JP2005082029A - Vehicular operation control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively prohibit the operation of an operational member such as a car navigation device by a driver while a vehicle is running. <P>SOLUTION: When a switch operation unit 1 to perform the operation other than the vehicular driving operation while a vehicle is running, and a destruction determination unit 5 determines that the vehicle is running in a strolling manner, the operation of the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited, and a warning is given to a driver from a speaker 9. Further, after the operation of the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited, the switch operation unit 1 is controlled so as to be operated by the voice input. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle operation control device that controls operations of an audio device, a car navigation device, and the like.

  There is known an in-vehicle information presentation control device that reduces the burden on the driver without disturbing the driver's concentration on driving (see Patent Document 1). In this in-vehicle information presentation device, control such as stopping or delaying the presentation of information is performed based on vehicle turning information.

JP 2001-191871 A

  However, in the conventional apparatus, the presentation of information to the driver can be stopped or delayed under a circumstance such as driving on a curve. There was a problem that it could be operated continuously.

  The operation control device for a vehicle according to the present invention performs an operation by the operation member when an operation member for performing an operation other than the driving operation of the vehicle is operated while the vehicle is traveling, and when a vehicle wobble is detected. It is characterized by prohibition.

  According to the vehicle operation control device of the present invention, when an operation member for performing an operation other than the driving operation of the vehicle is operated while the vehicle is running, and the vehicle wobble is detected, the operation member Since the operation is prohibited, the driver can concentrate on driving.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a vehicle operation control device according to the present invention. The vehicle operation control apparatus of one embodiment includes a switch operation unit 1, a voice recognition unit 2, a display unit 3, a navigation control unit 4, a distraction determination unit 5, a steering steering angle sensor 6, a vehicle speed. A sensor 7, a voice synthesizer 8, a speaker 9, and a voice recognition button 11 are provided.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the switch operation unit 1 according to the embodiment. The switch operation unit 1 is an operation member for operating the audio device or the car navigation device. For example, a playback button of the audio device, a volume adjustment button, a “return” button 10 described later, and a destination setting button of the car navigation device 12 etc. are included. The switch operation unit 1 is usually provided at a position that can be reached by the driver.

  The voice recognition unit 2 has a function of recognizing user's voice collected by a microphone (not shown). By providing the voice recognition unit 2, the user can give an instruction by voice when setting the destination of the car navigation device, for example. The user presses the voice recognition button 11 to perform a voice input operation instead of operating the switch operation unit 1. The display unit 3 is provided at a position that is easy for the driver to see, and displays a road map, the current position of the vehicle, and a warning described later. The navigation control unit 4 performs a general process such as calculating a recommended route to the destination, and as described later, a control process for prohibiting an operation by the switch operation unit 1 when a predetermined condition is satisfied. I do.

  The steering angle sensor 6 detects the steering angle of the steering 20 and outputs it to the distraction determination unit 5. The vehicle speed sensor 7 detects the speed of the vehicle and outputs it to the distraction determination unit 5 and the navigation control unit 4. The distraction determination unit 5 takes care from the driving operation such that the driver is looking away while driving based on the steering steering angle input from the steering steering angle sensor 6 and the vehicle speed input from the vehicle speed sensor 7. It is determined whether or not driver distraction has occurred. The determination result of the presence / absence of the distraction is output to the navigation control unit 4.

  The speech synthesizer 8 generates synthesized speech such as route guidance and a warning for the driver based on the control command from the navigation control unit 4. The generated synthesized speech is output from the speaker 9.

  A method for determining the presence or absence of the occurrence of driver distraction performed by the distraction determination unit 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a change in steering steering angle over time, and FIG. 3B corresponds to FIG. 3A, with a determination value D calculated by equation (1) described later. FIG.

A section A shown in FIG. 3A shows an example of a change in the steering steering angle y when the distraction occurs, and a section B shows the steering steering angle y when the vehicle is traveling on a curve. An example of the change is shown. In the distraction, when the driver operates the switch operation unit 1 during traveling, the steering is moved left and right even though the vehicle is moving straight, and the vehicle is staggered. It often occurs.

