JP2019043171A - Vehicle control device and vehicle control method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device which allows an occupant to preferably operate a vehicle, when the occupant intervenes in vehicle operation when the vehicle is in an automatic operation state.SOLUTION: According to the invention, a vehicle arithmetic instruction device is configured so that, when a vehicle 10 is in an automatic operation state, if there is a construction section in a travel direction of the vehicle 10, a reaction force control period for applying reaction force to a movement instruction device 31 is set. The reaction force control period includes a first reaction force control period and a second reaction force control period. In the first reaction force control period, reaction force applied to the movement instruction device 31 is larger than that before the vehicle arithmetic instruction device detects the construction section. In the second reaction force control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instruction device 31 is smaller than that in the reaction force control period and larger than that before the vehicle arithmetic instruction device detects the construction section. By employing such a configuration, an occupant 11 can operate the vehicle 10 through the movement instruction device 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus and a vehicle control method using the same, and in particular, an occupant intervenes in vehicle operation in a driving support state or an automatic driving state (hereinafter referred to as an automatic driving state) in which the vehicle mainly performs a driving operation. Vehicle control device that can be used and a vehicle control method using the same.

  Heretofore, driving of a car or the like is generally performed by the driver operating the brake pedal, the accelerator pedal and the steering wheel. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to reduce traffic accidents, driving support devices have been introduced that automatically stop the vehicle in an emergency or the like by assisting the driver's operation. Furthermore, automatic driving support devices that cause a vehicle to travel automatically with little need for driving operations such as steering by a driver are becoming widespread.

  In Patent Document 1, an automatic driving support device capable of controlling all of an accelerator operation, a brake operation and a steering wheel operation, which are operations related to the behavior of the vehicle, to perform automatic driving independent of the driver's operation. Is disclosed. The automatic driving support device described in this document performs drive control of an engine device, a brake device, an electric power steering and the like to perform automatic driving up to the interruption timing on the guide route.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technical matter of setting the seat in a relaxation mode at the time of automatic driving for the purpose of reducing the driver's fatigue and the like at the time of the above-described automatic driving. Specifically, when the vehicle is in an automatic driving state, the seat is moved backward, and the seat back is further turned backward. By doing this, it is possible to keep the driver away from the steering wheel, to prevent steering by automatic driving, and to reduce the driver's fatigue.

  On the other hand, even if an autonomous driving vehicle having an autonomous driving function appears in the market, not all vehicles traveling on the road become an autonomous driving vehicle, but a manually driven vehicle and an autonomous driving vehicle where an occupant drives a vehicle are It is predicted that the mixed state will continue for a while. In the future, even if only the autonomous driving vehicle travels on the road, the crew must operate the vehicle if the road is under construction or there are many people or bicycles on the road. It is to be expected.

  Further, in the automatic driving state, the seat is in the relaxed position as described above. Therefore, when the occupant needs to operate the vehicle in the automatic driving state, the occupant takes a relaxing posture from the relaxing posture. Need to change to That is, in order to operate each pedal and the steering wheel, the occupant must raise the upper limbs and move the entire body forward of the vehicle. Performing the posture change in a short time is a heavy burden on the occupant. Furthermore, it is known that the takeover time required to transition from the automatic operation state to the manual operation state is generally at least about several seconds to about 20 seconds, and when such takeover takes time, the automatic operation When an unexpected situation occurs in the state, it is difficult to cope with the situation quickly. Furthermore, in the relaxed posture, the driver's attention and the visibility in front are considered to be greatly reduced, so it may be difficult to accurately grasp the risk existing in front of the vehicle.

  Patent Document 3 describes an invention of operating a vehicle using a mouse type device. Specifically, in the invention described in this document, the vehicle can be steered by arranging the mouse type device in the vicinity of the seat in the vehicle interior and operating the mouse type device.

  Furthermore, Patent Document 4 describes an invention of operating a vehicle using a controller. Specifically, when an obstacle is present in the vicinity of the vehicle, reaction force control is performed on the controller to prevent the vehicle from advancing toward the obstacle.

JP, 2015-178332, A JP, 2016-168972, A JP, 2016-199245, A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2007-223564

  However, the control described in Patent Document 4 merely performs reaction force control so that the controller is not operated in a limited direction. Therefore, when the occupant operates the controller by exceeding the reaction force, the vehicle excessively travels against the intention of the occupant, which may cause the vehicle to exhibit a behavior contrary to safety.

  Furthermore, as described above, in a situation where the vehicle passes through a road under construction and a road on which a large number of pedestrians, bicycles and the like exist, it is required to operate the vehicle carefully. However, simply applying a reaction force to the controller or the mouse type device does not provide a sufficient sense of moderation or the like felt by the occupant, and it may not be easy to operate the vehicle carefully by operating the controller or the like.

  Furthermore, when there is a restriction in the travel of the vehicle, the occupant can not appropriately obtain feedback for the operation simply by applying a reaction force to the operation device, and the fear associated with operating the operation device There was a problem that I felt.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a movement instruction device operated by an occupant when the occupant intervenes in the operation of the vehicle when the vehicle is in an automatic driving state. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that allow an occupant to appropriately operate a vehicle by appropriately applying a reaction force.

