JP2017210070A - Seating determination device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seating determination device which can further accurately determine whether or not an occupant is seated on a driver's seat at automatic drive.SOLUTION: A detection result acquisition part F3 sequentially acquires data indicating a pressure distribution acting on a seating face from a pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 arranged at the seating face of a driver's seat. A first processing part F41 creates manual-operation pattern data indicating an inclination of a pressure distribution acting on the seating face at the manual device on the basis of a plurality of pieces of the pressure distribution data which are acquired by the detection result acquisition part F3 when an own vehicle is in a manual drive mode. A second processing part F42 creates automatic drive pattern data indicating an inclination of a pressure distribution acting on the seating face at automatic drive on the basis of a plurality of pieces of the pressure distribution data which are acquired by the detection result acquisition part F3 when the own vehicle is in an automatic drive mode. Then, a seating determination part F5 determines whether or not an occupant is seated on the driver's seat by comparing the manual drive pattern data and the automatic drive pattern data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a seating determination device that determines whether an occupant is seated in a driver's seat while a vehicle is traveling.

  Conventionally, there are various devices for determining whether or not an occupant is seated in a driver's seat (hereinafter referred to as a seating determination device). For example, it is determined whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat based on an output value of a pressure sensor provided in the driver's seat, or a captured image of a camera provided to photograph the face of the driver's seat occupant To determine whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat. Hereinafter, for convenience, a device that outputs information serving as an index for determining whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat will be referred to as a detection device. For example, the above-described pressure sensor or camera corresponds to the detection device.

  Further, in Patent Document 1, it is determined whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat using the detection device, and only when it is determined that the occupant is seated in the driver's seat, A vehicle control system that permits operation is disclosed. The following traveling function here is a function for automatically controlling the traveling speed and steering of the vehicle so as to follow the preceding vehicle. The following traveling function is provided by an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle.

  By the way, in recent years, a technique for automatically performing a driving operation of a vehicle (that is, an automatic driving technique) has been aimed at practical use. For convenience, the function of automatically driving the vehicle by the automatic driving technique is referred to as an automatic driving function. The automatic driving function is provided by an electronic control device (hereinafter referred to as a vehicle control device) that controls traveling of the vehicle.

JP-A-10-166896

  When the vehicle is automatically driven by the vehicle control device (in other words, when the vehicle is traveling automatically), theoretically, even if the occupant leaves the driver's seat, the vehicle itself can continue to travel. . However, if there is no occupant in the driver's seat, driving authority cannot be transferred from the vehicle control device to the occupant promptly when it is necessary to switch back from automatic driving to manual driving.

  Therefore, a passenger should be seated in the driver's seat even during automatic driving, and in view of such circumstances, detecting that the passenger has left the driver's seat during automatic driving is an automatic driving function. It can be said that this is an important technology for practical application.

  However, when the seating determination device adopts an optical camera as a detection device, a driver occupant can place a dummy doll in the driver's seat or attach a photo of the face near the headrest of the driver's seat. There is a risk of misjudging that a passenger is seated in Even when a pressure sensor is used as the detection device, an object having a weight corresponding to the weight of the occupant (hereinafter referred to as a weight) is placed on the seat, thereby erroneously determining that the occupant is seated. There is a fear. That is, in the conventional configuration, there is a possibility that the seating determination device may erroneously determine that the occupant is seated in the driver's seat due to the disguise performed by the occupant.

  The present invention has been made based on this situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seating determination device capable of more accurately determining whether an occupant is seated in a driver's seat during automatic driving. There is to do.

  In order to achieve the object, the present invention is used in a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device that provides an automatic driving function for automatically executing acceleration, braking, and steering of the vehicle, and information provided from the vehicle control device. And an automatic driving determination unit (F1) that determines whether or not the automatic driving function is operating, and a predetermined physical state quantity that changes depending on whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat. A detection result is acquired when it is determined by the detection result acquisition unit (F3) that sequentially acquires data indicating the detection result of the physical state quantity from the detection device and the automatic driving determination unit is not operating the automatic driving function. By comparing the detection result acquired by the driving unit with the detection result acquired by the detection result acquiring unit when it is determined by the automatic driving determining unit that the automatic driving function is operating, the passenger is seated in the driver's seat. The A seating determination unit determines whether Luke (F5), characterized in that it comprises a.

  The detection result acquisition unit included in the above configuration is a detection result for the physical state quantity from a detection device that detects a predetermined physical state quantity whose value can change depending on whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat. Are acquired sequentially. The seating determination unit compares the detection result when the automatic driving function is not operating (that is, during manual driving) with the detection result when the automatic driving function is operating (that is, during automatic driving). Then, it is determined whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat.

  During manual operation, the passenger needs to sit in the driver's seat. Therefore, the detection result (hereinafter referred to as manual operation state quantity) acquired during manual operation is data representing a state in which an occupant is seated in the driver's seat.

  Therefore, by comparing the detection result during automatic driving with the detection result during manual driving, it can be determined whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat during automatic driving. Further, according to the above configuration, it is difficult to disguise when an occupant is seated using a dummy doll. This is because it is difficult to carry out manual operation while the dummy doll is left in the driver's seat. The same applies even when a weight other than a dummy doll is used.

  Further, in the above-described configuration, even if an attempt is made to disguise that the occupant is seated in the driver's seat using a facial photograph or the like, when the occupant actually leaves the driver's seat, the detection result of the index state quantity is determined by manual driving. It takes a different value from the detection result at the time. As a result, it can be detected that the occupant has left the driver's seat. That is, according to the above configuration, it is possible to more accurately determine whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat during automatic driving.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the parenthesis described in the claim shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later as one aspect, Comprising: The technical scope of this invention is limited is not.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a vehicle control system 100 according to a first embodiment. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a pressure-sensitive film sensor 3. FIG. It is the figure which showed an example of the structure of the data which shows the detection result of the pressure sensitive film sensor. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the seating determination relevant process in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the seating determination relevant process in 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the position which attaches the pressure sensitive film sensor 3 in 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the position which attaches the pressure sensitive film sensor 3 in 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the vehicle control system 100 in 4th Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the vehicle control system 100 in 5th Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the vehicle control system 100 in 7th Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle control system 100 including a seating determination device 5 according to the present invention. The vehicle control system 100 is mounted on a vehicle and includes a vehicle control ECU 1, a vehicle speed sensor 2, a pressure sensitive film sensor 3, a notification device 4, and a seating determination device 5 as shown in FIG. 1. For convenience, hereinafter, a vehicle on which the vehicle control system 100 is mounted is also referred to as a host vehicle.

  The vehicle control ECU 1 is an electronic control device that provides a function (that is, an automatic driving function) that automatically executes steering, acceleration, braking, and the like so that the host vehicle travels along a planned travel route set by an occupant. ECU: Electronic Control Unit). That is, the vehicle control ECU 1 automatically executes steering, acceleration, and braking so that the host vehicle travels along the planned travel route set by the occupant. Control such as steering and acceleration / deceleration may be realized by outputting a control signal indicating a control target value to an actuator or motor to be controlled. The vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the vehicle control device described in the claims.

