JP7427702B2 - Notification device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a notification device.

A vehicle notification device has been disclosed that estimates a traveling trajectory based on a yaw rate sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and a steering angle sensor, and issues an alert when an obstacle is detected on the estimated traveling trajectory (for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP2006-085524A

With the technology described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to appropriately estimate the course of a two-wheeled vehicle. For example, when a rider attempts to turn to the left, the rider may perform reverse steering (input the rudder to the right). Further, a rider with a large amount of reverse steering may be able to turn the steering angle to the right and then to the left, and a rider who has a small amount of reverse steering may not be able to turn the steering angle to the right but to the left. Furthermore, a two-wheeled vehicle can also turn by moving the center of gravity from side to side without the rider inputting any steering input.

For this reason, if it is estimated that the vehicle will turn in the direction of the rudder force, the direction may be different from the direction of the turn, making it difficult to issue a warning or the like in accordance with the appropriate course.
In addition, there are not only two-wheeled vehicles but also rocking tricycles and the like as rocking vehicles that turn by tilting the vehicle body left and right. Even in the case of a swinging tricycle, if it is assumed that the direction of the swinging tricycle turns in the direction of the steering force, it may be different from the direction in which the swinging tricycle turns.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a notification device for a rocking vehicle that can notify information such as a warning according to an appropriate course.

A notification device for a rocking vehicle that notifies predetermined information includes a center-of-gravity movement information estimation unit that estimates center-of-gravity movement information of a rider ; a course estimating section that estimates a course of the vehicle, and notifies predetermined information based on the course, and the course estimating section cancels a course change due to the center of gravity movement in a direction of movement of the center of gravity specified from the center of gravity movement information. In a predetermined case where it is determined that there is no steering input, and the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity specified from the center of gravity movement information and the change in the steering force are smaller than a predetermined first threshold value, When it is determined that there is no course change of the own vehicle, and in the predetermined case, and the change in the center of gravity movement amount or the change in the steering force is greater than the first threshold value, The present invention is characterized in that it is estimated that the course of the vehicle will be changed in the direction of movement of the center of gravity .

It is possible to provide a notification device for a rocking vehicle that can notify information such as a warning according to an appropriate course.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a driving support device according to an embodiment of a notification device of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the basic operation of a driving support device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a center of gravity movement information estimating section. It is a flowchart which shows an example of course estimation processing by a course estimating part. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a preparatory turning operation and a turning start. It is a figure showing the composition of the driving support device concerning a modification. 3 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the driving support device including the operation of a rider fall detection section.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a driving support device according to an embodiment of the notification device of the present invention.
This driving support device 10 is a device mounted on the vehicle 1, and has a function of notifying predetermined information such as a warning based on the rider's center of gravity movement information DC. In this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is a motorcycle. Note that the vehicle 1 may be any rocking vehicle, may be a two-wheeled vehicle other than a motorcycle, or may be a vehicle having three or more rocking wheels.

The driving support device 10 includes a vehicle sensor 12, a calculation section 13, a storage section 14, and an output section 15. The vehicle sensor 12 is a sensor that detects vehicle information DM including information regarding the traveling of the vehicle 1. More specifically, the vehicle sensor 12 includes a vehicle speed sensor 31 that detects the speed of the vehicle 1 (hereinafter referred to as vehicle speed), and a vehicle speed sensor 31 that detects the speed of the vehicle 1 (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle speed), and the steering angle of the vehicle 1 (also referred to as the steering angle or the steering angle of the front wheels). The vehicle information includes a steering angle sensor 32 that detects, a steering force sensor 33 that detects the steering force (also referred to as steering force) of the vehicle 1, and an inertial sensor 34, and consists of the detection results of each sensor 31 to 34. Output DM. The inertial sensor 34 is also referred to as an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) sensor, and detects longitudinal and lateral accelerations, triaxial angular velocities, and the like. The angular velocity of the three axes includes the angular velocity of rolling, and based on this angular velocity, the roll angle (also referred to as bank angle) of the vehicle 1, in other words, the tilt angle of the vehicle body to the left and right can be calculated.

The arithmetic unit 13 includes an arithmetic processing device capable of performing various arithmetic processes. The calculation unit 13 functions as a center of gravity movement information estimation unit 41 and a course estimation unit 42 by executing the control program DP stored in the storage unit 14 using a calculation processing device. The center of gravity movement information estimation unit 41 performs a center of gravity movement estimation process for estimating center of gravity movement information DC indicating the amount and direction of movement of the center of gravity of a rider (also referred to as passenger or driver) riding on the vehicle 1 . The course estimation unit 42 performs a course estimation process of estimating a course based on at least the center of gravity movement information DC.

