JP5216747B2 - Bicycle simulation equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bicycle simulation apparatus that is used for traffic safety education, games, physical fitness training, and the like, and allows a user to experience a bicycle running state in a simulated manner.

  Recently, in order to simulate driving of airplanes, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, etc., simulation apparatuses corresponding to each vehicle have been proposed, and some of them have been put into practical use. Among these, a bicycle simulation device has been proposed in which a driver runs a pedal while straddling a saddle of a simulated bicycle and operates a handle to perform simulated driving (see Patent Document 1).

  Recently, there has been proposed a bicycle simulation device that can reproduce the getting-on / off operation, the stepping-on operation at the time of suspension, and the pushing-and-walking operation, and can have almost the same realistic feeling as the actual driving of the bicycle (Patent Literature). 2 and 3).

  Conventionally, a bicycle exercise apparatus including a load resistance generator that applies load resistance to the rear wheels has been proposed (see Patent Document 4).

Registered Utility Model No. 2558981 JP 2008-54856 A JP 2008-242248 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-24137

  By the way, in the bicycle simulation apparatus as described above, when calculating the speed, the number of rotations of the rear wheel or flywheel that is rotationally driven by the operation of the pedal is detected by a sensor, and the detected number of rotations is calculated as the speed of the bicycle. (See Patent Documents 2 and 3).

  However, since the rear wheel or flywheel of the simulated bicycle simply rotates with a slight pedal operation and stops immediately when the brake is applied, the number of rotations (rotational speed) of the rear wheel or flywheel is set to the speed of the bicycle. As a result, the acceleration / deceleration is different from the actual one. In particular, when the pedal is started and after running, the user may not be given a feeling close to that of the actual vehicle.

  Therefore, it is conceivable that a dedicated load resistance generator as shown in Patent Document 4 is separately attached to the simulated bicycle to give load resistance to the rear wheel or flywheel. However, there is a problem that a space for separately attaching a dedicated load resistance generator is required, and the bicycle simulation apparatus itself is increased in size. Moreover, when starting out, the user feels that the speed does not come out easily, and there is a possibility that the speed will go out too much by stroking the pedal further, even if load resistance is given, it is actually The acceleration / deceleration may be different.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and allows the user to have a simulated experience similar to that when the user actually travels a bicycle, and also to reduce the size of the device itself. An object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle simulation apparatus that can perform such a process.

[1] A bicycle simulation apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a simulated bicycle (12) including a rotating body (88) that rotates by a rotation operation of a user's pedal (82), and the simulated bicycle (12). The front display unit (14) for displaying a pseudo-running image, the rotational speed sensor (210) for detecting the rotational speed of the rotating body (88), and the use for the front display unit (14) And a control unit (20) for outputting a simulated running image by the user's operation, and causing the user to experience a bicycle running state according to the speed detected by the rotational speed sensor (210). In the bicycle simulation apparatus, the control unit (20) includes an acceleration calculation unit that calculates acceleration based on a previous vehicle speed (vehicle speed) and a detected value from the rotational speed sensor (210). 222), a speed threshold value set in advance and the previous vehicle speed, and an acceleration correction unit (224) that corrects the acceleration according to the comparison result, and a current time based on the corrected acceleration. And a vehicle speed calculation unit (228) for obtaining the vehicle speed, and controlling the pseudo travel image based on the current vehicle speed . Note that the reference numerals in parentheses are appended to the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings for easy understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not construed as being limited to the reference numerals. The same applies hereinafter.

[2] The invention according to claim 2 is the bicycle simulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration correction unit (224) has one or more of the accelerations obtained by the acceleration calculation unit (222). The vehicle speed calculation unit (228) calculates the current vehicle speed based on the correction acceleration obtained by the acceleration correction unit (224), and calculates the correction coefficient. Is set to a large value when the vehicle speed is low, and is set to a small value when the vehicle speed increases.

[3] According to a third aspect of the invention, the bicycle simulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration correction section (224), the acceleration correction by multiplying the correction factor to the acceleration of the preceding The first correction coefficient (ha) is used as the correction coefficient when the vehicle speed is less than the speed threshold, and the second correction coefficient (hb) is used as the correction coefficient when the previous vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the speed threshold. The first correction coefficient (ha)> the second correction coefficient (hb).

[ 4 ] The invention according to claim 4 is the bicycle simulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the control unit (20) further includes at least the user's correction acceleration. An acceleration / deceleration calculation unit (226) that calculates an acceleration / deceleration reflecting a deceleration caused by a brake operation is provided, and the vehicle speed calculation unit (228) sets a value obtained by integrating the acceleration / deceleration as the current vehicle speed. And

[ 5 ] The invention according to claim 5 is the bicycle simulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the acceleration correction unit (224) performs processing from the processing in the acceleration calculation unit (222). processing, and wherein the control that to determine the sequence the current vehicle speed by repeating a series of processes over processing in the vehicle speed calculating section (228).

