JP2006142934A - Driving operation assist device for vehicle and vehicle equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving operation assist device for vehicle which considers how much a driver understand the situation around his/her vehicle, and transmits information relating to a lane marker around a vehicle to the driver in an easily understandable manner. <P>SOLUTION: A controller of the driving operation assist device for vehicle changes shapes of driver seats at right/left side parts independently each other based on a latitudinal position of the vehicle inside the lane. When the vehicle approaches the lane marker, a pushing pressure to the driver is increased by increasing a rotating angle of the seat side part at a lane marker side to which the vehicle is approaching, and the pushing pressure is decreased by reducing the rotation angle of the seat side part at the opposite side. The higher the driver's recognition degree of the situation around the vehicle is, the more an area in which the seat side parts at the right/left sides simultaneously operate is limited to prevent excessive information supply. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving operation assisting device for a vehicle that assists a driver's operation.

  Conventional vehicle driving assistance devices drive a vibrating body provided in a seat and notify an occupant when an obstacle is detected near the host vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This device drives the vibrator when another vehicle behind or behind the host vehicle comes closer than a predetermined alarm distance.

Prior art documents related to the present invention include the following.
JP 2000-225877 A

  In the conventional device described above, when the approaching state of the obstacle is notified, it is not considered how much the driver is traveling while recognizing the situation around the host vehicle. In such a vehicle driving operation assistance device, it is desired to appropriately convey the risk around the host vehicle to the driver while considering how much the driver recognizes the situation around the host vehicle. .

The driving operation assisting device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a traveling environment detecting unit that detects a traveling environment around the own vehicle, and a risk degree calculating unit that calculates a risk degree around the own vehicle based on a detection result by the traveling environment detecting unit. And an information transmission amount calculation means for calculating an information transmission amount for transmitting the risk degree calculated by the risk degree calculation means to the driver, and the driver using the information transmission amount calculated by the information transmission amount calculation means as tactile information. Information transmission means for transmitting to the vehicle, recognition degree calculation means for calculating the driver's recognition degree for the driving environment around the host vehicle, and information transmission amount calculated by the information transmission amount calculation means are calculated by the recognition degree calculation means. Information transmission amount correcting means for correcting according to the degree of recognition.
A vehicle according to the present invention includes a travel environment detection unit that detects a travel environment around the host vehicle, a risk level calculation unit that calculates a risk level around the host vehicle based on a detection result by the travel environment detection unit, and a risk level calculation. Information transmission amount calculating means for calculating an information transmission amount for transmitting the risk degree calculated by the means to the driver, and information transmission for transmitting the information transmission amount calculated by the information transmission amount calculation means to the driver as tactile information According to the degree of recognition calculated by the degree-of-recognition calculation means, and the amount of information transmission calculated by the amount-of-information calculation means A vehicle driving operation assisting device having information transmission amount correcting means for correcting the information.
The vehicle driving operation assistance method according to the present invention detects information on the driving environment around the host vehicle, calculates the risk level around the host vehicle based on the detection result of the driving environment, and transmits the risk level to the driver. The transmission amount is calculated, the information transmission amount is transmitted to the driver as tactile information, the driver's degree of recognition of the driving environment around the host vehicle is calculated, and the information transmission amount is corrected according to the degree of recognition.

  According to the present invention, the amount of information transmitted to convey the degree of risk to the driver is corrected according to the driver's degree of recognition, so it is bothersome to the driver depending on how much the driver is aware of the situation. Appropriate information transmission can be performed without giving any sense.

<< First Embodiment >>
A vehicle operation assistance device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle driving assistance device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle on which the vehicle driving assistance device 1 is mounted. .

First, the configuration of the vehicle driving assistance device 1 will be described.
The front camera 20 is a small CCD camera, a CMOS camera, or the like attached to the upper part of the front window, detects the state of the front road as an image, and outputs it to the controller 50. The detection area by the front camera 20 is about ± 30 deg in the horizontal direction with respect to the front-rear direction center line of the vehicle, and the front road scenery included in this area is captured as an image.

  The vehicle speed sensor 30 detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle by measuring the number of rotations of the wheels and the number of rotations on the output side of the transmission, and outputs the detected host vehicle speed to the controller 50.

  The controller 50 includes a CPU and CPU peripheral components such as a ROM and a RAM, and controls the vehicle driving operation assisting device 1 as a whole. The controller 50 includes a lane marker detection unit 51, an in-lane lateral position calculation unit 52, a seat rotation angle calculation unit 53, a recognition degree calculation unit 54, and a seat rotation angle correction unit 55, for example, depending on the software form of the CPU.

  The lane marker detection unit 51 performs image processing on image information in front of the vehicle input from the front camera 20, and detects a lane identification line (lane marker) of the own lane. Based on the signal from the lane marker detection unit 51, the in-lane lateral position calculation unit 52 calculates the in-lane lateral position of the host vehicle with respect to the lane marker in the own lane. The seat rotation angle calculation unit 53 calculates the rotation angle of the left and right side portions of the driver's seat based on the in-lane lateral position calculated by the in-lane lateral position calculation unit 52.

  The degree-of-recognition calculation unit 54 calculates the degree of recognition representing how much the driver recognizes the situation around the own vehicle based on the lateral position of the own vehicle in the lane. The seat rotation angle correction unit 55 corrects the rotation angles of the left and right side portions calculated by the seat rotation angle calculation unit 53 based on the driver's recognition degree calculated by the recognition degree calculation unit 54. The controller 50 converts the rotation angle correction value of the left and right side portions calculated by the seat rotation angle correction unit 55 into a motor rotation angle of a seat side drive mechanism 70 described later, and outputs it. As described above, the controller 50 transmits the degree of approach to the lane marker as a pressing force generated from the seat to the driver while considering the degree of recognition of the driver's surrounding situation.

  The seat side drive mechanism 70 includes a right side actuator 710 and a left side actuator 720, and transmits the degree of approach to the lane marker as a pressing force from the seat to the driver in response to a command from the controller 50. Therefore, the shape of the sheet is changed. FIG. 3A shows a configuration of a driver seat 71 that is mounted on a vehicle including the vehicle driving operation assisting device 1 and whose shape is controlled by the seat side drive mechanism 70. FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional view of the sheet 71 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the seat 71 includes a cushion part 72, a backrest part 73, and a headrest 74. In the first embodiment, the right side actuator 710 and the left side actuator 720 of the seat side drive mechanism 70 rotate the left and right side portions of the backrest portion 73 to apply a pressing force to the driver. Below, the structure of the backrest part 73 is demonstrated.

  The backrest portion 73 includes a seat back frame 73 a and left and right side frames 73 b and 73 c, and these frames 73 a to 73 c are covered with a urethane pad 75. A spring 73d that supports the urethane pad 75 is attached to the seat back frame 73a.

  The right side actuator 710 and the left side actuator 720 include motor units 73e and 73f that rotate the left and right subframes 73b and 73c of the backrest 73, respectively. The rotational torques of the motor units 73e and 73f attached to the backrest 73 are transmitted to the subframes 73b and 73c via the torque cables 73g and 73h, respectively, and the left and right subframes 73b and 73c are connected to the left and right ends of the seatback frame 73a. Rotate each as a center. As shown in FIG. 3B, the left and right subframes 73b and 73c rotate from the posture when the shape of the seat 71 is not changed to an angle that is substantially perpendicular to the seatback frame 73a.

  The seat side drive mechanism 70 controls the motor units 73e and 73f according to commands from the controller 50, and rotates the left and right side portions 73i and 73j of the backrest portion 73, respectively. The left and right side parts 73i and 73j of the backrest part 73 are pressed against the driver or rotate away from the driver, and the driver's flank is pushed to transmit the approaching state to the lane marker to the driver.

Next, the operation of the vehicular driving assist device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. First, the outline will be described.
When the risk that the own vehicle approaches the lane marker and deviates from the own lane increases, the controller 50 generates a pressing force from the right side portion 73i or the left side portion 73j of the seat 71 and transmits the risk information to the driver. Generally, as shown in FIG. 4A, the higher the risk, the higher the necessity (necessity) of information transmission. However, when the degree of recognition is high and the driver sufficiently understands the surrounding situation, the necessity of information transmission is low as shown in FIG. If unnecessary information is transmitted without considering the degree of recognition, it may be annoying to the driver.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, the amount of information related to risk increases as the risk increases. In order not to bother the driver, it is conceivable that the information transmission amount is uniformly reduced according to the level of recognition as shown in FIGS. However, if the amount of information transmission is uniformly reduced, there is a possibility that necessary information transmission cannot be performed reliably especially when the risk is high.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, the information transmission amount is adjusted according to the driver's degree of recognition of the surrounding situation so as not to bother the driver, and reliable information transmission is performed when the risk is high. Control so that Specifically, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 4 (c), when the degree of recognition is high, the information transmission amount is reduced when the risk is small, and conversely the information transmission amount is increased when the risk is large. Realize reliable information transmission.

  Below, operation | movement of the driving operation assistance apparatus 1 for vehicles is demonstrated in detail using FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the driving operation assistance control process for a vehicle according to the first embodiment. This processing content is continuously performed at regular intervals, for example, every 50 msec.

  In step S101, the lane marker of the lane in which the host vehicle travels is detected. Specifically, image processing is performed on the image signal in the front area of the host vehicle detected by the front camera 20, and the lane marker of the lane in which the host vehicle travels is recognized.