The distraction determination unit 5 determines that the driver distraction has occurred when the determination value D within the predetermined time T obtained by the following equation (1) is larger than the threshold value E obtained by the equation (2). To do.
D = Σ (| Δy | · Δt) (1)
However, Δy is a fluctuation amount of the steering angle during the time Δt, and | Δy | is an absolute value thereof.
E = K / V (2)
However, K is a constant, and V is an average vehicle speed within a predetermined time T.

  That is, when the integral value D of the steering steering angle fluctuation amount within the predetermined time T exceeds the threshold value E, it is determined that the distraction has occurred. The determination threshold value E is a value that is inversely proportional to the vehicle speed V, as shown in Expression (2). This is because when the speed of the vehicle is high, the amount of movement of the vehicle with respect to the steering angle becomes large, so that the threshold value E is reduced and an early warning is given to the driver.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing performed by the vehicle operation control device in one embodiment. The process starting from step S10 is mainly performed by the navigation control unit 4. In step S10, based on the vehicle speed signal input from the vehicle speed sensor 7, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling. If it is determined that the vehicle is traveling, the process proceeds to step S20. If it is determined that the vehicle is stopped, the process waits in step S10 until the vehicle travels.

  In step S20, based on the switch input signal input from the switch operation unit 1, it is determined whether or not the switch operation unit 1 is operated by the user. If it is determined that the switch operation unit 1 is not operated, the process returns to step S10. If it is determined that the switch operation unit 1 is operated, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, the steering angle is detected by the steering angle sensor 6. The detected steering angle is sent to the distraction determination unit 5.

  In step S40 following step S30, the vehicle speed sensor 7 detects the vehicle speed. The detected vehicle speed is sent to the distraction determination unit 5. In step S50 following step S40, the distraction determination unit 5 determines whether or not driver distraction has occurred based on the steering angle detected in step S30 and the vehicle speed detected in step S40. To do. Since the method for determining whether or not a distraction has occurred has been described above, a description thereof is omitted here. If it is determined that a distraction has occurred, the process proceeds to step S60, and if it is determined that no distraction has occurred, the process returns to step S10.

  If it is determined in step S50 that no distraction has occurred, the user can continue to operate the switch operation unit 1. However, when the operation restriction of the switch operation unit 1 is provided during traveling of the vehicle, the operation can be performed within an unrestricted range.

  If it is determined in step S50 that a distraction has occurred, the distraction determination unit 5 sends a signal indicating that a distraction has occurred to the navigation control unit 4. In step S60, the navigation control unit 4 performs control for prohibiting the operation by the switch operation unit 1 and displays on the display unit 3 that the operation by the switch operation unit 1 is interrupted (prohibited). Here, the control for prohibiting the operation by the switch operation unit 1 is a control for invalidating the switch input signal input from the switch operation unit 1 and not accepting a command based on the user's switch operation.

In addition, the operation by the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited, and a beep sound and a warning sound such as “forward attention” are emitted from the speaker 9. In this case, a character such as “attention ahead” may be displayed on the display unit 3. As a result, the driver's attention is returned to the front again. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a state in which a warning is issued to the driver.

  When a warning is issued to the driver in step S60, the process proceeds to step S70. In step S70, the navigation control unit 4 determines whether or not a distraction has occurred for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) based on the signal input from the distraction determination unit 5. If it is determined that the distraction has occurred during the predetermined time, the process waits in step S70. If it is determined that the distraction has not occurred during the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S80.

  In step S80, the operation of the switch operation unit 1 is switched to an operation by voice input. That is, the operation by the voice input is permitted while continuing the control for prohibiting the operation by the switch operation unit 1. In this case, the display unit 3 may display that the operation of the switch operation unit 1 is switched to an operation based on voice input, and may emit a voice indicating that the operation is switched to the voice recognition process from the speaker 9. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the driver is notified that switching to voice recognition processing is performed. When the operation of the switch operation unit 1 is switched to an operation by voice input, the process proceeds to step S90.