  The vehicle control device according to the present invention is disposed in a vehicle capable of realizing an automatic driving state in which a main driving operation is automatically performed, has a shape that can be held by an occupant, and outputs a movement signal according to a movement amount. A movement instruction device, a vehicle operation instruction device that performs predetermined arithmetic processing according to the movement signal output from the movement instruction device, and operates the vehicle; and a position near a seat on which the occupant sits. An instruction device placement unit having an operation surface on which the movement instruction device moves, and a reaction force generation unit that generates a reaction force that opposes the operation force of the operation when the occupant operates the movement instruction device; And the vehicle operation instructing device is configured to move the movement instruction device when an inhibition cause that is determined to have a certain degree of possibility of inhibiting the automatic driving appears in the automatic driving state. Force to apply the reaction force to A control period is provided, and the reaction force control period includes a first reaction force control period and a second reaction force control period which is a period after the first reaction force control period, and the first reaction force is provided. In the control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device is larger than that before the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause, and in the second reaction force control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device The reaction force is smaller than the reaction force in the first reaction force control period, and larger than that before the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device in the second reaction force control period is characterized by becoming larger as the movement instructing time elapses.

  Further, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the vehicle operation instructing device notifies the occupant that the inhibition cause exists before applying the reaction force to the movement instructing device. Do.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, a storage unit is provided in the vicinity of the indication device placement unit, and the operation of the vehicle via the movement indication device is invalidated when the movement indication device is stored in the storage unit. It is characterized by becoming.

  Further, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the movement instructing device is charged when the movement instructing device is accommodated in the accommodating portion.

  Further, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the vehicle operation instruction device displays the content of the operation of the movement instruction device on a display device.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the pointing device placement unit is incorporated in a center console of the vehicle.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the seat on which the occupant is seated is in a relaxed position during the reaction force control period.

  The vehicle control method according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle capable of realizing an automatic driving state in which a main driving operation is automatically performed, a shape capable of being held by an occupant, and movement for outputting a movement signal according to the movement amount An instruction device, a vehicle arithmetic instruction device that performs predetermined arithmetic processing according to the movement signal output from the movement instruction device, and operates the vehicle, and a sheet disposed near the seat on which the occupant is seated, An instruction device placement unit having an operation surface on which the movement instruction device moves, and a reaction force generation unit that generates a reaction force that opposes the operation force of the operation when the occupant operates the movement instruction device A vehicle control method using a vehicle control device, wherein when the vehicle is in the automatic driving state, an inhibition cause that is determined to have a certain degree of possibility of inhibiting automatic driving appears. The movement instruction device A reaction force control period for applying a second reaction force control period, and a first reaction force control period and a second reaction force control period which is a period after the first reaction force control period are set as the reaction force control period; In the first reaction force control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device is made larger than that before the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause, and in the second reaction force control period The reaction force applied to the pointing device may be smaller than the reaction force in the first reaction force control period, and larger than before the vehicle calculation and indication device discovers the cause of the inhibition.

  The vehicle control device according to the present invention is disposed in a vehicle capable of realizing an automatic driving state in which a main driving operation is automatically performed, has a shape that can be held by an occupant, and outputs a movement signal according to a movement amount. A movement instruction device, a vehicle operation instruction device that performs predetermined arithmetic processing according to the movement signal output from the movement instruction device, and operates the vehicle; and a position near a seat on which the occupant sits. An instruction device placement unit having an operation surface on which the movement instruction device moves, and a reaction force generation unit that generates a reaction force that opposes the operation force of the operation when the occupant operates the movement instruction device; And the vehicle operation instructing device is configured to move the movement instruction device when an inhibition cause that is determined to have a certain degree of possibility of inhibiting the automatic driving appears in the automatic driving state. Force to apply the reaction force to A control period is provided, and the reaction force control period includes a first reaction force control period and a second reaction force control period which is a period after the first reaction force control period, and the first reaction force is provided. In the control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device is larger than that before the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause, and in the second reaction force control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device The reaction force is smaller than the reaction force in the first reaction force control period, and larger than that before the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause. Therefore, the occupant can avoid the cause of the obstruction by operating the vehicle without operating the steering wheel or the pedal in the automatic driving state by operating the movement instructing device disposed in the vicinity of the seat. Here, road construction can be mentioned as an example of the cause of inhibition. In addition, by applying a reaction force to the movement instructing device, the vehicle can be safely operated via the movement instructing device. Furthermore, by applying a relatively large reaction force to the movement instructing device in the second reaction force control period, it is possible to improve the operation accuracy of the movement instructing device and to improve the moderation feeling and the sense of security of the occupant. .

  Furthermore, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device in the second reaction force control period is characterized by becoming larger as the movement instructing time elapses. Therefore, by gradually increasing the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device in the second reaction force control period, the occupant operating the movement instructing device can more preferably obtain a moderation feeling and a sense of security.

  Further, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the vehicle operation instructing device notifies the occupant that the inhibition cause exists before applying the reaction force to the movement instructing device. Do. Therefore, the occupant can know the existence of the inhibition cause more quickly, and can perform the safe operation more quickly.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, a storage unit is provided in the vicinity of the indication device placement unit, and the operation of the vehicle via the movement indication device is invalidated when the movement indication device is stored in the storage unit. It is characterized by becoming. Therefore, when the occupant does not use the movement instruction device, the occupant is inadvertently brought into contact with the movement instruction device by placing the movement instruction device on the placement unit and invalidating the function, and the occupant intends It is possible to prevent an unnecessary vehicle operation from being performed.