  In step S102, the relative positional relationship between the lane marker recognized in step S101 and the host vehicle is calculated. Specifically, the lateral position X of the own vehicle in the lane is calculated based on the image information of the front area of the own vehicle. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the distance from the center of the lane of the own lane to the center of the host vehicle is defined as a lateral position X in the lane. The lateral position X in the lane is represented by a positive value in the right direction, with the lane center of the own lane being 0. Accordingly, when the lane width is WL, the right lane marker of the host vehicle, that is, X = WL / 2 at the right end of the lane, and X = −WL / 2 at the left lane marker of the host vehicle, that is, the left end of the lane. The lateral position X in the lane represents the risk that the host vehicle approaches the lane marker and deviates from the host lane, and can be said to be the risk level of the host vehicle regarding the traveling environment.

  In step S103, the driver's recognition degree P with respect to the traveling state of the host vehicle is calculated based on the stability of the driving operation of the driver. It is determined that the driver is traveling while accurately recognizing the situation as the driving operation is more stable, and the degree of recognition P is determined to be high. Here, the degree of stability of the driving operation is determined from the time change of the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle as shown in FIG.

First, the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane during a certain period T1 (for example, 10 seconds) from the present to the past is calculated from (Equation 1).

  FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane and the driver's recognition P. As shown in FIG. 8, the degree of recognition P of the driver is set higher as the standard deviation W_ST is smaller and the driving operation is more stable. The calculation formula for the degree of recognition P using the standard deviation W_ST is expressed by the following (formula 2).

・ W_ST <W_ST0
P = P1
・ W_ST0 ≦ W_ST ≦ W_ST1
P = ((P0-P1) .W_ST + (P1.W_ST1-P0.W_ST0)) / (W_ST1-W_ST0)
・ W_ST1 <W_ST
P = P0 (Formula 2)
Here, P1 is a threshold value for determining whether or not the driver's recognition level P is high, and P0 is a predetermined value that defines the lower limit of the driver's level of recognition P. Set the value. W_ST0 and W_ST1 are set in advance so as to correspond to the predetermined values P1 and P0.

  In step S104, the rotation angle θ of the left and right side portions 73i and 73j of the seat 71 is calculated based on the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle calculated in step S102. Here, the rotation angle θR of the right side portion 73i and the rotation angle θL of the left side portion 73j are calculated. The rotation angles θR and θL are set to the reference value 0 when the left and right side portions 73i and 73j are at the outermost side as shown in FIG. 3B, that is, at the position farthest from the driver. When the rotation angles θR and θL are increased, the left and right side portions 73i and 73j are inclined inward, that is, toward the driver. The position where the left and right subframes 73b and 73c are substantially perpendicular to the seat back frame 73a is defined as the maximum value θmax of the rotation angles θR and θL.

  FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the reference lateral position X in the lane and the rotation angles θR, θL. As the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, the rotation angle θR of the right side portion 73i increases and the rotation angle θL of the left side portion 73j decreases. Conversely, as the host vehicle approaches the left end of the lane, the rotation angle θL of the left side portion 73j increases and the rotation angle θR of the right side portion 73i decreases. When the lateral position X in the lane reaches the right end of the lane, θR = θmax and θL = 0, and when it reaches the left end of the lane, θR = 0 and θL = θmax. When the host vehicle is traveling in the center of the lane (X = 0), the rotation angles θR and θL = θ0, and the same pressing force is generated from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j.

  In step S105, the rotation angles θR and θL of the left and right side portions 73i and 73j calculated in step S104 are corrected based on the driver's recognition degree P calculated in step S103. Specifically, the value of the lateral position X in the lane at which the rotation angles θR and θL of the left and right side portions 73i and 73j start to increase is adjusted based on the degree of recognition P.

  FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the recognition amount P and the correction amount Xa representing the lateral position X in the lane where the rotation angle θR of the right side portion 73i starts to increase. As the degree of recognition P increases, the correction amount Xa is increased to move the increase start position of the rotation angle θR away from the left end of the lane. The calculation formula of the correction amount Xa using the recognition degree P is expressed by the following (Formula 3).

・ P ≦ P0
Xa = -WL / 2
・ P0 <P <P1
Xa = ((Wa_max + WL / 2) · P− (P0 · Wa_max + P1 · WL / 2)) / (P1−P0)
・ P1 ≦ P
Xa = Wa_max (Formula 3)
Here, Wa_max is the maximum value of the correction amount Xa, and when the degree of recognition P is high, an appropriate value is set in advance so that unnecessary information is not transmitted near the center of the lane and the driver is not bothered. Set it. Note that the correction amount Xb for the rotation angle θL of the left side portion 73j is Xb = −Xa.

  Next, the rotation angles θR and θL of the left and right side portions 73i and 73j are corrected according to the correction amounts Xa and Xb set based on the degree of recognition P. Specifically, when the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, the rotation angle θR of the right side portion 73i starts to increase from the lateral position X = Xa in the lane, reaches the maximum value θmax at the right end of the lane, The correction values θRc and θLc of the rotation angles θR and θL are set so that the rotation angle θL of the side portion 73j gradually decreases and becomes 0 at the lateral position X = Xb in the lane. The opposite is true when the vehicle approaches the left edge of the lane.

The rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc are expressed by the following (formula 4).
θRc = 2θmax / (WL-2Xa) · (X-Xa)
θLc = 2θmax / (WL + 2Xb) · (−X + Xb) (Formula 4)

  In step S106, motor rotation angle signals corresponding to the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc calculated in step S105 are output to the seat side drive mechanism 70. The seat side drive mechanism 70 controls the drive of the motor unit 73e of the right side portion 73i and the motor unit 73f of the left side portion 73j based on a signal from the controller 50. Thus, the current process is terminated.

Below, the effect | action of the driving assistance device 1 for vehicles by 1st Embodiment is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 10, in the region A where the driver's recognition P is smaller than P0, the correction amounts Xa = −WL / 2 and Xb = WL / 2, and therefore the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc are the same as those in FIG. To change. That is, when the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, the rotation angle correction value θRc increases to increase the pressing force from the right side portion 73i, and the rotation angle correction value θLc decreases to decrease from the left side portion 73j. The pressing force decreases.

  When the lateral position X of the host vehicle reaches the right end WL / 2 of the lane, the pressing force from the right side portion 73i is maximum and the pressing force from the left side portion 73j is minimum. Similarly, when the host vehicle approaches the left end of the lane, the pressing force from the left side portion 73j increases and the pressing force from the right side portion 73i decreases. When the lateral position X of the host vehicle reaches the lane left end −WL / 2, the pressing force from the left side portion 73j is maximum, and the pressing force from the right side portion 73i is minimum. When the center of the host vehicle is at the center of the lane, the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc are both θ0, and equivalent pressing force is generated from the right side portion 73i and the left side portion 73j.

  As described above, when the driver's recognition P is low, by generating a pressing force from both the left and right side portions 73i and 73j in accordance with the lateral position X in the lane, the degree of approach to the lane marker is assured to the driver. To let you know. While increasing the pressing force from the seat side part in the same direction as the approaching direction, and simultaneously decreasing the pressing force from the opposite seat side part, the pressing force from the approaching seat side part is relatively increased, and the lane marker The driver can be more surely notified of the approaching state.

  When the driver's recognition P is medium, particularly when the recognition P is in the region B as shown in FIG. 10, the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc with respect to the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle are as shown in FIG. Changes as shown. At this time, the correction amounts Xa and Xb are -WL / 2 <Xa <0 and 0 <Xb <WL / 2, respectively. Accordingly, when the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, a pressing force starts to be generated from the right side portion 73i at the lateral position X = Xa in the lane, and when the vehicle reaches the right end of the lane, the maximum pressing force is generated from the right side portion 73i. To do. At this time, the pressing force from the left side portion 73j gradually decreases and becomes 0 at the lane lateral position X = Xb. Similarly, when the host vehicle approaches the left end of the lane, a pressing force starts to be generated from the left side portion 73j at the lateral position X = Xb in the lane, and when reaching the left end of the lane, the maximum pressing force is generated from the left side portion 73j. appear. At this time, the pressing force from the right side portion 73i gradually decreases and becomes 0 at the lateral position X = Xa in the lane.

  As described above, when the recognition degree P is in the medium region B, the pressing force is generated from both the left and right side portions 73i and 73j, but the range in which both the left and right side portions 73i and 73j operate simultaneously is limited. By limiting the amount of information transmitted, excessive information provision should be avoided.

  When the degree of recognition P is medium and particularly corresponds to the point C shown in FIG. 10 (recognition degree P = Pa), the correction amounts Xa and Xb = 0. At this time, the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc change as shown in FIG. 12 with respect to the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle. When the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, the lateral position X = 0 in the lane, that is, the pressing force of the right side portion 73i starts to be generated from the center of the lane, and when the vehicle reaches the right end of the lane, the pressing force from the right side portion 73i Is the maximum. At this time, no pressing force is generated from the left side portion. When the host vehicle approaches the left end of the lane, the lateral position X = 0 in the lane, that is, the pressing force of the left side portion 73j starts to be generated from the center of the lane. Pressure is maximized. At this time, no pressing force is generated from the right side portion 73i.

  Thus, when it corresponds to the point C of the recognition degree P = Pa, one of the left and right side portions 73i and 73j is operated according to the lateral position X in the lane. There is no region in which the left and right side portions 73i and 73j operate simultaneously, and the amount of information transmission is smaller.

