JP6629608B2 - Vehicle seat control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat control device, and more particularly, to a vehicle seat control device that automatically moves a seat according to a physique of a driver when shifting from a manual driving state to an automatic driving state.

  Generally, the position and orientation of the seat when driving the vehicle differs depending on the physique of the driver, etc., so when a single vehicle is shared by a plurality of drivers, the driver needs to adjust the seat before starting driving. Adjust the position and reclining angle according to your physique. In order to save such labor, a vehicle having a seat memory function for storing the position and orientation of a seat at the time when a driver determines his / her own driving position has appeared (Patent Document 1).

  A vehicle having a seat memory function will be described with reference to FIG. 7A is a side view showing the seat 100, and FIG. 7B is a block diagram showing the seat control device 105.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, a sheet control device 105 performs various calculations for controlling the position and orientation of the sheet 100 shown in FIG. 7A, a sheet position setting unit 103, It has a position detecting means 104 and a driving means 102. Here, the seat position setting means 103 is a switch operated by the driver to adjust the position and orientation of the seat 100. The seat position detecting means 104 detects the position and orientation of the seat 100. The driving unit 102 is a unit that changes the position and orientation of the seat 100.

  The above-described seat control device 105 operates as follows. First, the position and angle of the seat 100 suitable for each driver are detected by the seat position detecting means 104 and stored in a storage unit (not shown) provided in the control means 101. Then, after the driver sits on the seat 100, an operation for optimizing the position and orientation of the seat 100 is performed on the seat position setting unit 103. Read data about After that, the control unit 101 drives the driving unit 102 to set the position and the angle of the sheet 100 to the predetermined one. By doing so, the position and angle of the seat 100 can be adjusted almost automatically, and the driver's labor when adjusting the seat can be reduced.

  On the other hand, Patent Literature 2 discloses an automatic driving system in which a vehicle control ECU controls all operations related to the behavior of a vehicle, such as an accelerator operation, a brake operation, and a steering wheel operation, so that the vehicle can perform automatic driving independent of driver operation. A support device is disclosed. The automatic driving support device of the above document controls driving of an engine device, a brake device, an electric power steering, and the like, and performs automatic driving until an interruption timing on a guide route.

  Further, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technical matter in which a seat is set to a relaxation mode during automatic driving for the purpose of reducing driver fatigue during the above-described automatic driving. Specifically, when the vehicle is in the automatic driving state, the seat is moved rearward, and the seat back is further tilted backward. By doing so, it is possible to keep the driver away from the steering wheel, not to hinder steering and the like by automatic driving, and to reduce driver fatigue.

JP-A-5-262173 JP 2015-178332 A http: // www. volvocars. com / jp / about / ourcompany / pressrelease / 2015/20151119 (searched January 5, 2016)

  However, in the seat control methods described in the above-mentioned documents, there is a problem that it is not easy to set the seat position and posture to the relaxed position in accordance with the physique of each driver in the automatic driving state.

  Specifically, for example, as a method of setting the seat to the relaxed position, the position and orientation of the relaxed position are determined in advance, and when the vehicle is in the automatic driving state, the position and orientation of the seat are set to the fixed relaxed position. Can be considered. However, the height and the length of the limbs differ depending on the driver. For this reason, in the case of a driver with long limbs, if the position and posture of the relaxed position are fixed, the amount of retreat of the seat is insufficient, and the driver's legs and the like unintentionally move to the accelerator pedal during automatic driving. There was a risk of contact. On the other hand, in the case of a driver with short limbs, if the position and posture of the relaxed position are fixed, the amount of retreat of the seat is excessive, and it takes a long time to return to the original seat position for manual driving in an emergency. There was a risk that safety would not be sufficiently ensured.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat control device capable of optimizing a position and orientation of a seat in an automatic driving state according to a driver's physique and the like. Is to do.