[ 6 ] The invention according to claim 6 is the bicycle simulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a display device (200), wherein the display device (200) displays the speed of the vehicle. 200) and a vehicle speed display portion (232).

According to the first aspect of the invention, the acceleration is calculated based on the previous vehicle speed (vehicle speed) and the detected value from the rotational speed sensor, and the preset speed threshold value and the previous vehicle speed are calculated. In comparison, the acceleration is corrected according to the comparison result, the current vehicle speed is obtained based on the corrected acceleration, and the pseudo running image is controlled based on the obtained current vehicle speed . The acceleration according to the vehicle speed can be obtained, and a driving experience similar to that when actually driving a bicycle can be simulated. In addition, the calculation for correcting the acceleration is simplified, and the calculation load on the control unit can be reduced. In addition, since the current vehicle speed is obtained based on the corrected acceleration, it is possible to give the user a feeling of running close to reality.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the acceleration obtained by the acceleration computing unit is multiplied by one or more correction coefficients to calculate the corrected acceleration, and the current vehicle speed is calculated based on the obtained corrected acceleration. The correction coefficient is set to a large value when the speed of the vehicle is small, and is set to a small value when the speed of the vehicle is large. The speed is set to a larger value by a correction coefficient (a value of 1 or more) to obtain a pseudo-running image in which the speed increases quickly. As the speed of the vehicle increases, the correction coefficient decreases, so the speed of the vehicle may increase too much. Absent.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the acceleration is corrected by multiplying the acceleration by a correction coefficient. When the previous vehicle speed is less than the speed threshold, the first correction coefficient is used as the correction coefficient. Since the second correction coefficient is used as the correction coefficient when the previous vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the speed threshold value, the relationship of the first correction coefficient> the second correction coefficient is used. The vehicle speed can be increased when the vehicle is started, and smaller after the vehicle is started.When the vehicle is started, the vehicle speed increases as the pedal is stepped on. It feels like going. That is, it is possible to give the user a driving feeling close to the reality that the acceleration increases in the process of shifting from the stop state of the vehicle to the driving state or at a low speed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the acceleration / deceleration reflecting at least the deceleration caused by the brake operation of the user is calculated, and the value obtained by integrating the acceleration / deceleration is the current vehicle speed. It is possible to reflect the influence of the slope effect of the slope, the air resistance, etc. on the speed of the vehicle, and it is possible to give the user a more realistic driving feeling.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the current vehicle speed is sequentially obtained by repeating a series of processes ranging from the process in the acceleration calculation unit to the process in the acceleration correction unit and the process in the vehicle speed calculation unit. When the background image based on the three-dimensional image information is displayed on the display device, the three-dimensional coordinates on the background image of the camera viewpoint can be changed every moment. It is possible to display a moving image (pseudo-running image) as if the riding user is traveling in the city.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the obtained speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle is displayed on the display device, the user can recognize the current vehicle speed at a glance. You can experience the pattern of the background image changing accordingly.

It is a perspective view which shows the bicycle simulation apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the bicycle simulation apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the rear part of the bicycle simulation apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the bicycle simulation apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the bicycle simulation apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the own vehicle behavior process. FIG. 7A is a graph showing characteristics of deceleration due to a brake operation, and FIG. 7B is a graph showing characteristics of air resistance with respect to speed. It is a characteristic view which shows the relationship between the rotational speed of a flywheel and the vehicle speed after a calculation.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a bicycle simulation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bicycle simulation apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment gives a driver (occupant) a pseudo sense of actually driving a bicycle. It can be used for various game machines and training equipment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a bicycle simulation apparatus 10 is a main monitor that displays a simulated bicycle 12 having a body structure similar to an actual bicycle and a scene (video) ahead of the driver according to the driving of the simulated bicycle 12. 14, a front stand 16 that supports the main monitor 14, a rear monitor (rear display unit) 18 that displays a scene behind the driver, and a control device (control unit) 20 that performs overall control of the bicycle simulation apparatus 10. With.

  The bicycle simulation apparatus 10 has a structure (a four-part structure) in which the simulated bicycle 12, the main monitor 14, the front stand 16, and the rear monitor 18 can be divided. Each element can be easily divided and assembled by bolt fastening or the like. It can be carried out.

  The main monitor 14 is supported by the upper part of the front stand 16 and can be adjusted in the vertical direction (height direction) by the monitor position adjusting mechanism 22. A pair of sub-monitors 24 and 24 are provided on the left and right sides of the main monitor 14 to display the left rear and right rear scenes of the driver driving the simulated bicycle 12, respectively. Therefore, in the following description, when the main monitor 14, the sub monitor 24, and the rear monitor 18 are collectively referred to, they are simply referred to as a monitor 200 (display device: see FIG. 4).

  The front stand 16 includes a pipe-shaped main body frame 17 and leg portions 19 and wheels 21 provided at the bottom of the main body frame 17. The monitor position is adjusted above the upper plate 23 that forms a substantially horizontal plane. The main monitor 14 is attached via the mechanism 22.

