JP2012068841A - Awakening device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an awakening device for a vehicle that can suppress a decrease in driver's waking level and bring a driver into a waking state during travel of the vehicle.SOLUTION: An awakening device for a vehicle includes a vibration generating part 25, a speaker 26, a camera 31, and a controller 41. The vibration generating part 25 is provided in a steering wheel 21, and can generate pseudo vibration simulating vibration transmitted to a driver D when a state of wheels rolling on a road surface becomes a specified state different from an ordinary state. The speaker 26 can generate pseudo sound simulating sound transmitted to the driver D when the rolling state of the wheels becomes the specified state. The camera 31 takes an image of an expression of the driver D, and the controller 41 monitors a waking state of the driver D based on image data by the camera 31 during travel of the vehicle. When the controller 41 detects a non-waking state (doze state) of the driver D, the controller 41 causes the vibration generating part 25 to generate the pseudo vibration and the speaker 26 to generate the pseudo sound, by which the controller 41 gives the driver D an illusion of occurrence of the specified state and brings the driver D into the waking state.

Description

  The present invention relates to an awakening device for a vehicle that puts a driver in an awakening state while the vehicle is running.

  If the vehicle is continuously driven for a long time without a break, the driver accumulates fatigue and the concentration may be reduced. For this reason, the driver's arousal state is monitored for the purpose of preventing a drowsy driving, and various warnings are issued to the driver when a non-awake state (a nap state) is detected while the vehicle is running. Devices have been proposed that warn of being awake.

  For example, the “wakefulness reduction warning device” described in Patent Document 1 monitors a driver's arousal state based on an average value or a change state of a heart rate. When the driver's non-awake state (sleeping state) is detected, the steering wheel is vibrated to cause the driver to sense vibration through the steering wheel without affecting the behavior of the vehicle. In addition to this, a loudspeaker alerts the driver to wake up, for example, “wake up”.

JP-A-8-268287

  The “wakefulness reduction warning device” described in Patent Document 1 has a higher effect of awakening the driver than when only one of vibrating the steering wheel and generating sound is performed. However, with such a warning method, the driver holding the steering wheel simply feels that the steering wheel is vibrating. Also, the driver simply feels that something has been said suddenly by the voice alarm. For this reason, the alertness reduction warning device has a limit in enhancing the arousal effect.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to suppress a driver's arousal level from being lowered while the vehicle is running and to make the driver awake. The object is to provide a wake-up device for a vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is provided in a member that a driver contacts when the vehicle travels, and the rolling state of the wheel with respect to the road surface is in a specific state different from the normal state. A vibration generating unit that can generate a pseudo-vibration simulating vibration transmitted to the driver, and provided to the driver when the rolling state of the wheel is in the specific state. A sound generation unit that can generate a simulated sound imitating a transmitted sound, an arousal state detection unit that detects the driver's arousal state, and the arousal state detection unit, so that the driver is not awake while the vehicle is running When a state is detected, the vibration generation unit generates the pseudo vibration and the sound generation unit generates the pseudo sound, thereby causing the driver to have an illusion of the occurrence of the specific state and Awakening to awaken And summarized in that a control means.

  According to said structure, when a driver | operator becomes a non-awake state (sleeping state) during driving | running | working of a vehicle, that is detected by the awakening state detection means. In the awakening control means, when the vehicle travels, a pseudo vibration is generated by a vibration generating unit provided in a member in contact with the driver, and a pseudo sound is generated by a sound generating unit provided in the passenger compartment.

  The pseudo vibration simulates vibration transmitted to the driver when the rolling state of the wheel with respect to the road surface is different from the normal state, and is transmitted to the driver through a member in contact with the driver. The simulated sound is similar to the sound transmitted to the driver when the rolling state of the wheel becomes the specific state, and is transmitted to the driver through the passenger compartment space.

  As described above, when the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are transmitted to the driver, the driver's brain feels that the contacting member is vibrating and the sound is emitted, rather than the rolling state with respect to the road surface of the wheel. The illusion that something is happening between the wheel and the road is caused by changing the expression in a specific state different from normal. With this illusion, the driver's brain is alerted and awakened. As a result, the driver's arousal level is suppressed from lowering compared to conventional systems that simply vibrate the steering wheel or simply generate an audio alarm from the speaker without causing an illusion. It becomes possible to make it awake.

