation of the host vehicle driven by the driver, and traveling of the host vehicle. Driving information detecting means for detecting at least one of the environmental information as driving information. In addition to these, a load for estimating a current driving load indicating a driving difficulty level for the driver based on the driving skill stored in the driving skill storage means and the driving information detected by the driving information detecting means. And an providing means for providing various messages at a time when the current driving load estimated by the load estimating means is low.

  Since the driving skill is related to each driver who drives the host vehicle, information for identifying each driver and the driving skill of the driver are stored in the driving skill storage means in association with each other. The load estimating means may read the driving skill of the current driver from the driving skill storage means and estimate the driving load of the driver.

  According to such a configuration, since the driving load is estimated in consideration of the driving skill of each driver, the driving load can be accurately estimated, and various messages are provided when the driving load is surely reduced. can do. Therefore, information can be more reliably transmitted to the driver.

The information providing apparatus may determine the driving skill of the driver as follows.
That is, as described in claim 2, the information providing device determines the driving skill of the driver based on at least one of the age of the driver or the length of driving experience, and uses the driving skill to drive the driving skill. A driving skill determination means for storing in the skill storage means may be further provided.

In this way, the driving skill of the driver can be easily and reliably determined.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the information providing apparatus determines the driving skill of the driver based on the driving operation of the host vehicle by the driver, and stores the driving skill in the driving skill storage means. Means may be further provided.

By doing so, it is possible to more accurately determine the driving skill of the driver.
In addition, it is considered that it is better to notify the driver of highly urgent information such as information related to the failure of the host vehicle regardless of the driving load.

Therefore, in the information providing apparatus according to claim 4, the providing unit provides a message having a high degree of urgency regardless of the current driving load.
By doing so, the driver can quickly cope with a failure of the host vehicle.

  By the way, for example, in the route guidance in the navigation device, a message indicating the traveling direction of the host vehicle such as “turn left at the next intersection” may be provided in front of a branch point such as an intersection. Such a message is provided in advance, such as when the message is provided 50 meters before. A case where the driving load of the driver becomes high at a time when such a message is scheduled to be provided is also assumed.

  Therefore, in the information providing apparatus according to claim 5, a message scheduled to be provided at a predetermined provision time is set as a provision time setting message, and the host vehicle is selected from the routes registered in the map data. Route predicting means for predicting the planned travel route, and load predicting means for predicting a future driving load that is a driving load generated in the driver when the host vehicle travels on the planned travel route. Further, based on the future driving load predicted by the load predicting means, it is determined how much the driving load is generated in the driver at the providing time related to the providing time setting message. And providing means for providing the provision time setting message at a time when the current driving load is low after the provision time for the provision time setting message has arrived.

  By doing so, it is possible to flexibly change the time at which the message is scheduled to be provided according to the driving load of the driver, and it is possible to convey information more reliably to the driver without impairing convenience.

Here, as a method for predicting the future operating load, the following may be considered.
That is, as described in claim 6, the information providing device operates based on the current driving load estimated by the load estimating means, and the driving of the driver generated when traveling on the route registered in the map data. History information generating means for generating load history information is further provided, and the load prediction means is based on history information corresponding to the planned travel route generated by the history information generating means, and the future when traveling on the planned travel route. The driving load may be predicted.

  Since the history information relates to individual drivers who drive the vehicle, information for identifying each driver is associated with the history information of the driver, and the load prediction means A future driving load may be predicted based on the corresponding history information.

By doing so, the future driving load can be accurately predicted.
In addition, when the period during which the driver has driven the host vehicle is short, the number of routes traveled by the host vehicle driven by the driver is small, and the driver's history information corresponding to the planned traveling route is not generated. Probability is high.

  Accordingly, the information providing device according to claim 7 is configured to provide driving loads generated in drivers having different driving skills when the vehicle travels safely on the roads constituting the route registered in the map data. Driving load data acquisition means for acquiring driving load data indicating the driving load data, the load prediction means is based on the driving skill and driving load data of the driver determined by the driving skill determination means, the vehicle that the driver is driving Predict the future driving load when traveling along the planned travel route.

By doing so, it is possible to predict the future driving load when traveling along the planned travel route even when the history information corresponding to the planned travel route is not generated.
Also, when the driver is tired, etc., the ability to recognize and make judgments decreases, so the difficulty of driving improves, and even when driving under the same conditions, the driving load compared to normal driving Will increase.

  Accordingly, the information providing apparatus according to claim 8 further includes a biological information detection unit that detects the biological information of the driver, and the load estimation unit further considers the biological information of the driver detected by the biological information detection unit. , Estimating the current driving load of the driver.

By doing so, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimating the driving load, and to transmit information to the driver more reliably.
By the way, as already described, since the information providing device provides a message when the driving load is low, if the information provided as a message is detected or acquired when the driving load is high, It is conceivable to suspend provision of a message based on the message and provide a message that is suspended when the driving load becomes low.

  Further, as messages provided from the information providing apparatus, for example, in route guidance, a message indicating the traveling direction of the host vehicle before a branch point, a message regarding a specific road such as traffic jam information, accident information, and the like can be considered. With regard to such messages, if the vehicle passes a branch point related to the message during suspension, or if the road on which the vehicle travels changes, the content of the message is not compatible with the driving of the vehicle. turn into.

  Accordingly, in the information providing apparatus according to claim 9, the message has an expiration date set, and further includes an expiration date determining unit that determines whether or not the expiration date set in the message has passed. Provides a message determined by the expiration date determining means that the expiration date has not passed.