In this configuration, the course estimation unit 42 estimates the accurate future course of the vehicle 1 based on the center of gravity movement information DC and the steering force. The future course of the vehicle 1 can also be referred to as the course of the vehicle 1, the direction in which the vehicle 1 is traveling, a travel destination, a future course, a direction in which the rider is heading from now on, and the like. Further, the future course of the vehicle 1 can also be considered as a course that can influence the rider's intention. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the future course of the vehicle 1 will be appropriately referred to as "the course of the vehicle 1" or simply "the course". The course estimation process will be described later.

The storage unit 14 is a storage device that stores various data used by the driving support device 10. In addition to the control program DP, the storage unit 14 stores calculation data DA used by the calculation unit 13 for calculation. This calculation data DA includes data such as threshold values Y1 and Y2, which will be described later.

The output unit 15 is a device that outputs the estimation result of the course estimation unit 42 or outputs various information based on the estimation result. The output unit 15 of this embodiment includes a first notification unit 51 that notifies the surroundings based on the estimation result, and a second notification unit 52 that notifies the own vehicle 1 (occupants of the vehicle 1, etc.) based on the estimation result. It is equipped with These first notification unit 52 and second notification unit 52 can be widely applied to devices that notify the surroundings and the own vehicle 1 using light, sound, communication, etc., and an example will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a lamp 53 that can emit flash light around the vehicle 1. The first notification unit 51 is a device that causes the lighting equipment 53 to emit flash light according to the estimation result of the course estimation unit 42, and is, for example, a device that instructs a driving device that drives the lighting equipment 53 to emit flash light. Alternatively, it is a driving device that directly drives the lamp 53.
When it is estimated from the estimation result of the course estimating section 42 that the course will be changed to the left or right (for example, a right or left turn or a turn), the first notification section 51 is configured to notify the vehicle 1 of the front left and right, the left and right, the rear left and right, before changing the course. By emitting flash light in at least one of the forward and backward directions, drivers of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians are alerted to a change in course.

Although the configuration of the lamp 53 is not particularly limited, it is, for example, a headlight of the vehicle 1. By configuring the headlights to emit flash light, it becomes easier to emit warning light in the direction in which the vehicle 1 changes course (including the turning direction) and in the surroundings such as the front, right and left.
Note that the first notification unit 51 is not limited to flash light, but uses other lighting devices such as blinkers, display devices other than lighting devices, audio devices, etc. to send notification information such as warnings to the surroundings and the rider. may be notified. For example, the present invention is not limited to the manner in which a warning is issued when changing the course, and notification information indicating that the course will not be changed may be notified by display, audio, or the like.

Further, the first notification unit 51 may include a communication device that realizes wireless communication with other vehicles existing around the vehicle 1. In this case, the first notification unit 52 sends information based on the estimation result of the course estimating unit 42 to other vehicles via the communication device to issue a warning when changing the course or a warning not to change the course. Notify information to other vehicles, etc.
Other destination vehicles include, for example, a vehicle running behind the vehicle 1, a vehicle existing near the direction in which the vehicle 1 is turning, or a mobile terminal carried by a pedestrian near the vehicle 1. However, it is not limited to these vehicles and mobile terminals.
Other vehicles that have received the information from the first notification unit 51 transmit information related to the course of the vehicle 1 (for example, a warning to inform them of a change in course) to occupants of other vehicles and pedestrians by display, voice, etc. inform.

The second notification unit 52 has a device that uses a display device and an audio output device provided in the vehicle 1 to notify the occupants of the vehicle 1 including the rider of the estimation result by display and/or audio. are doing. This device may be, for example, a device that drives a display device or an audio output device, or may be the display device or audio output device itself.
The notification contents of the second notification section 52 may be the same as or different from the notification contents notified to other vehicles by the first notification section 51. The configurations and notification contents of the first notification section 51 and the second notification section 52 can be changed as appropriate.

The information reported by the first notification section 51 and the second notification section 52 corresponds to "predetermined information" of the present invention. The predetermined information is not limited to a warning when changing course, information indicating not to change course, and estimation results, and any information can be applied.
Furthermore, either the first notification section 51 or the second notification section 52 may be omitted from the output section 15, or the configuration of the output section 15 may be changed as appropriate.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the driving support device 10. The flow shown in FIG. 2 is a process that is repeatedly executed when the vehicle 1 is running or the like.
First, the driving support device 10 starts acquiring vehicle information DM detected by the vehicle sensor 12 (step S1). Next, the driving support device 10 uses the center of gravity movement information estimation unit 41 to estimate the rider's center of gravity movement information DC (including the amount of movement of the center of gravity and the direction of movement of the center of gravity) based on the vehicle information DM (step S2; estimating the movement of the center of gravity). process).

