JP7575323B2 - Operation control device and vehicle, and control method and program for vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle, and a control method and program for a vehicle control device.

When driving on expressways, the vehicle speed may slow down unknowingly, which can lead to traffic jams. A typical example of this is traffic jams that occur at sag sections. For this reason, signs such as "Watch out for slowing down!!" are often placed near sag sections. However, traffic jams still occur, possibly due to drivers overlooking the signs or not checking their speedometers frequently.

JP 2018-101336 A

There is known technology that issues a warning when the vehicle speed deviates from the legal speed limit (Patent Document 1). However, a sudden warning caused by a deviation from the legal speed limit can be stressful for not only the driver but also passengers. At least in the case of a speed drop in a sag section, etc., a gentle warning to encourage the driver to speed up rather than a sudden warning is sufficient, and no warning is necessary for passengers.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a technology that gently notifies the driver of any abnormal speed changes and prevents congestion in sag sections, etc., by differentiating the timing of seat belt vibration when driving at a target speed and when driving at a speed that deviates from the target speed.

In order to solve the above problems, for example, an operation control device of the present invention has the following configuration.
A vehicle control device that controls a vehicle,
An acquisition means for acquiring a target speed and a vehicle speed;
A playback means for playing music;
A vibration means for vibrating a seat belt of a driver's seat;
A control means for controlling the vibration means ,
The control means
determining an offset amount according to a speed difference between the target speed acquired by the acquisition means and the vehicle speed;
Shifting the binary tempo data according to the offset amount;
supplying the shifted tempo data as a drive signal to said vibration means;
The control means
filtering the sampling data of the music being reproduced by the reproduction means using a preset low-pass filter;
The filtered sampled data is compared with a preset threshold value;
The binary data obtained by the comparison is used as the tempo data before shifting .

According to the present invention, the driver can be notified of a deviation from the target speed gently by using a difference in the timing of vibrations, rather than a sudden warning, and it becomes possible to encourage driving at the target speed.

1 is a block diagram of a vehicle and a control device according to an embodiment; 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining vibration timing of a seat belt in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration related to vibration of a seat belt in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship and configuration of a music playback and seat belt control unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of setting flag data. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing contents in a seat belt control unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the storage state of music files and rhythm files in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration related to vibration of a seat belt in a second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing contents in a seat belt control unit in the second embodiment.

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any combination. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle V and its control device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the vehicle V is shown in a schematic plan view and a side view. As an example, the vehicle V is a sedan-type four-wheeled passenger car.

The vehicle V in this embodiment is, for example, a parallel hybrid vehicle. In this case, the power plant 50, which is a driving unit that outputs driving force to rotate the drive wheels of the vehicle V, can include an internal combustion engine, a motor, and an automatic transmission. The motor can be used as a driving source to accelerate the vehicle V, and can also be used as a generator during deceleration, etc. (regenerative braking).

<Control device>
The configuration of a control device 1, which is an on-board device of a vehicle V, will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The control device 1 includes an ECU group (control unit group) 2. The ECU group 2 includes a plurality of ECUs 20 to 28 that are configured to be able to communicate with each other. Each ECU includes a processor represented by a CPU, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, an interface with an external device, and the like. The storage device stores programs executed by the processor and data used by the processor for processing, and the like. Each ECU may include a plurality of processors, storage devices, interfaces, and the like. The number of ECUs and the functions they are responsible for can be designed as appropriate, and the ECUs shown in this embodiment can be further subdivided or integrated. In FIG. 1, the names of representative functions of the ECUs 20 to 28 are given. For example, the ECU 20 is described as a "driving control ECU."

The ECU 20 executes control related to driving assistance including automatic driving of the vehicle V. In automatic driving, the driving (such as accelerating the vehicle V by the power plant 50), steering, and braking of the vehicle V are performed automatically without the driver's operation. In addition, the ECU 20 can execute driving assistance control such as collision mitigation braking and lane departure prevention in manual driving. The collision mitigation braking assists in collision avoidance by instructing the brake device 51 to operate when the possibility of a collision with an obstacle ahead increases. The lane departure prevention assists in lane departure avoidance by instructing the electric power steering device 41 to operate when the possibility of the vehicle V deviating from the lane increases. In addition, the ECU 20 can execute automatic following control to make the vehicle V automatically follow the preceding vehicle in both automatic driving and manual driving. In the case of automatic driving, the acceleration, deceleration, and steering of the vehicle V may all be performed automatically. In the case of manual driving, the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle V may be performed automatically.

The ECU 21 is an environment recognition unit that recognizes the driving environment of the vehicle V based on the detection results of the detection units 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B that detect the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V. In this embodiment, the detection units 31A and 31B are cameras that capture images of the area ahead of the vehicle V (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as camera 31A and camera 31B), and are attached to the inside of the passenger compartment of the front window at the front of the roof of the vehicle V. By analyzing the images captured by the camera 31A, it is possible to extract the contours of objects and lane markings (white lines, etc.) on the road.

