JPH08301136A - Steering operation reactive force regulating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To unify operation muscular force that a driver feels, to provide a good operation feeling, and to reduce fatigue. CONSTITUTION: A reactive force regulating device 1 regulating operation reactive force in a steering device, a conformation detecting unit 17, a posture detecting unit 19, a muscle length detecting unit 21, and a controller 15 and arranged. On the basis of detection of a driver condition, the reactive force regulating device 1 can be controller by means of the controller 15 so that a superior limb load condition of the driver is kept constant.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering operation reaction force adjusting device for adjusting an operation reaction force of a steering device to reduce driver's fatigue.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional device for adjusting the operation reaction force of a steering device, there is, for example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-85379. This device adjusts the operating oil flow rate of the power steering device in accordance with the vehicle speed detection signal to obtain the characteristic shown in FIG. That is, according to this device, the operation reaction force is increased as the vehicle speed increases, and a light operation feeling is obtained at low speed traveling and a slightly heavy operation feeling is obtained at high speed traveling.

[0003]

However, in the above device, the parameter for adjusting the operation reaction force of the steering device is the vehicle speed, and the condition of the driver's upper limb is not taken into consideration at all. . That is, the state of the upper limbs of the driver varies depending on the steering angle of the steering wheel, the physique of the driver, the driving posture, etc., and the same operation feeling is not always obtained. This will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 21A, the horizontal axis represents the steering angle α, and the vertical axis represents the muscle load felt by humans. Figure 21
(B) shows the steering angle α. The curve (a) in (a) shows the curve of the muscle load that humans feel when the steering operation reaction force, that is, the reaction force input from the steering wheel to the occupant's hand is constant. It is considered that when the steering angle is different like the curve of (a), the muscle load on the driver is different, and the driver feels more difficult to operate as the steering angle increases. Further, even when the driver changes and the positional relationship between the shoulder and the steering wheel changes, the muscle load also changes. This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 22 (a) shows the relationship between the steering wheel SW and the occupant P. R indicates the position of the grip point with respect to the steering wheel W, and Q indicates the position of the shoulder joint. When the distance in the front-rear direction of R and Q is X and the distance in the up-and-down direction is Y, X and Y respectively.
Change in muscle burden due to difference in (b) (c), (c)
It is shown as (d). These changes in (c) and (d) represent changes in muscle load with respect to changes in X and Y when the operation reaction force is constant. When the driver changes as shown in (C) and (D) and X and Y change, the muscle load changes despite the constant operation reaction force. That is, X and Y become large, such as the upper limbs of the driver becoming longer, and the driver may find it difficult to operate. Also, considering the burden on the driver when driving for a long time, the steering reaction force may be enough to give the driver information about the driving situation, and an excessive load on the upper limb only causes muscle fatigue easily. .

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering operation reaction force adjusting device which can be operated with a constant upper limb load even when the steering angle, the driver's posture, and the physique are different.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 comprises a reaction force adjusting means for adjusting the operation reaction force of the steering device, and a state detecting means for detecting the state of the driver. The control means controls the reaction force adjusting means so that the upper limb load state of the driver becomes constant based on the driver's state detection by the state detecting means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a reaction force adjusting means for adjusting the operation reaction force of the steering device, a muscle force detecting means for detecting the muscle force of the driver holding the upper limb, and a target value of the steering operation muscle force of the driver. Target muscle force setting means for setting
An operation reaction force calculation unit that determines an operation reaction force of the steering device from a muscle force detected by the muscle force detection unit and a target value set by the target muscle force setting unit, and an operation reaction force determined by the operation reaction force calculation unit. It is characterized by comprising control means for controlling the reaction force adjusting means based on the above.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to the second aspect, wherein the muscle force detecting means has a physique detecting section for detecting the physique of the driver. It is characterized by detecting a corresponding muscle force.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to the second or third aspect, wherein the muscle force detecting means has a posture detecting section for detecting a posture of the driver. It is characterized by detecting a muscle force according to a posture.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the posture detecting section is
It is characterized in that the driver's shoulder joint position and elbow joint position with respect to the steering device are calculated from the seat slide position, seat back angle, seat cushion angle, and steering operation angle to obtain the driver's posture.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to the second aspect, the target muscle force setting means has a muscle length detecting section for detecting a muscle length of the upper limb of the driver. The target value is determined according to the muscle length.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to the sixth aspect, wherein the muscle length detecting section comprises:
From the seat slide position, seat back angle, seat cushion angle, and steering operation angle, the driver's shoulder joint position and elbow joint position relative to the steering device are calculated to detect the upper limb state, and the upper limb joint angle is calculated from the upper limb state. It is characterized in that the obtained muscle length is detected and the muscle length corresponding to the joint angle is detected.

