JP7843177B2 - Driving assistance systems - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a vehicle driving assistance system.

Traditionally, aggressive driving by drivers of automobiles and other vehicles has become a social problem. Therefore, to deter aggressive driving, a driver assistance device has been disclosed that adjusts the accelerator pedal reaction force to warn the driver if it is determined that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-22012

Incidentally, the invention described in Patent Document 1 above determines whether a driver is engaging in aggressive driving based on vehicle speed and the distance to the preceding vehicle, and issues a warning to the driver if it is determined that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving. In other words, the invention described in Patent Document 1 above issues a warning to the driver unilaterally. However, since drivers engaging in aggressive driving are in an agitated state, there is a concern that the above warning alone may not be sufficient to suppress aggressive driving, especially when driving alone. Therefore, the invention described in Patent Document 1 above has the problem of not being able to appropriately suppress aggressive driving while taking into account the driver's feelings.

Furthermore, the invention described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above had the potential to misidentify aggressive driving behavior even when the driver was not engaging in it, depending on road conditions. In such cases, issuing warnings or other actions could increase driver dissatisfaction. Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a driver assistance device that can effectively suppress aggressive driving.

(1) The driving assistance device of the present invention, provided to solve the above-mentioned problems, comprises: a driving aggressiveness determination unit that determines whether the driver of a vehicle is engaging in aggressive driving by tailgating other vehicles; a questioning unit that makes voice inquiries to the driver; and a voice receiving unit that receives voice utterances from the driver. The device is capable of performing a voice chat with the driver by making predetermined inquiries to the driver from the questioning unit and receiving voice utterances from the driver via the voice receiving unit. The driving aggressiveness determination unit permits the execution of the voice chat only if it determines that the driving state constitutes aggressive driving.

The aforementioned driver assistance system is designed to enable voice chat through dialogue with the driver, via a questioning unit asking questions and a voice reception unit receiving voice messages from the driver. Therefore, the system can use voice chat to ask questions that, for example, soothe the driver. This is expected to have the effect of calming the driver's agitated state. Furthermore, the system is designed to only allow voice chat if the aggressive driving detection unit determines that aggressive driving has occurred. Therefore, the system can prevent voice chat from being executed when the driver is not engaging in aggressive driving. This prevents the system from unnecessarily executing voice chats, thus reducing the risk of causing offense to the driver.

(2) In the driving assistance device of the present invention described above, the aggressive driving determination unit may determine that the driver is in an aggressive driving state if the driver's utterance received by the voice reception unit contains a predetermined keyword.

The aforementioned driver assistance system, with this configuration, can more accurately determine aggressive driving behavior. This further reduces the need for the driver assistance system to repeatedly ask questions, thus minimizing the risk of upsetting the driver. Examples of the designated keywords include "slow," "frustrating," "hurry up," "go," "damn it," and "idiot."

(3) The driving assistance device of the present invention described above comprises an image acquisition unit that acquires an image including at least the driver's face, and an image processing unit that processes the image to recognize at least the driver's facial expression. The aggressive driving determination unit may determine that the driver is in an aggressive driving state if the facial expression matches a predetermined standard.

The aforementioned driver assistance system, with this configuration, can determine aggressive driving behavior based on the driver's facial expressions, thereby enabling more accurate detection of aggressive driving behavior. This further reduces the need for the driver to be repeatedly questioned, thus minimizing the risk of causing offense to the driver. The aggressive driving detection unit can determine facial expressions using various methods, such as using AI (artificial intelligence) to determine what an angry face looks like, or pre-acquiring characteristic points of angry facial expressions and then matching the image with these characteristic points using pattern matching.

(4) The driving assistance device of the present invention described above preferably has a questioning unit that makes questions using voice recordings of the driver's close relatives that have been registered in advance.

The aforementioned driver assistance system, with this configuration, can help calm the driver's nerves more effectively. As a result, the aforementioned driver assistance system can more effectively suppress aggressive driving.

(5) The driving assistance device of the present invention described above comprises at least one of a speed detection unit for detecting the speed of the vehicle and an acceleration detection unit for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle. The aggressive driving determination unit may determine that the driver is in an aggressive driving state if the change in the vehicle's speed detected by the speed detection unit exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes, or if the change in the vehicle's acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes.