The gist of the invention according to claim 2 is that, in the invention according to claim 1, the member is at least one of a steering wheel and a driver's seat.
In a typical vehicle, the driver sits on the driver's seat while driving and grips the steering wheel for steering.

  Therefore, as in the invention described in claim 2, if at least one of the steering wheel and the driver's seat is a member in contact with the driver during traveling of the vehicle, and the vibration generating portion provided on the member is controlled by the awakening control means, When the driver's non-awake state is detected while the vehicle is traveling, the vibration generator generates a pseudo vibration. When the member is a steering wheel, pseudo vibration is transmitted to the driver through the hand holding the steering wheel. Moreover, when the said member is a driver's seat, a pseudo vibration is transmitted to a driver through the location which contact | connected the driver's seat. The driver falls into the illusion that a specific state has occurred due to the pseudo vibration transmitted in this way and the pseudo sound heard from the sound generator.

The invention according to claim 3 is summarized in that, in the invention according to claim 1 or 2, the specific state is a rolling state when the wheel gets over the unevenness of the road surface.
According to the above configuration, when the driver enters a non-awake state (sleeping state) while the vehicle is traveling, and this is detected by the awake state detection means, the vibration when the wheel gets over the road surface unevenness is simulated. The generated pseudo vibration is generated by the vibration generating unit. In addition, the sound generation unit generates a pseudo sound that simulates a sound when the wheel gets over the unevenness. These pseudo vibrations and sound are transmitted to the driver. Here, the vibration and sound transmitted to the driver when the wheel gets over the road surface unevenness is the vibration and sound transmitted to the driver during normal time when the wheel is rolling on a flat road surface. to differ greatly. Therefore, when a pseudo vibration and a pseudo sound are transmitted to a driver who is not awake as described above, an illusion that the wheel has stepped on something is caused in the driver's brain, and the alert is alerted to Reduction is suppressed.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the gist of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the awakening control means generates the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound in a synchronized state. To do.

  According to the above configuration, when a driver's non-wake state (sleeping state) is detected and a pseudo vibration is generated by the vibration generating unit, a pseudo sound is generated by the sound generating unit at the same timing as the pseudo vibration. Be made. Therefore, if the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are caused by the same event (in this case, a specific state) with respect to the rolling state of the wheel, the driver's brain can be surely illusioned, and the arousal level The effect which suppresses the fall of increases.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vibration generating unit generates the pseudo vibration in a frequency band including a frequency of at least 100 to 300 Hz. The gist.

In general, it is known that when a member in contact with a driver vibrates at a frequency of 100 to 300 Hz, the driver perceives it with higher sensitivity than when the member vibrates in another frequency band.
Therefore, according to the invention described in claim 5, if a pseudo vibration is generated in a frequency band including a frequency of at least 100 to 300 Hz, when the driver's non-wake state (sleeping state) is detected, It is possible to reliably transmit the pseudo vibration to the driver.

  According to the vehicle wake-up device of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the driver's wake-up level from being lowered while the vehicle is running and to make the driver wake up.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Schematic which shows schematic structure of the awakening apparatus for vehicles in one Embodiment which actualized this invention. The partial side view which shows the peripheral part of the wheel (steering wheel) of a motor vehicle. The front view of the steering wheel in which the vibration generation part was incorporated. The characteristic view which shows the relationship between the change aspect of a drowsiness level, and the generation | occurrence | production (presentation) timing of a pseudo vibration and a pseudo sound. The timing chart which shows each generation | occurrence | production timing at the time of generating a pseudo vibration and a pseudo sound synchronizing. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a driving simulator. The characteristic view which shows the relationship between the change aspect of sleepiness level, and sleepiness progress time. The characteristic view which compares and shows the result of having calculated average sleepiness progress time about the comparative example 1, the comparative example 2, and the Example. The timing chart which shows each generation | occurrence | production timing at the time of generating a pseudo-vibration delaying from generation | occurrence | production of a pseudo sound. The schematic diagram which shows the schematic structure about another embodiment of the awakening apparatus for vehicles.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the vehicle awakening device of the present invention is embodied in an automobile awakening device will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 shows a peripheral portion of a wheel (steering wheel) 13 of the automobile 11 to which the vehicle awakening device is applied, and FIG. 1 shows a peripheral portion of the driver seat 14 in the passenger compartment 12. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 and 2, the automobile 11 is a car (a transport machine that is grounded by wheels 13 and moves on the ground) that can be propelled by the power of the prime mover and change the course without depending on the rails.