  For convenience, an operation mode in which the host vehicle automatically travels by the vehicle control ECU 1 is referred to as an automatic operation mode, and an operation mode in which the host vehicle travels by manual operation is also referred to as a manual operation mode. The manual operation here is not limited to complete manual operation. A mode in which a part of the driving operation (for example, speed control) is executed by the vehicle control ECU 1 instead of the occupant is also included. The vehicle control ECU 1 provides mode information indicating the current operation mode to the seating determination device 5.

  In addition, what is necessary is just to design the conditions for driving | running | working (namely, automatic driving | running | working) by an automatic driving | operation function suitably. For example, it may be a case where predetermined automatic driving conditions are satisfied and the start of automatic driving is instructed by the occupant.

  The specific content of the automatic driving conditions may be designed as appropriate. For example, this may be the case where the current position of the host vehicle can be measured based on a navigation message transmitted from a positioning satellite, and the periphery monitoring device for recognizing the traffic situation around the host vehicle is operating normally. That's fine. The periphery monitoring device is, for example, a distance sensor such as LIDAR, a camera installed so as to photograph the outside of the passenger compartment, an inter-vehicle communication device that performs mutual communication with other vehicles, and the like.

  In addition, when the type of road is defined as a road where automatic driving is permitted (hereinafter referred to as an automatic driving compatible road) and a road where passengers must manually drive (hereinafter referred to as a manual driving road) The automatic traveling condition may include that the current position of the host vehicle is an automatic driving compatible road. In addition, it is assumed that the road corresponding to the automatic driving is set from a road having relatively few branch points such as an expressway.

  The vehicle speed sensor 2 is a sensor that detects the traveling speed of the host vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 is a sheet-like device in which a plurality of pressure-sensitive points are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. Circles in FIG. 2 indicate pressure sensitive points. The plurality of pressure-sensitive points may be realized by, for example, overlapping two films in which a plurality of linear electrodes are arranged at a predetermined interval so that the electrodes provided on each film are orthogonal to each other. Further, the plurality of pressure sensitive points may be realized by arranging independent pressure sensitive elements (so-called pressure sensors). For convenience, the total number of pressure sensitive points provided in the pressure sensitive film sensor 3 is represented by K. K is a natural number of 2 or more.

  The pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 is provided in the seating portion of the driver seat so as to detect the distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface of the driver's seat (hereinafter, driver seat). For example, the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 should just be arrange | positioned between the cover member and cushion member of the seating part of a driver's seat. Here, the seating portion refers to a portion for supporting the occupant's buttocks and thighs in the driver's seat, and the seating surface refers to the upper surface of the seating portion.

  In FIG. 2, as an example, a mode in which pressure-sensitive points are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix (in other words, a lattice) is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The arrangement of the pressure sensitive points may be appropriately designed. In addition, FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 is formed in a square shape as an example, but is not limited thereto. The planar shape of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 may be a shape corresponding to the planar shape of the seating surface.

  The position of each pressure-sensitive point may be represented by a plane coordinate system having an X-axis and a Y-axis that are orthogonal to each other and having an arbitrary point on the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 as an origin, or rows forming a matrix. It may be represented by a number and a column number. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the position of each pressure-sensitive point is represented by an X coordinate and a Y coordinate (that is, as a point on a plane coordinate). In the present embodiment, as a more preferable aspect, it is assumed that each of the plurality of pressure sensitive points is assigned a number (hereinafter referred to as a management number) for distinguishing it from other pressure sensitive points.

  The detection value of each pressure sensitive point as the detection result of the pressure sensitive film sensor 3 is output in association with the coordinate or management number of the pressure sensitive point. FIG. 3 shows an example of the data configuration indicating the detection result of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3. In addition, when each pressure sensitive point is managed by a row number and a column number as another aspect, the detected value of each pressure sensitive point should just be output in correlation with a row number and a column number.

  Data indicating the detection result of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 indicates the distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface. Therefore, hereinafter, the data indicating the detection result of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 is also referred to as pressure distribution data. The pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 sequentially outputs pressure distribution data as a detection result to the seating determination device 5 (for example, every 100 milliseconds). In the present embodiment, the distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface corresponds to the physical state quantity recited in the claims.

  The notification device 4 is a device for providing information to a passenger of the own vehicle. The notification device 4 may be a display or a speaker. Moreover, you may be comprised so that both a display and a speaker can be utilized as the alerting | reporting apparatus 4. FIG. Here, it is assumed that both a display and a speaker are provided as the notification device 4.

  The display includes a known head-up display. In addition to the above, a vibration generating device that stimulates the sense of touch of the occupant by generating vibration, an indicator that emits light, and the like can also be used as the notification device 4.

  The seating determination device 5 determines whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat when the vehicle is operating in the automatic driving mode (that is, during automatic driving) based on the detection result of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3. It is a device to do. When it is detected that no occupant is seated in the driver's seat during automatic driving, predetermined vehicle control is executed in cooperation with the vehicle control ECU 1 and the notification device 4.

  For example, the seating determination device 5 outputs a voice message or warning sound that prompts the occupant to sit in the driver's seat from a speaker serving as the notification device 4, or displays an image or text indicating the same on the display. .

  The vehicle control ECU 1 may stop the host vehicle based on the fact that the seating determination device 5 determines that no occupant is seated in the driver's seat during automatic driving. The stop position of the host vehicle may be on the lane, but is preferably a space (hereinafter referred to as a retreat area) provided along the road. In this embodiment, as an example, when the seating determination device 5 determines that no occupant is seated in the driver's seat during automatic driving, the vehicle control ECU 1 moves the host vehicle to the evacuation area and stops. When the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is an expressway, a service area, a parking area, or the like may be used as an evacuation area.

  The seating determination device 5 is configured as a computer including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an I / O, and a bus line that connects these configurations. The ROM stores a program for causing a normal computer to function as the seating determination device 5 (hereinafter referred to as a seating determination program). Note that the above-described seating determination program only needs to be stored in a non-transitory tangible storage medium. Executing the seating determination program by the CPU corresponds to executing a method corresponding to the seating determination program. Details of the functions of the seating determination device 5 will be described later.

<About a schematic structure of the seating determination apparatus 5>
The seating determination device 5 provides functions corresponding to the various functional blocks shown in FIG. 1 when the CPU executes the above-described seating determination program. That is, the seating determination device 5 includes an operation mode determination unit F1, a vehicle speed acquisition unit F2, a detection result acquisition unit F3, a data processing unit F4, and a seating determination unit F5 as functional blocks. In addition, the seating determination device 5 includes a memory M1 that is realized by using a part of a storage area included in the RAM.

  Part or all of the functional blocks included in the seating determination device 5 may be realized using one or a plurality of ICs (in other words, as hardware). Moreover, you may implement | achieve a part or all of the functional block with which the seating determination apparatus 5 is provided by the combination of execution of the software by CPU, and a hardware member.

  The operation mode determination unit F1 determines whether the current operation mode is the automatic operation mode or the manual operation mode based on the mode information provided from the vehicle control ECU 1. The determination result of the operation mode determination unit F1 is sequentially provided to the data processing unit F4. The operation mode determination unit F1 corresponds to the automatic operation determination unit described in the claims.