The aforementioned driver assistance system, with this configuration, can determine aggressive driving behavior, including changes in vehicle behavior, thus enabling more accurate detection of aggressive driving. This further reduces the need for the driver assistance system to repeatedly question the driver, thus minimizing the risk of causing offense to the driver.

(6) The driving assistance device of the present invention described above may be configured such that the questioning unit is an AI-based chat or chatbot.

The aforementioned driver assistance system, with this configuration, can automatically engage in voice chat with the driver. This allows the system to communicate smoothly with the driver. Furthermore, because the system can achieve voice chat without human intervention, cost reductions can be expected.

This invention provides a driver assistance device that can effectively suppress aggressive driving.

This is a diagram showing the configuration of a driver assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart of a driver assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing the configuration of a driving assistance device according to a modified example of the present invention. This is a flowchart of a modified driving assistance device according to the present invention. Figures 2 and 4 show the flowcharts for audio processing (subroutines).

The following describes a driver assistance device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to Figure 1. In this embodiment, the vehicle is described as an automobile. Furthermore, this embodiment assumes that a driver is operating the vehicle from the driver's seat.

The driver assistance device 1 comprises an image acquisition unit 10, a voice reception unit 20, an inquiry unit 30, and a control unit 40 (including an image processing unit 41 and an aggressive driving detection unit 42). In addition, the driver assistance device 1 also includes a display unit 50, a storage medium 51, and a communication unit 52, etc.

The image acquisition unit 10 is composed of, for example, a recording device such as a drive recorder or a camera (including a video camera). The image acquisition unit 10 is, for example, installed inside the vehicle and is capable of acquiring images of at least the driver's face. Preferably, the image acquisition unit 10 utilizes a camera capable of infrared photography to capture images of the driver even at night or in dark conditions. The images acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 are processed by the control unit 40, which will be described later.

The voice reception unit 20 is composed of, for example, a microphone, and is designed to receive voice utterances from the driver. The voice reception unit 20 is positioned, for example, around the steering wheel of the vehicle, to enable detection of the driver's voice utterances. The voice utterances received by the voice reception unit 20 are processed by the control unit 40 and used for voice chat execution.

The questioning unit 30 is, for example, composed of a speaker and is located inside the vehicle. The questioning unit 30 is designed to make voice inquiries to the driver. Based on the voice received from the driver by the voice reception unit 20, the questioning unit 30 is capable of conducting a voice chat with the driver. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 can output voice statements such as, "What's the matter?", "You're driving aggressively," "Please calm down," or "Let's drive safely." The voice chat statements from the questioning unit 30 are, for example, pre-registered statements or statements generated by processing the voice received by the voice reception unit 20 using AI (artificial intelligence). The voice chat can be implemented using various means, such as through a robot called a chatbot, or through a voice chat service (e.g., Connect Service) via the communication unit 52 described later.

As described above, the driver assistance device 1, with its questioning unit 30 configured using AI-powered chat or a chatbot, can automatically engage in voice chat with the driver. This allows the driver assistance device 1 to smoothly communicate with the driver. Furthermore, since the driver assistance device 1 can achieve voice chat without relying on human intervention, cost reduction can be expected.

The control unit 40 is composed of a computer, such as a microcontroller. The control unit 40 controls the image acquisition unit 10, the voice reception unit 20, and the questioning unit 30, and can also control the entire driving assistance system 1. Furthermore, the control unit 40 includes an image processing unit 41 and a road rage detection unit 42. The control unit 40 can also store (register) the voice content output by the questioning unit 30 and the judgment keywords of the road rage detection unit 42. Note that the image processing unit 41 and the road rage detection unit 42 may be provided independently of the control unit 40.

The image processing unit 41 processes at least the driver's face image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 to recognize the driver's facial expression. Specifically, the image processing unit 41 analyzes the driver's face image using AI to recognize, for example, whether the driver has an angry expression or another expression (e.g., a normal expression, a smiling expression, etc.). Note that facial expression recognition is not limited to AI; for example, it may also be performed by calculating feature points from the driver's face image and comparing these feature points with pre-registered feature points using image matching.

The aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines whether the vehicle's driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior, such as tailgating other vehicles. Furthermore, voice chat is permitted only if the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that aggressive driving is occurring. The following describes the specific criteria used by the aggressive driving detection unit 42 for determining aggressive driving behavior.

The aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that a driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior if the driver's facial expression matches a predetermined standard. Here, the predetermined standard is, for example, if the driver's facial expression is angry.

Furthermore, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that a driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior if the driver's utterance received by the voice reception unit 20 contains predetermined keywords. Examples of these predetermined keywords include "slow," "frustrating," "hurry up," "go," "damn it," and "idiot." In other words, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines whether a driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior based on keywords uttered by the driver in an agitated state. These keywords can be pre-registered or set through AI learning.

The display unit 50 is composed of, for example, an instrument panel or a car navigation system screen. The display unit 50 can display warning images or pre-registered photos of close relatives. In this way, the driver assistance device 1 according to this embodiment can alleviate the driver's excitement by displaying visually appealing images or other visuals through the display unit 50.

The storage medium 51 is composed of, for example, memory (including SD cards, SSDs, etc.) or a hard disk, and can store images acquired by the forward imaging unit 15 and the image acquisition unit 10. The storage medium 51 can also store audio received by the audio reception unit 20. Thus, the storage medium 51 records the vehicle's driving status. Therefore, in this embodiment, the driver assistance device 1 also functions as a drive recorder. The storage medium 51 may be detachable from the driver assistance device 1, or it may be built into the control unit 40, etc. Furthermore, the storage medium 51 may be provided in the control unit 40, etc., or it may be provided separately from the control unit 40, etc.

The communication unit 52 is configured as a communication device for connecting, for example, an in-vehicle TCU (Telematics Control Unit) or a driver's mobile terminal with the driver assistance device 1. The communication unit 52 may be configured to enable information communication with Connect Services, etc., using the TCU or mobile terminal. With this configuration, the driver assistance device 1 can initiate inquiries from the Connect Services side via the inquiry unit 30.

The above describes the configuration of the driver assistance device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Next, the operation flow of the driver assistance device 1 of the present invention will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 5.

When the operation of the driver assistance device 1 is started, the image acquisition unit 10 begins acquiring an image of the driver's face (step S10). Once the image is acquired in step S10, the image processing unit 41 begins image processing to recognize the driver's facial expression.

Next, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 estimates whether or not the driver is engaging in aggressive driving based on the facial expression recognized in the image (step S11). If it is estimated in step S11 that the driver is not engaging in aggressive driving, the series of processes ends, and the process returns to step S10. On the other hand, if it is estimated in step S11 that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving, voice chat is permitted. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 asks questions (step S12). Here, the questioning unit 30 is designed to ask conversational questions such as, "What's the matter?"

Next, the system begins receiving voice input from the driver, and determines whether the driver's voice contains a predetermined keyword (step S13). If, in step S13, it is determined that the driver's voice does not contain the predetermined keyword, the process returns to step S10. On the other hand, if, in step S13, it is determined that the driver's voice contains the predetermined keyword, it is determined that the driver was engaging in aggressive driving (step S14).

Next, the voice dialogue processing subroutine (step S100) is performed. As shown in Figure 5, in the voice dialogue processing in step S100, the voice assistant makes an utterance. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 makes questions using utterances such as "You're driving aggressively," "Please calm down," and "Let's drive safely" (step S101). Step S101 can repeat the above utterances multiple times as needed. Furthermore, the utterance in step S101 may be a pre-recorded (registered) voice of a family member (close relative). In the case of playing a family member's voice, for example, a voice saying "Dad, please drive safely" might be played.

Once the above processing is complete, the process returns to step S10. To terminate the series of processes, the operation of the driver assistance device 1 can be terminated without returning the process to step S10.

The above describes one embodiment of the configuration and operation flow of the driver assistance device 1 according to the present invention. Next, the effects and advantages of the driver assistance device 1 according to the present invention will be explained.

