JP5515771B2 - Armrest device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an armrest device that supports a driver's arm.

  Conventionally, a technique for adjusting the position of an armrest is known. For example, Patent Literature 1 below describes an occupant posture control device that controls the position of an armrest based on driving operation information indicating a steering angle of a steering wheel and road information. Specifically, this device lowers the armrest so that the armrest does not interfere with driving when the vehicle moves backward.

JP 2005-119559 A JP 2002-293153 A JP 2008-284949 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-078562

  Of course, the type and degree of operation of the driving operation vary depending on the traveling direction of the vehicle, the vehicle speed, and the like, and as a result, the position of the driver's arm can also vary. However, the armrest control by the device described in Patent Document 1 cannot be said to take into account the positions of the various arms, so it cannot be said that fatigue during driving can always be reduced.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the armrest apparatus which can reduce a driver | operator's fatigue in the scene of various driving | operations.

The armrest device of the present invention supports an upper arm part or an elbow part of a driver of a vehicle, applies an reaction force to the placed upper arm part or the elbow part, and a detection means for detecting a running state of the vehicle, Adjusting means for adjusting a reaction force that the armrest applies to the upper arm part or the elbow part by changing the position of the armrest based on the traveling state detected by the detection means, and the detection means includes a turning direction of the vehicle The adjusting means moves the armrest located inside the driver in the direction away from the upper arm part or the elbow part with respect to the turning direction detected by the detecting means .

According to such an invention, since the armrest is provided at a position that supports the upper arm or the elbow, the driving operation is not hindered, and as a result, the fatigue felt by the driver can be reduced. In addition, since the reaction force that the armrest applies to the upper arm or elbow of the driver is adjusted according to the running state of the vehicle, the feeling that the armrest hits the arm can be finely controlled according to various driving situations. By providing and controlling the armrest in this way, it is possible to reduce driver fatigue in various driving situations. More specifically, since the position of the armrest located inside the turning direction moves away from the upper arm or elbow of the driver, the movement of the arm inside the turning direction of the driver is caused by the armrest during the steering operation. It can be prevented from being hindered. As a result, driver fatigue during turning can be reduced.

The armrest device of the present invention supports an upper arm part or an elbow part of a driver of a vehicle, applies an reaction force to the placed upper arm part or the elbow part, and a detection means for detecting a running state of the vehicle, Adjusting means for adjusting a reaction force that the armrest applies to the upper arm part or the elbow part by changing the position of the armrest based on the traveling state detected by the detecting means, the detecting means from the traveling lane Based on the departure direction detected by the detection means, the adjusting means moves the armrest located in the departure direction in a direction toward the upper arm part or the elbow part from the driver.
According to such an invention, since the armrest is provided at a position that supports the upper arm or the elbow, the driving operation is not hindered, and as a result, the fatigue felt by the driver can be reduced. In addition, since the reaction force that the armrest applies to the upper arm or elbow of the driver is adjusted according to the running state of the vehicle, the feeling that the armrest hits the arm can be finely controlled according to various driving situations. By providing and controlling the armrest in this way, it is possible to reduce driver fatigue in various driving situations. More specifically, since the position of the armrest located in the departure direction of the vehicle moves in a direction toward the upper arm or elbow of the driver, the driver can handle the driver to return the vehicle to the driving lane. Can be urged. That is, such a configuration can realize a function such as lane keep assist (LKA).

  In the armrest device according to the present invention, when the detection means detects the speed of the vehicle and the adjustment means detects that the speed detected by the detection means is higher than a predetermined threshold, the armrest is placed on the upper arm or the elbow more than otherwise. You may move to the direction which goes to a part.

  In this case, when the speed is relatively high, the reaction force applied to the upper arm portion or the elbow portion of the driver is high, and thus the driver's arm is pressed against the steering wheel more than when driving at low speed. As a result, it is possible to stabilize the traveling of the vehicle by suppressing the shake of the steering wheel during high-speed traveling. On the other hand, when the speed is relatively low, the reaction force up to that is not applied to the driver's upper arm or elbow, so the armrest does not hinder the steering operation (turning operation). As a result, driver fatigue can be reduced.