  The driver seat 14 includes a seat cushion (seat portion) 15 that supports the lower body of the driver D from the lower side, and a seat back (backrest portion) that is disposed at the rear end of the seat cushion 15 and supports the upper body of the driver D from the rear side. ) 16 and a headrest 17 that is disposed on the seat back 16 and supports the head of the driver D from the rear side. The driver seat 14 is one of the members that the driver D contacts while the automobile 11 is traveling.

  An instrument panel 18 in which meters and switches are incorporated is provided in the front part of the passenger compartment 12. Below the instrument panel 18, various operation pedals 19 such as an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal are provided.

  A steering device for arbitrarily changing the traveling direction of the automobile 11 is provided near the front of the driver's seat 14 in the passenger compartment 12. A part of the steering device is constituted by a steering wheel 21 which is a place where an operation by the driver D is performed.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 and 3, the steering wheel 21 includes a rim portion (sometimes referred to as a handle portion or a ring portion) 22, a pad portion 23, and a spoke portion 24. The rim portion 22 is a portion that is gripped and steered by the driver D, and has a substantially annular shape. The pad portion 23 is disposed in a space surrounded by the rim portion 22. The spoke portions 24 are provided at a plurality of locations between the rim portion 22 and the pad portion 23. Similar to the driver seat 14, the steering wheel 21 is one of the members that the driver D contacts while the automobile 11 is traveling.

  In the steering wheel 21, a vibration generating unit 25 is built in a plurality of locations held by the driver D during straight steering, for example, in the vicinity of a connection portion between the rim portion 22 and the left and right spoke portions 24. As the vibration generating unit 25, for example, a so-called vibration motor that attaches a vibrator to the output shaft and generates vibration in the vibrator by the rotation of the output shaft can be used. Each vibration generating unit 25 is electrically connected to a control device 41 described later, and operates in response to an operation signal from the control device 41. Each vibration generating unit 25 generates a pseudo vibration simulating the vibration transmitted to the driver D when the rolling state of the wheel 13 (especially the steering wheel) with respect to the road surface R (see FIG. 2) is different from the normal state. Can occur. In the present embodiment, this specific state is a rolling state when the wheel 13 gets over the unevenness of the road surface R.

  The uneven road surface R includes, for example, grooving, melody road, rumble strips, and the like. Grooving is a groove formed in parallel with the direction of travel on the road surface in a mountainous area, etc. mainly on curves and freezing bridges. It is provided to prevent the occurrence of the planing phenomenon or to prevent freezing. Melody road is a road with stepped pavement that is devised so that running sound plays music by forming grooves on the road surface at intervals, and is also called “acoustic road”. In the melody load, it is possible to adjust the scale generation and range by the interval between adjacent grooves, and the volume level by adjusting the groove width. Rumble strips are wavy surfaces that are intentionally formed on the center of the road or on the road surface of the shoulder. The sound and vibration generated when an automobile passes through this part prevent the car from leaving the road. The purpose is to alert the driver to perform the operation or to suppress the traveling speed.

Each vibration generating unit 25 may be any unit that can generate the pseudo vibration, and is not limited to the unit using the vibration motor.
Here, the palm of the driver D holding the steering wheel 21 is provided with a pachinko body as a tactile receptor. This pachinko body is a tactile receptor that discriminates stimulation caused by vibration, and it is known that the adaptation speed that reacts only when there is pressure change or vibration is very fast, and the receptive field is wide. . It is also known that the Pachiny body has good detection of vibrations in a relatively high frequency region, and can detect vibrations having an amplitude of less than 10 μm when the frequency is 70 Hz or higher. The pachinko body has particularly good sensitivity in the region where the frequency is 100 Hz or more, and can detect vibration having an amplitude of 1 μm near the frequency of 250 Hz. For this reason, as the vibration generating unit 25, one that can generate a pseudo vibration in a frequency band including at least a frequency of 100 to 300 Hz capable of accurately stimulating the Pachiny body is used.