The present invention is a vehicle seat control device that controls a seat provided in a vehicle that can be switched between a manual driving state in which a driver performs a driving operation and an automatic driving state in which the driving operation is automatically performed, wherein the seat is Driving means for adjusting the position and orientation of the driver, measuring means for measuring the physique of the driver sitting on the seat, control means for driving the seat driving means based on an output of the measuring means, and automatic driving Until the state is started, when the driver adjusts the position and orientation of the seat, storage means for storing the order of performing the position adjustment in the front-rear direction of the seat and the angle adjustment of the seat back, comprising, wherein the control unit, the physical constitution of the driver that has been measured by the measuring means, to calculate the automatic operation when the position and orientation of the sheet in the automatic operating state Together with the When the driving state of the vehicle is shifted from the manual operation state to the automatic operation state, the position and orientation of the sheet by driving the sheet driving means so that the automatic operation when the position and orientation, further said control means When the position and orientation of the seat are set to the position and orientation at the time of automatic driving by driving the seat driving unit, the position of the seat with respect to the front-back direction in the order of operation stored in the storage unit. The adjustment and the angle adjustment of the seat back are performed .

  Further, the vehicle seat control device of the present invention is characterized in that the measuring means is a measuring means for measuring the weight of the driver sitting on the seat.

  Further, the vehicle seat control device of the present invention is characterized in that the measuring means is a photographing means for photographing the driver sitting on the seat.

The present invention is a vehicle seat control device that controls a seat provided in a vehicle that can be switched between a manual driving state in which a driver performs a driving operation and an automatic driving state in which the driving operation is automatically performed, wherein the seat is Driving means for adjusting the position and orientation of the driver, measuring means for measuring the physique of the driver sitting on the seat, control means for driving the seat driving means based on an output of the measuring means, and automatic driving Until the state is started, when the driver adjusts the position and orientation of the seat, storage means for storing the order of performing the position adjustment in the front-rear direction of the seat and the angle adjustment of the seat back, comprising, wherein the control unit, the physical constitution of the driver that has been measured by the measuring means, to calculate the automatic operation when the position and orientation of the sheet in the automatic operating state Together with the When the driving state of the vehicle is shifted from the manual operation state to the automatic operation state, the position and orientation of the sheet by driving the sheet driving means so that the automatic operation when the position and orientation, further said control means When the position and orientation of the seat are set to the position and orientation during automatic driving by driving the seat driving unit, the position of the seat with respect to the front-rear direction in the order of operation stored in the storage unit. The adjustment and the angle adjustment of the seat back are performed . Therefore, based on the driver's body shape measured by the measuring means, the relax position, which is the position and orientation of the seat during automatic driving, is appropriately calculated, and when the driving state of the vehicle shifts to the automatic driving state, this relax position and Displace the sheet so that From this, it becomes possible to realize an optimal relaxing position for each driver. In addition, since the order in which the seats are operated may vary from driver to driver depending on the driver's physical circumstances and the like, it is possible to set the seats to the position and orientation during automatic driving in the order in which the driver performs the seats. Thus, the load on the driver's body can be reduced and the position and orientation of the seat can be displaced.

  Further, the vehicle seat control device of the present invention is characterized in that the measuring means is a measuring means for measuring the weight of the driver sitting on the seat. Therefore, since the relax position is determined according to the driver's weight measured by the weighing means, an appropriate relax position can be set according to the driver's physique.

  Further, the vehicle seat control device of the present invention is characterized in that the measuring means is a photographing means for photographing the driver sitting on the seat. Therefore, since the relax position is determined according to the size of the driver's body photographed by the photographing means, an appropriate relax position according to the driver's physique can be set.

It is a block diagram showing an outline of a vehicular seat control device concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the vehicle seat control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (A) is a side view which shows a driving position, (B) is a side view which shows a relaxation position. It is a figure which shows the vehicle seat control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is a side view which shows the relaxation position of another form. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle seat control device according to the embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an operation of shifting a seat from a driving position to a relaxed position. It is a figure which shows the vehicle seat control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is a side view which shows a driving position and a relaxation position. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle seat control device according to the embodiment of the present invention, which shows an operation of shifting a seat from a relaxed position to a driving position. It is a figure which shows the vehicle seat control apparatus which concerns on background art, (A) is a side view which shows a seat, (B) is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control apparatus.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle seat control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a seat control device 20 (vehicle seat control device) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The seat control device 20 is mounted on the vehicle 10 and is a part of a control mechanism for controlling the vehicle 10. When the vehicle shifts from the manual driving state to the automatic driving state, and when the vehicle shifts from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state, And a function of automatically controlling the position and orientation of the seat. Here, the seat control device 20 includes a vehicle control device 14 (control means), a seat drive device 11 (seat drive means), a weighing device 22 (weighing means), a photographing device 23 (photographing means), and a storage device. 18 (storage means).