  According to such an armrest device, the armrest is provided at a position that supports the upper arm part or the elbow part, and the reaction force that the armrest applies to the upper arm part or the elbow part of the driver is adjusted according to the traveling state of the vehicle. The driver's fatigue can be reduced in various driving situations.

It is a figure which shows typically the armrest which concerns on each embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the armrest apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the example of the relationship between a vehicle speed and the reference position of an armrest. It is a graph which shows the example of the relationship between a yaw rate and the correction value of a reference position. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the armrest apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the armrest apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the example of the relationship between a steering angle and the normal correction value of a reference position. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the armrest apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the normal correction value calculation process shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the emergency correction value calculation process shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the armrest apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the example of the relationship between the deviation | shift amount and deviation direction, and the correction value of the position of an armrest. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the armrest apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(First embodiment)
First, the function and configuration of the armrest device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. The armrest device 1 is a device that is mounted on a vehicle and controls a pair of armrests 15 (see FIG. 1) that support the left and right upper arms or elbows of the driver. As shown in FIG. 2, the armrest device 1 includes a vehicle speed sensor 11, a yaw rate sensor 12, an adjustment unit 13, and a position control motor 14 as functional components in addition to the pair of armrests 15.

  The vehicle speed sensor 11 is means for detecting the vehicle speed. The vehicle speed sensor 11 detects the vehicle speed from the rotational speed of the wheel, and outputs the detected vehicle speed to the adjustment unit 13 as vehicle speed information. The vehicle speed sensor 11 repeatedly executes such processing at predetermined time intervals.

  The yaw rate sensor 12 is means for detecting the yaw rate of the vehicle. The yaw rate sensor 12 outputs the detected yaw rate to the adjustment unit 13 as yaw rate information. The yaw rate sensor 12 repeatedly executes such processing at predetermined time intervals.

  The adjustment unit 13 is a unit that is realized on an electronic control unit (ECU) and adjusts the position of the armrest 15 based on the detected vehicle speed and yaw rate. The adjustment unit 13 determines the position of the armrest 15 based on the vehicle speed and the yaw rate, and outputs a control signal for moving the armrest 15 from the current position to the target position to the position control motor 14. The position control motor 14 changes the position of the armrest 15 based on the control signal input from the adjustment unit 13.

  The adjusting unit 13 stores therein data for adjusting the position of the armrest 15 in advance. The data shows an initial value (default value) for moving the armrest 15 to the initial reference position, data indicating the correspondence between the vehicle speed and the reference position, and the correspondence between the yaw rate and the reference position correction value. Contains data. Here, the reference position is a target position of the armrest 15.

  The correspondence relationship between the vehicle speed and the reference position is set as shown in the graph of FIG. 3, for example. An arrow A1 in FIG. 3 indicates that the reference position of the armrest 15 changes in a direction in which the armrest 15 is directed toward the driver's upper arm or elbow, and an arrow A2 indicates that the armrest 15 is in a direction away from the upper arm or elbow. It shows that the reference position of the armrest 15 changes. The relationship between the vehicle speed and the reference position is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3, but this relationship is set so that the armrest 15 is closer to the upper arm or elbow of the driver when traveling at a higher speed than when traveling at a lower speed.

  The correspondence between the yaw rate and the reference position correction value is set as shown in the graph of FIG. 4, for example. An arrow A3 in FIG. 4 indicates that the reference position of the armrest 15 changes in a direction in which the armrest 15 is away from the upper arm or elbow of the driver. The correspondence relationship between the yaw rate and the correction value is not limited to the example of FIG. 4, but this relationship is set so that the correction value increases in the negative direction when the turning angle is large.

  When the armrest device 1 is activated, for example, when the vehicle ignition switch is turned on or the armrest device 1 itself is turned on, the adjustment unit 13 first moves the armrest 15 to the initial reference position based on the initial value. Control signal is generated and output to the position control motor 14.

  Thereafter, when the vehicle speed information and the yaw rate information are input, the adjustment unit 13 obtains the reference position P corresponding to the current vehicle speed by applying the vehicle speed information to the correspondence as shown in FIG. Subsequently, the adjusting unit 13 obtains the correction value H corresponding to the current yaw rate by applying the yaw rate information to the correspondence relationship as shown in FIG. 4 and determines the turning direction of the vehicle based on the yaw rate information.