The invention according to claim 8 is the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the target muscle force setting means has a physique detecting portion for the driver, It is characterized by setting a target value according to the physique.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to the first aspect, the state detecting means has a steering angle detecting section for detecting a steering angle of the steering device, and the control is performed. The means determines the operation reaction force of the steering device from the detected steering angle and performs control.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to the ninth aspect, the state detecting means has a physique detecting section for detecting the physique of the driver, and the control means comprises: It is characterized in that the operation reaction force of the steering device is determined and controlled according to the physique of the driver.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to the ninth aspect, the state detecting means detects the driver from the seat slide position, the seat back angle, the seat cushion angle, and the steering operation angle. The positional relationship between the shoulder joint position and the grip point with respect to the steering device is obtained, and the control means determines and controls the operation reaction force of the steering device according to the positional relationship up to the grip point.

[0018]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the state detecting means detects the state of the driver's posture, the state of the physique, and further the state of the driver such as the steering state. The control means controls the reaction force adjusting means based on the driver's state detection by the state detecting means, so that the driver's upper limb load state can be kept constant.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the muscle force detecting means detects the muscle force of the driver holding the upper limb. Further, the target muscle force setting means sets a target value of the driver's steering operation muscle force. Then, the calculation means determines the operation reaction force of the steering device from the detected muscle force and the set target value. Next, the reaction force adjusting means is controlled based on the operation reaction force determined by the control means, and the driver's upper limb load state can be made substantially constant during steering operation.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the function of the second aspect of the invention, the muscle force detecting means detects the physique of the driver by the physique detecting section, and detects the muscular force corresponding to the physique of the driver. You can Therefore, the calculation means can determine the operation reaction force according to the physique of the driver.

According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the operation of the invention of claim 2 or 3, the muscle force detecting means can detect the muscle force corresponding to the driver's state detected by the state detecting section.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the operation of the fourth aspect of the invention, the state detecting section determines the driver's shoulder joint position relative to the steering device from the seat slide position, the seat back angle, the seat cushion angle, and the steering operation angle. ,
The elbow joint position can be calculated to obtain the driver's state. Therefore, it is possible to detect the muscle force according to the shoulder joint position and the elbow joint position of the driver.

In the sixth aspect of the invention, in addition to the function of the second aspect of the invention, the target muscle force setting means detects the muscle length of the upper limb of the driver by the muscle length detecting section, and the driver according to the muscle length. The target value of the steering operation muscle strength of can be set.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the operation of the sixth aspect, the muscle length detecting portion determines the shoulder joint of the driver with respect to the steering device from the seat slide position, the seat back angle, the seat cushion angle, and the steering operation angle. position,
It is possible to calculate the elbow joint position, detect the state of the upper limb, obtain the joint angle of the upper limb from the state of the upper limb, and detect the muscle length according to the joint angle.

In the eighth aspect of the invention, in addition to the actions of the sixth to seventh aspects, the target muscle force setting means detects the physique by the physique detecting section of the driver, and sets the target value according to the physique of the driver. Can be set.

According to the invention of claim 9, in addition to the operation of the invention of claim 1, the state detecting means detects the state of the driver by the steering angle of the steering device detected by the steering angle detecting portion, and the control means detects it. The operation reaction force of the steering device can be determined and controlled from the steering angle.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, in addition to the operation of the ninth aspect of the invention, the state detecting means detects the state of the driver based on the physique detected by the physique detecting section, and the control means responds to the physique of the driver. It is possible to determine and control the operation reaction force of the steering device.