As described above, the driver assistance device 1 of the present invention is capable of performing voice chat through dialogue with the driver by having the questioning unit 30 ask questions to the driver and the voice receiving unit 20 receive voice from the driver. Therefore, the driver assistance device 1 can use voice chat to ask questions that, for example, put the driver at ease. This is expected to have the effect of calming the driver's agitated state. Furthermore, the driver assistance device 1 is configured to allow the execution of voice chat only if the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that aggressive driving is occurring. Therefore, the driver assistance device 1 can suppress the execution of voice chat when the driver is not engaging in aggressive driving. This prevents the driver assistance device 1 from performing voice chat unnecessarily, thus reducing the risk of upsetting the driver.

Furthermore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior based on whether predetermined keywords are included in the driver's speech. Therefore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can more accurately determine whether the driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior. This further reduces the need for the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 to repeatedly question the driver, thus further minimizing the risk of causing offense to the driver.

Furthermore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can determine whether aggressive driving is occurring based on the driver's facial expressions, thus enabling more accurate detection of aggressive driving. This further reduces the need for the driver assistance device 1 to repeatedly question the driver, thereby minimizing the risk of causing offense to the driver.

Furthermore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 is designed so that the questioning unit 30 asks questions using voice recordings of the driver's close relatives that have been pre-registered. Therefore, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can help calm the driver more effectively. As a result, the aforementioned driver assistance device 1 can more effectively suppress aggressive driving.

The above describes the configuration and effects of the driver assistance device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Next, a detailed description of a modified driver assistance device 100 will be given below. Note that the modified driver assistance device 100 has the same configuration as the driver assistance device 1 described above, except for the addition of a means for determining aggressive driving; therefore, the description of the similar parts will be omitted. Also, please note that the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in the driver assistance device 1 described above.

≪Variations≫
As shown in Figure 3, the modified driving assistance device 100 includes a forward imaging unit 15, a position information acquisition unit 53, a speed detection unit 54, and an acceleration detection unit 55, etc., as means for acquiring information for determining aggressive driving.

The forward imaging unit 15 is composed of an imaging device such as a drive recorder or camera (including a video camera). The forward imaging unit 15 is designed to capture images of the preceding vehicle. In addition to images of the preceding vehicle, the forward imaging unit 15 may also capture images of road signs, traffic lights, etc. The images captured by the forward imaging unit 15 are processed by the image processing unit 41 and used, for example, to calculate the distance to the preceding vehicle.

The location information acquisition unit 53 is, for example, composed of a GPS sensor. The location information acquisition unit 53 can acquire vehicle location information by receiving GPS signals. The vehicle location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 53 is sent to the aggressive driving determination unit 42 (control unit 40) and used for determining aggressive driving. The location information acquisition unit 53 can also utilize a GPS sensor installed in a car navigation system.

The speed detection unit 54 is composed of, for example, a vehicle speed detection sensor mounted on the vehicle. The speed detection unit 54 can detect the vehicle speed. The vehicle speed detected by the speed detection unit 54 is sent to the aggressive driving determination unit 42 (control unit 40) and used to determine whether aggressive driving has occurred. Alternatively, the vehicle speed may be calculated from location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 53 instead of the speed detection unit 54.

The acceleration detection unit 55 is composed of, for example, an acceleration detection sensor mounted on the vehicle. The acceleration detection unit 55 can detect the acceleration acting on the vehicle. The acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit 55 is sent to the aggressive driving determination unit 42 (control unit 40) and used to determine whether aggressive driving has occurred.

Furthermore, the vehicle information provided to the aggressive driving detection unit 42 may include, in addition to the above, information such as accelerator pedal position and brake operation status. In such cases, it is advisable to add conditions such as repeated rapid changes in accelerator pedal position and repeated rapid changes in brake operation status to the detection criteria of the aggressive driving detection unit 42.

In this modified example, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines the aggressive driving state based on location information, vehicle speed, and vehicle acceleration, in addition to facial expressions and the driver's speech. The details of the aggressive driving state determination based on location information, vehicle speed, and vehicle acceleration will be explained below.

The aggressive driving detection unit 42 can determine whether aggressive driving is occurring based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 53. Specifically, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines, for example, whether the location identified by the location information is a particularly dangerous location if aggressive driving occurs, a location that is likely to induce aggressive driving, or a location that could be mistaken for aggressive driving. Note that location information may be used for the determination as needed, and it is also possible to make a determination without using location information.