  Subsequently, the adjustment unit 13 individually determines the reference positions of the two armrests 15 located on the left and right sides of the driver based on these calculation results. When the vehicle is moving straight or substantially straight, the adjustment unit 13 sets the reference positions of the two armrests 15 to P, respectively.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle is turning more than a predetermined angle, the adjustment unit 13 sets P + H as the reference position of the armrest 15 inside the driver with respect to the turning direction, and the driver's The reference position of the armrest 15 on the outside is P (+0). As shown in FIG. 4, since the correction value H is 0 or less, the armrest 15 on the outer side in the turning direction moves to the reference position P, and the armrest 15 on the inner side in the turning direction moves to the upper arm or elbow from the reference position P. It moves in the direction away from the part. This means that the armrest 15 on the inner side in the turning direction moves further away from the driver's arm than the armrest 15 on the outer side in the turning direction.

  After obtaining the reference position as described above, the adjustment unit 13 generates a control signal for moving the armrest 15 to the new reference position and outputs the control signal to the position control motor 14. As a result, the positions of the armrests 15 on the left and right sides of the driver are individually adjusted. The vehicle speed information and the yaw rate information are input to the adjustment unit 13 at predetermined time intervals. The adjustment unit 13 readjusts the position of the armrest 15 by the above method every time or at another time interval.

  Next, operation | movement of the armrest apparatus 1 is demonstrated using FIG. When the armrest device 1 is activated, the adjustment unit 13 first moves the armrest 15 to the initial reference position (step S1). Thereafter, when the vehicle speed is detected by the vehicle speed sensor 11 and the yaw rate is detected by the yaw rate sensor 12 (step S2), the adjustment unit 13 obtains a new reference position P based on the vehicle speed (step S3), and based on the yaw rate. Then, the correction value H of the reference position is obtained (step S4).

  Subsequently, the adjustment unit 13 determines the target position of the armrest 15 based on the reference position P and the correction value H. First, when the vehicle is turning (H ≠ 0) (step S5; YES), the adjusting unit 13 determines the turning direction (step S6). Then, the adjustment unit 13 sets the correction value H of the armrest 15 that supports the right arm to 0 if the vehicle is turning left (step S7), and the correction value H of the armrest 15 that supports the left arm if the vehicle is turning right. Is set to 0 (step S8). Subsequently, the adjustment unit 13 individually sets the reference positions (P + H) of the left and right armrests (step S9). At this time, either the left or right reference position is P (+0). Then, the adjusting unit 13 generates a control signal based on the calculation result, and outputs the signal to the position control motor 14, thereby moving the armrest 15 to a new reference position (step S10).

  On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling straight or substantially straight (H = 0) (step S5; NO), the adjustment unit 13 moves the armrest 15 to the reference position without considering the correction value H. A control signal for moving to P is generated. Then, the adjustment unit 13 outputs the signal to the position control motor 14 to move the armrest 15 to a new reference position (step S10).

  Note that the armrest device 1 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S2 to S10 while the vehicle is traveling.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the armrest 15 is provided at a position that supports the upper arm portion or the elbow portion, so that the driving operation is not hindered. As a result, the fatigue felt by the driver can be reduced. . In addition, by changing the position of the armrest 15 as described above, the reaction force that the armrest 15 applies to the driver's upper arm or elbow is adjusted according to the running state of the vehicle, so that the armrest hits the arm. It can be finely controlled according to various driving situations. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce driver fatigue in various driving situations.

  Specifically, when the speed is relatively high, the armrest 15 is moved in the direction toward the driver's upper arm or elbow, and as a result, the reaction force applied to the upper arm or elbow is increased, so that during low speed driving Rather, the driver's arm is pressed against the steering wheel. As a result, it is possible to stabilize the traveling of the vehicle by suppressing the shake of the steering wheel during high-speed traveling. Conversely, when the speed is relatively low, the reaction force up to that time is not applied to the driver's upper arm or elbow, so the armrest 15 does not hinder the steering operation (turning operation). As a result, driver fatigue can be reduced.