  By doing so, it is possible to prevent a message that is not suitable for driving the host vehicle from being provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a vehicle-mounted system, and a block diagram which shows the structure of a navigation apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control program which controls a navigation apparatus. It is a flowchart of an information provision process. It is explanatory drawing about route data and log | history information. It is a flowchart of a driving skill determination process and a personal information determination process. It is a flowchart of a driving operation determination process. It is a flowchart of an acceleration / deceleration operation evaluation process and a handle operation evaluation process. It is a flowchart of a driving load estimation process. It is a flowchart of a driver state determination process. It is a flowchart of a driving operation load determination process. It is a flowchart of a static environmental load determination process. It is a flowchart of a message alerting | reporting process. It is explanatory drawing about the flowchart of a driving load prediction process, and driving load data. It is a flowchart of a guidance message generation process. It is a flowchart of a guidance message alerting | reporting process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[Description of configuration]
FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to the present embodiment including a navigation device 10 and a meter ECU 20 connected via an in-vehicle LAN 70 such as a CAN. The in-vehicle system includes a navigation device 10 configured to provide route guidance and provide various types of information when the driving load on the driver of the host vehicle is low, a meter ECU 20 that controls the meter, and the like. Further, the in-vehicle system performs a wireless communication with the mobile phone 31 and uses a speaker or a microphone to realize a hands-free call 30, a power train ECU 40 that controls the engine and transmission of the host vehicle, a driver The steering ECU 50 controls the steering angle of the host vehicle according to the steering operation of the vehicle, the audio 60 capable of receiving television broadcasting and radio broadcasting, and the like.

  Next, the structure of the navigation apparatus 10 which comprises an in-vehicle system is demonstrated using FIG.1 (b). The navigation device 10 includes an operation unit 11a, a display unit 11b, a speaker 11c, an external communication device 12, a sensor group 13, a storage unit 14, a map data input unit 15, a control unit 16, a position detector 17, an in-vehicle LAN communication unit 18, It consists of a radar 19 and the like.

The operation unit 11a is a part that receives various instructions from the user, and specifically includes a mechanical key switch, a touch switch, and the like.
The display unit 11b is a part that performs various displays, and specifically includes an LCD, an organic EL, or the like.

The speaker 11 c is a part that outputs sound based on a signal input from the control unit 16.
In addition, the external communication device 12 acquires traffic information (accident information, traffic jam information, etc.) from the VICS information center via an optical beacon or a radio beacon installed on the roadside. Moreover, the traffic information transmitted by FM multiplex broadcasting is also acquired.

  The sensor group 13 is a part for detecting the driver's biological information, and detects the blood pressure sensor attached to the grasping position on the handle and the state of the hand of the driver attached to the grasping position and holding the handle. It is composed of a pressure sensor, a camera that captures the driver's face, an infrared sensor that detects the driver's body temperature, and the like.

The storage unit 14 includes a device (for example, HDD) that does not require a storage holding operation, and can store various types of information.
The map data input device 15 is an apparatus for inputting various data such as map data used when performing route guidance and the like, and facility search information used when searching for a predetermined facility. As a storage medium for these data, a DVD-ROM or HDD is generally used because the amount of data is enormous.

  The control unit 16 is mainly configured by a known microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, a bus line connecting these, and the like. The control unit 16 controls each part of the navigation device 10 according to a program stored in the ROM or a program loaded in the RAM.

  The position detector 17 receives a signal from an artificial satellite for GPS (Global Positioning System) via a GPS antenna (not shown) and detects the position, direction, speed, etc. of the vehicle, A gyroscope 17b for detecting the magnitude of the rotational motion applied to the vehicle and a distance sensor 17c for detecting the distance traveled from the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle are provided. Since these have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while complementing each other.

The in-vehicle LAN communication unit 18 is a part that transmits and receives various types of information via the in-vehicle LAN 70.
The radar 19 is a part that detects an obstacle around the host vehicle such as a vehicle or a pedestrian.

Next, the configuration of the control program 100 that controls the navigation device 10 will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.
The control program 100 includes an information presentation function group 110 that generates a message to be provided to the driver, an information acquisition unit 120 that acquires information related to the state of the driver and the host vehicle, and the driving environment, and driving skill determination that determines the driving skill of the driver. Unit 150 and a driving load estimation unit 140 that calculates the driving load of the driver according to the driving skill. In addition, a notification control unit 130 that notifies the driver of a message when the driving load decreases, a screen output unit 160 that outputs a message by displaying various images on the display unit 11b, and a voice message via the speaker 11c. Is output.

  The information presentation function group 110 is configured to generate a message related to route guidance based on map data, the current location of the host vehicle, and the like, and to generate a message based on VICS traffic information. Further, it communicates with other devices via the in-vehicle LAN 70, acquires various information such as vehicle failure information, traffic information, news, incoming calls to the mobile phone 31, incoming mails, etc., and messages based on these information Is configured to generate

  The information acquisition unit 120 also relates to the driver, such as the driver's age and driving history, based on the operation received via the operation unit 11a or information acquired from a portable device (not shown) constituting the keyless entry system. It is configured to identify information. Moreover, it communicates with another apparatus via in-vehicle LAN70, and is comprised so that the information regarding a driving operation, the information regarding the state of the own vehicle, and the information regarding the driving environment of a vehicle may be acquired. The sensor group 13 is configured to detect driver biometric information.

[Description of operation]
Next, operation | movement of the navigation apparatus 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated. The navigation device 10 determines the driving skill of each driver who drives the host vehicle, and determines the driving difficulty for each driver based on the driving skill, the driving operation of the host vehicle, the state of the host vehicle, and the traveling environment. A certain operating load is estimated individually. And it is comprised so that the message based on the various information acquired from the message regarding route guidance or other apparatuses may be provided at the time when the estimated driving load is low. Below, operation | movement of this navigation apparatus 10 is demonstrated in detail using a flowchart.