  The vehicle speed acquisition unit F2 acquires information (hereinafter, speed information) indicating the current traveling speed of the host vehicle from the vehicle speed sensor 2. The speed information acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit F2 is sequentially provided to the data processing unit F4. The detection result acquisition unit F3 sequentially acquires pressure distribution data from the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3. Then, the acquired pressure distribution data is sequentially provided to the data processing unit F4.

  The data processing unit F4 includes a first processing unit F41 and a second processing unit F42 as finer functional blocks. The data processing unit F4 executes processing corresponding to a predetermined step included in a seating determination process described later, in addition to the processing performed by the first processing unit F41 and the second processing unit F42.

  The first processing unit F41 is a functional block that stores the pressure distribution data (hereinafter, manual time distribution data) acquired by the detection result acquisition unit F3 in the memory M1 when the operation mode is the manual operation mode.

  The first processing unit F41 manages (adds and deletes) the manual time distribution data in the memory M1 so that a maximum of N manual time distribution data is stored in the memory M1. That is, when new data arrives in a state where N manual time distribution data are stored in the memory M1, the oldest data among the existing data is deleted and the newly arrived data is additionally stored. To do. A plurality of manual time distribution data having different acquisition times may be sorted and stored in time series in the memory M1 so that the latest data is at the top. N may be a natural number designed as appropriate, and may be 50 or 100, for example.

  The second processing unit F42 is a functional block that stores the pressure distribution data (hereinafter, automatic time distribution data) acquired by the detection result acquisition unit F3 in the memory M1 when the operation mode is the automatic operation mode. . The second processing unit F42 also manages (adds and deletes) data in the memory M1 so that a maximum of N automatic time distribution data is stored in the memory M1. The plurality of automatic time distribution data having different acquisition times may be sorted and stored in the memory M1 in chronological order so that the latest data comes first.

  In the memory M1, manual time distribution data and automatic time distribution data are stored separately. Each pressure distribution data is preferably given a time stamp indicating the acquisition time of the data.

  Further, when M or more manual time distribution data are accumulated in the memory M1, the first processing unit F41 acts on the seating surface in the manual operation mode based on the plurality of manual time distribution data. Manual pattern data indicating a tendency of pressure distribution (hereinafter, pressure distribution) is generated. M may be a natural number smaller than N, and its specific value may be designed as appropriate. For example, 25 or 50 may be used. The information shown in the manual pattern data corresponds to the manual distribution pattern described in the claims.

  The manual time pattern data is conceptually data obtained by averaging a plurality of manual time distribution data having different acquisition times. Specifically, it may be data representing an average of detected values for each pressure sensitive point (hereinafter, average detected value). The average detected value of a certain pressure sensitive point is calculated using the detected values at a plurality of time points at the pressure sensitive point as a population. The manual pattern data includes an average detection value for each pressure sensitive point as an element. Therefore, the number of elements included in the manual time pattern data is the same as the number of manual time distribution data. In other words, it is expressed by the same data configuration. It is assumed that the same number as the management number assigned to the pressure sensitive point corresponding to the element is assigned to each element included in the manual pattern data.

  Further, as a more preferable aspect, the first processing unit F41 of the present embodiment calculates the standard deviation σ of the detected value at each pressure sensitive point based on M or more manual time distribution data, and the manual pattern data As shown in FIG. 4, data indicating the average detected value Mm and standard deviation σ of each pressure sensitive point is generated.

  Here, as an example, the manual pattern data is data obtained by averaging M or more manual time distribution data, but is not limited thereto. As another aspect, it is good also as the data which carried out the median of M or more manual time distribution data. The data obtained by mediating M or more manual time distribution data is data indicating the result of calculating the median value for each pressure sensitive point using the detected values at a plurality of time points at the pressure sensitive point as a population. The average, median, and standard deviation here are the same as those commonly used in statistics.

  The manual pattern data calculated by the first processing unit F41 is stored in the memory M1. Note that, when the manual pattern data in the memory M1 is already stored, the first processing unit F41 replaces the older data with newly generated data. That is, the manual pattern data is updated each time new manual pattern data is generated.

  The timing at which manual time pattern data is generated may be, for example, the time when new manual time distribution data is acquired in a situation where M or more manual time distribution data are stored in the memory M1. In the present embodiment, as an example, manual pattern data is sequentially updated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, once manual pattern data is generated, the data may be retained until the host vehicle stops.

  In the second processing unit F42, when M or more automatic time distribution data are stored in the memory M1, the automatic processing time indicating the tendency of the pressure distribution in the automatic operation mode is performed in the same manner as the first processing unit F41. Generate pattern data. Information shown in the automatic time pattern data corresponds to the automatic time distribution pattern described in the claims.

  The seating determination unit F5 compares the manual time distribution data generated by the first processing unit F41 with the automatic time distribution data generated by the second processing unit F42 when the operation mode is the automatic operation mode. It is determined whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat. Details of the operation of the seating determination unit F5 will be described later.

<Seat determination related processing>
Next, the seating determination related process performed by the seating determination device 5 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. This seating determination related process is a process for determining whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat when the driving mode is the automatic driving mode. The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 may be started when the traveling power source (for example, the ignition power source) of the host vehicle is turned on and power is supplied to the seating determination device 5.

  First, in step S100, the operation mode determination unit F1 determines whether or not the current operation mode is the automatic operation mode based on the mode information provided from the vehicle control ECU 1. If the current operation mode is the manual operation mode, a negative determination is made in step S100 and the process proceeds to step S110. If the current operation mode is the automatic operation mode, an affirmative determination is made in step S100 and the process proceeds to step S120.

  In step S110, the data processing unit F4 determines whether or not the travel speed V acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit F2 exceeds a predetermined travel determination threshold value Vth. The travel determination threshold value Vth introduced here is a threshold value for distinguishing between a state where the host vehicle is traveling and a state where the host vehicle is stopped. The travel determination threshold value Vth corresponds to a lower limit value of a speed range that means that the host vehicle is traveling. A specific value of the travel determination threshold value Vth may be designed as appropriate, for example, 10 km / h.

  If the traveling speed V of the host vehicle exceeds the traveling determination threshold value Vth, an affirmative determination is made in step S110 and the process proceeds to step S111. On the other hand, when the traveling speed V of the host vehicle is equal to or less than the traveling determination threshold value Vth, a negative determination is made in step S110, and the process proceeds to step S130.

  In step S111, the detection result acquisition unit F3 acquires the detection result of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 corresponding to manual time distribution data. Then, the first processing unit F41 stores the data in the memory M1, and proceeds to step S112. In step S112, the first processing unit F41 generates manual time pattern data based on the manual time distribution data stored in the memory M1, and proceeds to step S113. In step S113, the first processing unit F41 stores the manual pattern data generated in step S112 in the memory M1, and proceeds to step S130.

  When the number of manual time distribution data stored in the memory M1 is less than M at the stage of moving to step S112, in other words, the number of manual times required to generate manual time pattern data. It is also assumed that distribution data has not been collected yet. In such a case, steps S112 and S113 may be omitted and the process proceeds to step S130.

  In step S120, the data processing unit F4 determines whether or not the traveling speed V of the host vehicle exceeds the traveling determination threshold value Vth, as in step S110. When the traveling speed V of the host vehicle exceeds the traveling determination threshold value Vth, an affirmative determination is made in step S120, and the process proceeds to step S121. On the other hand, when the traveling speed V of the host vehicle is equal to or less than the traveling determination threshold value Vth, a negative determination is made in step S120, and the process proceeds to step S130.