Furthermore, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 can determine whether aggressive driving is occurring based on the vehicle speed detected by the speed detection unit 54. Specifically, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving if the vehicle speed change detected by the speed detection unit 54 exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes. More specifically, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving if, for example, rapid changes in vehicle speed occur repeatedly.

Furthermore, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 can determine whether an aggressive driving state is occurring based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit 55. Specifically, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving if the vehicle's acceleration change detected by the acceleration detection unit 55 exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes. More specifically, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving if, for example, rapid acceleration changes occur repeatedly. The determination by the aggressive driving detection unit 42 is not based solely on the voice received by the voice reception unit 20 and the facial expressions acquired by the image acquisition unit 10, but can also be made comprehensively based on location information, vehicle speed, and vehicle acceleration.

Next, the operation flow of the driving support device 100 according to a modified version of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Note that the operation flow, which is the same as that of the embodiment described above, will be partially omitted from the explanation.

As shown in Figure 4, when the driver assistance device 100 starts operating, an estimation of aggressive driving behavior is performed (step S20). This estimation of aggressive driving behavior is based on the vehicle's behavior. Specifically, the estimation of aggressive driving behavior is based on information such as the vehicle's accelerator pedal position, brake operation status, vehicle speed, acceleration sensor data, and distance between vehicles.

In step S20, if it is determined that the situation is not aggressive driving, the process ends and returns to step S20. If it is determined in step S20 that the situation is aggressive driving, the image acquisition unit 10 starts acquiring an image of the driver's face (step S21). Once the image is acquired in step S21, the image processing unit 41 starts image processing and recognizes the driver's facial expression.

Next, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 estimates whether or not aggressive driving is occurring based on the facial expression recognized in the image (step S22). If it is estimated in step S22 that aggressive driving is not occurring, the process returns to step S20. On the other hand, if it is estimated in step S22 that aggressive driving is occurring, voice chat communication is permitted. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 initiates a question (step S23).

Next, the system begins receiving audio from the driver, and determines whether the driver's voice contains a predetermined keyword (step S24). If, in step S24, it is determined that the driver's voice does not contain the predetermined keyword, the process returns to step S20. On the other hand, if, in step S24, it is determined that the driver's voice contains the predetermined keyword, it is determined that the driver was engaging in aggressive driving (step S25).

Next, the voice dialogue processing subroutine (step S100) is performed. As shown in Figure 5, in the voice dialogue processing in step S100, the voice assistant makes an utterance. Specifically, the questioning unit 30 makes questions using utterances such as "You're driving aggressively," "Please calm down," and "Let's drive safely" (step S101). Step S101 can repeat the above utterances multiple times as needed. Furthermore, the utterance in step S101 may be a pre-recorded (registered) voice of a family member (close relative). In the case of playing a family member's voice, for example, a voice saying "Dad, please drive safely" might be played.

Once the voice interaction subroutine processing in step S100 is completed, the process returns to the main routine processing (see Figure 4), and the series of processes ends, returning the process to step S20. Note that to terminate the series of processes, the operation of the driver assistance device 100 is terminated without returning the process to step S10.

The above describes the operation flow of the modified driver assistance device 100 of the present invention. Next, the effects and benefits of the modified driver assistance device 100 will be explained below. Effects similar to those of the driver assistance device 1 described above will not be explained.

The modified driver assistance device 100 described above determines that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior when the vehicle speed change detected by the speed detection unit 54 exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes, or when the vehicle acceleration change detected by the acceleration detection unit 55 exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes. Therefore, the driver assistance device 100 can determine aggressive driving behavior including changes in vehicle behavior, thus enabling more accurate detection of the driver's aggressive driving state. This further reduces the need for the driver assistance device 100 to repeatedly question the driver, thus further minimizing the risk of causing offense to the driver.

The above describes the operation flow and effects of the modified driving support device 1 of the present invention. However, the driving support device 1,100 of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above, and can be modified in various ways.