  When the degree of recognition P is high as in the region D shown in FIG. 10 (P> Pa), the correction amounts Xa and Xb are 0 <Xa ≦ Wa_max and −Wa_max ≦ Xb <0, respectively. In this case, the rotation angle correction values θRc, θLc for the lateral position X in the lane change as shown in FIG. That is, when the lateral position X in the lane is Xb <X <Xa and the host vehicle is traveling near the center of the lane, no pressing force is generated from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j. However, when the host vehicle approaches the lane edge, the pressing force from the side portion in the same direction as the approaching lane marker increases. Since the increase rate (slope) of the pressing force at this time is set to be larger than when the degree of recognition P is low or medium, the stimulus given to the driver suddenly increases as the pressing force increases. . As a result, when the degree of recognition P is high, information transmission near the edge of a lane with a high risk is reliably performed while reducing the amount of information transmission near the center of the lane with a low risk and reducing the troublesomeness. be able to.

Thus, in the first embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be achieved.
(1) The vehicle driving operation assistance device 1 calculates a risk level related to the traveling environment around the host vehicle, and transmits the risk level to the driver as tactile information. Further, the driver's recognition degree P with respect to the driving environment around the host vehicle is calculated, and the information transmission amount for transmitting the risk degree to the driver is corrected according to the driver's recognition degree P. When the degree of risk is high, if the amount of information transmission is increased unnecessarily in order to reliably convey the information to the driver, the driver is bothered when the driver is aware of the situation. By correcting the amount of information transmission to the driver according to the degree of recognition P, it is possible to perform appropriate information transmission without bothering the driver. Further, by calculating the lateral position X of the host vehicle as the risk level, and transmitting the lateral position in the lane to the driver as a pressing force from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j of the seat 71, information transmission that is easy to understand for the driver. It can be performed.
(2) When the risk level is high, the controller 50 increases the rate of change of the information transmission amount as the recognition level P increases. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, when the lateral position X in the lane approaches the lane edge, the change in the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc with respect to the change in the lateral position X in the lane increases as the recognition level P increases. Increase the rate. As a result, when the degree of recognition P is high, no pressing force is generated near the center of the lane where the degree of risk is low, but when the degree of risk is high, the pressing force increases abruptly as compared to the case where the degree of recognition P is low. Thereby, it is possible to reliably transmit information when the risk increases while preventing the driver from being bothered. Moreover, the controller 50 correct | amends so that information transmission amount may become so small that the recognition degree P is high. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, as the recognition degree P is higher, the correction amounts Xa and Xb are increased, and the area where the pressing force is generated simultaneously from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j is reduced. Reduce the amount of information transmitted to. Thereby, when the driver recognizes the situation around the vehicle, appropriate information transmission can be performed without bothering the driver.
(3) The recognition degree calculation unit 54 calculates the recognition degree P of the driver based on the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X of the own vehicle in the own lane. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the recognition degree P is decreased as the standard deviation W_ST is increased. Accordingly, the driver's recognition degree P for the driving environment can be accurately calculated based on the driving operation of the driver and how stable the result of the driving operation is.
(4) The controller 50 determines the lateral position X in the lane when starting to transmit the tactile information corresponding to the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle to the driver, that is, the lateral position in the lane when starting to increase the rotation angles θR and θL. The position X is adjusted according to the degree of recognition P. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, as the recognition degree P is higher, the rotation angle correction amounts Xa and Xb are increased, and the host vehicle approaches the lateral position X in the lane when the rotation angles θR and θL start to increase. Shift to the lane marker side in the direction you want. Thereby, the higher the degree of recognition P, the smaller the range in which the pressing force is generated simultaneously from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j, and appropriate information transmission can be performed without bothering the driver.
(5) The left and right side portions 73i and 73j of the seat 71 are configured to be driven independently according to the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc set according to the lateral position X in the lane and the recognition degree P, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to easily convey to the driver the approaching state with respect to the lane edge existing in the left-right direction of the host vehicle.

<< Second Embodiment >>
Below, the driving operation assistance device for a vehicle according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the vehicular driving assistance device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Here, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the second embodiment, the degree of recognition P is determined in more detail when the degree of recognition P of the driver is at a high level exceeding a predetermined value P1. The degree of recognition P is determined based on the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle according to the map of FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the time variation of the standard deviation W_ST is measured, and the elapsed time after the recognition degree P reaches the high level, that is, the high level duration Tk is calculated. After the recognition level P reaches a high level, the recognition level P is further defined according to the duration Tk.

  Below, operation | movement of the driving operation assistance apparatus 1 for vehicles by 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated in detail using FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a vehicle driving operation assistance control process according to the second embodiment. This processing content is continuously performed at regular intervals, for example, every 50 msec. The processing in steps S201 to S203 is the same as the processing in steps S101 to S103 shown in FIG.

  In step S204, it is determined whether or not the degree of recognition P calculated in step S203 is a high level exceeding a predetermined value P1. Here, the predetermined value P1 is the degree of recognition P when the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane falls below the predetermined value W_ST0 as shown in FIG. If the determination in step S204 is affirmative and the degree of recognition P is high, the process proceeds to step S205. In step S205, as shown in FIG. 15, the duration after the recognition level P reaches the high level, that is, the high level duration Tk is calculated.

  In the next step S206, the recognition level P in the case of the high level is calculated again based on the high level duration Tk calculated in step S205. FIG. 17 shows the relationship between the duration Tk of the high level of recognition P and the recognition P. As shown in FIG. 17, as the duration Tk becomes longer, the degree of recognition P becomes higher from P1. The formula for calculating the high level of recognition P is expressed by the following (Formula 5).

・ Tk <Tk0
P = P1
・ Tk0 ≦ Tk <Tk1
P = ((P2-P1) .Tk + (P1.Tk1-P2.Tk0)) / (Tk1-Tk0)
・ Tk1 ≦ Tk
P = P2 (Formula 5)
Here, P2 is a predetermined value that defines the upper limit of the recognition degree P of the driver. Tk0 and Tk1 are set in advance so as to correspond to the predetermined values P1 and P2.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S204 that the recognition level P is not high, the recognition level P calculated in step S203 is used as it is.

  In step S207, the rotation angles θR and θL of the left and right side portions 73i and 73j are calculated based on the lateral position X in the lane calculated in step S202. In subsequent step S208, the rotation angles θR and θL of the left and right side portions 73i and 73j are corrected based on the degree of recognition P calculated in step S203 or step S206.

  First, based on the recognition degree P, correction values Xa and Xb representing the increase start positions of the rotation angles θR and θL with respect to the lateral position X in the lane are calculated. FIG. 18 shows the relationship between the degree of recognition P and the correction amount Xa for the rotation angle θR of the right side portion 73i. A calculation formula of the correction amount Xa based on the recognition degree P is expressed by the following (Formula 6).

・ P ≦ P0 (Area A)
Xa = -WL / 2
・ P0 <P ≦ P1 (region B + point C)
Xa = (WL / 2 · P-WL / 2 · P1) / (P1−P0)
・ P1 <P <P2
Xa = (Wa_max · P−Wa_max · P1) / (P2−P1)
・ P2 ≦ P
Xa = Wa_max (Formula 6)

  Thus, the correction amount Xa increases as the recognition level P increases, and the adjustment amount of the increase start position of the rotation angle θR increases. With the degree of recognition P = P2, the correction amount Xa is set to the maximum value Wa_max. As shown in FIG. 18, the upper limit of the degree of recognition P is set as the degree of recognition Q. The correction amount Xb for the rotation angle θL of the left side portion 73j is Xb = −Xa.

  Next, according to the correction amounts Xa and Xb set based on the degree of recognition P, the rotation angles θR and θL of the left and right side portions 73i and 73j are corrected using the above-described (Expression 4), and the rotation angle correction value θRc. , ΘLc.

  In step S209, motor rotation angle signals corresponding to the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc calculated in step S208 are output to the seat side drive mechanism 70. The seat side drive mechanism 70 controls the drive of the motor unit 73e of the right side portion 73i and the motor unit 73f of the left side portion 73j based on a signal from the controller 50. Thus, the current process is terminated.

Below, the effect | action of the driving assistance device 1 for vehicles by 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 18, the correction amounts Xa = 0 and Xb = 0 when the recognition level P = P1. The rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc for the lateral position X in the lane at this time are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 19, the pressing force from the right side portion 73 i increases as the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane in the right lane region (lateral position X> 0 in the lane). On the other hand, as the host vehicle approaches the left end of the lane in the left lane area (lateral position X <0 in the lane), the pressing force from the left side portion 73j increases. Since there is no region where the left and right side portions 73i and 73j operate simultaneously, it is possible to prevent excessive information from being provided.

  FIG. 20 shows rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc for the lateral position X in the lane in the region D where the degree of recognition P> P1. As shown in FIG. 20, when the degree of recognition P is high, the left and right side portions 73i. No pressing force is generated from 73j. When the recognition level P is high, more detailed recognition level P is set in consideration of the duration Tk. Therefore, even though the recognition level P of the driver is high, excessive information is provided. Can be prevented. When the vehicle approaches the lane end and the lateral position X in the lane exceeds ± Wa_max, a pressing force is generated from the side portion in the same direction as the lane marker in the approach direction. Since the increasing rate of the pressing force at this time is larger than when the degree of recognition P is low or medium, it is possible to reliably notify the driver that the vehicle is approaching the lane edge.

Thus, in the second embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above.
When the recognition level P is a high level equal to or higher than the predetermined value P1, the controller 50 corrects the recognition level P according to the duration Tk. Specifically, the degree of recognition P is set to be higher as the high level duration Tk of the predetermined value P1 or longer is longer. Therefore, the recognition level P is defined as a function of the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane when the level is lower than the predetermined value P1, and the recognition level is determined as a function of the duration Tk at a higher level than the predetermined value P1. P is defined. By defining the recognition level P as a function of the duration Tk when the recognition level P is at a high level, it is possible to calculate the high level recognition level P in more detail and prevent unnecessary information transmission.

