JP7559571B2 - Variable driving posture system - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a driving posture variable system.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle that can be driven by switching between manual and automatic driving modes. Patent Document 1 also discloses technology that controls the reclining angle of the driver's seat back to increase when switching from manual to automatic driving mode. By executing such control, the driver can be placed in a relaxed state in automatic driving mode.

International Publication No. 2015/011866

There is a need for technology that puts the driver in a more relaxed state in autonomous driving mode.

One embodiment of the driving posture variable system disclosed in this specification can include a reclining angle adjustment mechanism, a pedal position adjustment mechanism, and a control unit. The reclining angle adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the reclining angle of the seat back of the driver's seat. The pedal position adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the positions of the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, and a support plate on which the driver's heel is placed when these pedals are operated. The control unit is configured to control the reclining angle adjustment unit and the pedal position adjustment unit. When switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the control unit can control the reclining angle adjustment mechanism so that the reclining angle of the seat back of the driver's seat increases, and control the pedal position adjustment mechanism so that the positions of the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, and the support plate move upward in the vehicle.

In the driving posture variable system of the above embodiment, when the driving mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the reclining angle of the seat back of the driver's seat increases, and the support plate on which the driver's heels are placed moves upward in the vehicle. By moving the support plate upward in the vehicle, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state.

A functional block diagram of the driving position variable system is shown. FIG. 2 shows a side view of the driver's seat of the vehicle in a manual driving position. FIG. 2 shows a side view of the driver's seat of the vehicle in an autonomous driving position. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating a driving posture changing procedure executed by a control unit of the driving posture changing system.

Below, with reference to Figures 1 to 3, a driving posture variable system 1 mounted on a vehicle 100 capable of running by switching between a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the driving posture variable system 1 includes a control unit 10 and various adjustment mechanisms 21-26. Figure 2 shows the manual driving posture in the manual driving mode, and Figure 3 shows the automatic driving posture in the automatic driving mode. The driving posture variable system 1 is configured to drive the various adjustment mechanisms 21-26 so that when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the manual driving posture of Figure 2 is changed to the automatic driving posture of Figure 3.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vehicle 100 includes a seat back 31, a seat cushion 32, pedals 33, a steering wheel 34, a rearview mirror 35, and side mirrors 36.

The seat back 31 is for supporting the driver's upper body and is attached to the rear end of the seat cushion 32. The seat back 31 is configured to be rotatable (i.e., reclining) around a rocking axis extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle at the rear end of the seat cushion 32. The reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 31 is defined as the inclination angle of the seat back 31 from a vertical axis extending in the up-down direction of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle. The seat back 31 is configured so that the reclining angle θ1 is adjusted by the operation of a reclining angle adjustment mechanism 21 including a motor, etc.

The seat cushion 32 is for supporting the driver's buttocks, and is attached to the floor 40 via seat rails that slide the seat cushion 32 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. The seat cushion 32 is configured so that the seat angle θ2 can be adjusted by moving or contracting the portion of the seat surface on the front side of the vehicle in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The seat angle θ2 of the seat cushion 32 is defined as the inclination angle of the seat surface of the seat cushion 32 from a horizontal axis extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle toward the top of the vehicle. The seat cushion 32 is configured so that the seat angle θ2 can be adjusted by operating a seat angle adjustment mechanism 22 including a motor, etc.

The pedals 33 include an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, and are attached to a support plate 42 on which the driver's heel rests when the pedals 33 are operated. The support plate 42 is a member separated from the floor 40, and its height from the floor 40 is adjusted by the operation of a pedal position adjustment mechanism 23 including a motor, etc. The pedals 33 attached to the support plate 42 are also configured so that their height from the floor 40 is adjusted in accordance with the movement of the support plate 42. Note that the amount of movement of each of the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and support plate 42 when the pedal position adjustment mechanism 23 is operated may be the same or different. For example, the amount of movement of the support plate 42 may be greater than the amount of movement of the accelerator pedal and brake pedal.

The steering wheel 34 is used to steer the wheels, and is located in front of the driver's seat. The steering wheel 34 is configured to be able to steer the wheels via a steering shaft or the like. The steering wheel 34 is configured so that at least its position in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle can be adjusted by operating a steering wheel position adjustment mechanism 24 including a motor or the like.