  Further, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the movement instructing device is charged when the movement instructing device is accommodated in the accommodating portion. Therefore, the charging operation of the movement instructing device can be easily performed by charging the movement instructing device in a state of not being used.

  Further, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the vehicle operation instruction device displays the content of the operation of the movement instruction device on a display device. Therefore, the occupant can easily know the contents of the operation by displaying the contents of the operation of the movement instructing device on the display device.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the pointing device placement unit is incorporated in a center console of the vehicle. Therefore, the occupant can manually operate the pointing device mounting portion incorporated in the center console without changing the posture toward the front, and can operate the vehicle quickly to avoid the cause of inhibition. .

  Furthermore, in the vehicle control device according to the present invention, the seat on which the occupant is seated is in a relaxed position during the reaction force control period. Therefore, the occupant can operate the pointing device placement portion while lying on the seat in the relaxed position.

  The vehicle control method according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle capable of realizing an automatic driving state in which a main driving operation is automatically performed, a shape capable of being held by an occupant, and movement for outputting a movement signal according to the movement amount An instruction device, a vehicle arithmetic instruction device that performs predetermined arithmetic processing according to the movement signal output from the movement instruction device, and operates the vehicle, and a sheet disposed near the seat on which the occupant is seated, An instruction device placement unit having an operation surface on which the movement instruction device moves, and a reaction force generation unit that generates a reaction force that opposes the operation force of the operation when the occupant operates the movement instruction device A vehicle control method using a vehicle control device, wherein when the vehicle is in the automatic driving state, an inhibition cause that is determined to have a certain degree of possibility of inhibiting automatic driving appears. The movement instruction device A reaction force control period for applying a second reaction force control period, and a first reaction force control period and a second reaction force control period which is a period after the first reaction force control period are set as the reaction force control period; In the first reaction force control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device is made larger than that before the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause, and in the second reaction force control period, the movement is made. The reaction force applied to the pointing device may be smaller than the reaction force in the first reaction force control period, and larger than before the vehicle calculation and indication device discovers the cause of the inhibition. Therefore, the occupant can avoid the cause of the obstruction by operating the vehicle without operating the steering or the pedal in the automatic driving state by operating the movement instruction device disposed in the vicinity of the seat. In addition, by providing a reaction force to the movement instruction device of the movement instruction device, the vehicle can be operated safely via the movement instruction device. Furthermore, by applying a relatively large reaction force to the movement instructing device in the second reaction force control period, it is possible to improve the operation accuracy of the movement instructing device and to improve the moderation feeling and the sense of security of the occupant. .

It is a figure which shows the vehicle control apparatus and vehicle control method which concern on one Embodiment of this invention, and is a block diagram which shows the connection structure of each site | part which comprises a vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and a vehicle control method, (A) is a top view which shows the front part of a vehicle interior, (B) is a perspective view which shows a vehicle control apparatus typically. FIG. It is a figure which shows the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and a vehicle control method, (A) is a side view which shows a manual driving state, (B) is a side view which shows an automatic driving state. It is a flowchart which shows the vehicle control apparatus and vehicle control method which concern on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and a vehicle control method, and is a schematic diagram which shows the condition where the vehicle carrying a vehicle control apparatus drive | works a road. It is a figure which shows the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and a vehicle control method, and is a top view which shows the condition where a passenger operates a movement instruction apparatus. It is a figure which shows the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and a vehicle control method, and (A) and (B) are graphs which show the relationship between the stroke of reaction instruction | command apparatus, and reaction force. It is a figure which shows the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and a vehicle control method, and is a figure which shows the display apparatus with which the operation condition of the movement instruction | indication apparatus was represented.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle control device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals will be used in principle for the same members, and the repeated description will be omitted. Moreover, although each direction of the upper and lower, front and rear, right and left is used in the following description, right and left mean the right and left when the front of the vehicle 10 is directed.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a vehicle 10 provided with a vehicle control device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle control device 30 is a part of a control mechanism that controls the vehicle 10. As will be described later, the vehicle control device 30 operates the vehicle 10 when the driver 11 operates the vehicle 10 when an inhibition cause that inhibits the automatic driving is found in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 while the automatic driving is being performed. Device of The vehicle control device 30 has a movement instruction device 31, an instruction device placement unit 32, a reaction force generation unit 26, and a vehicle calculation instruction device 14. Here, the inhibition cause is a reason that it may be determined that there is a possibility of inhibiting automatic driving by arithmetic processing of the result of recognition of the outside of the vehicle or the information input from the outside of the vehicle.

  The movement instructing device 31 is a mouse type device disposed in the vicinity of the occupant 11 in the cabin of the vehicle 10 and having, for example, a shape and a function like a mouse. When the occupant 11 operates the movement instructing device 31, a movement signal indicating the movement amount and the movement direction is output to the vehicle calculation instructing device 14. The vehicle operation instruction device 14 steers and accelerates / decelerates the vehicle 10 based on the movement signal. That is, the movement instruction device 31 has functions corresponding to an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and the steering wheel 24.

