Patent Application
20210179131
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-225827 filed on Dec. 13, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including the specification, drawings and abstract.
The present disclosure relates to a driver assistance device, a non-transitory storage medium that stores a driver assistance program, and a driver assistance system.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-044691 (JP 2014-044691 A) discloses a drive recorder system that includes cameras provided inside and outside of a vehicle, and that issues an alert (warning) and records the inside of a cabin when the driver recorder system detects an abnormal behavior of a driver, such as falling asleep.
There has been a demand for a technology that further improves a driving safety of a driver.
The present disclosure provides a driver assistance device, a non-transitory storage medium that stores a driver assistance program, and a driver assistance system that can improve the driving safety.
A driver assistance device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a display; a speaker; a microphone; and a processor that includes hardware, and is configured to acquire first information indicating information relating to a behavior of a driver of a vehicle from a first device that is mounted in the vehicle that is configured to perform an external communication and display an image of inside of the vehicle that is acquired from a camera provided in the vehicle on the display and cause the speaker and the microphone to establish a condition where a dialogue with the driver in the vehicle is allowed when the first information includes an abnormal behavior of the driver.
A non-transitory storage medium according to a second aspect of the present disclosure stores a driver assistance program that causes a processor including hardware to perform: acquiring first information indicating information relating to a behavior of a driver from a first device that is mounted in a vehicle that is configured to perform external communication; and displaying an image of inside of the vehicle that is acquired from a camera provided in the vehicle on a display provided on a driver assistance device and causing a speaker and a microphone that are provided for the driver assistance device to establish a condition where a dialogue with the driver in the vehicle is allowed when the first information includes an abnormal behavior of the driver.
A driver assistance system according to a third aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first device including a first processor that includes hardware, a first device being mounted in a vehicle that is configured to perform external communication and is configured to transmit first information indicating information relating to a behavior of a driver; and a server including a display, a speaker, a microphone, and a second processor that has hardware and is configured to: acquire the first information from the first device; and display an image of inside of the vehicle that is acquired from a camera provided in the vehicle and cause the speaker and the microphone to establish a condition where a dialogue with the driver in the vehicle is allowed when the first information includes an abnormal behavior of the driver.
According to the present disclosure, when the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs, an operator, for example, can instruct the driver to drive the vehicle properly while checking a condition in the vehicle in real time as the driver assistance system distributes the image of the inside of the vehicle and allows the operator to have a dialogue with the driver. Accordingly, the driving safety can be improved.
Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like signs denote like elements, and wherein:
A driver assistance device, a driver assistance program, and a driver assistance system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
The driver assistance system including the driver assistance device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to
The digital tachograph 3 and the DSM 4 are mounted in a vehicle 2 as on-board devices. The vehicle 2 is a moving body that is communicable with the outside, and is, for example, an autonomous vehicle that is capable of autonomous driving. The vehicle 2 includes a communication unit 5, an electronic control unit (ECU) 6, a speaker 7, and a microphone 8, in addition to the digital tachograph 3 and the DSM 4. Although only one unit of the vehicle 2 is shown in
The server 1, the digital tachograph 3, the DSM 4, and the communication unit 5 of the vehicle 2 are configured to be communicable with each other via a network NW. The network NW is configured of the Internet network and a mobile phone network, for example.
The server 1 acquires data (e.g. vehicle behavior information (second information)) output from the digital tachograph (second device) 3 and data (e.g. driver behavior information (first information)) output from the DSM (first device) 4 via the network NW, accumulates the output data above in a synchronously reproducible state, and reproduces the data in synchronization with each other. The server 1 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a storage unit 13, a display unit (display) 14, a speaker 15, and a microphone 16.
Specifically, the control unit 11 includes a processor having a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., and a memory (main storage unit) having a random access memory (RAM) and a read-only memory (ROM), etc.
The control unit 11 realizes a function that matches a predetermined purpose by loading a program stored in the storage unit 13 to a workspace of the main storage unit, executing the program, and controlling each constituent unit through execution of the program. The control unit 11 functions as a synchronization unit 111, a display control unit 112, and a distribution unit 113 through execution of the program.
The synchronization unit 111 accumulates the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information received via the network NW in the storage unit 13 in a synchronously reproducible manner. After receiving the vehicle behavior information from the digital tachograph 3 and the driver behavior information from the DSM 4, the synchronization unit 111 synchronizes the vehicle behavior information with the driver behavior information in terms of time based on time information included in the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information and accumulates the synchronized information in the storage unit 13.