  The control device 20 is disposed on the under plate 25 of the front stand 16, and the driver's operation information (travel information) is input by sensors attached to each part of the simulated bicycle 12, so that the front stand 16 and the sub monitor 24. Various images corresponding to the situation are displayed on the rear monitor 18.

  The rear monitor 18 is connected to the rear of the simulated bicycle 12 by a pipe-shaped rear stand (rear stand) 30 connected to a main frame 26 connected to the lower portion of the front stand 16 and extending to the lower portion of the simulated bicycle 12 by a connecting portion 28. Provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear monitor 18 is installed corresponding to the approximate center position of the adjustment range h <b> 1 of the main monitor 14 by the monitor position adjusting mechanism 22, and one side from the center line in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body of the simulated bicycle 12. It is installed at a position slightly offset to the side (the right side of the vehicle body in this embodiment).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the simulated bicycle 12 is fixed to the floor and the lower portion of the front stand 16 to constitute a vehicle body of the simulated bicycle 12, and a seat post (saddle side pipe) 32 to the main frame 26. A saddle 34 (seat portion) connected via a head, a handle 40 rotatable about a head pipe 38 fixed to a handle post (handle-side pipe) 36 connected to the main frame 26, and rubber. And a dummy rear wheel 42 fixed on the floor surface by a tire such as a tire, and a drive unit 43 is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle body. The saddle 34 can be adjusted in the vertical direction (height direction) by the saddle position adjusting mechanism 44, and the handle 40 can be adjusted in the vertical direction (height direction) by the handle position adjusting mechanism 46. is there.

  The main frame 26 is connected to the lower part of the front stand 16 by a pair of connecting portions 47, 47 at both ends, and is fixed to the floor. The main frame 26 extends from the center of the support pipe 48 to the rear side of the vehicle body. An underpipe 50 wound around the surface, a handle-side base pipe 52 and a saddle-side base pipe 54 extending upwardly from the underpipe 50 with a forward inclination and a rear inclination, respectively, and between the handle-side base pipe 52 and the saddle-side base pipe 54 And a pair of front forks 58, 58 connecting the handle-side base pipe 52 and the support pipe 48 to constitute a vehicle body of the simulated bicycle 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a first control box 60 covered with a case of resin or the like is attached below the head pipe 38. The first control box 60 houses a handle resistance generator that gives an appropriate response to the turning operation of the handle 40, a rudder angle sensor 202 (see FIG. 4) that detects the rudder angle of the handle 40, and the like. .

  In a substantially triangular space formed between the handle-side base pipe 52 and the front fork 58, a second control box 62 covered with a case of resin or the like is attached. Inside the second control box 62, the amount of operation of the front wheel brake is detected by the amount of sliding of the brake resistance generator or the front wheel brake wire 66 that gives an appropriate response to the swing operation of the front wheel brake lever 64 provided on the handle 40. A brake sensor 206 (refer to FIG. 4) is stored. A rear wheel brake wire 70 from the rear wheel brake lever 68 (see FIG. 1) extends through the second control box 62 to the rear wheel side (see FIG. 2). The first control box 60 and the second control box 62 are connected to the main monitor 14 and the control device 20 via a harness 72 and the like. In the following description, the front wheel brake lever 64 and the rear wheel brake lever 68 are collectively referred to simply as the brake lever 208 (see FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the drive unit 43 is supported by a pipe-like under stay 74 and an upper stay 76 that support the rear wheel 42 with a pair of left and right truss structures extending rearward from the saddle side base pipe 54. At the front end of the understay 74, a pair of cranks 80, 80 connected to the left and right of a rotating shaft (crankshaft) 78 and pedals 82, 82 provided at the tips of the cranks 80, 80 are rotatable. It is pivotally supported.

  Therefore, in the drive unit 43, when the driver strokes the pedal 82, the endless drive chain 86 wound around the front sprocket 84 coupled to the crank 80 is driven. The drive chain 86 is wound around a rear sprocket (not shown) provided on a rotating shaft 89 of a flywheel 88 that is rotatably attached to the rear side of the vehicle body of the pedal 82, whereby the driver operates the pedal. Accordingly, the flywheel 88 is rotationally driven. In place of the drive chain 86, a belt made of resin or metal may be used.

  A pedal load adjusting mechanism 92 having a roller 90 that is driven and rotated in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the flywheel 88 is attached to the front side of the flywheel 88 on the vehicle body, and by adjusting the rotational resistance of the flywheel 88, The pedaling force required for the rotation of the pedal 82, that is, the pedal load can be changed.

  A one-way clutch (not shown) is disposed between the rotary shaft 89 of the flywheel 88 and the rear sprocket attached to the rotary shaft 89, and reproduces inertial running similar to that of a normal bicycle. Can do. Further, by detecting the rotational speed of the flywheel 88 with a rotational speed sensor 210 (see FIG. 4) attached to the vehicle body, the pseudo speed of the simulated bicycle 12 is calculated by the control device 20. Furthermore, a drum brake 94 operated by a rear wheel brake wire 70 (see FIG. 3) from the rear wheel brake lever 68 is attached to the flywheel 88 to brake the flywheel 88 that is actually driven to rotate. Thus, it is possible to obtain a feeling of rear brake operation that is close to actual driving.