Next, the driving support device 10 uses the course estimating unit 42 to estimate the course of the vehicle 1 based on the center of gravity movement information DC and the steering force (step S3; course estimation process).
Subsequently, the driving support device 10 uses the output unit 15 to perform a notification process based on the route of the vehicle 1 (step S4).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the center of gravity movement information estimating section 41. As shown in FIG.
The center of gravity movement information estimating section 41 is composed of a digital processing circuit (for example, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor)), and FIG. 3 shows the functional configuration. This functional configuration realizes the gravity center movement amount estimation process.
For convenience of explanation, the body of the vehicle 1 is shown in FIG. 3 with reference numeral 1S. As events P1 related to the course of the vehicle 1, a steering force P1A, a disturbance P1B due to a running wind, a road surface, etc., and a movement of the rider's center of gravity P1C act on the vehicle body 1S. The results of the actions of these events P1 affect the vehicle behavior (=vehicle information DM consisting of steering angle, vehicle speed, acceleration, and angular velocity).

In the center of gravity movement information estimating section 41 , vehicle information DM consisting of the steering angle, vehicle speed, acceleration, and angular velocity detected by the vehicle sensor 12 is input to the center of gravity movement calculator 61 . Based on the input vehicle information DM, the center of gravity movement calculation unit 61 generates vehicle body behavior information D1 (hereinafter referred to as first behavior information D1) indicating the behavior of the center of gravity movement of the vehicle body 1S including the influence of the disturbance P1B and the rider's center of gravity movement P1C. ).
The first behavior information D1 is input to the low-pass filter 62. The low-pal filter 62 is a digital filter that removes high-frequency components, and removes the high-frequency components of the first behavior information D1, that is, the vehicle body behavior due to the influence of the disturbance P1B.
Therefore, the low-pass filter 62 outputs vehicle behavior information D2 (hereinafter referred to as second behavior information D2) indicating the behavior of the center of gravity movement of the vehicle body 1S including the influence of the rider's center of gravity movement P1C.

In the center of gravity movement information estimation unit 41, the observer 63 receives the steering force P1A detected by the vehicle sensor 12 and the vehicle information DM (steering angle, vehicle speed, acceleration, and angular velocity) from one calculation cycle before. The observer 63 is a theoretical computer that theoretically calculates the behavior of the center of gravity movement of the vehicle body 1S in the absence of the disturbance P1B and the rider's center of gravity movement P1C from the steering force P1A and the vehicle information DM from one calculation cycle before.
The vehicle information DM from one calculation cycle before means the vehicle information DM from the previous calculation cycle when one calculation of the digital processing circuit that constitutes the center of gravity movement information estimating section 41 is called a "calculation cycle." It is.

In other words, the observer 63 determines the disturbance P1B and the current information (steering force P1A) from the previous information (steering angle, vehicle speed, acceleration, and angular velocity affected by the disturbance P1B and rider's center of gravity movement P1C) and the current information (steering force P1A). The behavior of the center of gravity movement of the vehicle body 1S in an ideal space without the rider's center of gravity movement P1C is calculated.
Although a case has been described in which the current steering force P1A detected by the vehicle sensor 12 is used as the steering force P1A for calculation by the observer 63, it is desirable to use the steering force P1A one calculation cycle ago. However, when the calculation cycle is sufficiently fast, human input is relatively slow, so there is no big change in rudder force P1A depending on whether it was one calculation cycle ago or not, so the current (also called the latest) Sufficient calculation accuracy can be obtained even by using the rudder force P1A. Furthermore, when using the current steering force P1A detected by the vehicle sensor 12, the configuration can be simplified (processing can be simplified) compared to the case where the steering force P1A from one calculation cycle ago is used, which is advantageous for cost reduction. be.

In this way, the observer 63 uses the steering force P1A and the vehicle information DM to obtain vehicle behavior information D3 (hereinafter referred to as , third behavior information D3).
Note that a wide range of known techniques can be applied to the method of theoretically determining the vehicle body behavior corresponding to the third behavior information D3.

