JP2003317197A - Alarm system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an alarm effectively function and to properly support safe drive by outputting the alarm while considering the degree of emergency of a state in which a vehicle is placed, the awareness level of a driver, and the age or individual difference of the driver. <P>SOLUTION: The system has an information acquisition part 25 which acquires emergency-degree associated information on the vehicle and information regarding the driver, an alarm output control part 26 which controls the output of the alarm according to the degree of emergency of operation to the vehicle, the degree of concentration of the driver on drive, and the driving capability of the driver varying with the age, and an alarm output part 27 which outputs the alarm. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an alarm system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a large number of traffic accidents have occurred, and a large number of casualties have been caused by the traffic accidents. Moreover, even if a traffic accident does not occur, it is considered that more dangerous situations that may cause a traffic accident, such as a situation where vehicles are abnormally approaching each other, occur. Preventing a situation from occurring will reduce the number of traffic accidents.

Analysis of the cause of a traffic accident causes an accident caused by an insufficient distance between vehicles running forward and backward, that is, an inter-vehicle distance, a driver's drowsiness, and carelessness in the front. It can be seen that there are many accidents, accidents caused by not properly handling dangerous road conditions such as freezing. Therefore, a safe driving support system is provided to assist a driver of a vehicle to drive safely.

For example, in order to call attention to the driver of the vehicle when the inter-vehicle distance with the vehicle traveling in front becomes short, the inter-vehicle distance with the vehicle traveling in front with an on-vehicle radar or camera. And an inter-vehicle distance warning system that issues an alarm when the inter-vehicle distance falls below a predetermined value,
When the drowsiness of the driver is detected by the vehicle-mounted camera, a drowsiness driving detection system that detects the driver's drowsiness, or a monitoring camera installed on the roadside detects the road surface condition, and displays the situation on the bulletin board when the road surface condition is dangerous. There is provided a road surface condition warning system or the like that gives an alarm by doing so.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional inter-vehicle distance warning system and road surface state warning system, the warning is uniformly issued without considering the driver's consciousness level of the vehicle. Therefore, a driver who has a high level of consciousness and who accurately grasps the inter-vehicle distance and the road surface condition feels the alarm annoyingly. Then, the driver may cancel the alarm system or suppress the alarm notification level when the consciousness level is high. In addition, the method and content of issuing an alarm do not change depending on the situation, so the driver does not trust the alarm and does not pay attention. On the other hand, a driver with a low consciousness level may not even notice the warning. That is, since the warning is not issued in consideration of the driver's consciousness level, the driver may not notice the warning when the consciousness level is low. Moreover, since the alarm system is set in accordance with the driver's consciousness level being high, there are cases where the driver cannot be notified of the alarm. Therefore, it becomes impossible to effectively notify the driver of the issued alarm.

Further, in the doze driving detection system, an alarm is issued without considering the urgency of the situation in which the vehicle is placed, such as the distance between vehicles or the condition of the road surface. In some cases, the driving assistance according to the driving state of the driver is not provided, which is not sufficient as a safe driving assistance system.

Further, although the functions of the senses such as sight and hearing vary among individuals, and the functions of the senses are deteriorated by aging, the inter-vehicle distance warning system,
Road condition warning system and doze driving detection system,
In both cases, warnings are issued without considering individual differences and ages of drivers. Therefore, a driver having an excellent sensory function may feel the alarm annoyingly, while a driver having a deteriorated sensory function may not even notice the alarm. Therefore, the alarm considering the sensory function based on the attribute of the bearer is not issued, and the alarm does not function effectively.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems,
By outputting an alarm in consideration of the urgency of the situation where the vehicle is placed, the driver's consciousness level, and the age or individual difference of the driver, the alarm functions effectively and supports safe driving appropriately. The purpose is to provide an alarm system that can

[0009]

Therefore, in the alarm system of the present invention, based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit for acquiring the information related to the urgency of the vehicle and the information about the driver, An alarm output control unit that controls the output of an alarm according to the degree of urgency required to operate the vehicle, the degree of concentration of the driver in driving, and the driving ability of the driver that changes according to age, and the alarm. And an alarm output section for outputting.

In another alarm system of the present invention, the alarm output control section further controls the output of the alarm according to the heartbeat state of the driver.

In still another alarm system of the present invention, the information acquisition unit further detects a road surface condition detecting unit for detecting a road surface condition, a headway time detecting unit for detecting an inter-vehicle time, and a condition of the driver. A driver state detection unit, a heartbeat abnormality detection / determination unit that detects and determines a heartbeat abnormality of the driver, and a display setting input unit that inputs the age or individual difference of the driver are provided.

In still another alarm system of the present invention, the alarm output control unit sets an alarm rank according to an alarm output selection map including three dimensions of the emergency level, the concentration level, and the driving ability.

In still another alarm system of the present invention, the alarm output control section controls the output of the alarm such that the higher the alarm rank, the higher the degree of alerting the driver. .

In still another alarm system of the present invention, the alarm output control unit further determines the emergency level based on a road surface condition.

In still another alarm system of the present invention, the alarm output control section further determines the urgency level based on the inter-vehicle time.

In still another alarm system of the present invention, the alarm output control section further determines the emergency level based on the approaching vehicle speed.

In still another alarm system of the present invention, the alarm output control unit further determines the degree of concentration based on the drowsiness of the driver.

In the alarm output method of the present invention, the information related to the degree of urgency of the vehicle and the information about the driver are acquired, and the degree of urgency required to operate the vehicle, the degree of concentration of the driver in driving, and the age. The output of the alarm is controlled and output according to the driving ability of the driver that changes in accordance with.