  In step S121, the detection result acquisition unit F3 acquires the detection result of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 corresponding to the automatic time distribution data. Then, the second processing unit F42 stores the data in the memory M1, and proceeds to step S122. In step S122, the second processing unit F42 generates automatic time pattern data based on the automatic time distribution data stored in the memory M1, and proceeds to step S123. In step S122, if the number of automatic time distribution data stored in the memory M1 is less than M, the generation of automatic time pattern data may be canceled and the process proceeds to step S130.

  In step S123, the seating determination unit F5 compares the automatic pattern data generated in step S122 with the manual pattern data stored in the memory M1, and the pressure distribution during automatic operation is the pressure during manual operation. It is determined whether or not it matches the distribution.

  For example, the seating determination unit F5 creates data obtained by calculating a difference between elements corresponding to each other in the automatic pattern data and the manual pattern data. The elements corresponding to each other in the automatic pattern data and the manual pattern data are elements to which the same management number is assigned (in other words, elements relating to pressure-sensitive points at the same position).

  When the number of pressure-sensitive points (hereinafter referred to as pressure change points) in which the difference between corresponding elements exceeds a predetermined threshold is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the pressure distribution during automatic operation is manually It is determined that the pressure distribution during operation does not match. On the other hand, when the number of pressure change points is less than the predetermined number, it is determined that the pressure distribution during the automatic operation matches the pressure distribution during the manual operation.

  Of course, the method for determining whether or not the pressure distribution during automatic operation matches the pressure distribution during manual operation is not limited to the method described above. For example, when the cumulative value of the difference between elements corresponding to each other is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it may be determined that the pressure distributions in the automatic operation and the manual operation do not match.

  Further, it may be determined whether or not the automatic pattern data matches the manual pattern data by a known pattern matching method used in image recognition processing or the like. As yet another aspect, an allowable range for determining that an occupant is seated in the driver's seat is set based on the average Mm and the standard deviation σm indicated in the manual pattern data. When the number of elements deviating from the permissible range among the elements included in the automatic time pattern data is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the pressure distribution during the automatic operation is the pressure distribution during the manual operation. It may be determined that they do not match.

  For example, the lower limit value of the allowable range is a value obtained by subtracting twice the standard deviation σm from the average Mm during manual operation, and the upper limit value is obtained by adding twice the standard deviation σm to the average Mm during manual operation. It can be a value. That is, the condition of an element that deviates from the allowable range is an element that takes a value that does not satisfy the following formula 1.

Mm (i) −2 × σm (i) <Ma (i) <Mm (i) + 2 × σm (i) Equation 1
In the above formula, Mm (i) represents the average of detection values output from the i-th pressure sensitive point during manual operation (that is, the average detection value), and σm (i) represents the i-th sensitivity during manual operation. The standard deviation of the detected value output by the pressure point is shown. Ma (i) is the average of the detected values output from the i-th pressure sensitive point during automatic operation. The minimum value of i is 1, and the maximum value is K. Of course, it may be determined whether the pressure distribution during the automatic operation matches the pressure distribution during the manual operation by a known method other than the one disclosed here.

  When it is determined in step S123 that the pressure distribution during the automatic operation matches the pressure distribution during the manual operation, the process proceeds to step S124. If it is determined that the pressure distribution during automatic operation does not match the pressure distribution during manual operation, the process proceeds to step S125.

  In step S124, the seating determination unit F5 determines that an occupant is seated in the driver's seat, and proceeds to step S126. In step S125, the seating determination unit F5 determines that no occupant is seated in the driver's seat and proceeds to step S126. In step S126, the seating determination unit F5 provides the vehicle control ECU 1 with seating information indicating whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat, and then proceeds to step S130. When it is determined that no occupant is seated in the driver's seat, the notification device 4 may output information requesting the occupant to sit in the driver's seat.

  In step S130, it is determined whether or not the traveling power is turned off. When the traveling power is turned off, this flow is terminated. On the other hand, when the power supply for driving | running | working is on, it returns to step S100. It may be detected by a power management unit (not shown) included in the seating determination device 5 that the power supply for traveling is turned off. The power management unit is a functional block that monitors the power supply state to the seating determination device 5.

<Summary of First Embodiment>
In the above configuration, it is determined whether the passenger is seated in the driver's seat by comparing the distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface during manual operation and the distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface during automatic operation. . That is, the pressure distribution acting on the seating surface is adopted as a state quantity (hereinafter referred to as an index state quantity) that serves as an index for determining whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat.

  Of course, since it is necessary for the occupant to sit in the driver's seat during manual operation, the distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface during manual operation becomes reference data for determining whether the occupant is seated in the driver's seat. .

  In addition, it is assumed that manual operation is required in the initial stage of a series of travels (hereinafter referred to as trips) from when the vehicle departs from the departure place to arrival at the destination. That is, it is assumed that the occupant is seated in the driver's seat at the initial stage of the trip. Therefore, the pressure distribution according to the passenger who plays the role of the driver in the trip can be acquired for each trip.

  According to such a configuration, it is difficult to disguise when an occupant is seated using a dummy doll. This is because it is difficult to carry out manual operation while the dummy doll is left in the driver's seat. The same applies when a weight other than a dummy doll is used.

  In the configuration described above, the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 is employed as a device (that is, a detection device) that outputs information serving as an index for determining whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat. For this reason, there is no possibility of misjudgment that an occupant is seated in the driver's seat by a disguise method using a face photograph or the like, which can be performed when an optical camera is employed as the detection device. That is, according to the above configuration, it can be determined whether or not the occupant is seated in the driver's seat with higher accuracy.

  In the above configuration, manual pattern data is generated without using the pressure distribution data when the host vehicle is stopped. According to such an aspect, it is possible to generate manual time distribution data that more accurately represents the tendency of the pressure distribution during manual operation. Specifically, for the following reason.

  When the host vehicle is stopped, it is assumed that an occupant seated in the driver's seat changes posture for operating on-vehicle equipment or stretching the body. If the posture is changed, the pressure distribution acting on the seating surface naturally changes. That is, the pressure distribution data when the host vehicle is stopped can be a noise in specifying the tendency of the pressure distribution during manual operation.

  In view of such circumstances, as in this embodiment, by generating the manual pattern data without using the pressure distribution data when the host vehicle is stopped, the pressure distribution tendency during manual operation can be more accurately determined. Manual time distribution data can be generated. Also, by matching the situation of collecting pressure distribution data for generating automatic pattern data with the situation of collecting data for generating manual pattern data, is the passenger seated in the driver's seat more accurately? It can be determined whether or not.

  In addition, in 1st Embodiment mentioned above, although the aspect which acquires the distribution of the pressure which acts on a seating surface by the pressure sensitive film sensor 3 was disclosed, it is not restricted to this. As another aspect, instead of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3, the seating determination device 5 may be individually connected to a plurality of pressure sensors arranged on the seating surface so as to detect the pressure distribution on the seating surface.

