JP2010122477A - Mechanism for automatically adjusting difficulty for time-pressured task, which interlocks with capability - Google Patents

Abstract

【Task】
When performing tasks in general, including tasks that are time-critical (hereinafter referred to as time-critical tasks), the degree of difficulty must be set appropriately in order to obtain sufficient effects according to the purpose. Although necessary, there is a problem that the selection takes time and the effect cannot be obtained if the selection is removed. In particular, in a driving simulator for time-critical problems, if the difficulty level is too high, the subject may run at a speed that is too low, and the relationship between the cars may be disrupted and the problem cannot be presented well.

[Solution]
A system that automatically and dynamically adjusts the difficulty level is added to the system that performs the time imminent task by detecting the incompatibility between the subject's ability and the difficulty level of the task from the task execution state. In the case of a driving simulator, the set speed is lowered or raised according to the traveling state of the subject. In addition, this function can be easily realized by manipulating the speed of time progress in the virtual space.




[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for executing a time imminent task (hereinafter referred to as a time imminent task) by an interactive computer system, and in particular, a mechanism for automatically and automatically adjusting the difficulty level of a task in conjunction with the ability of a subject. About.

  A time imminent task is a task that is performed dynamically, as opposed to a static task that takes care of a problem printed on paper, and is set after the task is presented to the subject. Request accurate judgments and actions within a certain amount of time (margin time) or as short as possible.

  There are many factors that apply to time-critical tasks in driving a car.For example, when an obstacle appears in front of you and you must avoid it before a collision, that is, make accurate decisions and actions within the spare time. It matches the situation of the time urgency task that needs to be done.

  Therefore, the determination of driving ability requires evaluation based on a time urgent task rather than a static task using paper or the like. Furthermore, it is considered that the evaluation is preferably performed in a situation as close as possible to reality. As an effective implementation means, there is a simulated operation using a driving simulator. Currently, driving simulators for practical purposes such as measurement of driving ability in inspection and experiment, training, and entertainment have been put into practical use.

  The driving simulator projects the video seen from the driver's seat created in real time by computer graphics on the screen installed in front of the driver and interlocks with the operation of the steering device such as the steering wheel, accelerator, brake etc. Thus, by controlling the video, the visual / auditory device that simulates running on an actual road in the room and the device, such as acceleration and vibration, are presented to the driver in a simulated manner. As a result, even if an accident occurs, it is in a virtual space, so it does not suffer physical injury and can be reproducibly implemented. It becomes possible.

 Measuring driving ability using the driving simulator described above is a situation that rarely occurs during actual driving, in addition to being evaluated using images and operation devices that are close to the actual driving situation. Since it can be selectively or repeatedly generated, it is effective to efficiently carry out tasks designed based on intentions in examination, training, experiment, entertainment, and the like. Furthermore, since it is a virtual space based on computer graphics, it can be safely implemented even if it is used in a situation where there is a risk of collision, and the problem is related to a large number of vehicles, etc. Even in this case, for example, it is not necessary to prepare an actual vehicle or a test driver, and it is superior to the actual vehicle in that the setting of the task can be performed freely and the cost is not affected even if the task is complicated.

  By the way, one of the factors that determine the difficulty level of the time urgent task is the length of the margin time. Generally, the margin time and the difficulty level are inversely related.

  If this is applied to driving, the speed is considered to be a parameter indirectly corresponding to the difficulty level. For example, when avoiding obstacles at the same distance, it is necessary to avoid it in a shorter time if the speed is high, and more agile steering operation is possible if the traveling speed is high even on the same road. The relationship between speed and difficulty is also great in that it is necessary. It is noted that when the vehicle follows a previous vehicle and travels at a high speed or feels dangerous, it is generally known that the driver tends to take a wide inter-vehicle distance.

  The purpose of carrying out the task, including the time urgent task targeted by the present invention, is various, such as examination, training, experiment, entertainment, etc., but in order to expect a sufficient effect, it is difficult to perform the task. The degree needs to be appropriate. The most primitive method is to prepare multiple tasks with different levels of difficulty in advance and select a task that seems to fit the subject's ability. There is a concern that it will not be possible to obtain a sufficient effect if a random selection is made by omitting this.

  Especially in the case of a driving simulator, the actual subject feels difficulty or danger in executing the task or driving against the traveling speed of the subject (hereinafter referred to as the set speed) assumed when the task is created. The car may run at a low speed. In that case, for example, in a problem using a traffic scene where multiple cars are related, the distance between the preceding vehicles will be too large, the surrounding cars will go further, etc. The relationship breaks down and the problem cannot be presented successfully. For this reason, the necessity of appropriately setting the difficulty level is extremely high.