In the alarm system program of the present invention, a computer is operated to operate the vehicle based on an information acquisition unit for acquiring information related to the urgency of the vehicle and information related to the driver, and the information acquired by the information acquisition unit. Urgency required, the degree of concentration of the driver in driving, and an alarm output control unit that controls the output of an alarm according to the driving ability of the driver that changes according to age, and an alarm that outputs the alarm. Make it function as an output unit.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an alarm system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes an alarm system mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a motorcycle, a work vehicle, etc., which travels on a road. 25, an alarm output control unit 26 that controls the output of an alarm according to the degree of urgency required to operate the vehicle, the degree of concentration of the driver in driving, and the driving ability of the driver that changes according to age; It has an alarm output unit 27 that outputs an alarm.

Here, the information regarding the degree of urgency of the vehicle is information regarding the degree of urgency required to operate the vehicle, such as the following time and road condition, that is, the degree of urgency when the vehicle is placed. Further, the personal information of the driver as the driving ability of the driver, which changes according to the age, is the driver's preference,
This information includes individual differences such as driving skill, age as an attribute of the driver, and the like.

In this case, the warning system 10 is a system for supporting safe driving, and acquires various information such as the following distance with the vehicle ahead, the vehicle speed, the road surface condition ahead, and determines the urgency. It is like this. Furthermore, since the degree of urgency varies depending on the driver's level of consciousness as a driver's concentration and age or individual differences, the alarm system 10 uses the driver's level of consciousness and a previously entered driver's age. The content of the alarm output is changed according to the information such as, and the driver's physiological state and consciousness level, and
An alarm can be appropriately output according to the degree of urgency. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, a three-dimensional alarm output selection map including the urgency, the driver's consciousness level, and the driver's age or individual difference is created in advance, and an alarm is output based on the alarm output selection map. Is output.

Here, the alarm system 10 is a CP
U, MPU and other computing means, semiconductor memory, magnetic disks, optical disks and other storage means, push buttons, touch panels, dials, joysticks and other input means, CR
T, liquid crystal display, LED display, output means such as speaker, vehicle-mounted camera, CCD (Charge C
imaging device such as open device), radar,
A type of computer equipped with distance detection means such as ultrasonic sonar, other control devices such as engine control devices and transmission control devices, and input / output interfaces for transmitting / receiving data to / from devices such as various sensors is there. The alarm system 10 may be integrated with another control device such as a vehicle navigation device.

The information acquisition unit 25 includes a road surface state detection unit 11, a headway time detection unit 12, and a driver state detection unit 1.
3, heartbeat abnormality detection / determination unit 14 and display setting input unit 15
Have. Here, the road surface state detection unit 11 captures an image in front of the vehicle by an image pickup means such as an on-vehicle camera (not shown), and the ratio of the horizontal polarization component to the vertical polarization component in the reflected light from the road surface, that is, the polarization characteristic. On the basis of,
It detects moisture on the road surface and detects road surface conditions such as dryness, wetness, snowfall, and freezing. Then, the inter-vehicle time detector 12
Measures the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle in front and the own vehicle by a distance detection means such as a radar (not shown), and detects the inter-vehicle time by dividing the inter-vehicle distance by the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. Further, the driver state detecting unit 13 detects a change in the opening / closing time of the blink and a line-of-sight direction by capturing an image of the driver's face with an image pickup means such as an in-vehicle camera (not shown) and performing image processing on the image. Then, the driver's state of consciousness can be detected based on the looking aside state.

Further, the heartbeat abnormality detecting / determining unit 14
Is a sensor (not shown) that touches the driver's hand to measure the heartbeat, and whether there is a precursory condition that causes a pathological abnormality such as heart attack based on the waveform, that is, whether there is an abnormality in the heartbeat. Is detected and judged. For example, there is a known sensor for measuring a heartbeat by attaching a sensor including electrodes for detecting a potential to both hands of a driver and detecting a potential difference between both hands.
00-70233 and JP-A-6-293273), detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the display setting input section 15, the driver operates input means such as a push button and a touch panel to preliminarily determine his / her age, skill of driving operation technique, habit and preference in driving operation. You can enter. As a result, it is possible to output an alarm corresponding to the age or individual difference of each driver.

Further, the alarm output control unit 26 includes an urgency determination unit 17, an awareness level determination unit 18, an individual difference / age correspondence unit 1.
9 and an alarm output selection unit 20. Here, the urgency determination unit 17 receives the road surface state detected by the road surface state detection unit 11 and the inter-vehicle time detected by the inter-vehicle time detection unit 12, and determines the urgency level based on the road surface state and the inter-vehicle time. judge. Then, the consciousness level determination unit 18 is
The driver's consciousness state detected by the driver's status detector 13 is received, and the consciousness level is determined. The individual difference / age correspondence unit 19 receives the information about the age of the driver, the skill of the driving skill, the habit or preference of the driving, and the individual difference, which are input to the display setting input unit 15, and The output of the alarm is controlled so as to correspond to the individual difference and the age.
Further, the alarm output selection unit 20 is provided with the urgency determination unit 1
7, awareness level determination unit 18, individual difference and age correspondence unit 19,
Also, the optimum alarm output is selected according to the output of the heartbeat abnormality detection / determination unit 14 based on an alarm output selection map described later. The alarm output selection map is, for example,
The urgency level is divided into 3 levels and the consciousness level is divided into 2 levels, and the alarm level can be set to 4 levels of information, caution, warning, and warning. Further, the alarm output unit 27 includes an image output unit 21 including a CRT, a liquid crystal display, an LED display, a speaker, and the like.
It has an audio output unit 22 composed of headphones or the like, receives an output of the alarm selected by the alarm output selection unit 20, displays an alarm differentiated according to the alarm rank on the screen of the image output unit 21, and The voice output unit 22 can output the voice. The image output unit 21 may be shared with a display device such as a vehicle navigation device or a CRT in a vehicle TV, a liquid crystal display, an LED display, or the audio output unit 22 may be a vehicle audio device or a vehicle audio device. It may be shared with an audio output device such as a speaker of a vehicle radio or headphones.