  Further, the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle control device 14, an input device 12, an outside environment recognition device 13, a vehicle drive device 16, a steering device 17, and a braking device 15 for realizing automatic driving. ing.

  The vehicle control device 14 is a control unit of the vehicle 10 and is, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) including a calculation device for performing various calculations. The vehicle control device 14 automatically drives the vehicle 10 by controlling the vehicle driving device 16, the steering device 17, and the braking device 15 based on input information and the like input from the input device 12 and the outside environment recognition device 13. Further, as will be described later, the vehicle control device 14 drives the seat driving device 11 based on the information on the position and orientation of the seat 30 stored in the storage device 18 so that the seat 30 can be in a relaxed position during automatic driving. I do.

  The braking device 15 is braking means for decelerating and stopping the vehicle 10. The braking device 15 is, for example, a brake that is activated by a signal from the vehicle control device 14.

  The seat driving device 11 is a seat driving unit including a motor or the like provided on the seat 30 on which a driver sits or a peripheral portion thereof. The seat drive device 11 performs forward and backward movements of the seat 30, changes the angle of the seat back 32, moves the seat cushion 31 in the vertical direction, and the like, based on instructions from the vehicle control device 14.

  The storage device 18 is a storage unit that includes a RAM and a ROM and stores information (sheet information) indicating the position and orientation of the sheet. The position and orientation of the seat include, for example, the position of the seat in the front-rear direction, the angle of the seat back, the position and inclination angle of the seat cushion in the vertical direction, and the position and angle of the headrest in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, when the driver sits on the seat and performs a predetermined input operation, a so-called seat position and orientation suitable for the driver is automatically adjusted based on the seat information stored in the storage device 18. It may have a sheet memory function.

  In the present embodiment, the storage device 18 stores seat information indicating a relax position, which is the position and orientation of the seat in the automatic driving state, and operation information indicating the order of operation when the driver operates the seat. Further, the storage device 18 stores information indicating the physique of the driver, that is, the weight of the driver, an image obtained by photographing the driver, and the like. Further, the storage device 18 may store the above information in association with each driver who drives the vehicle 10.

  The weighing device 22 is a device that measures the weight of the driver sitting on the seat, and is, for example, a plurality of pressure sensors built in the seat cushion 31, for example.

  The photographing device 23 is a CCD camera or the like that is arranged in the cabin of the vehicle 10 and photographs a driver. A system including such a photographing device 23 is called a DMS (Driver Monitor System). In the present embodiment, the photographing device 23 is used for estimating the physique and the like of the driver.

  The input device 12 includes a switch such as a push button that can be operated by an occupant, a touch panel, and the like. The outside environment recognition device 13 includes a stereo camera, a radar device, and the like for recognizing the outside environment of the vehicle 10. The vehicle drive device 16 includes an engine, a motor, and the like, which are power sources for driving the vehicle 10. The steering device 17 includes a steering and the like for steering the vehicle. Further, the vehicle 10 may include a notifying device such as a multi-function display (not shown).

  The vehicle control device 14 switches between a normal manual driving state in which the driver performs a driving operation and an automatic driving state in which the vehicle control device 14 automatically drives according to an instruction from the input device 12.

  In the automatic driving state, the vehicle control device 14 performs various calculations based on information from the external environment recognition device 13 and the like, and constantly monitors the current driving state and the external environment. Then, the vehicle control device 14 controls the braking device 15, the vehicle driving device 16, the steering device 17, and the like, and performs appropriate automatic driving according to the current situation. As described above, the vehicle control device 14 has an automatic driving function, and can automatically perform the driving operation of the vehicle 10. Further, when the vehicle 10 is in the automatic driving state, the vehicle control device 14 drives the seat driving device 11 to set the seat 30 to the relaxed position (position and posture during automatic driving). Here, the relax position is a position and orientation of the seat in which the seat is moved backward and the seat back is turned down so that the driver can relax and not hinder the automatic driving in the automatic driving state.