The rearview mirror 35 allows the driver to view the scenery behind the center of the vehicle, and is attached to the front part of the ceiling between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The rearview mirror 35 is configured to be able to swing around a swing axis extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle. The rearview mirror angle θ3 of the rearview mirror 35 is defined as the inclination angle of the rearview mirror 35 from a vertical axis extending in the up-down direction of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle. The rearview mirror 35 is configured so that the rearview mirror angle θ3 is adjusted by the operation of the rearview mirror angle adjustment mechanism 25, which includes a motor, etc.

The side mirrors 36 allow the driver to view the scenery to the left, right, and rear of the vehicle, and include a right side mirror and a left side mirror. The right side mirror is attached to the front part of the front door on the driver's side, and the left side mirror is attached to the front part of the front door on the passenger's side. The side mirrors 36 are configured to be able to swing about a swing axis extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle. The side mirror angle θ4 of the side mirror 36 is defined as the inclination angle of the side mirror 36 from a vertical axis extending in the up-down direction of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle. The side mirror 36 is configured so that the side mirror angle θ4 is adjusted by the operation of a side mirror angle adjustment mechanism 26 including a motor, etc.

Figure 4 shows a flowchart illustrating the driving posture variable procedure executed by the control unit 10 of the driving posture variable system 1. This driving posture variable procedure is a process executed when the vehicle is operated in manual driving mode. Note that the manual driving posture in manual driving mode (see Figure 2) may be a driving posture adjusted by the driver when getting in the vehicle, or a driving posture corrected by the control unit 10 from a driving posture adjusted by the driver, for example, a driving posture corrected by the control unit 10 based on the driver's physical parameters.

In step S1, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the vehicle has transitioned to the automatic driving mode. The control unit 10 determines that the vehicle has transitioned to the automatic driving mode when it detects that the driver has operated a switch or the like that instructs the vehicle to switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode.

In step S2, the control unit 10 drives the various adjustment mechanisms 21-26 to switch from the manual driving position in FIG. 2 to the automatic driving position in FIG. 3.

In step S2, the reclining angle control unit 11 of the control unit 10 controls the reclining angle adjustment mechanism 21 so that the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 31 is increased. The reclining angle θ1 in the autonomous driving position may be a fixed value set in advance. Alternatively, the reclining angle θ1 in the autonomous driving position may be set based on various data in the manual driving position, such as the reclining angle θ1 in the manual driving position and a calculated value calculated from the seat sliding amount, etc. (e.g., estimated physique parameters of the driver).

In this way, when the driving posture variable system 1 switches from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode, the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 31 is controlled to be larger, so that the driver can be placed in a relaxed driving posture.

In step S2, the seat angle control unit 12 of the control unit 10 controls the seat angle adjustment mechanism 22 so that the seat angle θ2 of the seat cushion 32 is increased. The seat angle θ2 in the automatic driving position may be a fixed value set in advance. Alternatively, the seat angle θ2 in the automatic driving position may be set based on various data in the manual driving position, such as the reclining angle θ1 and the seat sliding amount in the manual driving position, calculated values (e.g., estimated physique parameters of the driver).

In this way, in the driving posture variable system 1, when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, in addition to increasing the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 31, the seat surface angle θ2 of the seat cushion 32 increases. By simultaneously increasing the reclining angle θ1 and the seat surface angle θ2, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state.

In step S2, the pedal position control unit 13 of the control unit 10 controls the pedal position adjustment mechanism 23 so that the position of the placement plate 42 moves upward in the vehicle. The position of the pedal 33 attached to the placement plate 42 also moves upward in the vehicle as the placement plate 42 rises. The height of the placement plate 42 from the floor 40 in the autonomous driving position may be a preset fixed value. Alternatively, the height of the placement plate 42 in the autonomous driving position may be set based on various data in the manual driving position, such as the reclining angle θ1 and the seat sliding amount in the manual driving position, calculated values (e.g., estimated physique parameters of the driver) calculated from these data.