<< Third Embodiment >>
Below, the driving operation assistance apparatus for vehicles by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 21 is a system diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle driving operation assistance device 2 according to the third embodiment. 21, parts having the same functions as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Here, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the vehicle driving assistance device 2 according to the third embodiment further includes a navigation system 40 including a GPS receiver. The controller 50A includes a lane marker detection unit 51, an in-lane lateral position calculation unit 52, a seat rotation angle calculation unit 53, a recognition degree calculation unit 54, a seat rotation angle correction unit 55, and a road curvature calculation unit 56.

  The road curvature calculation unit 56 reads road information from the navigation system 40 and detects the road curvature of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. The degree-of-recognition calculation unit 54 calculates a driver's degree of recognition P based on the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle. Further, when the degree of recognition P is high, the high-level duration Tk and road curvature are calculated. Based on this, the degree of recognition P is calculated.

  Below, operation | movement of the driving assistance device 2 for vehicles by 3rd Embodiment is demonstrated in detail using FIG. FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the driving operation assistance control process for a vehicle according to the third embodiment. This processing content is continuously performed at regular intervals, for example, every 50 msec. The processing in steps S301 to S302 is the same as the processing in steps S101 to S102 shown in FIG.

  In step S303, the road curvature ρ of the road on which the host vehicle travels is calculated based on the road information obtained from the navigation system 40. As shown in FIG. 23, the road curvature ρ represents a positive value in the case of a right curve and a negative value in the case of a left curve.

  In step S304, the driver's recognition degree P is calculated based on the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle calculated in step S302. Here, the recognition degree P is calculated from the map shown in FIG. 8 based on the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane. In step S305, it is determined whether or not the degree of recognition P calculated in step S304 is a high level exceeding a predetermined value P1. When the recognition level P is high, the process proceeds to step S306, and the duration after the recognition level P reaches the high level, that is, the high level duration Tk is calculated.

  In subsequent step S307, the recognition level P in the case of the high level is calculated again based on the road curvature ρ calculated in step S303 and the high level duration Tk calculated in step S306. In FIG. 24, the relationship between the duration Tk of the high recognition level and the recognition level P is shown. When the road curvature ρ is smaller than the predetermined value | ρ0 |, the degree of recognition P is gradually increased as the duration Tk becomes longer as shown by the broken line in FIG. When the road curvature ρ is greater than or equal to the predetermined value | ρ0 |, that is, when the host vehicle is traveling on a sharp curve, the recognition degree P is fixed to the predetermined value P1 as shown by a solid line in FIG.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S305 that the recognition level P is not high, the recognition level P calculated in step S304 is used as it is. Since the processing in steps S308 to S310 is the same as the processing in steps S104 to S106, description thereof is omitted.

  When the road curvature ρ is large and the host vehicle is traveling on a sharp curve, it is difficult for the driver to recognize the situation around the host vehicle, and the degree of recognition P is predicted to decrease. Therefore, when the road curvature ρ exceeds the predetermined value | ρ0 |, the degree of recognition P is fixed to the predetermined value P1 regardless of the length of the high level duration Tk. Thus, by adding the road curvature ρ to the calculation of the recognition degree P, the driver's future recognition degree P can be predicted based on the change in the environment.

  Thus, in the third embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 24, when the road curvature ρ of the road on which the vehicle is traveling is equal to or greater than a predetermined value | ρ0 | The correction of the corresponding recognition degree P is canceled. In this way, by considering the road curvature ρ, that is, the travel environment, in the calculation of the degree of recognition P, information transmission corresponding to a change in the travel environment can be performed.

<< Fourth Embodiment >>
The vehicle driving operation assistance device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 25 is a system diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle driving operation assistance device 3 according to the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 25, parts having the same functions as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Here, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the vehicular driving assistance device 3 further includes a navigation system 40 including a GPS receiver and a line-of-sight detection device 45. The line-of-sight detection device 45 includes, for example, a small CCD camera attached to an instrument panel and an infrared light emitting diode that irradiates the driver's eyeball with infrared rays, and detects the movement of the driver's line of sight.

  The controller 50B of the vehicle driving assistance device 3 includes a lane marker detection unit 51, a lateral position calculation unit 52 in the lane, a seat rotation angle calculation unit 53, a seat rotation angle correction unit 55, a road curvature calculation unit 56, and a future environment change estimation unit. 57, a current recognition level estimation unit 58, and a future recognition level prediction unit 59.

  The road curvature calculation unit 56 calculates the road curvature of the road on which the host vehicle travels based on the road information obtained from the navigation system 40. The future environment change estimation unit 57 estimates a future environment change based on the road curvature calculated by the road curvature calculation unit 56 and the certainty factor of the sensor input from the lane marker detection unit 51. Here, the certainty factor of the front camera 20 which is a sensor for detecting the lane marker is defined as the certainty factor of the sensor.

  The current recognition level estimation unit 58 performs image processing on the image signal from the line-of-sight detection device 45 to calculate the driver's line-of-sight direction, and calculates the driver's arousal level from the line-of-sight direction data. Then, based on the calculated awakening level and the current operation stability level of the driver, the current driver's recognition level is estimated. The future recognition degree prediction unit 59 predicts the future recognition degree of the driver based on the estimation results of the future environment change estimation unit 57 and the current recognition degree estimation unit 58.

  The seat rotation angle correction unit 55 calculates the seat rotation angles θR and θL based on the lateral position X in the lane calculated by the seat rotation angle calculation unit 53 based on the future recognition degree predicted by the future recognition degree prediction unit 59. to correct. The controller 50B outputs a motor rotation angle signal corresponding to the corrected sheet rotation angles θR and θL to the seat side drive mechanism 70.

  Below, operation | movement of the driving operation assistance apparatus 3 for vehicles by 4th Embodiment is demonstrated. First, the outline will be described. The vehicle driving operation assisting device 3 transmits information to the driver by generating a pressing force from the seat 71 in accordance with the risk relating to the traveling state of the host vehicle. The higher the risk, the higher the need for information transmission. However, when the driver is driving while recognizing the situation, providing information may cause trouble for the driver. .

  Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, information transmission is performed reliably when information transmission is necessary, and information transmission is performed to reduce troublesomeness when the information transmission necessity is low. Specifically, the future state of the driver is predicted based on the current state of the driver and future environmental changes, and information transmission according to the future state of the driver is performed. As shown in FIG. 26, the future degree of recognition representing the future driver state is estimated based on the current degree of recognition representing the current driver state and future environmental changes.

  As shown in FIG. 26, when the current driver's recognition level is high, if the future environmental change is small, it is estimated that the future recognition level is slightly high. When the future environmental change is large, it is considered that the driver is easily aware of the change because the visual change is large. On the other hand, when the current driver's recognition level is low, it is estimated that the future recognition level is low when the future environmental change is small, and the future recognition level is estimated to be medium when the future environmental change is large.

  Then, based on the estimated future awareness and the current risk, the information transmission amount is set as shown in FIGS. If the degree of future recognition is high and the current risk is small, the information transmission amount is reduced, and if the current risk is large, the information transmission amount is increased. If the future awareness is low and the current risk is small, the information transmission is slightly small, and if the current risk is large, the amount of information transmission is moderate.

  Below, operation | movement of the driving assistance device 3 for vehicles by 4th Embodiment is demonstrated in detail using FIG. FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a driving operation assistance control process for a vehicle according to the fourth embodiment. This processing content is continuously performed at regular intervals, for example, every 50 msec. The processing in steps S401 to S402 is the same as the processing in steps S101 to S102 shown in FIG.

  In step S403, based on the road information obtained from the navigation system 40, the road curvature ρ of the road on which the vehicle travels is calculated. The road curvature ρ is represented by a positive value for the right curve and a negative value for the left curve.

  In step S404, based on the driver's line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight detection device 45 and the lateral position X of the host vehicle in the lane calculated in step S402, the current degree of recognition Pa representing the current driver state is calculated. calculate. This processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

そして、標準偏差Ｗ＿ＳＴの逆数を現在の操作安定度Ｗ１として算出する。すなわち、レーン内横位置Ｘの標準偏差Ｗ＿ＳＴが小さいほど操作安定度Ｗ１が高いと評価する。 First, in step S451, the current operation stability W1 of the driver is calculated. As shown in FIG. 31, the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane within a predetermined time T1 (for example, 10 seconds) from the present to the past is calculated. The standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane is calculated from the following (Equation 7).

Then, the reciprocal of the standard deviation W_ST is calculated as the current operation stability W1. That is, it is evaluated that the operation stability W1 is higher as the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane is smaller.

  In step S452, the driver's arousal level W2 is determined based on the image captured by the line-of-sight detection device 45. As a method for determining the driver's arousal level W2, for example, a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-20157 is used. Specifically, predetermined image processing is performed on the image captured by the line-of-sight detection device 45, and the driver's line-of-sight direction data is calculated. Then, the driver's arousal level W2 is determined by comparing the calculated gaze direction data with a reference pattern at the time of awakening. The lower the arousal level W2, the less concentrated it is, and it means that he is driving casually.

  In step S453, based on the current operation stability W1 calculated in step S451 and the driver's arousal level W2 determined in step S452, a current recognition degree Pa representing the current driver state is estimated. FIG. 32 shows an estimated map of the current degree of recognition Pa based on the operation stability W1 and the arousal degree W2. Basically, the current recognition level Pa is set higher as the operation stability W1 and the awakening level W2 are higher. However, when the driver's awakening level W2 is low and it is estimated that the driver is not concentrated on the driving operation, the recognition level is corrected to be low even if the operation stability level W1 is high.