  Further, the vehicle control device 14 shifts the driving state of the vehicle from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state based on the input information input from the input device 12 or the outside environment recognition device 13. Further, at this time, the vehicle control device 14 drives the seat driving device 11 to move the seat forward and cause a seat back, thereby enabling the driver to operate the steering device 17 and the braking device 15. To achieve. Here, the driving position is a position and orientation of a seat in which a steering wheel or a brake pedal is easily operated in a manual driving state.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the position and orientation of the sheet according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2A is a side view showing the position and orientation of the seat in the driving position, and FIG. 2B is a side view showing the position and orientation of the sheet in the relaxed position.

  Referring to FIG. 2A, in a manual driving state in which driver 34 drives vehicle 10, the position and orientation of seat 30 are set to a driving position suitable for manual driving. Specifically, the position of the seat 30 in the front-rear direction (here, the distance L1 from the center of the seat cushion 31 to the steering handle 25), the angle of the seat back 32, and the height of the seat cushion 31 (here, the lower end of the seat cushion 31) The distance L2) from the vehicle to the vehicle floor and the vertical position and angle of the headrest 33 are suitable for manual driving.

  Here, the weighing device 22, which is a pressure sensor for measuring the weight of the driver 34, is built in the seat cushion 31. Further, the photographing device 23 that performs photographing for estimating the physique of the driver 34 is disposed above the stearin column.

  Referring to FIG. 2 (B), in the automatic driving state in which vehicle control device 14 drives the vehicle, the position and orientation of seat 30 are set to the relaxed position suitable for alleviating driver fatigue. Specifically, the seat 30 is moved backward as compared with the driving position described above. That is, the distance L3 from the center of the seat cushion 31 to the steering handle 25 is longer than the distance L1 shown in FIG. As a result, the driver 34 is moved rearward, so that the driver 34 can extend his or her legs forward, thereby reducing fatigue when riding on the vehicle. Further, the driver 34 can be kept away from the steering handle 25 and a brake pedal (not shown), and the driver 34 is prevented from unintentionally coming into contact with the steering handle 25 or the like in the automatic driving state.

  Further, the seat back 32 is in a state of being lowered as compared with the driving position. Therefore, the driver 34 can depress the upper body, and can reduce the fatigue when the user rides on the vehicle. Further, in the relaxed position, the seat 30 may be moved upward. That is, the distance L4 between the seat cushion 31 in the relaxed position and the vehicle floor is longer than the distance L2 in the driving position. Thereby, the position of the head of the driver 34 in the automatic driving state is increased, and the visibility of the driver 34 can be secured well.

  With reference to FIG. 3, another form of the relax position will be described. In the relax position shown in this figure, the seat 30 is entirely retracted, and the seat cushion 31 is in an inclined state. Specifically, by operating the link mechanism 21 provided below the seat cushion 31, the rear portion of the seat cushion 31 is lifted with the front portion of the seat cushion 31 as a fulcrum. By doing so, the seat cushion 31 and the seat back 32 are in a state close to a continuous flat surface as compared with the relaxed position shown in FIG. 2B. Therefore, the driver 34 can lie on the seat 30 in a more relaxed state, and the fatigue of the driver 34 can be further reduced.

  The operation of shifting the seat 30 from the driving position to the relaxed position when shifting from the manual operation state to the automatic operation state will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIG.

  First, in step S10, the driver 34 gets on the vehicle 10 and sits on the seat 30. At this time, if a plurality of persons share the vehicle 10, the seat 30 may be in a position and orientation suitable for another driver. In such a case, the seated driver 34 adjusts the position and orientation of the seat 30. Specifically, referring to FIG. 2, the driving position is determined by adjusting the position of seat 30 in the front-rear direction, the inclination angle of seat back 32, the position of seat cushion 31 in the vertical direction, and the like. Such adjustment of the position and orientation of the seat 30 is performed by operating an input device such as a switch disposed on or near the seat 30 to drive the seat driving device 11. The driving position may be automatically determined using the above-described sheet memory function.