  A speaker 26 as a sound generating unit is incorporated in the vehicle compartment 12, for example, in the instrument panel 18. The speaker 26 is electrically connected to a control device 41, which will be described later, and operates in response to an operation signal from the control device 41. The speaker 26 can generate a simulated sound imitating a sound (for example, a rattling sound, a rattling sound) transmitted to the driver D when the rolling state of the wheel 13 (especially the steering wheel) becomes the specific state.

  A camera (such as a network camera) that captures the facial expression of the driver D in the passenger compartment 12 near the front of the driver D, for example, on the upper or upper side of the instrument panel 18 or in the rearview mirror. Camera) 31 is incorporated.

  The automobile 11 is provided with various sensors for detecting the driving state. The various sensors include a vehicle speed sensor 32 that detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the automobile 11. The vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 32 is used when determining whether or not the automobile 11 is traveling.

  The automobile 11 is provided with a control device 41 mainly composed of a microcomputer. The control device 41 controls each operation of the vibration generating unit 25 and the speaker 26 based on the image data captured by the camera 31 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 32. The control device 41 can be broadly divided into a process for monitoring the awake state of the driver D, a process for detecting the non-awake state of the driver D (sleeping state), and a pseudo vibration and A process of generating a pseudo sound is performed. Next, each process by the control device 41 will be described.

<About the process of monitoring the awakening state of the driver D>
When the vehicle speed by the vehicle speed sensor 32 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, that is, when the automobile 11 is running, the control device 41 performs image processing on the imaged data by the camera 31 every predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds), and drives The facial expression of the person D is monitored. From the expression of the driver D, the awakening state (drowsiness level) of the driver D is evaluated. That is, based on the facial expression of the driver D, it is determined which level of the following “1” to “5” the sleepiness level is.

“1”: It is a level that does not seem to make you sleepy at all. Specifically, when the line-of-sight movement frequency is high and the line-of-sight movement speed is high, the sleepiness level corresponds to “1”.
“2”: A level that seems to be a little sleepy. Specifically, when the lips are open and the line-of-sight movement is slow, the sleepiness level corresponds to this “2”.

  “3”: The level is sleepy. Specifically, when a blink that is an eyelid opening / closing movement is performed slowly and a gesture of bringing a hand close to or touching the face is seen, the drowsiness level corresponds to “3”.

“4”: Level that seems to be quite sleepy. Specifically, the sleepiness level corresponds to “4” when conscious blinks and useless body movements are observed.
“5”: It is a very sleepy level. Specifically, when entering a state of instantaneous sleep (micro sleep) and the head tilts back and forth, the sleepiness level corresponds to “5”.

<Processing for Detecting Driver D's Non-Awakening State (Dozing State)>
The control device 41 determines whether or not the sleepiness level determined as described above is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. The threshold value is a minimum value of the drowsiness level that may interfere with the driving of the automobile 11, and “3” is set as the threshold value here (see FIG. 4). If the drowsiness level is “3” or higher, it is determined that the person is in a non-wake state (sleeping state).

  Note that the above-described camera 31 and the control device 41 that determines the degree (level) of the non-wake state (sleeping state) based on the image data relating to the facial expression of the driver D detected by the camera 31 are used. Awake state detection means for detecting the awake state is configured.

<Processing for generating pseudo vibration and pseudo sound when a non-wake state (sleeping state) is detected>
If the drowsiness level of the driver D is “1” or “2”, the driver D does not output an operation signal for generating a pseudo vibration and a pseudo sound to the vibration generating unit 25 and the speaker 26. Therefore, the vibration generator 25 does not generate unnecessary pseudo vibrations, and the speaker 26 does not generate unnecessary pseudo sounds. The simulated vibration and the simulated sound do not disturb the comfortable driving of the driver D who is awake.