  In step S90, based on the vehicle speed signal input from the vehicle speed sensor 7, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has stopped. If it determines with the vehicle having stopped, it will progress to step S120, and if it determines with the vehicle not having stopped and driving | running | working, it will progress to step S100. In step S100, based on the vehicle speed signal input from the vehicle speed sensor 7, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. If it is determined that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined vehicle speed, the process proceeds to step S110, and if it is determined that the vehicle speed is higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S110, it is determined whether or not the “return” button 10 (see FIG. 2) included in the switch operation unit 1 for switching from the voice recognition processing operation to the switch operation has been operated. If it is determined that the “return” button 10 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S120. If it is determined that the “return” button 10 has not been operated, the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the determination at step S100 is denied and when the determination at step S110 is denied, the driver cannot directly operate the switch operation unit 1 to input various instructions. Various instructions can be input by commands. In this case, the driver starts an operation by voice input by pressing a voice recognition button 11 (see FIG. 2) provided on the steering wheel 20. In other words, voice recognition processing is performed on voice collected by a microphone (not shown), and various instructions are input.

  In step S120, the switch operation interrupted (prohibited) in step S60 is permitted. In other words, the input prohibition control by the operation of the switch operation unit 1 is canceled. Thus, the driver can input various instructions by operating the switch operation unit 1.

  FIG. 6 shows a process when it is determined by the distraction determination unit 5 that a driver distraction has occurred while the driver operates the switch operation unit 1 to set the destination of the navigation device. FIG. When the user presses the destination button 12 included in the switch operation unit 1, the destination setting process of the navigation device is started.

  If no distraction occurs after the destination button 12 is pressed, the destination search method, facility genre, prefecture name, facility are operated by operating the switch operation unit 1 as shown in FIG. Names can be selected in order from the list displayed on the display unit 3 to set the destination.

FIG. 6 shows a process when a distraction occurs after the destination button 12 is pressed. That is, when a distraction occurs, the switch operation is interrupted and an operation by voice input is started.

  In this state, when the driver presses the voice recognition button 11, an operation by voice input becomes possible. When the driver presses the voice recognition button 11, the interrupted operation can be continuously performed. In the situation shown in FIG. 6, a voice “please search” is emitted from the speaker 9, and for example, “accommodation” is input by voice. When the voice recognition unit 2 recognizes the word “accommodation” uttered by the driver, the speaker 9 emits a voice “please name the prefecture”. The driver can input, for example, “Kanagawa Prefecture” by voice. When the voice recognition unit 2 recognizes the word “Kanagawa Prefecture” uttered by the driver, a voice “Please name the facility” is emitted from the speaker 9. And voice input. Thus, “XX inn” is set as the destination, and the navigation control unit 4 calculates a recommended route to the XX inn.

  According to the vehicle operation control device in the embodiment, the driver operation such as the driver operating a side look is performed by the distraction determination unit 5 when the switch operation unit 1 is operated while the vehicle is traveling. When it is determined that the alarm has occurred, the operation by the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited. Thereby, the operation by the switch operation unit 1 performed by the driver can be effectively prohibited and concentrated on the driving. In addition, since the operation of the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited and a warning is issued to the driver, the driver can be further concentrated on driving.

  According to the vehicle operation control apparatus in the embodiment, after a distraction occurs and the operation by the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited, an operation by voice input can be performed instead of the operation by the switch operation unit 1. As a result, various operations can be continuously performed using a method based on voice input that has a low load on the driver. Here, it is also conceivable to use a method by voice input for all operations of the switch operation unit 1. However, the voice recognition rate is not 100%, and a menu for setting complicated conditions cannot be said to be more convenient than a method of directly operating the switch operation unit 1. Therefore, a system that is highly convenient for the user can be provided by using a method based on voice input only in a predetermined case, as in the vehicle operation control device in one embodiment.

  According to the vehicle operation control apparatus in the embodiment, the timing at which the operation by the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited and the operation is switched to the operation by voice input is disabled for a predetermined time after the operation by the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited. When no traction occurred. As a result, it is possible to perform an operation by voice input after confirming the safety of the vehicle after the occurrence of the distraction.

  According to the vehicle operation control apparatus in the embodiment, even when the operation of the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited after the occurrence of the distraction, the prohibition of the operation by the switch operation unit 1 is canceled when the vehicle stops. . Accordingly, the driver can operate the switch operation unit 1 in a state where the vehicle is stopped. That is, since the driver can operate the switch operation unit 1 again without performing a special operation by simply stopping the vehicle, it is highly convenient for the driver.

