Driving simulator

Abstract

To reduce the incidence of VR sickness during simulated driving in VR space, and support objective and quantitative evaluation of driving ability of a subject.SOLUTION: A driving simulator 1 includes a steering wheel 2, an accelerator pedal 3, a brake pedal 4, an HMD 5, and a control apparatus 6. The control apparatus 6 includes: a VR space control unit which controls VR space in a virtual traffic environment on a straight road, and outputs a video of the virtual traffic environment on the HMD 5; an operation vehicle control unit which calculates the motion of an operation vehicle which is operated in simulation by a driver D, based on input values of the steering wheel 2, the accelerator pedal 3, and the brake pedal 4, and simulates the motion in the virtual traffic environment; a pedestrian control unit which controls, when the speed of the operation vehicle falls within a predetermined range, a pedestrian to appear in front of or on the side of the operation vehicle and cross in front of the vehicle; a driving action measurement unit which measures measurement items related to driving action of the driver D; and an evaluation item calculation unit which calculates evaluation items related to driving ability of the driver D based on the measurement items.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving simulator that assists in the evaluation of driving ability. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, as the number of elderly drivers has increased year by year, the problem of traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers has become apparent, and there has been an active movement to encourage elderly people who are unable to drive safely to surrender their licenses. However, whether or not someone can drive safely varies from person to person, and it is not appropriate to judge based on age alone. Furthermore, when supporting people with higher brain dysfunction to resume driving, it is necessary to determine whether or not they are able to resume driving, but appropriate evaluation is not currently possible. Given these circumstances, there is a need for a system that can objectively and quantitatively evaluate whether elderly people and people with higher brain dysfunction can drive safely.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a driving ability evaluation system that outputs an image of a virtual driving environment on a stationary display and outputs evaluation information related to the evaluation of higher brain functions based on the subject's virtual driving in the virtual driving environment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-172560 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when using a stationary display, it is not possible to reproduce the images reflected in the rearview mirror or side mirror, or the motion parallax of the blind spot of the A-pillar, etc. Furthermore, even if stationary displays are placed on the left and right in addition to the front, it is not possible to present images that match the subject's physical movements when they turn their head left, right, or backward.

[0006] In order to present more detailed images, it is desirable to use a head-mounted display (hereinafter referred to as "HMD") instead of a stationary display to provide a virtual traffic environment in a virtual reality (hereinafter referred to as "VR") space. However, HMDs have the problem of easily inducing VR sickness.

[0007] The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a driving simulator that can reduce the occurrence of VR sickness even during simulated driving in a VR space and can support objective and quantitative evaluation of the subject's driving ability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a driving simulator comprising a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a head-mounted display, and a control device, wherein the control device comprises a VR space control unit that controls a virtual reality space of a virtual traffic environment of a straight road and outputs an image of the virtual traffic environment to the head-mounted display; a driving vehicle control unit that calculates the behavior of a vehicle driven by a driver in a simulated manner based on input values ​​of the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal, and simulates the behavior of the vehicle in the virtual traffic environment; a pedestrian control unit that makes a pedestrian appear on either the left or right in front of the driving vehicle when the speed of the driving vehicle falls within a predetermined range, and causes the pedestrian to cross in front of the driving vehicle; a driving behavior measurement unit that measures measurement items related to the driving behavior of the driver from when the driver starts driving the driving vehicle until the pedestrian finishes crossing or the driving vehicle collides with the pedestrian; and an evaluation item calculation unit that calculates evaluation items related to the driver's driving ability based on the measurement items. According to the present invention, since the driving vehicle does not need to make sharp turns, the occurrence of VR sickness can be reduced and evaluation items that enable objective and quantitative evaluation of the driver's driving ability can be calculated.

[0009] The present invention may further include a grid control unit that controls the display of a grid for preventing VR sickness, and the grid control unit may be configured to visibly display the grid for preventing VR sickness in an area far from the driven vehicle when an input value of the steering, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal satisfies a predetermined condition. This makes it possible to reduce the occurrence of VR sickness caused by sudden steering, sudden acceleration, or sudden braking of the driven vehicle.

[0010] Furthermore, the driving behavior measurement unit of the present invention may measure the pedestrian appearance time and the accelerator pedal input value or the brake pedal input value at each time, and the evaluation item calculation unit may calculate a perceptual response time, which is the time from the pedestrian appearance time to the time when the accelerator pedal input value becomes 0, or a braking response time, which is the time from the pedestrian appearance time to the time when the brake pedal input value first becomes positive. Perceptual response time and braking response time are useful evaluation items directly related to the occurrence of accidents involving elderly people. Furthermore, the time obtained by subtracting the perceptual response time from the braking response time is the time required to change pedal pressure from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal. By evaluating the proportion of the time required for the change of pedal pressure in the braking response time, it is possible to evaluate whether a delay in braking is due to a delay in perception or a delay in foot movement for the change of pedal pressure.

[0011] The driving behavior measurement unit of the present invention may measure the pedestrian appearance time and the position of the driver's head at each time or the pressure with which the driver's head presses the headrest, and the evaluation item calculation unit may calculate, based on the pedestrian appearance time and the position of the driver's head at each time, the maximum movement distance of the driver's head position within a predetermined time from the pedestrian appearance time or the maximum pressure with which the driver's head presses the headrest within a predetermined time from the pedestrian appearance time as the amount of leaning back. The amount of leaning back that occurs during sudden braking manifests a bracing (posture) reaction that involves stiffening of the driver's upper body and upper limbs, and is useful as an evaluation index for driver aging.

[0012] In addition, the driving behavior measurement unit of the present invention may measure the time when a pedestrian appears and the position of the driver's head at each time, and the evaluation item calculation unit may calculate the cumulative value of the distance the driver's head has moved within a predetermined time from the time when the pedestrian appeared as the cumulative head position movement amount during sudden braking. The cumulative head position movement amount during sudden braking can evaluate the ability to stabilize the upper body when suddenly changing pedals. For example, since hemiplegic patients and elderly people have difficulty stabilizing their upper body when moving their lower limbs, evaluation using the cumulative head position movement amount during sudden braking is effective.