  In addition, since the position of the armrest 15 located inside the turning direction moves away from the driver's upper arm or elbow, movement of the arm inside the turning direction of the driver is hindered by the armrest 15 during the steering operation. Can be prevented. As a result, driver fatigue during turning can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the correction value of the reference position is obtained based on the amount of yaw rate and the turning direction. However, the correction value may be determined based on only the turning direction regardless of the magnitude of the yaw rate.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the armrest device 2 according to the second embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the armrest device 2 includes a steering angle sensor 16 instead of the yaw rate sensor 12 in the first embodiment. Accordingly, the method for obtaining the correction value of the reference position in the adjustment unit 13A is different from that of the adjustment unit 13 in the first embodiment. Since other configurations of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  The steering angle sensor 16 is means for detecting the steering angle. The steering angle sensor 16 outputs the detected steering angle to the adjustment unit 13A as steering angle information. The steering angle sensor 16 repeatedly executes such processing at predetermined time intervals.

  The adjusting unit 13A is a means that is realized on the ECU and adjusts the position of the armrest 15 based on the detected vehicle speed and steering angle. The adjusting unit 13A determines the position of the armrest 15 based on the vehicle speed and the steering angle, and outputs a control signal for moving the armrest 15 from the current position to the target position to the position control motor 14. The method by which the adjustment unit 13A obtains the reference position from the vehicle speed is the same as the method of the adjustment unit 13 in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, a method for obtaining the reference position correction value will be described.

In order to obtain the correction value, the adjustment unit 13A stores in advance data indicating a correspondence relationship between the steering angle and the normal correction value of the reference position, and the maximum value U _max of the emergency correction value used at the time of sudden steering. The correspondence relationship between the steering angle and the normal correction value is set as shown in the graph of FIG. 7, for example. An arrow A4 in FIG. 7 indicates that the reference position of the armrest 15 changes in a direction in which the armrest 15 moves away from the driver's upper arm or elbow. Although the correspondence relationship between the steering angle and the normal correction value is not limited to the example of FIG. 7, this relationship is set so that the normal correction value increases in the negative direction when the steering angle is large.

  First, a method for setting the normal correction value H ′ will be described. The adjustment unit 13A obtains the normal correction value H ′ corresponding to the current steering angle by applying the steering angle information to the correspondence as shown in FIG. 7, and determines the turning direction of the vehicle based on the steering angle information. To do. Subsequently, the adjustment unit 13A sets the normal correction value of the armrest 15 outside the driver with respect to the turning direction while maintaining the normal correction value of the armrest 15 inside the driver with respect to the turning direction at H ′. 0.

  Next, a method for setting the emergency correction value U will be described. The emergency correction value U is a value common to both the pair of armrests 15. First, the adjustment unit 13A obtains a steering angular velocity (time change of the steering angle) based on the steering angle information, and determines whether or not the steering angular velocity is greater than a predetermined threshold value. This threshold value is a reference value for determining whether or not the driver suddenly steers, and is stored in advance in the adjustment unit 13A.

If the steering angular velocity is larger than the threshold value, the adjustment unit 13A sets the emergency correction value U to U _max after setting the flag indicating that the sudden steering has occurred to ON. Here, U _max is a value indicating the amount of movement for moving the armrest 15 farthest from the upper arm or elbow of the driver.

  On the other hand, if the steering angular velocity is equal to or less than the threshold value, the adjustment unit 13A sets the emergency correction value U based on the presence / absence of the sudden handle or the elapsed time from the occurrence of the sudden handle. First, when the flag is OFF, the adjustment unit 13A sets the emergency correction value U to 0. On the other hand, when the flag is ON, the adjustment unit 13A decreases the emergency correction value U by a predetermined value α. That is, the adjustment unit 13A performs a calculation of U = U−α.

After obtaining the normal correction value H ′ and the emergency correction value U in this way, the adjustment unit 13A obtains the final position P _next of the armrest 15 by the following equation.
P _next = P + H '+ U
Note that P is a reference position obtained from the vehicle speed based on the relationship shown in FIG. Since H ′ may be different between the left and right armrests 15, the value P _next can also be changed between the left and right armrests 15.

