US Patent 11430231 Emotion estimation device and emotion estimation method

A facial information detecting unit detects facial information related to facial features of a driver of a vehicle. A physical information detecting unit detects physical information related to physical features of the driver. A driving capability estimating unit estimates a driving capability of the driver on the basis of the facial information and the physical information. A facial expression estimating unit estimates the facial expression of the driver on the basis of the facial information. An emotion estimating unit estimates the emotion of the driver represented by the degree of comfort and the degree of activeness on the basis of temporal changes in the driving capability of the driver and the facial expression of the driver.