According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, in addition to the action of the ninth aspect of the invention, the state detecting means determines the shoulder joint position of the driver and the steering device from the seat slide position, the seat back angle, the seat cushion angle, and the steering steering angle. The control unit can determine and control the operation reaction force of the steering device according to the positional relationship up to the grip point with respect to the grip point.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the steering operation reaction force adjusting device includes a reaction force adjusting device 1 and a steering angle sensor 3. Further, the seat 5 has a seat slide sensor 7,
A seat cushion angle sensor 9 and a seat back angle sensor 11 are provided. Further, a pedal position detection sensor 13 is provided on the accelerator pedal (not shown).

The reaction force adjusting device 1 is for adjusting the operation reaction force of the steering device, that is, the operation reaction force of the steering wheel SW. Specifically, for example, it has a structure for adjusting the flow rate of the power steering device. ing. The steering angle sensor 3 detects the steering angle of the steering wheel SW. The seat slide sensor 7 detects the slide position of the seat 5. The seat cushion angle sensor 9 detects the seat cushion angle of the seat 5. The seat back angle sensor 11 detects the seat back angle of the seat 5. The pedal position detection sensor 13 detects a pedal depression angle of an accelerator pedal (not shown).
The output signals of the sensors 3, 7, 9, 11, 13 are input to the controller 15. The controller 15 is configured to control the reaction force adjusting device 1 by a determined control logic.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the seat slide sensor 7 and the seat cushion angle sensor 9 constitute a physique detection unit 17 that detects the physique of the driver. In addition, the steering angle sensor 3,
The seat slide sensor 7, the seat cushion angle sensor 9, and the seat back angle sensor 11 form a posture detection unit 19 that detects the posture of the driver. At the same time, a muscle length detection unit 21 for detecting the muscle length of the upper limb of the driver is configured.
Then, the posture detection unit 19 and the muscle length detection unit 21
The state detecting means for detecting the state of the driver and the muscle force detecting means for detecting the muscle force of the driver holding the upper limb are configured.

The controller 15 constitutes a control means for controlling the reaction force adjusting means so that the driver's upper limb load condition becomes constant. Further, a target muscle force setting means for setting a target value of the driver's steering operation muscle force is configured. Furthermore, an operation reaction force calculation means for determining an operation reaction force of the steering device from the muscle force detected by the muscle force detection means and the target value set by the target muscle force setting means is configured. The operation reaction force adjusting device 1 constitutes reaction force adjusting means for adjusting the operation reaction force of the steering device.

Next, the operation will be described.

In the steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as will be described later with reference to a flow chart, first, the load of each muscle of the current upper limb, that is, the current muscular force for holding the upper limb is obtained. , A constant muscle force to be used by humans when the steering reaction force is generated (target muscle force)
Is set so that the current muscular strength becomes equal to the target muscular strength so that the operational feeling (load) felt by humans becomes constant.

Detection of Current Muscle Strength Here, the current muscle strength is the muscle strength detected from the physique, posture, etc. of the driver and required for the driver to currently hold his / her upper limbs.

First, the state of the upper limb of the driver when operating the steering wheel SW will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state of the upper limb holding the steering wheel SW, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an occupant operating the steering wheel SW as viewed from the side.

First, in FIG. 3, the upper limb 23 has a grip point R.
Is operating while holding the steering wheel SW. The shoulder joint of this upper limb 23 is 25, the elbow joint is 27,
The upper arm is 29, the forearm is 31, the muscle for moving the upper arm is 33, and the muscle for moving the forearm is 35. Further, the steering center is 37 and the steering angle is indicated by α. Further in FIG.
The waist is shown at 39 and the knee is shown at 41. Then, the current muscular strength is detected in relation to the grip point R. The horizontal and vertical distances from the shoulder joint 25 to the grip point R are X and Y. Further, since the current muscular strength varies depending on the state of the driver, that is, the posture and the physique, the detection is performed in consideration of the posture and the physique.