After _{obtaining the} position P _next as described above, the adjustment unit 13A generates a control signal for moving the armrest 15 to that position and outputs the control signal to the position control motor 14. As a result, the positions of the armrests 15 on the left and right sides of the driver are individually adjusted.

  Steering angle information is input to the adjusting unit 13 at predetermined time intervals. The adjusting unit 13 readjusts the position of the armrest 15 by the above method each time or at another time interval. Even if the sudden handle occurs once, if the same operation is not performed thereafter, the emergency correction value U decreases by α and finally becomes zero. When U = 0, the adjustment unit 13A returns the flag to OFF. In such a control, when the steering wheel is suddenly moved, the armrest is kept away from the upper arm or elbow of the driver as much as possible so that the armrest 15 does not interfere with the driving operation, and then the armrest 15 is gradually moved to the normal position (reference position and reference position). It is intended to return to the position determined by the normal correction value.

Next, operation | movement of the armrest apparatus 2 is demonstrated using FIGS. When the armrest device 2 is activated, the adjustment unit 13A first moves the armrest 15 to the initial reference position as shown in FIG. 8 (step S11). Thereafter, when the vehicle speed is detected by the vehicle speed sensor 11 and the steering angle is detected by the steering angle sensor 16 (step S12), the adjusting unit 13A obtains a new reference position P based on the vehicle speed (step S13). Further, the adjusting unit 13A obtains the normal correction value H ′ based on the steering angle (step S14), and obtains the emergency correction value U based on the steering angle angle (step S15). Then, the adjusting unit 13A obtains the final position P _next as described above, generates a control signal, and outputs the signal to the position control motor 14, thereby moving the armrest 15 to a new reference position (Step S1). S16).

  The details of the process for obtaining the normal correction value (step S14) are as shown in FIG. That is, the adjustment unit 13A first obtains the normal correction value H ′ corresponding to the steering angle (step S1401), and then determines the turning direction (step S1402). Then, the adjustment unit 13A sets the correction value H ′ of the armrest 15 that supports the right arm to 0 if the vehicle is turning left (step S1403), and the correction value of the armrest 15 that supports the left arm if the vehicle is turning right. H ′ is set to 0 (step S1404).

  The details of the process for obtaining the emergency correction value (step S15) are as shown in FIG. That is, the adjustment unit 13A first obtains the steering angular velocity based on the steering angle information (step S1501), and determines whether the angular velocity exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S1502).

At this time, if the steering angular velocity exceeds the threshold (step S1502; YES), the adjustment unit 13A turns on a flag indicating that the sudden steering operation has been performed (step S1503), and sets the emergency correction value to U. _It is set to _max (step S1504).

  On the other hand, if the steering angular velocity is equal to or less than the threshold (step S1502; NO), the adjustment unit 13A further determines whether or not the flag is ON (step S1505). If the flag is OFF, the emergency correction value U is set to 0. If it is ON, the emergency correction value U is reduced by a predetermined value α (step S1507). When the urgent correction value U is decreased, the adjustment unit 13A determines whether or not the value U has become 0 (step S1508). If U = 0, the flag is turned off (step S1509). .

  As described above, the present embodiment can provide the same effects as those of the first embodiment. In addition, since the armrest 15 is moved to a position farthest from the upper arm or elbow of the driver at the time of sudden steering, it is possible to prevent the armrest 15 from interfering with the driving operation in an emergency. This also contributes to reducing driver fatigue.

  In the present embodiment, the normal correction value and the emergency correction value are set based on the steering angle. However, these correction values may be set based on the torque value obtained from the torque sensor provided in the power steering. .

  In the present embodiment, the normal correction value is obtained based on the steering angle and the turning direction. However, the normal correction value may be determined based on only the turning direction regardless of the magnitude of the steering angle.

(Third embodiment)
Next, the armrest device 3 according to the third embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the armrest device 3 includes a deviation state calculation unit 17, an adjustment unit 13 </ b> B, a position control motor 14, and an armrest 15 as functional components. Hereinafter, the deviation state calculation unit 17 and the adjustment unit 13B different from the first embodiment will be particularly described.