In this way, in the driving posture variable system 1, when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, not only does the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 31 increase, but the support plate 42 on which the driver's heels rest moves upward in the vehicle. By moving the support plate 42 upward in the vehicle, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state. Furthermore, by simultaneously moving the support plate 42 upward in the vehicle and increasing the seat surface angle θ2 of the seat cushion 32, the distance from the driver's knees to the pedals 33 is maintained constant even when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. Therefore, even if the automatic driving mode suddenly shifts to a state where the driver must drive manually, the driver can easily operate the pedals 33.

In step S2, the steering wheel position control unit 14 of the control unit 10 controls the steering wheel position adjustment mechanism 24 to move the position of the steering wheel 34 toward the rear of the vehicle. The position of the steering wheel 34 in the autonomous driving position may be a fixed position set in advance. Alternatively, the position of the steering wheel 34 in the autonomous driving position may be set based on various data in the manual driving position, such as the reclining angle θ1 and the seat sliding amount in the manual driving position (e.g., estimated physique parameters of the driver).

In this way, in the driving posture variable system 1, when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode, the position of the steering wheel 34 is controlled to move toward the rear of the vehicle. By simultaneously moving the position of the steering wheel 34 and increasing the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 31, the distance from the driver's shoulders to the steering wheel 34 is maintained approximately constant, even when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode. Therefore, even if the driver suddenly transitions to a state in which he or she must drive manually in automatic driving mode, the driver can easily operate the steering wheel 34.

In step S2, the rearview mirror angle control unit 15 of the control unit 10 controls the rearview mirror angle adjustment mechanism 25 so that the rearview mirror angle θ3 is increased, that is, so that the rearview mirror 35 faces downward toward the vehicle. The rearview mirror angle θ3 in the automatic driving position is set so that the driver's rearward visibility estimated from the rearview mirror angle θ3 in the manual driving position is generally maintained.

In this way, in the driving posture variable system 1, when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode, the rearview mirror angle θ3 is controlled to increase. By simultaneously increasing the rearview mirror angle θ3 of the rearview mirror 35 and increasing the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 31, the driver's rear visibility is generally maintained even when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode. Therefore, even if the driver suddenly transitions to a state in which he or she must drive manually in automatic driving mode, the driver can drive the vehicle 100 while clearly checking what is behind him or her.

In step S2, the side mirror angle control unit 16 of the control unit 10 controls the side mirror angle adjustment mechanism 26 so that the side mirror angle θ4 is increased, that is, so that the side mirror 36 faces downward toward the vehicle. The side mirror angle θ4 in the autonomous driving position is set so that the driver's rearward visibility estimated from the side mirror angle θ4 in the manual driving position is generally maintained.

In this way, in the driving posture variable system 1, when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode, the side mirror angle θ4 is controlled to increase. By simultaneously increasing the side mirror angle θ4 of the side mirror 36 and increasing the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 31, the driver's rear visibility is generally maintained even when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode. Therefore, even if the driver suddenly transitions to a state in which he or she must drive manually in automatic driving mode, the driver can drive the vehicle 100 while clearly checking what is behind him or her.

As described above, the driving posture variable system 1 not only allows the driver to be in a more relaxed state when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode, but also allows the driver to drive more safely even if the automatic driving mode suddenly shifts to a state where the driver must drive manually.

The following summarizes the features of the technology disclosed in this specification. Each of the following items has technical utility on its own.

(1) One embodiment of the driving posture variable system disclosed in this specification may include a reclining angle adjustment mechanism, a pedal position adjustment mechanism, and a control unit. The reclining angle adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the reclining angle of the seat back of the driver's seat. The pedal position adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the positions of an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a support plate on which the driver's heel is placed when these pedals are operated. The control unit is configured to control the reclining angle adjustment unit and the pedal position adjustment unit. When switching from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode, the control unit may control the reclining angle adjustment mechanism so that the reclining angle of the seat back of the driver's seat is increased, and may control the pedal position adjustment mechanism so that the positions of the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, and the heel support plate are moved upward in the vehicle. In the driving posture variable system of the above embodiment, when the driving mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the reclining angle of the seat back of the driver's seat increases, and the support plate on which the driver's heels are placed moves upward in the vehicle. By moving the support plate upward in the vehicle, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state.