Here, the vehicle behavior information is information that relates to behaviors of the vehicle 2 and is generated by the digital tachograph 3. The vehicle behavior information includes sensor values such as a vehicle speed, an angular velocity, an inter-vehicle distance with surrounding vehicles, and gravitational acceleration (G) values (front-rear G, right-left G, and vertical G) that are detected by a sensor group 36, a vehicle position (coordinate) detected by a positioning unit 35, information relating to whether an abnormal behavior of the vehicle 2 occurs, and the time information. Examples of the abnormal behavior of the vehicle 2 include rapid acceleration, steep turn, rapid approach to the surrounding vehicle, or crossing over a lane marking line by the vehicle 2. The digital tachograph 3 outputs an image that is captured by cameras 34 and the vehicle behavior information above to the synchronization unit 111 of the server 1.
The driver behavior information is information that relates to behaviors of the driver of the vehicle 2 and is generated by the DSM 4. The driver behavior information includes information on whether there is an abnormal behavior of the driver, such as looking away by the driver (the driver looks aside), closure of the driver's eyes (falling asleep), swinging of the driver's head, and disturbance in a driving posture of the driver, occurs. The DSM 4 outputs an image captured by a camera 44 and the driver behavior information above to the synchronization unit 111 of the server 1.
A transport vehicle and a route bus that travel along a determined route at a determined time, for example, are assumed as the vehicle 2 that is operated with the driver assistance system according to the first embodiment. That is, a professional driver who specializes in driving is assumed as the driver of the vehicle 2. Therefore, it can be said that the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information are information that is received from the vehicle 2 that repeatedly travels along the same route at the same time (in the same time of day).
The display control unit 112 synchronizes the vehicle behavior information with the driver behavior information and causes the display unit 14 to display the synchronized information.
The display control unit 112 displays, for example, the in-vehicle image of a driver Dr seated on a driver's seat in the image display region 91. The display control unit 112 displays an operation button group 921 including, for example, a play button, a pause button, a stop button, a rewind button, and a fast forward button for the in-vehicle images, and a seek bar 922 in the operation region 92. The operation button group 921 and the seek bar 922 are operable by a pointing device such as a mouse. A movable direction of the seek bar 922 (a right-left direction in
When the display control unit 112 synchronizes the vehicle behavior information with the driver behavior information and displays the synchronized information on the display unit 14, the display control unit 112 applies different colors to types of abnormal behaviors (e.g. looking away by the driver, closure of the driver's eyes, swinging of the driver's head, and disturbance in the driving posture of the driver) and displays a section in which an abnormal behavior of the driver occurs in accordance with the color applied to the abnormal behavior. As shown in
As shown in
When the display control unit 112 synchronizes the vehicle behavior information with the driver behavior information and displays the synchronized information on the display unit 14, the display control unit 112 may display only the section in which the abnormal behavior of the driver included in the driver behavior information continues. That is, as shown in a portion A in
Moreover, when the display control unit 112 synchronizes the vehicle behavior information with the driver behavior information and displays the synchronized information on the display unit 14, the display control unit 112 may extract only the information and image of the portion in which the abnormal behavior of the vehicle 2 continues included in the vehicle behavior information and display the extracted information and image on the display unit 14. Consequently, the operator can preferentially check only the portion in which the abnormal behavior of the vehicle 2 is highly likely to occur.
When the driver behavior information includes the abnormal behavior of the driver, that is, when the distribution unit 113 receives information indicating that “the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs” from the DSM 4, the distribution unit 113 displays the image received from the camera 34 of the digital tachograph 3 on the display unit 14. Consequently, the image received from the camera 34 of the digital tachograph 3 is distributed to the operator via the display unit 14. At the same time, the distribution unit 113 activates the speaker 15 and the microphone 16 to establish a condition where the driver in the vehicle can have a dialogue with the operator. With this configuration, when the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs, the operator can instruct the driver to drive the vehicle 2 properly while checking a condition in the vehicle 2 in real time.