In this embodiment, the detection unit 32A is a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) (hereinafter, may be referred to as LIDAR 32A) that detects targets around the vehicle V and measures the distance to the targets. In this embodiment, five LIDARs 32A are provided, one at each corner of the front of the vehicle V, one at the rear center, and one on each side of the rear. The detection unit 32B is a millimeter wave radar (hereinafter, may be referred to as RADAR 32B) that detects targets around the vehicle V and measures the distance to the targets. In this embodiment, five RADARs 32B are provided, one at the front center of the vehicle V, one at each front corner, and one at each rear corner.

The ECU 22 is a steering control unit that controls the electric power steering device 41. The electric power steering device 41 includes a mechanism that steers the front wheels in response to the driver's driving operation (steering operation) with respect to the steering wheel ST. The electric power steering device 41 includes a drive unit 41a including a motor that exerts a driving force (sometimes called steering assist torque) for assisting the steering operation or automatically steering the front wheels, a steering angle sensor 41b, a torque sensor 41c that detects the steering torque borne by the driver (called steering burden torque and distinguished from steering assist torque), and the like. The ECU 22 can also obtain the detection result of a sensor 36 that detects whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel ST, and can monitor the driver's gripping state.

Blinker levers 51, 52 are provided near the steering wheel ST. The occupant can operate the corresponding left and right turn indicators (not shown) by operating the blinker levers 51, 52. In this embodiment, the occupant can instruct the vehicle V to change its automatic course by operating the blinker levers 51, 52. As an instruction for an automatic course change, for example, the occupant can instruct the vehicle V to change to a lane on the left by operating the blinker lever 51, and can instruct the vehicle V to change to a lane on the right by operating the blinker lever 52. An instruction for a course change by the occupant may be accepted during automatic driving or automatic following control.

The ECU 23 is a brake control unit that controls the hydraulic device 42. The driver's braking operation using the brake pedal BP is converted into hydraulic pressure in the brake master cylinder BM and transmitted to the hydraulic device 42. The hydraulic device 42 is an actuator that can control the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic oil supplied to the brake devices (e.g., disc brake devices) 51 provided on each of the four wheels based on the hydraulic pressure transmitted from the brake master cylinder BM, and the ECU 23 controls the operation of the solenoid valves and the like provided in the hydraulic device 42. In addition, the ECU 23 can turn on the brake lamps 43B when braking. This can increase the attention of following vehicles to the vehicle V.

The ECU 23 and the hydraulic device 42 can constitute an electric servo brake. The ECU 23 can, for example, control the distribution of braking force from the four brake devices 51 and the braking force from the regenerative braking of the motor provided in the power plant 50. The ECU 23 can also realize an ABS function, traction control, and a posture control function for the vehicle V based on the detection results of a wheel speed sensor 38 provided on each of the four wheels, a yaw rate sensor (not shown), and a pressure sensor 35 that detects the pressure in the brake master cylinder BM.

The ECU 24 is a stop maintenance control unit that controls an electric parking brake device (e.g., drum brake) 52 provided on the rear wheels. The electric parking brake device 52 has a mechanism for locking the rear wheels. The ECU 24 can control the locking and unlocking of the rear wheels by the electric parking brake device 52.

The ECU 25 is an in-vehicle notification control unit that controls the information output device 43A that notifies the inside of the vehicle. The information output device 43A includes, for example, a head-up display or a display device provided on the instrument panel, or an audio output device. It may also include a vibration device. The ECU 25 causes the information output device 43A to output, for example, various information such as vehicle speed and outside temperature, information such as route guidance, and information regarding the state of the vehicle V. This information output device 43A has a display device for displaying various information, a slot or interface (USB, etc.) for connecting external devices such as a DVD/CD drive and an SD card, and a speaker for playing voice, music, etc. As will be described in more detail later, the ECU 25 also functions as a seat belt control unit that vibrates the seat belt of the driver's seat in conjunction with music playback.

The ECU 26 is equipped with a communication device 26a for inter-vehicle communication. The communication device 26a performs wireless communication with other vehicles in the vicinity and exchanges information between the vehicles.

The ECU 27 is a drive control unit that controls the power plant 50. In this embodiment, one ECU 27 is assigned to the power plant 50, but one ECU each may be assigned to the internal combustion engine, the motor, and the automatic transmission. The ECU 27 controls the output of the internal combustion engine and the motor and switches the gears of the automatic transmission in response to the driver's driving operation and vehicle speed detected by, for example, an operation detection sensor 34a provided on the accelerator pedal AP and an operation detection sensor 34b provided on the brake pedal BP. The automatic transmission is provided with a rotation speed sensor 39 that detects the rotation speed of the output shaft of the automatic transmission as a sensor that detects the driving state of the vehicle V. The vehicle speed of the vehicle V can be calculated from the detection result of the rotation speed sensor 39.

