Vehicle operation device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle operation device for safely starting operation of the vehicle by informing a driver of information on deviation between an operation state of an operation unit when an operation mode is switched from a drive operation mode to a game operation mode and a current operation state of the operation unit.SOLUTION: A vehicle operation device 1 includes a first acquisition unit 12, a second acquisition unit 13, a control unit 14, and a notification unit 15. The first acquisition unit acquires an operation state of an operation unit 40 in either of a drive operation mode for acquiring operation of the operation unit 40 as drive operation or a game operation mode for acquiring operation of the operation unit 40 as game operation of a content. The second acquisition unit acquires the operation state of the operation unit 40 when the operation mode is switched from the drive operation mode to the game operation mode. The control unit performs control related to switching of the operation mode. The notification unit notifies a driver of information related to deviation of the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 12 and the second acquisition unit 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an operating device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, vehicles equipped with a steer-by-wire system that controls the steering angle of tires using an electrical signal without mechanically connecting the steering wheel and tires have become widespread. As vehicles equipped with the above-mentioned functions become more widespread, technology has been proposed that allows users to enjoy content such as games by operating an operating unit such as a steering wheel inside the vehicle.

[0003] For example, one such technology disclosed is one that provides the driver with content such as games within the vehicle cabin by switching between a game operation mode that enables content operation and a driving operation mode that enables driving of the vehicle by operating an operating unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-153738 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the technology described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, when the operation mode is switched to the play mode and a steering operation is performed, the steering angle is not controlled based on the steering operation, so a discrepancy may occur between the current tire steering angle and the current steering operation state. However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, when the operation mode is switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode and driving of the vehicle is started, the driver is not notified of the occurrence of the deviation described above, so that, for example, the vehicle may travel in a direction unintended by the driver, making it impossible to start driving safely.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle operating device that, when switching the operation mode from a play operation mode to a driving operation mode, allows the driver of the vehicle to start driving the vehicle safely by notifying the driver of the vehicle of information regarding the deviation between the operation state of the operating unit when the operation mode is switched from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode and the current operation state of the operating unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Form 1: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a vehicle operation device including: a first acquisition unit that acquires an operation state of an operation unit of a vehicle in a driving operation mode in which operation of the operation unit of the vehicle is acquired as a driving operation; a second acquisition unit that acquires the operation state of the operation unit in a play operation mode in which operation of the operation unit of the vehicle is acquired as a play operation of content; a control unit that performs control related to switching of the operation mode; and an alarm unit that, when the operation mode is switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode, notifies a driver of the vehicle of information regarding a deviation between the operation state of the operation unit acquired by the second acquisition unit and the operation state of the operation unit acquired by the first acquisition unit.

[0008] Form 4: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a vehicle operation device comprising one or more processors and one or more memories communicatively connected to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to acquire an operation state of the operation unit in a driving operation mode in which operation of the operation unit of the vehicle is acquired as a driving operation, and to acquire the operation state of the operation unit in a play operation mode in which operation of the operation unit of the vehicle is acquired as a play operation of content, and when the operation mode is switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode, to notify a driver of the vehicle of information regarding a deviation between the operation state of the operation unit acquired in the play operation mode and the operation state of the operation unit acquired in the driving operation mode. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, when the operation mode is switched from a play operation mode to a driving operation mode, the driver of the vehicle is notified of information regarding the deviation between the operation state of the operation unit when the operation mode was switched from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode and the current operation state of the operation unit, thereby enabling the driver of the vehicle to start driving the vehicle safely. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle operating device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a processor of the vehicle operating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating examples of displays on a vehicle operating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of processing of the vehicle operating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of processing of the vehicle operating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] <Embodiment> A vehicle operating device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

[0012] <Configuration of vehicle operation device 1> As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle operation device 1 according to this embodiment includes a processor 10, a memory 20, a display device 30, and an operation unit .

[0013] In this embodiment, the processor 10 detects, for example, the operation state of the operation unit 40. The processor 10 transmits the detected operation state of the operation unit 40 to the content control device 100 or the vehicle control device 200. The operation unit 40 includes at least a steering wheel, a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, and a shift lever. The configuration of the processor 10 will be described later.