The distribution unit 113 may distribute the in-vehicle image in advance of occurrence of the abnormal behavior of the driver. That is, even in the case where the driver behavior information received from the DSM 4 does not include the information indicating that “the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs”, the distribution unit 113 displays the image received from the camera 34 of the digital tachograph 3 on the display unit 14 when the distribution unit 113 determines that the drive behavior information includes a sign of occurrence of the abnormal behavior of the driver in accordance with predetermined determination criteria. Consequently, the image received from the camera 34 of the digital tachograph 3 is distributed to the operator via the display unit 14. At the same time, the distribution unit 113 activates the speaker 15 and the microphone 16 to establish a condition where the driver in the vehicle can communicate with the operator. With this configuration, only in the case where the abnormal behavior of the driver is highly likely to occur, the operator can instruct the driver to drive the vehicle 2 properly while checking the condition in the vehicle 2 in real time.
The determination criteria for a sign of occurrence of the abnormal behavior of the driver may be set in terms of a rate of change in an angle of the driver's face, a rate of change in the degree of opening of the eyes, and a rate of change in positions of the driver's head and body that are analyzed based on the image, for example.
The communication unit 12 is configured to include, for example, a local area network (LAN) interface board and a wireless communication circuit for performing wireless communication. The communication unit 12 is connected to the network NW such as the Internet that is a public communication network. The communication unit 12 is connected to the network NW to communicate with the digital tachograph 3, the DSM 4, and the communication unit 5 of the vehicle 2.
The storage unit 13 is configured to include a recording media such as an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), and a removable media. Examples of the removable media includes a universal serial bus (USB) memory and disc recording medium such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), and a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc (BD). The storage unit 13 can store an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, and various types of databases (DB), etc.
The storage unit 13 includes a vehicle behavior DB 131 and a driver behavior DB 132. The databases above are constructed in such a manner that a program of a database management system (DBMS) that is performed by the control unit 11 controls data to be stored in the storage unit 13.
The vehicle behavior DB 131 is configured to include a relational database in which the vehicle behavior information received from the digital tachograph 3 is stored in a searchable manner, for example. Further, the driver behavior DB 132 is configured to include a relational database in which the driver behavior information received from the DSM 4 is stored in a searchable manner, for example.
The display unit 14 is configured to include a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence display (OLED), etc. The display unit 14 displays the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information in synchronization with each other based on the control executed by the display control unit 112. The display unit 14 is also capable of displaying the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information in synchronization with each other in real time based on the control executed by the display control unit 112, or is capable of displaying the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information that are stored in the storage unit 13 at different timings while synchronizing the vehicle behavior information with the driver behavior information at a later timing.
The speaker 15 is an output unit that outputs voice information to the operator that administrates the server 1. The speaker 15 is used when the operator has a dialogue with the driver of the vehicle 2 via the network NW, for example. In addition, the speaker 15 may be used for the purpose of notifying the operator of an alert when the abnormal behavior of the vehicle 2 or of the driver occurs.
The microphone 16 is an input unit that receives a voice input from the operator. The microphone 16 is used when the operator has a dialogue with the driver of the vehicle 2 via the network NW, for example.
The digital tachograph (vehicle information acquisition unit) 3 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, a storage unit 33, the cameras 34, a positioning unit 35, and the sensor group 36. The control unit 31, the communication unit 32, and the storage unit 33 are physically the same as the control unit 11, the communication unit 12, and the storage unit 13. The control unit 31 functions as a vehicle behavior detection unit 311 and a notification unit 312 through execution of a program stored in the storage unit 33.
The vehicle behavior detection unit 311 detects whether the behavior of the vehicle 2 (e.g. the vehicle speed, the angular velocity, the inter-vehicle distance with the surrounding vehicle, the G value, and the vehicle position) and whether the abnormal behavior of the vehicle 2 (e.g. rapid acceleration, steep turn, rapid approach to the surrounding vehicle, or crossing over the lane marking line by the vehicle 2) occurs based on the sensor data input from the sensor group 36.
The vehicle behavior detection unit 311 sets a threshold (second determination criteria) in terms of the vehicle speed, the angular velocity, the inter-vehicle distance with the surrounding vehicle, the G value, and a distance to the lane marking line, for example. The vehicle behavior detection unit 311 determines that the abnormal behavior of the vehicle 2 occurs when the sensor data input from the sensor group 36 exceeds the threshold or based on a time elapsed after the threshold is exceeded.