Next, the operation of the alarm system 10 having the above configuration will be described. First, the outline of the operation will be described.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the outline of the operation of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the driver of the vehicle selects the display setting input unit 1
By operating input means such as a push button and a touch panel of 5, a warning output method is set in advance, and further, an age of oneself, skill of driving operation technique, habit or preference in driving operation, and the like are input. In the present embodiment, the operation for inputting one's age and preference will be described. As a result, the individual difference / age correspondence unit 19 sets the alarm output timing, adjusts the volume of the alarm output from the audio output unit 22, and adjusts the size of the alarm displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21. , Alarm output setting input processing for adjusting image quality, brightness, and the like. The individual difference / age correspondence unit 19 is adapted to perform an alarm output setting input process every time the engine switch of the vehicle is turned on.

Subsequently, the road surface condition detecting unit 11, the headway time detecting unit 12 and the emergency determining unit 17 detect the road surface condition detected by the road surface condition detecting unit 11 and the headway time detected by the headway time detecting unit 12. Based on this, urgency level determination processing for determining the urgency level is performed. The urgency is, for example,
It is judged in three stages: large, medium and small.

Subsequently, the driver state detection unit 13 and the consciousness level determination unit 18 perform a driver consciousness level determination process for determining the driver's consciousness level based on the detected driver's consciousness state. To do. The driver's consciousness level is determined, for example, in three stages of awakening, sleepiness, and sleep.

Subsequently, the heartbeat abnormality detecting / determining unit 14
Performs heartbeat abnormality detection / judgment processing for determining whether or not there is a heartbeat abnormality that is a precursor of a heart attack or the like based on the driver's heartbeat.

Finally, the alarm output control unit 26 determines the urgency, the driver's consciousness level, and the driver's age based on the urgency, the driver's consciousness level, the driver's age or individual difference. Alternatively, an alarm rank is set according to an alarm output selection map composed of three-dimensional individual differences, and an alarm is displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21 according to the timing, volume, brightness, etc. set in the alarm output setting input process. Alternatively, an alarm output selection process for outputting a voice from the voice output unit 22 is performed. As a result, the alarm differentiated according to the alarm rank is displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21 and is also output by voice from the voice output unit 22.

Next, the flowchart will be described. In step S1, alarm output setting input processing is performed. In step S2, the urgency level determination process is performed. Step S3: A driver consciousness level determination process is performed. Step S4: Heartbeat abnormality detection / judgment processing is performed. In step S5, alarm output selection processing is performed. In step S6, the image output unit 21 or the audio output unit 22 outputs an alarm.

Next, the alarm output setting input process will be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a subroutine of alarm output setting input processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

In this case, the initial setting is started each time the vehicle engine switch is turned on.
First, after the switch is turned on, when there is no alarm output setting input for a predetermined time, for example, T seconds, it is determined that the setting is the same as the conventional setting, and before it is stored in the memory (not shown). The input settings are read. If the alarm output has not been set before, the standard type is selected. Here, the standard type means that the alarm output timing, the volume of the alarm output from the audio output unit 22, the alarm output method such as the size and brightness of the alarm displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21 is standard. It is suitable for the driver. In this case, the individual difference / age correspondence unit 19 has previously set the alarm output timing, the volume of the alarm output from the audio output unit 22, the size of the alarm displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21, the image quality, the brightness, etc. The standard type is set so as to be suitable for the set standard driver, and the alarm output setting input process ends. Therefore, when the driver selects the standard type, the driver does not need to input his / her age and preference in the display setting input unit 15.

On the other hand, after the switch is turned on, within a predetermined time, for example, T seconds, the driver operates the input means such as the push button and the touch panel of the display setting input section 15 to input the setting. In the case of performing, the driver operates the push button of the display setting input unit 15, the input means such as the touch panel, and inputs his or her age. In this case, the age is adapted to be input by selecting a predetermined age group. For example, it is selected from three stages of youth, middle age, and high age. Then, the alarm output control unit 26
Sets the entered age. Then, according to the set age, for example, the size of characters, the size of marks, the thickness of lines, etc. displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21 is selected from the test pattern.

Then, the driver operates the push button of the display setting input section 15, the input means such as the touch panel, and inputs the alarm output timing. In this case, the alarm output timing is input by selecting a predetermined stage. For example, early, normal, late 3
Selected from among stages. Then, the individual difference / age correspondence unit 19 sets the input alarm output timing.

Next, the driver operates the push button of the display setting input section 15, the input means such as the touch panel, and inputs the volume. In this case, the volume is inputted by selecting a predetermined stage. For example, it is selected from three stages of large, medium and small. And
The individual difference / age correspondence unit 19 sets the input volume.

Next, the driver operates the push button of the display setting input section 15, the input means such as the touch panel, and inputs the image quality and the brightness. In this case, the image quality and brightness are
It is adapted to be input by selecting a predetermined stage. For example, it is selected from three levels of light, normal, and dark. Then, the individual difference / age corresponding unit 19
Sets the input image quality and brightness.

The individual difference / age correspondence unit 19 is
The alarm is set to be output as input by the driver, the set state is overwritten, the memory is changed, and the alarm output setting input process ends.