  In contrast, when the driver D has a drowsiness level of “3” or higher as shown in FIG. 4, the driver D synchronizes the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound with respect to the vibration generating unit 25 and the speaker 26. The operation signal generated by is output. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a state in which the generation start time B1 of the pseudo sound is matched with the generation start time A1 of the pseudo vibration and the generation end time B2 of the pseudo sound is matched with the generation end time A2 of the pseudo vibration Generates pseudo vibration and sound.

In accordance with these operation signals, the vibration generator 25 generates a pseudo vibration, and the speaker 26 generates a pseudo sound in a state synchronized with the pseudo vibration.
The pseudo vibration is a simulation of vibration transmitted to the driver D when the rolling state of the wheel 13 with respect to the road surface R becomes a specific state different from the normal state, and through the steering wheel 21 gripped by the driver D, It is transmitted to the driver D.

The pseudo sound is similar to the sound transmitted to the driver D when the rolling state of the wheel 13 becomes the specific state, and is transmitted to the driver D through the passenger compartment space.
Note that the control device 41 that performs the process of generating the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound constitutes an arousal control means.

  Here, the specific state is a rolling state when the wheel 13 gets over the unevenness of the road surface R. Thus, the vibration that occurs when the wheel 13 gets over the unevenness of the road surface R and is transmitted to the driver D and The sound is greatly different from the vibration and sound (running sound) generated when the wheel 13 is rolling on the flat road surface R and transmitted to the driver D. Therefore, when the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are transmitted to the driver D in the non-awake state (sleeping state) as described above, the gripping steering wheel 21 is vibrating in the driver D's brain, and the sound is heard. There is little feeling that it is out. In the brain, the illusion that the rolling state of the wheel 13 with respect to the road surface R is in a specific state different from normal, or that something happens between the wheel 13 and the road surface R when the expression is changed. Is caused. Here, the illusion that the wheel 13 has stepped on something is caused. Due to this illusion, driver D's brain is alerted and awakened. As a result, the effect of alleviating sleepiness and delaying the progress of sleepiness (sleepiness progress delay effect) can be obtained.

  In particular, in this embodiment, when a pseudo vibration is generated, a pseudo sound is generated at the same timing as the pseudo vibration. Therefore, if the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are caused by the same event (in this case, a specific state) with respect to the rolling state of the wheel 13, the brain of the driver D is more likely to fall into an illusion.

  In general, when the member (in this case, the steering wheel 21) with which the driver D is in contact vibrates at a frequency of 100 to 300 Hz, it is perceived by the driver D with higher sensitivity than when the member vibrates in another frequency band. Is known. Therefore, in this embodiment in which the pseudo vibration is generated in a frequency band including a frequency of at least 100 to 300 Hz, the pseudo vibration is more surely generated when the driver D's non-wake state (sleeping state) is detected. D is told.

Next, the embodiment will be described more specifically with reference to examples and comparative examples.
As shown in FIG. 6, the following running experiments were conducted using six driving subjects 61 using a driving simulator (hereinafter referred to as “DS”) 51. The DS 51 is a device that simulates driving and running of an automobile using a computer (not shown). The DS 51 includes a screen 53 provided in front of the driver's seat 52, a projector 54 that projects a scenery seen through the vehicle window onto the screen 53, a speaker 55 that reproduces traveling sound, and a steering wheel 56 that incorporates a vibration generator in the grip. , An operation pedal 57, a camera (Web camera such as a network camera) 58 that captures the facial expression of the subject 61, and the like.

(A) Breakdown of subject 61 Subject 61 is composed of four men and two women. The age of these subjects 61 is 21-23 years, and the average age is 22.2.

Prior to the running experiment, we listened to last night's sleep time, sleepiness at that time, etc. through a questionnaire, and confirmed that there was no abnormality in physical condition.
(B) Driving environment The driving experiment was conducted on a round driving course (path) simulating a monotonous highway with two lanes on one side that was gently curved. The total length of the circuit course is 20 km, and when the vehicle travels at a vehicle speed of 80 km / h, it is set to make one lap in about 15 minutes.

