DRIVING ASSISTANCE DEVICE, DRIVING ASSISTANCE METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20160159370A1
• Filed: 11/09/2015
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Yoshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,637,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal

Abstract

A driving assistance device includes: a switch information acquisition section that acquires switch information indicating a switch from a first travelling operation state to a second travelling operation state, in which the occupant drives manually; a degree of tension information acquisition section that acquires information indicating a degree of tension of an occupant; a perception state presentation section that presents a perception state indicating a state of stimulus perceived by the occupant using touch; and a controller that, when the switch information has been acquired, causes a first perception state corresponding to the degree of tension to be presented by the perception state presentation section as the perception state, and causes presentation by the perception state presentation section so as to transition from the first perception state to a second perception state determined for when the occupant manually drives.

Claims

1. A driving assistance device, comprising:

a switch information acquisition section that acquires switch information indicating a switch from a first travelling operation state, in which a driving assistance section performs driving assistance processing that assists driving of a vehicle by an occupant, to a second travelling operation state, in which the occupant drives manually;

a degree of tension information acquisition section that acquires information indicating a degree of tension of the occupant;

a perception state presentation section that presents a perception state indicating a state of stimulus perceived by the occupant by touch; and

a controller that, in cases in which the switch information has been acquired, causes a first perception state corresponding to the degree of tension to be presented by the perception state presentation section as the perception state, and causes presentation by the perception state presentation section to transition from the first perception state to a second perception state that is determined for when the occupant manually drives.

2. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein:

the perception state presentation section is configured to present the perception state as indicating at least one of rigidity or temperature; and

the controller employs a set value that identifies at least one of a first rigidity or a first temperature as the first perception state, and employs a set value identifying at least one of a second rigidity or a second temperature as the second perception state.

3. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein:

the perception state presentation section comprises a vibrating section capable of vibrating at a specific cycle; and

the controller causes the first perception state to be presented, causes the vibrating section to vibrate by employing a first cycle that corresponds to a breathing cycle in which an inhalation and exhalation pair by the occupant is a single cycle and that corresponds to the degree of tension, and causes the vibrating section to vibrate so as to transition from a first vibration state of the vibration section vibrated by employing the first cycle, to a second vibration state in which the vibrating section vibrates employing a second cycle determined to correspond to the breathing cycle for when the occupant is driving manually.

4. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein the perception state presentation section is provided at one or more of a steering wheel or a seat.

5. The driving assistance device of claim 1, wherein the controller stores a plurality of guiding patterns indicating a progress of transition from the first perception state to the second perception state, and causes a perception state to transition from the first perception state to the second perception state based on a guiding pattern selected from the plurality of guiding patterns.

6. A driving assistance method, comprising:

acquiring switch information indicating a switch from a first travelling operation state, in which a driving assistance section performs driving assistance processing that assists driving of a vehicle by an occupant, to a second travelling operation state, in which the occupant drives manually;

acquiring information indicating a degree of tension of the occupant; and

in cases in which the switch information has been acquired, causing a first perception state corresponding to the degree of tension to be presented at a perception state presentation section that presents a perception state indicating a state of stimulus perceived by the occupant by touch, and causing presentation to transition from the first perception state to a second perception state that is determined for when the occupant manually drives.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a driving assistance program that causes a computer to execute processing, the processing comprising:

acquiring switch information indicating a switch from a first travelling operation state, in which a driving assistance section performs driving assistance processing that assists driving of a vehicle by an occupant, to a second travelling operation state in which the occupant drives manually;

acquiring information indicating a degree of tension of the occupant; and

in cases in which the switch information has been acquired, causing a first perception state corresponding to the degree of tension to be presented at a perception state presentation section that presents a perception state indicating a state of stimulus perceived by the occupant by touch, and causing presentation to transition from the first perception state to a second perception state that is determined for when the occupant manually drives.