  Next, in step S11, the vehicle control device 14 estimates the body shape of the driver sitting on the driver's seat. Here, the physique of the driver 34 includes one or more of the weight, height, and length of each part of the body such as the torso and limbs of the driver 34.

  When estimating the physique of the driver 34 using the weighing device 22, the weighing device 22 measures the weight of the driver 34 with reference to FIG. Then, the vehicle control device 14 estimates the physique of the driver 34 based on the information indicating the weight. For example, if the weight of the driver 34 measured by the weighing device 22 is heavy, the vehicle control device 14 estimates that the physique of the driver 34 is large.

  When estimating the physique of the driver 34 using the photographing device 23, first, with reference to FIG. 2A, the user sits on the seat 30 with the photographing device 23, which is a camera arranged near the steering handle 25, for example. The photographed driver 34 is photographed. Thereafter, the vehicle control device 14 performs image processing on the captured image to estimate the physique of the driver 34. For example, if the driver 34 photographed by the photographing device 23 is large, the vehicle control device 14 estimates that the physique of the driver 34 is large.

  Here, the weighing device 22 and the photographing device 23 may be used in combination. Specifically, first, the weight of the driver 34 is measured by the weighing device 22, and the driver 34 is photographed by the photographing device 23. Next, the vehicle control device 14 performs an arithmetic process based on the information indicating the weight of the driver 34 input from the weighing device 22 and the image information input from the photographing device 23, thereby obtaining the physique of the driver 34. Is estimated. By doing so, the vehicle control device 14 comprehensively estimates the physique of the driver 34 from the weight of the driver 34 measured by the weighing device 22 and the image of the driver 34 captured by the imaging device 23. can do. For example, if the weight of the driver 34 measured by the weighing device 22 is heavy and the height of the driver 34 photographed by the photographing device 23 is low, the vehicle control device 14 Judge that there is. If the body shape of the driver 34 is obese, the vehicle control device 14 increases the inclination angle of the seat back 32 and increases the effect of reducing the fatigue of the driver 34 who is obese in a later control. be able to.

  Next, in step S12, the vehicle control device 14 calculates a re-release based on the above estimation result. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, the vehicle control device 14 controls the position of the seat 30 in the front-back direction, the inclination angle of the seat back 32, and the position of the seat cushion 31 in the up-down direction as the relaxed position. , The inclination angle of the seat cushion 31 (FIG. 3) and the like are calculated.

  That is, when the weight of the driver 34 measured by the weighing device 22 is heavy, or when the size of the driver 34 photographed by the photographing device 23 is large, the vehicle control device 14 determines that the size of the driver 34 is large. presume. If the body shape of the driver 34 is estimated to be large, for example, with reference to FIG. 2B, the vehicle control device 14 increases the distance L3 between the seat 30 and the steering handle 25 in the relaxed position. Thus, a space in which the driver 34 with a large body can extend the legs can be secured in front of the seat 30. Further, the long leg of the driver 34 is separated from a brake pedal or the like (not shown) to prevent the leg of the driver 34 from contacting the brake pedal or the like in the automatic driving state, thereby impeding automatic steering. To prevent it from being done.

  On the other hand, when the weight of the driver 34 measured by the weighing device 22 is light, or when the body of the driver 34 photographed by the photographing device 23 is small, the vehicle control device 14 determines that the body shape of the driver 34 is small. presume. If the body shape of the driver 34 is estimated to be small, the vehicle control device 14 shortens the distance L3 between the seat 30 and the steering handle 25 in the relaxed position with reference to FIG. This suppresses the seat 30 from retreating excessively with respect to the body shape of the driver 34.

  When the weight of the driver 34 measured by the weighing device 22 is heavy and the height of the driver 34 photographed by the photographing device 23 is short, the vehicle control device 14 estimates that the driver 34 is obese. Then, the angle at which the seat back 32 is inclined is increased. On the other hand, when the weight of the driver 34 measured by the weighing device 22 is light and the height of the driver 34 photographed by the photographing device 23 is high, it is estimated that the driver 34 is slim, and the vehicle control device 14 The angle at which the seat back 32 is inclined is reduced as compared with the case where the driver 34 is estimated to be obese.