(1) Information provision processing First, information provision is performed such that the driving load of each driver who drives the host vehicle is estimated and the message provision timing is delayed or advanced so that various messages are provided when the driving load is low. The process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In addition, this process is a process performed regularly during the driving | operation of the own vehicle.

In S205, the control part 16 of the navigation apparatus 10 performs the driving skill determination process which determines the driving skill of the driver of the own vehicle, and transfers a process to S210.
In S210, the control unit 16 estimates the driving load of the driver in three stages of large, medium, and small based on the driving skill of the driver, the driving operation of the own vehicle, the state of the own vehicle, and the traveling environment. An estimation process is performed, and the process proceeds to S215.

In S215, the control part 16 performs the message alerting | reporting process which provides a various message with respect to a driver at the timing according to a driving load, and transfers a process to S220.
In S220, the control unit 16 updates the history information of the driving load of the driver generated when the host vehicle travels on the route registered in the map data.

  Here, the history information will be described with reference to FIG. The map data used in the navigation device 10 has route data representing a route by a plurality of nodes and links connecting the nodes, and each link is given a unique ID (FIG. 4A). reference). The history information is provided for each driver who drives the host vehicle, and includes a link ID and a driving load estimated by the driver when traveling along the route indicated by the link ID. In FIG. 4B, a table showing an example of history information about a specific driver is described.

  When the host vehicle completes traveling on the route corresponding to each link, the control unit 16 specifies an average of the driving loads estimated during traveling on the route. Specifically, each stage of large, medium, and small driving loads is quantified, and an average value of driving load values estimated while traveling on the route is calculated, and the route is calculated based on the average value. The driving load during traveling may be judged as large, medium, or small. In addition, among the large, medium, and small stages, the stage having the longest estimated time during traveling on the route may be set as the driving load while traveling on the route. Then, the history information is updated by setting the driving load specified in association with the link ID of the route that has completed the travel for the history information corresponding to the current driver.

  In subsequent S225, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the route guidance is being executed. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S225: Yes), the process proceeds to S230, and a negative determination is obtained. If this happens (S225: No), this process ends. The navigation device 10 may provide route guidance to the destination in accordance with an operation performed by a driver or the like, or when it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling on a pre-registered commuting route or the like. Alternatively, route guidance for traveling along the route spontaneously may be performed.

In S230, the control unit 16 performs a driving load prediction process for predicting a driving load generated in the driver first, and shifts the process to S235.
In S235, the control unit 16 performs a guidance message generation process for generating a guidance message for notifying the course of the host vehicle at a predetermined timing, and the process proceeds to S240.

In S240, the control unit 16 performs a guidance message notification process for notifying a guidance message at a predetermined timing, and ends this process.
(2) Driving skill determination process Next, a driving skill determination process for determining the driving skill of a driver in three stages of high, medium, and low will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is started from the information providing process.

  In S305, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the driver's driving skill is in an undetermined state, such as when the current driver drives the vehicle for the first time, and if an affirmative determination is obtained ( (S305: Yes), the process proceeds to S310, and if a negative determination is obtained (S305: No), the process proceeds to S315.

In S310, the control unit 16 performs a personal information determination process for determining the driving skill of the driver based on the personal information of the driver, and ends this process.
On the other hand, in S315, the control unit 16 performs a driving operation determination process for determining the driving skill of the driver based on the driving operation, and ends the present process.

(3) About personal information determination processing Next, personal information determination processing for determining a driver's driving skill in three stages of high, medium, and low based on personal information, using the flowchart shown in FIG. explain. This process is configured as a subroutine called from the driving skill determination process.

  In S405, based on the driver's personal information, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the driver's age is 65 years or older. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S405: Yes), the process proceeds to S410. If a negative determination is obtained (S405: No), the process proceeds to S415.

In S410, the control unit 16 determines that the driving skill is “low”, and ends the present process.
In S415, based on the driver's personal information, the control unit 16 determines whether the driver's years of driving experience (described as driving history) is less than one year. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S415: Yes), the process proceeds to S420. If a negative determination is obtained (S415: No), the process proceeds to S425.

In S420, the control unit 16 determines that the driving skill is “low”, stores the determination result in the RAM, and ends the present process.
In S425, the control unit 16 determines whether the driving history of the driver is less than 5 years based on the personal information of the driver. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S425: Yes), the process proceeds to S430. If a negative determination is obtained (S425: No), the process proceeds to S435.

In S430, the control unit 16 determines that the driving skill is “medium”, stores the determination result in the RAM, and ends the present process.
On the other hand, in S435, the control unit 16 determines that the driving skill is “high”, stores the determination result in the RAM, and ends the present process.

(4) Driving Operation Determination Processing Next, driving operation determination processing for determining the driving skill of the driver in three stages of high, medium, and low based on the driving operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is configured as a subroutine called from the driving skill determination process.

In S505, the control unit 16 performs an acceleration / deceleration operation evaluation process for evaluating an operation for accelerating / decelerating the host vehicle, and the process proceeds to S510.
In S510, the control unit 16 performs a handle operation evaluation process for evaluating the handle operation of the host vehicle, and the process proceeds to S515.

  In S515, the control unit 16 determines whether the evaluation period for the current driving operation of the driver is sufficient. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the period during which the current driver has driven the vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold (for example, 5 hours), and if an affirmative determination is obtained (S515: Yes), the process proceeds to S520. When the process is shifted to a negative determination (S515: No), this process is terminated.