  The pointing device placement unit 32 is a flat portion on which the mouse type movement pointing device 31 is placed. As described later, the instruction device placement unit 32 is disposed in the vicinity of the seat 20 that is in the relaxed position during automatic operation.

  The reaction force generation unit 26 generates a reaction force that opposes the operation force when the occupant 11 operates the movement instruction device 31. The reaction force generation unit 26 applies a reaction force to the movement instruction device 31, whereby the occupant 11 can operate the vehicle 10 more safely, and can obtain a sense of moderation and a sense of security when operating the vehicle.

  In addition, the vehicle 10 has a vehicle operation instruction device 14, an input device 12, an external environment recognition device 13, a vehicle drive device 16, a steering device 17, a braking device 15, and a seat in order to realize automatic driving. A drive unit 19 is provided.

  The vehicle operation instruction device 14 is a control unit of the vehicle 10, and is, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) including an operation device that performs various operations and the like. The vehicle operation instructing device 14 automatically drives the vehicle 10 by controlling the vehicle drive device 16, the steering device 17 and the braking device 15 based on input information and the like input from the input device 12 and the external environment recognition device 13. . Further, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 switches between a normal manual driving state in which the driver performs a driving operation and an automatic driving state in which the vehicle operation instructing device 14 automatically performs driving in accordance with an instruction from the input device 12.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 accelerates or decelerates the vehicle 10 based on a signal input from the movement instructing device 31 when the occupant 11 intervenes in vehicle control in the automatic driving state. And a motion control device for steering.

  The braking device 15 is a braking device that decelerates and stops the vehicle 10. The braking device 15 is, for example, a brake operated by a signal from the vehicle operation instructing device 14 or the like.

  The seat drive device 19 is configured by a motor or the like that drives the position and orientation of the seat 20 based on an instruction of the vehicle calculation instruction device 14 with reference to FIG.

  In the automatic driving state, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 executes various operations based on the information from the external environment recognition device 13 and the like, and constantly monitors the current traveling state, the external environment, and the like. Then, the vehicle calculation instruction device 14 controls the braking device 15, the vehicle drive device 16, the steering device 17 and the like, and performs an appropriate automatic operation according to the current situation. As described above, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 has an automatic driving function, and can automatically perform the main driving operation of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, when the vehicle 10 is in the automatic driving state, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 drives the seat drive device 19 to place the seat 20 shown in FIG. 3B in the relaxed position. Here, the relaxed position is a position and posture in which the seat 20 is moved backward and the seat back 22 is turned down so that the driver can relax and not impede the automatic driving in the automatic driving state.

  Further, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 shifts the driving state of the vehicle 10 from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state based on input information input from the input device 12 or the external environment recognition device 13. Further, at this time, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 drives the seat drive device 19 to move the seat 20 shown in FIG. 3A forward and raise the seat back 22 so that the driver operates the steering device. A driving position in which the braking device 17 and the braking device 15 can be operated is realized. Here, the driving position is the position and orientation of the seat 20 that facilitates the operation of the steering wheel 24 and the brake pedal in the manual operation state.

  The configuration of the vehicle control device 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 (A) is a top view showing the front right side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10, and FIG. 2 (B) is a perspective view showing the vehicle control device 30.

  Referring to FIG. 2A, a seat 20 is disposed in the front of a vehicle compartment of a vehicle 10, and an occupant 11 who is a driver operating the vehicle 10 is seated on the seat 20 on the right side. A center console 25 is disposed between the seats 20. The center console 25 is a box-like portion elongated between the sheets 20 in the front-rear direction.

  Referring to FIG. 2B, in the present embodiment, a vehicle control device 30 is incorporated in the center console 25. The vehicle control device 30 includes a movement instruction device 31, an instruction device placement unit 32 on which the movement instruction device 31 is placed, a reaction force generation unit 26, and a vehicle calculation instruction device 14 (not shown). There is.

  The movement instruction device 31 has a shape like a pointing stick such as a mouse, and has a size and a shape that can be held by the occupant 11 from above with a hand. The movement instruction device 31 outputs an electric signal indicating the movement amount, movement speed, movement direction, etc., to the above-described vehicle calculation instruction device 14. The movement instruction device 31 may be connected to the vehicle calculation instruction device 14 by wire or may be connected to the vehicle calculation instruction device 14 wirelessly.

  On the upper surface of the center console 25 is formed an indication device placement portion 32 which is an operation surface on which the movement indication device 31 is placed. The pointing device placement unit 32 is formed as a flat surface that allows the movement pointing device 31 to slide (slide). The amount of movement of the movement instructing device 31 may be detected by the movement instructing device 31 itself or may be detected by the pointing device mounting unit 32.

  A storage portion 28 for storing the movement instruction device 31 is formed on the upper surface and the rear portion of the center console 25. The storage unit 28 is formed, for example, by partially depressing the center console 25 and is formed to be slightly larger than the movement instruction device 31. In the normal manual operation state and the automatic operation state, the movement instructing device 31 is housed in the housing portion 28. Therefore, in the normal state, the movement instructing device 31 is disposed at a position where the arm or the like of the occupant 11 is difficult to contact. From this, it is possible to prevent the hand of the occupant 11 who steers the vehicle 10 from contacting the movement instructing device 31 in the manual driving state. Further, in the automatic driving state, the occupant 11 lying on the upper surface of the seat 20 can be prevented from unnecessarily contacting the movement instructing device 31.

