Drive support apparatus for a movable body

• US 7,642,922 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Itou, Taisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan; Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US11/521,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 340/576, 340/575, 340/439, 340/573.1, 180/272, 701/36, 434/64
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/21 Voice
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A drive support apparatus that performs an interaction with a driver with respect to awareness of safe driving so as to make the driver drive safely. The drive support apparatus includes: a driving state detecting portion for acquiring driving state information including at least either information about a traveling situation of the movable body or information about a driving operation from an in-vehicle sensor; a driver information storing portion for storing awareness information representing digitized awareness of the driver with respect to safe driving; an interaction controlling portion for generating a question for checking the driver'"'"'s awareness with respect to safe driving when the driving state information and the awareness information satisfy predetermined interaction-start conditions, outputting the question as a synthesized voice, and recognizing an answer content from a voice of the driver to the question; and an awareness information generating portion for updating the awareness information in accordance with the answer content recognized by the interaction controlling portion.

Claims

1. A drive support apparatus for a movable body, comprising:

a driving state detecting portion for acquiring driving state information comprising at least either information about a traveling situation of the movable body or information about a driving operation of a driver of the movable body, from a sensor provided in the movable body during a drive of the movable body by the driver;

a driver information storing portion for storing awareness information that represents a digitized awareness of the driver indicating how much the driver is aware of a regulated or recommended driving condition for safe driving of the movable body;

an interaction controlling portion configured to,

decide whether to start an interaction with the driver based on whether the driving state information and the awareness information satisfy a predetermined interaction-start condition;

generate a question to check the driver'"'"'s awareness that indicates how much the driver is aware of a regulated or recommended driving condition for safe driving in the case of a decision to start the interaction;

output the generated question as a synthesized voice;

recognize an answer content from a voice of the driver to the question;

generate advice for safe driving in response to the answer; and

output the generated advice as a synthesized voice;

an awareness information generating portion for updating the awareness information in accordance with the answer content recognized by the interaction controlling portion; and

a safe-driving information storing portion for storing safe driving information comprising information that represents a condition for safe driving,

wherein the awareness information generating portion decides whether the answer content recognized by the interaction controlling portion is correct or not, on the basis of the answer content and the safe driving information;

when the answer content is decided as correct, awareness information generating portion decides whether or not to update the awareness information stored in the driver information storing portion depending on the answer content and the driving state information satisfy a predetermined awareness information updating condition, and in a case of a decision that the awareness information should be updated, the awareness information generating portion updates the awareness information to a value representing a state of a higher awareness, and

when the answer content is decided as incorrect, the awareness information generating portion updates the awareness information stored in the driver information storing portion to a value representing a state of a lower awareness.

2. The drive support apparatus for a movable body according to claim 1, wherein the movable body is an automobile.

3. The drive support apparatus for a movable body according to claim 2,

wherein the awareness denotes a level of awareness of the driver with respect to a speed limit, and

the driving state detecting portion acquires a traveling speed of the movable body, as driving state information from the sensor of the movable body.

4. The drive support apparatus for a movable body according to claim 2,

wherein the awareness information denotes a level of awareness of the driver with respect to an inter-vehicle distance, and

the driving state detecting portion acquires an inter-vehicle distance from a movable body ahead, as driving state information from the sensor of the movable body.

5. The drive support apparatus for a movable body according to claim 2,

wherein the awareness information denotes a level of awareness of the driver with respect to a timing for operating a direction indicator, and

the driving state detecting portion acquires information that represents a timing for operating the direction indicator, as driving state information from the sensor of the movable body.

6. The drive support apparatus for a movable body according to claim 2,

wherein the awareness information denotes a level of awareness of the driver with respect to a deceleration at a time of passing a curve or an intersection, and

the driving state detecting portion acquires a traveling speed at a time of passing the curve or the intersection, as driving state information from the sensor of the movable body.

7. The drive support apparatus for a movable body according to claim 2,

wherein the awareness denotes a level of awareness of the driver respectively with respect to at least two evaluation items selected from the group consisting of four evaluation items of a speed limit, an inter-vehicle distance, a timing for operating a direction indicator, and a deceleration at a time of passing a curve or an intersection;

corresponding to the evaluation items, the driving state detecting portion acquires driving state information of at least two from the speed limit of the movable body, the inter-vehicle distance from a movable body ahead, the timing for operating a direction indicator, and the deceleration at the time of passing a curve or an intersection, from the sensor of the movable body; and

once plural evaluation items satisfy simultaneously the interaction-start conditions, the interaction controlling portion generates a question for checking the awareness with respect to an evaluation item for which the driver'"'"'s awareness has been determined as the lowest.

8. The drive support apparatus for a movable body according to claim 1,

wherein the sensor comprises a sensor for detecting a sign of dozing of the driver, and

when the dozing of the driver is detected by the sensor, the interaction controlling portion starts an interaction with the driver irrespective of satisfaction of the interaction-start conditions.

9. A recording medium on which a program is recorded, the program allows a computer to execute:

a driving state detection procedure for acquiring driving state information comprising at least either information about a traveling situation of the movable body or information about a driving operation of a driver of the movable body, from a sensor provided in the movable body during a drive of the movable body by the driver;

an interaction control procedure to,

refer to a driver information storing portion that stores awareness information representing digitized awareness of the driver indicating how much the driver is aware of the a regulated or recommended driving condition for safe driving;

decide whether to start an interaction with the driver depending on whether the driving state information and the awareness information satisfy a condition to start the interaction;

generate a question for checking the driver'"'"'s awareness indicating how much the driver is aware of a regulated or recommend driving condition for safe driving in a case a decision to start the interaction;

output the generated question as a synthesized voice;

recognize an answer content from a voice of the driver to the question;

generate advice for safe driving in response to the answer; and

output the generated advice as a synthesized voice; and

awareness information generation procedure to update the awareness information in accordance with the answer content recognized through the interaction control procedure,

wherein the awareness information generation procedure includes the processing to decide whether the answer content recognized by the interaction controlling portion is correct or not, on the basis of the answer content and a safe driving information that represents a condition for safe driving and is stored in a safe-driving information storing portion;

when the answer content is decided as correct, it is decided whether or not to update the awareness information stored in the driver information storing portion depending on whether the answer content and the driving state information satisfy a predetermined awareness information updating condition, and in a case of a decision that the awareness information should be updated, the awareness information is updated to a value representing a state of a higher awareness, and

when the answer content is decided as incorrect, the awareness information stored in the driver information storing portions updated to a value representing a state of a lower awareness.