  Such a flywheel 88 is pivotally supported about a rotation shaft 89 with respect to a support plate 96 fixed to the understay 74 and the upper stay 76. The drum brake 94 that applies a braking force to the flywheel 88 has a brake shoe on the inner peripheral surface of the case when the swing arm 98 connected to the rear wheel brake wire 70 is pulled forward by the operation of the rear wheel brake lever 68. (Not shown) is pressed to generate a frictional force. The brake system may be configured to use a disc type brake, a cantilever type rim brake that sandwiches the outer periphery of the flywheel, and the like.

  The rear stand 30 that supports the rear monitor 18 includes a connecting pipe (connecting portion) 170 that is connected to the end portion of the under pipe 50 of the main frame 26 by a connecting portion 28, and the other end side of the connecting pipe 170 in the vertical direction. In order to stably support the rear monitor 18 by reinforcing the vertical pipe (holding portion) 172 to which the rear monitor 18 is fixed at the upper end side and reinforcing the vicinity of the rising base end portion of the vertical pipe 172, the floor surface It is comprised from the annular pipe (holding | maintenance part) 174 fixed to.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connection pipe 170 has a portion close to the connection portion 28 along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body of the simulated bicycle 12, and the rear side thereof is bent from the front of the rear wheel 42 of the simulated bicycle 12. It extends to the right rear of the car body.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the connecting portion 28, the under pipe 50 and the connecting pipe 170 of the main frame 26 are rod-shaped pipes on the under pipe 50 side, while the connecting pipe 170 side is a hollow pipe having a slit 170a, The end of the under pipe 50 is inserted into the connecting pipe 170 and fastened with a connecting bolt 176 from the outer periphery of the connecting pipe 170 to be connected to each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the harness 178 from the rear monitor 18 is passed from the vertical pipe 172 into the connecting pipe 170 and is externally connected to the hole 170 b formed near the end of the connecting pipe 170. The USB connector (connector) 178a at the tip is connected to a USB terminal (connector) 180 provided at the lower part of the simulated bicycle 12. The harness 184 connected to the USB terminal 180 is connected to a USB connector 186 provided in front of the simulated bicycle 12 and connected to a USB connector (connector) 190 of a harness 188 extending from the control device 20 provided below the main monitor 14. Thus, the display of the rear monitor 18 can be controlled by the control device 20 disposed on the main frame 26 side (front stand 16). As described above, the wiring (harness) from the rear monitor 18 is connected to the control device 20 via each connector, so that each part of the bicycle simulation device 10 can be disassembled and assembled more easily. That is, each of the rear stand 30, the simulated bicycle 12, and the main monitor 14 can be separated by the connector, and wiring processing when disassembling each is facilitated. In this case, the harness 184 from the USB terminal 180 passes from the center frame 56 into the second control box 62 and is led out to the front of the simulated bicycle 12. The harness 184 can be protected by providing rubber or the like grommets at the entrance and exit of the harness 184 to the center frame 56, the handle-side base pipe 52, and the second control box 62.

  When the USB connector 178a or the like is disconnected, it is preferable to display the location on the main monitor 14 and restart it by reconnecting. Of course, the rear monitor 18 and the control device 20 may be connected by a connection method other than USB connection.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the simulated bicycle 12, the drive unit 43 is covered with a cover 99 made of resin or the like to prevent the driver from contacting the drive chain or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 20 includes an acceleration calculation unit 222, an acceleration correction unit 224, an acceleration / deceleration calculation unit 226, a vehicle speed calculation unit 228, a background image display unit 230, and a vehicle speed display unit 232. And a memory 234.

  The memory 234 stores a plurality of preset background image information 236, respectively. One background image information 236 is three-dimensional image information of one city set for bicycle education, and when displayed on the monitor 200, the three-dimensional image on the background image of the bicycle operated by the user. Based on the original coordinates (that is, the three-dimensional coordinates of the camera viewpoint) and the coordinates of the focal center, the image is converted into an image of the screen coordinate system and displayed. At this time, when the user operates the pedal 82, the three-dimensional coordinates on the background image of the camera viewpoint change every moment. Therefore, the user riding on the bicycle travels on the monitor 200 as if traveling on the street. A moving image is displayed.

  As background image information 236 (three-dimensional image information) stored in the memory 234, for example, three-dimensional image information of a virtual city imitating a city that actually exists, a crossroad (with or without a traffic light), a T-junction, There are three-dimensional image information of a virtual town where various points that are educationally important, such as sidewalks, are arranged at important points. In particular, in the present embodiment, a plurality of three-dimensional image information corresponding to the age group is prepared in consideration of traffic regulations. That is, three-dimensional image information mainly based on traveling on a bicycle on a street, three-dimensional image information mainly based on traveling on a sidewalk in the city, and the like.