In addition, the traveling vehicle under experiment is only the own vehicle.
(C) Traveling condition In order to induce sleepiness in the subject 61, the traveling was performed in a dark traveling course assuming nighttime and with the room lights turned off. In addition, the experiment start time was unified from 13:00 to 15:00, which is regarded as a time zone during which daytime sleepiness tends to occur.

  In addition, in order to make the subject 61 fully accustomed to the operation of the DS 51, a sufficient habituation operation was performed in advance. In addition, the subject 61 was instructed not to change the lane by driving the left lane at a vehicle speed of about 80 km / h.

(D) Determination of Drowsiness Level During the above running experiment, the face of each subject 61 was captured by the camera 58, and the facial expression of the subject 61 was displayed on a monitor (not shown) via a computer such as a PC (personal computer). From the displayed facial expression, it was determined at every elapse of a fixed time (10 seconds) which stage of the above five sleepiness levels the awakening state of the subject 61 is. This determination was made by two skilled inspectors, and the average value was defined as the drowsiness level.

(E) Generation of pseudo vibration and pseudo sound When the sleepiness level is determined to be “3” or more for each subject 61, at least one of the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound is generated in the following three modes.

A mode in which the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are generated in a synchronized state is an example.
The mode in which only the pseudo vibration is generated is referred to as Comparative Example 1.
The mode in which only the pseudo sound is generated is referred to as Comparative Example 2.

(F) Generation Mode of Pseudo Vibration As shown in FIG. 5, one cycle is constituted by the generation period and the stop period of the pseudo vibration, and the cycle for the vibration is repeated a predetermined number of times. Specifically, the generation period T1 of the pseudo vibration in one cycle was set to 400 milliseconds, and the stop period T2 of the pseudo vibration was set to 300 milliseconds, and this cycle was repeated seven times. Further, during the generation period T1 of the pseudo vibration, the vibration generating unit 25 was vibrated at a frequency of 200 Hz.

(G) Generation Mode of Pseudo Sound As shown in FIG. 5, the pseudo sound generation period T3 in one cycle is set to 400 milliseconds, and the pseudo sound stop period T4 is set to 300 milliseconds as shown in FIG. Was repeated 7 times. Further, in the generation period T3 of the pseudo sound, a sine wave (sine wave) sound including a basic frequency of 160 Hz and its overtone (however, the upper limit is 1120 Hz) was generated in the speaker 26.

  The sound pressure level of the pseudo sound was 65 dB. The sound pressure level in the passenger compartment of a running car is about 60 dB, and the sound pressure level in a noisy street is generally said to be about 70 dB.

(H) Experiment termination condition When one or more of the following experiment termination conditions are satisfied, the traveling experiment is terminated.

・ The experiment cannot be continued because the vehicle touches the wall.
-When 20 minutes have elapsed since the start of the experiment-When the drowsiness level is evaluated as 4 or more (I) Calculation of sleepiness progress time The effect of delaying sleepiness progress due to simulated vibration and sound is to be evaluated by the sleepiness progress time . As shown in FIG. 7, the sleepiness progress time is a time from when the sleepiness level is first determined to be “3” or higher until it is determined to be “4” or higher. The sleepiness progress time was calculated for each subject 61 and for each of the example, comparative example 1, and comparative example 2.

Then, based on the calculated sleepiness progress time of each subject 61, the average sleepiness progress time was calculated for each of Example, Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2. The calculation result is shown in FIG.
From FIG. 8, compared to Comparative Example 1 that generates only pseudo-vibration and Comparative Example 2 that generates only pseudo-sound, the example that generates pseudo-vibration and pseudo-sound has a longer average drowsiness progress time and sleepiness progress delay It turns out that the effect is great.

According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The awakening state of the driver D of the automobile 11 is monitored, and if the driver D is detected to be in a non-awake state (sleeping state) while the automobile 11 is traveling, the driver D Pseudo vibration is generated in the vibration generating unit 25 provided in the member in contact with, and the pseudo sound is generated in the speaker 26. Therefore, when the rolling state of the wheel 13 is not in the specific state, the driver D can have an illusion that the wheel 13 is in the specific state, and the driver D can be in the awake state. As a result, the driver's D arousal level is suppressed from lowering compared to the conventional one in which the steering wheel is simply vibrated or the voice alarm is simply generated from the speaker without causing an illusion. D can be awakened.