The ECU 28 is a position recognition unit that recognizes the current position and course of the vehicle V. The ECU 28 controls the gyro sensor 33, the GPS sensor 28b, and the communication device 28c, and processes the information of the detection results or communication results. The gyro sensor 33 detects the rotational motion of the vehicle V. The course of the vehicle V can be determined based on the detection results of the gyro sensor 33, etc. The GPS sensor 28b detects the current position of the vehicle V. The communication device 28c acquires this information by wireless communication with a server that provides map information and traffic information. The database 28a can store highly accurate map information, and the ECU 28 can identify the position of the vehicle V on the lane with high accuracy based on this map information, etc.

The input device 45 is placed inside the vehicle so that it can be operated by the driver, and accepts instructions and information input from the driver.

<Control example>
The driving control modes of the vehicle V include an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode that can be selected by the driver's operation. The automatic driving modes include a lane keeping assist mode (LKAS (Lane Keep Assist System) mode) in which the vehicle V maintains the lane in which it is traveling, and an adaptive cruise control (ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) mode) in which the vehicle V follows the vehicle in front while maintaining a distance from the vehicle in front with a set upper speed limit. The main focus of this embodiment is at least the control during traveling when the latter ACC mode is OFF. Therefore, the following will describe the case where the ACC mode is OFF (including the case of the manual driving mode).

The outline of this embodiment is as follows:

Generally, on expressways, if a speed limit is set, the driver must go at that speed, and if there is no speed limit, the upper speed limit is 100 km/h. In sag sections, the driver may not notice the vehicle speed decreasing, resulting in traffic jams.

In this embodiment, when the current vehicle speed deviates from the target speed while driving on a highway, the driver is notified only by using the vibration of the seat belt. However, if the deviation from the target speed is used as a trigger to start the vibration of the seat belt, the driver will be subjected to vibrations that he has not experienced before, which may make the driver tense. In this embodiment, the driver is gently notified of the deviation from the target speed. Specifically, when the target speed is deviated, the fact is notified by using the "timing of the vibration of the seat belt." In other words, while providing vibrations that match the music being played before and after the speed deviation occurs, the timing of the vibrations is controlled to make the driver perceive whether the vehicle is traveling at the target speed or at a speed that has deviated. Furthermore, in the embodiment, an example will be described in which the driver is notified of the degree of difference between the actual vehicle speed and the target speed (including underspeeding, overspeeding, etc.).

The seat belt is vibrated by using a motor for winding the seat belt, which is installed inside the retractor that stores the seat belt.

The following describes the first embodiment that achieves the above.

In this embodiment, there is no particular restriction on the type of source of the music to be played. However, to simplify the explanation, the music source is assumed to be a recording medium (a typical example is an SD card) that stores music files in the "MP3" format, which is a known audio data compression technology. This storage medium is already attached to the information output device 43A, and plays the music file selected by the driver's operation of the information output device 43A.

Humans hear music as a composite sound of multiple instruments (including voices). The inventors of this application thought that the tempo of music should be the time interval at which relatively low-frequency sounds and relatively loud sounds occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, a filtering process is performed on the time-series sampling data obtained by decoding the music file using an LPF (low-pass filter) that passes only low-frequency components. Then, the temporal location of the sampling data whose intensity (amplitude) exceeds a threshold is detected, and this location is detected as the "tempo" that is the representative position of the rhythm of the music. Note that a typical low-pass filter is one in which the average value of N consecutive sample data is used as the filtered sample data at the center position.

In the embodiment, one set of vibration processing is a process of transitioning from an initial first state in which the driver fastens the seat belt to a second state in which the seat belt is wound (pulled) by a preset length, and a process of returning the seat belt from the second state to the first state. The above one set of processing is performed at a timing that has an offset according to the speed difference between the current vehicle speed and the target speed with respect to the tempo of the music being played.

In this embodiment, the target speed is a speed with an allowable range defined by the target upper limit speed VH and the target lower limit speed VL. The target upper limit speed VH is the speed indicated by a speed sign if the ECU 21 detects the speed sign, or 100 km/h if no speed sign is detected. The target lower limit speed VL is a speed that is a predetermined relative speed (e.g., -7 km/h) lower than the target upper limit speed VH. However, if the driver sets a target speed (target upper limit speed VH, target lower limit speed VL), that value will be followed.

Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the vibration timing of the seat belt in an embodiment. The horizontal axis in the figure is the time axis, and time is shown flowing from left to right. Signal 201 shows the signal waveform after LPF processing of the sampling data of the music file being played, and the vertical axis shows the signal strength (sound intensity). The timing at which threshold value 202 is exceeded in time is regarded as the tempo position of that music.