First, the physique of the driver is estimated using the relationship shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the seat slide position and the vertical axis represents the physique, and the relationship between the physique and the seat slide position is shown in three graphs (e) according to the cushion angles of large, medium and small.
It is shown by (F) and (K). Therefore, the physique of the driver can be estimated from the cushion angle and the seat slide position.

FIG. 6 shows a graph (K) for obtaining the operation reaction force coefficient T ₁ depending on the physique. This operation reaction force coefficient T ₁
Is used to correct the target muscle force described later. When the physique is estimated, the length of the upper arm 29 (distance from the shoulder joint 25 to the elbow joint 27) and the length of the forearm 31 (here, the distance from the elbow joint 27 to the steering grip point R) are proportional to the physique. ) Can be asked. The grip point R is estimated from the steering angle α. The position of the elbow joint 27 can be geometrically calculated from the position of the shoulder joint 25, the length of the upper arm 29, and the length of the forearm 31.

Next, FIGS. 7 and 8 show the relationship between the horizontal and vertical distances X and Y positions from the shoulder joint 25 to the grip point R and the load of the muscles used by the upper limb 23 to maintain the posture. ing.

FIG. 7 shows changes in the muscle loads of the upper arm 29 and the forearm 31 when the horizontal distance X is changed while the vertical distance Y is kept constant, by (X) and (X). FIG. 8 shows the upper arm 29 when the horizontal distance X is constant and the vertical distance Y is changed.
Also, changes in the muscle load of the forearm 31 are represented by (SA) and (SI). For example, in the grip point position R (A) and the grip point position R (B) shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG.
It can be seen that the grip point R (B) closer to 5 has a smaller muscle load for holding. Then, the current muscle load (current muscle force) for holding the upper limb is obtained from FIGS. 7 and 8 based on the detected X and Y.

Target muscle force Next, a constant value of the muscle force (target muscle force) that should be used by the human when the steering reaction force is generated is set to the upper arm 29 and the forearm 31.
Set in advance for each. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the upper arm 2 is arranged so that the operation feeling (load) felt by a person becomes constant.
9. The operation reaction force is adjusted so that the muscle force of at least one of the forearms 31 becomes equal to the target muscle force. Here, the feeling of operation (load) that a human feels even with the same operation reaction force
Is different depending on the physique and muscle length of the driver, so the target muscular strength is set in consideration of the physique and muscle length. Here, the correction of the target muscle force based on the physique is performed by the operation reaction force coefficient T obtained in FIG.
_This is done by multiplying the target strength by ₁ .

Next, regarding the muscle length, the muscle length L and the muscle force that can be generated (maximum muscle force) have a relationship as shown in FIG. 9 (a). Therefore, it is necessary to correct the target muscle force so that the driver feels the same operation feeling. 9A shows the relationship between the muscle length L and the muscle force that can be generated (maximum muscle force). (C) represents the muscular strength (current muscular strength) used to hold the upper limb. Further, (SO) represents the target muscle force corrected according to the change in the maximum muscle force (S). That is, the target muscle force (SO) is corrected according to the maximum muscle force (SU) that changes according to the change in the muscle length L. FIG. 9B shows the relationship between the muscle length L and the muscle force. Then, the target muscle force (SO) is corrected by the operation reaction force coefficient K _{2 obtained} in FIG. FIG. 10 shows the relationship (T) between the muscle length L and the operation reaction force coefficient K ₂ for correction. 100 muscle length
%, That is, in the state where neither expansion nor contraction occurs, the operation reaction force coefficient K ₂ = 1.0. Here, the muscle length L is
The joint angle (the muscle of the upper arm 29 is the shoulder joint angle, the muscle of the forearm 31 is the elbow joint angle) and the relationship shown in (h) of FIG. 11A. (B) has shown the elbow joint angle. Then, the joint angle can be calculated from the state of the upper limb obtained as described above, and the muscle length L can be obtained from FIG.