[0014] The content control device 100 executes a program for content such as a game. The content control device 100 executes a program based on the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the processor 10 . The content control device 100 executes a program such as a racing game based on the operation state of the steering wheel, brake pedal, etc. received from the processor 10. In this embodiment, when starting a content program, the content control device 100 transmits to the processor 10 information indicating that the content program is to be started. In this embodiment, when the content program is to be ended, the content control device 100 transmits information to the processor 10 to the effect that the content program is to be ended.

[0015] The vehicle control device 200 performs driving control of the vehicle based on the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the processor 10. The vehicle control device 200 performs vehicle driving control based on the operation state of the steering wheel, the brake pedal, and the like received from the processor 10, for example.

[0016] The memory 20 includes a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), neither of which are shown. The memory 20 stores, for example, a control program and various data received from the processor 10.

[0017] The display device 30 is, for example, a display panel such as a liquid crystal display, and displays the information received from the processor 10.

[0018] <Processor 10 Configuration> As shown in FIG. 2, the processor 10 includes an operation detection unit 11, a first acquisition unit 12, a second acquisition unit 13, a control unit 14, and a notification unit 15. Each component of the processor 10 and the memory 20 transmit and receive various types of information via a bus line BL.

[0019] The operation detection unit 11 detects the operation state of an operation unit 40 of the vehicle. The operation detection unit 11 detects the current operation state of the operation unit 40 based on, for example, the output of a sensor disposed in the operation unit 40 . The operation detection unit 11 detects the rotational steering angle of the steering wheel based on, for example, a sensor output of a steering angle sensor provided on the steering wheel of the vehicle. The operation detection unit 11 detects the operation position of a pedal based on the sensor output of a position sensor disposed on, for example, an accelerator pedal or a brake pedal. The operation detection unit 11 detects the operation position of the shift lever based on the output of a switch disposed on the shift lever, for example. The operation detection unit 11 transmits the detected operation state of the operation unit 40 to a first acquisition unit 12 and a second acquisition unit 13, which will be described later, via the bus line BL.

[0020] The first acquisition unit 12 acquires the operation state of the operation unit 40 in a driving operation mode in which the operation of the operation unit 40 of the vehicle is acquired as a driving operation. In this embodiment, for example, when the first acquisition unit 12 receives information from the control unit 14 described later to switch the operation mode from a play operation mode to a driving operation mode, the first acquisition unit 12 acquires the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the operation detection unit 11 as a driving operation. The first acquisition unit 12 transmits the acquired operation state of the operation unit 40 to the vehicle control device 200. The first acquisition unit 12 transmits the acquired operation state of the operation unit 40 to the control unit 14 and the notification unit 15, which will be described later, via the bus line BL. In this embodiment, the first acquisition unit 12 stops acquiring the operation state of the operation unit 40, for example, when it receives information from the control unit 14 described later to switch the operation mode from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode. In this embodiment, for example, when the first acquisition unit 12 receives information from the control unit 14 described later to switch the operation mode from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode, the first acquisition unit 12 continuously transmits the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired immediately before stopping acquisition of the operation state of the operation unit 40 to the control unit 14 and the alarm unit 15 described later.

[0021] The second acquisition unit 13 acquires the operation state of the operation unit 40 in a game operation mode in which the operation of the operation unit 40 of the vehicle is acquired as a game operation for the content. When the second acquisition unit 13 receives information from the control unit 14 described later to switch the operation mode from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode, it acquires the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the operation detection unit 11 as a play operation. The second acquisition unit 13 transmits the acquired operation state of the operation unit 40 to the content control device 100. The second acquisition unit 13 transmits the acquired operation state of the operation unit 40 to the control unit 14 and the notification unit 15, which will be described later, via the bus line BL. The second acquisition unit 13 stops acquiring the operation state of the operation unit 40 when it receives information from the control unit 14 described later to the effect that the operation mode is to be switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode.

[0022] The control unit 14 controls the entire vehicle operation device 1 in accordance with a control program stored in the memory 20 . In this embodiment, the control unit 14 determines, for example, whether or not the vehicle is not moving. The control unit 14 determines whether the vehicle is not moving based on, for example, the vehicle speed pulse. In this embodiment, the control unit 14 performs control related to switching of operation modes. The control unit 14 transmits information relating to the current switching of the operation mode to the first acquisition unit 12 and the second acquisition unit 13. For example, when the control unit 14 receives information from the content control device 100 indicating that execution of a content program is to begin and determines that the vehicle is not in a traveling state, the control unit 14 transmits information to the first acquisition unit 12, the second acquisition unit 13 and the content control device 100 indicating that the operation mode is to be switched from a driving operation mode to a play operation mode.