  Here, the position and orientation of the seat 30 at the time of the relaxed position may be absolutely determined irrespective of the driving position, or may be relatively determined based on the driving position. When absolutely determining the relaxed position, the vehicle control device 14 refers to the position in the front-back direction of the seat 30, the inclination angle of the seat back 32, and the position in the up-down direction of the seat cushion 31, with reference to FIG. Etc. are absolutely determined. On the other hand, when relatively determining the relaxed position, the vehicle control device 14 determines, based on the driving position shown in FIG. 2A, the amount of backward movement of the seat 30, the angle at which the seat back 32 is tilted, the seat cushion, and the like. The length by which 31 is raised is relatively determined.

  Further, the seat information indicating the position and orientation of the relax position calculated in this step is stored in the storage device 18, but the seat information may be stored in the storage device 18 in association with the driver 34. By doing so, when the driver 34 again sits on the seat 30 and enters the automatic driving state, the vehicle control device 14 reads the seat information from the storage device 18 and drives the seat driving device 11. By doing so, the seat 30 can be set to the predetermined relaxed position. By doing so, the seat 30 can be more easily set to the relaxed position according to the physique of the driver 34.

  In this step, it is not necessary for the driver 34 in the seat 30 to adjust the position and orientation of the seat 30 in the relaxed position by himself, so that the burden on the driver 34 can be reduced.

  Steps S11 and S12 described above may be performed after a later-described step S14 for switching the driving state of the vehicle to the automatic driving state.

  Next, in step S13, the vehicle driving device 16 including a motor and an engine is driven to perform a manual driving operation of the vehicle 10. That is, in the initial stage of driving the vehicle, the driver manually operates the vehicle 10 by operating the steering handle 25, the brake pedal, and the accelerator pedal (not shown).

  Next, in step S14, switching from the manual operation state to the automatic operation state is performed. Specifically, for example, when the occupant operates the input device 12, an instruction to switch from the manual driving state to the automatic driving state is input to the vehicle control device 14. Next, the vehicle control device 14 performs various calculations, and switches from the manual driving state to the automatic driving state if it determines that the situation of the vehicle 10 satisfies the condition for automatic driving. In the automatic driving state, the vehicle 10 is driven by the vehicle control device 14 controlling the vehicle drive device 16, the steering device 17, and the braking device 15.

  Next, in step S15, when shifting from the driving position to the relaxed position, the vehicle control device 14 determines whether or not the seat 30 can be retracted. As described above, when shifting from the driving position to the relaxing position, the seat 30 is entirely retracted. However, if there is an obstacle behind the seat 30 which is the driver's seat, the retreat of the seat 30 may be hindered by the obstacle. Therefore, in this step, the existence of the obstacle is confirmed. Specifically, the presence or absence of an obstacle is confirmed by a weight sensor built into the seat back of the rear seat, a camera monitoring the interior of the vehicle, and the like. Then, based on the confirmation result, vehicle control device 14 determines whether or not seat 30 can be retracted.

  As a result of the above determination, when there is an obstacle and the seat 30 cannot be retracted, that is, in the case of NO in step S15, the vehicle control device 14 sets the seat 30 to the relaxed position in step S17. The seat 30 remains in the driving position. At this time, the vehicle control device 14 may notify the driver 34 that there is an obstacle behind the seat 30.

  On the other hand, if the seat 30 can be moved backward, that is, if YES in step S15, the vehicle control device 14 starts an operation for shifting the seat 30 to the relaxed position in the next step.

  In step S16, an operation of shifting the position and orientation of the seat 30 from the driving position to the relaxing position is started. This step will be described with reference to FIG. In this figure, the seat 30 at the driving position is indicated by a solid line, and the seat 30 at the relaxing position is indicated by a dotted line. Here, the position and orientation of the seat 30 may be calculated from the number of rotations of a motor serving as the seat driving device 11, or may be measured by a separately provided sensor (not shown).

  As a specific operation of this step, first, the vehicle control device 14 reads from the storage device 18 sheet information indicating the driving position calculated in step S12 described above. Next, the vehicle control device 14 drives the seat driving device 11 to move the seat 30 rearward, tilt the seatback 32 rearward, and raise the seat cushion 31. When the relax position as shown in FIG. 3 is adopted, in addition to the above operation, the vehicle control device 14 operates the link mechanism 21 as the seat drive device 11 so that the seat cushion 31 Tilt up.