[0013] The driving behavior measurement unit of the present invention may measure the pedestrian appearance time, the vehicle speed at each time, and the accelerator pedal input value, and the evaluation item calculation unit may calculate the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount during driving as the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount during driving, which is the cumulative value of the accelerator pedal operation amount from the time when the vehicle speed exceeded a predetermined value to the pedestrian appearance time. The cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount during driving can be used to evaluate adaptive ability that has declined with age and the likelihood of an elderly driver having an accident.

[0014] The driving behavior measurement unit of the present invention may measure a pedestrian appearance time and a speed of the driven vehicle at each time, and the evaluation item calculation unit may calculate, as the required effective vehicle control time, the time from the pedestrian appearance time until the speed of the driven vehicle falls below a predetermined value. The required effective vehicle control time is related to multiple parameters, such as the time required from the appearance of a pedestrian, which is a risk factor, until the pedestrian is perceived, the speed at which the accelerator pedal is switched to the brake pedal, and the speed at which the brake pedal depression amount increases, and can evaluate multiple factors that lead to the occurrence of an accident.

[0015] Furthermore, the driving behavior measurement unit in the present invention may measure the steering input value at the time a pedestrian appears and at each time, and the evaluation item calculation unit may count the number of times the direction of the steering input is reversed within a predetermined time from the time the pedestrian appears, and calculate this as the number of steering shudders during sudden braking. Small steering shudders during sudden braking, like leaning back, are thought to occur due to the manifestation of the bracing response that occurs with age, and are therefore useful as an evaluation index for driver aging.

[0016] In addition, the driving behavior measurement unit in the present invention may measure the speed of the driven vehicle at the time of collision between the pedestrian and the driven vehicle, and the evaluation item calculation unit may calculate the speed of the driven vehicle at the time of collision between the pedestrian and the driven vehicle as the vehicle speed at collision. If the vehicle speed at collision is high, it is considered that there is a high possibility of a serious accident occurring, so the vehicle speed at collision is useful as an index for determining the driving ability of an elderly driver and whether or not they should continue driving.

[0017] Furthermore, the driving behavior measurement unit in the present invention may measure pedestrian appearance conditions and whether or not a collision occurs between the pedestrian and the driven vehicle, and the evaluation item calculation unit may calculate the ratio of the number of trials in which a collision occurred between the pedestrian and the driven vehicle to the total number of trials as an accident rate, and calculate an average accident rate for each transition pattern of the pedestrian appearance conditions in the trial in which an accident occurred and the trial immediately prior to that. By analyzing the accident rate with a focus on the transition of the pedestrian appearance conditions in the trial in which an accident occurred and the trial immediately prior to that, it is possible to evaluate the likelihood of an accident occurring in each transition pattern.

[0018] Furthermore, the driving behavior measurement unit in the present invention may measure the accelerator pedal input value at the pedestrian appearance time and each time, and the evaluation item calculation unit may identify, based on the accelerator pedal input value at the pedestrian appearance time and each time, a trial in which the accelerator pedal input value becomes 0 after the pedestrian appears and then again becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value, as a trial in which pedal misapplication occurred. Pedal misapplication can easily lead to accidents, and is therefore useful as an evaluation item that is directly related to the occurrence of accidents.

[0019] The driving behavior measurement unit of the present invention may measure gaze vectors of both eyes of the driver, and the evaluation item calculation unit may output a change in the gaze vector over time as the evaluation item related to the gaze movement of the driver. The evaluation item related to the gaze movement is useful for evaluating the driver's adaptability and likelihood of causing an accident. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] The present invention makes it possible to provide a driving simulator that can reduce the occurrence of VR sickness even in simulated driving in a VR space and can support objective and quantitative evaluation of the subject's driving ability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] Overview of the driving simulator [Figure 2] Block diagram showing the configuration of the control device [Figure 3] An example of a virtual traffic environment [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of a virtual traffic environment screen. [Figure 5] Diagram explaining the evaluation items of eye movement [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changes in each relative angle over time. [Figure 7] Figure showing the accident rate calculation results [Figure 8] Figure showing the calculation results of perceptual response time [Figure 9]Figure showing the calculation results of braking response time [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows the calculation results of the effective vehicle control time required [Figure 11] A diagram showing the calculation results of the amount of deflection [Figure 12] FIG. 10 shows the calculation results of the cumulative head position movement amount during sudden braking [Figure 13] Diagram showing changes in steering pedal operation over time [Figure 14] Figure showing the calculation results of the number of steering vibrations during sudden braking [Figure 15] Figure showing the calculation results of vehicle speed at the time of collision [Figure 16] Figure 10 shows the calculation results of the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving [Figure 17] A diagram showing the calculation results for the time it takes to switch from the accelerator to the brake [Figure 18] A diagram showing an example of evaluation items related to young people's eye movements [Figure 19] A diagram showing an example of the analysis results for evaluation items related to eye movement [Figure 20] A diagram showing an example of the analysis results of the relationship between evaluation items related to eye movements and accident rates DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The driving simulator in the embodiment of the present invention is not intended to train driving skills or assist in learning traffic laws, but rather to assist in the evaluation of driving ability. In particular, the driving simulator in the embodiment of the present invention assists in objective and quantitative evaluation of whether elderly people, people with higher brain dysfunction, etc. can drive safely.

[0023] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a driving simulator. As shown in Fig. 1, the driving simulator 1 includes a steering wheel 2, an accelerator pedal 3, a brake pedal 4, a head-mounted display 5, and a control device 6. Hereinafter, the head-mounted display 5 will be abbreviated as HMD5, which stands for Head Mounted Display. The control device 6 is connected to the steering wheel 2, accelerator pedal 3, brake pedal 4, and HMD5 via wires or wirelessly.

[0024] A driver D sits in the driver's seat S, wears an HMD 5 on his head, grips the steering wheel 2 with both hands to operate it, and alternately operates the accelerator pedal 3 and the brake pedal 4 by depressing them with his right foot. As seen from the driver D sitting in the driver's seat S, the accelerator pedal 3 is located on the right side and the brake pedal 4 is located on the left side. In FIG. 1, the accelerator pedal 3 and the brake pedal 4 are overlapping in the depth direction of the page, and only the brake pedal 4 on the near side is shown.