The center of gravity movement information estimation unit 41 includes a subtracter 64 that performs subtraction processing by digital processing. The subtractor 64 subtracts the third behavior information D3 from the second behavior information D2 to calculate center of gravity movement information DC indicating the movement of the center of gravity (including the amount and direction of movement of the center of gravity) of the rider.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the course estimation process by the course estimation section 42.
The course estimation unit 42 acquires the center of gravity movement information DC and the steering force P1A (step S11), and determines whether there is a steering input in the direction of the rider's center of gravity movement based on the center of gravity movement information DC and the steering force P1A (step S11). S12).
Steps S12, S14, and S15 are processes for determining whether the vehicle 1 is about to change course based on the movement of the rider's center of gravity.

Generally, when a rider intends to change course, for example, to turn to the left, the rider performs reverse steering (turning the rudder to the right) or moves the center of gravity toward the turning side. On the other hand, if the rider has no intention of changing course, for example, if the rider continues to go straight or continues to turn with the same turning speed, the rider will hardly move the center of gravity or change the steering force P1A. , the steering angle may hardly change.

As shown in FIG. 4, if there is a steering input in the direction of the rider's center of gravity movement that is complementary to the movement of the center of gravity (step S12; YES), the course estimation unit 42 determines that the rider intentionally inputs the amount of steering input to compensate for the movement of the center of gravity. Since the vehicle 1 has been canceled, it is assumed that the course of the vehicle 1 will not be changed, and the output unit 15 performs a notification process to notify that the course will be maintained (step S13).
On the other hand, if there is no steering input in the direction of movement of the rider's center of gravity (step S12; NO), the course estimation unit 42 determines whether the change in the amount of movement of the rider's center of gravity is small enough to consider that there is no change in the course of the vehicle 1. (Step S14). In step S14, the course estimation unit 42 compares the information X1 indicating the degree of change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity of the rider with the determination threshold Y1 for determining that there is no change in the course of the vehicle 1. It is determined whether or not the course of the vehicle 1 has changed. As the information X1, for example, a rate of change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity (amount of change per predetermined time) is used, and as the threshold value Y1, an appropriate threshold value that can determine a course change of the vehicle 1 from the information X1 is used.

For example, the threshold value Y1 is set to a value within the range of the rate of change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity that allows it to be assumed that the course of the vehicle 1 has not changed. In this case, when the information X1<threshold value Y1, it may be determined that the course of the vehicle 1 is not changed from the viewpoint of the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity (step S14; YES).
In other words, the process of step S14 is a process of determining whether or not the course of the vehicle 1 has changed based on the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity of the rider. Note that for the information X1 and the threshold value Y1, any appropriate information or value may be adopted within a range that allows determining the course change of the vehicle 1 from the amount of movement of the center of gravity of the rider.

If the determination in step S14 is affirmative, the course estimation unit 42 determines whether the change in steering force is small enough to consider that there is no change in the course of the vehicle 1 (step S15). In this step S15, the course estimating unit 42 determines whether the vehicle 1 has changed its course based on the comparison between the information X2 indicating the degree of change in the steering force and the determination threshold Y2 for determining that the course of the vehicle 1 has not changed. Determine whether there is a change in course. For example, the rate of change in steering force (amount of change per predetermined time) is used as the information X2, and an appropriate threshold that can determine a course change of the vehicle 1 from the information X2 is used as the threshold Y2.

For example, the threshold value Y2 is set to a value within a range of the rate of change of the steering force that can be considered as not changing the course of the vehicle 1. In this case, when information X2<threshold value Y2, it may be determined that there is no course change of the vehicle 1 from the viewpoint of a change in steering force (step S15; YES).
In other words, the process of step S15 is a process of determining whether to change the course of the vehicle 1 based on a change in the input of the steering force. Note that, as the information X2 and the threshold value Y2, any appropriate information or value may be adopted within a range in which the course change of the vehicle 1 can be determined from the steering force.

It is preferable that the threshold values Y1 and Y2 are values that change depending on the vehicle speed. When the vehicle 1 changes course, it is predicted that the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity by the rider or the change in the steering force by the rider will change depending on the vehicle speed. For example, the higher the vehicle speed, the smaller the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity by the rider over time or the change in steering force over time may become smaller. By reducing the threshold value Y1 depending on the vehicle speed, for example, it becomes easier to more appropriately determine whether or not there is a course change of the vehicle 1. Note that if sufficient determination accuracy can be ensured, the threshold value Y1 does not need to be changed depending on the vehicle speed. The threshold values Y1 and Y2 correspond to the "predetermined first threshold value" of the present invention.