  Here, the movement instructing device 31 stored in the storage unit 28 may be charged. This charge may be contact charge or non-contact charge. By charging in this manner, the movement instructing device 31 can be easily charged, and when the vehicle 10 is operated urgently during automatic driving, the movement instructing device 31 can be prevented from being powered off.

  Furthermore, when the movement instructing device 31 is stored in the storage unit 28, the function of the movement instructing device 31 is invalidated, and only when the movement instructing device 31 is placed on the pointing device placement unit 32, the movement instructing device 31 is You may enable the function of. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the occupant 11 from operating the movement instruction device 31 unintentionally.

  The vehicle control device 30 includes a reaction force generation unit 26 that generates a reaction force that opposes the operation force when the occupant 11 operates the movement instruction device 31. As the reaction force generating unit 26, magnetism generating means such as an electric magnet can be adopted. The reaction force generating unit 26 includes, for example, an electromagnet generating a magnetic flux, and a magnetic body attracting or repelling the magnetic flux. As an example of a specific configuration, the reaction force generation unit 26 is configured of an electromagnet incorporated in the movement instruction device 31 and a magnetic body incorporated in the indication device mounting unit 32.

  The vehicle control device 30 described above is disposed in the vicinity of the hands of the occupant 11 lying on the seat 20 in the automatic driving state. Therefore, when operating the vehicle 10 described later in the automatic driving state, the occupant 11 can easily hold and operate the movement instructing device 31 of the vehicle control device 30. At that time, the occupant 11 can operate the vehicle 10 by sliding the movement instruction device 31 while checking the state in front of the vehicle 10 without shifting the line of sight to the movement instruction device 31. That is, the occupant 11 can perform the blind operation on the movement instruction device 31.

  The form of the seat 20 in the manual operation state and the automatic operation state will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is a side view showing the position and orientation of the seat 20 in the manual operation state, and FIG. 3B is a side view showing the position and orientation of the seat 20 in the automatic operation state.

  With reference to FIG. 3 (A), in the manual operation state where the occupant 11 drives the vehicle 10, the position and orientation of the seat 20 is set to a drambing position suitable for manual operation. Here, the seat 20 includes a seat cushion 21, a seat back 22, and a headrest 23.

  In the drambing position, the longitudinal position of the seat 20 is positioned relatively forward so that the occupant 11 can depress the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal and can steer the steering wheel 24. There is. The seat back 22 is in a standing state for the same reason.

  Referring to FIG. 3B, in the automatic driving state in which the vehicle operation instructing device 14 drives the vehicle 10, the position and orientation of the seat 20 are set to a relaxation position suitable for alleviating the driver's fatigue. Specifically, the sheet 20 is moved rearward as compared with the driving position described above. As a result, the occupant 11 is moved rearward, so that the occupant 11 can extend its legs forward, and fatigue on board can be reduced. Furthermore, the occupant 11 can be kept away from the steering wheel 24 or a brake pedal (not shown), etc., and the occupant 11 can be prevented from unintentionally contacting the steering wheel 24 or the like in the automatic driving state.

  Furthermore, the seat back 22 is in a tilted state as compared to the driving position. Further, the upper surfaces of the seat cushion 21 and the seat back 22 have a shape close to a continuous flat surface. Accordingly, the occupant 11 can overturn his upper body, and fatigue on board can be reduced. Furthermore, in the relaxed position, the seat 20 may be moved generally upward. Thus, in the automatic driving state, the position of the head of the occupant 11 is increased, and the visibility of the occupant 11 can be favorably secured.

  A vehicle control method in which the occupant 11 manually operates the vehicle 10 during automatic driving using the above-described vehicle control device 30 will be specifically described based on the flowchart of FIG. 4 with reference to the above-described drawings.

  First, in step S10, the vehicle 10 is in the automatic driving state. Specifically, referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 executes various operations based on the information from the external environment recognition device 13 etc., and constantly monitors the current traveling condition, the external environment, etc. . The vehicle operation instruction device 14 controls the braking device 15, the vehicle drive device 16, the steering device 17 and the like when it is determined that the vehicle operation instruction device 14 can perform automatic driving based on the input instruction of the occupant 11. Perform appropriate automatic operation according to the current situation. In this step, since the occupant does not need to operate the vehicle 10, the seat 20 is in the relaxed position shown in FIG. 3B, and the occupant 11 lies on the upper surface of the seat 20.

  In step S11, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 determines whether or not an inhibition cause that inhibits the automatic driving of the vehicle 10 has appeared. Here, as a cause of inhibition, it is possible that the road construction or accident being performed in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, a pedestrian or a bicycle existing on the road in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 or around the road, As a result, the situation in front of the vehicle can not be confirmed by the outside environment recognition device 13, extreme weather, and the like. Below, construction is illustrated as an obstacle cause. Here, the cause of inhibition may be referred to as risk. Also, the operation of approaching the cause of inhibition can be understood as the operation in the anti-safety direction.