  In the present embodiment, the vehicle control device 14 drives the seat driving device 11 until the position and orientation of the seat 30 reaches a predetermined driving position. That is, the seat 30 is retracted until the position of the seat 30 in the front-rear direction becomes the predetermined position. Further, the seat 30 is tilted down until the inclination angle of the seat back 32 becomes a predetermined angle. Further, the seat cushion 31 is raised until the seat cushion 31 reaches a predetermined height. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the rear portion of the seat cushion 31 is raised until the seat cushion 31 has a predetermined inclination angle.

  The above-described operation of shifting from the driving position to the relaxed position is continued until each part constituting the seat 30 reaches a predetermined position and posture, that is, during the period of NO in step S18. Thereafter, if the displacement amount of the seat 30 has reached the relaxed position, that is, if YES in step S18, the vehicle control device 14 stops the seat driving device 11. That is, the vehicle control device 14 controls the seat driving device 11 until the position of the seat 30 in the front-rear direction, the inclination angle of the seat back 32, the height of the seat cushion 31, and the like become the predetermined position and orientation calculated in step S12. Drive. In this state, in step S19, the seat 30 is in the relaxed position, and the fatigue of the driver sitting on the seat 30 can be reduced.

  In this step, the order of operations performed when the driver 34 adjusts the position and orientation of the seat 30 may be read from the storage device 18 and the seat 30 may be shifted from the driving position to the relaxed position in that order. That is, when the driver 34 adjusts the inclination of the seat back 32 after adjusting the position of the seat 30 in the front-rear direction when adjusting the position and orientation of the seat 30, the storage device 18 stores the operation order in the storage device 18. Remember. Then, in this step, the vehicle control device 14 reads the order from the storage device 18, drives the seat driving device 11, moves the seat 30 backward, and then tilts the seat back 32 backward. By doing so, the seat 30 is operated according to the physical circumstances of the driver 34 such as having back pain, the load on the driver 34 is reduced, and the seat 30 is shifted to the relaxed position. can do.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the physique of the driver 34 sitting on the seat 30 is measured using the measuring device such as the weighing device 22 and the photographing device 23, and the vehicle control device 14 is determined based on the physique of the driver 34. Calculates the driving position. Therefore, the driving position is optimized for each driver 34, and the fatigue of the driver 34 in the automatic driving state is reduced. In addition, since the driving position is determined according to the physique of the driver 34, the seat 30 is not excessively moved backward. Therefore, even in the case of a transition from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state in an emergency, the seat 30 can be immediately shifted from the relaxed position to the driving position.

  Specifically, in the case of the driver 34 having a relatively large body, the size of the physique is detected by the weighing device 22 or the like, and the vehicle control device 14 calculates an appropriate relaxing position according to the size of the physique. . For example, the vehicle control device 14 sets the position of the seat 30 in the relaxed position to be relatively backward. By doing so, it is possible to secure a sufficient space in front of the seat 30 where the driver can extend the legs.

  On the other hand, when the driver 34 is relatively small, the physique is detected by the weighing device 22 or the like, and the vehicle control device 14 sets the position of the seat 30 at the relaxed position to be relatively forward, for example. By doing so, the seat 30 does not move excessively backward. Accordingly, when shifting from the relaxed position to the driving position in an emergency or the like, the seat 30 can quickly reach a predetermined place.

  Next, based on FIG. 6, while referring to each of the above-described figures, the operation of shifting the seat 30 from the relaxed position to the driving position when returning to the manual operation state after shifting to the automatic operation state as described above. explain.

  First, in step S50, the vehicle 10 is traveling in the automatic driving state, and the seat 30 is in the relaxed position as shown by a dotted line in FIG.

  In step S51, it is determined whether or not there is a switching operation from the automatic operation state to the manual operation state. Here, the switching operation from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state may be performed by the operation of the input device 12 by the driver 34 or may be performed by the arithmetic processing of the vehicle control device 14 based on the input of the outside environment recognition device 13. .