As described above, after the current recognition degree Pa is estimated in step S404, the process proceeds to step S405.
In step S405, based on the road curvature ρ calculated in step S403 and the certainty factor of the front camera 20 which is a sensor for detecting the lane marker, a future environmental change degree Pb representing the degree of future environmental change is calculated. This process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S461, the future road curvature ρ2 of the road on which the vehicle travels is calculated. Here, as shown in FIG. 34, the road curvature ρ2 at the future position ahead of the predetermined distance L from the current position of the host vehicle is acquired from the database of the navigation system 40. The predetermined distance L is a distance traveled by the host vehicle at a predetermined time T2 (for example, 5 seconds) when traveling at the current host vehicle speed Vs, and is calculated by the following (Equation 8).
L = Vs · T2 (Equation 8)

In step S462, a change in road curvature ρ is calculated. Specifically, an average road curvature (moving average of road curvature ρ) ρ0 within a predetermined time T1 from the present to the present is calculated, and the difference between the future road curvature ρ2 calculated in step S461 and the average road curvature ρ0 is calculated as follows: Calculated as curvature change δρ. The curvature change δρ can be calculated from the following (Equation 9).
δρ = | ρ2−ρ0 | (formula 9)

  In step S463, the reciprocal 1 / δρ of the curvature change δρ calculated in step S462 is calculated as the future environmental stability.

  In step S464, the certainty factor S of the front camera 20 that detects the lane marker is calculated. Here, the certainty factor S is a value indicating how much uncertainty is included in the state of the lane marker detected by the front camera 20. A low certainty factor S indicates that there is a high possibility that the traveling state detected by the sensor is not certain. Therefore, the certainty factor S of the front camera 20 is calculated based on how much the lane marker detected by the front camera 20 seems to be a lane marker. For example, the degree of certainty S is set to be higher as the likelihood of a lane marker is higher, that is, as the line included in the captured image has a shape like a lane marker.

  In step S465, the future environmental change degree Pb is estimated based on the future environmental stability 1 / δρ calculated in step S463 and the sensor certainty factor S calculated in step S464. FIG. 35 shows an estimated map of the future environmental change Pb based on the environmental stability 1 / δρ and the sensor certainty S. Basically, the future environmental stability degree Pb is set to increase as the future environmental stability 1 / δρ decreases. However, when the sensor certainty factor S is low, the future environmental change degree Pb increases as the environmental stability 1 / δρ decreases, and the future environmental change degree Pb increases as the environmental stability 1 / δρ increases. Is corrected to be smaller.

Thus, after estimating the future environmental change degree Pb by step S405, it progresses to step S406.
In step S406, the driver's future awareness Pf is predicted based on the current awareness Pa calculated in step S404 and the future environmental change Pb calculated in step S405. FIG. 36 shows an estimated map of the future recognition degree Pf based on the current recognition degree Pa and the future environmental change degree Pb. As shown in FIG. 36, it is predicted that the future recognition degree Pf increases as the current recognition degree Pa and the future environmental change degree Pb increase.

  In the next step S407, the basic information transmission amount is calculated based on the lateral position X of the host vehicle calculated in step S402. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the rotation angle θR of the right side portion 73i of the seat 71 increases as the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, and the left side increases as the host vehicle approaches the left end of the lane. The rotation angle θL of the part 73j is set to increase.

  In step S408, the rotation angles θR and θL calculated in step S407 are corrected based on the driver's future awareness Pf calculated in step S406. First, based on the future recognition degree Pf, correction amounts Xa and Xb for determining an increase start position of the rotation angles θR and θL with respect to the lateral position X in the lane are calculated.

  FIG. 37 shows the relationship between the future recognition degree Pf and the correction amount Xa for the rotation angle θR of the right side portion 73i. As shown in FIG. 37, when the future recognition degree Pf is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value Pf1, the correction amount Xa is fixed to −WL / 2. The correction amount Xa is increased as the future recognition level Pf increases, and when the future recognition level Pf is equal to or greater than a predetermined value Pf2 (> Pf1), the correction amount Xa is fixed to Wa_max. When the future recognition level Pf = Pf3, the correction amount Xa = 0. The correction amount Xb for the rotation angle θL of the left side portion 73j is Xb = −Xa.

  In FIG. 37, Pf2 is a threshold value for determining whether or not the driver's recognition level Pf is high, and Pf1 is a predetermined value that defines the lower limit of the driver's level of recognition Pf. Set an appropriate value.

  The rotation angles θR and θL are corrected using the correction amounts Xa and Xb calculated in this way, and rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc are calculated. Specifically, when the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, the rotation angle θR of the right side portion 73i starts to increase from the lateral position X = Xa in the lane, reaches the maximum value θmax at the right end of the lane, The correction values θRc and θLc of the rotation angles θR and θL are set so that the rotation angle θL of the side portion 73j gradually decreases and becomes 0 at the lateral position X = Xb in the lane. The opposite is true when the vehicle approaches the left edge of the lane.

  In step S409, motor rotation angle signals corresponding to the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc calculated in step S408 are output to the seat side drive mechanism 70. The seat side drive mechanism 70 controls driving of the motor unit 73e of the right side portion 73i and the motor unit 73f of the left side portion 73j based on a signal from the controller 50B. Thus, the current process is terminated.

Below, the effect | action of the driving assistance device 1 for vehicles by 4th Embodiment is demonstrated.
Since the correction amount Xa = −WL / 2 and Xb = WL / 2 in the region A where the driver's future recognition Pf is equal to or less than the predetermined value Pf1, the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc with respect to the lateral position X in the lane. Changes as shown in FIG. That is, when the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, the pressing force of the right side portion 73i starts to increase from the lateral position X = −WL / 2, and the pressing force of the left side portion 73j starts to decrease. When the lateral position X of the host vehicle reaches the lane right end WL / 2, the pressing force from the right side portion 73i is maximized, and the pressing force from the left side portion 73j is minimized. Similarly, when the host vehicle approaches the left end of the lane, the pressing force on the left side portion 73j starts to increase from the lateral position X = WL / 2 in the lane, and the pressing force on the right side portion 73i starts to decrease. When the in-lane lateral position X of the host vehicle reaches the lane left end -WL / 2, the pressing force from the left side portion 73j is maximized and the pressing force from the right side portion 73i is minimized.

  As described above, when the driver's future recognition degree Pf is low, the driver can control the degree of approach to the lane marker by generating a pressing force from both the left and right side portions 73i and 73j according to the lateral position X in the lane. Make sure to let them know. While increasing the pressing force from the seat side part in the same direction as the approaching direction, and simultaneously decreasing the pressing force from the opposite seat side part, the pressing force from the approaching seat side part is relatively increased, and the lane marker The driver can be more surely notified of the approaching state.

  When the driver's future awareness Pf is medium (area B, Pf1 <Pf <Pf3), the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc change as shown in FIG. To do. At this time, the correction amounts Xa and Xb are -WL / 2 <Xa <0 and 0 <Xb <WL / 2, respectively. Therefore, when the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, the pressing force of the right side portion 73i starts to increase at the lateral position X = Xa in the lane, and the maximum pressing force is generated from the right side portion 73i when reaching the right end of the lane. To do. At this time, the pressing force from the left side portion 73j gradually decreases and becomes 0 at the lane lateral position X = Xb. Similarly, when the host vehicle approaches the left end of the lane, the pressing force of the left side portion 73j starts to increase at the lateral position X = Xb in the lane, and when reaching the left end of the lane, the maximum pressing force is applied from the left side portion 73j. appear. At this time, the pressing force from the right side portion 73i gradually decreases and becomes 0 at the lateral position X = Xa in the lane.

  As described above, when the degree of recognition P is in the region B, a pressing force is generated from both the left and right side portions 73i and 73j, but information transmission is performed by limiting the range in which both the left and right side portions 73i and 73j operate simultaneously. Try to avoid excessive information provision by limiting the amount.

  When the degree of recognition P corresponds to the predetermined value Pf3 (point C), the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc change as shown in FIG. 40 with respect to the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle. Since the correction amounts Xa and Xb = 0 at this time, when the host vehicle approaches the right end of the lane, the pressing force of the right side portion 73i starts to increase at the lateral position X = 0 in the lane and reaches the right end of the lane. Then, the pressing force from the right side portion 73i is maximized. At this time, no pressing force is generated from the left side portion 73j. When the host vehicle approaches the left end of the lane, the pressing force of the left side portion 73j starts to increase at the lateral position X = 0 in the lane, and when reaching the left end of the lane, the pressing force from the left side portion 73j becomes maximum. . At this time, no pressing force is generated from the right side portion 73i.

  As described above, when the degree of recognition is Pf = Pf3 and corresponds to the point C, there is no region where both the left and right side portions 73i and 73j are operated, and the amount of information transmission is smaller.

  When the future recognition P is high (area D, Pf> Pf3), the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc for the lateral position X in the lane change as shown in FIG. The correction amounts Xa and Xb are 0 <Xa ≦ Wa_max and −Wa_max ≦ Xb <0, respectively. When the lateral position X in the lane is Xb <X <Xa and the vehicle is traveling near the center of the lane, no pressing force is generated from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j. However, when the host vehicle approaches the lane edge, the pressing force from the side portion in the same direction as the approaching lane marker increases. Since the increase rate (slope) of the pressing force at this time is set to be larger than when the degree of recognition P is low or medium, the stimulus given to the driver suddenly increases as the pressing force increases. . This makes it possible to reliably transmit information near the lane edge while reducing the amount of information transmitted near the center of the lane.

