JP2008145601A - Driving simulator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving simulator capable of reducing the sense of incongruity felt by a driver undergoing simulated daytime driving. <P>SOLUTION: The driving simulator 1 comprises a dome 5, inside of which a turntable 11 for mounting a simulated vehicle 12 is provided. On the ceiling of the dome 5 above the simulated vehicle 12, a road projection device 15 for projecting light to a window 12W of the simulated vehicle 12 is provided. By making the road projection device 15 project the road image, light goes into the interior of the simulated vehicle 12 and the interior of the simulated vehicle 12 can be made bright. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving simulator that simulates driving of a vehicle or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a driving simulator is known as a device for supporting a driver's driving practice and research and development of an automobile. The driving simulator includes a simulated driver's seat on which a driver is seated and a swing base on which the simulated driver's seat is installed. The oscillating table is provided with an oscillating device, and the simulated driver's seat is oscillated by the oscillating device via the oscillating table. In addition, the driving simulator includes a projection device that displays video, an acoustic device that generates sound, and the like. A driver sits in the simulated driver's seat and performs a simulated driving operation. According to this driving operation, the virtual running state of the vehicle that runs according to the driving operation by swinging the rocking base, projecting an image around the driver's seat, and generating sound Is reproduced in a pseudo manner.

As such a driving simulator, there is an operation simulation test apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-24031. In this driving simulation test apparatus, a vehicle is installed in a dome, and an image is projected from a projector using an inner wall of the dome surrounding the vehicle as a screen.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-24031

  In the driving simulation test apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, only the image is projected on the inner wall of the dome, so that the inside of the dome is dark. In driving simulation, it is performed in any setting condition of day and night. Here, since the inside of the dome is in a dark state, when night driving is set, the simulation can be performed in a state where the sense of incongruity is small. However, when daytime driving is set, the image from the projector is daytime, but there is a problem in that the surroundings become dark and give a driver a sense of discomfort.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a driving simulator that can reduce the uncomfortable feeling given to a driver who simulates daytime running.

  A driving simulator according to the present invention that has solved the above problems has a case for housing a vehicle, and a driving simulator in which a projection device that projects a simulation image onto a screen arranged in a driver field of view in front of the vehicle is provided in the case. And the irradiation apparatus which irradiates irradiation light with respect to the window of a vehicle from the exterior of a vehicle is provided.

  In the driving simulator according to the present invention, an irradiating device that irradiates the window of the vehicle with irradiation light from the outside of the vehicle is provided. For this reason, when daytime driving is assumed, it is possible to avoid a dark situation in the case. Therefore, the uncomfortable feeling given to the driver who simulates daytime running can be reduced.

  Here, the irradiation device is disposed at an upper position of the vehicle, a turntable for mounting the vehicle is provided in the case, and the shape of the vehicle is shaped between the irradiation device and the vehicle mounted on the turntable, A filter in which a portion corresponding to the window in the vehicle is cut out is provided, and the filter can be rotated in response to the rotation of the turntable.

  Thus, by providing the filter in which the portion corresponding to the window in the vehicle is hollowed out, it is possible to prevent the illumination of illumination on the body portion of the vehicle. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the light reflected on the body portion from decreasing the contrast of the projection apparatus and making it difficult to see the light. In addition, since the vehicle is mounted on the turntable and the filter rotates in response to the rotation of the turntable, even when the vehicle is rotated by simulation, it is preferable to prevent illumination of the body part of the vehicle. be able to.

  According to the driving simulator of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the uncomfortable feeling given to the driver who simulates daytime running.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. For the convenience of illustration, the dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match those described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a driving simulator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view inside a dome, and FIG. 3 is a plan view inside the dome.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the driving simulator 1 according to the present embodiment is provided in a factory building and includes an XY propulsion mechanism having a plurality of X-axis rails 2 and Y-axis rails 3. The driving simulator 1 includes a pedestal 4, and the pedestal 4 is movable in the XY direction along the X-axis rail 2 and the Y-axis rail 3.

  The pedestal 4 is provided with a dome 5 which is a case of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the dome 5 is supported by a hexapod having six actuators 6. By operating these actuators 6 independently, the dome 5 can be swung and the pitch, roll, and bounce of the simulated vehicle 12 can be realized. The simulated vehicle 12 is provided with a driver seat (not shown). The driver's seat is provided with various devices such as steering and various pedals similar to those of the vehicle, and the driver operates the various devices to reproduce the same state as the vehicle is traveling. .