  In S520, the control unit 16 adds up the evaluation results for the operation for accelerating / decelerating the host vehicle and the evaluation results for the steering wheel operation. Specifically, each operation is evaluated in two stages of ○ and × at regular timing (details will be described later), but the number of ○ and × may be counted, and each stage is quantified. The average value of the evaluation results may be calculated. Then, the process proceeds to S525.

  In S525, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the evaluation results for each operation are good based on the counting results. Specifically, if the number of ○ and × is totaled, if the number of ○ exceeds a predetermined value, it may be determined that the evaluation result is good, and the evaluation at each stage is a numerical value. If the average value is calculated, the evaluation result may be determined to be good if the average value exceeds a predetermined value. When an affirmative determination is obtained (S525: Yes), the process proceeds to S530, and when a negative determination is obtained (S525: No), the process proceeds to S535.

In S530, the control unit 16 determines that the driving skill of the driver is “high”, stores the determination result in the RAM, and ends the present process.
In S535, similarly, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the evaluation result for one operation is good. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S535: Yes), the process proceeds to S540. If a negative determination is obtained (S535: No), the process proceeds to S545.

In S540, the control unit 16 determines that the driving skill of the driver is “medium”, stores the determination result in the RAM, and ends the present process.
On the other hand, in S545, the control unit 16 determines that the driving skill of the driver is “low”, stores the determination result in the RAM, and ends this processing.

(5) Acceleration / deceleration operation evaluation process Next, an acceleration / deceleration operation evaluation process for evaluating the acceleration / deceleration of the host vehicle in two stages of “◯” and “×” will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Will be described. This process is configured as a subroutine called from the driving operation determination process.

In S605, the control unit 16 sets an upper limit value and a lower limit value of acceleration required for safe driving based on the static environment and the dynamic environment around the host vehicle.
Here, the static environment refers to, for example, the type of road that is running (whether it is a highway or a general road), the number of lanes, the road width, the shape of the road, the location where the car is running, such as an intersection, a busy street, etc. The control unit 16 may determine such a static environment based on the map data.

  In addition, the dynamic environment is a traveling environment that dynamically changes depending on, for example, the degree of congestion around the host vehicle, weather, and the like, and the control unit 16 uses the radar 19 to change the vehicle or pedestrian. For example, the dynamic environment may be determined based on the detection of obstacles such as the traffic information or the weather information acquired from the outside.

  For example, when the road width is narrow, when driving on a busy street, when driving on a congested road, or when the weather is bad, driving based on static or dynamic environments Needless to say, when it is determined that the degree of difficulty is high, the upper limit value of acceleration required for safe driving is set lower and the lower limit value is set higher. Further, data (teacher data) indicating the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the acceleration is stored in the storage unit 14.

In continuing S610, the control part 16 measures the acceleration of the front-back direction based on the vehicle speed of the own vehicle acquired from meter ECU20 via in-vehicle LAN70, and transfers a process to S615.
In S615, the control unit 16 determines whether sudden acceleration or sudden deceleration has been performed based on the measured acceleration and the upper limit value and lower limit value of the acceleration. When the measured acceleration exceeds the upper limit value, it is regarded as rapid acceleration, and when the acceleration is lower than the lower limit value, it is regarded as rapid deceleration. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S615: Yes), the process proceeds to S625. If a negative determination is obtained (S615: No), the process proceeds to S620.

In S620, the control unit 16 sets the determination result to “◯” and ends this processing.
On the other hand, in S625, the control unit 16 sets “x” as the determination result, and ends this processing.
(6) Handle Operation Evaluation Process Next, a handle operation evaluation process for evaluating the handle operation in two stages of “◯” and “×” will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is configured as a subroutine called from the driving operation determination process.

In S705, the control unit 16 specifies the shape of the road on which the host vehicle is currently traveling based on the map data, and the process proceeds to S710.
In S710, the control unit 16 sets the target value of the steering angle and the target value of the lateral acceleration required for performing safe driving based on the identified road shape, and the process proceeds to S715. Note that data (teacher data) indicating such steering angle and target values of acceleration is stored in the storage unit 14.

  In S715, the control unit 16 acquires the current rudder angle from the steering ECU 50 via the in-vehicle LAN 70, and based on the rudder angle and the current vehicle speed acquired through the in-vehicle LAN 70, the lateral direction of the host vehicle is determined. The acceleration is measured, and the process proceeds to S720. In addition, the control part 16 may measure the acceleration of a horizontal direction with the acceleration sensor which is not shown in figure.

  In S720, the control unit 16 calculates the difference between the target value and the current value with respect to the steering angle and the lateral acceleration of the host vehicle, respectively, and whether or not the difference is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. Determine. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S720: Yes), the process proceeds to S725. If a negative determination is obtained (S720: No), the process proceeds to S730.

In S725, the control unit 16 sets the determination result to “◯” and ends this processing.
On the other hand, in S730, the control unit 16 sets the determination result to “x” and ends this processing.
(7) Driving load estimation processing Next, based on the driving skill of the driver, the driving operation of the host vehicle, the state of the host vehicle, and the driving environment, the driving load of the driver is divided into three stages: large, medium, and small. The driving load estimation process estimated in step 1 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is started from the information providing process.

  In S805, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the driving skill of the driver is “high”. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S805: Yes), the process proceeds to S810, and a negative determination is made. If it is obtained (S805: No), the process proceeds to S815.

In S810, the control part 16 sets the threshold level for setting the various threshold values used for determination of driving | operation load to a high level, and transfers a process to S830.
In S815, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the driver's driving skill is “medium”, and if a positive determination is obtained (S815: Yes), the process proceeds to S820, and a negative determination is made. If it is obtained (S815: No), the process proceeds to S825.