  If there is no such switching operation, that is, if NO in step S51, the vehicle control device 14 continues the automatic driving state in step S52, and the position and orientation of the seat 30 is maintained in the relaxed position.

  On the other hand, if there is a switching operation from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state, that is, if YES in step S51, the vehicle control device 14 shifts the position and orientation of the seat 30 from the relaxed position to the driving position in step S53. Control to perform the operation. Specifically, the vehicle control device 14 operates the seat driving device 11 to move the seat 30 toward the front and raise the seat back 32. When the seat cushion 31 is raised at the relax position, the vehicle control device 14 operates the seat driving device 11 to lower the seat cushion 31. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the seat cushion 31 is inclined at the relaxed position, the vehicle control device 14 operates the link mechanism 21 in the opposite direction to the above, so that the rear of the seat cushion 31 is moved. Lower the part.

  The above-described operation of shifting from the relaxed position is continued until the seat 30 reaches the original driving position stored in the storage device 18, that is, while step S54 is NO. Thereafter, if the seat 30 has reached the original driving position, that is, if YES in step S54, the vehicle control device 14 stops the seat driving device 11.

  Here, when shifting the position and orientation of the seat 30 from the relaxed position to the driving position, the forward movement of the seat 30 and the operation of raising the seat back 32 may be performed simultaneously. May be performed preferentially. For example, by giving priority to the forward movement of the seat 30, the lower body of the driver can be preferentially moved forward, and the driver can depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. In addition, by giving priority to the operation of raising the seat back 32, the driver can operate the steering wheel 25 to steer the vehicle 10 and avoid a dangerous situation.

  In step S55, the position of the seat 30 in the front-rear direction, the angle of the seat back 32, and the height and angle of the seat cushion 31 are set to the original driving positions. Accordingly, a state where the driver 34 can easily operate the steering handle 25, the brake pedal, and the accelerator pedal is realized.

  Thereafter, in step S56, the vehicle control device 14 changes the driving state of the vehicle 10 from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state. That is, the driver manually operates the vehicle 10 by operating the steering handle 25, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal.

  In the present embodiment, since the position and orientation of the relax position are determined according to the physique of the driver 34, the retreat amount of the seat 30 when shifting to the relax position does not become excessive. Therefore, when shifting to the manual driving state in an emergency, the seat 30 can be shifted to the driving position quickly, so that the driver can immediately operate the steering handle 25 or the brake pedal to safely move the vehicle 10. You can drive.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 vehicle 11 seat drive device 12 input device 13 outside environment recognition device 14 vehicle control device 15 braking device 16 vehicle drive device 17 steering device 18 storage device 20 seat control device 21 link mechanism 22 weighing device 23 photographing device 25 steering handle 30 seat 31 Seat cushion 32 Seat back 33 Headrest 34 Driver 100 Seat 101 Control means 102 Drive means 103 Seat position setting means 104 Seat position detection means 105 Seat control device

Claims (3)

A vehicle seat control device that controls a seat provided in a vehicle that can be switched between a manual driving state in which a driver performs a driving operation and an automatic driving state in which the driving operation is automatically performed,
Sheet driving means for adjusting the position and orientation of the sheet,
Measuring means for measuring the physique of the driver sitting on the seat,
Control means for driving the sheet driving means based on the output of the measuring means,
Until the automatic driving state is started, when the driver adjusts the position and orientation of the seat, storage means for storing the order of performing the position adjustment in the front-rear direction of the seat and the angle adjustment of the seat back. And comprising
The control means calculates an automatic driving position and orientation of the seat in the automatic driving state from the physique of the driver measured by the measuring means, and changes the driving state of the vehicle from the manual driving state to the automatic driving state. When shifting to the driving state, the seat driving means is driven so that the position and orientation of the seat is the position and orientation during the automatic operation,
Further, the control unit drives the seat driving unit to set the position and orientation of the seat to the position and orientation at the time of the automatic operation, and in the order of operation stored in the storage unit, A vehicle seat control device for performing the position adjustment in the front-rear direction and the angle adjustment of the seat back .   2. The vehicle seat control device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is a measurement unit that measures a weight of the driver sitting on the seat. 3. 2. The vehicle seat control device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is a photographing unit that photographs the driver sitting on the seat. 3.

Images