  A turntable 11 is provided on the bottom surface of the dome 5, and a simulated vehicle 12 is mounted on the turntable 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the turntable 11 includes a circular stage 11A, and a simulated vehicle 12 is mounted on the stage 11A. A belt 11B is wound around the stage 11A. Further, a drive motor 11C is provided on the side of the stage 11A as shown in FIG. A belt 11B is wound around the drive motor 11C. By driving the drive motor 11C, the belt 11B is driven, and the stage 11A is rotated by the frictional force of the belt 11B. Further, the drive motor 11C is provided with an encoder (not shown) as a rotation angle sensor 11D (FIG. 6).

  Further, eight projection devices 13 are provided on the ceiling of the dome 5. In FIG. 2, five of these projectors 13 are shown. Further, a screen 14 is provided on the inner wall of the dome 5, and an image imitating the scenery around the simulated vehicle 12 is projected from the projection device 13 toward the screen 14.

  Further, a road projection device 15 that is an illumination device of the present invention is provided above the simulation vehicle 12 in the ceiling portion of the dome 5. The road projection device 15 irradiates the simulated vehicle 12 with light by projecting a road image toward the simulated vehicle 12 from above. A road image is projected on the turntable 11 by the road projection device 15.

  Further, a vehicle type filter 16 is disposed between the road projection device 15 and the simulation vehicle 12. As shown in FIG. 5A, the vehicle type filter 16 includes a filter portion 16A and a rotary motor 16B. As shown in FIG. 5B, a vehicle-shaped shadow 12C is formed on the filter portion 16A. The vehicle-shaped shadow 12C is formed by cutting out a position corresponding to the window 12W of the simulated vehicle 12. Thus, the road image projected from the road projection device 15 is projected onto the window 12W portion of the simulated vehicle 12 and the upper surface of the turntable 11 around the simulated vehicle 12.

  Further, the filter portion 16A of the vehicle type filter 16 can be rotated by a rotary motor 16B. The filter portion 16A is arranged to be parallel to the turntable 11, and the rotary motor 16B rotates the filter portion 16A of the vehicle filter 16 coaxially with the turntable 11 as the turntable 11 rotates 11D. Let Further, a camera 17 is provided on the side of the road projection device 15 at the ceiling of the dome 5. The camera 17 images the simulated vehicle 12 and the surrounding situation.

  The driving simulator 1 has a control ECU 20 shown in FIG. The control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 20 is a computer of an electronically controlled automobile device, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output interface, and the like. Has been. As shown in FIG. 6, the control ECU 20 is provided with a motor control unit 21, a window surface area detection unit 22, a road surface area detection unit 23, and a road image generation unit 24. Further, the rotation angle sensor 11D of the turntable 11 and the camera 17 are connected to the control ECU 20. Further, the control ECU 20 is connected to a rotation motor 16B and a road projection device 15 in the vehicle filter 16.

  The rotation angle sensor 11D in the turntable 11 detects the drive amount of the drive motor 11C and outputs it as a drive amount signal to the motor control unit 21 and the window surface area detection unit 22 in the control ECU 20. The camera 17 outputs the captured image as an image signal to the window surface area detection unit 22 and the road surface area detection unit 23 in the control ECU 20.

  The motor control unit 21 detects the rotation angle of the stage 11A in the turntable 11 based on the drive amount signal output from the rotation angle sensor 11D, and the stage 11A of the turntable 11 and the vehicle type based on the detected rotation angle. The drive amount of the rotary motor 16B in the vehicle type filter 16 is calculated so that the filter portion 16A of the filter 16 rotates at the same angle. The motor control unit 21 rotates the rotary motor 16B based on the calculated drive amount.

  The window surface area detection unit 22 detects the window 12W portion of the simulated vehicle 12 by performing image processing on the image signal output from the camera 17 with reference to the drive amount signal output from the rotation angle sensor 11D. The window surface area detection unit 22 generates a window part signal based on the detected window part and outputs the window part signal to the road image generation unit 24.

  The road surface area detection unit 23 detects a road surface area that irradiates the road surface around the simulated vehicle 12 by performing image processing on the image signal output from the camera 17. The road surface area detection unit 23 generates a road surface signal based on the detected road surface area and outputs the road surface signal to the road image generation unit 24.

  The road image generation unit 24 generates a road image to be projected by the road projection device 15 based on the window part signal output from the window surface area detection unit 22 and the road surface signal output from the road surface area detection unit 23. . A road image signal is generated based on the road image and output to the road projection device 15. The road projection device 15 projects a road image based on the road image signal output from the road image generation unit 24.