In S820, the control unit 16 sets the threshold level to the medium level, and the process proceeds to S830.
On the other hand, in S825, the control unit 16 sets the threshold level to a low level, and proceeds to S830.

  In S830, the control unit 16 detects the driver's fatigue level and abnormality based on the driver's biometric information, performs driver state determination processing to reset the threshold level according to the detection result, and shifts the processing to S835.

In S835, the control unit 16 performs a driving operation load determination process for determining the driving load of the driver based on the driving skill and driving operation of the driver, and the process proceeds to S840.
In S840, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the driving skill of the driver is “high”, and if an affirmative determination is obtained (S840: Yes), the present process is terminated and a negative determination is obtained. If so (S840: No), the process proceeds to S845.

In S845, the control unit 16 performs a static environmental load determination process for determining the driving load of the driver based on the static environment described above, and ends this process.
In addition to the static environment, the driver's driving load may be determined based on the dynamic environment described above. Specifically, for example, the radar 19 is used to detect the degree of congestion around the host vehicle, and The driving load corresponding to the driving skill of the driver may be estimated by comparing the degree of congestion with a threshold corresponding to each stage of the driving skill. Further, for example, weather information may be acquired via the in-vehicle LAN 70, and the driving load may be estimated as “large” in case of bad weather.

(8) Driver State Determination Process Next, a driver state determination process for detecting a driver's fatigue level or abnormality based on the driver's biometric information and resetting the threshold level according to the detection result will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Will be described. This process is configured as a subroutine called from the driving load estimation process.

  In S905, the control unit 16 detects the face image of the driver, the body temperature and blood pressure of the driver, and the state of the driver's hand holding the handle via the sensor group 13, and the process proceeds to S910.

In S910, the control unit 16 determines the physical condition and mental state of the driver based on the detection result by the sensor group 13.
Specifically, the current physical condition and mental state of the driver may be determined by comparing the photographed driver's face image with the driver's face image prepared in advance. Further, the current physical condition or the like of the driver may be determined based on fluctuations in the body temperature or blood pressure of the driver, or the current physical condition or the like of the driver may be determined from the movement of the driver's hand holding the handle. Further, the physical condition and mental state of the driver may be comprehensively determined from these determination results.

  In the subsequent S915, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the driver's physical condition or mental state is unwell, and if an affirmative determination is obtained (S915: Yes), the process proceeds to S920 and a negative If the determination is obtained (S915: No), this process ends.

In S920, the control unit 16 lowers the threshold level by one step, and ends this process.
(9) About the driving operation load determination process Next, the driving operation load determination process for estimating the driving load of the driver based on the driving skill of the driver and the driving operation and the state of the host vehicle is shown in the flowchart of FIG. It explains using. This process is configured as a subroutine called from the driving load estimation process.

  In S1005, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the host vehicle is stopped based on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle acquired through the in-vehicle LAN 70. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1005: Yes), the process proceeds to S1010. If a negative determination is obtained (S1005: No), the process proceeds to S1015.

In S1010, the control unit 16 estimates that the driving load is “small”, and ends this process.
In S1015, the control unit 16 calculates the longitudinal acceleration of the host vehicle based on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle acquired via the in-vehicle LAN 70, and whether or not rapid acceleration or deceleration has been performed (according to the longitudinal acceleration, Whether or not a predetermined upper limit value is exceeded or a lower limit value is fallen).

  In addition, as the upper limit value and the lower limit value of acceleration, three types of values corresponding to the threshold level are provided, and when the threshold level is a high level, the maximum value is the upper limit value of the three types, and the lower limit value. As the minimum value is used, and the threshold level decreases, the value used as the upper limit value decreases and the value used as the lower limit value increases.

  When an affirmative determination is obtained (S1015: Yes), the process proceeds to S1020, and when a negative determination is obtained (S1015: No), the process proceeds to S1025.

In S1020, the control unit 16 estimates that the driving load is “large”, and ends this process.
In S1025, the control unit 16 measures the lateral acceleration of the host vehicle based on the vehicle speed and the steering angle acquired via the in-vehicle LAN 70, and determines whether or not the lateral acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold. To do.

  Note that three kinds of values corresponding to the threshold level are provided as threshold values for the acceleration in the lateral direction. When the threshold level is high, the maximum value of the three kinds is used, and the threshold level is As it falls, the value used becomes smaller.

  When an affirmative determination is obtained (S1025: Yes), the process proceeds to S1020, and when a negative determination is obtained (S1025: No), the process proceeds to S1030.

  In S1030, the control unit 16 acquires shift lever position information from the powertrain ECU 40 via the in-vehicle LAN 70, and determines whether or not the shift lever position is set to reverse. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1030: Yes), the process proceeds to S1020. If a negative determination is obtained (S1030: No), the process proceeds to S1035.

  In S1035, the control unit 16 determines whether or not an operation for making a U-turn of the host vehicle is performed based on the rudder angle acquired through the in-vehicle LAN 70. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1035: Yes), the process proceeds to S1020. If a negative determination is obtained (S1035: No), the process proceeds to S1040.

In S1040, the control unit 16 estimates that the driving load is “small”, and ends this process.
(10) Static Environmental Load Determination Processing Next, static environmental load determination processing for estimating the driving load of the driver based on the static environment will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is configured as a subroutine called from the driving load estimation process.

  In S1105, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the host vehicle is traveling in the parking lot based on the map data and the current location. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1105: Yes), the control unit 16 proceeds to S1110. If the process proceeds and a negative determination is obtained (S1105: No), the process proceeds to S1115.