  Moreover, in 1st Embodiment mentioned above, although the pressure distribution data when the own vehicle has stopped disclosed the aspect excluded from the population at the time of producing | generating manual time pattern data, it does not restrict to this. Manual time distribution data may be generated using pressure distribution data acquired while the host vehicle is stopped. The same applies to automatic operation.

  As another mode, manual pattern data may be generated without using the pressure distribution data acquired when the direction indicator is operating. This is because when the direction indicator is operating, there is a high possibility that the occupant is changing his / her posture to confirm the safety of the surroundings, which may cause noise in generating manual pattern data. In addition, what is necessary is just to acquire the information which shows the operation state of a direction indicator from predetermined ECU about the operation state of a direction indicator.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, The other embodiment described below is also contained in the technical scope of this invention, and also in addition to the following However, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

  Hereinafter, members having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In addition, when only a part of the configuration is mentioned, the configuration of the above-described embodiment can be applied to the other portions.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, by generating data indicating a tendency (in other words, a pattern) of pressure distribution acting on the seating surface during manual operation and during automatic operation, and comparing them, the driver's seat The mode which determines whether the passenger | crew is seated in was disclosed. However, the method for determining whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat based on the distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface is not limited to the method described above.

  For example, as disclosed herein as the second embodiment, the position of the center of gravity of the pressure acting on the seating surface is specified from the output of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3, and an occupant is seated in the driver's seat based on the change in the position of the center of gravity. It may be determined whether or not. Specifically, it is as follows. The center of gravity of the pressure acting on the seating surface is the point of action of the resultant pressure acting on the seating surface and corresponds to a point also called the pressure center. That is, the barycentric position of the pressure distribution corresponds to the position of the pressure center.

  When the first processing unit F41 in the second embodiment acquires manual time distribution data, the detected value for each pressure-sensitive point indicated in the manual time distribution data, and the position (in other words, coordinates) of each detection point. From this, the center of gravity position at that time is calculated. The position of the center of gravity may be a value obtained by dividing the total value of values obtained by weighting the coordinates of each pressure sensitive point according to the magnitude of the detected value at the pressure sensitive point by the total value of the weights. . Specifically, the X coordinate Gm_x and the Y coordinate Gm_y of the gravity center position are calculated by the following equations 2 and 3.

Gm_x = {Σ (Xi × Pi)} ÷ ΣPi Equation 2
Gm_y = {Σ (Yi × Pi)} ÷ ΣPi Equation 3
The parameters Xi and Yi in the above formulas 2 and 3 are the X and Y coordinates of the i-th pressure sensitive point, and the parameter Pi is the detected value of the i-th pressure sensitive point.

  When the first processing unit F41 calculates the gravity center position, the first processing unit F41 sequentially stores data indicating the gravity center position (hereinafter, gravity center position data) in the memory M1. Then, when M or more gravity center position data are stored in the memory M1, gravity center distribution data indicating the distribution of the gravity center positions in the manual operation mode is generated based on the plurality of gravity center position data. The gravity center distribution data corresponds to manual gravity center position information described in the claims.

  The centroid distribution data may be, for example, data indicating the position of a point obtained by averaging the latest M or more centroid positions (hereinafter, the average centroid position). The point where the center of gravity position is averaged is a point where the average of the X coordinate of each center of gravity position and the average of the Y coordinate of each center of gravity position are adopted as the X coordinate and the Y coordinate, respectively. Further, as a more preferable aspect in the present embodiment, the center-of-gravity distribution data includes standard deviation σgx with respect to the X-coordinate determined by the X-coordinate of each center-of-gravity position as a population and Y-coordinate determined by the Y-coordinate of each center of gravity position as the population. And the standard deviation σgy.

  When the second processing unit F42 also acquires the automatic time distribution data, the second processing unit F42 is similar to the first processing unit F41 based on the detection value for each pressure-sensitive point indicated in the automatic time distribution data and the position of each detection point. The center-of-gravity position at that time is calculated by a calculation formula. For convenience, the center of gravity position calculated by the first processing unit F41 based on the manual time distribution data is hereinafter referred to as the manual time center of gravity position, and the center of gravity position calculated by the second processing unit F42 based on the automatic time distribution data. Is referred to as an automatic center of gravity position. The X coordinate of the automatic gravity center position is Ga_x, and the Y coordinate is Ga_y.

  Then, the seating determination unit F5 determines whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat by comparing the automatic gravity center position with the gravity center position distribution data. The detailed determination algorithm will be referred to in the seating determination related process described below.

<Seat determination related processing>
Here, the seating determination related process performed by the seating determination apparatus 5 of the second embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 may be started when the traveling power source (for example, the ignition power source) of the host vehicle is turned on and power is supplied to the seating determination device 5.

  First, in step S200, the operation mode determination unit F1 determines whether or not the current operation mode is the automatic operation mode, as in step S100. If the current operation mode is the manual operation mode, the process proceeds to step S210. If the current operation mode is the automatic operation mode, the process proceeds to step S220.

  Steps S210 and S211 are the same as steps S110 and S111 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted. In step S212, the first processing unit F41 calculates the manual center-of-gravity position based on the manual distribution data acquired in step S211, and proceeds to step S213. Of course, the calculated gravity center position is stored in the memory M1 as the manual gravity center position.

  In step S213, the first processing unit F41 generates centroid distribution data based on the centroid position data stored in the memory M1, and proceeds to step S214. If the number of manual gravity positions stored in the memory M1 is less than M in step S213, the process may move to step S230. In step S214, the first processing unit F41 stores the gravity center distribution data calculated in step S213 in the memory M1, and the process proceeds to step S230.

  Steps S220 and S221 are the same as steps S120 and S121 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted. In step S222, the second processing unit F42 calculates the automatic center of gravity position based on the automatic time distribution data acquired in step S221, and proceeds to step S213. Note that the calculated automatic center-of-gravity position may be stored in the memory M1.

  In step S223, the seating determination unit F5 compares the automatic barycentric position calculated in step S222 with the barycentric distribution data stored in the memory M1, and whether the automatic barycentric position matches the manual barycentric position. Determine whether or not. For example, when the distance between the automatic gravity center position and the average gravity center position indicated in the gravity center distribution data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it may be determined that the automatic gravity center position does not match the manual gravity center position. . Further, when the distance between the automatic gravity center position and the average gravity center position is less than a predetermined value, it may be determined that the automatic gravity center position matches the manual gravity center position.

  Of course, the condition for determining that the automatic center-of-gravity position coincides with the manual center-of-gravity position is not limited to the above-described conditions. For example, when the X coordinate Ga_x of the automatic gravity center position is Gm_x−2 × σgx or more and Gm_x + 2 × σgx or less and the Y coordinate Ga_y of the automatic gravity center position is Gm_y−2 × σgy or more and Gm_y + 2 × σgy or less. In addition, it may be determined that the automatic center-of-gravity position matches the manual center-of-gravity position, and in other cases it may be determined that they do not match.

  Steps S224 to S226 and S230 after completion of the determination process in step S223 are the same as steps S124 to S126 and S130, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. The second embodiment described above also has the same effect as the first embodiment.