[0023] When the control unit 14 controls the operation mode to be switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode, it performs control to switch the operation mode from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode when it confirms that there is no discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 12. In this embodiment, when the control unit 14 confirms that there is no discrepancy between the operation state received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 12, it transmits information to the first acquisition unit 12 and the second acquisition unit 13 to switch the operation mode from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode.

[0024] When the operation mode is switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode, the notification unit 15 notifies the driver of the vehicle of information regarding the deviation between the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 12. In this embodiment, for example, when the notification unit 15 receives information from the content control device 100 indicating that a content program is to be terminated, the notification unit 15 visualizes information regarding the discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the first acquisition unit 12, and displays it on the display device 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the notification unit 15, for example, causes the display device 30 to display an animation showing the deviation between the steering wheel rotation angle received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the steering wheel rotation angle received from the first acquisition unit 12. The notification unit 15 causes the display device 30 to display instruction information such as "Please turn the steering wheel to the right so that the pictures of the front tires overlap.", for example. If there is a discrepancy between the shift lever operation state received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the shift lever operation state received from the first acquisition unit 12, the notification unit 15 causes the display device 30 to display instruction information such as "Please shift the shift lever to P range." When the notification unit 15 confirms that there is no discrepancy between the operation state received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the first acquisition unit 12, it causes a check mark or the like as shown in Figure 3 to be displayed on the display device 30.

[0025] <Processing of Vehicle Operation Device 1> The process of the vehicle operation device 1 when switching the operation mode will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG.

[0026] <Process for switching from driving operation mode to play operation mode> The process of the vehicle operation device 1 when switching the operation mode from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode will be described with reference to FIG.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 14 determines whether or not information to the effect that a content program is to be started has been received from the content control device 100 (step S110). When the control unit 14 determines that information to the effect that a content program is to be started has not been received from the content control device 100 ("NO" in step S110), it ends the process. When the control unit 14 determines that information to the effect that a content program is to be started has been received from the content control device 100 ("YES" in step S110), it shifts the process to step S120.

[0028] The control unit 14 determines whether the vehicle is not moving (step S120). When the control unit 14 determines that the vehicle is not in a non-traveling state ("NO" in step S120), the control unit 14 ends the process. When the control unit 14 determines that the vehicle is not in a traveling state ("YES" in step S120), it transmits information to the first acquisition unit 12, the second acquisition unit 13 and the content control device 100 to switch the operation mode from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode (step S130), and terminates the processing.

[0029] <Process for switching from play operation mode to driving operation mode> The process of the vehicle operation device 1 when switching the operation mode from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode will be described with reference to FIG.

[0030] The control unit 14 determines whether or not information to the effect that the content program is to be ended has been received from the content control device 100 (step S210). When the control unit 14 determines that it has not received information from the content control device 100 to the effect that the content program is to be ended ("NO" in step S210), the control unit 14 returns the process and transitions to a standby state. When the notification unit 15 determines that it has received information from the content control device 100 to end the content program ("YES" in step S210), it causes the display device 30 to display information regarding the discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the first acquisition unit 12 (step S220).

[0031] The control unit 14 determines whether or not there is a discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the first acquisition unit 12 (step S230). If the control unit 14 determines that there is a discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the first acquisition unit 12 ("NO" in step S230), the control unit 14 returns the processing and transitions to a standby state. If the control unit 14 determines that there is no discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the first acquisition unit 12 ("YES" in step S230), it transmits information to the first acquisition unit 12 to switch the operation mode from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode (step S240) and terminates the processing.