  The background image display unit 230 reads selected background image information 260 from the plurality of background image information 260 stored in the memory 234 and displays the selected background image information 260 on the monitor 200. In this case, the background image display unit 230 displays the background image information 236 based on the virtual three-dimensional coordinates on the monitor 200 as an image based on the screen coordinates obtained by performing perspective transformation based on at least the camera viewpoint.

  Of the three-dimensional coordinates of the bicycle (that is, the three-dimensional coordinates of the camera viewpoint) on the background image information 236, the X coordinate (left and right) and the Z coordinate (depth) change every moment according to the steering operation of the user and the traveling speed. To do. On the other hand, the Y coordinate (height direction) maintains a constant coordinate. That is, since the camera viewpoint vector is obtained based on the detection signal from the rudder angle sensor 202 and the vehicle speed information (vehicle speed value stored in the fourth register R4) from the vehicle speed calculation unit 228 described later, the camera viewpoint X The coordinates and the Z coordinate are obtained, and as a result, the three-dimensional coordinates of the camera viewpoint on the selected background image information 236 are obtained.

  Then, the background image display unit 230 extracts the background image information that enters the field of view in the vector direction from the camera viewpoint based on the obtained three-dimensional coordinates of the camera viewpoint and the vector, and the screen coordinates A system image is converted and displayed on the monitor 200. By repeating this process, a moving image is displayed on the monitor 200 as if the user on the bicycle is traveling in the city. The display of the background image information 236 on the monitor 200 may be displayed with a first person (first person viewpoint) or a third person (third person viewpoint).

  The acceleration calculation unit 222 calculates the current speed value based on the detection value from the rotation speed sensor 210, and further calculates the previous speed value (the value stored in the second register R2: initial value) from the current speed value. = 0), the acceleration value α is calculated and stored in the first register R1.

  The acceleration correction unit 224 corrects the acceleration value α stored in the first register R1 based on the detection value from the rotation speed sensor 210 to obtain a corrected acceleration value β, and stores it in the second register R2.

  The vehicle speed calculation unit 228 calculates the vehicle speed based on two calculation methods (first calculation method or second calculation method).

  That is, in the first calculation method, the velocity value is obtained by integrating the corrected acceleration value β stored in the second register R2. Then, a provisional vehicle speed value is obtained by subtracting the deceleration value corresponding to the brake operation amount from the speed value, and the vehicle speed decrease corresponding to the running resistance corresponding to the provisional vehicle speed value is calculated as the provisional vehicle speed value. To determine the vehicle speed value, and the determined vehicle speed value is stored in the fourth register R4.

  In the second calculation method, first, calculation in the acceleration / deceleration calculation unit 226 is performed. The acceleration / deceleration calculation unit 226 calculates the current acceleration / deceleration γ reflecting the deceleration due to the brake operation, the acceleration / deceleration due to the running slope, the rolling resistance, and the air resistance to the corrected acceleration value β stored in the second register R2. And stored in the third register R3. Then, the vehicle speed calculation unit 228 stores a value obtained by integrating the acceleration / deceleration value γ stored in the third register R3 in the fourth register R4 as a vehicle speed value.

  When the first calculation method is adopted in the vehicle speed calculation, the control device 20 repeats a series of processes ranging from the process in the acceleration calculation unit 222 to the process in the acceleration correction unit 224 and the process in the vehicle speed calculation unit. Further, when the second calculation method is adopted in the vehicle speed calculation, a series of processes ranging from the process in the acceleration calculation unit 222 to the process in the acceleration correction unit 224, the process in the acceleration / deceleration calculation unit 226, and the process in the vehicle speed calculation unit 228 are performed. By repeating this process, for example, the vehicle speed is controlled so as to be sequentially obtained every unit time (for example, one frame period (1/60 sec) of a television signal). The calculated vehicle speed value is used for displaying the background image information 236 on the background image display unit 230.

  The vehicle speed display unit 232 displays the vehicle speed value stored in the fourth register R4 on the monitor 200. At this time, if the image of the speedometer is displayed, the index indicating the speed is displayed in an analog display format by rotating the rotation angle corresponding to the vehicle speed value, or the numerical value indicated by the vehicle speed value is displayed. Of course, even if the image of the speedometer is not displayed, a numerical value indicating the vehicle speed value may be displayed at the corner portion of the screen of the monitor 200. As a result, the user can recognize the current vehicle speed at a glance, and can experience a pattern in which the background image changes according to the vehicle speed.

  Next, the operation of the bicycle simulation apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, that is, the simulated driving operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the simulated driving, the monitor 200 has a practice course (a course that runs in a virtual city by bicycle), difficulty setting, a case study course (a course to practice while receiving guidance on danger prediction and avoidance), and bicycles. A selection screen for selecting a quiz or the like is displayed, and the user selects an appropriate item. The simulated driving displays a practice course screen, a case study course screen, and a quiz screen according to the selected item. The user operates the simulated bicycle according to the displayed screen and guidance.