In S1110, the control unit 16 estimates that the driving load is “large”, and ends this process.
In S1115, the control unit 16 determines whether the host vehicle is near the toll gate on the toll road based on the map data and the current location. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1115: Yes), S1110 If a negative determination is obtained (S1115: No), the process proceeds to S1120.

  In S1120, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the host vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection based on the map data, the current location, the rudder angle acquired via the in-vehicle LAN 70, the operation state of the turn signal, and the like. To do. When an affirmative determination is obtained (S1120: Yes), the process proceeds to S1110, and when a negative determination is obtained (S1120: No), the process proceeds to S1125.

In S1125, the control unit 16 determines whether the road width of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is less than a predetermined threshold based on the map data.
In addition, as the threshold value of the road width, three types of values corresponding to the threshold level are provided, and when the threshold level is high, the minimum value of the three types is used, and as the threshold level decreases, The value used is larger.

  If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1125: Yes), the process proceeds to S1110. If a negative determination is obtained (S1125: No), the process proceeds to S1130.

In S <b> 1130, the control unit 16 estimates that the driving load is “small”, and ends this process.
(11) Message Notification Process Next, a message notification process for notifying the driver of various messages at a timing according to the driving load will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is started from the information providing process.

In S1205, the control unit 16 generates various messages to be notified to the driver.
Specifically, for example, the control unit 16 may generate a guidance message for guiding the host vehicle to the destination based on the map data, or based on the information acquired via the external communication device 12 You may generate | occur | produce the message regarding the traffic information about specific road sections, such as information and accident information. For example, the control unit 16 may acquire information on a static environment such as a road or a place that is running from map data, and may generate a warning message that alerts the driver based on the information. A dynamic environment such as a vehicle or a pedestrian around the own vehicle may be detected via the vehicle, and a warning message for warning about the risk of an accident may be generated based on the detection result.

  In addition, the control unit 16 acquires, via the in-vehicle LAN 70, for example, information indicating the failure information of the host vehicle, the remaining amount of fuel, vehicle speed, steering operation, presence / absence of seat belt, door open / closed state, etc. A warning message regarding the driving operation or the state of the host vehicle may be generated.

  Moreover, the control part 16 may produce | generate the message regarding various facilities based on the facility search information input from the map data input device 15, for example. In addition, the control unit 16, for example, news received by the audio 60 via the in-vehicle LAN 70, weather forecast, sightseeing information received by the mobile phone 31, information on various facilities, incoming calls to the mobile phone 31, and mail Information for notifying an incoming call may be acquired, and a message based on the information may be generated.

  Of these messages, for example, a warning message about the failure of the host vehicle or the risk of an accident may be a highly urgent message. Also, for example, expiration dates are set for messages based on traffic information related to a specific road section, messages regarding static environment and dynamic environment, and when the information related to the message is acquired, the message is generated When a predetermined time (for example, 3 minutes) elapses from the starting point, it is considered that the expiration date of the message has elapsed.

  In subsequent S1210, the control unit 16 determines the presence / absence of the message generated in S1205. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1210: Yes), the process proceeds to S1215, and a negative determination is obtained. In the case (S1210: No), the process proceeds to S1235.

  In S1215, the control unit 16 determines whether the generated message is a message with a high degree of urgency. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1215: Yes), the process proceeds to S1225, and a negative determination is obtained. If YES in step S1215, the process proceeds to step S1220.

  In S1220, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the estimated current driving load is “small”. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1220: Yes), the process proceeds to S1225. If a negative determination is obtained (S1220: No), the process proceeds to S1230.

In S1225, the control unit 16 notifies the message generated via the display unit 11b and the speaker 11c, and the process proceeds to S1235.
In S1230, the control unit 16 suspends notification of the generated message, and the process proceeds to S1235.

  In S1235, the control unit 16 determines the presence / absence of a pending message. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1235: Yes), the process proceeds to S1240, and if a negative determination is obtained ( S1235: No), the process proceeds to S1250.

  In S1240, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the estimated current driving load is “small”. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1240: Yes), the process proceeds to S1245. If a negative determination is obtained (S1240: No), the process proceeds to S1250.

In S1245, the control unit 16 notifies the pending message via the display unit 11b and the speaker 11c, and the process proceeds to S1250.
In S1250, the control unit 16 deletes the message whose expiration date has passed among the pending messages, and ends this processing.

(12) Driving Load Prediction Processing Next, driving load prediction processing for predicting the driving load generated in the driver will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is started from the information providing process.

  In S1305, the control unit 16 predicts a scheduled travel route. Specifically, if route guidance to a destination set by a driver or the like is being performed, the route related to the route guidance may be predicted as the planned travel route. Further, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a pre-registered commuting route or the like, the route may be predicted as a planned traveling route. And the control part 16 transfers a process to S1310.

  In S1310, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the driving load corresponding to all the links constituting the planned travel route is set in the current driver history information, and if an affirmative determination is obtained. (S1310: Yes), the process proceeds to S1315, and if a negative determination is obtained (S1310: No), the process proceeds to S1320.

  In S1315, the control unit 16 sets the driving load (three levels of “large”, “medium”, and “small”) corresponding to each link constituting the planned travel route in the current driver history information to the link. The driving load of the driver generated when traveling on the corresponding road is predicted, and the present process is terminated.

On the other hand, in S1320, the control unit 16 predicts the driving load that occurs when traveling on the planned travel route based on the driving load data included in the map data.
Here, the driving load data will be described. The driving load data indicates an estimation result obtained by preliminarily estimating a driving load generated when traveling on a route registered in the map data.

