FR3144797A1 - Motor vehicle equipped with visual means to combat motion sickness - Google Patents

Abstract

Motor vehicle (VHL) comprising a processing module (MDT) comprising means (MCA) capable of estimating the lateral and longitudinal accelerations of the vehicle (VHL) from the electronic horizon (eHR) and speed and vehicle steering wheel angle (VHL); said module (MDT) further comprising image processing means (MTI) capable of creating specific visual effects, adapted according to the estimation of the lateral and longitudinal accelerations of the vehicle (VHL), in the images delivered by the camera (CAM); said vehicle (VHL) further comprising means for broadcasting (ECR) images processed by the processing module (MDT), in the field of vision of at least one occupant of the vehicle (VHL), capable of encouraging the occupant to change his posture according to the visual effects. (Figure 1)

Description

Motor vehicle equipped with visual aids to combat motion sickness

The present invention relates generally to methods for combating motion sickness and more particularly relates to a motor vehicle equipped with visual means for combating motion sickness likely to affect one or more occupants of the vehicle, in particular the rear passengers of said vehicle.

One of the causes of motion sickness is related to the visual perception of the passengers of a vehicle during a journey, particularly the rear passengers of the vehicle.

Rear passengers are more affected by the vehicle's movements than the driver, particularly in terms of lateral and longitudinal accelerations. This phenomenon is due in particular to the fact that the rear passengers' field of vision is much more restricted than that of the driver, which limits their ability to anticipate the vehicle's movements during the journey. As a result, rear passengers are frequently thrown towards the outside of the bend (carried along by centrifugal force) while the driver naturally tends to lean (tilt the torso and head) towards the inside of the bend to follow the bend. The driver therefore tends to better anticipate the road, whereas rear passengers tend to be more affected by lateral accelerations (bends) and longitudinal accelerations (sudden acceleration or braking).

The human peripheral visual system is very sensitive to the detection of the visual movement of the body itself. The scrolling of a visual stream on the retina naturally returns very fine information on the physical movement (head and torso) of its observer in relation to its space of evolution (its environment). The absence of proper locomotor movement as in a motor vehicle, can be accompanied by dizziness and nausea, all of which are unpleasant sensations that are grouped under the name "motion sickness".

Various methods involve vertical light strips arranged on either side of a screen to inform rear passengers of the trajectory ahead and thus prevent or alleviate symptoms. These methods are based on activating the light strips according to the curvature of the road previously recorded in the vehicle's navigation system.

However, although these procedures may have an effect, rear passengers remain sensitive to the symptoms, particularly because they do not have a clear vision of the dynamic demands to come (lack of anticipation), and this information does not induce changes in their posture.

The problem of motion sickness also arises for the driver when the vehicle has an autonomous driving mode and this mode is activated.

The development and expansion of so-called assistance or driver assistance systems, known as ADAS systems, or more simply “ADAS”, an acronym for “Advanced Driver Assistance Systems”, in motor vehicles, tend to make them increasingly autonomous. An autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, or a vehicle with an autonomous or automated driving mode, will generally be a vehicle that has functions provided by an ADAS system, making it possible to automate certain driving functions usually assigned to the driver. In such a vehicle, the driver himself may then be subject to motion sickness when he is not looking at the road.

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce motion sickness by encouraging vehicle occupants to adopt a head and torso movement similar to that of the driver when the latter is driving, to help them anticipate the movements of the vehicle.

For this purpose, the present invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a driving assistance system coupled to a navigation system associated with a high-definition cartographic database capable of providing an electronic horizon, a camera capable of capturing and continuously delivering images of the road in front of the vehicle, a processing module comprising means capable of estimating the lateral and longitudinal accelerations of the vehicle from the electronic horizon and information on the speed and steering wheel angle of the vehicle provided by a set of sensors of the vehicle; said module further comprising image processing means capable of applying determined visual effects, constructed according to the estimation of the lateral and longitudinal accelerations of the vehicle, in the images delivered by the camera; said vehicle further comprising means for broadcasting the images processed by the processing module, in the field of vision of at least one occupant of the vehicle, capable of encouraging the occupant to modify his posture according to the visual effects.

According to one feature, the image broadcasting means comprise a screen capable of displaying the images of the road after processing; said screen being arranged in the occupant's field of vision.

According to another feature, the screen is arranged at the back of a front seat of the vehicle in the upper part of the front seat.

According to another characteristic, a first visual effect, constructed and then applied by the image processing means, consists of tilting the images on themselves in the image plane and in the direction of the bend, depending on the value of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle, to simulate the approach to the bend.

According to another characteristic, a second visual effect, constructed and then applied by the image processing means, consists of widening or narrowing the width of the images depending on the acceleration, respectively the braking of the vehicle, to reinforce the impressions of speed, respectively braking, perceived by the occupant.