Next, the flow chart will be described. Step S1-1: It is determined whether or not there is an input within T seconds. When there is no input, the process proceeds to step S1-7, and when there is an input, the process proceeds to step S1-2. Step S1-2 Set the age (young, middle-aged, old, etc.). At this time, by setting the age,
Character size, mark size, line thickness, etc. are selected from the test pattern. Step S1-3 Alarm output timing (early, normal,
Set late). In step S1-4, the volume of the audio output unit 22 (high, medium, low, etc.) is set. In step S1-5, the image quality / luminance (bright, normal, dark, etc.) of the image output unit 21 is set, and the process ends. Step S1-6 Change the memory. Step S1-7 Read the memory.

Next, the urgency level determination process will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 is a table showing road surface states corresponding to the polarization characteristics in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a table showing inter-vehicle time corresponding to urgency in each road surface state in the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of urgency level determination processing in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of road surface state determination processing in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of inter-vehicle time calculation processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the road surface state detection unit 11 performs road surface state determination processing. In this case, the road surface state detection unit 11 takes an image of the road surface in front of the vehicle by an image pickup means such as an on-vehicle camera (not shown), and measures the outside air temperature by a temperature sensor (not shown). It should be noted that as the outside air temperature, data regarding the air temperature acquired by another control device such as an engine control device may be acquired.

Subsequently, the road surface state detecting section 11 obtains the ratio of the horizontal polarization component and the vertical polarization component in the reflected light from the road surface, that is, the polarization characteristic based on the photographed image.
Here, the vertical polarization component is Is, and the horizontal polarization component is Ip.
Then, the polarization characteristic H is expressed by the following equation (1). H = Is / Ip (1) Then, the road surface state detection unit 11 determines the obtained polarization characteristic H.
Based on the value of, the road surface condition is determined to be dry, wet, submerged, snowy, or frozen, as shown in FIG. That is, when the outside air temperature is 0 [° C.] or higher, it is determined to be dry, wet, or submerged according to the ratio of the horizontal polarization component to the vertical polarization component according to FIG.
When the temperature is 0 [° C.] or lower, it is determined to be dry, snowy, or frozen according to the ratio of the horizontal polarization component to the vertical polarization component according to FIG. Then, the road surface state detection unit 11 outputs the road surface state as four categories of dry, wet, snowy, and frozen.

The inter-vehicle time detector 12 also performs inter-vehicle time calculation processing. In this case, the inter-vehicle time detecting unit 12 measures the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle in front and the own vehicle by a distance detecting means such as a radar (not shown). Then, the inter-vehicle distance is divided by the vehicle speed of the own vehicle to calculate and output the inter-vehicle time.
As the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, data relating to the vehicle speed acquired by another control device such as an engine control device and a transmission control device can be acquired. Here, when the relative distance at time t is L (t) and the own vehicle speed is v ₁ (t), the inter-vehicle time T (t) is expressed by the following equation (2). T (t) = L (t) / v ₁ (t) (2) Subsequently, the inter-vehicle time detector 12 determines the speed at which the vehicle approaches the vehicle ahead, that is, the approaching vehicle speed. Is calculated and output. Here, the relative distance after time t + Δt is L (t
+ Δt), the approaching vehicle speed V (t) is calculated by the following equation (3).
Represented by V (t) = {L (t + Δt) −L (t)} / Δt (3) Subsequently, the urgency determination unit 17 causes the road surface state detection unit 11 to operate.
The emergency level is determined based on the output of the inter-vehicle time detection unit 12. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the urgency is determined based on the road surface condition and the relationship between the inter-vehicle time and the urgency set in advance. In addition, in FIG. 5, a numerical value is an inter-vehicle time [second]. Then, the urgency determination unit 17
Determines that the degree of urgency is one of the three categories of large, medium, and small, and outputs it.

Next, the flow chart will be described.
First, a flow chart showing a subroutine of the urgency determination process will be described. In step S2-1, road surface condition determination processing is performed. Step S2-2: Inter-vehicle time calculation processing is performed. In step S2-3, the degree of urgency is determined. In step S2-4, the urgency level is output and the process ends.

Next, a subroutine showing the road surface condition determination processing will be described. Step S2-1-1 The road surface is photographed and the temperature of the outside air is measured. In step S2-1-2, the polarization characteristic H is obtained from the image. Step S2-1-3 The road surface condition is determined from the polarization characteristic H. In step S2-1-4, the road surface condition is output and the process ends.

Next, the subroutine showing the inter-vehicle time calculation processing will be described.

Next, the flowchart will be described. Step S2-2-1: The inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle ahead and the own vehicle is measured. Step S2-2-2 The inter-vehicle time is calculated. Step S2-2-3: The approaching vehicle speed V (t) is calculated, and the process ends.

Next, the driver consciousness level determination processing will be described in detail.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a subroutine of driver consciousness level determination processing in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing a subroutine of driver state detection processing in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of consciousness level determination processing in the embodiment of the invention.

First, the driver state detection unit 13 performs a driver state detection process. Here, the driver state detection unit 13
Captures an image of the driver's face by an image pickup means such as an in-vehicle camera (not shown). In this case, it is desirable to irradiate the driver's face with near-infrared light and take a face image with a CCD camera. Then, the image of the face is processed to extract the eye region.

Subsequently, the driver state detection unit 13 cuts out the vertical direction from the center of gravity of the eye image, measures the density distribution of the image, and detects the eye opening. Then, the positions of the upper and lower eyelids are specified based on the difference in shade, and the eye opening is measured.