  The departure state calculation unit 17 includes a camera that captures the front of the vehicle and a GPS (Global Positioning System) that acquires the current position of the vehicle. It is means for detecting whether the vehicle is running. The departure state calculation unit 17 obtains a reference point of the travel lane such as a white line or a center line based on the image obtained from the camera, and calculates a travel course based on the result. Subsequently, the departure state calculation unit 17 compares the course and the current position obtained by the GPS to obtain the departure amount and the departure direction of the vehicle from the traveling lane. Then, the departure state calculation unit 17 outputs the departure amount and the departure direction to the adjustment unit 13B as departure information.

  The adjustment unit 13B is a unit that is realized on an electronic control unit (ECU) and adjusts the position of the armrest 15 based on the input deviation information. The adjustment unit 13 determines the position of the armrest 15 based on the deviation information, and outputs a control signal for moving the armrest 15 from the current position to the target position to the position control motor 14.

  The adjustment unit 13B stores therein data related to the reference position of the armrest 15 and data indicating the correspondence between the deviation amount and the correction value of the reference position in advance. The correspondence between the deviation amount and the correction value is set as shown in the graph of FIG. 12, for example. An arrow A5 in FIG. 12 indicates that the reference position of the armrest 15 changes in a direction in which the armrest 15 is directed toward the driver's upper arm or elbow, and an arrow A6 indicates that the armrest 15 is in a direction away from the upper arm or elbow. It shows that the reference position of the armrest 15 changes. The first and fourth quadrants of the graph indicate that the vehicle deviates in the right direction of the travel lane, and the second and third quadrants indicate that the vehicle deviates in the left direction of the travel lane. A broken line HL and a solid line HR in the graph indicate the correction amounts of the left and right armrests 15 of the driver, respectively.

  Accordingly, if the vehicle deviates in the right direction, the right armrest 15 moves so as to push the driver's right arm, and the left armrest moves away from the driver's left arm. On the other hand, if the vehicle deviates leftward, the left armrest 15 moves so as to push the left arm of the driver, and the right armrest moves away from the right arm of the driver. This is intended to assist or facilitate the steering operation for returning the vehicle to the driving lane. The correspondence relationship between the deviation amount and the correction value of the reference position is not limited to the example of FIG. 12, but the relationship is set so that the correction value of the armrest on the deviation direction side is larger than the correction value of the other armrest. .

  The adjustment unit 13B obtains the correction values of the left and right armrests 15 by applying the deviation amount input to the data as shown in FIG. 12, and adds the correction values to the reference position to obtain the final position of the armrest 15 Ask for. Then, the adjustment unit 13 generates a control signal for moving the armrest 15 to a new reference position and outputs the control signal to the position control motor 14. Information on the deviation amount is input to the adjustment unit 13 at a predetermined time interval. The adjustment unit 13 readjusts the position of the armrest 15 by the above method each time or at another time interval.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the armrest 15 is provided at a position that supports the upper arm portion or the elbow portion, so that the driving operation is not hindered. As a result, the fatigue felt by the driver can be reduced. . In addition, since the position of the armrest 15 positioned in the departure direction of the vehicle moves in the direction toward the upper arm or elbow of the driver, the driver prompts the driver to operate the steering wheel to return the vehicle to the travel lane. Can do. That is, such a configuration can realize a function such as lane keep assist (LKA).

  In the present embodiment, the correction value is obtained based on the deviation amount and the deviation direction, but the correction value may be determined based on only the deviation direction without depending on the deviation amount.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, the armrest device 4 according to the fourth embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, the armrest device 4 includes an armrest 15 </ b> A, an input monitoring unit 18, and a control signal generation unit 19 as functional components, and is connected to a steer-by-wire type steering device 20.

  The armrest 15A is a member that supports the upper arm or elbow of the driver, and is provided to move by a predetermined amount when pressed. The installation place of the armrest 15A is the same as that shown in FIG.

  The input monitoring unit 18 is electrically or mechanically connected to the armrest 15A, and is a means for detecting the amount of change in the position of the armrest 15A caused by the driver's pressing. The input monitoring unit 18 outputs information indicating the detected change amount to the control signal generation unit 19.