[Third Embodiment]
In the first and second embodiments described above, the aspect in which the pressure distribution acting on the seating surface of the driver's seat is adopted as the index state quantity is disclosed, but the state quantity that can be adopted as the index state quantity is not limited thereto. For example, as disclosed herein as the third embodiment, the distribution of pressure acting on the surface on the side in contact with the occupant's body in the belt provided in the seat belt device for the driver's seat may be used as the index state quantity. . Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 according to the third embodiment is arranged in a predetermined region on the surface of the belt 6 provided in the seat belt device for the driver's seat that contacts the occupant's body. The surface of the driver's seat that comes into contact with the occupant's body (hereinafter referred to as the occupant contact surface) is the side facing the backrest portion of the driver's seat when the belt 6 is pulled out from a winding device (so-called retractor) (not shown). Surface.

  The shape of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 in the third embodiment may be formed in a belt shape in accordance with the width of the belt 6 and the like. In this embodiment, as an example, a mode in which the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 is provided in an area assumed to be in contact with the chest as shown in FIG. 6 is disclosed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 may be provided in a region assumed to be in contact with the occupant's waist in the driver's seat belt. Further, the pressure sensitive film sensor 3 may be provided in the entire area of the belt 6.

  According to such a configuration, the detection result of the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 indicates the distribution of pressure acting on the occupant contact surface of the belt 6. Naturally, the passenger must be seated in the driver's seat during manual operation, and the driver's seat belt device must be installed, so the distribution of pressure acting on the passenger's contact surface during manual operation depends on whether the passenger is seated in the driver's seat. Reference data for determining whether or not. That is, the distribution of pressure acting on the passenger contact surface functions as an index state quantity.

  And the data processing part F4 in 3rd Embodiment performs the process disclosed by 1st Embodiment or 2nd Embodiment based on the pressure distribution data provided from the pressure-sensitive film sensor 3 provided in the belt 6. FIG. To do. In addition, the seating determination unit F5 determines whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat during automatic driving based on the processing result of the data processing unit F4. The third embodiment also has the same effects as the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The index state quantity may be an amount by which the belt 6 is pulled out (hereinafter referred to as a drawing amount) in the seat belt device for the driver's seat. Such an aspect is described below as a fourth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the seating determination device 5 in the fourth embodiment is connected to a winding device 3A serving as a detection device so as to be able to communicate with each other. The winding device 3A is a device for winding the belt 6 in a seat belt device for a driver's seat. The winding device 3A may be, for example, an ELR (Emergency Locking Retractor). 3A of winding apparatuses may be provided with the function (what is called a tension reducer function) which suppresses regular winding force. The winding device 3A may be an ALR (Automatic Locking Retractor).

  3A of winding apparatuses are provided with the belt accommodating part which winds and accommodates the belt 6, and the function which pinpoints the quantity (namely, withdrawal amount) by which the belt is pulled out from the belt accommodating part. The withdrawal amount may be specified by a known method. The winding device 3A sequentially detects the amount of withdrawal, and sequentially provides the detection result to the seating determination device 5.

  The detection result acquisition unit F3 in the present embodiment sequentially acquires the withdrawal amount from the winding device 3A and provides it to the data processing unit F4. The data processing unit F4 distinguishes between the amount of withdrawal during manual operation and the amount of withdrawal during automatic operation and stores them in the memory M1 in the same manner as the various embodiments described above.

  The first processing unit F41 generates manual trend data indicating the tendency of the withdrawal amount during manual operation based on the withdrawal amount acquired during manual operation among the withdrawal amounts stored in the memory M1. To do. The manual trend data may be data indicating the average and standard deviation of the withdrawal amount during manual operation. For convenience, the average of the withdrawal amount during manual operation is referred to as a manual average withdrawal amount, and the standard deviation of the withdrawal amount during manual operation is referred to as a manual standard deviation. The manual withdrawal average amount corresponds to the representative value of the withdrawal amount during manual operation described in the claims.

  The second processing unit F42 also has an average value of the withdrawal amount at the time of automatic operation (hereinafter referred to as an average at the time of automatic operation) based on the withdrawal amount acquired at the time of automatic operation among the withdrawal amounts at a plurality of time points stored in the memory M1. (Drawer amount) is calculated. The automatic withdrawal amount corresponds to the representative value of the withdrawal amount in the automatic operation described in the claims.

  Then, the seating determination unit F5 determines whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat based on the automatic average withdrawal amount calculated by the second processing unit F42 and the manual tendency data. For example, when the difference between the automatic average withdrawal amount and the manual average withdrawal amount is larger than twice the manual standard deviation, it is determined that no occupant is seated in the driver's seat. Moreover, what is necessary is just to determine with the passenger | crew being seated in the driver's seat, when the difference with the average amount at the time of automatic withdrawal is 2 times or less of the standard deviation at the time of manual.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, a mode in which the representative value of the withdrawal amount at the time of manual operation is the average value of the withdrawal amount at the time of dynamic operation is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The representative value may be a median value. The same applies to the representative value of the withdrawal amount during automatic operation.

[Fifth Embodiment]
The index state quantity may be the stroke length of the suspension arm corresponding to each wheel. This is because when the seating position of the occupant in the passenger compartment changes, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle changes and the stroke length of each suspension arm also changes. Specifically, when an occupant sitting in the driver's seat leaves the driver's seat and moves to another seat, the change in the seating position appears as a change in the stroke length of each suspension arm.

  Therefore, the stroke length of the suspension arm corresponding to each wheel also functions as the index state quantity. Thus, the aspect which employ | adopted the stroke length of the suspension arm as an index state quantity is shown below as 5th Embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the seating determination device 5 in the fifth embodiment is configured to be able to acquire the detection result of the stroke sensor 3 </ b> B attached to each suspension arm. The stroke sensor 3B is a sensor that detects the stroke length of the attached suspension arm.

  The detection result acquisition unit F3 in the present embodiment sequentially acquires the detection results of each stroke sensor 3B. And the data which put together the detection result of each stroke sensor 3B in the same time is provided to the data processing part F4 as weighted distribution data. The variation in the stroke length functions as data that suggests the distribution of the load in the passenger compartment.

  The data processing unit F4 distinguishes the load distribution data at the time of manual operation and the load distribution data at the time of automatic operation and stores them in the memory M1 in the same manner as in the various embodiments described above. In addition, the first processing unit F41 generates manual pattern data indicating the tendency of the stroke length of each suspension arm during manual operation based on a plurality of load distribution data acquired when the operation mode is the manual operation mode. To do. The manual pattern data here is based on the same idea as the manual pattern data described in the first embodiment. Information indicated in the manual pattern data corresponds to the manual output pattern described in the claims.

  The second processing unit F42 also generates automatic pattern data indicating a tendency of the stroke length of each suspension arm during automatic operation based on a plurality of load distribution data acquired when the operation mode is the automatic operation mode. . The information shown in the automatic time pattern data corresponds to the automatic time output pattern described in the claims.

