JP2008281951A - Driving simulator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving simulator capable of improving visibility of a distant structure. <P>SOLUTION: The driving simulator 1 displays the periphery of a vehicle on a screen 74 in accordance with a driving operation. The driving simulator 1 calculates the distance D from the position of the vehicle to the structure around the vehicle (S12), and displays the structure on the screen 74 (S16) while increasing display magnitude as the distance D to the structure is longer. Thus, compared with the display at normal display magnitude, a driving operator can more easily recognize the distant structure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving simulator for performing simulated driving of a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a driving simulator, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-66708, a two-dimensional image is projected on a concave mirror by a projector to display a scenery outside the vehicle. This driving simulator is intended to display an image having a sense of depth similar to that in the real world by displaying a scenery outside the vehicle during driving by a concave mirror.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-66708

  However, such a driving simulator has a problem that it is difficult to see distant signals and road signs. For example, when a signal or the like is displayed according to the distance from the host vehicle, it becomes difficult to see the signal display such as red and blue, and the driving operation of the driving simulator operator cannot be performed appropriately.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a driving simulator capable of improving the visibility of a distant structure.

  That is, the driving simulator according to the present invention is a driving simulator that displays the surroundings of a vehicle on a display unit in accordance with a driving operation, and calculates a distance from the position of the vehicle to a structure around the vehicle. And display control means for increasing the display magnification as the distance to the structure increases and displaying the structure on the display unit.

  According to the present invention, as the distance to the structure is longer, the display magnification is increased and the structure is displayed, so that the driver can recognize the distant structure as compared with the normal display magnification. Can be easier.

  In the driving simulator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the display control unit displays the display magnification closer to the same magnification as the distance to the structure is shortened.

  Furthermore, in the driving simulator according to the present invention, the structure is preferably a traffic light or a sign.

  According to the present invention, the visibility of a distant structure can be improved by increasing the display magnification of the distant structure.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a driving simulator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the driving simulator 1 according to the present embodiment is a device for performing a simulated operation, and includes a driving operation unit 2 in which an operator performs a simulated operation.

  The driving operation unit 2 detects the driving operation state of the simulated driving performed by the operator, and includes at least a steering wheel, an accelerator, and a brake, and can detect the steering operation state, acceleration and deceleration operation state of the vehicle. It is done. Moreover, what provided other things, such as a shift lever and a blinker, may be used. It is preferable to use the driving operation unit 2 configured in a normal vehicle shape. In this case, it is possible to give a feeling of being in a real vehicle.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the drive operation part 2 moves and inclines according to a drive operation state. In this case, the presence of driving operation can be enhanced. For example, the driving operation unit 2 is provided on the turntable 3, and the driving operation unit 2 can be tilted by tilting the turntable 3. Further, the operation unit 2 can be moved by moving the turntable 3. Furthermore, it is preferable that the driving operation unit 2 can be rotated by rotating the turntable 3.

  The turntable 3 is a disk-like floor portion that is rotatably provided, and is configured to be rotatable around a central position, for example. The turntable 3 is supported by an actuator 4 and can be tilted by the operation of the actuator 4. As the actuator 4, for example, a hexapot composed of a plurality of extendable cylinders is used. By activating the actuator 4 according to the driving operation state and tilting the driving operation unit 2 together with the turntable 3, it is possible to give the operator a sensation close to the actual vehicle driving situation and enhance the realistic feeling of the driving operation be able to.

  A dome 7 that covers the entire circumference of the driving operation unit 2 is installed on the top of the turntable 3. As the dome 7, for example, one having a cylindrical wall portion 71 and an arc-shaped ceiling portion 72 is used. As long as the dome 7 has a shape that covers the entire circumference of the driving operation unit 2, a semicircular shape, a polygonal shape, or a rectangular shape may be used.

  A projection device 73 is provided on the ceiling portion 72 of the dome 7. A screen 74 is provided inside the wall portion 71 of the dome 7. The projection device 73 projects an image simulating the scenery around the driving operation unit 3 toward the screen 74. The projection device 73 and the screen 74 function as a display unit that displays a landscape around the vehicle according to a driving operation. Further, as the display unit, a device other than the projection device 73 and the screen 74 such as a liquid crystal monitor may be used as long as it can display a scenery around the vehicle according to the driving operation.

  The driving simulator 1 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 8. The ECU 8 controls the entire apparatus of the driving simulator 1, and is configured mainly by a computer including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, for example. The ECU 8 is connected to the driving operation unit 2 and inputs a driving operation signal output from the driving operation unit 2. Then, the ECU 8 calculates the position of the vehicle on the map data in accordance with the driving operation signal, and outputs a display signal representing the scenery of roads, structures, etc. around the vehicle to the projection device 73 according to the vehicle position. To do.

  In that case, ECU8 functions as a distance calculation means which calculates the distance from the position of a vehicle to the structure around a vehicle. The ECU 8 functions as display control means for increasing the display magnification and displaying the structure on the display unit as the distance to the structure increases. The ECU 8 stores map data and can recognize where the vehicle is on the map data. The ECU 8 is set with display images or video signals such as roads and scenery around the vehicle according to the position of the vehicle.

  The ECU 8 is connected to the projection device 73 and outputs a video signal to the projection device 73. This video signal represents roads and scenery around the vehicle according to the driving operation. The projection device 73 projects an image corresponding to the image signal onto the screen 74. As a result, an image corresponding to the driving operation is displayed on the screen 74. The projection device 73 is constituted by a plurality of projectors, for example.

  Further, the ECU 8 is connected to the actuator 4 and outputs a drive signal to the actuator 4. This drive signal is a signal generated to tilt the driving operation unit 2 in accordance with the driving operation. The actuator 4 operates according to the drive signal, and tilts the turntable 3 and the driving operation unit 2.