The notification unit 312 notifies the driver of the alert via the speaker 7 mounted in the vehicle 2 when the vehicle behavior detection unit 311 detects the abnormal behavior of the vehicle 2. Note that the notification unit 312 may output a voice prompting correction of the abnormal behavior (e.g. voice indicating that “the vehicle crosses over the lane marking line” when the vehicle crosses over the lane marking line) instead of the alert. Moreover, the digital tachograph 3 itself may include a speaker, and an alert or a voice may be output from the speaker.
The cameras 34 each are, for example, a camera having a built-in imaging element, such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a CMOS image sensor (CIS). The cameras 34 are disposed inside and outside the vehicle, and are each disposed at a position at which an image forward of the vehicle 2 can be captured, a position at which an image rearward of the vehicle 2 can be captured, and a position at which an image of the driver in the vehicle 2 can be captured, for example. The cameras 34 output the captured image data to the vehicle behavior detection unit 311.
The positioning unit 35 receives radio waves from a global positioning system (GPS) satellite and detects the vehicle position. A method of detecting the vehicle position is not limited to the method using the GPS satellite, and may be a method of combining light detection and ranging or laser imaging detection and ranging (LiDAR) and a three-dimensional digital map, etc.
The sensor group 36 is configured to include a vehicle speed sensor, an engine speed sensor, a G sensor, and a gyro sensor, etc. The sensor group 36 outputs the detected sensor data to the control unit 31.
The DSM (driver information acquisition unit, the first device) 4 includes a control unit 41, a communication unit 42, a storage unit 43, and the camera 44. The control unit 41, the communication unit 42, and the storage unit 43 are physically the same as the control unit 11, the communication unit 12, and the storage unit 13. The control unit 41 functions as a driver behavior detection unit 411 and a notification unit 412 through execution of a program stored in the storage unit 43.
The driver behavior detection unit 411 detects the abnormal behavior of the driver by analyzing the images captured by the camera 44. The driver behavior detection unit 411 may use a machine learning technique such as deep learning when the driver behavior detection unit 411 detects the abnormal behavior of the driver.
The driver behavior detection unit 411 sets a threshold (first determination criteria) in advance in terms of the angle of the driver's face, the degree of opening of the driver's eyes, and the positions of the driver's head and body, etc., that are analyzed based on the images, for example. The driver behavior detection unit 411 determines that the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs when the result of image analysis exceeds the threshold or based on a time elapsed after the threshold is exceeded.
The notification unit 412 notifies the driver of the alert via the speaker 7 mounted in the vehicle 2 when the driver behavior detection unit 411 detects the abnormal behavior of the driver. Note that the notification unit 412 may output a voice prompting correction of the abnormal behavior (e.g. voice indicating that “pay attention to the forward” when the driver looks aside) instead of the alert. Moreover, the DSM 4 itself may include a speaker, and an alert or a voice may be output from the speaker.
The camera 44 is, for example, an infrared camera, and is disposed at a position at which an image of the driver in the vehicle 2 can be captured. The camera 44 outputs the captured image data to the vehicle behavior detection unit 311.
The communication unit 5 is configured to include a data communication module (DCM), for example, and communicates with the server 1 by a wireless communication via the network NW. The ECU 6 executes a centralized control on operations of the constituent elements mounted in the vehicle 2. The speaker 7 and the microphone 8 are provided in the vehicle 2 and are physically the same as the speaker 15 and the microphone 16. The speaker 7 and the microphone 8 may be provided in each of the digital tachograph 3 and the DSM 4.
The driver assistance method that is performed by the driver assistance system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to
First, the control unit 31 of the digital tachograph 3 starts data recording of the vehicle behavior information (step S1). The vehicle behavior detection unit 311 then detects the behavior of the vehicle 2 based on the sensor data input from the sensor group 36 (step S2). The vehicle behavior detection unit 311 then transmits the vehicle behavior information and the image captured by the cameras 34 to the server 1 (Step S3).
Subsequently, the control unit 41 of the DSM 4 starts data recording of the driver behavior information (step S4). The driver behavior detection unit 411 then detects the behavior of the driver based on the image input from the camera 44 (step S5). The driver behavior detection unit 411 then transmits the driver behavior information and the video (image) captured by the camera 44 to the server 1 (Step S6). After the processing in steps S5 and S6, the synchronization unit 111 of the server 1 accumulates the vehicle behavior information received from the digital tachograph 3 and the driver behavior information received from the DSM 4 in the storage unit 13 in a synchronously reproducible manner.