If the determination process in step S15 is affirmative, the route estimating unit 42 moves to the process in step S13, and the output unit 15 performs a notification process to notify that the route will be maintained. Note that the order of step S14 and step S15 may be reversed.
In this way, when the vehicle 1 is steered in the same direction as the rider's center of gravity movement, or when the rider hardly moves the center of gravity and the change in steering force is small, it is notified that the course of the vehicle 1 will be maintained. Notification processing is performed.

For example, if the rider has no intention of changing course and the vehicle tilts due to the influence of the road surface or moves to the left, the rider's center of gravity moves in the opposite direction to the tilt of the vehicle. Regarding the steering force, the steering force is relaxed or the steering wheel is turned in the same direction as the slope (no longer holding the steering wheel), and the steering angle returns to 0 as the vehicle becomes upright due to self-steering. . In this case, the determination process in step S12 yields a negative result, and the determination processes in steps S14 and S15 yield a positive result, so it is reported that the course of the vehicle 1 will be maintained.

On the other hand, if the determination process in step S14 or step S15 is a negative result, the course estimation unit 42 determines the course change direction and the course based on the center of gravity movement information DC and the steering force P1A as the course intended by the rider. The amount of change and the speed of course change are estimated (step S16).
The course change direction is, for example, the direction after the course change based on the vehicle body before the course change, and is either the left or right direction. More specifically, in the process of step S16, it is determined that the course change direction is a course change in the direction of movement of the center of gravity or a course change in a direction opposite to the steering force.

Further, the amount of course change is, for example, the angle of the traveling direction after the course change based on the traveling direction before the course change, or the moving distance to the left or right. The course change speed is the amount of course change per unit of time, and can be, for example, the left/right movement speed or the differential value of the amount of course change.
In the process of step S16, the course of the vehicle 1 can be specified with high precision based on information such as the estimated course change direction, course change amount, and course change speed. In addition, in the process of step S16, it is only necessary to specify the course of the vehicle 1 to the extent necessary for notification, and it is not necessarily necessary to specify all of the course change direction, course change amount, and course change speed.

After the process in step S16, the route estimating unit 42 performs a notification process in which the output unit 15 issues a warning to the effect that the route will be changed and notifies predetermined information such as the route of the vehicle 1 (step S17).
For example, when the course of the vehicle 1 is changed and the rider has the intention of starting a turn, the steering wheel is reversely steered when the rider's center of gravity is moving to the left or right. In this case, the rider's center of gravity moves in the direction of inclination of the vehicle body, and steering force is input in a direction opposite to the direction of inclination of the vehicle body, resulting in a large change in the amount of movement of the rider's center of gravity and/or the steering force. Therefore, the process proceeds from step S12 to step S14 to step S16 to step S17, and a warning to change course and predetermined information such as the course of the vehicle 1 are notified.

If the course of the vehicle 1 is changed, for example, if the rider tries to turn further to the left from a state where the rider is turning to the left, the rider's center of gravity moves further to the left, and the steering force is input to the right side. be exposed. In this case, the process proceeds from step S12 → step S14 → step S15 → step S16 → step S17, and a warning to the effect that the course will be changed and predetermined information such as the course of the vehicle 1 are notified.

Generally, in a rocking vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle that can change its course by utilizing the movement of the rider's center of gravity, it is difficult to estimate the course from the direction of the steering force. In contrast, in this configuration, the rider's center of gravity movement information DC is acquired, the course is estimated based on this information DC, and predetermined information is notified according to the estimation result, so the appropriate Appropriate information can be reported according to the exact future course of the vehicle 1, that is, the exact future course of the vehicle 1.

Furthermore, since the course of the vehicle 1 is estimated using the center of gravity movement information DC, the future course of the vehicle 1 can be estimated accurately. Can be detected immediately before.
For example, in a vehicle 1 consisting of a two-wheeled vehicle, as shown in FIG. ). In the pre-turning operation, although the rider U has moved the center of gravity significantly toward the turning side (to the left in the direction of travel), the vehicle 1 does not start tilting and continues straight because it is inputting a complementary amount of steering force in the direction of the center of gravity movement. do.

In this configuration, the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity of the rider U during the pre-turning operation is large, but since there is a complementary amount of steering input, the process proceeds from step S12 to step S13 shown in FIG. 4, and the course is immediately changed. It is possible to prevent the judgment that changes will be made.