[0025] The HMD 5 includes a display that displays stereoscopic images and headphones that output audio, and provides a virtual reality space to the driver D. Hereinafter, virtual reality will be abbreviated as VR, which is the abbreviation of Virtual Reality. The HMD 5 may also include an infrared receiving device for tracking the head movement of the driver D. In this case, the driving simulator 1 includes an infrared transmitting device 7 that emits infrared rays. The infrared receiving device of the HMD 5 receives the infrared rays emitted by the infrared transmitting device 7 and tracks the head movement of the driver D. The HMD 5 may also include a camera that tracks the line of sight of the driver D. The HMD 5 is, for example, the "Vive (registered trademark) Pro Eye" manufactured by HTC. The "Vive (registered trademark) Pro Eye" has a built-in eye tracking system manufactured by Tobii (registered trademark).

[0026] The control device 6 is, for example, a desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, etc. The control device 6 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as a control unit, a memory as a main storage unit, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory as an auxiliary storage unit, a liquid crystal display as a display unit, a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel as input units, a LAN (Local Area Network) cable and a wireless module as communication units, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, an HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port, etc. as connection units.

[0027] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device. The control device 6 has the configuration shown in Fig. 2 through cooperation between software and hardware resources such as a CPU and memory. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 6 has a VR space control unit 10, a driving vehicle control unit 11, an oncoming vehicle control unit 12, a leading vehicle control unit 13, a pedestrian control unit 14, a following distance warning display control unit 15, a grid control unit 16, a driving behavior measurement unit 17, an evaluation item calculation unit 18, etc.

[0028] The VR space control unit 10 controls the virtual reality (VR) space of the virtual traffic environment and outputs an image of the virtual traffic environment to the HMD 5. The VR space control unit 10 is realized, for example, by the game engine "Unity" developed by Unity Technologies. Unity also has an integrated software development environment, and using Unity makes it easy to create a VR space and apply physical calculations. The driving vehicle control unit 11 to the evaluation item calculation unit 18 described below are realized by a program developed using Unity or the like. The VR space control unit 10 comprehensively controls the VR space of the virtual traffic environment, including objects simulated by the driving vehicle control unit 11 to the grid control unit 16.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual traffic environment. The virtual traffic environment 20 shown in FIG. 3 simulates a straight road with one lane in each direction. The width of the entire road, including the sidewalk, is 11.3 m, and roadside trees are located at 12.5 m intervals. The width of each driving lane is 4.0 m, and the width of each sidewalk is 1.65 m. The VR space control unit 10 outputs an image of the virtual traffic environment 20 as seen by the driver D sitting in the driver's seat S to the HMD 5.

[0030] The reason why the virtual traffic environment 20 is a straight road is to reduce VR sickness experienced by the driver D. The three main causes of VR sickness in a VR space that simulates vehicle driving are abrupt steering operation of the steering wheel 2, sudden acceleration of the vehicle due to sudden depression of the accelerator pedal 3, and sudden stopping of the vehicle due to sudden depression of the brake pedal 4. If the virtual traffic environment 20 is a straight road, the driver D does not need to perform abrupt steering operation of the steering wheel 2, i.e., does not need to make abrupt turns in the vehicle, thereby reducing the occurrence of VR sickness. Furthermore, as will be described later, even if the virtual traffic environment 20 is a straight road, it is possible to calculate evaluation items that enable an objective and quantitative evaluation of the driving ability of the driver D.

[0031] The driving vehicle control unit 11 calculates the operating parameters of a vehicle simulated to be driven by a driver D based on input values ​​of the steering wheel 2, accelerator pedal 3, and brake pedal 4, and simulates the vehicle in a virtual traffic environment 20. The operating parameters include driving force, braking force, and steering angle. For example, the driving vehicle control unit 11 applies driving force and braking force to the two front wheels of the driving vehicle, and allows the two rear wheels to rotate freely. The driving vehicle control unit 11 calculates the driving force based on the input value of the accelerator pedal 3, and calculates the braking force based on the input value of the brake pedal 4. The driving vehicle control unit 11 also calculates the steering angle based on the input value of the steering wheel 2, and controls the traveling direction of the driving vehicle.

[0032] The oncoming vehicle control unit 12 controls the operation of an oncoming vehicle traveling in the opposite lane to the lane in which the vehicle driven by the driver D is traveling. The oncoming vehicle control unit 12 causes the oncoming vehicle to travel at, for example, 60 km / h.

[0033] The preceding vehicle control unit 13 controls the operation of the preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle driven by the driver D. The preceding vehicle serves to divert the driver D's attention from pedestrians while driving and to contribute to the driver D's ability to maintain a safe distance between vehicles, i.e., multitasking. The preceding vehicle control unit 13 causes the preceding vehicle to repeatedly accelerate and decelerate, for example, at 60 km / h for three seconds, at 70 km / h for four seconds, and at 55 km / h for five seconds. Furthermore, the preceding vehicle control unit 13 turns on the brake lights of the preceding vehicle when the speed of the preceding vehicle calculated every 10 frames falls below the speed of the driven vehicle calculated immediately before.

[0034] The pedestrian control unit 14 controls the behavior of pedestrians who appear in front of the vehicle being driven by the driver D. The driving simulator 1 measures the driving behavior of the driver D when it is necessary for the driver D to suddenly brake the vehicle, and provides information that enables an objective and quantitative evaluation of whether the driver D can drive safely. Therefore, the driving simulator 1 uses a scenario in which a pedestrian suddenly appears from a roadside tree at an arbitrary distance while the vehicle is traveling at about 60 km / h as a scenario requiring sudden braking. Note that sudden braking can cause VR sickness, but the driving simulator 1 can reduce the occurrence of VR sickness using the grid control unit 16, which will be described later.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a virtual traffic environment. FIG. 4(a) shows a block 30, the smallest unit of a road on which a driven vehicle travels. The block 30 is a 50-meter-long, 8-meter-wide, straight road with one lane in each direction and roadside trees lined on both sides of the road at 12.5-meter intervals. When the virtual traffic environment 20 is launched, the VR space control unit 10 places blocks 30 0 m, 50 m, 100 m, and 150 m ahead of the vehicle driven by driver D, as well as 50 m and 100 m ahead of the vehicle. After launching the virtual traffic environment 20, the VR space control unit 10 adds a block 30 to the front of the driven vehicle every 50 m it travels, and deletes the last block 30. In addition, the oncoming vehicle control unit 12 controls an oncoming vehicle to travel in the oncoming lane on the right side of the driver D at 60 km / h, approaching the driven vehicle. The oncoming vehicle control unit 12 controls, for example, 20 oncoming vehicles to travel in a line with a vehicle-to-vehicle distance of 120 m.