Subsequently, the consciousness level determination section 18 performs a consciousness level determination process. In this case, the consciousness level determination unit 18
Calculates the eye opening time and the eye closing time based on the eye opening measured by the driver state detection unit 13 in time series.
Then, by utilizing the fact that the eye-closing time differs depending on the degree of drowsiness, when the eye-closing time is long, it is determined to be in a sleepy state, that is, a dozing state, and the dozing state is output. For example, the total eye-closing time, which is the total eye-closing time per minute, divided by the number of blinks (average eye-closing time) is 0.5.
If [seconds] or more, it is determined that the person is in a sleepy state. In addition,
As a method for determining that the person is sleepy, a known method (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
001-10368).

In this case, the consciousness level determination section 18 determines that the consciousness level is one of the three levels of awakening, sleepiness, and sleep, and outputs it.

Next, the flow chart will be described.
First, a flowchart showing a subroutine of the driver consciousness level determination processing will be described. Step S3-1: The driver state detection process is performed. In step S3-2, the driver's consciousness level determination process is performed, and the process ends.

Next, a flow chart showing a subroutine of the driver state detection processing will be described. Step S3-1-1 An image of the driver's face is taken. Step S3-1-2 The eye area is extracted. Step S3-1-3: The eye opening part is detected. Step S3-1-4 The eye opening is measured, and the process ends.

Next, a flow chart showing a subroutine of the consciousness level determination processing will be described. Step S3-2-1: The eye closing time is calculated. Step S3-2-2: The dozing state is determined. Step S3-2-3 The doze state is output, and the process ends.

Next, the heartbeat abnormality detection / judgment processing will be described in detail.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing a subroutine of heartbeat abnormality detection / determination processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the heartbeat abnormality detecting / determining unit 14 detects the driver's heartbeat by a sensor (not shown). Then, the heartbeat abnormality detection / judgment unit 14 measures the time-series data of the heartbeat signal, and determines whether there is a precursor of a heart attack or the like, that is, whether there is a heartbeat abnormality, based on the cardiac arrest time. To do. Then, the heartbeat condition of the driver is classified and output as normal or abnormal.

Next, the flow chart will be described. Step S4-1 The heartbeat of the driver is detected. Step S4-2: A heartbeat abnormality (normal or abnormal) is determined. Step S4-3 The heartbeat state is output, and the process ends.

Next, the alarm output selection process will be described in detail.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an alarm output selection map according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 14 is a table showing inter-vehicle time corresponding to the urgency at a predetermined approaching vehicle speed in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. Is a first table showing an example of alarm display and voice output in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 16 is a table showing an example of output setting according to age in the embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 17 is a table showing examples of alarm outputs according to urgency, consciousness level and age in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 18 shows urgency and consciousness level at a predetermined approaching vehicle speed in the embodiment of the present invention. 19 is a table showing an example of a corresponding alarm output, FIG. 19 is a first diagram showing an example of an alarm display according to an urgency level and an awareness level in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 20 is an emergency in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a second diagram showing an example of an alarm display according to the degree and consciousness level, FIG. 21 is a third diagram showing an example of the alarm display according to the urgency and the consciousness level according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a fourth diagram showing an example of alarm display according to urgency and consciousness level according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 23 shows an example of alarm display according to urgency and consciousness level according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24, FIG.
6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of alarm display selection processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the alarm output selection unit 2
0 performs alarm output selection processing based on the results of the alarm output setting input processing, the urgency determination processing, the driver consciousness level determination processing, and the heartbeat abnormality detection / determination processing. First, the alarm output selection unit 20 determines whether or not the heartbeat is abnormal, and when it is determined that the heartbeat is abnormal, selects the alarm output that notifies the heartbeat abnormality. When it is determined that there is no abnormality, the alarm output according to the urgency level and the awareness level is selected. Then, a command for outputting an alarm according to an individual difference and an age is issued by the image output unit 21 and the voice output unit 2.
It is output to 2.

In this case, the alarm output selection unit 20 operates as shown in FIG.
As shown in Fig. 3, according to the alarm output selection map consisting of three dimensions of urgency, driver's consciousness level, and driver's age or individual difference, three elements of urgency, consciousness level, and age or individual difference The method of outputting the alarm is selected according to. For example, the degree of urgency is large, medium, and small, the level of consciousness is awake and sleepy, and the age or individual difference is young (0 to 40).
3 years old, middle-aged (40-60 years old), and older (60 years old or older)
Divide into stages. Then, as the age increases from younger to middle-aged, the urgency and consciousness level are judged more severely, that is, the warning rank is increased and the warning is output. In the present embodiment, the alarm rank is set in the order of information provision (I), caution area (A), warning area (W) and warning area (C), that is, the degree to which the driver should be careful. It is set to be large.

Here, in the information provision (I), the contents selected by the driver are displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21, and necessary information is displayed in a small size according to the necessity. And, in the caution area (A), the driver carelessly
The caution information is displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21 so that the user does not become fuzzy. Further, in the warning area (W), the driver is informed by voice and image that the danger is approaching. Furthermore, in the warning area (C), the driver is informed by a loud voice and a large image that the danger is urgently approaching.

Then, as shown in FIG. 17, the warning rank is as follows.
The information provision (I), the caution area (A), and the warning area (W) are set according to the smallness, and in the sleepy state, the warning rank increases and the warning area (A), the warning area (W), and the warning area (C) are set. Further, in the elderly, the warning rank is higher than in the younger, and the warning area (A), the warning area (W) and the warning area (C) are set in the awake state, and the warning area (W) and the warning area (C) are set in the sleepy state. , Warning area (C).