  Further, the driving simulator 1 is provided with an operation control ECU (not shown). The operation control ECU operates the XY propulsion mechanism or operates the drive motor 11C of the turntable 11 or the actuator 6 of the hexapod according to the operation of various devices provided in the simulation vehicle 12, A situation similar to that of an actual vehicle is reproduced for the simulated vehicle 12. The driving control ECU is connected to the projecting device 13 and projects an image of the surroundings of the vehicle on the screen 14 in accordance with the driving operation of the driver.

  In the driving simulator 1 according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, when the driver who rides the simulated vehicle 12 operates various devices provided in the driver's seat, the simulated vehicle 12 behaves in the same manner as an actual vehicle. Produce. Further, when this simulation is performed, an image around the vehicle is projected on the screen 14 from the projection device 13. In this way, by observing the behavior of the simulated vehicle 12 and the image projected on the screen 14, a simulation when the driver gets on the actual vehicle is performed.

  When performing such a simulation, in the driving simulator 1 according to this embodiment, the road image is projected onto the simulated vehicle 12 by the road projection device 15. With this road image, light enters the passenger compartment of the simulated vehicle 12 and the interior of the simulated vehicle 12 can be brightened. Therefore, even when performing simulation during daytime running, it is possible to reduce the uncomfortable feeling given to the driver. In addition, when performing a simulation during night driving, the vehicle interior of the simulated vehicle 12 can be made dark by not projecting the road image, so that it is possible to prevent an uncomfortable feeling.

  Further, since the road projection device 15 is used as an irradiation device for irradiating the inside of the simulated vehicle 12, an image of the road is projected around the simulated vehicle 12. By this road image, it can be approximated to the feeling of actually driving the vehicle.

  In the driving simulator 1 according to the present embodiment, the vehicle type filter 16 is provided between the simulated vehicle 12 and the road projection device 15. For this reason, it is possible to prevent light from hitting a body portion other than the window 12W in the simulated vehicle 12. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation where the contrast of the image projected on the screen 14 is lowered by the light reflected on the body of the simulated vehicle 12 and the image becomes difficult to see. Further, the vehicle type filter 16 includes a rotation motor 16B, and the rotation motor 16B is controlled to rotate in the same manner as the stage 11A of the turntable 11 on which the simulation vehicle 12 is mounted. For this reason, regardless of the movement of the simulation vehicle 12, it is difficult to see the image projected on the screen 14 by the light reflected on the body of the simulation vehicle 12, and the situation can be prevented.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a road projection device is used as the illumination device, but an illumination device that simply irradiates light may be used. Moreover, although the vehicle type filter is used as a suitable aspect in the said embodiment, it can also be set as the aspect which does not use this vehicle type filter. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the control which rotates the rotation motor 16B according to rotation of the stage 11A in the turntable 11 is performed, it rotates mechanically according to rotation of the stage 11A instead of providing the rotation motor 16B. It is also possible to provide an embodiment in which a rotating mechanism is provided.

1 is an overview of a driving simulator according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a sectional side view in a dome. It is a top view in a dome. It is a turntable edge part enlarged plan view. (A) is a side view of a road projection device, (b) is a front view of a vehicle type filter. It is a block block diagram of control ECU.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving simulator, 2 ... X-axis rail, 3 ... Y-axis rail, 4 ... Base, 5 ... Dome, 6 ... Actuator, 11 ... Turntable, 11A ... Stage, 11B ... Belt, 11C ... Drive motor, 11D ... Rotation Angle sensor, 12 ... Simulated vehicle, 12W ... Window, 13 ... Projection device, 14 ... Screen, 15 ... Road projection device, 16 ... Vehicle type filter, 16A ... Filter section, 16B ... Rotation motor, 17 ... Camera, 20 ... Control ECU , 21 ... motor control unit, 22 ... window surface area detection unit, 23 ... road surface area detection unit, 24 ... road image generation unit.

Claims (2)

A driving simulator having a case for housing a vehicle and projecting a simulation image onto a screen disposed in a driver's field of view in front of the vehicle is provided in the case,
A driving simulator characterized in that an irradiation device for irradiating irradiation light to the window of the vehicle from the outside of the vehicle is provided. The irradiation device is disposed at an upper position of the vehicle;
A turntable for mounting the vehicle is provided in the case,
Between the irradiation device and the vehicle mounted on the turntable, a filter is provided in which the shape of the vehicle is shaped and a portion corresponding to a window in the vehicle is hollowed out,
The driving simulator according to claim 1, wherein the filter rotates in response to rotation of the turntable.

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