  (2) The steering wheel 21 is a member that is in contact with the driver D when the automobile 11 is traveling, and the vibration generator 25 is built in the member. For this reason, when the non-wake state (sleeping state) of the driver D is detected while the automobile 11 is traveling, the pseudo vibration of the vibration generating unit 25 is transmitted to the driver D through the hand holding the steering wheel 21, and this simulation is performed. The vibration and the pseudo sound from the speaker 26 can make the driver D easily fall into the illusion that a specific state has occurred.

  (3) Focusing on the fact that the vibration and sound transmitted to the driver D are greatly different between when the wheel 13 gets over the unevenness and when the wheel 13 rolls on the flat road surface R, the wheel 13 becomes uneven on the road surface R. The rolling state when getting over the vehicle is defined as “specific state”.

  Therefore, by presenting the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound to the driver D in the non-awake state (sleeping state), an illusion that the wheel 13 has stepped on the driver D's brain is caused and the attention is drawn. Thus, a decrease in the arousal level can be suppressed.

(4) When a non-wake state (sleeping state) of the driver D is detected, the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are generated in a synchronized state.
Therefore, if the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are caused by the same event (in this case, a specific state) with respect to the rolling state of the wheel 13, the driver D can be surely illusioned, The effect of suppressing the decrease can be enhanced.

(5) The pseudo vibration is generated in a frequency band including at least a frequency of 100 to 300 Hz.
Therefore, it becomes possible to make the driver D perceive the pseudo vibration with high sensitivity, and the pseudo vibration can be transmitted to the driver D more reliably.

Note that the present invention can be embodied in another embodiment described below.
In the above-described embodiment, the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are generated in a synchronized state. However, the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound may be generated without being synchronized (with the timing shifted). FIG. 9 shows an example. That is, in the example (FIG. 5), the generation start timing B1 of the pseudo sound is matched with the generation start timing A1 of the pseudo vibration, and the generation end timing B2 of the pseudo sound is set to the generation end timing A2 of the pseudo vibration. However, in FIG. 9, the time (generation end time B2) when the generation period T1 (for example, about 400 milliseconds) has elapsed from the generation start time B1 of the pseudo sound is set as the generation start time A1 of the pseudo vibration.

Here, the drowsiness progression delay effect is greatest when the simulated vibration and the simulated sound are generated in a synchronized state.
However, as described above, even if the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are generated without being synchronized (with the timing shifted), the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are generated in a synchronized state. If not, the effect of delaying sleepiness can be obtained.

Note that FIG. 9 is merely an example, and the timing of the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound may be shifted in different modes.
-If it is a member which satisfy | fills the conditions of "the driver | operator D touches in driving | running | working of a vehicle", the vibration generation part 25 can be provided in this. As the target member, the steering wheel 21 is representative, but the driver's seat 14 is also included. Therefore, instead of or in addition to the steering wheel 21, the vibration generating unit 25 may be provided in the driver's seat 14.

  FIG. 10 shows an example in which a vibration generating unit 25 is provided in the driver's seat 14 instead of the steering wheel 21. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the vibration generating unit 25 may be provided on both the seat cushion 15 and the seat back 16, or may be provided on only one of them.

  In addition to the above, various operating pedals 19, footrests, seat belts, and the like can be cited as members with which the driver D contacts when the vehicle is traveling. Therefore, the vibration generating part 25 may be provided also in these members. However, this change is desirably performed on the assumption that the vibration generating unit 25 is provided in at least one of the steering wheel 21 and the driver's seat 14. This is because the drowsiness progression delay effect is considered to be the largest when the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound are generated in the steering wheel 21 and the driver seat 14 that the driver D touches for the longest time while the vehicle is traveling. is there.