Operation reaction force When the current muscle force and the target muscle force are obtained as described above, the operation reaction force of the steering wheel SW is calculated. First,
The current muscular strength is subtracted from the target muscular strength to obtain the muscular strength due to the steering operation reaction force (upper arm, forearm). This image is shown in FIG. 9 (a). That is, the hatched portion (T) in (a) shows the difference between the target muscle force (SO) and the current muscle force (SE).

Next, the steering operation reaction force is obtained from the muscle force generated by the steering operation reaction force, which will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

FIG. 12 shows the case of an elbow joint. Here, the muscle force necessary for the steering operation reaction force is f ₁
And the moment arm from the elbow joint 27 to the muscle attachment point 43 is set to L _1m and is set to a constant value. Further, the length of the forearm 31 is L ₁ , and the angle formed by the operation reaction force F ₁ and the direction substantially orthogonal to the straight line connecting the grip point R and the elbow joint 27 is θ ₁ . The angle θ ₁ can be obtained from the state of the upper limb 23 obtained as described above. Then, the operation reaction force of the steering wheel SW can be obtained as F ₁ . That is, from the geometrical relationship, F ₁ = (L ₁ cos θ ₁ ) / (f ₁ × L _1m ).

FIG. 13 shows the case of the shoulder joint 25. Also in this case, the muscle force due to the steering operation reaction force is f ₂
The muscle attachment point is 45 and the moment arm is L _2m . Also, the distance from the grip point R to the shoulder joint 25 is L
_The angle formed by the operation reaction force F ₂ and the direction substantially orthogonal to the line segment connecting the grip point R and the shoulder joint 25 is θ ₂ . Therefore, also in this case, it is possible to obtain from the geometrical relationship by F ₂ = (L ₂ cos θ ₂ ) / (f ₂ × L _2m ).

In short, detection signals of the steering angle sensor 3, the seat slide sensor 7, the seat cushion angle sensor 9, the seat back angle sensor 11, and the pedal position detection sensor 13 are input to the controller 15 as shown in FIGS. ,
The controller 15 calculates the current muscle force according to the physique and the driving posture from each signal, and calculates the operation reaction force of the steering wheel SW in relation to the set target muscle force. The controller 15 controls the reaction force adjusting device 1 by the calculated operation reaction force.

FIG. 14 shows a control flow chart by the controller 15. The operation reaction force is determined according to the above-mentioned principle and is controlled as follows.

That is, when the control is started, step S1
At, the seat slide position and the cushion angle are detected to estimate the physique and the operation reaction force coefficient T ₁ .

Next, in step S2, the seat back angle is detected and the position of the shoulder joint is obtained from the physique. In step S3, the length of the upper arm and the length of the forearm are estimated from the physique, and the grip point and the elbow joint position, the elbow, and the shoulder joint angle are estimated from the steering angle α.

In step S4, the target muscle force is set.
This target muscle force is the operation reaction force coefficient T ₁ obtained in step S1.
Is corrected by. That is, F _ref1 as the forearm target muscle strength
′ = T ₁ × F _ref1 and F _ref2 ′ = T ₁ as the upper arm target muscle _force
Set as × F _ref2 .

In step S5, the muscle length L is obtained from the joint angle and the operation reaction force coefficient K ₂ is calculated (FIGS. 9 and 10).

In step S6, in order to correct the target muscle force according to the muscle length L, the target muscle force F obtained in step S4 is calculated.
_ref1 ', F _ref2' is corrected to apply a K ₂ in. That is,
_{F re f1 "= K 2 ×} F ref1 ', F ref2" = K 2 × F ref2'
Becomes

In step S7, the current muscle strength (current load) F _l1 and F _l2 of the upper limb is obtained (FIGS. 7 and 8).

In step S8, the difference between the target muscle force and the current muscle force, that is, the muscle force due to the steering operation reaction force is obtained.
F _S1 = F _ref1 ″ −F _l1 , F _S2 = F _ref2 ″ −F _{l2 In} step S 9, steering operation reaction forces F ₁ and F ₂ are obtained from the muscle force generated by the steering operation reaction force (FIG. 12,
(Fig. 13).