  Then, the seating determination unit F5 compares the pattern data at the time of manual operation with the pattern data at the time of automatic operation so that the tendency of the stroke length for each suspension arm during the automatic operation is the tendency of the stroke length for each suspension arm during the manual operation. It is determined whether or not they match. Specific determination logic is the same as in the first embodiment. The seating determination unit F5 determines that no occupant is seated in the driver's seat when the pressure distribution in each operation mode does not match, and drives when the pressure distribution in each operation mode matches. It is determined that an occupant is seated in the seat. Even in such an aspect, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  By the way, since the rear seat does not have a center console, an occupant sitting on the rear seat from the start of the trip can move relatively freely in the space forming the rear seat. In addition, the movement of an occupant seated in a seat other than the driver's seat is highly likely not to affect whether or not the automatic driving function is continued. Further, the change in the position of the center of gravity associated with the occupant leaving the driver's seat appears more significantly in the stroke of the suspension arm for the front wheels than in the stroke length of the suspension arm for the rear wheels.

  In view of such circumstances, it is preferable that only the stroke length of the suspension arm for the front wheel is adopted as the index state quantity, and the stroke length of the suspension arm for the rear wheel is not adopted as the index state quantity.

  As another aspect, instead of the stroke length for each suspension arm, the internal pressure of the cylinder provided in each shock absorber may be used. This is because all of them change according to the magnitude of the force acting on the shock absorber, and these are parameters that change in conjunction with each other.

[Sixth Embodiment]
In the above-described fifth embodiment, the manual pattern data and the automatic pattern data are generated based on the stroke length of each suspension arm, and it is determined whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat by comparing them. Disclosed. However, the method for determining whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat based on the stroke length for each suspension arm is not limited to the method described above.

  For example, the data processing unit F4 calculates a pseudo center of gravity position of the vehicle from the stroke length of each suspension arm, and compares the center of gravity position during manual driving with the center of gravity position during automatic driving, thereby calculating the driver's seat. Whether or not an occupant is seated may be determined. Specifically, if the center of gravity position during automatic operation and the center of gravity position during manual operation match, it is determined that an occupant is seated in the driver's seat, and the center of gravity position during automatic operation and What is necessary is just to determine with the passenger | crew not having seated in the driver's seat when the gravity center position does not correspond.

  The pseudo center of gravity position represents, for example, the position of each suspension arm in the coordinates of the plane coordinate system, and the total value obtained by weighting each coordinate with the stroke length of the suspension arm corresponding to the coordinate, It may be calculated by dividing by the total value. Various determination logics disclosed in the second embodiment can also be applied to the sixth embodiment.

  As another aspect, the center of gravity position data during manual operation is calculated a plurality of times, and the center of gravity distribution data indicating the average and standard deviation of the center of gravity position during manual operation is calculated based on the center of gravity position during manual operation at a plurality of times. Is generated. Whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat depends on whether or not the center of gravity during automatic driving is within a predetermined range determined from the average and standard deviation of the center of gravity during manual driving shown in the center of gravity distribution data. You may judge. According to such an aspect, erroneous determination due to instantaneous load fluctuations can be suppressed. That is, the determination can be made with higher accuracy.

  Of course, the average value of the center of gravity during automatic driving is calculated from the center of gravity during automatic driving at multiple points in time, and the average of the center of gravity during automatic driving is compared with the average of the center of gravity during manual driving. Then, it may be determined whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat.

  As mentioned in the sixth embodiment, since the rear seat does not have a center console, the passenger in the rear seat can move relatively freely. In addition, the movement of an occupant seated in a seat other than the driver's seat is highly likely not to affect whether or not the automatic driving function is continued. Therefore, it is preferable that only the stroke length of the suspension arm for the front wheel is adopted as the index state quantity, and the stroke length of the suspension arm for the rear wheel is not adopted as the index state quantity.

[Seventh Embodiment]
The index state quantity may be an internal air pressure of each tire attached to the host vehicle. This is because when the seating position of the occupant in the passenger compartment changes, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle changes, so that the tire air pressure also changes in the same manner as the stroke length of the suspension arm. That is, when an occupant sitting in the driver's seat leaves the driver's seat and moves to another seat, the change in the seating position appears as a change in the air pressure of each tire. Therefore, the air pressure of each tire also functions as an index state quantity. A mode in which the air pressure of each tire is adopted as the index state quantity will be described below as a seventh embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the seating determination device 5 in the seventh embodiment is configured to be able to acquire the detection result of the air pressure sensor 3 </ b> C provided inside each tire. The air pressure sensor 3C is a sensor that outputs the internal air pressure of the attached tire.

  The detection result acquisition unit F3 in the present embodiment sequentially acquires the detection results of the respective air pressure sensors 3C. And the data which put together the detection result of each pneumatic sensor 3C in the same time is provided to the data processing part F4 as weighted distribution data. The variation in air pressure functions as data suggesting the distribution of load in the passenger compartment.

  The data processing unit F4 and the seating determination unit F5 operate in the same manner as the method disclosed in the fifth embodiment or the sixth embodiment, and determine whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat. This seventh embodiment also has the same effect as the first embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle control ECU, 2 Vehicle speed sensor, 3 Pressure sensitive film sensor, 3A Winding device, 3B Stroke sensor, 3C Air pressure sensor, 4 Notification device, 5 Seating determination device, F1 Operation mode determination part, F2 Vehicle speed acquisition part, F3 detection Result acquisition unit, F4 data processing unit, F41 first processing unit, F42 second processing unit, F5 seating determination unit, M1 memory

Claims (11)