  There is Patent Document 1 as a prior invention that adjusts the difficulty level of a task in accordance with the state of the subject, but a system that determines the suitability of the difficulty level by observing the appearance of the subject with a camera or the like, such as the frequency of blinking eyes Therefore, it is necessary to add sensors for that purpose, and since complicated processing such as video processing and subject state estimation is required, the implementation cost increases.

JP 2008-43760 A

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, incompatibility between the subject's ability and the degree of difficulty of the subject against the system that implements the time imminent task including the task for measuring the driving ability by the driving simulator exemplified above. We have devised a mechanism that adds a function that automatically and dynamically adjusts the difficulty level of a task that is detected from the task's performance status.

  The processing of this mechanism is markedly accomplished, such as the subject does not respond to most tasks within the spare time, makes wrong choices, or cannot prepare to perform the tasks in the first place. If it is bad, it will be judged that the difficulty of the task is too high to fit, and the difficulty of the task will be reduced, and conversely, most tasks will be answered correctly in a very short time. If it is good, it is determined that there is a surplus, that is, the difficulty level of the task is too low to fit, and the difficulty level of the task is raised.

  Note that the method of Patent Document 1 requires additional sensors such as a camera for observing the state of the subject, whereas the present invention determines whether the subject's ability and the difficulty level of the subject are compatible. Since the process is performed using the internal state of the system, it is not necessary to add a device.

  When applying the present invention to a driving simulator, if the difficulty level is too high for the subject and the vehicle runs only at a speed lower than the set speed, the set speed is reduced. Conversely, if the difficulty level is too low, the set speed is set. The difficulty level may be automatically switched in the direction of raising the value.

  More specifically, if the processing content in the task of following the preceding vehicle is exemplified, the inter-vehicle distance changes in a direction that widens if the subject's traveling speed is lower than the set speed, and the inter-vehicle distance changes in a direction that narrows if the subject's traveling speed is high From the above, the system monitors the traveling speed and inter-vehicle distance of the subject, and uses them as an index of the degree of adaptation of the task difficulty, according to a judgment criterion prepared in advance such as a function or a correspondence table, that is, for a subject with an excessive inter-vehicle distance, Change the difficulty dynamically, such as lowering the set speed if the actual speed is too low, or increasing the set speed if the actual speed is too high To do.

  Generally, the set speed is determined on the assumption of the regulated speed and the actual speed, so the speeds of other vehicles running on the same road are basically independent of the set speed. Moreover, if the speed of the preceding vehicle remains the same even if only the set speed is lowered due to the problem of following the preceding vehicle, the speed of the preceding vehicle needs to be similarly lowered because the preceding vehicle cannot be followed by being separated. Thus, if the set speed is changed, it is often more convenient to change the speed of other vehicles in conjunction with it, so that the set speed can be changed between vehicles including the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. It is possible to function as a control parameter for the feedback system for maintaining the positional relationship of the above and suppressing deviation from the problem situation.

  Here, if the difficulty level is changed stepwise with discrete values, etc., the setting speed may change frequently, and the operation may become vibrant.However, smooth adjustment with continuous values and selection criteria for difficulty level Stabilization can be considered by providing hysteresis.

  In addition, about the specific method of changing the set speed when the present invention is applied to a driving simulator, in addition to the method of changing the speed individually for all other vehicles, the progress speed of time in the virtual space In the latter, the speed of all other vehicles is linked to the speed of time, so that the function of the present invention can be easily realized.

  To illustrate this using specific numerical values, when the cycle of calculating the vehicle position and the like and updating the video is performed 60 times per second, the progress of the time in the virtual space is assumed to be 1 / 90th per cycle. If you use the one that is slower than the second and the real time, the set speed and the speed of other vehicles will all be 0.67 times slower, and the extra time will be extended by 1.5 times. Will be lowered. On the other hand, if the time progress in the virtual space is 1/40 second per cycle and faster than the real time, the set speed and the speed of other vehicles will all be 1.5 times faster. The margin time is reduced to 0.67 times, and the difficulty level is raised.

 Previously, it was not easy to set the difficulty level of the task appropriately, but the system automatically selects the difficulty level for time-critical tasks. Will be able to maintain a certain level of difficulty.

  In addition, when setting the difficulty level manually, it is usually a selection from a finite number of options prepared in advance.For example, in the case of a driving simulator, from the start to the end of driving, until the task reaches one paragraph, it is from beginning to end. Although the difficulty level is fixed, when the difficulty level automatic adjustment mechanism of the present invention is used, dynamic and fine-tuning by continuous values is possible even in the middle. In training, entertainment, etc., implementation efficiency and performance can be significantly improved.

  In addition, by using a method to change the difficulty level by manipulating the speed of time in the virtual space, all the appearances such as other vehicles will be changed by adjusting only the parameters, The cost of creating an issue can be greatly reduced.