As described above, the driving support device 10 includes the center of gravity movement information estimation unit 41 that estimates the rider's center of gravity movement information DC, and the course that estimates the course of the vehicle 1 consisting of a two-wheeled vehicle based on information including the center of gravity movement information DC. and an estimator 42, which notifies predetermined information such as a warning based on the estimated course.
Since the course of the vehicle 1 is estimated based on information including the rider's center of gravity movement information DC, an appropriate course can be estimated for a two-wheeled vehicle whose course may differ from the direction of the steering force. Since predetermined information such as a warning is reported based on this route, appropriate information can be reported in accordance with the appropriate route. Additionally, information such as warnings can be provided according to the rider's wishes.

Further, if the direction of the steering force is the opposite direction to the direction of the center of gravity movement specified from the center of gravity movement information DC (corresponding to step S12 in FIG. 4; NO), the course estimating unit 42 determines whether the own vehicle It is estimated that the course of the vehicle 1 consisting of Thereby, it is possible to more appropriately estimate the presence or absence of a course change, and it is possible to notify appropriate information in accordance with a more appropriate course.

In addition, if the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity specified from the center of gravity movement information DC is greater than a predetermined threshold value Y1, or if the change in steering force is greater than a predetermined threshold value Y2, the course estimation unit 42 It is estimated that the course of the vehicle 1 will be changed in the direction of movement of the center of gravity. Thereby, it is possible to more appropriately estimate the presence or absence of a course change, and it is possible to notify appropriate information in accordance with a more appropriate course.
Moreover, by setting the threshold values Y1 and Y2 to values that change according to vehicle speed, it is possible to more appropriately estimate whether or not there is a course change even if the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity by the rider or the change in steering force changes according to the vehicle speed. .

In this configuration, a case has been described in which the course estimation section 42 is provided, but the course estimation section 42 may be omitted and the predetermined information may be notified based on the center of gravity movement information DC estimated by the center of gravity movement information estimation section 41. good.
If predetermined information such as a warning is notified based on the center of gravity movement information DC, appropriate information can be provided according to at least one of the amount of movement of the rider's center of gravity and the direction of movement of the rider's center of gravity, which can be specified from the center of gravity movement information DC. can be notified.
For example, if the amount of movement of the rider's center of gravity is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold in either direction, it can be assumed that the rider is attempting to change course to the left or right, and appropriate information can be reported.

Furthermore, although a case has been described in which the center of gravity movement information estimating unit 41 estimates the rider's center of gravity movement information DC by calculation processing, the invention is not limited to this, and the center of gravity movement information DC of the rider can be estimated using other known methods. may be estimated. For example, the rider's center of gravity movement information DC may be estimated by photographing the rider with a photographing camera and performing image recognition on the photographed image.
Furthermore, the center of gravity movement information estimating section 41 may acquire the rider's center of gravity movement information DC from the outside.

In addition, although the rider's center of gravity movement information DC is information that can specify both the amount of movement of the rider's center of gravity and the direction of movement of the center of gravity, the information DC is not limited to this, and the rider's center of gravity is necessary for notification of predetermined information. Any information related to movement may be used, and the contents of the center of gravity movement information DC may be changed as appropriate.

Furthermore, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a lamp 53 that can emit flash light, and the lamp 53 emits flash light as a process for notifying predetermined information. Therefore, the lamp 53 may be an existing component. Warnings can be given, and warnings can be given with an inexpensive system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a driving support device 10 according to a modification.
This driving support device 10 differs from the driving support device 10 described above in that it includes a rider fall detection section 43. Hereinafter, different parts will be explained and repeated explanation will be omitted.
The rider fall detection section 43 is provided between the center of gravity movement information estimation section 41 and the course estimation section 42, and detects a fall of the rider using the estimation result of the center of gravity movement information estimation section 41. After the rider fall detection section 43 performs processing to detect the rider's fall, the course estimation section 42 estimates an accurate future course of the vehicle 1.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the driving support device 10, including the operation of the rider fall detection section 43. In FIG. 7, processes similar to those in FIG. 2 are given the same step numbers and redundant explanation will be omitted.
The driving support device 10 starts acquiring vehicle information DM detected by the vehicle sensor 12 (step S1), and performs a center of gravity movement amount estimation process by the center of gravity movement information estimation unit 41 (step S2).

Next, the driving support device 10 uses the rider fall detection unit 43 to compare the amount of movement of the rider's center of gravity identified from the center of gravity movement information DC with a second threshold Z1 that is a threshold for determining the rider's fall. It is determined whether the situation is such that it can be assumed that the rider has fallen (step S21). As the second threshold value Z1, an appropriate threshold value that can determine whether or not the rider has fallen due to the amount of movement of the center of gravity of the rider is adopted.