In step S10, the operation reaction forces F ₁ , F ₂
Select whichever is smaller. This is the muscle of the elbow joint,
This is to prevent the muscles of the shoulder joint from exceeding the target muscle strength. That is, if F ₁ > F _2, then F = F ₂ and F ₁ <F
If _2, then F = F ₁ .

In step S11, the reaction force adjusting device is driven so that the operation reaction force becomes F.

In step S10, it is determined whether or not the driver has operated the seat slide, seat back, and seat cushion. That is, if these are operated, the posture of the driver changes, so that the physique is estimated and the operation reaction force coefficient T ₁ is obtained again. Therefore, if the seat slide or the like is operated, the process returns to step S1, and if not operated, the process proceeds to step S3.

In this way, the target muscular force is set, and the control is performed by obtaining the steering wheel operation reaction force from the difference with the current muscular force. Therefore, regardless of the steering angle of the steering wheel, the driver always applies a constant muscular load. Can be operated,
A good operation feeling can be obtained. In addition, because the target muscle strength is corrected in consideration of differences in physique and posture changes, it is possible to operate with a constant muscle load even if the driver is different or the driving posture is different, maintaining a good operation feeling. can do.

(Second Embodiment) In this embodiment, the operation reaction force is calculated without obtaining the current muscle force of the upper limb. The basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment,
1 and 2 are shared. And in this second embodiment,
The steering angle sensor 3 constitutes a steering angle detection unit 47 that detects the steering angle of the steering device. In this embodiment, the operation reaction force is determined from the steering angle α and the distances X and Y obtained as shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 shows the relationship between the steering angle α and the operation reaction force F _α . The steering angle α is as shown in FIG. That is, the rudder angle α increases from 0 degree as the grip point moves to R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ , and R ₄ .
Further, the operation in the opposite direction has the same concept. And
As shown in (a), when the steering angle α gradually increases from 0 degree, the operation reaction force F _α gradually decreases, reaches a minimum at 90 degrees, and then increases. From this relationship, the operation reaction force F _α due to the steering angle α can be obtained.

Next, in order to correct the operation reaction force according to the physique and posture of the occupant, the operation reaction force coefficient by the distance X and the distance Y is obtained. The relationship between the distance X and the operation reaction force coefficient K _X is as shown in FIG. 16, and the relationship between the distance Y and the operation reaction force coefficient K _Y is as shown in FIG. From these FIGS. 16 and 17, the operation reaction force coefficients K _X and K _Y can be obtained. Then, the control by the controller 15 is performed based on the flowchart of FIG. When this flowchart is executed, first, in step S1, the seat slide position and the cushion angle are detected, and the physique of the driver and the operation reaction force coefficient T ₁ are obtained (FIGS. 5 and 6).

Next, in step S2, the seat back angle is detected, and the shoulder joint position is obtained from the obtained physique.

In step S3, the steering angle α is detected and the operation reaction force F _α is obtained (FIG. 15).

In step S4, the shoulder joint position and the steering angle α
Further, the distances X and Y from the shoulder to the grip point are obtained, and the operation reaction force coefficients K _X and K _Y are obtained.

In step S5, since the operation reaction force is corrected according to the physique and posture of the driver, the operation reaction force coefficient T ₁ ,
Multiply K _X and K _Y by the operation reaction force F _α obtained in step S3. That is, the _{F = F α × T 1 ×} K X × K Y.

In step S6, the controller controls the reaction force adjusting device so that the operation reaction force becomes F.

In step S7, it is determined whether or not the driver has operated the seat slide or the like.
The process proceeds to step S1, and if not operated, the process proceeds to step S3.

Therefore, in this embodiment as well, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained, and in addition, the state of the upper limb is not required,
The operation reaction force can be obtained by detecting the steering angle α, and the control can be further simplified.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the steering operation reaction force is calculated so that the operation muscle force felt by the driver is constant, but the steering operation reaction force is calculated by further adding the index of the ease of moving the upper limb. You can also This is to increase the steering operation reaction force when the steering wheel can be operated largely when the joint of the upper limb is moved by a certain amount, and when the steering wheel can be steered only a small amount.