  Furthermore, when this method is adopted, there is an advantage that the same state can be reproduced with respect to the positional relationship between the appearances regardless of the change in the difficulty level.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The mechanism proposed in the present invention, in which the system detects the incompatibility between the subject's ability and the difficulty level of the time imminent task and automatically adjusts the difficulty level, is intended to measure the driving ability using a driving simulator. It is considered to be particularly effective in the issues that have been solved. For example, if the subject and the system have the characteristics shown in FIG. 1 in the task of following the preceding vehicle, the system uses the inter-vehicle distance to adjust the set speed as indicated by the dotted line in the figure. Then, it is stable at the intersection of the two graphs, at a speed of about 90 km / h, and an inter-vehicle distance of about 60 m. When the present invention is not used, since the set speed is fixed regardless of how the subject runs, in this case regardless of the inter-vehicle distance, the horizontal line with the vertical axis (speed) as the set speed and the characteristics of the subject The value on the horizontal axis obtained by dropping the perpendicular from the intersection point on the graph is the inter-vehicle distance selected by the subject. When the set speed is too high to make an intersection with the graph, the distance between the vehicles becomes infinite as the preceding vehicle is gradually pulled away.

  When the subject's graph (solid line) shifts downward due to another subject driving, changing the subject's condition, changing the scene to a complicated situation, etc., the characteristics of the subject and the system are as shown in FIGS. To change. If the set speed is fixed without using the mechanism of the present invention, the change in the inter-vehicle distance is greatly expanded like a horizontal right arrow, but the point of the right downward arrow is crossed by the mechanism of the present invention. In this way, the change in the increase in the inter-vehicle distance is greatly reduced.

  As described above, the present invention does not require a complicated and uncertain judgment process such as observing the appearance of a subject and making a suitability determination of difficulty, as in the method of Patent Document 1, and a simple and clear rule. Can only be realized.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the embodiment in which the present invention is effective is a driving simulator that displays a landscape in front and a landscape reflected in a mirror, and pays attention to the arrangement of surrounding cars shown in FIGS. The case where the subject which avoids an obstacle is performed is mentioned.

  As in this task, when another vehicle is traveling around, if the subject is left behind without following the preceding vehicle because the difficulty of the task is high, or if the distance between vehicles is too wide, the task is normal. Cannot be implemented. The use of the present invention is effective for causing the subject to follow in such a way that the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is kept within a certain range, and to unify the relative appearance positions of the obstacles. When the number is large, it is possible to easily adjust the difficulty level by using the above-described method of manipulating the speed of progress in the virtual space.

In this example, a schematic graph in which a correspondence between a vehicle distance and a speed selected by a subject (solid line) and a design value (dotted line) of a speed system with respect to the vehicle distance are overlapped. The speed on the vertical axis corresponds to the difficulty level of the task, and the dotted line indicates that the system design is such that the difficulty level decreases as the inter-vehicle distance on the horizontal axis increases. If the mechanism of the present invention is used, the coordinates of the intersection of the two graphs become the values of the traveling speed and the inter-vehicle distance of the subject. When the subject's inter-vehicle distance-speed graph is shifted downward in FIG. 1 due to another subject driving, the subject's condition changing, the environment changing, etc. The schematic diagram of the driving simulator which gives an example to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a view of the driving simulator shown in FIG. 3 viewed from diagonally right behind the driver's seat. The figure which showed typically the display of the front and each mirror about the mode at the time of normal driving | running | working. The figure which showed typically the display of the front and each mirror about the mode at the time of a task start following the state of FIG. The brake lamp of the preceding vehicle is lit. The figure which showed typically the display of the front and each mirror about the mode at the time of a task execution following the state of FIG. An obstacle appears from behind the lane change to the left or right of the preceding vehicle (right side in the example in this figure), and the subject confirms the arrangement of the vehicles around him to determine the avoidance method and executes the avoidance. In the example of this figure, since the left lane is wide, avoiding by changing the lane to the left is the correct answer to this problem.

Explanation of symbols

1 Screen for projecting the image of the front of the driver's seat.
2 A small LCD monitor for displaying images that mimic door mirrors. Install them on the left and right as 2-a and 2-b in FIG.
3 Computer for image generation.
4 Projector for projecting on one screen.
5 cab. It has operation input devices that simulate automobiles, such as steering wheels, accelerators, and brakes.
6 Shaking device. This is omitted for driving simulators that do not have a mechanism for experiencing acceleration.
7 Area for displaying video imitating room mirror. In the present embodiment, the front video projected on the first screen is preliminarily subjected to the fitting process by the third video generation computer.

Claims (3)

  A mechanism for automatically adjusting the difficulty level dynamically in conjunction with the subject's ability to detect incompatibility of the difficulty level from the task execution status in a timely task.   A driving simulator comprising a mechanism for adjusting the speed of another vehicle according to the driving state of the driver. A method for realizing the driving simulator according to claim 2 by adjusting a speed of time in the virtual space.

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