Signals 203 to 205 are binary signals that indicate the timing at which the seat belt vibrates.

Signal 203 indicates the timing of vibration of the seat belt (three points in the figure) when the vehicle speed Vc during travel is at the target speed (when VL≦Vc≦VH). As shown in the figure, the timing of the seat belt vibration matches the tempo of the music being played, so the driver can perceive the vibration as a comfortable sensation.

Signal 204 indicates the timing of seat belt vibration when vehicle speed Vc is insufficient relative to the target speed (when Vc<VL). As shown in the figure, the seat belt vibrates at a timing delayed by a preset time α from the timing of seat belt vibration. Since the seat belt vibrates at a timing delayed from the tempo of the music being played, the seat belt vibrates at a timing delayed from the music being listened to by the driver. As a result, the seat belt vibration in relation to the music can be conveyed to the driver as an unpleasant sensation, and as a result, the driver can be notified of "insufficient vehicle speed" or urged to "accelerate."

Signal 204 indicates the timing of seat belt vibration when vehicle speed Vc exceeds the target speed (when VH<Vc). As shown in the figure, the seat belt vibrates a preset time α before the timing of seat belt vibration. Since the seat belt vibrates ahead of the tempo of the music being played, the seat belt vibrates ahead of the tempo of the music being played, and this notifies the driver that he is "speeding" or urges him to "slow down."

Figure 3 shows the configuration related to the vibration drive of the seat belt of the driver's seat in the first embodiment.

The reference numeral 200 in the figure indicates a seat belt. Reference numeral 210 indicates a retractor that winds and stores one end of the seat belt, and has a motor 211 that winds (pulls) and releases (loosens) the seat belt. As already explained, the ECU 25 controls the information output device 43A, plays music files, and vibrates the seat belt. To simplify the explanation, it is assumed here that the ECU 25 is connected to be able to communicate with the speaker 220 of the information output device 43A and the retractor 210 (the motor 211). As part of its functions, the ECU 25 has a seat belt control unit 240 that controls the vibration of the seat belt 200. The seat belt control unit 240 can communicate with other ECUs. For example, the vehicle speed Vc can be obtained by communication with the ECU 27, and the target speed can be obtained from the recognition result of a speed sign detected by the ECU 21.

In the above configuration, the ECU 25 functions as the seat belt control unit 240 in parallel with the process of playing the music file selected by the user. Note that the seat belt vibration control may be realized by an ECU independent of the music playback. The seat belt control unit 240 generates a seat belt drive timing signal based on the input vehicle speed Vc and target speed (target upper limit speed VH, target lower limit speed VL), and controls the drive of the motor 211 of the retractor 210 based on the generated signal.

Figure 4 shows a more detailed configuration of the music playback system, including the ECU 25, and the seatbelt control unit 240, and their relationship.

The illustrated reference numeral 401 indicates a storage medium storing a music file to be played (in the embodiment, a file of compressed audio data by MP3). The decoder 402 reads out encoded data from the music file to be played and performs a decoding process to generate time-series audio sampling data. The decoder 402 then stores the generated sampling data in the audio buffer 451. The output unit 403 has an internal buffer memory (not shown) with a certain capacity within itself, and sequentially stores the data stored in the audio buffer 451 in the internal buffer memory, performs D/A conversion and amplification processing in the order of the oldest data in the internal buffer memory, and supplies the data to the speaker 220 as an analog audio signal, thereby playing back the music file. When the output unit 403 reads the last data of the sampling data in the audio buffer 451 into the internal buffer memory (unplayed data remains in the internal buffer), the decoder 402 reads and decodes the unplayed encoded data in the music file being played, and fills the audio buffer 451 with the sampling data.

In the embodiment, the audio buffer 451 can store, for example, two seconds' worth of sampling data. If the sampling frequency is 44.1 kHz, the audio buffer 451 can store 44100 x 2 = 88200 pieces of sampling data. If one sample is 2 bytes, then audio buffer 451 needs to have a capacity of 88200 x 2 ≒ approximately 180 kbytes.

The flag buffer 453 can store the same amount of data as the audio buffer 451. This flag buffer 453 is completely cleared (all "0") just before data is stored by the analysis and setting unit 452.

When the audio buffer 451 is filled with sampling data, the analysis and setting unit 452 performs LPF filtering on all the sampling data. Then, it generates tempo data of a total of 88,200 bits, represented by a binary (1-bit) signal in which positions in all the sampling data after filtering that exceed the threshold value 202 are "1" and other positions are "0".