  Referring to the schematic view of FIG. 5, a road 50 with two lanes is illustrated, and the vehicle 10 is traveling on the right lane. Then, a construction section 51 exists in the right lane in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, and road construction is performed in the construction section 51. For example, when the external environment recognition device 13 that is a stereo camera unit recognizes the construction section 51, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 determines that the construction section 51 is the cause of the obstruction. Here, discovery of the cause of the inhibition may be performed using devices or systems other than the environment recognition device outside the vehicle 13. For example, VICS (registered trademark) (Vehicle Information and Communication System) or GPS (Global Positioning System) may be used. You may discover the cause of the

  If the above-mentioned inhibition cause appears, that is, if YES in step S11, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, when the above-described material factor does not appear, that is, in the case of NO in step S11, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 continues the automatic driving state of step S10.

  In step S12, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 notifies the occupant 11 lying on the seat 20 that the inhibition cause has appeared. As a method of informing, it is conceivable to produce a predetermined sound from a speaker provided in the vehicle 10, to display on a display provided in the vehicle 10 that the cause of the inhibition has appeared, or the like. By performing this notification, as described later, even in the automatic driving state, the occupant 11 can operate the vehicle 10 using the vehicle control device 30, and travels the vehicle 10 while avoiding the cause of inhibition. It can be done.

  In step S13, based on the above notification, the occupant 11 operates the vehicle in order to avoid the cause of the inhibition. Specifically, referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 temporarily interrupts the automatic driving state, and permits the occupant 11 to intervene in the vehicle operation through the vehicle control device 30.

  Next, referring to FIG. 2A, the occupant 11 takes out the movement instructing device 31 stored in the storage portion 28 with his left hand, and places the movement instructing device 31 on the upper surface of the indication device mounting portion 32. Do. By doing so, the vehicle control device 30 can operate the vehicle 10. Here, the moving direction and moving speed of the movement instructing device 31 on the upper surface of the pointing device mounting unit 32 and the moving direction and moving speed of the vehicle 10 are associated with each other. Specifically, when the occupant 11 slides the movement instructing device 31 forward on the upper surface of the instructing device mounting portion 32, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 causes the vehicle 10 to move forward. In addition, when the occupant 11 accelerates and slides the movement instruction device 31 on the upper surface of the instruction device mounting unit 32, the vehicle calculation instruction device 14 accelerates the vehicle 10. Furthermore, when the occupant 11 slides the movement instructing device 31 to the left on the upper surface of the instructing device mounting portion 32, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 steers the vehicle 10 to the left.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, in this step, the occupant 11 is instructed to move while lying on the seat 20 in the relaxed position, without raising the upper limbs, and without moving the entire seat 20 forward. By operating the device 31, the vehicle 10 can be operated. Therefore, when avoiding the cause of inhibition during the automatic driving state, the occupant 11 does not have to make a sudden posture change. Furthermore, the occupant 11 can avoid the cause of the obstruction easily and quickly by operating the movement instructing device 31 while lying down.

  In the present embodiment, when the occupant 11 slides the movement instruction device 31 to operate the vehicle 10 in the automatic driving state, the movement instruction is performed to ensure safety and a sense of security when operating the movement instruction device 31. A reaction force control period for applying a reaction force to the device 31 is set. Specifically, when the occupant 11 applies an operating force to slide the movement instructing device 31 to operate the vehicle 10 in the above-described step S13, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 opposes the operating force. A force is generated from the reaction force generator 26. Here, the reaction force may be referred to as a resistance force.

  Such a reaction force is illustrated with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the construction section 51 which is the cause of inhibition appears in the automatic driving state, the crew member 11 receiving the notification to that effect moves the movement instructing device 31 to avoid the construction section 51. An operation force F1 directed to the front left side is applied to the movement instructing device 31 so as to slide toward the front left side.

  Temporarily, if the movement instructing device 31 merely allows sliding, the movement amount and movement speed of the movement instructing device 31 can not be limited, and the actual movement speed and movement direction of the vehicle 10 are intended by the occupant 11. There is a risk of becoming excessively larger than the one. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the reaction force generation unit 26 applies the reaction force F2 against the operation force F1 to the movement instruction device 31 based on the instruction of the vehicle calculation instruction device 14. The reaction force F2 faces the rear right side with respect to the operation force F1 facing the front left side. The operating force F1 and the reaction force F2 are opposite in the acting direction, and their magnitudes are substantially the same. By thus applying the reaction force F2 to the movement instructing device 31, it is possible to suppress the excessive movement of the movement instructing device 31. Furthermore, the occupant 11 can obtain feedback from the movement instructing device 31, and the sense of security when operating the vehicle 10 with the movement instructing device 31 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, in order to effectively generate the above-described reaction force F2, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 executes steps S14 and S15 described in detail below. The vehicle operation instructing device 14 executes a first reaction force period in which the reaction force generation unit 26 generates a reaction force in step S14, and executes a second reaction force period in which the magnitude of the reaction force is made different in step S15.

  Steps S14 and S15 will be described with reference to the graph of FIG. In the graphs of FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, the horizontal axis indicates the stroke which is the movement amount of the movement instructing device 31, and the vertical axis indicates the magnitude of the reaction force generated by the reaction force generation unit 26. Show. Furthermore, in these graphs, the magnitude of the reaction force in the present embodiment is indicated by a dotted line, and the magnitude of the reaction force in the comparative example is indicated by an alternate long and short dash line.