  First, behavior calculation processing of the own vehicle (bicycle operated by the user) is performed in step S1 of FIG. 5, behavior calculation processing of the other vehicle is performed in step S2, and guidance processing is performed in step S3. Thereafter, in step S4, it is determined whether or not there is an end request (operation of an end button, power supply cut off, etc.).

  Here, the behavior calculation process of the host vehicle in step S1 will be described based on FIG. First, in step S101 of FIG. 6, the acceleration correction unit 224 reads the velocity value v (initial value = 0) from the fourth register R4. Thereafter, in step S102, the acceleration correction unit 224 determines whether or not the velocity value v is less than a predetermined value. Usually, acceleration increases during the process of shifting from a stopped state to a traveling state or at a low speed. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the speed is low. In this embodiment, the predetermined value is set to 5 km / h, for example. Of course, you may change suitably according to the application implemented.

  If the velocity value is less than the predetermined value, the acceleration correction unit 224 stores the first correction coefficient ha in the fifth register R5 (see FIG. 4) in step S103, and if the velocity value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. In step S104, the second correction coefficient hb is stored in the fifth register R5. The magnitude relationship between the first correction coefficient ha and the second correction coefficient hb is that both the first correction coefficient ha and the second correction coefficient hb are larger than 1, and the first correction coefficient ha> the second correction coefficient hb. Yes, in the present embodiment, ha = hb × 3. Of course, you may change suitably according to the application implemented.

  Thereafter, in step S105, the acceleration calculation unit 222 calculates the acceleration value α based on the detection value from the rotation speed sensor 210. Specifically, first, the current speed value = I / k is calculated based on the detection value from the rotation speed sensor 210. Here, I is a detected value from the rotation speed sensor 210, and k is a coefficient corresponding to the age of the user. The coefficient k is set so as to decrease as the age increases. A value obtained by subtracting the speed value v read in step S101 from the obtained current speed value is defined as an acceleration value α. The obtained acceleration value α is stored in the first register R1. Since the acceleration value α is calculated as described above, the control device 20 recognizes the current rotational speed of the flywheel 88 as the acceleration.

  In step S106, the acceleration correction unit 224 multiplies the acceleration value α stored in the first register R1 by the correction coefficient (first correction coefficient ha or second correction coefficient hb) stored in the fifth register R5. A corrected acceleration value β is obtained, and the corrected acceleration value β is stored in the second register R2.

That is, the following calculation is performed in step S105 and step S106.
Corrected acceleration β = {(I / k) −v} × z

  Thereafter, the vehicle speed value is calculated after step S107. Specifically, the vehicle speed value is calculated by the first calculation method in steps S107 to S109 or the second calculation method in steps S110 and S111.

  That is, in the first calculation method, in step S107, the vehicle speed calculation unit 228 obtains a speed value by integrating the corrected acceleration value β stored in the second register R2. Thereafter, in step S108, the vehicle speed calculation unit 228 calculates a deceleration value based on the brake input value from the brake sensor 206 based on the operation of the brake lever 208, and subtracts the deceleration value from the speed value to obtain a provisional vehicle speed value. Ask. Thereafter, in step S109, the vehicle speed decrease corresponding to the provisional vehicle speed value is subtracted from the provisional vehicle speed value to determine the vehicle speed value, and the determined vehicle speed value is stored in the fourth register R4. . Here, the rotational speed of the flywheel 88 is regarded as acceleration, and the vehicle speed value is obtained from a value obtained by integrating the acceleration. Therefore, the change in the vehicle speed value with respect to the rapid increase or decrease in the rotational speed of the flywheel 88. Becomes moderate.

  On the other hand, in the second calculation method, in step S110, the acceleration / deceleration calculation unit 226 adds a deceleration Da (deceleration Daf by front wheel brake + deceleration by rear wheel brake) to the corrected acceleration value β stored in the second register R2. The current acceleration / deceleration γ is calculated by reflecting the deceleration Dar), the acceleration / deceleration Db due to the traveling slope, the rolling resistance Dc, and the air resistance Dd, and is stored in the third register R3.

The characteristic of the deceleration by the front wheel brake, that is, the change of the deceleration with respect to the operation amount (stroke amount) of the front wheel brake lever 64 is the characteristic indicated by the solid line Laf in FIG. 7A. Therefore, the deceleration Daf due to the front wheel brake can be obtained based on the following arithmetic expression (1).
Daf = f × m (1)

  Here, f is a value (a value of 0 to 1) corresponding to the amount of operation of the front wheel brake lever 64 by the user, and m is a value (constant) based on the front wheel brake limit braking force.

The characteristic of deceleration by the rear wheel brake, that is, the change of the deceleration with respect to the operation amount (stroke amount) of the rear wheel brake lever 68 is the characteristic indicated by the broken line Lar in FIG. 7A. Therefore, the deceleration Dar due to the rear wheel brake can be obtained based on the following arithmetic expression (2).
Dar = r × n (2)

  Here, r is a value (a value between 0 and 1) corresponding to the amount of operation of the rear wheel brake lever 68 by the user, and n is a value (constant) based on the rear wheel brake limit braking force.