According to another characteristic, a third visual effect, constructed and then applied by the image processing means, consists of superimposing on the images of the road, a specific visual animation which moves according to the curvature of the road and the speed of the vehicle.

According to another feature, the driver assistance system is a driver assistance system based on high-definition map data, meeting the specifications of the “ADASIS” consortium, an English acronym for “Advanced Driver Systems Interface Specifications”.

Finally, according to a last characteristic, the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle

The present invention has the advantage of not modifying the organic architecture of the vehicle and of not being intrusive with respect to the vehicle's occupants. It provides additional comfort to the vehicle's occupants by naturally adapting their posture (increasing immersion for rear passengers in particular).

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on examining the detailed description below, and the attached drawing, in which:

illustrates by a block diagram, a vehicle according to the invention.

The VHL vehicle, illustrated in the , comprises a navigation system NAV receiving position information of the vehicle VHL provided by a geolocation device RGP such as a GPS receiver (GPS being the English acronym for "Global Positioning System") and using high-definition mapping data stored in a CHD database. The navigation system NAV is coupled to a driving assistance system ADAS, ADA, equipped with a specific ISP interface adapted to exchange the high-definition mapping data on the CAN (Controller Area Network) data bus, or CAN bus, BCN, of the vehicle VHL according to a specific protocol. This specific ISP interface and its associated protocol are grouped under the English acronym "ADASIS" for "Advanced Driver Assistance System Interface Specification".

The combination of the map data provided by the CHD database, which can be downloaded to a remote server, with the position data provided by the RGP geolocation device, allows the NAV navigation system to predict the context of the VHL vehicle's evolution in its environment.

This evolution context defines a "virtual horizon", or "electronic horizon" or even abbreviated "eHorizon" or "e-Horizon", eHR, which is constructed in order to anticipate the situations that the VHL vehicle is likely to encounter during its route which will have been previously established via a route planner, not shown, of the NAV navigation system.

The high-definition mapping is also enriched with real-time events that can be shared between connected vehicles. The eHR electronic horizon therefore makes it possible to predict the road environment of the VHL vehicle in the near future that is not immediately accessible by the perception sensors, not shown, embedded in the VHL vehicle.

The electronic horizon eHR is a kind of prediction function for a cruise control system and/or an ADAS system. It thus provides valuable information to the ADAS, ADA system, allowing to continuously feed the ADAS, ADA system, in order to ensure and secure the autonomous, or automated, driving mode of the VHL vehicle, which is usually managed by the ADAS, ADA system.

This information makes it possible in particular to define the most probable route, the position of the VHL vehicle, the route alternatives and the road profiles which will be taken by the VHL vehicle, such as, for example, the curvature of the CRT road, the maximum speed on the route, the intersection information, the number of traffic lanes, etc.

The present invention is also based on a broadcast of real IMG images of the road intended for the OCC occupants of the VHL vehicle, in particular the rear passengers of the VHL vehicle, IMG images which are processed before their broadcast to add visual effects which are constructed according to predictions of the lateral and longitudinal accelerations of the VHL vehicle in order to anticipate the future movements of the VHL vehicle and naturally lead the OCC rear passengers to adopt a posture in accordance with the movements of the VHL vehicle.

This broadcasting of images consists of visually restoring to the rear passengers OCC, IMG images of the road for example by broadcasting the IMG images on an ECR screen either by projection, rear projection or directly displayed on the ECR screen. The ECR screen is for example arranged at the rear of a front seat, not shown, of the VHL vehicle, in the upper part of the backrest or at the rear of the headrest of the front seat. The IMG images of the road are acquired by a CAM camera, for example a multifunction camera with a wide field of vision, arranged inside the VHL vehicle, on or near the upper part of the windshield and substantially centered on the windshield.

The CAM camera continuously captures IMG images of the road in front of the VHL vehicle and the IMG image stream (video stream) delivered by the CAM camera is broadcast to the rear OCC passengers of the VHL vehicle after a specific processing, carried out by an MDT processing module. The IMG images are generally digital images capable of undergoing multiple processing using image processing algorithms implemented by one or more computers distributed in the CAM camera and the ADAS system and in particular in the MDT processing module.

The MDT processing module takes into account the information provided by the eHR electronic horizon constructed from the NAV navigation system and high-definition map data, information which is also provided to the ADAS, ADA system, for the perception of the environment of the VHL vehicle and in particular to enable autonomous driving.

One of the important pieces of information taken into account by the MDT processing module to combat motion sickness is the information on the radius of curvature of the road CRT (bend).

The MDT processing module also takes into account the approach speed of the VHL vehicle in the turn and the rotation angle of the steering wheel (steering wheel angle), or of the steered wheels in the absence of a steering wheel; information which is usually provided to the ADAS, ADA, system of the VHL vehicle via respectively a set of CPT sensors of speed and steering wheel angle of the VHL vehicle.