[0036] When the speed of the driven vehicle is within a predetermined range (for example, 57 km or more and 63 km or less) and the inter-vehicle distance between the driving vehicle and the preceding vehicle exceeds a predetermined range (for example, 50 m), the pedestrian control unit 14 makes a pedestrian appear on either the left or right side in front of the driving vehicle (for example, 50 cm behind a roadside tree or an oncoming vehicle) and makes the pedestrian cross in front of the driving vehicle at a predetermined speed (for example, 1 m / s). Note that, as a preliminary step to the pedestrian appearance processing, the pedestrian control unit 14 searches for roadside trees and oncoming vehicles that are a predetermined distance or more ahead of the driving vehicle and are closest to the driving vehicle in each frame.

[0037] The pedestrian control unit 14 makes a pedestrian appear based on predetermined pedestrian appearance conditions. The pedestrian appearance conditions are, for example, conditions related to the pedestrian appearance direction and pedestrian appearance distance. The pedestrian appearance direction is the direction in which the pedestrian appears as seen from the driver D. The pedestrian appearance distance is the distance in the driving lane direction from the front of the driven vehicle to the pedestrian appearance position. For example, the pedestrian control unit 14 makes a pedestrian appear according to six patterns of pedestrian appearance conditions, which are combinations of two patterns for the pedestrian appearance direction (leftward or rightward) and three patterns for the pedestrian appearance distance (30 m, 40 m, or 50 m).

[0038] The following distance warning display control unit 15 controls the display of a message warning the driver to increase the distance between vehicles. When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the driver's vehicle becomes equal to or less than a certain value (for example, 50 m or less), the following distance warning display control unit 15 displays a warning message, such as "Please increase the distance between vehicles," in front of the driver's vehicle. This is to prevent a pedestrian who has started to cross the road from colliding with the preceding vehicle, or a pedestrian who is hidden by the preceding vehicle and becomes difficult to see.

[0039] The grid control unit 16 controls the display of a grid for preventing VR sickness. When the input value of the brake pedal 4 satisfies a predetermined condition, the grid control unit 16 visibly displays the grid for preventing VR sickness only in an area far from the driven vehicle. This reduces the occurrence of VR sickness due to sudden braking. The predetermined condition is, for example, when the normalized input value of the brake pedal 4 is equal to or greater than 0.5. The grid for preventing VR sickness is a lattice formed by the intersection of multiple lines extending horizontally and vertically on the screen of the VR space. Furthermore, when the input value of the accelerator pedal 3 satisfies a predetermined condition, the grid control unit 16 may visibly display the grid for preventing VR sickness only in an area far from the driven vehicle. This reduces the occurrence of VR sickness due to sudden acceleration. Furthermore, when the input value of the steering wheel 2 satisfies a predetermined condition, the grid control unit 16 may visibly display the grid for preventing VR sickness only in an area far from the driven vehicle. This reduces the occurrence of VR sickness due to sudden steering.

[0040] FIG. 4(b) is an example of a startup image 40 of the virtual traffic environment 20. In the startup image 40, the VR sickness prevention grid is not visible (for example, is transparent). FIG. 4(c) is an example of a sudden braking image 50 of the virtual traffic environment 20. In the sudden braking image 50, the VR sickness prevention grid 51 is visible only in the area far from the driven vehicle (= the area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 4(c)). The grid control unit 16 displays the VR sickness prevention grid 51 in the background area (= the sky 1000 m ahead of the driven vehicle in the example of FIG. 4(c)), excluding the road, roadside trees, and green areas on both sides of the road from the entire screen. In the example of FIG. 4(c), the VR sickness prevention grid 51 extends horizontally from the left edge of the screen to the right edge of the screen in the background area.

[0041] Similar to motion sickness, VR sickness is said to occur when there is a discrepancy between the sensations that a person anticipates or remembers and the actual sensations. In the driving simulator 1, the discrepancy between the driver D's predictions and sensations can be reduced by displaying the VR sickness prevention grid 51 in an appropriate location under appropriate circumstances. If the VR sickness prevention grid 51 were to continue to be displayed from startup to the time the simulator is in operation, it would impede the driver D's driving. Therefore, the grid control unit 16 displays the VR sickness prevention grid 51 outside the vehicle only when a sudden start or sudden braking occurs. Furthermore, if the grid were displayed over the entire screen or near the driver's seat, it would give the driver D a feeling of oppression. Therefore, the grid control unit 16 displays the grid 51 only in an area far from the vehicle.

[0042] Within the VR space of the virtual traffic environment 20, driver D experiences a large amount of vection. Vection is the sensation of moving in the opposite direction when a visual motion stimulus that moves a wide area of ​​the visual field is presented, and is also known as visually induced self-motion sensation. In the scenario using the driving simulator 1, sudden acceleration and deceleration during driving in the VR virtual space, especially sudden braking, triggers dizziness and nausea due to a discrepancy between the sense of self-motion caused by vection and the sense of actual body position. However, by displaying a VR sickness prevention grid 51 that moves in synchronization with driver D's position during sudden braking in driver D's field of view, the visual stimulus that serves as a clue to the sense of self-motion shifts from the surrounding scenery to the VR sickness prevention grid 51. This reduces the induced vection, which in turn reduces the discrepancy with the sense of actual body position, thereby reducing the induction of nausea.

[0043] The driving behavior measurement unit 17 measures items related to the driving behavior of the driver D from the start of driving the vehicle until the pedestrian finishes crossing or the vehicle collides with the pedestrian. The sampling rate of the measurement is, for example, 90 Hz.