When the analysis and setting unit 452 generates the tempo data, it inputs the vehicle speed Vc at that time and the target speed (target upper limit speed VH, target lower limit speed VL) and determines whether the vehicle V is in a target speed driving state (VL≦Vc≦VH), an insufficient speed state (Vc<VL), or an excessive speed state (VH<Vc).

When the vehicle is traveling at the target speed, the analysis and setting unit 452 stores the generated tempo data in the flag buffer 453 as flag data without processing it.

When the speed is insufficient, the analysis and setting unit 452 performs processing to shift the generated tempo data to the left (in a direction delayed in time) by the number of bits equivalent to the time α, and stores the processed tempo data in the flag buffer 453 as flag data. With reference to FIG. 5, the flag data generation process of the flag buffer 453 based on the audio buffer 451 at this time will be described. The ▼ mark in the figure indicates the tempo position detected from the music file being played (the position in the sampling data after LPF processing that exceeds the threshold value of 200). When the speed is insufficient, the analysis and setting unit 452 of the embodiment generates flag data that is "1" at a position delayed by time α from the tempo data indicating the tempo position (the timing indicated by "▼").

If the sampling frequency is 44.1 kHz and α = 0.2 seconds, the number of bits to be shifted is 8820 bits.

On the other hand, when the speed is exceeded, the analysis and setting unit 452 performs processing to shift the generated tempo data to the right (toward a time leading edge) by the number of bits equivalent to the time α, and stores the processed tempo data as flag data in the flag buffer 453. When storing flag data in the flag buffer 453 when the speed is exceeded, the bit shift direction is simply reversed from that in FIG. 5, so a description using a diagram will be omitted.

The drive unit 454 has an internal buffer memory (not shown). The number of flag data that can be stored in this internal buffer memory is the same as the number of sample data that can be stored in the internal buffer of the output unit 402. As a result, data at the same position in the audio buffer 451 and the flag buffer 453 has the same output timing.

The drive unit 454 then stores the data stored in the flag buffer 453 in the internal buffer memory in order. The drive unit 454 then reads the flags from the internal buffer in order of oldest to newest, and if the value is "0" it does nothing, but if the value is "1" it outputs "one set" of drive signals to the motor 211 of the retractor 210.

As a result of the above, when the vehicle is traveling at the target speed, the drive unit 454 outputs a motor drive signal to the motor 211 of the retractor 210 at a timing corresponding to the signal 203 in FIG. 2, and the driver can be given a comfortable seat belt vibration that matches the tempo of the music. Also, when the vehicle is traveling at an insufficient speed, the drive unit 454 outputs a motor drive signal at a timing corresponding to the signal 204 in FIG. 2. This allows the driver to be given a seat belt vibration that is unnaturally delayed relative to the tempo of the music being played, and the driver can be encouraged to accelerate. And when the vehicle is traveling at an excessive speed, the drive unit 454 outputs a motor drive signal at a timing corresponding to the signal 203 in FIG. 2. This allows the driver to be given a seat belt vibration that is unnaturally early relative to the tempo of the music being played, and the driver can be encouraged to decelerate.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of the seat belt control unit 240 (ECU 25) during playback of a music file. The processing of the seat belt control unit 240 will be described below with reference to the same figure. Note that while the time α has been described above using the expressions "delay" and "advance", in the following description, for technical clarity, "α" itself is a positive value, and a negative sign immediately before it indicates a delay, and a positive sign indicates an advance.

At S601, the seat belt control unit 240 acquires the vehicle speed Vc and the target speed (target upper limit speed VH, target lower limit speed VL).

At S602, the seat belt control unit 240 determines whether the relationship between the vehicle speed Vc and the target speed is a target speed driving state (VL≦Vc≦VH), an insufficient speed state (Vc<VL), or an excessive speed state (VH<Vc).

If it is determined that the vehicle is in an underspeed state, the seat belt control unit 240 sets the seat belt drive timing offset Δt to "-α" in S603. If the vehicle is in a target speed traveling state, the seat belt control unit 240 sets the seat belt drive timing offset Δt to "0 (zero)" in S604. If the vehicle is in an overspeed state, the seat belt control unit 240 sets the seat belt drive timing offset Δt to "+α" in S605.

Next, in S606, the seatbelt control unit 240 reads the encoded data from the music file being played, performs a decoding process, generates audio sampling data, and stores it in the audio buffer 451.

At S607, the seatbelt control unit 240 performs LPF processing and threshold comparison processing on the sampling data stored in the audio buffer 451 to create tempo data.

In S608, the seatbelt control unit 240 generates flag data by shifting the created tempo data in the direction indicated by the sign of the offset Δt by an amount corresponding to its absolute value, and stores the flag data in the flag buffer 453.