Further, regarding the road surface condition, since it is necessary to increase the inter-vehicle time in the order of dryness, wetness, snowfall, and freezing, the alarm rank is set so that the urgency is also high. Then, the road surface information is supplementarily displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21. For example, the road surface information is transmitted to the driver by additionally displaying characters such as A01, A02, A03 on the screen of the image output unit 21. In this case, A01 indicates freezing, A02 indicates snow cover, and A03 indicates wetness.

Further, the alarm rank of the alarm notifying the abnormal heartbeat is set to the alarm area (W) regardless of the condition of the distance between vehicles and the road surface so that the driver can quickly stop and take a rest in a safe place. To do. In addition, the image output unit 21 displays the inter-vehicle time and the road surface condition as useful reference information during normal driving.
Can be additionally displayed on the screen at any time. The traffic congestion information may be displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21.

As for the warning according to the degree of urgency, it is desirable to use the approaching vehicle speed as well, in order to give a warning at a timing according to a more actual scene, as shown in the table shown in FIG. In this case, for example, when the approaching vehicle speed is V1 [km / h] or more, the urgency is set to be higher than when it is V1 [km / h] or less. Further, the warning can be stopped when the approaching vehicle speed is V1 [km / h] or less. Further, the inter-vehicle distance is a predetermined distance L
If it is more than [m], it can be ignored. For example, when the approaching vehicle speed is V1 [km / h] or more, the alarm rank set according to the alarm output selection map may be increased by one step, or the urgency level may be increased to give an early warning. To do. Note that in FIG. 14, the numerical value is the inter-vehicle time [second].

Here, the display output according to the urgency and the consciousness level is, for example, as shown in the table of FIG. The table shown in FIG. 15 is for the case where the age or individual difference is young. In this case, the image output unit 2
The relation between the alarm displayed on the screen No. 1 and the alarm output by the audio output unit 22 is also shown. Depending on the degree of urgency, the background color of the warning display may be blue, yellow, or red, or the warning sound may inform the driver that the warning will start, and be careful to wake up when the consciousness level is drowsy. Is displayed on the screen to indicate that there is a danger of a rear-end collision and that there is a danger of a rear-end collision, and the driver is notified by voice to warn the driver. Note that the output of the alarm may be stopped when the inter-vehicle time becomes long, a predetermined time elapses, or the driver operates.

As shown in the tables shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b), an alarm is output according to the age or individual difference. Generally, the spatial frequency characteristic, the spectral characteristic, the focus adjustment characteristic, and the adaptation characteristic of the visual function deteriorate with aging. As a display method that compensates for this, it is possible to improve the visibility by setting the display so that it is easy to see according to the age, and to make it easier to understand even in the elderly. In addition, since the auditory function deteriorates with aging, it is possible to make the sound easier to hear by setting the sound louder and the frequency higher according to the age, and to make it easier to understand even in the elderly.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 17, the alarm is provided with information (I), attention area (A), according to three factors of urgency, consciousness level, and age or individual difference.
The warning is classified into four warning ranks of the warning area (W) and the warning area (C) and output. In this case, the degree of urgency is set according to the inter-vehicle time and the road surface condition, the consciousness level is classified according to the degree of awakening, and screen display and voice output are performed. Here, the alert rank is set by a combination of three levels of urgency, large, middle, and small, awakening level of three levels of awake, sleepy, and sleep, and three levels of age: young, middle-aged, and advanced. .
In FIG. 17, “information” is information provision (I), “caution” is a caution area (A), “alarm” is a warning area (W), and “warning” is a warning area (C). ) Is shown.

Further, FIG. 18 shows a case where the approaching vehicle speed is also taken into consideration. As for ages, only the cases of younger people are shown, and the cases of middle-aged and older people are omitted. Here, in FIG. 18A, the approaching vehicle speed is V1 [k
18B is a case where the approaching vehicle speed is V1 [km / h] or more, and FIG.
(C) is a second example when the approaching vehicle speed is V1 [km / h] or more. The other points are the same as those in FIG. 17, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

The image output unit 2 is shown in FIGS.
The example of the alarm displayed on the screen of No. 1 is shown. In this case, the contents of the display are changed after a lapse of a predetermined time. The image output unit 21 is also used as a display device of a vehicle navigation device, and a route guidance screen is displayed.

First, FIG. 19 shows a display for calling attention when the driver's consciousness level is in the awake state.
FIG. 20 shows the detailed information display in which the display for calling attention shown in FIG. 19 has changed after the lapse of a predetermined time. 19 and 20, the audio state is described below the screen of the image output unit 21.

In FIG. 19, when the degree of urgency is high, the display of "danger of inter-vehicle distance!" As an alarm is shown in red, which is the color with the highest degree of attention. Then, the voice is also output in a large volume with the tone color having the highest degree of attention. Also, when the urgency is medium, the display of "Be careful of inter-vehicle distance!"
It is shown in yellow, which has a slightly higher degree of attention. Then, the sound is also output in a medium volume with a tone color having a slightly higher degree of attention.
If the degree of urgency is low, no alarm is displayed and no sound is output.

In FIG. 20, when the degree of urgency is high, the display of "distance between vehicles!" As a warning and "distance between vehicles 8 m" as detailed information is shown in red, which is the color with the highest degree of attention. Then, the sound is output at a high volume although the degree of alertness is low. In addition, when the urgency is medium, the warning “inter-vehicle distance!” And the detailed information “inter-vehicle distance 2” are displayed.
The display of "0 m" is shown in yellow, which is a color with a slightly higher degree of attention. Then, the sound is output at a medium volume although the degree of attention is low. If the urgency is low, no warning will be displayed,
"Road surface information snowfall" and "inter-vehicle information 20" as detailed information
The display of "m" is shown in green, which is a color with a low degree of attention. No audio is output.