[0044] The driving behavior measurement unit 17 measures input values ​​of the steering wheel 2, accelerator pedal 3, and brake pedal 4 at each time and stores them in a memory unit. The driving behavior measurement unit 17 also measures the pedestrian appearance condition, the pedestrian appearance time, the crossing end time if the pedestrian has finished crossing, and the collision time if a collision occurs between the pedestrian and the driving vehicle, and stores them in a memory unit. The pedestrian appearance time is the time when the pedestrian appears in the virtual traffic environment 20, i.e., the time when the pedestrian is first displayed in the virtual traffic environment 20.

[0045] The driving behavior measurement unit 17 also measures the positions and speeds of the driven vehicle, preceding vehicle, oncoming vehicle, and pedestrian at each time, as well as the presence or absence of a collision between the pedestrian and the driven vehicle, which are simulated by the driven vehicle control unit 11, oncoming vehicle control unit 12, preceding vehicle control unit 13, and pedestrian control unit 14, and stores these in a memory unit. Furthermore, the driving behavior measurement unit 17 measures the gaze vectors of both eyes of the driver D, the presence or absence of blinking, the eyeball position, the degree to which both eyes are open, and the position and posture of the head, based on the data sensed by the HMD 5, and stores these in a memory unit.

[0046] The evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates evaluation items related to the driving ability of the driver D based on the measurement items measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17. The evaluation items include, for example, accident rate, perceptual response time, braking response time, time required for effective vehicle control, amount of leaning back, cumulative head position movement during sudden braking, cumulative steering amount during sudden braking, number of steering vibrations during sudden braking, vehicle speed at collision, cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while traveling, time required for stabilizing vehicle speed, pedal misapplication, time to switch from accelerator to brake, and eye movement. For each evaluation item, the average value of all drivers D or the average value for each attribute of the driver D (e.g., age, gender, etc.) contributes to the evaluation of the driving ability of each individual driver D. Furthermore, for each evaluation item, driving behaviors that are likely to cause accidents can be evaluated by analyzing the pedestrian appearance conditions and transitions between previous and subsequent trials.

[0047] The accident rate is the ratio of the number of trials in which a collision (=accident) occurred between a pedestrian and the driven vehicle to the total number of trials. The range of one trial is the driving behavior from when the driver D starts driving the driven vehicle until the pedestrian finishes crossing or the driven vehicle collides with the pedestrian. The evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the accident rate based on the presence or absence of a collision between a pedestrian and the driven vehicle measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17. In addition, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the average accident rate for each transition pattern of the pedestrian appearance conditions in the trial in which an accident occurred and the trial immediately before that.

[0048] For example, by analyzing the accident rate by focusing on the transition of pedestrian appearance conditions in the trial in which an accident occurred and the trial immediately before that, it is possible to evaluate the likelihood of an accident occurring in each transition pattern. A transition of pedestrian appearance conditions means, for example, that the pedestrian appearance direction in the trial immediately before the accident shifts to the left and the pedestrian appearance direction in the trial in which the accident occurred shifts to the right, or that the pedestrian appearance distance in the trial immediately before the accident shifts to 30 m and 40 m in the trial in which the accident occurred.

[0049] The perceptual response time is the time required for the driver D to completely release the accelerator pedal 3 after a pedestrian appears while driving. Based on the pedestrian appearance time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17 and the input value of the accelerator pedal 3 at each time, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the perceptual response time as the time from the pedestrian appearance time to the time when the input value of the accelerator pedal 3 becomes 0.

[0050] Because elderly people have a slower reaction time than younger people, the main cause of accidents among elderly people is thought to be increased perceptual response time. Therefore, perceptual response time is a useful evaluation item that is directly related to the occurrence of accidents among elderly people.

[0051] The braking response time is the time it takes for the driver D to first depress the brake pedal 4 after a pedestrian appears while driving. The evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the braking response time as the time from the pedestrian appearance time to the time when the input value of the brake pedal 4 becomes positive for the first time, based on the pedestrian appearance time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17 and the input value of the brake pedal 4 at each time. The time when the input value of the brake pedal 4 becomes positive for the first time means the time when the driver D notices the pedestrian and switches from the accelerator pedal 3 to the brake pedal 4. Therefore, the relationship "perception response time < braking response time" holds.

[0052] As mentioned above, elderly people have a slower reaction time than younger people, so an increase in braking response time, like an increase in perceptual response time, is thought to be a major cause of accidents. Therefore, like perceptual response time, braking response time is useful as an evaluation item that is directly related to the occurrence of accidents in elderly people.

[0053] Furthermore, the time obtained by subtracting the perception response time from the braking response time is the time required from completely releasing the accelerator pedal 3 to starting to depress the brake pedal 4, i.e., the time required for the change of pedal. By evaluating the proportion of the time required for the change of pedal in the braking response time, it is possible to evaluate whether the delay in braking is due to a delay in perception or a delay in the foot movement required for the change of pedal.

[0054] The effective vehicle control required time is the time required from when a pedestrian appears while the driver D is driving until the traveling speed of the driven vehicle falls below a predetermined value (e.g., 30 km / h). Based on the pedestrian appearance time and the speed of the driven vehicle at each time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the effective vehicle control required time as the time from when the pedestrian appears until the speed of the driven vehicle falls below the predetermined value.

[0055] The time required for effective vehicle control is related to multiple parameters, such as the time it takes to perceive a pedestrian after they appear, the speed at which the accelerator pedal 3 is switched to the brake pedal 4, and the speed at which the brake pedal 4 pressure increases, and can be used to evaluate the multiple factors that lead to an accident.

[0056] The amount of leaning back is the maximum distance that the head of the driver D has moved about an axis parallel to the direction of travel of the driving lane during a predetermined time (e.g., 1.5 seconds) from the frame in which the pedestrian appeared, using the position of the head of the driver D in the frame in which the pedestrian appeared as a reference. Based on the pedestrian appearance time and the head position of the driver D at each time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the maximum movement distance of the head position of the driver D within the predetermined time, using the pedestrian appearance time as a reference, as the amount of leaning back.