  Referring to FIG. 7A, in the comparative example (the alternate long and short dash line) merely generating the reaction force, the reaction force F20 is constant even if the stroke changes, and the movement instructing device 31 is It is not easy to operate appropriately, and it is difficult for the occupant 11 to obtain a sufficient sense of moderation and a sense of security in accordance with the slide operation of the movement instruction device 31.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment shown by a dotted line, the reaction force operation is performed as follows. When the cause of the obstruction is found in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, the fact is notified to the occupant 11, but the reaction force (magnetic force) F10 at that time is relatively small. After the notification is performed, when the occupant 11 applies the operating force to the movement instructing device 31 and slides the moving instruction device 31 so as to avoid the cause of inhibition, the vehicle operation instructing device 14 gradually increases the reaction force that opposes the operating force. Enlarge. The reaction force, as shown in this graph, reaches a peak immediately after application of the operating force and then gradually decreases.

  Referring to FIG. 7A, the reaction force control period in which the reaction force generation unit 26 generates a reaction force can be divided into a first reaction force generation period and a second reaction force generation period. The first reaction force control period is a stage immediately after the occupant 11 applies the operation force to the movement instructing device 31, and the reaction force (magnetic force) generated by the reaction force generation unit 26 becomes the maximum value F11. The magnitude of the maximum value F11 of the reaction force (magnetic force) is, for example, about several times the magnitude of the reaction force (magnetic force) before the operation force by the occupant 11 is applied. After reaching the maximum value F11, the reaction force gradually decreases. On the other hand, in the second reaction force control period, the reaction force F12 is substantially constant.

  In the present embodiment, by maximizing the reaction force in the first reaction force control period, first, in order to operate the vehicle 10, the occupant 11 moves the operating force enough to overcome the maximum reaction force F11 as a movement instructing device Since it is necessary to give to 31, it is possible to experience that there is an inhibition cause in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the large reaction force prevents the operation amount and operation speed of the occupant 11 giving the movement instruction device 31 to be excessive, and the vehicle 10 can be carefully and finely operated. That is, in the construction section 51 and its vicinity, by operating the movement instructing device 31, the occupant 11 can make the vehicle 10 travel with caution while avoiding workers performing construction, heavy machinery, and the like. Furthermore, in the first half of the first reaction force control period, the reaction force gradually increases as the stroke of the movement instruction device 31 increases, so that the operation force that the occupant 11 gives to the movement instruction device 31 and the reaction force generation unit 26 It balances with the reaction force generated from. Therefore, the occupant 11 can obtain a sense of unity, a sense of moderation, and a sense of security when operating the movement instruction device 31.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the magnitude of the reaction force F12 in the second reaction force control period is smaller than the maximum reaction force F11 in the first reaction force control period, and the magnitude before the first reaction force control period Greater than force F10. By doing this, even after the occupant 11 operates the movement instructing device 31 after moving over the maximum value F11 and operating, the reaction force generation unit 26 instructs the movement of the relatively large reaction force F12, Continue to add to device 31. The second reaction force control period is, for example, a period in which the vehicle 10 passes the construction section 51 or the vicinity thereof. Therefore, in the second reaction force control period, that is, when the vehicle 10 passes through the construction section 51, the occupant 11 can be prevented from giving an excessive operation amount or operation speed to the movement instructing device 31.

  Referring to FIG. 7B, here, in the second reaction force control period, the reaction force F12 increases as the stroke increases. That is, the reaction force F12 increases as the movement instruction time, which is the time for moving the movement instruction device 31, elapses. Here, the reaction force F12 linearly increases. Thus, by increasing the reaction force that the reaction force generation unit 26 applies to the movement instruction device 31 in the second reaction force control period, the movement amount of the movement instruction device 31 in the second reaction force control period In addition, excessive movement speed is further suppressed, and the occupant 11 can further obtain a sense of unity, moderation and reassurance.

  In step S16, it is determined whether the above-described inhibition cause has disappeared. For example, when the construction section 51 is removed from the field of view of the external environment recognition device 13 which is a stereo camera unit, it is determined that the cause of the obstruction has disappeared. If the cause of the obstruction disappears, that is, if step S16 is YES by passing the construction section 51, the automatic operation state is restored in step S17, and the vehicle calculation instructing device 14 operates the vehicle 10. On the other hand, in the state where the inhibition cause exists, that is, when the vehicle 10 passes through the construction section 51 and step S16 is NO, the process returns to step S13 and the occupant 11 operates the movement instruction device 31 to operate the vehicle 10. To continue.

  FIG. 8 shows the screen state of the display device 29 when the movement instruction device 31 described above is performed. The display device 29 is, for example, a liquid crystal display disposed in a central portion of an instrument panel or the like, on which map information is displayed. Here, the road 50 is displayed at the center of the display device 29, and the vehicle 10 and the construction section 51 present in front thereof are also displayed superimposed on the road 50. Here, another device can be adopted as the display device 29. For example, a head-up display can also be adopted as the display device 29.