Next, FIG. 21 shows a display for awakening when the driver's consciousness level is in a sleepy state, and FIG. 22 shows a display for awakening shown in FIG. 21 after a predetermined time has elapsed. 23 shows the display for changing the display, and FIG. 23 shows the detailed information display in which the display for changing the display shown in FIG. 22 has changed after a further predetermined time. 21 to 23, the state of audio is described below the screen of the image output unit 21.

In FIG. 21, when the degree of urgency is high, a bright circle for calling out an alarm is shown large so that the degree of attention is the highest. Then, the voice is also output in a large volume with a tone color having the highest degree of arousal. Also, when the urgency is medium, a small bright circle is displayed to wake up the alarm. Then, the voice is also output in a large volume with a tone color having the highest degree of arousal. In addition, the bright circle for the wake-up call is shown small. Then, the voice is also output in a medium volume with a tone color having a low level of arousal. It is also possible to change only the sound without changing the display.

In FIG. 22, when the degree of urgency is high, the display of "distance between vehicles!" As an alarm is shown in red on the screen, which is the color with the highest degree of attention. Then, the voice is also output at the maximum volume with the tone color having the highest degree of attention.
Also, when the urgency is medium, the display of "Caution between vehicle distances!" As an alarm is displayed in a medium size on the screen in red, which is the color with the highest attention. Then, the voice is also output in a large volume with the tone color having the highest degree of attention. When the degree of urgency is low, the display of "Do you want to take a break?" As a reminder is shown in yellow, which is a slightly higher attention color. Then, the sound is also output in a medium volume with a tone color having a slightly higher degree of attention.

In FIG. 23, when the urgency is high, the display of "distance between vehicles!" As a warning and "distance between vehicles 8 m" as detailed information is shown in red, which is the color with the highest degree of attention. Then, the voice is output at the maximum volume although the alertness is low. Further, when the urgency is medium, the display of “Caution between vehicles!” As an alarm and “30 m between vehicles” as detailed information is shown in red, which is the color with the highest degree of attention. Then, the sound is output at a high volume although the degree of alertness is low. If the degree of urgency is low, no alarm is displayed and no sound is output.

As described above, the degree of urgency, that is, the degree of urgency required to operate the vehicle, depends on the road surface condition such as dryness, wetness, snowfall, and freezing detected by the road surface condition detecting unit 11 and the distance detecting means such as radar. The determination is made based on the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle in front and the own vehicle, and the inter-vehicle time obtained by dividing the inter-vehicle distance by the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. Further, the driver's consciousness level, that is, the degree of concentration on driving is determined based on the sleepiness or the aside look state detected by the driver state detection unit 13. Then, the degree of urgency required to operate the vehicle, the degree of concentration on driving, and the driving ability of the driver that changes according to the age determined based on the age input by the driver are set in the alarm output selection map. The warning rank of the warning is set by combining them based on the above, and the driver is notified. At this time, for example, when the information provision, the caution area, the warning area, and the warning area are set in four stages in ascending order of the warning rank, the higher the warning rank, the higher the degree of alerting the driver. To set the alarm output.

Next, the flowchart will be described. Step S5-1: It is judged whether or not the heartbeat is abnormal. If it is abnormal, the process proceeds to step S5-3, and if it is not abnormal, the process proceeds to step S5-2. In step S5-2, the alarm output according to the urgency level and the awareness level is selected. In step S5-3, the alarm output for notifying the abnormal heartbeat is selected. In step S5-4, an alarm according to the age or individual difference is output to the image output unit 21 and the voice output unit 22.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the urgency, the driver's consciousness level, and the age or individual difference are taken into consideration, the alarm can be output more effectively. That is, the state of the vehicle is detected to determine the degree of urgency, and a warning is displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21 or a voice is output from the voice output unit 22 according to the driver's consciousness level and age or individual difference. Since it can be output, the driver does not miss or miss the alarm. In this way, it is possible to provide the driver with accurate and detailed information.

Further, since an alarm corresponding to the alarm rank is displayed on the screen of the image output unit 21 or output by voice from the voice output unit 22, the driver can easily judge the urgency of the situation where the vehicle is placed. It is possible to prevent traffic accidents effectively. In addition, the driver may be surprised while driving,
You can drive safely and comfortably because you are less likely to feel fear. In addition, the driver can adjust the method of outputting the alarm according to his / her preference, so that the driver does not feel bothered, the burden of driving can be reduced, and the driver can drive comfortably.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0095]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in the alarm system, the information acquisition unit for acquiring the information related to the urgency of the vehicle and the information regarding the driver, and the information acquisition unit. Based on the information, the degree of urgency required to operate the vehicle, the degree of concentration of the driver in driving, and
An alarm output control unit that controls the output of the alarm according to the driving ability of the driver that changes according to the age, and an alarm output unit that outputs the alarm.

In this case, the alarm is not based only on the driver's condition, the condition around the vehicle, the driver's attributes, the driver's preference, and the condition of the driver, condition around the vehicle, driver Since an alarm is output according to a condition based only on the attribute of and the driver's preference, the alarm against the driver's intention can be eliminated. Therefore, the reliability of the alarm can be given to the driver, and the alarm can alert the driver. Further, since the alarm can be effectively activated, the driving can be appropriately supported. Moreover, since the alarm is appropriately output, the driver does not miss or miss the alarm.

In another alarm system, the alarm output controller further controls the output of the alarm according to the heartbeat condition of the driver.