[0057] The amount of leaning back may also be the maximum pressure applied by the driver D's head to a headrest (not shown in FIG. 1 ) during a predetermined time (e.g., 1.5 seconds) from the frame in which the pedestrian appears. In this case, a headrest equipped with a pressure sensor is attached to the driver's seat S behind the driver D's head. The driver D starts driving with his / her head in contact with the headrest. The driving behavior measurement unit 17 measures the input value of the headrest's pressure sensor at each time and stores it in the memory unit. The evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the maximum pressure applied by the driver D's head to the headrest during a predetermined time from the pedestrian appearance time based on the pedestrian appearance time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17 and the input value of the headrest's pressure sensor at each time.

[0058] The amount of leaning back that occurs during sudden braking is a manifestation of the bracing response that involves stiffening of the driver D's upper body and upper limbs. The bracing response is a common reaction when a person is faced with an imminent danger ahead, and is characterized by increased muscle activity, with the intention of moving the body away from the danger and stabilizing the body against forces that cause forward movement similar to the forward momentum that occurs during sudden braking. Because the bracing response is thought to become more pronounced with age, the amount of leaning back is useful as an evaluation index of driver D's aging.

[0059] The cumulative head position movement amount during sudden braking is the sum of the difference in movement of the driver D's head about an axis parallel to the traveling direction of the traveling lane in each frame within a predetermined time (for example, 1.5 seconds) after a pedestrian appears while the driver D is driving. Based on the pedestrian appearance time and the head position of the driver D at each time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the cumulative value of the distance that the head position of the driver D has moved within the predetermined time from the pedestrian appearance time as the cumulative head position movement amount during sudden braking.

[0060] The cumulative head position movement during sudden braking is thought to be able to evaluate the ability to stabilize the upper body when suddenly changing pedals. For example, patients with hemiplegia and the elderly have difficulty stabilizing their upper body when moving their lower limbs, so evaluation using the cumulative head position movement during sudden braking is thought to be effective.

[0061] The cumulative steering amount during sudden braking is the sum of the differences in the steering angle of the steering wheel 2 in each frame within a predetermined time (for example, 1.5 seconds) after a pedestrian appears while the driver D is driving. Based on the pedestrian appearance time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17 and the input value of the steering wheel 2 at each time, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the cumulative value of the angle by which the steering wheel 2 has rotated within the predetermined time from the pedestrian appearance time as the cumulative steering amount during sudden braking.

[0062] The number of steering wheel shudders during sudden braking is the number of times the direction of the steering wheel 2 input is reversed during a predetermined time (e.g., 1.5 seconds) after a pedestrian appears while the driver D is driving. Based on the pedestrian appearance time and the steering wheel 2 input value at each time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 counts the number of times the direction of the steering wheel 2 input is reversed during a predetermined time from the pedestrian appearance time, and calculates this as the number of steering wheel shudders during sudden braking. Note that, in order to ignore small noises, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 counts the number of reversals after smoothing the steering wheel 2 input value using a smoothing function (e.g., the smoothdata function of MATLAB (registered trademark)).

[0063] Since the small vibrations of the steering wheel 2 during sudden braking, like leaning back, are thought to occur due to the manifestation of the bracing reaction that occurs with aging, the number of times the steering wheel shakes during sudden braking is useful as an evaluation index for the aging of driver D.

[0064] The vehicle speed at collision is the speed of the driven vehicle at the time of collision between the pedestrian and the driven vehicle. The evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the speed of the driven vehicle at the time of collision measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17 as the vehicle speed at collision.

[0065] Since a high vehicle speed at the time of collision is considered to be a high possibility of causing a serious accident, vehicle speed at the time of collision is an effective indicator for determining the driving ability of elderly drivers and whether they should continue driving.

[0066] The cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount during driving is the sum of the differences in the input value of the accelerator pedal 3 for each frame from the frame in which the driver D starts driving and the speed of the driven vehicle exceeds a predetermined value (for example, 5 km / h) until a pedestrian appears. Based on the pedestrian appearance time, the speed of the driven vehicle at each time, and the input value of the accelerator pedal 3 measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the cumulative value of the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 3 from the time the speed of the driven vehicle exceeds a predetermined value to the time the pedestrian appears as the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount during driving.

[0067] The cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving represents the amount of accelerator pedal operation by driver D until the speed of the vehicle he is driving is stabilized, and the slower he adapts to the operation, the larger the value. Therefore, it is thought that it can be used to evaluate the adaptive ability that has declined with age. Furthermore, in the case of driver D, who needs to perform many operations before stabilizing the speed of the vehicle he is driving, it is thought that he is distracted by operating the accelerator pedal 3, which reduces his attention to his surroundings and increases the possibility of him getting into an accident. In this way, the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving can also be used to evaluate the ability to handle dual tasks that elderly people have difficulty with, and can therefore be used to evaluate the likelihood of elderly drivers getting into accidents.

[0068] The vehicle speed stabilization time is the time required from the frame in which the driver D starts driving and the speed of the driven vehicle exceeds a predetermined value (e.g., 5 km / h) until a pedestrian appears. Based on the pedestrian appearance time and the speed of the driven vehicle at each time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the vehicle speed stabilization time as the time from the time the speed of the driven vehicle exceeds the predetermined value to the time the pedestrian appears.

[0069] A trial involving pedal misapplication is defined as a trial in which the input value of the accelerator pedal 3 becomes 0 after a pedestrian appears, and then again becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 0.5). Based on the pedestrian appearance time and the input value of the accelerator pedal 3 at each time measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 identifies a trial in which the input value of the accelerator pedal 3 becomes 0 after a pedestrian appears, and then again becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value, as a trial involving pedal misapplication. Pedal misapplication is likely to lead to accidents, and is therefore useful as an evaluation item that is directly related to the occurrence of accidents.