  -The rolling state of the wheel 13 different from the rolling state overcoming the unevenness of the road surface R may be a "specific state". For example, the rolling state of the wheels 13 when the vehicle slips (slips) on the road surface R or bounces when traveling on a road surface with a large amplitude and a large cycle may be set as the “specific state”. When the wheel 13 slips, the frequency of the pseudo sound is set higher than when the wheel 13 does not slip. Further, when the vehicle bounces, the wheels 13 are lifted from the road surface R, and there is no vibration and a silent state. Therefore, a vibration that cancels (cancels) the vibration at that time is generated as the pseudo vibration, and a sound that cancels (cancels) the sound (running sound or the like) at that time is generated as the pseudo sound.

-In order to detect a non-awake state (sleeping state), you may employ | adopt the method different from the said embodiment.
In order to confirm the sleepiness progress delay effect, an index different from the sleepiness level may be used. Examples of the index include physiological indices such as electroencephalogram (EEG), eyelid opening / closing degree (blink duration), and the like.

  It is known that when the sleepiness of the driver D increases, the rate of appearance of α waves contained in the EEG per hour and the expression change, the proportion of α waves in the entire EEG per unit time (α-Ratio) increases. It has been. Therefore, during the driving experiment of the vehicle, the brain wave of the driver D is measured, and the ratio (α-Ratio) of the α wave in the entire EEG per unit time is calculated. And this ratio ((alpha) -Ratio) may be used as a parameter | index for confirming the sleepiness progress delay effect instead of or in addition to the said sleepiness level.

  Further, it is known that the time from the start to the end of the blink increases as sleepiness increases. Therefore, the degree of opening / closing of the driver D's pupil is measured to detect blinks, and the time from start to end for each blink is defined as blink duration. The blink duration may be used as an index for confirming the sleepiness progress delay effect instead of or in addition to the sleepiness level.

In addition, about the said blink duration, it is also possible to use it as the parameter | index which detects an arousal state.
Furthermore, in order to confirm the drowsiness progress delay effect, the behavior of the running vehicle may be used. That is, when the sleepiness of the driver D increases, the position of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction tends to become unstable. Therefore, the position in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle when the driver D is in the awake state immediately after the start of the driving experiment is set as the driving reference position. The difference (absolute value) between the travel reference position and the vehicle travel position is calculated at regular intervals as the travel position deviation amount. Then, the travel position deviation amount may be used as an index for confirming the sleepiness progress delay effect instead of or in addition to the sleepiness level.

-You may make it change the intensity | strength of a pseudo vibration, the magnitude | size of a pseudo sound, etc. according to the level of a non-wakening state (sleeping state).
The vehicle awakening device of the present invention can be applied to vehicles other than automobiles traveling on the road, such as railway vehicles, industrial vehicles used in factory premises, trolley buses (railless trains), and the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Automobile (vehicle), 12 ... Cab, 13 ... Wheel, 14 ... Driver's seat (member), 21 ... Steering wheel (member), 25 ... Vibration generating part, 26 ... Speaker (sound generating part), 31 ... Camera (A part of the awake state detection means), 41... Control device (a part of the awake state detection means and a waking control means), D... Driver, R.

Claims (5)

Vibration generation that can be generated on the member that the driver contacts when the vehicle travels and can generate a pseudo-vibration that simulates the vibration transmitted to the driver when the rolling state of the wheels with respect to the road surface is different from the normal state And
A sound generator that is provided in a vehicle interior of the vehicle and can generate a simulated sound imitating a sound transmitted to the driver when the rolling state of the wheel is in the specific state;
Awakening state detection means for detecting the driver's awakening state;
When the driver's non-wake state is detected while the vehicle is running, the wake-up state detection means causes the vibration generation unit to generate the pseudo vibration and the sound generation unit to generate the pseudo sound. And awakening control means for causing the driver to make an illusion of the occurrence of the specific state and causing the driver to be awakened. The vehicle awakening device according to claim 1, wherein the member is at least one of a steering wheel and a driver's seat. The vehicle awakening device according to claim 1, wherein the specific state is a rolling state when the wheel gets over the unevenness of the road surface. The vehicle awakening device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the awakening control means generates the pseudo vibration and the pseudo sound in a synchronized state. 5. The vehicle awakening device according to claim 1, wherein the vibration generating unit generates the pseudo vibration in a frequency band including a frequency of at least 100 to 300 Hz.

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