Visual line detection device and visual line detection method

1. A visual line detection device, comprising:

a detection unit that detects a visual line direction of a driver in a vehicle;

an acquisition unit that acquires a running state of the vehicle;

a determination unit that determines whether or not the running state acquired by the acquisition unit is a gazing state where the driver is gazing at a particular position;

a calculation unit that calculates a representative value for a detection result of the detection unit in a case where the determination unit determines that the running state is the gazing state; and

a calibration unit that executes calibration for detection of the visual line direction by the detection unit in such a manner that the representative value calculated by the calculation unit is a reference thereof.

2. The visual line detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit causes a point at infinity in a front direction of the driver in a case where it is assumed that the vehicle is traveling straight on a flat and straight road or a vanishing point of a road to be the particular position.

3. The visual line detection device according to claim 2 , wherein:

the acquisition unit acquires a detection result of a preceding vehicle detection device mounted on the vehicle and

the determination unit calculates an evaluation value that indicates a relative relationship between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle based on a detection result of the preceding vehicle detection device and further evaluates the evaluation value, thereby determining whether or not the calibration can be executed by the calibration unit.

4. The visual line detection device according to claim 2 , wherein the calibration unit executes the calibration in a case where the vehicle is traveling straight.

5. The visual line detection device according to claim 4 , wherein:

the acquisition unit acquires a steering angle of the vehicle;

the determination unit determines whether or not the vehicle is traveling straight based on the steering angle; and

the calibration unit executes the calibration in a case where the determination unit determines that the vehicle is traveling straight.

6. The visual line detection device according to claim 4 , wherein:

the acquisition unit acquires map information in a case where a driving support device that executes a route guidance based on the map information is mounted on the vehicle;

the determination unit extracts information that includes a curvature of a road with the vehicle being running thereon from the map information and further determines whether or not the vehicle is traveling straight based on information that includes the curvature; and

the calibration unit executes the calibration in a case where the determination unit determines that the vehicle is traveling straight.

7. The visual line detection device according to claim 4 , wherein:

the acquisition unit acquires a detection result of a white line detection device that detects a white line on a road in a case where the white line detection device is mounted on the vehicle;

the determination unit determines whether or not the vehicle is traveling straight based on a detection result of the white line detection device; and

the calibration unit executes the calibration in a case where the determination unit determines that the vehicle is traveling straight.

8. The visual line detection device according to claim 2 , wherein:

the acquisition unit acquires at least one of speed and acceleration of the vehicle;

the determination unit determines that the vehicle is traveling straight in a case where at least one of the speed and the acceleration is greater than a specified value that is preliminarily specified for each of the speed and the acceleration; and

the calibration unit executes the calibration in a case where the determination unit determines that the vehicle is traveling straight.

9. The visual line detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines whether or not a destabilization factor that destabilizes a visual line direction of the driver is included in a field of view of the driver, based on the running state acquired by the acquisition unit.

10. The visual line detection device according to claim 9 , wherein the calibration unit does not execute the calibration in a case where the determination unit determines that the destabilization factor is included in the field of view.

11. The visual line detection device according to claim 9 , wherein the calibration unit executes the calibration for the field of view in a direction with the destabilization factor being not included therein, in a case where the determination unit determines that the destabilization factor is included in the field of view.

12. The visual line detection device according to claim 9 , wherein the calibration unit executes the calibration with the representative value that is offset depending on an amount of shift of the particular position that is estimated to be caused by the stabilization factor, in a case where the determination unit determines that the destabilization factor is included in the field of view.

13. A visual line detection method, comprising:

detecting a visual line direction of a driver in a vehicle;

acquiring a running state of the vehicle;

determining whether or not the running state acquired is a gazing state where the driver is gazing at a particular position;

calculating a representative value for a detection result of the visual line direction in a case where it is determined that the running state is the gazing state; and

executing calibration for detection of the visual line direction in such a manner that the representative value calculated is a reference thereof.