[0032] <Actions and Effects> As described above, the vehicle operation device 1 of this embodiment is configured to include a first acquisition unit 12 that acquires the operation state of the operation unit 40 in a driving operation mode in which the operation of the vehicle's operation unit 40 is acquired as a driving operation, a second acquisition unit 13 that acquires the operation state of the operation unit 40 in a play operation mode in which the operation of the vehicle's operation unit 40 is acquired as a play operation of the content, a control unit 14 that performs control regarding switching of the operation mode, and a notification unit 15 that notifies the driver of the vehicle of information regarding the deviation between the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit acquired by the first acquisition unit 12 when the operation mode is switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode. When the operation mode is switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode, the notification unit 15 notifies the driver of the vehicle of information regarding the deviation between the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 received from the first acquisition unit 12. In other words, when the operation mode is switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode, the notification unit 15 causes the display device 30 to display information regarding the deviation between the operation state of the operation unit 40 when the operation mode was switched from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode and the current operation state of the operation unit 40. This allows the driver to recognize the discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 when the operation mode is switched from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode and the current operation state of the operation unit 40. The notification unit 15 causes the display device 30 to display an operation instruction for eliminating the discrepancy between the operation state acquired by the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 12. In other words, the notification unit 15 visualizes the deviation between the operation state of the operation unit 40 when the operation mode is switched from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode and the current operation state of the operation unit 40, and displays it on the display device 30. This allows the driver to easily eliminate the discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 when the operation mode is switched from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode and the current operation state of the operation unit 40.

[0033] The operating unit 40 includes at least a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a shift lever. In other words, the vehicle operation device 1 detects the operation states of the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, and the shift lever so that the driver can start driving safely. The vehicle operation device 1 visualizes and displays on the display device 30 the difference between the operation state when the operation mode is switched from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode and the current operation state. This allows the driver to easily eliminate the discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 when the operation mode is switched from the driving operation mode to the play operation mode and the current operation state of the operation unit 40, thereby enabling the driver to start driving safely.

[0034] When the control unit 14 confirms that there is no discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 12, it performs control to switch the operation mode from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode. This allows the driver to start driving the vehicle safely.

[0035] <Variation 1> The control unit 14 of the vehicle operation device 1 according to the present embodiment described above may confirm that there is no discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the second acquisition unit 13 and the operation state of the operation unit 40 acquired by the first acquisition unit 12, and may further switch the operation mode from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode when the safety of the surroundings of the vehicle is confirmed based on images captured around the vehicle and outputs of various sensors, etc. This allows the driver to start driving the vehicle safely.

[0036] The processing of the control unit 14 and the notification unit 15 described above can be recorded on a recording medium readable by a computer system, and the program recorded on this recording medium can be read into memory and executed, thereby realizing the vehicle operating device 1 of the present invention. The computer system referred to here includes the OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

[0037] If the above computer system utilizes a WWW (World Wide Web) system, it is also understood to include the homepage providing environment (or display environment). The above program may be transmitted from a computer system in which the program is stored in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium, or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. A transmission medium for transmitting a program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.

[0038] The above program may be for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions. The above program may be a so-called separate file (separate program) that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0039] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1; Vehicle operation device 10;Processor 11: Operation detection section 12; First acquisition section 13;Second acquisition section 14; Control section 15; Information Department 20;Memory 30;Display device 40;Operation section 100 Content control device 200: Vehicle control device

Claims

1. A first acquisition unit that acquires an operation state of an operation unit of a vehicle in a driving operation mode in which an operation of the operation unit is acquired as a driving operation; a second acquisition unit that acquires an operation state of the operation unit in a play operation mode in which an operation of the operation unit of the vehicle is acquired as a play operation of the content; A control unit that controls switching of operation modes; a notification unit that notifies a driver of the vehicle of information regarding a deviation between the operation state of the operation unit acquired by the second acquisition unit and the operation state of the operation unit acquired by the first acquisition unit when the operation mode is switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode; A vehicle operation device comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle operating device according to claim 1, wherein the operating portion includes at least a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a shift lever.

3. The vehicle operation device according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit performs control to switch the operation mode from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode when it confirms that there is no discrepancy between the operation state of the operation unit acquired by the second acquisition unit and the operation state of the operation unit acquired by the first acquisition unit.

4. one or more processors; and one or more memories communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; The one or more processors: In a driving operation mode in which an operation of an operating unit of a vehicle is acquired as a driving operation, an operation state of the operating unit is acquired, In a game operation mode in which an operation of the operation unit of the vehicle is acquired as a game operation of the content, the operation state of the operation unit is acquired; A vehicle operation device characterized in that it is configured to include, when an operation mode is switched from the play operation mode to the driving operation mode, notifying a driver of the vehicle of information regarding a deviation between the operation state of the operation unit obtained in the play operation mode and the operation state of the operation unit obtained in the driving operation mode.

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