  Next, the operation of the driving simulator 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving simulator 1 according to the present embodiment. The control process of the flowchart of FIG. 2 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle by the ECU 8, for example.

  First, in FIG. 1, when an operator who has entered the driving operation unit 2 performs a driving operation, the driving operation unit 2 detects the driving operation state of the operator, and the driving operation signal is input to the ECU 8. The ECU 8 recognizes the acceleration / deceleration state, the steering state, and the like of the vehicle based on the driving operation signal, and generates a video signal and a driving signal according to the driving operation signal.

  The generation of the video signal according to the driving operation signal and the display by the video signal are performed according to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, as shown in S10 of FIG. 2, the vehicle position calculation process is performed. The calculation processing of the own vehicle position is processing for calculating the position of the own vehicle on the virtual map. For example, the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle are recognized based on the driving operation signal, and the current position of the host vehicle is calculated.

  And it transfers to S12 and the calculation process of the distance D to a structure is performed. This calculation process is a process for calculating a distance D from the position of the vehicle to a structure provided on the road, such as a traffic light, a sign, a tunnel, and the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not the structure 11 is within a predetermined distance range (display range) from the position P of the host vehicle 10, and the structure 11 is within the predetermined distance range. In this case, the distance D from the vehicle position to the structure 11 is calculated.

  Then, the process proceeds to S14, and the structure magnification rate calculation process is performed. The enlargement factor calculation process is a process of calculating the enlargement factor of the structure to be displayed based on the distance D. For example, an enlargement factor calculation map as shown in FIG. 4 is set in the ECU 8 in advance, and the display enlargement factor corresponding to the distance D is calculated using this enlargement factor calculation map.

  This enlargement factor calculation map is a map in which the distance D is associated with the enlargement magnification of the display. For example, the reciprocal 1 / D of the distance D is associated with the enlargement magnification. The enlargement ratio calculation map is set so that the display magnification increases as the distance D increases. Further, the enlargement factor calculation map is set so that the display magnification approaches the same magnification as the distance D becomes shorter. For this reason, in the enlargement ratio calculation processing of S14, the enlargement magnification is set larger as the structure is farther from the own vehicle, and the enlargement magnification is set smaller as the structure is closer to the own vehicle. Then, the enlargement magnification is 1, that is, equal magnification.

  And it transfers to S16 and a display process is performed. The display process is a process of outputting a video signal from the ECU 8 to the projection device 73 and displaying the video on the screen 74. That is, a video signal is output from the ECU 8 to the projection device 73, and the projection device 73 projects an image on the screen 74 in accordance with the video signal, and a scene outside the vehicle is displayed on the screen 74.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the road 74 on which the vehicle travels is displayed on the screen 74, and the structures 11 provided on the road 12, such as traffic lights, signs, and tunnels, are also displayed. These structures 11 are displayed according to the enlargement magnification calculated in S14. For this reason, the structure 11 is displayed larger than usual as it is farther from the own vehicle position, and is easily recognized. Further, since the magnification of the structure 11 decreases as the position of the vehicle 11 approaches the vehicle position, the structure 11 is displayed with no sense of incongruity when the vehicle gradually approaches the structure 11. Then, when the process of S16 in FIG. 2 is finished, a series of control processes are finished.

  As described above, according to the driving simulator 1 according to the present embodiment, as the distance to the structure is longer, the display magnification is increased and the structure is displayed, so that a distant structure can be displayed at a normal display magnification. It can be made easier for the operator to recognize than when displaying.

  Further, by displaying the display magnification closer to the same magnification as the distance to the structure is shortened, a nearby structure can be displayed without a sense of incongruity such as when the host vehicle approaches the structure.

  Such a structure is useful when applied to traffic lights and road signs. The traffic light and the road sign are important to be visually recognized in driving the vehicle. By improving the visibility, the simulated driving in the driving simulator 1 can be performed smoothly.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case has been described in which the display magnification is increased as the distance to the structure is longer, and the structure is displayed. However, in order to improve the visibility of the distant structure, the distance is greater than a predetermined distance. When there is a structure at a distant position, the periphery of the structure may be dimmed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the calculation processing of the vehicle position is performed (S20), the distance D to the structure is calculated (S22), and it is determined whether or not the distance D is longer than the reference distance A. (S24) When the distance D is longer than the reference distance A, ambient light reduction processing is performed (S26). The ambient dimming process is a process for improving the visibility of the structure by, for example, reducing the luminance around the structure. In this case, in the display process of S28, the periphery of the structure is dimmed, and the structure becomes easy to see.

  In addition, this embodiment mentioned above shows an example of the driving simulator which concerns on this invention. For this reason, the driving simulator according to the present invention is not limited to this, and the driving simulator according to the embodiment is modified or applied to other things without changing the gist described in each claim. It may be what you did.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a driving simulator according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the driving simulator of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the distance calculation process in the driving simulator of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the calculation map used for the expansion rate calculation process in the driving simulator of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the display process in the driving simulator of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the modification of the driving simulator of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving simulator, 2 ... Driving operation part, 3 ... Turntable, 4 ... Actuator, 7 ... Dome, 8 ... ECU, 10 ... Vehicle, 11 ... Structure, 73 ... Projection apparatus, 74 ... Screen, D ... Distance.

Claims (3)

In the driving simulator that displays the surroundings of the vehicle on the display unit according to the driving operation,
Distance calculating means for calculating a distance from the position of the vehicle to a structure around the vehicle;
Display control means for increasing the display magnification as the distance to the structure is longer and displaying the structure on the display unit;
A driving simulator comprising:   The driving simulator according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the display magnification closer to the same magnification as the distance to the structure becomes shorter.   The driving simulator according to claim 1, wherein the structure is a traffic light or a sign.

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