First, when the upper limb is in the current state, the amount of change in the joint angle when the steering wheel is steered at a constant steering angle is calculated, and the operation reaction force coefficient K ₃ is calculated from FIG. The coefficient K ₃ is multiplied by the steering operation reaction force obtained in each of the above-described embodiments to obtain the final steering operation reaction force. Therefore, in this case, the operating muscle force felt by the driver can be made constant, the upper limbs can be easily moved, and fatigue can be reduced with a better operating feeling.

[0074]

As is apparent from the above, according to the invention of claim 1, the load condition of the driver's upper limbs can be made constant, and a good operation feeling can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the driver can keep the upper limb load state constant by detecting the muscular force holding the upper limb and setting the target value, and a good operation feeling can be obtained. Therefore, the fatigue of the driver can be significantly reduced.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, control can be performed according to the physique of the driver, and the upper limb load state can be made constant even when the driver is different. Fatigue can be reduced by a good operation feeling.

According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2 or 3, it is possible to perform control according to the posture of the driver. Therefore, even if the driver's posture changes by operating the seat slide or the like, the upper limb load state can be made constant, and fatigue can be reduced by a good operation feeling.

According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 4, since the posture of the driver is detected by calculating the shoulder joint position and elbow joint position of the driver, accurate posture detection is performed. You can Therefore, the upper limb load state can be made constant, and fatigue can be reduced with a better operation feeling.

In the invention of claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, a target value can be set according to the muscle length. Therefore, even if the muscle length changes, such as when the driver's posture changes, the upper limb load state can be made constant,
Fatigue can be reduced with a better operation feeling.

According to the invention of claim 7, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 6, the muscle length corresponding to the joint angle can be detected, and the more accurate muscle length can be measured. Therefore,
Fatigue can be reduced with a better operation feeling.

According to the invention of claim 8, in addition to the effect of any one of claims 6 to 7, a target value can be set according to the physique of the driver. Therefore, an accurate target value can be set even when the driver changes, and fatigue can be reduced with a better operating feeling.

In the ninth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, the operation reaction force can be determined from the detected steering angle. Therefore, it is not necessary to detect the load on the upper limbs, and the control can be performed more easily.

According to the invention of claim 10, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 9, the operation reaction force can be determined according to the physique of the driver. Therefore, even if the driver changes, fatigue can be reduced with a good operation feeling.

According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the ninth aspect, the operation reaction force can be determined according to the positional relationship between the shoulder joint position and the grip point. Therefore, even if the driver changes his / her posture, the operation reaction force can be accurately determined, and the load condition of the upper limbs can be made constant. Therefore, fatigue can be reduced with a better operation feeling.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram according to first and second embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram according to first and second embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state of an upper limb.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a driving posture as seen from a side surface.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a relationship between a physique, a seat slide position, and a cushion angle.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a physique and an operation reaction force coefficient.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between grip point position X and muscle load.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the grip point position Y and muscle load.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between muscle length and muscle strength,
(A) is a graph showing the relationship between muscle length and muscle strength, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of muscle length and muscle strength.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between muscle length and operation reaction force coefficient.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between joint angle and muscle length,
(A) is a graph showing the relationship between joint angle and muscle length, (b)
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of joint angles.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an operation reaction force regarding an elbow joint.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an operation reaction force regarding a shoulder joint.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart according to the first embodiment.

15A and 15B are views for explaining the relationship between the steering angle and the operation reaction force according to the second embodiment, FIG. 15A is a graph of the relationship between the steering angle and the operation reaction force, and FIG. Is.

FIG. 16 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance X and the operation reaction force coefficient.

FIG. 17 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance Y and the operation reaction force coefficient.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of shoulder joint angle change and the operation reaction force coefficient.

FIG. 20 is a graph showing the relationship between vehicle speed and steering angle in a conventional example.

FIG. 21 illustrates a relationship between a steering angle and a muscle load felt by a human, (a) is a graph showing a relationship between a steering angle and a muscle load felt by a human, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the steering angle. is there.