(2) The driving posture variable system of the above embodiment may further include a seat angle adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the seat angle of the seat cushion of the driver's seat. In this case, the control unit may control the seat angle adjustment mechanism so that the seat angle of the seat cushion of the driver's seat becomes larger when the manual driving mode is switched to the automatic driving mode. In this driving posture variable system, the seat angle of the seat cushion of the driver's seat is controlled to become larger when the manual driving mode is switched to the automatic driving mode. By increasing the seat angle of the seat cushion of the driver's seat, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state. Furthermore, by increasing the seat angle of the seat cushion of the driver's seat, the distance from the driver's knees to the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal is maintained constant even when the manual driving mode is switched to the automatic driving mode. Therefore, even if the driver suddenly transitions to a state where he or she must drive manually in the automatic driving mode, the driver can easily operate the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal.

(3) The driving posture variable system of the above embodiment may further include a steering wheel position adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the position of the steering wheel. In this case, the control unit may control the steering wheel position adjustment mechanism to move the position of the steering wheel to the rear of the vehicle when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. In this driving posture variable system, when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the position of the steering wheel is controlled to move to the rear of the vehicle. By moving the position of the steering wheel to the rear of the vehicle, the distance from the driver's shoulders to the steering wheel is maintained approximately constant even when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. Therefore, even if the automatic driving mode suddenly transitions to a state where the driver must drive manually, the driver can easily operate the steering wheel.

(4) The driving posture variable system of the above embodiment may further include a rearview mirror angle adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the angle of a rearview mirror. In this case, the control unit may control the rearview mirror angle adjustment mechanism so that the rearview mirror faces downward when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. In this driving posture variable system, the rearview mirror is controlled to face downward when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. By having the rearview mirror face downward, the driver's rear visibility is generally maintained even when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. Therefore, even if the driver suddenly transitions to a state in which he or she must drive manually in the automatic driving mode, the driver can drive the vehicle while clearly checking the rear.

(5) The driving posture variable system of the above embodiment may further include a side mirror angle adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the angle of the side mirror. In this case, the control unit may control the side mirror angle adjustment mechanism so that the side mirror faces downward when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. In this driving posture variable system, when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the side mirror is controlled to face downward. By having the side mirror face downward, the driver's rear visibility is generally maintained even when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. Therefore, even if the driver suddenly transitions to a state in which he or she must drive manually in the automatic driving mode, the driver can drive the vehicle while clearly checking the rear.

Although several specific examples have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples given. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings have technical utility either alone or in combination.

Reference Signs List 1: Driving posture variable system 10: Control unit 11: Reclining angle control unit 12: Seat angle control unit 13: Pedal position control unit 14: Steering wheel position control unit 15: Rearview mirror angle control unit 16: Side mirror angle control unit 21: Reclining angle adjustment mechanism 22: Seat angle adjustment mechanism 23: Pedal position adjustment mechanism 24: Steering wheel position adjustment mechanism 25: Rearview mirror angle adjustment mechanism 26: Side mirror angle adjustment mechanism 31: Seat back 32: Seat cushion 33: Pedal 34: Steering wheel 35: Rearview mirror 36: Side mirror 40: Floor 42: Placement plate 100: Vehicle

Claims (3)

A driving posture variable system,
a reclining angle adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a reclining angle of a seat back of a driver's seat;
a pedal position adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the positions of an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a support plate on which a driver's heel is placed when operating these pedals;
A control unit configured to control the reclining angle adjustment mechanism and the pedal position adjustment mechanism,
The control unit controls the reclining angle adjustment mechanism so that the reclining angle of the seat back of the driver's seat increases when switching from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode, and controls the pedal position adjustment mechanism so that the positions of the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, and the support plate move upward in the vehicle. The vehicle further includes a seat angle adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a seat angle of a seat cushion of the driver's seat,
2. The driving posture variable system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the seat angle adjustment mechanism so that the seat angle of the seat cushion of the driver's seat becomes larger when the driving mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. a steering wheel position adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a position of the steering wheel,
3. The driving posture variable system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the steering wheel position adjustment mechanism to move the position of the steering wheel toward the rear of the vehicle when the driving mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode.

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