Thus, in the fourth embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be achieved in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above.
The controller 50B calculates the driver's future recognition degree Pf based on the driver's current recognition degree Pa and the future environmental change degree Pb around the host vehicle. Then, the information transmission amount corresponding to the lateral position X in the lane is corrected according to the future recognition degree Pf. That is, information is transmitted based on the current risk level and the future recognition level Pf. Accordingly, it is possible to perform appropriate information transmission based on how much the driver is aware of the situation around the vehicle in the future. Further, since the future recognition degree Pf is calculated based on the current recognition degree Pa and the future environmental change degree Pb, the driver's recognition degree Pf is accurately calculated even in the future when the environment around the host vehicle changes. can do.

<< Fifth Embodiment >>
Below, the driving assistance device for vehicles by the 5th embodiment of the present invention is explained. The basic configuration of the vehicle driving assistance device according to the fifth embodiment is the same as that of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. Here, differences from the fourth embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the fifth embodiment, the current recognition degree estimation unit 58 calculates the current recognition degree Pa of the driver based only on the current operation stability W1. Therefore, the driver's arousal level W2 is not considered when calculating the current level of recognition Pa.

  As the current operation stability W1, the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane in the past predetermined time T1 from the present is calculated using the above-described (Expression 7). Then, using the map shown in FIG. 42, the current recognition degree Pa of the driver according to the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane is calculated. As shown in FIG. 42, when the standard deviation W_ST is smaller than the predetermined value W_ST0, the current recognition degree Pa = P1 is fixed, and the current recognition degree Pa is gradually reduced as the standard deviation W_ST becomes larger. When the standard deviation W_ST is larger than the predetermined value W_ST1, the current recognition degree Pa = P0 is fixed.

  The future recognition degree prediction unit 59 calculates the future recognition degree Pf based on the current recognition degree Pa calculated as described above and the future environmental change degree Pb. The calculation method of the rotation angle correction values θRc and θLc of the left and right side portions 73i and 73j of the seat 71 is the same as that in the fourth embodiment described above.

  Thus, by calculating the current recognition degree Pa based on the current operation stability W1, the current recognition degree Pa can be calculated with a simple calculation formula.

-Modification of the fifth embodiment-
Here, when the current awareness Pa calculated based on the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane is high, the awareness Pa is determined again according to the high level duration Tk.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 43, an elapsed time after the standard deviation W_ST of the lateral position X in the lane becomes smaller than a predetermined value W_ST0, that is, a high level duration Tk is measured. And in the high level area | region where the present recognition degree Pa becomes more than predetermined value P1, recognition degree Pa is set based on duration Tk.

  FIG. 44 shows the relationship between the duration Tk when the degree of recognition Pa is high and the current degree of recognition Pa. As shown in FIG. 44, when the duration Tk is shorter than the predetermined value Tk0, the degree of recognition Pa = P1, and the degree of recognition Pa is increased as the duration Tk becomes longer. When the duration Tk is equal to or greater than the predetermined value Tk1, the recognition degree Pa is fixed to the predetermined value P2. Thus, when the current degree of recognition Pa is in a high level region, the degree of recognition Pa is set in more detail according to the duration Tk.

  Thus, the future recognition degree Pf can be calculated in detail using the current recognition degree Pa calculated in detail for the high level.

<< Sixth Embodiment >>
The vehicle driving operation assistance device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 45 is a system diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle driving operation assisting device 4 according to the sixth embodiment. In FIG. 45, parts having the same functions as those in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. Here, differences from the fourth embodiment will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 45, the controller 50C of the vehicle driving operation assisting device 4 includes a lane marker detection unit 51, a lateral position calculation unit 52 in the lane, a seat rotation angle calculation unit 53, a seat rotation angle correction unit 55, and a road curvature calculation unit. 56, a future environment change estimation unit 57, a current recognition level estimation unit 58, a future recognition level prediction unit 59, a sensor confidence level calculation unit 60, and a seat vibration amount calculation unit 61.

  The sensor certainty calculating unit 60 calculates the certainty factor S of the front camera 20 that detects the lane marker, and the seat vibration amount calculating unit 61 calculates the vibration amount of the seat 71 according to the sensor certainty factor S. In the sixth embodiment, the future environment change estimation unit 57 does not consider the sensor certainty factor S, but estimates the future environment change degree Pb based only on the future environment stability.

  The seat side vibration mechanism 80 generates vibrations from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j of the seat 71, respectively. 46 (a) and 46 (b) show the configuration of the seat side vibration mechanism 80. FIG. FIG. 46B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the backrest 73 of the seat 71 shown in FIG. Vibrators (vibrators) 80 a and 80 b constituting the seat side vibration mechanism 80 are respectively built in the left and right side portions 73 i and 73 j of the backrest portion 73. Vibrators 80a and 80b operate in response to a signal from controller 50B, and give vibration to the driver.

  Below, operation | movement of the driving operation assistance apparatus 4 for vehicles by 6th Embodiment is demonstrated. The vehicle driving assistance device 4 includes the left and right side portions 73i corresponding to the lateral position X in the lane based on the driver's future awareness Pf estimated from the current awareness Pa and the future environmental change degree Pb. , 73j are corrected. Furthermore, vibration is generated from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j according to the certainty factor S of the front camera 20 that detects the lane marker.

  The operation of the vehicle driving assistance device 4 according to the sixth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 47 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the vehicle driving operation assist control processing according to the sixth embodiment. This processing content is continuously performed at regular intervals, for example, every 50 msec. The processing in steps S501 to S504 is the same as the processing in steps S401 to S404 shown in FIG.

  In step S505, based on the road curvature ρ calculated in step S503, a future environment change degree Pb representing the degree of future environment change is calculated. This process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S551, the road curvature ρ2 at the future position ahead of the predetermined distance L from the current position of the host vehicle is acquired from the database of the navigation system 40. In step S552, using (Equation 9) described above, the difference between the average road curvature (moving average of road curvature ρ) ρ0 within a predetermined time T1 from the present to the future road curvature ρ2 calculated in step S551. Is calculated as a curvature change δρ. In step S553, the reciprocal 1 / δρ of the curvature change δρ calculated in step S552 is calculated as the future environmental stability.

  In step S554, the future environmental change degree Pb is estimated based on the future environmental stability 1 / δρ calculated in step S553. Here, the future environmental change degree Pb is set to be larger as the future environmental stability 1 / δρ is lower.

  Thus, after estimating the future environmental change degree Pb by step S505, it progresses to step S506. The processing in steps S506 to S509 is the same as the processing in steps S406 to S409 in FIG.

  On the other hand, in step S510, the certainty factor S of the front camera 20 that detects the lane marker is calculated. As described above, the degree of certainty S is set to be higher as the likelihood of a lane marker is higher, that is, as the line included in the captured image has a shape that seems to be a lane marker.

  In subsequent step S511, based on the sensor certainty S calculated in step S510, vibration amounts F of the vibrators 80a and 80b built in the left and right side portions 73i and 73j are calculated. FIG. 49 shows the relationship between the sensor certainty factor S and the vibration amount F. Here, the vibration amount F is the amplitude of vibration generated in the vibrators 80a and 80b. As shown in FIG. 49, vibration is generated when the sensor certainty factor S becomes a predetermined value S1 or less. The vibration amount F is increased as the sensor certainty factor S decreases, and when the sensor certainty factor S is less than or equal to the predetermined value S1 (<S2), the vibration amount F is fixed to the predetermined value F1.

  In step S512, the vibration amount F calculated in step S511 is output to the seat side vibration mechanism 80. The seat side vibration mechanism 80 generates vibrations according to the vibration amount F output from the controller 50C from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j. Thus, the current process is terminated.

Thus, in the sixth embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained in addition to the effects of the first to fifth embodiments described above.
The certainty factor S of the sensor that detects the traveling environment is a factor that affects future changes in the traveling environment, but is directly system information. Therefore, the operating state of the driver's system can be recognized in an easy-to-understand manner by transmitting the information to the driver separately from the information transmission based on the lateral position X in the lane and the future recognition degree Pf. That is, since the driver can recognize that the sensor certainty S is lowered when vibration is generated from the left and right side portions 73i and 73j of the seat 71, the driver trusts the system and operates the driver with peace of mind. It can be performed.

<< Seventh Embodiment >>
The vehicle driving operation assistance device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 50 is a system diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle driving operation assistance device 5 according to the seventh embodiment. In FIG. 50, parts having the same functions as those in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. Here, differences from the fourth embodiment will be mainly described.

  The vehicular driving operation assisting device 5 according to the seventh embodiment detects a risk related to the front-rear direction of the host vehicle, and relates to a risk in the front-rear direction via an operation reaction force generated when the driver operates the accelerator pedal. Communicate information. Here, the degree of approach of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle is calculated as a risk related to the front-rear direction of the host vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 50, the vehicular driving operation assisting device 5 includes a laser radar 10, a vehicle speed sensor 30, a navigation system 40, a line-of-sight detection device 45, a controller 50D, and an accelerator pedal reaction force control device 90. The controller 50D includes a preceding vehicle detection unit 62, a risk potential calculation unit 63, a pedal reaction force calculation unit 64, an intersection determination unit 65, a future environment change estimation unit 57, a current recognition level estimation unit 58, a future recognition level prediction unit 59, and a pedal. A reaction force correction unit 66 is provided.

  The laser radar 10 is attached to a front grill part or a bumper part of the vehicle and scans a front area of the own vehicle, for example, an area of about ± 6 deg with respect to the front of the own vehicle by irradiating infrared light pulses in the horizontal direction. . The laser radar 10 measures the reflected wave of the infrared light pulse reflected by a plurality of reflectors in front (usually the rear end of the preceding vehicle), and determines the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle from the arrival time of the reflected wave. Detect relative speed. The detected inter-vehicle distance and relative speed are output to the controller 50D.