  According to the vehicle operation control device in the embodiment, even when the operation of the switch operation unit 1 is prohibited after the occurrence of the distraction, the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed and the return button 10 is pressed. In this case, the prohibition of the operation by the switch operation unit 1 is canceled. As a result, the driver can operate the switch operation unit 1 again in a state where safety at a predetermined speed or less can be ensured.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, as an example of the switch operation unit 1, an operation member for operating an audio device or a car navigation device has been described. Any operation member may be used.

  The distraction determination unit 5 determines whether or not a distraction has occurred by comparing the determination value D calculated by Expression (1) with the threshold value E calculated by Expression (2). . However, the determination of the presence or absence of occurrence of the distortion is not limited to this method, and other methods may be used.

  The correspondence between the constituent elements of the claims and the constituent elements of the embodiment is as follows. That is, the navigation control unit 4 is an operation detection unit and a control unit, the navigation control unit 4 and the vehicle speed sensor 7 are a vehicle stop determination unit and a vehicle speed determination unit, a distraction determination unit 5 is a wobble detection unit, and the display unit 3 and a speaker. Reference numeral 9 denotes warning means, the vehicle speed sensor 7 constitutes vehicle speed detection means, and the steering angle sensor 6 constitutes steering steering angle detection means. Moreover, the switch operation part 1 respond | corresponds to the operation member described in the claim. In addition, unless the characteristic function of this invention is impaired, each component is not limited to the said structure.

The figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the vehicle operation control apparatus by this invention. The figure which shows the outline | summary of the switch operation part 1 in one embodiment. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a change with time of the steering angle, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a determination value D calculated by the equation (1) corresponding to FIG. 3A. The flowchart which shows the content of the process performed by the operation control apparatus for vehicles in one embodiment. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a state where a warning is issued to the driver, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a state where the driver is notified that the switch operation is switched to an operation based on voice input. The figure which shows a process when it is determined that the driver determination generate | occur | produced by the distraction determination part in the middle of the driver operating the switch operation part and setting the destination of a navigation apparatus

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Switch operation part 2 ... Voice recognition part 3 ... Display part 4 ... Navigation control part 5 ... Distraction determination part 6 ... Steering steering angle sensor 7 ... Vehicle speed sensor 8 ... Voice synthesis part 9 ... Speaker 10 ... Return button 11 ... Voice Recognition button 12 ... Destination button 20 ... Steering

Claims (7)

An operation detecting means for detecting that an operation member for performing an operation other than the driving operation of the vehicle is operated while the vehicle is running;
Wobbling detection means for detecting wobbling of the vehicle;
Control means for prohibiting operation by the operation member when it is detected by the operation detection means that the operation member has been operated while the vehicle is running, and when the wobbling of the vehicle is detected by the wobbling detection means; A vehicle operation control device comprising: The vehicle operation control device according to claim 1,
When the operation detection means detects that the operation member has been operated while the vehicle is running, and the wobble detection means detects a wobbling of the vehicle, the operation detection means further includes a warning means that issues a warning to the driver. An operation control device for a vehicle characterized by the above. In the vehicle operation control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The operation control device for a vehicle, wherein the control means prohibits an operation by the operation member and permits an operation by voice input instead of the operation by the operation member. In the vehicle operation control device according to claim 3,
The vehicle operation control is characterized in that the control means permits the operation based on the voice input if no fluctuation of the vehicle is detected by the fluctuation detection means for a predetermined time after the operation of the operation member is prohibited. apparatus. In the vehicle operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Vehicle speed detection means for detecting the speed of the vehicle;
Steering steering angle detection means for detecting the steering angle of the steering,
The wobbling detecting means detects a wobbling of the vehicle based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting means and the steering steering angle detected by the steering steering angle detecting means. apparatus. In the vehicle operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Vehicle stop determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle has stopped,
When the vehicle stop determination means determines that the vehicle has stopped, the control means releases the prohibition of the operation by the operation member. In the vehicle operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Vehicle speed determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed;
When the vehicle speed is determined to be less than or equal to a predetermined speed by the vehicle speed determination means and a predetermined operation for canceling the prohibition of the operation of the operation member is performed, the control means An operation control device for a vehicle, which cancels the prohibition of operation.

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