  As already described, the map data has route data representing a route by a plurality of nodes and links connecting the nodes, and each link is given a unique ID (FIG. 4A). reference). Also, based on the static environment such as the road shape, road width, type (highway or general road, etc.) corresponding to each link, and where the road is located, the road can be safely A driving load generated when traveling (in other words, a driving load when a standard driving operation is performed when traveling on the road) can be estimated according to the driving skill. In the driving load data, for the road corresponding to each link registered in the map data, the driving load estimated as described above for each driving skill (“large”, “medium”, “small”) ) Is set (see FIG. 13B).

  Then, the control unit 16 specifies the link ID corresponding to the planned travel route, specifies the driving load corresponding to each link based on the driving skill and driving load data of the driver, and determines the specified driving load as the current driving load. This is the driving load generated when the driver of the vehicle travels on the planned travel route.

After predicting the driving load, the control unit 16 ends this process.
(13) Guidance Message Generation Processing Next, guidance message generation processing for generating a guidance message for notifying the course of the host vehicle at a predetermined timing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is started from the information providing process.

  In step S1405, the control unit 16 generates a guidance message for notifying the course of the host vehicle at a predetermined timing. The guidance message here is, for example, information that informs by voice or image that “turn left at the next intersection” or “run the next side road and exit the expressway”. Such a guidance message is scheduled to be notified at a predetermined provision time, for example, when it reaches 100 meters before the intersection or the entrance to the side road.

  These guide messages have expiration dates set, and when a predetermined time (for example, 3 minutes) elapses from the time when the message is generated, or when the own vehicle branches such as an intersection related to the guide information. When the point is reached, it is considered that the expiration date has passed.

  In subsequent S1410, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the driving load is predicted to be “large” at the provision timing of the generated guidance message based on the driving load prediction result by the driving load prediction process. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1410: Yes), the process proceeds to S1415. If a negative determination is obtained (S1410: No), this process ends.

  In step S1415, the control unit 16 searches for a driving load decrease time when the driving time is predicted to be “low”, based on the driving load prediction result obtained by the driving load prediction process. Then, the provision time of the generated guidance message is changed to the driving load reduction time. In addition, when there is no driving load reduction time before the provision time arrives, the provision time may be changed to a driving load reduction time after the provision time arrives. And the control part 16 complete | finishes this process.

(14) About guidance message alerting | reporting process Next, the guidance message alerting | reporting process which alert | reports a guidance message at a predetermined timing is demonstrated using the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is started from the information providing process.

  In S1505, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the provision time for the generated guidance message has arrived. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1505: Yes), the process proceeds to S1510, and a negative determination is made. Is obtained (S1505: No), the process proceeds to S1525.

  In S1510, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the current driving load is “small”. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1510: Yes), the process proceeds to S1515, and a negative determination is made. If it is obtained (S1510: No), the process proceeds to S1520.

In S1515, the control unit 16 notifies the guidance message that the provision time has come using the display unit 11b and the speaker 11c, and the process proceeds to S1525.
On the other hand, in S1520, the control unit 16 suspends the notification of the guidance message, and proceeds to S1525.

  In S1525, the control unit 16 determines the presence / absence of a pending guidance message. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1525: Yes), the process proceeds to S1530, and if a negative determination is obtained. (S1525: No), the process proceeds to S1540.

  In S1530, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the current driving load is “small”. If an affirmative determination is obtained (S1530: Yes), the process proceeds to S1535, and a negative determination is made. If it is obtained (S1530: No), the process proceeds to S1540.

In S1535, the control unit 16 notifies the pending guidance message using the display unit 11b and the speaker 11c, and the process proceeds to S1540.
In S1540, the control unit 16 deletes the guidance message that has expired from the pending guidance messages, and ends this processing.

[effect]
According to the navigation device 10 of the present embodiment, the driving skill of each driver is estimated based on personal information and driving operation, and based on the driving skill and the driving operation of the driver, the state of the host vehicle, the driving environment, etc. The driving load for each driver is estimated. For this reason, the driving load of the driver can be determined with high accuracy, and various messages can be provided when the driving load is reliably reduced, so that information can be more reliably transmitted to the driver.

[Other Embodiments]
(1) In the navigation device 10 of the present embodiment, the driving skill of the driver is determined based on age, driving history, and driving operation, but the determination method of the driving skill is not limited to this. A driving skill determined by a third party may be acquired from a storage device connected to the in-vehicle LAN 70, and the driving load may be estimated based on the driving skill. Even in such a case, the same effect can be obtained.

  (2) Further, in the navigation device 10 of the present embodiment, the driving skill, the driving operation such as the vehicle speed, the steering angle, the longitudinal or lateral acceleration, the state of the own vehicle, the static environment, and the dynamic environment Based on this, the operating load is estimated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the driving load may be estimated based on the driving skill and at least one of the driving operation, the state of the host vehicle, the static environment, and the dynamic environment. Even if it is a case, the same effect can be acquired.

  (3) In the present embodiment, the information providing apparatus according to the present invention has been described by taking the navigation apparatus 10 as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the information providing apparatus is configured as a meter, for example. Or may be configured as a head-up display control device or the like. Even in such a case, the same effect can be obtained.

  (4) In the present embodiment, the driving load data is included in the map data, and the navigation device 10 acquires the driving load data via the map data input device 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, communication with an external server is performed via the external communication device 12 or the mobile phone 31 connected to the hands-free device 30, and driving load data is acquired from the external server. May be. On the other hand, the external server may collect history information about various drivers as needed, and generate driving load data in which the driving load is estimated with higher accuracy based on the collected history information. By acquiring such driving additional data, the navigation device 10 can predict the driving load with higher accuracy.

[Correspondence with Claims]
The correspondence between the terms used in the description of the above embodiment and the terms used in the description of the claims is shown.