After that, each time the output unit 403 notifies the seatbelt control unit 240 that all sampling data in the audio buffer 451 has been read, the seatbelt control unit 240 repeats the process from S601 onwards.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the speed difference between the actual vehicle speed and the target speed is notified by the continuous vibration of the seat belt relative to the tempo of the music being played and the timing of the vibration. This makes it possible to inform only the driver, without making the driver feel tense, that there is no problem in maintaining the current state or to encourage the driver to either accelerate or decelerate.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the music to be played was described as being in MP3 format, but the type of music is not important as long as it generates acoustic sampling data immediately before playback. For example, even if it is a music CD, the data recorded thereon is decoded and played, so it is natural that even CDs can be targeted, and it is clear that the invention can also be applied to files in other formats.

[Second embodiment]
In the first embodiment, sampling data is generated from a music file to be played, and the sampling data is subjected to LPF processing and threshold comparison processing to generate tempo data. Then, the shift direction and shift amount of the tempo data are determined according to the speed difference between the vehicle speed and the target speed, and flag data is generated. Therefore, although the generated tempo data is based on the low-frequency components in the actual music, it is not necessarily synchronized with the sound of drums or other bass instruments. Therefore, in the second embodiment, an example in which the creator of the music data (or the user who listens to the music data) individually creates tempo data specialized for the music using a PC or the like and uses the tempo data will be described as the second embodiment.

Figure 7 shows the data storage status of the storage medium 401. In the example of the storage medium 401 shown in the figure, there are two folders, one of which stores music data files 701, 702, 703, etc., and the other stores corresponding rhythm data files 711, 712, 713. The music data files are MP3 format files, so the file extension is "mp3". The rhythm data files have the file extension "bpm" (beats per minute), which indicates that they are rhythm (tempo) data. As in the first embodiment, the rhythm data files in this second embodiment are in the stream format of binary data with 1 bit for 1 sampling data of the sound data, and this binary data stream is compressed and encoded. The type of compression is not particularly important as long as the decoder 402 can decode it (for example, run-length encoding). The correspondence between the music data files and the rhythm data files is achieved by making the file names, excluding the extension, common.

Figure 8 is a more detailed diagram of the music playback configuration, including the ECU 25, and the seat belt control unit 240 in this second embodiment. The differences from Figure 4 of the first embodiment are that the decoder 402 decodes not only music data files but also rhythm data files, a flag buffer 801 has been added to store the decoded rhythm data as tempo data, and the analysis and setting unit 452 analyzes the flag buffer 801 rather than the audio buffer 451. The flag buffer 801 has the same capacity as the flag buffer 453.

As in the first embodiment, the analysis and setting unit 452 determines whether the vehicle V is in a target speed state, an underspeed state, or an overspeed state based on the vehicle speed and the target speed, and determines the offset Δt based on that determination.

The analysis and setting unit 452 of the second embodiment performs a bit shift on the tempo data stored in the flag buffer 801 according to the direction and shift amount indicated by the offset Δt, and stores the result in the flag buffer 453 (at this time, if a blank area occurs due to the shift, it is filled with "0"). In other words, in the second embodiment, the LPF processing and threshold comparison processing performed in the first embodiment are not necessary.

Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing of the seat belt control unit 240 (ECU 25) in this second embodiment. The processing of the seat belt control unit 240 in the second embodiment will be described below with reference to this figure.

Steps S901 to S906 are the same as steps S601 to S606 in Figure 4, so their explanation will be omitted.

At S907, the seatbelt control unit 240 decodes the rhythm data file, generates it as tempo data, and stores the tempo data in the flag buffer 801.

At S908, the seatbelt control unit 240 shifts the tempo data stored in the flag buffer 801 in the direction and by the number of bits indicated by the offset Δt.

At S909, the seatbelt control unit 240 stores the tempo data after the shift process in the flag buffer 453.

After that, each time the output unit 403 notifies the seatbelt control unit 240 that all sampling data in the audio buffer 451 has been read, the seatbelt control unit 240 repeats the process from S901 onwards.

According to the second embodiment, a rhythm data file specialized for music data files can be used to prompt the driver to accelerate, maintain the status quo, or decelerate by vibrating the seat belt worn by the driver.

[Other embodiments]
In the first and second embodiments, when the speed is insufficient (or excessive) with respect to the target speed, the seat belt is vibrated by shifting it by a single offset amount ±α that is uniformly determined. However, it is also possible to select one of multiple offset amounts prepared in advance according to the speed difference between the vehicle speed and the target speed. For example, in the case of insufficient speed, if the difference (absolute value) with respect to the target speed is small, -α is selected, if the difference is large, -2α, if the difference is even larger, -3α, ... is selected. The same applies to the case of excessive speed.

In addition, when the vehicle is speeding less than (or faster than) the target speed, the amount of tension on the seat belt may be increased the greater the difference (absolute value) between the target speed and the vehicle speed. Also, the amount of tension and the offset amount may be combined.