  The control signal generator 19 is means for controlling the steering device 20 by converting the amount of change in the position of the armrest 15 </ b> A into a predetermined control signal and outputting it to the steering device 20. Although the control method of the steering device 20 is not limited, for example, the control signal generation unit 19 controls the steering device 20 as described below.

  As an example, the control signal generator 19 obtains the target steering angle based on the vehicle speed gain obtained from the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor (not shown) and the input position change amount. The control signal generator 19 may obtain the target steering angle based on the steering angle detected by a steering angle sensor (not shown) and the control gain obtained from the input position change amount. Although a specific calculation method of the target steering angle is arbitrary, the target steering angle may be calculated to be larger as the amount of change in the position of the armrest 15A, in other words, the amount by which the armrest 15A is pushed in is larger. After obtaining the target steering angle in this way, the control signal generator 19 generates a control signal for adjusting the steering angle of the steering device 20 to the target value and outputs the control signal to the steering device 20.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the armrest 15A is provided at a position that supports the upper arm part or the elbow part, so that the driving operation is not hindered. As a result, the fatigue felt by the driver can be reduced. . In addition, since the armrest 15A functions as an input means for the steering device 20, the driver can easily control a predetermined device by pressing the armrest 15A with the upper arm or the elbow, for example. Further, if the armrest 15A is pushed in, it can be determined that the driver is tired, and the steering reaction force can be reduced by increasing the control amount of the steering device. Such control also contributes to reducing driver fatigue.

  In the present embodiment, the armrest 15 is used as an input unit for the steering device 20, but an armrest may be used as an input unit for other devices. For example, an armrest may be used as input means for changing the gear ratio.

  The present invention has been described in detail based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.

  In the first to third embodiments, by changing the position of the armrest, the reaction force that the armrest imparts to the upper arm part or the elbow part is adjusted, but the adjustment method of the reaction force from the armrest is this. It is not limited to. For example, the reaction force may be adjusted by changing the power of the position control motor 14 for maintaining the armrest 15 at a predetermined position. In this case, the reaction force from the armrest increases as the power increases.

  The armrest device according to the present invention may be one in which the functions and configurations of the first to third embodiments are integrated. Moreover, the armrest which comprises an armrest apparatus does not need to be a pair, and may be provided only in either the driver | operator's left or right.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1-4 ... Armrest apparatus, 11 ... Vehicle speed sensor (detection means), 12 ... Yaw rate sensor (detection means), 13, 13A, 13B ... Adjustment part (adjustment means), 14 ... Position control motor, 15, 15A ... Armrest, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Steering angle sensor (detection means), 17 ... Deviation state calculation part (detection means), 18 ... Input monitoring part (detection means), 19 ... Control signal generation part (control means), 20 ... Steering device (predetermined device) ).

Claims (3)

An armrest that supports the upper arm or the elbow of the driver of the vehicle and gives a reaction force to the placed upper arm or the elbow,
Detecting means for detecting a traveling state of the vehicle;
An adjusting means for adjusting a reaction force applied to the upper arm part or the elbow part by changing the position of the armrest based on the running state detected by the detecting means;
Equipped with a,
The detecting means detects a turning direction of the vehicle;
The adjusting means moves the armrest located inside the driver with respect to the turning direction detected by the detecting means in a direction away from the upper arm part or the elbow part;
Armrest device. An armrest that supports the upper arm or the elbow of the driver of the vehicle and gives a reaction force to the placed upper arm or the elbow,
Detecting means for detecting a traveling state of the vehicle;
An adjusting means for adjusting a reaction force applied to the upper arm part or the elbow part by changing the position of the armrest based on the running state detected by the detecting means;
With
The detection means detects a departure direction of the vehicle from the driving lane;
The adjusting means moves the armrest located in the departure direction from the driver in a direction toward the upper arm part or the elbow part based on the departure direction detected by the detection means.
Armrest device. The detection means detects the speed of the vehicle;
When the speed detected by the detecting means is higher than a predetermined threshold, the adjusting means moves the armrest in a direction toward the upper arm part or the elbow part than when the speed is not the case,
The armrest device according to claim 1 or 2 .

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