[0070] The accelerator-to-brake changeover time is the time required from the time the accelerator pedal 3 input value becomes 0 (= the time the accelerator pedal 3 is completely released) to the time the brake pedal 4 input value becomes positive (= the time the brake pedal 4 starts to be depressed). This is the same as the time obtained by subtracting the perceptual response time from the braking response time described above. Based on the accelerator pedal 3 input value and the brake pedal 4 input value measured by the driving behavior measurement unit 17 at each time, the evaluation item calculation unit 18 calculates the accelerator-to-brake changeover time as the time required from the time the accelerator pedal 3 input value becomes 0 to the time the brake pedal 4 input value becomes positive. The accelerator-to-brake changeover time is an effective index for judging the driving ability of elderly drivers and whether they are able to continue driving.

[0071] FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining the evaluation items of eye movement. FIG. 5(a) is a diagram explaining the coordinate axes on the screen of the VR space. The X axis indicates the horizontal direction on the screen of the VR space. The Y axis indicates the vertical direction on the screen of the VR space. The Z axis is a direction perpendicular to the X axis and Y axis, and indicates the depth direction on the screen of the VR space (= the depth direction on the paper surface of FIG. 5). The coordinate system shown in FIG. 5(a) is a left-handed coordinate system, with the positive direction of the X axis pointing right, the positive direction of the Y axis pointing up, and the positive direction of the Z axis pointing forward.

[0072] Figures 5(b) and 5(c) show the gaze directions of driver D on the XZ plane and ZY plane, respectively. Driver D's gaze is directed in the traveling direction of the vehicle, so the front vector is set to (0,0,1). The positions of driver D's eyes are set to the origin O of each plane, and the gaze vector measured by HMD5 is set to (x,y,z). αx is the angle between the front vector and the gaze vector on the XZ plane, and is the relative angle of the gaze vector in the left-right direction. αy is the angle between the front vector and the gaze vector on the ZY plane, and is the relative angle of the gaze vector in the up-down direction.

[0073] Figures 5(d) and 5(e) show the position of a pedestrian as seen by driver D on the XZ plane and ZY plane, respectively. As in Figures 5(b) and 5(c), the front vector is (0,0,1), and the position of driver D's eyes is the origin O of each plane. The pedestrian vector indicating the position of the pedestrian on the XZ plane is (Px, 0, Pz), the pedestrian head vector indicating the position of the pedestrian's head on the ZY plane is (0, Pyh, Pz), and the pedestrian foot vector indicating the position of the pedestrian's feet on the ZY plane is (0, Pyf, Pz). βx is the angle between the front vector and the pedestrian vector on the XZ plane, and is the relative angle in the left-right direction of the pedestrian vector. βyh is the angle between the front vector and the pedestrian head vector on the ZY plane, and is the relative angle in the up-down direction of the pedestrian head vector. βyf is the angle between the front vector and the pedestrian's foot vector in the ZY plane, and is the relative angle in the up-down direction of the pedestrian's foot vector.

[0074] The evaluation item calculation unit 18 outputs the changes over time in the gaze vector, the pedestrian vector indicating the position of the pedestrian, the pedestrian head vector indicating the position of the pedestrian's head, and the pedestrian foot vector indicating the position of the pedestrian's feet as evaluation items related to the gaze movement of driver D.

[0075] FIG. 6 shows an example of how each relative angle changes over time. FIG. 6(a) visualizes the time-dependent changes in the coordinates (αx, αy) of the relative angle of the gaze vector, the coordinates (βx, βyh) of the relative angle of the pedestrian's head vector, and the coordinates (βx, βyf) of the relative angle of the pedestrian's feet vector. The horizontal axis represents each relative angle with respect to the front vector in the XZ plane, and the vertical axis represents each relative angle with respect to the front vector in the ZY plane. The moment the pedestrian jumps out from the left side is set to 0 seconds, and the trajectory up to 1.5 seconds later is shown as a band-like object. Band-like objects S1, S2, and S3 represent the trajectory of the change over time in the relative angle of the gaze vector, the trajectory of the change over time in the relative angle of the pedestrian's head vector, and the trajectory of the change over time in the relative angle of the pedestrian's feet vector, respectively. Although the actual display is in color, it has been converted to grayscale due to patent drawing constraints. The dotted arrows indicate the time-series direction of each trajectory. The three circles indicate the relative angle positions of the line-of-sight vectors at times t1 to t3. Time t1 is the timing when a pedestrian appears, time t2 is the timing when the accelerator pedal 3 is completely released, and time t3 is the timing when the brake pedal 4 begins to be depressed.

[0076] Figure 6(b) shows the image at the moment the pedestrian suddenly jumps out from the left side, and Figure 6(c) shows the image 1.5 seconds later. Figure 6(c) superimposes the coordinate trajectory of each relative angle in Figure 6(a). As indicated by the thick white arrow, it can be seen that driver D's line of sight shifts from near the center of the screen toward the pedestrian over time.

[0077] As described above, the driving simulator 1 according to the present embodiment can reduce the occurrence of VR sickness even in simulated driving in a VR space, and can also support objective and quantitative evaluation of the driving ability of the driver D. [Example]

[0078] Hereinafter, a first example of a driving ability test using the driving simulator 1 will be described as a first example of the driving simulator 1. In this example, a virtual traffic environment 20 shown in FIG. 3 was used. The virtual traffic environment 20 was a straight road with one lane in each direction and a width of 11.3 m, with roadside trees at 12.5 m intervals and a driving lane width of 4.0 m. The distance between oncoming vehicles was set to 120 m, and the speed of the oncoming vehicle was set to 60 km / h.

[0079] After the test scene began, the subject depressed the accelerator pedal 3 and operated the vehicle to stabilize the speed at 57-63 km / h. In this state, when the distance between the leading vehicle and the driver's vehicle was 50 m or more, a pedestrian appeared from behind a roadside tree in front of the driver's vehicle or an oncoming vehicle and began crossing the driving lane at a speed of 1 m / s. The test scene ended once the pedestrian finished crossing or the driver's vehicle collided with the pedestrian. The test scene was then restarted, and the subject began driving from a stopped state. Each subject drove for four sessions, with six trials consisting of one session and one trial until the test scene changed.