The acceleration / deceleration speed Db by the traveling slope is obtained based on the following calculation formula (3).
Db = sin θ (3)

  Here, θ is the slope angle of the slope (slope) on which the host vehicle is traveling on the background image, and can be obtained as follows. For example, a plurality of slope information tables 238 (see FIG. 4) respectively corresponding to a plurality of prepared background image information are stored in the memory 234. In each slope information table 238, the three-dimensional coordinates of the slope set in the corresponding background image information and the slope angle of the slope are registered correspondingly. Then, the three-dimensional coordinates of the current camera viewpoint are received from the background image display unit 230 and compared with the three-dimensional coordinates of the slope registered in the slope information table 238 corresponding to the currently displayed background image information. When the current camera viewpoint is located on a slope, the inclination angle of the slope is read out and set as the inclination angle θ, and when the current camera viewpoint is not located on the slope, the inclination angle θ is set to zero.

  The rolling resistance Dc is a constant value.

The characteristic of the air resistance, that is, the change of the air resistance with respect to the speed is the characteristic indicated by the solid line Ld in FIG. Therefore, the air resistance Dd can be obtained based on the following arithmetic expression (4).
Dd = v × v × 0.0001 (4)

Originally, the air resistance is obtained by (1/2) × v ² × front projection area × air density × air resistance coefficient. In this embodiment, in order to facilitate the calculation, other than the current velocity value v. This term was a constant value (= 0.0001). Of course, the air resistance Dd may be obtained based on the original arithmetic expression.

  In step S111, the vehicle speed calculation unit 228 integrates the acceleration / deceleration value γ stored in the third register R3, and stores the integrated value as the vehicle speed value in the fourth register R4.

  In step S <b> 112, the background image display unit 230 reads the background image information 236 corresponding to the selected course from the plurality of background image information 236 stored in the memory 234 and displays the background image information 236 on the monitor 200. At this time, the background image display unit 230 displays the background image information 236 on the monitor 200 based on the camera viewpoint in which the three-dimensional coordinates are set by the vehicle speed value.

  The guidance process in step S3 in FIG. 5 displays guidance such as danger avoidance or outputs a voice. For example, when the vehicle on the background image is stopped at a red signal, the guidance process is switched to a green signal. When the user tries to run from before, the monitor 200 displays a sentence meaning the content prompting the stop as a guidance, and outputs a voice.

  If it is determined in step S4 described above that there is an end request, the processing in the bicycle simulation apparatus 10 ends.

  As described above, in the bicycle simulation apparatus according to the present embodiment, the acceleration is calculated based on the detection value from the rotation speed sensor 210, and the obtained acceleration is corrected based on the detection value to obtain a corrected acceleration. In the first calculation method, the vehicle speed is calculated based on the obtained corrected acceleration, and in the second calculation method, the deceleration obtained by braking, acceleration / deceleration caused by a running slope, rolling resistance, and air resistance are reflected in the obtained corrected acceleration. Since the current acceleration / deceleration is calculated and the vehicle speed is calculated based on this acceleration / deceleration, it is possible to obtain acceleration according to the current vehicle speed, and the same driving feeling as when actually driving a bicycle. Can be simulated. In addition, since it is not necessary to separately attach a dedicated load resistance generator, the bicycle simulation apparatus 10 can be downsized.

  In the present embodiment, the value obtained by integrating the detected value from the rotational speed sensor 210 is multiplied by one or more correction coefficients to calculate the vehicle speed, and the correction coefficient is a large value when the vehicle speed is low. When the vehicle speed increases, the value is set to a small value. Therefore, at low speed when the user pushes out the pedal 82, the vehicle speed is set to a large value by a correction coefficient (a value of 1 or more) so that the speed increases quickly. Thus, the pseudo driving image is displayed, and the correction coefficient decreases as the vehicle speed increases, so that the vehicle speed does not increase too much. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle speed (see the solid line Sa) is the same as the rotational speed of the flywheel 88 (see the solid line Sb) at the time of rowing, with respect to the depression of the pedal 82. When the vehicle speed increases and the vehicle starts running, the vehicle speed can be gradually increased even after the rotational speed of the flywheel 88 becomes constant. Therefore, for example, a feeling close to that of a real vehicle can be given to the user when the pedal is started and after the pedal starts running.