It is also possible to only deal with insufficient speed (a decrease in speed in the sub-part), and not need to process when the speed is exceeded. In this case, in S602 in FIG. 6 and S902 in FIG. 9, it is determined whether or not there is insufficient speed (whether or not Vc<VL), and if there is no insufficient speed, the process proceeds to S604 or S904. Then, S605 and S905 can be deleted.

The user may be able to select whether to only deal with insufficient speed (a reduction in speed with respect to the sub-part) or to also add processing when the speed is exceeded.

In addition, if the vehicle is caught in traffic while driving, it will inevitably be traveling at a low speed. In this case, the "insufficient speed" is unrelated to the driver, so if the condition that the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front (using information from the ECU 21) is less than a predetermined value is met, the offset amount α of the seat belt vibration can be set to "0" regardless of the vehicle speed.

Summary of the embodiment
The above embodiment discloses at least the following embodiments.

1. The vehicle control device (for example, 1) of the above embodiment includes:
A vehicle control device that controls a vehicle,
An acquisition means for acquiring a target speed and a vehicle speed (S601);
A playback means (FIG. 4) for playing music;
A vibration means (211) for vibrating the seat belt of the driver's seat;
The vehicle has a control means (240) which calculates an offset amount for the tempo of the music being played by the playback means based on the speed difference between the target speed and the vehicle speed acquired by the acquisition means, and controls the vibration means in accordance with the offset amount.

According to this embodiment, the tempo of the music and the timing of the seat belt vibration can be set according to the difference in vehicle speed from the target speed. Therefore, when the driver is going too fast, for example, he or she will only experience the vibration as being unnatural compared to before, and can be gently notified of this fact.

2. In the above embodiment,
The vibration by the vibration means is a repetition of a set of processes, which consists of a predetermined amount of tension on the seat belt by a motor of a retractor for winding and storing the seat belt, and a return process to the original state (211).

According to this embodiment, the motor of the retractor can be effectively used for vibration.

3. In the above embodiment,
The control means
An offset amount according to the speed difference is determined (S603 to S605).
The binary tempo data representing the rhythm of the music being reproduced by the reproduction means is shifted according to the offset amount (S608).
The shifted tempo data is supplied as a drive signal to the drive means (454).

In this embodiment, a drive signal for the drive means can be generated by a simple process of bit shifting the tempo data representing the rhythm of the music being played.

4. In the above embodiment,
The control means
a buffer memory (451) for expanding sampling data of music being reproduced by the reproduction means;
A filtering means (452) for filtering the sampling data expanded in the buffer memory using a preset low-pass filter;
A comparison means (452, 202) for comparing the sampling data filtered by the filtering means with a preset threshold value,
The binary data obtained by the comparison in the comparing means is used as the tempo data.

In this embodiment, as long as the music being played can be expanded as sampling data, vibrations can be generated at a tempo that matches the music, regardless of its type.

5. In the above embodiment,
The tempo data is stored in a predetermined storage medium as a file of binary rhythm data created in advance, independent of the music being played back by the playback means (711 to 713).
The vibration control means utilizes the rhythm data in the rhythm file corresponding to the music being reproduced by the reproduction means as the tempo data.

In this embodiment, highly accurate tempo data for the music being played can be used, so that the driver can be provided with vibrations that are sufficiently synchronized with the music and are comfortable to the driver while driving at the target speed.

6. In the above embodiment,
The control means
If the vehicle speed is the target speed, the offset amount is determined to be zero (S604).
If the vehicle speed is lower than the target speed, a value for delaying the output timing of the tempo data is determined as the offset amount (S603).
If the vehicle speed exceeds the target speed, a value for advancing the output timing of the tempo data is determined as the offset amount (S605).

According to this embodiment, the driver can be informed of the driving status at the target speed, insufficient speed, and excessive speed.

7. In the above embodiment,
The control means
The greater the absolute value of the speed difference between the target speed and the vehicle speed, the greater the absolute value of the offset amount is made.

According to this embodiment, the degree of speeding can be communicated to the driver.

8. According to the above embodiment,
The vehicle further includes a detection means for detecting a distance to a vehicle ahead, (21)
The control means
When the distance detected by the detection means is equal to or smaller than a preset threshold value, the offset amount is determined to be zero, regardless of the target speed and the vehicle speed.

According to this embodiment, if the driver is traveling at an insufficient speed due to traffic congestion or other reasons, the insufficient speed is caused by another vehicle, so the driver can be given vibrations that match the rhythm of the music being played.

9. According to the above embodiment, by providing a vehicle with a vehicle control device having the above configuration, the vehicle can achieve any of the above-described effects.