  Based on the detection result of the laser radar 10, the preceding vehicle detection unit 62 detects the preceding vehicle existing in the front area of the host vehicle. The risk potential calculation unit 63 calculates the risk potential RP of the host vehicle for the preceding vehicle detected by the preceding vehicle detection unit 62. The pedal reaction force calculation unit 64 calculates a reaction force command value for the operation reaction force generated by the accelerator pedal based on the risk potential RP calculated by the risk potential calculation unit 63.

  The intersection determination unit 65 determines whether an intersection exists on the road ahead of the host vehicle based on the road information acquired from the navigation system 40. The future environment change estimation unit 57 calculates the future environment change degree Pb based on the intersection information and the sensor certainty S of the laser radar 10 that detects the preceding vehicle. The current recognition level estimation unit 58 calculates the current recognition level Pa of the driver based on the driver's awakening level W2 and the risk potential RP. The future recognition degree prediction unit 59 estimates the driver's future recognition degree Pf based on the estimation results of the future environment change estimation part 57 and the current recognition degree estimation part 58.

  The pedal reaction force correction unit 66 corrects the accelerator pedal reaction force command value calculated by the pedal reaction force calculation unit 64 based on the driver's future recognition degree Pf. The corrected reaction force command value is output to the accelerator pedal reaction force control device 90.

  The accelerator pedal reaction force control device 90 controls the accelerator pedal operation reaction force according to a command value from the controller 50D. As shown in FIG. 51, a servo motor 92 and an accelerator pedal stroke sensor 93 are connected to the accelerator pedal 91 via a link mechanism. The servo motor 92 controls the torque and the rotation angle in accordance with a command from the accelerator pedal reaction force control device 90, and arbitrarily controls the operation reaction force generated when the driver operates the accelerator pedal 91.

  Note that the normal accelerator pedal reaction force characteristic when the accelerator pedal reaction force control is not performed is set, for example, such that the accelerator pedal reaction force increases linearly as the accelerator pedal operation amount increases. The normal accelerator pedal reaction force characteristic can be realized by the spring force of a torsion spring (not shown) provided at the center of rotation of the accelerator pedal 91, for example.

  The operation of the vehicle driving assistance device 5 according to the seventh embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 52 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of vehicle driving operation assistance control processing according to the seventh embodiment. This processing content is continuously performed at regular intervals, for example, every 50 msec.

  In step S601, a preceding vehicle existing in front of the host vehicle is detected based on a signal from the laser radar 10. Then, the inter-vehicle distance D between the host vehicle and the detected preceding vehicle, the relative speed Vr, and the traveling vehicle speed Vs of the host vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor 20 are read.

  In step S602, the risk potential RP for the preceding vehicle is calculated. In order to calculate the risk potential RP, first, a margin time TTC and an inter-vehicle time THW for the preceding vehicle are calculated.

The allowance time TTC is a physical quantity indicating the current degree of approach of the host vehicle with respect to the preceding vehicle, and the following (formula) using the inter-vehicle distance D between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the relative vehicle speed Vr (= preceding vehicle speed−own vehicle speed) 10).
TTC = −D / Vr (Equation 10)

The inter-vehicle time THW is an effect when it is assumed that the degree of influence on the margin time TTC due to a change in the vehicle speed of the assumed vehicle ahead, that is, the relative vehicle speed Vr changes when the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle. It is a physical quantity indicating the degree. The inter-vehicle time THW is expressed by the following (formula 11).
THW = D / Vs (Formula 11)

Next, the risk potential RP for the preceding vehicle is calculated using the margin time TTC and the inter-vehicle time THW. The risk potential RP around the host vehicle can be calculated by the following (Formula 12).
RP = a / THW + b / TTC (Formula 12)
Here, a and b are constants for appropriately weighting the inter-vehicle time THW and the margin time TTC, and appropriate values are set in advance. The constants a and b are set to, for example, a = 1 and b = 8 (a <b).

  In step S603, based on the risk potential RP calculated in step S602, a reaction force control command value FA for the operation reaction force generated by the accelerator pedal 91 is calculated. FIG. 53 shows the relationship between the risk potential RP and the accelerator pedal reaction force control command value FA. As shown in FIG. 53, when the risk potential RP is smaller than the predetermined value RPmax, the accelerator pedal reaction force control command value FA is calculated so as to generate a larger accelerator pedal reaction force as the risk potential RP increases. When the risk potential RP is larger than the predetermined value RPmax, the accelerator pedal reaction force control command value FA is fixed to the maximum value FAmax so as to generate the maximum accelerator pedal reaction force.

  In step S604, based on the road information obtained from the navigation system 40, a plurality of intersections existing ahead of the host lane are detected, and distances Lc from the current position of the host vehicle to each intersection are detected.

  In step S605, based on the driver's line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight detection device 45 and the risk potential RP calculated in step S602, a current recognition degree Pa representing the current driver state is calculated. First, as the current operation stability W1 of the driver, a standard deviation RP_ST of the risk potential RP within a predetermined time T1 (for example, 10 seconds) from the present to the present is calculated as shown in FIG. Then, the reciprocal of the standard deviation RP_ST is calculated as the current operation stability W1. That is, it is evaluated that the operation stability W1 is higher as the standard deviation RP_ST of the risk potential RP is smaller.

  Further, based on the driver's line-of-sight direction, the driver's arousal level W2 is calculated as described above. The current degree of recognition Pa is estimated according to the map of FIG. 32 described above based on the current operation stability W1 and the driver's arousal level W2.

  In subsequent step S606, a future environmental change degree Pb representing the degree of future environmental change is calculated based on the intersection information determined in step S604 and the certainty factor S of the laser radar 10 which is a sensor for detecting the preceding vehicle. To do. First, the future environmental stability is calculated based on the intersection information. As shown in FIG. 55, the future environmental stability is calculated based on distances Lc from the current position of the host vehicle to a plurality of intersections ahead.

As shown in FIG. 55, an intersection flag FLG = 1 is set when an intersection exists, and an intersection flag FLG = 0 is set when no intersection exists. A distance Lc from the current position of the host vehicle to each intersection existing within a predetermined distance L ahead is calculated as L1, L2,... Ln. Here, the predetermined distance L is a distance traveled by the host vehicle in a predetermined time T3 (for example, 30 seconds) when traveling at the current host vehicle speed Vs, and is calculated by the following (Equation 13).
L = Vs · T3 (Expression 13)

The future environmental stability W3 is calculated by using the position of the intersection with respect to the current position of the host vehicle, that is, the distance Lc (= L1, L2,... Ln) to each intersection existing within the predetermined distance L. Calculate from (Equation 14).
W3 = Σ (1 / L1 + 1 / L2 +... + 1 / Ln) (Expression 14)
Based on the future environmental stability W3 calculated from (Equation 14) and the certainty factor S of the laser radar 10 calculated based on how much the detected preceding vehicle seems to be a preceding vehicle, according to the map shown in FIG. The degree of future environmental change Pb is estimated.

  In step S607, the driver's future awareness Pf is predicted according to the map shown in FIG. 36, based on the current awareness Pa calculated in step S605 and the future environmental change Pb calculated in step S606.

In step S608, the reaction force command value FA calculated in step S603 is corrected based on the driver's future awareness Pf calculated in step S607. Here, similarly to FIG. 37 described above, the correction amount Xc of the accelerator pedal reaction force command value FA is set to increase as the future recognition degree Pf increases. Then, as shown in the following (Formula 15), the correction value FAc of the accelerator pedal reaction force command value FA is calculated by subtracting the correction amount Xa from the accelerator pedal reaction force command value FA calculated based on the risk potential RP. To do.
FAc = FA-Xc (Formula 15)

  In step S609, the accelerator pedal reaction force command correction value FAc calculated in step S608 is output to the accelerator pedal reaction force control device 90. The accelerator pedal reaction force control device 90 controls the servo motor 92 based on a signal from the controller 50D, and controls the operation reaction force generated in the accelerator pedal 91. Thus, the current process is terminated.

Thus, in the seventh embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be achieved.
The vehicular driving operation assisting device 5 calculates a risk potential RP for the preceding vehicle, which is a risk in the front-rear direction of the host vehicle, and controls the accelerator pedal operation reaction force according to the risk potential RP. As a result, the risk information can be transmitted as tactile information to the driver in an easily understandable manner. Further, by correcting the accelerator pedal reaction force command value FA based on the driver's future recognition degree Pf, excessive information transmission is performed when the driver is driving while recognizing the surrounding situation. This can prevent the driver from being bothered.

  In the first to sixth embodiments described above, the degree of approach to the lane marker is transmitted to the driver by rotating the side portions 73i and 73j of the backrest portion 73. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the left and right side portions of the cushion portion 72 can be rotated together with the left and right side portions 73 i and 73 j of the backrest portion 73. Alternatively, only the left and right side portions of the cushion portion 72 can be rotated. Alternatively, the left and right side portions of the cushion portion 72 and the left and right side portions 73 i and 73 j of the backrest portion 73 can be selectively driven according to the degree of approach of the host vehicle to the lane marker.

  Moreover, the seat side drive mechanism 70 is not limited to the structure shown to Fig.3 (a) (b). For example, instead of the motor units 73f and 73g, an air bag or the like may be incorporated in the seat 71 to change the shape of the seat 71. When an air bag is used as the seat driving mechanism 70, the internal pressure of the air bag is controlled so that a pressing force corresponding to the lateral position X in the lane of the host vehicle is given to the driver. Further, the installation positions of the vibrators 80a and 80b described in the sixth embodiment are not limited to the above-described example. It is also possible to do. Alternatively, vibration can be generated by driving the left and right side portions 73i and 73j in small increments.