From the information on the radius of curvature, speed and steering wheel angle, the MCA calculation means of the MDT processing module estimate the lateral acceleration that the VHL vehicle will undergo and which will therefore be felt by the rear passengers OCC when the VHL vehicle approaches the bend.

The MDT processing module also includes MTI image processing means which apply visual effects to the images captured by the CAM camera, constructed according to the estimated lateral acceleration and longitudinal acceleration (strong acceleration or braking).

These IMG images thus processed are broadcast to the rear passengers OCC on the ECR display screen placed in their CVO field of vision.

These visual effects are advantageously constructed so as to improve the perception of the dynamics of the VHL vehicle for the rear OCC passengers of the VHL vehicle and induce intuitive posture changes in them, as the driver of the VHL vehicle would do when approaching a bend and/or during strong acceleration or braking.

The IMG images rendered to a rear passenger OCC are for example of generally rectangular shape, centered in the ECR screen also of generally rectangular shape. The plane of the ECR screen, and therefore that of the IMG image, extends substantially vertically in front of the rear passenger OCC, in his field of vision CVO.

A first visual effect (Screen Rotation) consists of tilting the IMG image in the image plane, towards the lower edge of the ECR screen, in one direction or the other, when approaching a CRT bend depending on the lateral acceleration and the direction of the bend. The greater the lateral acceleration, the greater the amplitude of the tilt. Thus, the passenger's head and then his torso naturally tilt to follow the movement of the image, simulating the taking of a bend as seen by the driver, and thus adopting an appropriate posture aligned with the gravito-inertial force.

A second effect (Lens Deformation) consists of constructing and then applying to the IMG images a "lens deformation" type effect (or optical distortion) in order to artificially modify the passenger's field of vision. The field of vision is widened during strong accelerations and it is narrowed during braking. Thus, the perception of the optical flow by the OCC passenger is increased and the speed and braking thus perceived are reinforced.

A third effect (Tunnel effect) consists of representing the road by superimposing on the image of the road, a visual animation for example in the form of a “particle tunnel” (set of light points, pixels or others, concentrated in a part of the image). This “tunnel” is animated in real time according to the curvature of the CRT road and the speed of the VHL vehicle. This effect aims to reinforce the perception of the curvature of the bend and the force of the lateral acceleration in an anticipated manner.

Claims (8)

Motor vehicle (VHL) comprising a driving assistance system (ADA) coupled to a navigation system (NAV) associated with a high-definition cartographic database (CHD) capable of providing an electronic horizon (eHR), a camera (CAM) capable of capturing and continuously delivering images (IMG) of the road in front of the vehicle (VHL), a processing module (MDT) comprising means (MCA) capable of estimating the lateral and longitudinal accelerations of the vehicle (VHL) from the electronic horizon (eHR) and information on the speed and steering wheel angle of the vehicle (VHL) provided by a set of sensors (CPT) of the vehicle (VHL); said module (MDT) further comprising image processing means (MTI) capable of applying determined visual effects, constructed as a function of the estimation of the lateral and longitudinal accelerations of the vehicle (VHL), in the images (IMG) delivered by the camera (CAM); said vehicle (VHL) further comprising means for broadcasting (ECR) the images (IMG) processed by the processing module (MDT), in the field of vision (CVO) of at least one occupant (OCC) of the vehicle (VHL), capable of encouraging the occupant (OCC) to modify his posture according to the visual effects. Vehicle (VHL) according to claim 1, in which the image broadcasting means (IMG) comprise a screen (ECR) capable of displaying the images (IMG) of the road after processing; said screen (ECR) being arranged in the field of vision (CVO) of the occupant (OCC). Vehicle (VHL) according to the preceding claim, in which the screen (ECR) is arranged at the rear of a front seat of the vehicle (VHL) in the upper part of the front seat. Vehicle (VHL) according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which a first visual effect, constructed then applied by the image processing means (MTI), consists of tilting the images (IMG) on themselves in the plane of the images (IMG) and in the direction of the bend (CRT), depending on the value of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle (VHL), to simulate the approach to the bend (CRT). Vehicle (VHL) according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which a second visual effect, constructed then applied by the image processing means (MTI), consists of widening or narrowing the width of the images (IMG) as a function of the acceleration, respectively the braking of the vehicle (VHL), to reinforce the impressions of speed, respectively of braking, perceived by the occupant (OCC). Vehicle (VHL) according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which a third visual effect, constructed then applied by the image processing means (MTI), consists of superimposing on the images (IMG) of the road, a determined visual animation which is animated according to the curvature (CRT) of the road and the speed of the vehicle (VHL). Vehicle (VHL) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the driving assistance system (ADA) is a driving assistance system based on high-definition map data. Vehicle (VHL) according to one of the preceding claims, in which said vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.