  In the present embodiment, acceleration is calculated based on the detection value from rotation speed sensor 210, a preset speed threshold value is compared with the detection value, and acceleration is corrected according to the comparison result. Since it did in this way, the calculation which correct | amends acceleration becomes easy and the calculation load to the control apparatus 20 can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the acceleration is corrected by multiplying the acceleration by a correction coefficient. When the detected value is less than a predetermined value (speed threshold value), the first correction coefficient ha is used as the correction coefficient, and the detected value Since the second correction coefficient hb is used as the correction coefficient when the speed is greater than or equal to the speed threshold value, and the relationship of the first correction coefficient ha> the second correction coefficient hb is set, the correction coefficient is greatly increased when starting to run. Thereafter, the vehicle speed can be made smaller. At the time of rowing, the vehicle speed directly increases as the pedal 82 is stepped on, and after the vehicle starts running, the vehicle gradually accelerates. That is, it is possible to give the user a driving feeling close to the reality that the acceleration increases in the process of shifting from the stop state of the vehicle to the driving state or at low speed.

  In the present embodiment, a value obtained by calculating a current acceleration / deceleration reflecting the deceleration by braking operation, acceleration / deceleration by a traveling slope, rolling resistance, and air resistance to the obtained corrected acceleration, and integrating the acceleration / deceleration. Is the vehicle speed (second calculation method), so it is possible to reflect the braking operation by the user, the slope effect of the slope, the air resistance, etc. on the vehicle speed, giving the user a more realistic driving feeling. Can be given.

  Further, in the present embodiment, control is performed so that the corrected acceleration is sequentially obtained by repeating a series of processes ranging from the process in the acceleration calculation unit 222 to the process in the acceleration correction unit 224 and the process in the acceleration / deceleration calculation unit 226. Therefore, when the background image based on the three-dimensional image information is displayed on the monitor 200, the three-dimensional coordinates on the background image of the camera viewpoint can be changed every moment, and the monitor 200 can be used on a bicycle. It is possible to display a moving image as if the person is traveling in the city.

  In the present embodiment, since the vehicle speed obtained by the vehicle speed calculation unit 228 is displayed on the monitor, the user can recognize the current vehicle speed at a glance, and the background image is displayed according to the vehicle speed. You can experience changing patterns.

  Of course, the bicycle simulation apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Bicycle simulation apparatus 12 ... Simulated bicycle 20 ... Control apparatus 82 ... Pedal 88 ... Flywheel 200 ... Monitor 206 ... Brake sensor 210 ... Rotational speed sensor 222 ... Acceleration calculation part 224 ... Acceleration correction part 226 ... Acceleration / deceleration calculation part 228 ... Vehicle speed calculation unit 230 ... background image display unit 232 ... vehicle speed display unit

Claims (6)

A simulated bicycle (12) having a rotating body (88) that rotates by rotating the pedal (82) of the user, and a front display unit (14) that is installed in front of the simulated bicycle (12) and displays a simulated traveling image. ), A rotation speed sensor (210) for detecting the rotation speed of the rotating body (88), and a control section (20) for outputting a pseudo running image by the user's operation to the front display section (14). A bicycle simulation apparatus for causing the user to experience a running state of the bicycle according to the speed detected by the rotation speed sensor (210);
The control unit (20)
An acceleration calculation unit (222) that calculates acceleration based on the previous vehicle speed (vehicle speed) and the detected value from the rotational speed sensor (210);
An acceleration correction unit (224) that compares a preset speed threshold value with the previous vehicle speed and corrects the acceleration according to the comparison result;
A vehicle speed calculation unit (228) for determining the current vehicle speed based on the corrected acceleration,
A bicycle simulation apparatus , wherein the simulated running image is controlled based on the current vehicle speed . The bicycle simulation apparatus according to claim 1,
The acceleration correction unit (224) calculates a corrected acceleration by multiplying the acceleration obtained by the acceleration calculation unit (222) by one or more correction coefficients ,
The vehicle speed calculation unit (228) obtains the current vehicle speed based on the corrected acceleration obtained by the acceleration correction unit (224),
The bicycle simulation apparatus, wherein the correction coefficient is set to a large value when the speed of the vehicle is low, and is set to a small value when the speed of the vehicle is high. The bicycle simulation apparatus according to claim 1,
The acceleration correction unit (224) corrects the acceleration by multiplying the acceleration by a correction coefficient, and the first correction coefficient (ha) is used as the correction coefficient when the previous vehicle speed is less than the speed threshold value. When the previous vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the speed threshold, the second correction coefficient (hb) is used as the correction coefficient, and the relationship of the first correction coefficient (ha)> the second correction coefficient (hb) is used. A bicycle simulation apparatus comprising: In the bicycle simulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The control unit (20) further includes an acceleration / deceleration calculation unit (226) for calculating an acceleration / deceleration reflecting at least the deceleration caused by the brake operation of the user in the corrected acceleration,
The bicycle speed calculation unit (228) uses the value obtained by integrating the acceleration / deceleration as the current vehicle speed . The bicycle simulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The current vehicle speed is sequentially obtained by repeating a series of processes ranging from the process in the acceleration calculation unit (222) to the process in the acceleration correction unit (224) and the process in the vehicle speed calculation unit (228). Bicycle simulation device characterized by controlling. In the bicycle simulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The bicycle simulation apparatus further includes a display device (200) and a vehicle speed display unit (232) for displaying the speed of the vehicle on the display device (200).

Images