10. According to the above embodiment,
A control method for a vehicle control device that has a vibration means for vibrating a seat belt of a driver's seat and controls a vehicle, comprising:
An acquisition step of acquiring a target speed and a vehicle speed;
a playback step of playing music;
The method further comprises a control step of determining an offset amount for the tempo of the music being played in the playing step based on the speed difference between the target speed and the vehicle speed obtained in the obtaining step, and controlling the vibration means in accordance with the offset amount.

According to this embodiment, the tempo of the music and the timing of the seat belt vibration can be set according to the difference in vehicle speed from the target speed. Therefore, when the driver is going too fast, for example, he or she will only experience the vibration as being unnatural compared to before, and can be gently notified of this fact.

11. According to the above embodiment,
A program read and executed by a processor in a vehicle control device that has a vibration means for vibrating a seat belt of a driver's seat and controls a vehicle,
The processor,
An acquisition step of acquiring a target speed and a vehicle speed;
a playback step of playing music;
An offset amount for the tempo of the music being played in the playing step is calculated based on the speed difference between the target speed and the vehicle speed obtained in the obtaining step, and a control step is executed in which the vibration means is controlled in accordance with the offset amount.

According to this embodiment, by having the program that performs these steps executed by the processor (ECU, etc.) of the vehicle control device, the tempo of the music and the timing of the seat belt vibration can be made to correspond to the speed difference between the vehicle speed and the target speed. Therefore, for example, if the driver is going too fast, he or she will only experience the vibration as being strange compared to before, and can be gently notified of this fact.

Although the embodiment of the invention has been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

V...vehicle, 1...control device, 20 to 27...ECU, 240...seatbelt control unit, 210...retractor, 211 motor

Claims (9)

A vehicle control device that controls a vehicle,
An acquisition means for acquiring a target speed and a vehicle speed;
A playback means for playing music;
A vibration means for vibrating a seat belt of a driver's seat;
A control means for controlling the vibration means ;
having
The control means
determining an offset amount according to a speed difference between the target speed acquired by the acquisition means and the vehicle speed;
Shifting the binary tempo data according to the offset amount;
supplying the shifted tempo data as a drive signal to said vibration means;
The control means
filtering the sampling data of the music being reproduced by the reproduction means using a preset low-pass filter;
The filtered sampled data is compared with a preset threshold value;
A vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the binary data obtained by the comparison is used as the tempo data before the shift . 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the vibration caused by the vibration means is a repetition of a set of processes, which consists of a predetermined amount of tension on the seat belt and a return process to the original state, caused by a motor of a retractor for winding and storing the seat belt. the tempo data is stored in a predetermined storage medium independent of the music being reproduced by the reproduction means;
2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control means uses the tempo data corresponding to the music being reproduced by the reproduction means. The control means
When the vehicle speed is the target speed, the offset amount is determined to be zero;
When the vehicle speed is lower than the target speed, the offset amount is determined so as to delay an output timing of the binary value of the tempo data;
4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, when the vehicle speed exceeds the target speed, the offset amount is determined so as to advance the output timing of the binary value of the tempo data. The control means
The vehicle control device according to claim 4 , wherein the absolute value of the offset amount is increased as the absolute value of a speed difference between the target speed and the vehicle speed increases. The vehicle further includes a detection means for detecting a distance to a vehicle ahead,
The control means
6. The vehicle control device according to claim 4 , wherein the offset amount is determined to be zero when the distance detected by the detection means is equal to or less than a preset vehicle distance threshold and the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a preset low speed threshold . A vehicle comprising the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . A control method for a vehicle control device that has a vibration means for vibrating a seat belt of a driver's seat and controls a vehicle, comprising:
An acquisition step of acquiring a target speed and a vehicle speed;
a playback step of playing music;
and a control step of controlling the vibration means ,
In the control step,
determining an offset amount according to a speed difference between the target speed and the vehicle speed obtained in the obtaining step;
Shifting the binary tempo data according to the offset amount;
supplying the shifted tempo data as a drive signal to said vibration means;
In the control step,
filtering the sampling data of the music being played in the playing step using a preset low-pass filter;
The filtered sampled data is compared with a preset threshold value;
A control method for a vehicle control device, comprising the steps of: determining , as the tempo data before the shift, the binary data obtained by the comparison ; A program read and executed by a processor in a vehicle control device that has a vibration means for vibrating a seat belt of a driver's seat and controls a vehicle,
The processor,
An acquisition step of acquiring a target speed and a vehicle speed;
a playback step of playing music;
a control step of controlling the vibration means ,
In the control step,
determining an offset amount according to a speed difference between the target speed and the vehicle speed obtained in the obtaining step;
Shifting the binary tempo data according to the offset amount;
supplying the shifted tempo data as a drive signal to said vibration means;
In the control step,
filtering the sampling data of the music being played in the playing step using a preset low-pass filter;
The filtered sampled data is compared with a preset threshold value;
A program for converting the binary data obtained by the comparison into the tempo data before the shift .

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