In this embodiment, the aggressive driving determination unit 42 determines whether the driver is engaging in aggressive driving based on the voice received by the voice reception unit 20 and the image of the driver's face acquired by the image acquisition unit 10. However, the driving assistance device 1 of the present invention is not limited to this. The determination in the aggressive driving determination unit 42 can be performed using various aggressive driving determination means. Furthermore, the aggressive driving determination means can be a single means or a combination of multiple means, among other forms.

Furthermore, in this modified example, the system is shown as determining that the driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior based on the condition that the speed change of the vehicle detected by the speed detection unit 54 exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes, or that the acceleration change of the vehicle detected by the acceleration detection unit 55 exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes. However, these conditions can be appropriately changed depending on the characteristics of the vehicle, etc.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the system determines that a driver is engaging in aggressive driving behavior based on whether the driver's utterance received by the voice reception unit 20 contains predetermined keywords. However, various types of keywords can be used.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the aggressive driving detection unit 42 determines that the driver is in an aggressive driving state based on the driver's angry facial expression. However, the system is not limited to this, and the aforementioned driving support device 1 can determine the aggressive driving state based on various facial expressions of the driver. Also, in this embodiment, the image acquisition unit 10 acquires an image of the driver's face, but the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 can be various images that can detect the driver's state of agitation. For example, the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 can include images of various parts of the driver's body in addition to, or instead of, the driver's face.

In this embodiment, the questioning unit 30 is exemplified as making inquiries using voice recordings of the driver's close relatives that have been pre-registered. However, it is not limited to using voice recordings of close relatives; various forms of voice can be used. For example, the questioning unit 30 may emit alarms or other sounds using the sounds of animals kept by the driver.

In this embodiment, the questioning unit 30 is exemplified as being composed of an AI-based chat or chatbot. However, the questioning unit 30 is not limited to voice chat or chatbots that use AI; various forms of voice chat or chatbots can be used. For example, the questioning unit 30 may be implemented by a human-generated voice chat using a connect service or the like.

The above describes various embodiments and modifications of the driver assistance device 1,100 according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the embodiments and modifications described above, and it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments may exist in the spirit and nature of the teachings, without departing from the scope of the claims.

The driver assistance system of the present invention can be used to suppress aggressive driving in vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles.

1: Driving assistance device 10: Image acquisition unit 20: Voice reception unit 30: Questioning unit 40: Control unit 41: Image processing unit 42: Aggressive driving detection unit 50: Display unit 51: Storage medium 52: Communication unit 53: Location information acquisition unit 54: Speed detection unit 55: Acceleration detection unit

Claims (4)

An image acquisition unit that acquires an image including at least the driver's face,
An image processing unit that processes the aforementioned image to recognize at least the facial expression of the driver,
A vehicle driver is in a state of aggressive driving, such as tailgating other vehicles, and a vehicle driver is in a state of aggressive driving.
An interrogation unit that conducts voice-based questioning with the driver,
A voice reception unit that receives voice utterances from the aforementioned driver,
Equipped with,
The aggressive driving determination unit estimates that the driver is in an aggressive driving state, provided that the facial expression recognized by the image processing unit matches a predetermined standard.
In the aforementioned aggressive driving determination unit, on the condition that it is estimated that the driver is in an aggressive driving state, the questioning unit asks the driver a predetermined question, and the voice receiving unit receives voice from the driver, thereby determining whether or not the driver is in an aggressive driving state.
The aforementioned aggressive driving detection unit, on the condition that it determines the driver is in an aggressive driving state, permits the execution of a voice chat to communicate with the driver.
A driver assistance system characterized by the following. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, characterized in that the aggressive driving determination unit determines that the driver is in an aggressive driving state on the condition that a predetermined keyword is included in the driver's utterance received by the voice reception unit. The driver assistance device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the questioning unit makes questions using voice utterances from the driver's close relatives who have been registered in advance. The system comprises at least one of a speed detection unit for detecting the speed of the vehicle and an acceleration detection unit for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle.
The driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the aggressive driving determination unit estimates that the driver is in an aggressive driving state on the condition that the change in the vehicle's speed detected by the speed detection unit exceeds a predetermined range of speed changes, or that the change in the vehicle's acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit exceeds a predetermined range of acceleration changes.