If the amount of movement of the center of gravity of the rider is less than or equal to the second threshold value Z1 (step S21; YES), the driving support device 10 performs a course estimation process using the course estimation unit 42 (step S3), and then performs a notification process (step S4). ).
On the other hand, if the amount of movement of the center of gravity of the rider exceeds the second threshold Z1 (step S21; NO), the driving support device 10 uses the rider fall detection section 43 to determine whether or not there is a sensor abnormality (step S22), If it is determined that the sensor is abnormal (step S22; YES), the output unit 15 performs a process of notifying a system error (step S23).
Here, each value of the vehicle sensor 12 is read, and if any value is abnormal, it is determined that the sensor is abnormal. In this case, since one of the vehicle sensors 12 is not functioning properly, a system error is reported. The system error is notified to the occupants of the vehicle 1 including the rider, for example, by using the second notification section 52.

If it is determined that the sensor is not abnormal (step S22; NO), the driving support device 10 determines that the rider has fallen by the rider fall detection section 43. That is, the rider fall detection unit 43 detects that the rider has fallen when the amount of movement of the rider's center of gravity exceeds the second threshold Z1 and there is no sensor abnormality.
Subsequently, the driving support device 10 uses the output unit 15 to perform a notification process to notify that the rider has fallen, and also stops the engine by controlling the engine (not shown) (step S24).
Here, the notification process for notifying the rider of the rider's fall may be performed by using the first notification unit 51, for example, to notify drivers of surrounding vehicles, Notifies pedestrians of a rider's fall.

As explained above, since the rider fall detection section 43 is provided between the center of gravity movement information estimation section 41 and the course estimation section 42, the rider fall detection section 43 judges fall detection every time each sensor of the vehicle 1 detects information. Instead, a fall can be detected using the estimation result of the center of gravity movement information estimation unit 41, and the calculation load required for fall detection can be reduced. Moreover, it is possible to detect a rider's fall without waiting for the estimation result of the course estimator 42, and it becomes easier to promptly notify the rider of a fall.
Further, the rider fall detection unit 43 detects a fall of the rider based on a comparison between the amount of movement of the rider's center of gravity specified from the center of gravity movement information DC and a second threshold Z1 consisting of a threshold for fall determination. It is possible to easily detect the fall of a person, and reduce the calculation load required for fall detection.

Note that it is preferable that the second threshold Z1 also changes depending on the vehicle speed, similarly to the first threshold consisting of the thresholds Y1 and Y2. When the vehicle speed is high, the amount of movement of the center of gravity when changing course may become small, and the second threshold value Z1 may be changed accordingly to make it possible to determine whether the vehicle is changing course or falling. Thereby, even if the amount of movement of the center of gravity by the rider changes depending on the vehicle speed, it is possible to detect whether or not the rider has fallen.

Note that the above-described embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the configuration such as details may be changed as appropriate.
For example, in a case where the vehicle 1 has a camera that photographs the surrounding area and a surrounding object detection sensor that detects surrounding objects, and is configured to issue a warning when an object that affects the running of the vehicle 1 is detected. Based on the accurate future course of the vehicle 1, the presence or absence of an object on the course may be detected with high precision, and a warning may be given to the rider or the like or automatic brake control may be performed as appropriate.
Further, the rider fall detection section 43 does not need to be limited to between the center of gravity movement information estimation section 41 and the course estimation section 42.

[Configuration supported by the above embodiment]
The above embodiment supports the following configurations.

(Configuration 1) A notification device for a rocking vehicle that notifies predetermined information, including a center of gravity movement information estimation unit that estimates rider's center of gravity movement information, and a course that estimates the course of the own vehicle based on information including the center of gravity movement information. A notification device comprising: an estimating section, and notifying predetermined information based on the course.
Since the course of the own vehicle is estimated based on information including center of gravity movement information, an appropriate course can be estimated for a swinging vehicle where the direction of the steering force and the course may differ. Since predetermined information is reported based on this route, appropriate information can be reported in accordance with the appropriate route.

(Configuration 2) The course estimating unit may cause the course of the own vehicle to be in the direction of the center of gravity movement when the direction of the steering force of the own vehicle is the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the center of gravity specified from the center of gravity movement information. The notification device according to configuration 1, wherein the notification device estimates that the notification will be changed.
Thereby, it is possible to more appropriately estimate the presence or absence of a course change, and it is possible to notify appropriate information in accordance with a more appropriate course.