  In the present embodiment, an arrow 52 indicates the direction in which the occupant 11 is moving the movement instruction device 31, that is, the direction in which the vehicle 10 is steered, on the road 50 described above. By doing this, the occupant 11 can more reliably recognize the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 that he is operating with the movement instruction device 31. Therefore, the occupant 11 can control the vehicle 10 more precisely by operating the movement instructing device 31 while viewing the display device 29 in the vicinity of the construction section 51 which is the cause of the obstruction. Here, the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 is indicated by an arrow, but the traveling direction and the traveling locus of the vehicle 10 may be indicated by a line.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was shown, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.

  For example, referring to FIG. 2A, in the above embodiment, the indicator mounting portion 32 is the upper surface of the center console 25. However, another portion of the vehicle 10 may be the pointer mounting portion 32. . Specifically, the pointing device placement portion 32 can also be formed on the upper surface of an armrest (not shown) disposed on the side surface of the sheet 20.

  With reference to FIG. 2 (B), in the above embodiment, a magnetic force is adopted as a reaction force to be applied to the movement instruction device 31, but it is also possible to adopt another form of reaction force. The frictional force generated between the pointing device 31 and the pointing device placement unit 32 can also be adopted as a reaction force.

  Referring to FIG. 7A, in the above embodiment, the reaction force generation unit 26 generates the reaction force F10 even when the occupant 11 does not operate the movement instructing device 31, but the occupant 11 instructs movement The reaction force can also be zero when the device 31 is not operated.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 10 can switch between the manual driving state and the automatic driving state, but the vehicle control device 30 of this embodiment is applied to the vehicle 10 traveling exclusively in the automatic driving state It can also be done.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 11 Occupant 12 Input device 13 Vehicle external environment recognition device 14 Vehicle operation instruction device 15 Braking device 16 Vehicle drive device 17 Steering device 19 Seat drive device 20 Seat 21 Seat cushion 22 Seat back 23 Headrest 24 Steering wheel 25 Center console 26 Reaction force Generation unit 28 Storage unit 29 Display device 30 Vehicle control device 31 Movement instruction device 32 Instruction device placement unit 50 Road 51 Construction section 52 Arrow F1 Operating force F2, F10, F11, F12, F20 Reaction force

Claims (9)

It is installed in the vehicle that can realize the automatic driving state where the main driving operation is performed automatically,
A movement instruction device that has a shape that can be held by an occupant and outputs a movement signal according to the movement amount;
A vehicle operation instruction device that performs predetermined arithmetic processing according to the movement signal output from the movement instruction device, and operates the vehicle;
An instruction device placement unit disposed in the vicinity of a seat on which the occupant sits and having an operation surface on which the movement instruction device moves;
A reaction force generating unit configured to generate a reaction force against the operation force of the operation when the occupant operates the movement instruction device;
The vehicle operation instructing device causes the reaction instructing device to move the reaction force to the movement instructing device when a cause of inhibition determined to have a certain degree of possibility of inhibiting the automatic driving appears in the automatic driving state. Provide a reaction force control period to apply
The reaction force control period has a first reaction force control period and a second reaction force control period which is a period after the first reaction force control period,
In the first reaction force control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device is larger than that before the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause,
In the second reaction force control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device is smaller than the reaction force in the first reaction force control period, and the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause. A vehicle control device characterized in that it is larger than before.   The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the reaction force applied to the movement instruction device in the second reaction force control period increases with the passage of a movement instruction time.   3. The vehicle operation instruction device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle operator is notified of the existence of the inhibition cause before the reaction instruction is applied to the movement instruction device. Vehicle control equipment. Further, a storage unit is provided in the vicinity of the pointing device mounting unit,
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operation of the vehicle via the movement instructing device is invalidated when the movement instructing device is accommodated in the accommodating portion.   The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein the movement instruction device is charged when the movement instruction device is stored in the storage unit.   The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vehicle operation instruction device displays the content of the operation of the movement instruction device on a display device.   The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pointing device placement unit is incorporated in a center console of the vehicle.   The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the seat on which the occupant is seated is in a relaxed position during the reaction force control period. It is applied to vehicles that can realize an automatic driving state where the main driving operation is performed automatically,
A movement instruction device that has a shape that can be held by an occupant and outputs a movement signal according to the movement amount;
A vehicle operation instruction device that performs predetermined arithmetic processing according to the movement signal output from the movement instruction device, and operates the vehicle;
An instruction device placement unit disposed in the vicinity of a seat on which the occupant sits and having an operation surface on which the movement instruction device moves;
A vehicle control method using a vehicle control device, comprising: a reaction force generating unit that generates a reaction force that opposes the operation force of the operation when the occupant operates the movement instruction device;
A reaction force control period for applying the reaction force to the movement instruction device when an inhibition cause that is determined to have a certain degree of possibility of inhibiting automatic driving appears in the automatic driving state of the vehicle Provide
As the reaction force control period, a first reaction force control period and a second reaction force control period which is a period after the first reaction force control period are set,
In the first reaction force control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device is made larger than that before the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause,
In the second reaction force control period, the reaction force applied to the movement instructing device is smaller than the reaction force in the first reaction force control period, and the vehicle operation instructing device finds the inhibition cause A vehicle control method characterized by making it larger than before.

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