The navigation device 10 corresponds to an information providing device.
Further, the RAM of the control unit 16 of the navigation device 10 corresponds to driving skill storage means, the map data input device 15 corresponds to driving load data acquisition means, and the sensor group 13 corresponds to biological information detection means.

Further, the vehicle speed, the steering angle, the position of the shift lever, the longitudinal acceleration, the lateral acceleration, etc. of the own vehicle correspond to the information related to the driving operation.
In addition, the static environment such as the type of road (whether it is an expressway or a general road), the number of lanes, the width of the road, the shape of the road, the location where the vehicle is traveling, such as an intersection or downtown, etc., the degree of congestion around the host vehicle, the weather Such a dynamic environment corresponds to the driving environment.

  Further, S1005, S1015, S1025, S1030, and S1035 of the driving operation load determination process and S1105, S1115, S1120, and S1125 of the static environmental load determination process correspond to the driving information detection unit.

Further, S1010, S1020, and S1040 of the driving operation load determination process and S1110 and S1130 of the static environmental load determination process correspond to the load estimation unit.
Further, S1225 and S1245 of message notification processing and S1515 and S1535 of guidance message notification processing correspond to providing means.

Further, S410, S420, and S430 of personal information determination processing correspond to the driving skill determination means in claim 2.
Further, S530, S540, and S545 of the driving operation determination process correspond to the driving skill determination means in claim 3.

  Further, the guidance message corresponds to the provision time setting message, S1305 of the driving load prediction process is the route prediction means, S1315 and S1320 of the driving load prediction process are the load prediction means, and S1410 and S1415 of the guidance message generation process are the changing means. In addition, S220 of the information providing process corresponds to a history information generating unit.

  Further, S1250 of the message leaving process and S1540 of the guidance message notification process correspond to the expiration date determining means.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation apparatus, 11a ... Operation part, 11b ... Display part, 11c ... Speaker, 12 ... External communication device, 13 ... Sensor group, 14 ... Memory | storage part, 15 ... Map data input device, 16 ... Control part, 17 ... Position Detector, 17a ... GPS receiver, 17b ... Gyroscope, 17c ... Distance sensor, 18 ... In-vehicle LAN communication unit, 19 ... Radar, 20 ... Meter ECU, 30 ... Hands-free device, 31 ... Mobile phone, 40 ... Powertrain ECU, 50 ... steering ECU, 60 ... audio, 70 ... in-vehicle LAN, 100 ... control program, 110 ... information presentation function group, 120 ... information acquisition unit, 130 ... notification control unit, 140 ... driving load estimation unit, 150 ... driving Skill determination unit, 160 ... screen output unit, 170 ... audio output unit.

Claims (9)

Driving skill storage means for storing the driving skill of the driver;
Driving information detection means for detecting at least one of information related to driving operation of the host vehicle driven by the driver and information related to the traveling environment of the host vehicle as driving information;
Based on the driving skill stored in the driving skill storage means and the driving information detected by the driving information detection means, a load estimation for estimating a current driving load indicating a driving difficulty for the driver Means,
Providing means for providing various messages when the current driving load estimated by the load estimating means is low;
An information providing apparatus comprising: The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,
Further comprising driving skill determining means for determining the driving skill of the driver based on at least one of the age of the driver or the length of driving experience and storing the driving skill in the driving skill storage means;
An information providing apparatus characterized by the above. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,
Further comprising driving skill determination means for determining the driving skill of the driver based on the driving operation of the vehicle by the driver and storing the driving skill in the driving skill storage means;
An information providing apparatus characterized by the above. In the information provision apparatus of any one of Claims 1-3,
The providing means provides the message with a high degree of urgency regardless of the current driving load,
An information providing apparatus characterized by the above. In the information provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The message scheduled to be provided at a predetermined provision time as the provision time setting message,
Route prediction means for predicting the planned travel route of the vehicle from the routes registered in the map data;
Load prediction means for predicting a future driving load that is a driving load generated in the driver when the host vehicle travels on the planned travel route;
Based on the future driving load predicted by the load predicting means, it is determined how much the driving load is generated in the driver at the providing time related to the providing time setting message, and when the driving load is high Means for changing the provision period;
With
The providing means provides the provision time setting message at a time when the current driving load is low after the provision time related to the provision time setting message has arrived;
An information providing apparatus characterized by the above. In the information provision apparatus of Claim 5,
History information generating means for generating history information of the driving load of the driver generated when traveling on the route registered in the map data based on the current driving load estimated by the load estimating means Prepared,
The load predicting means predicting the future driving load when traveling on the planned travel route based on the history information corresponding to the planned travel route generated by the history information generating unit;
An information providing apparatus characterized by the above. In the information provision apparatus of Claim 5,
Driving that acquires driving load data indicating driving load generated in each of the drivers having different driving skills when a vehicle travels safely on the road for each road constituting the route registered in the map data Load data acquisition means further,
The load prediction means is based on the driving skill of the driver determined by the driving skill determination means and the driving load data, and the future vehicle when the host vehicle driven by the driver travels on the planned travel route. Predicting operating load,
An information providing apparatus characterized by the above. In the information provision apparatus of any one of Claims 1-7,
Further comprising biological information detection means for detecting biological information of the driver,
The load estimating means further considers the biological information of the driver detected by the biological information detecting means, and estimates the current driving load of the driver;
An information providing apparatus characterized by the above. In the information provision apparatus of any one of Claims 1-8,
The message has an expiration date,
Further comprising expiration date determining means for determining whether or not the expiration date set in the message has passed,
The providing means provides the message determined by the expiration date determining means that the expiration date has not elapsed,
An information providing apparatus characterized by the above.

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