  In the third to sixth embodiments described above, the road curvature ρ is detected based on the road information obtained from the navigation system 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to calculate.

  In the first to sixth embodiments described above, the risk in the left-right direction of the host vehicle that is the degree of approach to the lane marker is transmitted to the driver via the pressing force from the seat 71, and the seventh embodiment is described. , The risk in the front-rear direction of the host vehicle, which is the risk potential RP for the preceding vehicle, is transmitted to the driver as an operation reaction force from the accelerator pedal 91. Of course, a combination of these can also be used.

  In the first to seventh embodiments described above, the laser radar 10, the vehicle speed sensor 20, and the front camera 30 function as running environment detection means, and the in-lane lateral position calculation unit 52 and the risk potential calculation unit 63 The seat rotation angle calculation unit 53 and the pedal reaction force calculation unit 64 function as information transmission amount calculation units, and the seat side drive mechanism 70 and the accelerator pedal reaction force control device 90 function as information transmission units. The recognition degree calculation unit 54, the future environment change estimation unit 57, the current recognition degree estimation unit 58, and the future recognition degree prediction unit 59 function as a recognition degree calculation unit, and the seat rotation angle correction unit 55 and the pedal reaction force correction unit 66. Can function as information transmission amount correction means. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and a steering reaction force control device or a brake pedal reaction force control device that generates a steering reaction force can be used as the information transmission means. The above description is merely an example, and when interpreting the invention, there is no limitation or restriction on the correspondence between the items described in the above embodiment and the items described in the claims.

1 is a system diagram of a vehicle driving assistance device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram of the vehicle carrying the driving operation assistance apparatus for vehicles shown in FIG. (A) (b) The figure which shows the structure of a seat side drive mechanism. (A) The figure which shows the relationship between risk and the necessity of information transmission, (b) The figure which shows the relationship between the recognition degree of a driver and the necessity for information transmission, (c) The relationship between a risk and the amount of information transmission The figure which shows, (d) The figure which shows the magnitude | size of the information transmission amount provided with respect to a risk and recognition. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the driving operation assistance control process for vehicles by 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the horizontal position in the lane of the own vehicle. The figure which shows the time change of the horizontal position in a lane. The figure which shows the relationship between the standard deviation of the horizontal position in a lane, and a driver's recognition. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle of a right-and-left seat side part. The figure which shows the relationship between recognition and a rotation angle correction amount. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle correction value of a right-and-left seat side part. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle correction value of a right-and-left seat side part. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle correction value of a right-and-left seat side part. The figure which shows the relationship between the standard deviation of the horizontal position in a lane, and a driver's recognition. The figure which shows the time change of the standard deviation of the horizontal position in a lane. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the driving operation assistance control process for vehicles by 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the relationship between the duration of recognition high level, and recognition. The figure which shows the relationship between recognition and a rotation angle correction amount. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle correction value of a right-and-left seat side part. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle correction value of a right-and-left seat side part. The system diagram of the driving assistance device for vehicles by a 3rd embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the driving operation assistance control process for vehicles by 3rd Embodiment. The figure which shows the time change of a road curvature. The figure which shows the relationship between the duration of the recognition high level when the road curvature is considered, and the recognition. The system diagram of the driving assistance device for vehicles by a 4th embodiment. The figure explaining the future recognition estimated from the present recognition and future environmental change. The figure explaining the amount of information transmission determined from future recognition and the present risk. The figure which shows typically the amount of information transmission with respect to the present risk and future recognition. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the driving operation assistance control process for vehicles by 4th Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the estimation process of a current recognition degree. The figure which shows the time change of the horizontal position in a lane. The figure which shows the present recognition degree with respect to operation stability and arousal level. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of a future environmental change estimation process. The figure which shows the change of a road curvature. The figure which shows the future environmental change degree with respect to environmental stability and the certainty of a sensor. The figure which shows the future recognition degree with respect to an environmental change degree and the present recognition degree. The figure which shows the relationship between future recognition and rotation angle correction amount. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle correction value of a right-and-left seat side part. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle correction value of a right-and-left seat side part. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle correction value of a right-and-left seat side part. The figure which shows the relationship between the horizontal position in a lane, and the rotation angle correction value of a right-and-left seat side part. The figure which shows the relationship between the standard deviation of lateral position in a lane, and recognition. The figure which shows the time change of the standard deviation of the horizontal position in a lane. The figure which shows the relationship between the duration of recognition high level, and recognition. The system diagram of the driving assistance device for vehicles by a 6th embodiment. (A) (b) The figure which shows the structure of a seat side vibration mechanism. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the driving operation assistance control process for vehicles by 6th Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of a future environmental change estimation process. The figure which shows the relationship between a sensor reliability and the vibration amount. The system figure of the driving operation assistance apparatus for vehicles by 7th Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of an accelerator pedal and its periphery. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the driving operation assistance control process for vehicles by 7th Embodiment. The figure which shows the relationship between a risk potential and an accelerator pedal reaction force command value. The figure which shows the time change of risk potential. The figure explaining the method of calculating environmental stability from the existing position of an intersection.

Explanation of symbols

20: Front camera 30: Vehicle speed sensor 40: Navigation systems 50, 50A, 50B, 50C, 50D: Controller 70: Seat side drive mechanism 80: Seat side vibration mechanism 90: Accelerator pedal reaction force control device

Claims (12)

Driving environment detection means for detecting the driving environment around the host vehicle;
A risk degree calculating means for calculating a risk degree around the host vehicle based on a detection result by the traveling environment detecting means;
An information transmission amount calculating means for calculating an information transmission amount for transmitting the risk degree calculated by the risk degree calculating means to a driver;
Information transmission means for transmitting the information transmission amount calculated by the information transmission amount calculation means to the driver as tactile information;
A degree-of-recognition calculating means for calculating the degree of recognition of the driver for the driving environment around the vehicle;
A vehicle driving operation comprising: an information transmission amount correction unit that corrects the information transmission amount calculated by the information transmission amount calculation unit according to the degree of recognition calculated by the recognition level calculation unit. Auxiliary device. The vehicle driving assistance device according to claim 1,
The information transmission amount correction means increases the rate of change of the information transmission amount with respect to the risk degree as the degree of recognition increases, and the information transmission amount increases as the risk degree calculated by the risk degree calculation means increases. A vehicular driving operation assisting device that corrects the vehicle to be larger. In the driving assistance device for vehicles according to claim 1 or 2,
The recognition degree calculating means calculates the recognition degree based on a standard deviation of the lateral position of the own vehicle in the own lane, and decreases the recognition degree as the standard deviation is larger. Auxiliary device. The vehicle driving assistance device according to claim 3,
The vehicle further comprising: a degree-of-recognition correction means for correcting the degree of recognition according to a duration exceeding the predetermined value when the degree of recognition calculated by the degree-of-recognition calculating means exceeds a predetermined value. Driving assistance device. The vehicle driving operation assistance device according to claim 4,
Road curvature detection means for detecting the road curvature of the road on which the host vehicle travels,
When the road curvature detected by the road curvature detection means is a predetermined value or more, the recognition degree correction means cancels the correction of the degree of recognition according to the duration. Auxiliary device. In the driving assistance device for vehicles according to claim 1 or 2,
An environmental change degree estimating means for estimating a future environmental change degree around the vehicle;
The recognition degree calculating means calculates the current recognition degree of the driver, and based on the current recognition degree and the future environmental change degree estimated by the environmental change degree estimation means, the driver's recognition degree. Calculate future awareness,
The information transmission amount correction unit corrects the information transmission amount based on the future recognition degree calculated by the recognition degree calculation unit. In the driving assistance device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The travel environment detection means detects the own lane in which the host vehicle travels as the travel environment,
The risk degree calculating means calculates a lateral position of the own vehicle in the own lane as the risk degree,
The information transmission means transmits the lateral position of the host vehicle to the driver as the tactile information. The vehicle driving assistance device according to claim 7,
The information transmission amount correction unit adjusts the lateral position of the host vehicle when starting to transmit the tactile information according to the lateral position of the host vehicle according to the degree of recognition calculated by the degree of recognition calculation unit. A driving operation assisting device for a vehicle. In the driving assistance device for a vehicle according to claim 7 or 8,
The information transmission means drives the right side portion and the left side portion of the driver seat independently so as to apply a pressing force to the driver as the tactile information. The vehicle driving operation assistance device according to claim 6,
The risk degree calculating means calculates an approach degree of the host vehicle with respect to a preceding vehicle as the risk degree,
The information transmission means transmits a degree of approach to the preceding vehicle to the driver as the tactile information. Driving environment detection means for detecting the driving environment around the host vehicle;
A risk degree calculating means for calculating a risk degree around the host vehicle based on a detection result by the traveling environment detecting means;
An information transmission amount calculating means for calculating an information transmission amount for transmitting the risk degree calculated by the risk degree calculating means to a driver;
Information transmission means for transmitting the information transmission amount calculated by the information transmission amount calculation means to the driver as tactile information;
A degree-of-recognition calculating means for calculating the degree of recognition of the driver for the driving environment around the vehicle;
A vehicle driving assistance device having an information transmission amount correction unit that corrects the information transmission amount calculated by the information transmission amount calculation unit according to the degree of recognition calculated by the recognition level calculation unit. A vehicle characterized by Detects the driving environment around the vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the driving environment, a risk degree around the host vehicle is calculated,
Calculate the amount of information to convey the degree of risk to the driver,
The information transmission amount is transmitted to the driver as tactile information,
Calculating the driver's awareness of the driving environment around the vehicle,
A vehicle driving operation assisting method, wherein the information transmission amount is corrected according to the degree of recognition.

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