In this case, a precursor of a heart attack or the like, that is,
An alarm is output when there is an abnormal heartbeat, so that the driver can effectively avoid the danger.

In still another alarm system, the information acquisition unit may further include: a road surface condition detection unit for detecting a road surface condition; a headway time detection unit for detecting a headway time; and a driver state for detecting the driver's state. A detection unit, a heartbeat abnormality detection / determination unit that detects and determines the driver's heartbeat abnormality, and
And a display setting input unit for inputting the age or individual difference of the driver.

In this case, the necessary information can be acquired accurately and the alarm can be output accurately.

In still another alarm system, the alarm output control unit sets an alarm rank according to an alarm output selection map including three dimensions of the emergency level, the concentration level, and the driving ability.

In this case, the warning rank can be appropriately set according to the urgency, the driver's consciousness level, and the personal information, and an appropriate warning can be output.

In still another warning system, the warning output control section controls the warning output so that the higher the warning rank, the higher the degree of alerting the driver.

In this case, the driver can easily judge the urgency of the situation in which the vehicle is placed, so that the traffic accident can be effectively prevented and the driver can be surprised or scared while driving. You can drive safely and comfortably because you don't feel much.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an alarm system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of operation of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of alarm output setting input processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a table showing road surface states corresponding to polarization characteristics in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a table showing inter-vehicle time corresponding to the degree of urgency in each road surface state in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of urgency level determination processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of road surface state determination processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of inter-vehicle time calculation processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of driver consciousness level determination processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of driver state detection processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of consciousness level determination processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates heartbeat abnormality detection according to the embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of determination processing.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an alarm output selection map according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a table showing an inter-vehicle time corresponding to an emergency level at a predetermined approaching vehicle speed in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a first table showing an example of alarm display and voice output in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a table showing an example of output setting according to age in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a table showing an example of alarm output according to urgency, consciousness level, and age in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a table showing an example of an alarm output according to an urgency level and a consciousness level at a predetermined approaching vehicle speed in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a first diagram showing an example of an alarm display according to an urgency level and an awareness level according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a second diagram showing an example of an alarm display according to an urgency level and an awareness level according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a third diagram showing an example of an alarm display according to an urgency level and an awareness level according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a fourth diagram showing an example of an alarm display according to an urgency level and an awareness level according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a fifth diagram showing an example of an alarm display according to an urgency level and an awareness level according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of alarm display selection processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 alarm system 11 Road condition detector 12 Inter-vehicle time detector 13 Driver status detector 14 Heartbeat abnormality detection / judgment unit 15 Display setting input section 25 Information acquisition section 26 Alarm output controller 27 Alarm output section

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G08B 25/04 G08B 25/04 C (72) Inventor Yuuji Ishigaki 10 Takane, Fujii-cho, Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture Aisin・ AW Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuya Kato 10 Takane, Fujii-cho, Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture AISIN AW Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shin Yamamoto 2-Manbayama, Midori-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi 802 F-term (reference) 5C086 AA12 AA23 AA34 AA47 AA52 BA22 CA04 CA06 CA21 CA28 CB08 CB27 CB36 DA08 DA14 EA15 EA40 EA41 EA45 FA07 FA18 GA04 5C087 AA02 AA10 AA24 AA25 AA40 BB03 BB32 BB65 BB74 DD02 DD08 DD14 EE16 EE18 FF01 FF04 FF19 FF20 GG03 GG09 GG11 GG18 GG19 GG46 GG66 5H180 AA01 CC04 CC14 CC27 LL04 LL07 LL08 LL16 LL20

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An urgent level that requires an operation to the vehicle based on (a) an information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the urgency of the vehicle and information related to the driver, and (b) information acquired by the information acquisition unit. An alarm output control unit that controls the output of an alarm according to the degree of concentration of the driver in driving and the driving ability of the driver that changes according to age; and (c) an alarm output unit that outputs the alarm. An alarm system having: 2. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm output control unit controls the output of an alarm according to a heartbeat state of the driver. 3. The information acquisition unit, a road surface state detection unit that detects a road surface state, a vehicle-interval time detection unit that detects an inter-vehicle time,
A driver state detection unit that detects the state of the driver, a heartbeat abnormality detection / determination unit that detects and determines a heartbeat abnormality of the driver, and a display setting input for inputting the age or individual difference of the driver The alarm system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: 4. The alarm output control unit sets an alarm rank according to an alarm output selection map including three dimensions of the urgency, the degree of concentration, and the driving ability, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Alarm system. 5. The alarm system according to claim 4, wherein the alarm output control unit controls the output of the alarm such that the higher the alarm rank, the higher the degree of alerting the driver. 6. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm output control unit determines the emergency level based on a road surface condition. 7. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm output control unit determines the degree of urgency based on an inter-vehicle time. 8. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm output control unit determines the emergency level based on an approaching vehicle speed. 9. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm output control unit determines the degree of concentration based on drowsiness of a driver. 10. (a) Acquiring information related to the degree of urgency of the vehicle and information regarding the driver, and (b) determining the degree of urgency required to operate the vehicle, the degree of concentration of the driver in driving, and the age. An alarm output method characterized in that the alarm output is controlled and output according to the driving ability of the driver, which changes accordingly. 11. Based on (a) a computer, (b) an information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the degree of urgency of the vehicle and information related to the driver, and (c) information acquired by the information acquisition unit,
An alarm output control unit that controls the output of an alarm according to the degree of urgency required to operate the vehicle, the degree of concentration of the driver in driving, and the driving ability of the driver that changes according to age, and ( d) A program for an alarm system, which functions as an alarm output unit that outputs the alarm.