22A and 22B are diagrams for explaining a muscle load that a human feels when an operation reaction force is constant. FIG. 22A is a schematic diagram of a driving posture, and FIG.
Is a graph showing the relationship between the distance X and the muscle load felt by humans,
(C) is a graph showing the relationship between the distance Y and the muscle load felt by humans.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reaction force adjusting device (reaction force adjusting means) 3 Rudder angle sensor (state detecting means, muscle force detecting means) 7 Seat slide sensor (state detecting means, muscle force detecting means) 9 Seat cushion angle sensor (state detecting means, muscle force detecting means) ) 11 seat back angle sensor (state detecting means, muscle force detecting means) 15 controller (control means, target muscle force setting means, operation reaction force calculating means) 17 physique detecting section 19 posture detecting section 21 muscle length detecting section 47 rudder angle detecting section

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A reaction force adjusting means for adjusting an operation reaction force of a steering device, a state detecting means for detecting a state of a driver, and an upper limb of the driver based on the state of the driver detected by the state detecting means. A steering operation reaction force adjusting device, comprising: a control unit that controls the reaction force adjusting unit so that a load state is constant. 2. A reaction force adjusting means for adjusting an operation reaction force of a steering device, a muscle force detecting means for detecting a muscle force of a driver holding an upper limb, and a target muscle force for setting a target value of a driver's steering operation muscle force. Setting means, operation reaction force calculation means for determining the operation reaction force of the steering device from the muscle force detected by the muscle force detection means and the target value set by the target muscle force setting means, and the operation reaction force calculation means A steering operation reaction force adjusting device comprising: a control unit that controls the reaction force adjusting unit based on an operation reaction force. 3. The steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the muscle force detecting unit has a physique detecting unit that detects a physique of the driver, and detects a muscular force according to the physique of the driver. A steering operation reaction force adjusting device characterized by: 4. The steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the muscle force detecting unit has a posture detecting unit that detects a posture of the driver, and the muscle force according to the posture of the driver. A steering operation reaction force adjusting device characterized by detecting 5. The steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to claim 4, wherein the posture detecting unit is a shoulder joint of the driver with respect to the steering device based on a seat slide position, a seat back angle, a seat cushion angle, and a steering operation angle. A steering operation reaction force adjusting device characterized by calculating a position and an elbow joint position to obtain a driver's posture. 6. The steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the target muscle force setting means has a muscle length detecting section for detecting a muscle length of an upper limb of the driver, and A steering operation reaction force adjusting device, wherein the target value is determined according to the steering operation reaction force. 7. The steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to claim 6, wherein the muscle length detecting section is a shoulder of a driver with respect to a steering device from a seat slide position, a seat back angle, a seat cushion angle, and a steering operation angle. Steering operation reaction force adjustment characterized by calculating the joint position and elbow joint position to detect the state of the upper limb, obtaining the joint angle of the upper limb from the state of the upper limb, and detecting the muscle length according to the joint angle apparatus. 8. The steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to claim 6, wherein the target muscle force setting means has a driver's physique detecting section,
A steering operation reaction force adjusting device characterized by setting a target value according to a physique of a driver. 9. The steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the state detecting unit includes a steering angle detecting unit that detects a steering angle of the steering device, and the control unit includes a detecting steering unit. A steering operation reaction force adjusting device characterized by determining an operation reaction force of a steering device from a corner and performing control. 10. The steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to claim 9, wherein the state detecting unit has a physique detecting unit that detects the physique of the driver, and the control unit determines the physique of the driver. A steering operation reaction force adjusting device characterized by determining an operation reaction force of a steering device in accordance with the control. 11. The steering operation reaction force adjusting device according to claim 9, wherein the state detecting means determines a driver's shoulder joint position and steering from a seat slide position, a seat back angle, a seat cushion angle, and a steering operation angle. A steering operation reaction force adjusting device, characterized in that a positional relationship between the device and a grip point is obtained, and the control means performs control by determining an operation reaction force of the steering device according to the positional relationship up to the grip point.