Used in vehicles equipped with a vehicle control device that provides an automatic driving function for automatically executing acceleration, braking, and steering of the vehicle,
An automatic driving determination unit (F1) for determining whether or not an automatic driving function is operating based on information provided from the vehicle control device;
A detection result acquisition unit (F3) that sequentially acquires data indicating the detection result of the physical state quantity from a detection device that detects a predetermined physical state quantity that changes depending on whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat. When,
When the automatic driving determination unit determines that the automatic driving function is not operating, the detection result acquired by the detection result acquiring unit and the automatic driving determining unit determines that the automatic driving function is operating. A seating determination unit (F5) that determines whether or not an occupant is seated in the driver's seat by comparing the detection result acquired by the detection result acquisition unit with the detection result. Judgment device. In claim 1,
The physical state quantity includes the distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface of the driver's seat, the distribution of pressure acting on the belt provided in the seat belt device for the driver's seat, and the belt from the winding device provided in the seat belt device for the driver's seat. A seating determination device, which is one of an amount pulled, a force acting on a shock absorber for a front wheel, and an internal air pressure of a tire provided in the front wheel. In claim 1 or 2,
The physical state quantity is a distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface of the driver's seat,
The detection device sequentially outputs detection results of pressure acting on a plurality of locations on the seating surface as pressure distribution data,
The detection result acquisition unit sequentially acquires the pressure distribution data provided from the detection device,
Manual time distribution indicating a tendency of pressure distribution acting on the seating surface during manual operation based on the pressure distribution data at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic operation function is not operating A first processing unit (F41) for specifying a pattern;
Based on the pressure distribution data at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic driving function is operating, an automatic time distribution pattern indicating a tendency of pressure distribution acting on the seating surface during automatic driving A second processing unit (F42) for identifying
Whether the occupant is seated in the driver's seat by comparing the manual time distribution pattern specified by the first processing unit and the automatic time distribution pattern specified by the second processing unit. A seating determination apparatus characterized by determining whether or not. In claim 1 or 2,
The physical state quantity is a distribution of pressure acting on the seating surface of the driver's seat,
The detection device sequentially outputs detection results of pressure acting on a plurality of locations on the seating surface as pressure distribution data,
The detection result acquisition unit sequentially acquires the pressure distribution data provided from the detection device,
Each time the detection result acquisition unit acquires the pressure distribution data in a situation where the automatic driving function is not operating, the center of gravity position of the pressure acting on the seating surface is specified based on the acquired pressure distribution data. A first processing unit (F41) for generating manual center-of-gravity position information indicating a distribution of the center-of-gravity position at the time of manual operation with the center-of-gravity positions at a plurality of points in time as a population
In a situation where the automatic driving function is operating, a second processing unit (F42) in which the detection result acquisition unit specifies an automatic center of gravity position that is a center of gravity position of pressure acting on the seating surface based on the pressure distribution data. ) And
The seating determination unit compares the distribution of the center of gravity during manual operation indicated by the manual center of gravity position information with the automatic center of gravity position specified by the second processing unit, so that an occupant is seated in the driver's seat. A seating determination apparatus characterized by determining whether or not In claim 1 or 2,
The physical state quantity is a distribution of pressure acting on a belt provided in a seat belt device for a driver's seat,
The detection device sequentially outputs detection results of pressure acting on a plurality of locations of the belt as pressure distribution data,
The detection result acquisition unit sequentially acquires the pressure distribution data output from the detection device,
Based on the pressure distribution data at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic operation function is not operating, a manual time distribution pattern indicating a tendency of pressure distribution acting on the belt at the time of manual operation A first processing unit (F41) to be identified;
Based on the pressure distribution data at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic operation function is operating, an automatic time distribution pattern indicating a tendency of the pressure distribution acting on the belt during the automatic operation A second processing unit (F42) to identify,
Whether the occupant is seated in the driver's seat by comparing the manual time distribution pattern specified by the first processing unit and the automatic time distribution pattern specified by the second processing unit. A seating determination device characterized by determining whether or not. In claim 1 or 2,
The physical state quantity is a distribution of pressure acting on a belt provided in a seat belt device for a driver's seat,
The detection device sequentially outputs detection results of pressure acting on a plurality of locations of the belt as pressure distribution data,
The detection result acquisition unit sequentially acquires pressure distribution data provided from the detection device,
Each time the detection result acquisition unit acquires the pressure distribution data in a situation where the automatic operation function is not operating, the center of gravity position of the pressure acting on the belt is specified based on the acquired pressure distribution data. A first processing unit (F41) for generating manual center-of-gravity position information indicating a distribution of the center-of-gravity position during manual operation with the center-of-gravity positions at a plurality of points in time as a population;
A second processing unit (F42) for specifying the automatic gravity center position, which is the gravity center position of the pressure acting on the belt, based on the pressure distribution data in the situation where the automatic driving function is operating. The seating determination unit compares the distribution of the center of gravity during manual operation indicated by the manual center of gravity position information with the automatic center of gravity position specified by the second processing unit, thereby comparing the driver's seat A seating determination apparatus for determining whether or not a passenger is seated in a seat. In claim 1 or 2,
The physical state quantity is an amount by which a belt is pulled out from a winding device provided in a seat belt device for a driver's seat, and the winding device specifies an amount by which the belt is pulled out. Configured to be possible,
The detection result acquisition unit sequentially acquires data indicating the withdrawal amount from the winding device,
A first processing unit (F41) for specifying a representative value of the withdrawal amount at the time of manual operation with the withdrawal amount at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic operation function is not operating as a population; ,
A second processing unit (F42) for specifying a representative value of the withdrawal amount at the time of automatic driving with the withdrawal amount at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic driving function is operating as a population; With
The seating determination unit determines whether an occupant is seated in the driver's seat by comparing the representative value specified by the first processing unit and the representative value specified by the second processing unit. A seating determination device. In claim 1 or 2,
The physical state quantity is a stroke length of a suspension arm provided for each of a plurality of wheels,
The detection result acquisition unit sequentially acquires data indicating stroke lengths of the plurality of suspension arms as load distribution data,
Based on the load distribution data at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic operation function is not operating, a manual output pattern indicating a tendency of the stroke length for each suspension arm during manual operation A first processing unit (F41) for identifying
Based on the load distribution data at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic operation function is operating, an automatic output pattern indicating a tendency of the stroke length for each suspension arm during automatic operation A second processing unit (F42) for identifying
Whether the occupant is seated in the driver's seat by comparing the manual output pattern specified by the first processing unit and the automatic output pattern specified by the second processing unit. A seating determination device characterized by determining whether or not. In claim 1 or 2,
The physical state quantity is a stroke length of a suspension arm provided for each of a plurality of wheels,
The detection result acquisition unit sequentially acquires data indicating stroke lengths of the plurality of suspension arms as load distribution data,
Each time the detection result acquisition unit acquires the load distribution data when the automatic driving function is not operating, the center of gravity position of the vehicle is specified based on the acquired load distribution data, and a plurality of times A first processing unit (F41) that generates manual center-of-gravity position information indicating a distribution of the center-of-gravity position during manual operation with the center-of-gravity position in
A second processing unit for specifying an automatic center of gravity position indicating a center of gravity position of the vehicle during automatic driving based on the load distribution data acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic driving function is operating ( F42), and
The seating determination unit compares the distribution of the center of gravity at the time of manual operation indicated in the manual center of gravity position information with the automatic center of gravity position specified by the second processing unit. A seating determination apparatus characterized by determining whether an occupant is seated. In claim 1 or 2,
The physical state quantity is an internal air pressure of each of a plurality of tires attached to the vehicle,
The detection result acquisition unit sequentially acquires data indicating the internal air pressure of each of the plurality of tires as load distribution data,
Based on the load distribution data at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic driving function is not operating, a manual output pattern indicating a tendency of internal air pressure for each tire during manual driving is specified. A first processing unit (F41),
Based on the load distribution data acquired at a plurality of time points acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic driving function is operating, an automatic output pattern indicating a tendency of internal air pressure for each tire during automatic driving is specified. A second processing unit (F42),
Whether the occupant is seated in the driver's seat by comparing the manual output pattern specified by the first processing unit and the automatic output pattern specified by the second processing unit. A seating determination device characterized by determining whether or not. In claim 1 or 2,
The physical state quantity is an internal air pressure of each of a plurality of tires attached to the vehicle,
The detection result acquisition unit sequentially acquires data indicating the internal air pressure of each of the plurality of tires as load distribution data,
Each time the detection result acquisition unit acquires the load distribution data when the automatic driving function is not operating, the center of gravity position of the vehicle is specified based on the acquired load distribution data, and a plurality of times A first processing unit (F41) for generating manual center-of-gravity position information indicating a distribution of the center-of-gravity position during manual operation, with the center-of-gravity position in the population as a population;
A second processing unit for specifying an automatic center of gravity position indicating a center of gravity position of the vehicle during automatic driving based on the load distribution data acquired by the detection result acquisition unit when the automatic driving function is operating ( F42), and
The seating determination unit compares the center of gravity position distribution during manual driving indicated in the manual center of gravity position information with the automatic center of gravity position specified by the second processing unit, thereby occupying the driver's seat. A seating determination apparatus for determining whether or not a person is seated.

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