Subsequently, the distribution unit 113 of the server 1 determines whether the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs, that is, whether the distribution unit 113 receives the information indicating that “the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs” from the DSM 4 (step S7). When the distribution unit 113 determines that the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs (Yes in step S7), the distribution unit 113 distributes the images captured by the cameras 34 of the digital tachograph 3 to the operator via the display unit 14, activates the speaker 15 and the microphone 16 so as to make the driver in the vehicle and the operator communicable with each other, and causes the operator to start a voice dialogue (step S8).
On the other hand, when the distribution unit 113 determines that the abnormal behavior of the driver does not occur (No in step S7), the distribution unit 113 returns the routine to step S7. With the flow above, the processing of the driver assistance method ends.
As described above, with the driver assistance device, the driver assistance program, and the driver assistance system according to the first embodiment, the in-vehicle image is distributed to the operator and the operator is made possible to have a dialogue with the driver when the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs. Therefore, the operator can instruct the driver to drive the vehicle properly while the operator checking the condition in the vehicle in real time, for example. Accordingly, the driving safety can be improved.
A driver assistance device, a driver assistance program, and a driver assistance system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
The driver assistance system according the second embodiment has the configuration similar to the driver assistance system according to the first embodiment except that the driver assistance system includes a server 1A in place of the server 1. Therefore, only the configuration of the server 1A will be described below.
The server 1A includes a control unit 11A, the communication unit 12, a storage unit 13A, the display unit 14, the speaker 15, and the microphone 16. The control unit 11A is physically the same as the control unit 11. The control unit 11A functions as the synchronization unit 111, the display control unit 112, and the distribution unit 113, a vehicle stop unit 114, a learning unit 115, and a dialogue control unit 116 through execution of the program stored in the storage unit 13A.
When the driver behavior information received from the DSM 4 includes the abnormal behavior of the driver, the vehicle stop unit 114 according to the second embodiment transmits a traveling stop signal to stop traveling of the vehicle 2 to the vehicle 2 via the network NW. The ECU 6 (refer to
Further, when the driver behavior information received from the DSM 4 includes the abnormal behavior of the driver, the vehicle stop unit 114 may notify the driver of the alert using the speaker 7 of the vehicle 2 (refer to
The learning unit 115 according to the second embodiment performs machine learning of a relationship between the presence of the abnormal behavior of the driver that is determined by the driver behavior detection unit 411 of the DSM 4 and the presence of actual abnormal behavior so as to generate a learning model. The learning unit 115 then determines whether the abnormal behavior of the driver occurs using the learning model generated as above instead of the determination by the driver behavior detection unit 411. With this configuration, a detection accuracy of the abnormal behavior can be improved with a use of the learning model in which the relationship between the presence of the abnormal behavior of the driver that is determined and the presence of the actual abnormal behavior is learned.
When the driver behavior information received from the DSM 4 includes the abnormal behavior of the driver, the dialogue control unit 116 according to the second embodiment analyzes the voice of the driver and has a dialogue with the driver based on predetermined dialogue contents, that is, the dialogue contents that are prestored in a dialogue contents DB 133 of the storage unit 13A. Accordingly, even when the operator is absent, a voice agent can issue an appropriate driving instruction to the driver.
As described above, the driver assistance device, the driver assistance program, and the driver assistance system according to the second embodiment can improve the detection accuracy of the abnormal behaviors of the vehicle 2 and of the driver.
Further effects and modified examples can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the disclosure are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments represented and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
For example, in the first and second embodiments, the synchronization timing of the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information is not specifically limited. In the first and second embodiments, the vehicle behavior information received from the digital tachograph 3 is synchronized with the driver behavior information received from the DSM 4 in terms of time, and the synchronized information is accumulated in the storage units 13, 13A. However, the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information may be accumulated in the storage units 13, 13A in a state where the vehicle behavior information is not synchronized with the driver behavior information in terms of time, and may be synchronized at the time of reproduction. In this case, after the display control unit 112 reads the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information from the storage units 13, 13A, the display control unit 112 synchronizes the vehicle behavior information with the driver behavior information in terms of time based on the time information included in the vehicle behavior information and the driver behavior information, and displays the synchronized information on the display unit 14.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-225827 | Dec 2019 | JP | national |