(Configuration 3) When the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity specified from the center of gravity movement information or the change in the steering force acting on the host vehicle is larger than a predetermined first threshold value, The notification device according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that it is estimated that the course of the host vehicle is changed in the direction of the center of gravity movement.
Thereby, it is possible to more appropriately estimate the presence or absence of a course change, and it is possible to notify appropriate information in accordance with a more appropriate course.

(Configuration 4) Configuration 1, comprising a rider fall detection section that detects a fall of the rider, wherein the rider fall detection section is provided between the center of gravity movement information estimation section and the course estimation section. The notification device according to any one of 3 to 3.
The rider fall detection section is provided between the center of gravity movement information estimation section and the course estimation section, so instead of determining whether a fall has occurred each time each sensor on the vehicle detects information, the rider fall detection section is installed between the center of gravity movement information estimation section and the center of gravity movement information estimation section. A fall can be detected using the estimation result of , and the calculation load required for fall detection can be reduced. Further, it is possible to detect a rider's fall without waiting for the estimation result of the course estimator, and it becomes easier to promptly notify the rider of a fall.

(Configuration 5) According to configuration 5, the rider fall detection unit detects a fall of the rider based on a comparison between an amount of movement of the center of gravity specified from the center of gravity movement information and a predetermined second threshold value. arithmetic processing unit.
Since a fall of the rider is detected based on a comparison between the amount of movement of the center of gravity specified from the center of gravity movement information and a predetermined second threshold value, a fall of the rider can be easily detected and the calculation load required for detecting a fall can be reduced.

(Configuration 6) The notification device according to Configuration 4, wherein the first threshold value changes depending on vehicle speed.
Since the first threshold value changes depending on the vehicle speed, it is possible to more appropriately estimate the presence or absence of a course change even if the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity by the rider or the change in steering force changes depending on the vehicle speed.

(Configuration 7) The notification device according to Configuration 6, wherein the second threshold value changes depending on vehicle speed.
Since the second threshold value changes depending on the vehicle speed, even if the amount of movement of the center of gravity by the rider changes depending on the vehicle speed, the presence or absence of a course change can be detected more appropriately.

(Configuration 8) Any one of configurations 1 to 8, wherein the own vehicle is equipped with a lighting device capable of emitting flash light, and as the process of notifying the predetermined information, the flash light is emitted from the lighting device. The notification device according to item 1.
According to this configuration, warnings and the like can be issued using existing lighting equipment, and warnings and the like can be issued using an inexpensive system.

1 Vehicle (swinging vehicle)
10 Driving support device (notification device)
12 Vehicle sensor 13 Arithmetic unit 14 Storage unit 15 Output unit 31 Vehicle speed sensor 32 Rudder angle sensor 33 Rudder force sensor 34 Inertial sensor 41 Center of gravity movement information estimation unit 42 Course estimation unit 43 Rider fall detection unit 53 Light equipment

Claims (5)

In a rocking vehicle notification device that notifies predetermined information,
a center of gravity movement information estimation unit (41) that estimates rider's center of gravity movement information;
comprising a course estimating section (42) that estimates the course of the own vehicle (1) based on the center of gravity movement information and information including the steering force acting on the own vehicle (1) ;
Notifying predetermined information based on the course;
In a predetermined case, the course estimating unit (42) determines that there is no steering input in the direction of the center of gravity movement specified from the center of gravity movement information, and in a predetermined first direction. If the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity specified from the center of gravity movement information and the change in the steering force are smaller than a threshold value, it is determined that there is no course change of the host vehicle (1);
In the predetermined case, and when the change in the amount of movement of the center of gravity or the change in the steering force is greater than the first threshold value, the course of the own vehicle (1) is set in the direction of movement of the center of gravity. A notification device characterized by estimating that a change has been made to . The course estimating unit (42) is configured to detect, in the predetermined case, that the change in the center of gravity shift or the change in the steering force is larger than the first threshold; If the direction of the steering force of the vehicle (1) is opposite to the direction of movement of the center of gravity , it is estimated that the course of the own vehicle (1) will be changed in the direction of movement of the center of gravity. The notification device according to claim 1. The course estimating unit (42) is characterized in that when it is determined that there is a steering input in the direction of the center of gravity movement that cancels the course change due to the movement of the center of gravity, it is determined that the course of the host vehicle (1) is not changed. The notification device according to claim 1 or 2. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the first threshold value changes depending on vehicle speed. The own vehicle (1) is equipped with a lighting device (53) capable of emitting flash light,
The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the process of notifying the predetermined information includes emitting flash light from the lamp (53).

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