[0080] [Table 1]

[0081] Table 1 shows the pedestrian appearance conditions for each session. The first letters "L" and "R" indicate the direction in which the pedestrian appeared from the subject's perspective, and the two-digit numbers "30m," "40m," and "50m" indicate the distance from the front of the vehicle to the pedestrian when it appeared. To balance the order of stimuli and prevent learning due to order effects, a Latin square design was used for the important pedestrian appearance conditions of "30m" and "40m," and the "50m" condition was set at the beginning and end of each session.

[0082] The test subjects were 26 in total, including 15 young people and 11 elderly people, excluding one person who discontinued the test due to intoxication. The procedure consisted of an explanation of the teaching conditions, calibration of the HMD5, a two-minute practice drive, measurement of the range of motion of the head position, and the actual drive. During the actual drive, the young people drove for four sessions, and the elderly people drove for two sessions. Below, we explain the calculation results of the evaluation items for the 14 young people and 11 elderly people, excluding one person who used Steering 2 to avoid pedestrians.

[0083] Figure 7 shows the calculated accident rates. Figure 7(a) shows the average accident rates for young and elderly people in each trial. The horizontal axis represents the pedestrian appearance condition, and the vertical axis represents the accident rate. The pedestrian appearance conditions were presented to the subjects in order from left to right. For example, "1-L50" indicates the first trial of the first session, in which a pedestrian appeared on the left side 50 m ahead of the vehicle. "Youth" refers to young people, and "Older" refers to elderly people. The trial with the highest number of accidents for elderly people was "1-R30," the fifth trial of the first session, while the trial with the highest number of accidents for young people was "2-R30," the third trial of the second session. The overall accident rate for young people was 12.2%, and the overall accident rate for elderly people was 22.7%, meaning that the accident rate for elderly people was 1.9 times higher than that for young people. For both young and elderly people, the trials with the highest accident rates were those with a pedestrian appearance distance of 30 m. In the case of elderly people, accidents occurred even in trials where the pedestrian appearance distance was 40m, which did not occur in younger people. Focusing on the direction in which the pedestrian appeared, collisions with pedestrians coming from the right accounted for 59.1% of accidents for young people and 63.3% of accidents for elderly people.

[0084] Figure 7(b) shows the transition of pedestrian appearance direction between the immediately preceding trial and the accident-occurrence trial. The horizontal axis, Pedestrian Appearance Condition [Pre-Current], represents the transition of pedestrian appearance direction, and the vertical axis, Accident Rate, represents the accident rate. For example, "R → R" indicates a pattern in which the pedestrian appearance direction transitioned from "to the right" in the immediately preceding trial to "to the right" in the accident-occurrence trial. Youth refers to young people, and Older refers to elderly people. The transition pattern with the highest accident rate for both young people and elderly people was the "R → R" transition pattern. Focusing on the transition patterns in which the pedestrian appearance direction switched between the immediately preceding trial and the accident-occurrence trial, the accident rate for the "L → R" transition pattern was twice that of the "R → L" transition pattern.

[0085] As shown in the calculation results in Figure 7(a), by calculating the average accident rate for each subject's attribute, such as age, it is possible to understand the tendency of each subject's attribute to have an accident. Also, as shown in the calculation results in Figure 7(b), by calculating the average accident rate for each transition pattern of pedestrian appearance direction between the immediately preceding trial and the accident-occurring trial, it is possible to understand the tendency of each transition pattern to have an accident. In this way, the driving ability of each subject can be evaluated in detail based on the average accident rate for each transition pattern of the subject's attributes and pedestrian appearance conditions.

[0086] Figure 8 shows the calculation results of perceptual response time. Figure 8(a) shows the average perceptual response time for each subject in trials where the pedestrian appearance distance was 30 m. The horizontal axis represents the subject's age attribute, and the vertical axis, Perceptual Response Time, represents perceptual response time. Youth refers to young people, and Elder refers to elderly people. The average value for young people was 0.51 seconds, and the average value for elderly people was 0.67 seconds. When the two groups were compared using an unpaired t-test, a significant difference was observed at p<0.005.

[0087] Figures 8(b) and 8(c) show the perceptual response times for collision and non-collision trials for young and elderly people, respectively, in trials where the pedestrian appeared at a distance of 30 m. The horizontal axis shows the collision and non-collision trial groups, and the vertical axis shows the perceptual response time. When the two groups were compared using a paired t-test, no significant difference was found between the collision and non-collision trials for young people, but a significant difference was found between the collision and non-collision trials for elderly people, with a p<0.005 value.

[0088] The 30-m pedestrian appearance distance trial was the most severe test condition, and even young subjects experienced a collision. Assuming that the perceptual response time in this trial approximated the shortest possible response time for each subject, Figure 8(a) shows that older subjects exhibited a slower reaction speed than younger subjects. Furthermore, Figures 8(b) and 8(c) show that in the 30-m pedestrian appearance distance trial, young subjects' perceptual response times remained unchanged in the accident trial compared to the no-accident trial, whereas older subjects' perceptual response times increased significantly in the accident trial. This suggests that the primary cause of accidents among older subjects in this test is an increase in perceptual response time. Based on these findings, perceptual response time is a useful evaluation parameter directly related to the occurrence of accidents among older subjects.

[0089] Figure 9 shows the calculation results for braking response time. Figure 9(a) shows the average braking response time for each subject in trials where the pedestrian appearance distance was 30 m. The horizontal axis represents the subject's age attribute, and the vertical axis represents Brake Response Time, which is braking response time. Youth refers to young people, and Older refers to elderly people. The average value for young people was 0.68 seconds, and the average value for elderly people was 0.85 seconds. When the two groups were compared using an unpaired t-test, a significant difference was observed at p<0.005.

[0090] Figures 9(b) and 9(c) show the braking response times for collision and non-collision trials for young and elderly people, respectively, in trials where the pedestrian appeared at a distance of 30 m. The horizontal axis shows the collision and non-collision trial groups, and the vertical axis shows the brake response time. When the two groups were compared using a paired t-test, no significant difference was found in braking response times between collision and non-collision trials for young people, but a significant difference was found between collision and non-collision trials for elderly people, with a p<0.005 value.

[0091] Figure 9(a) shows that the reaction speed that elderly people can demonstrate is reduced. Furthermore, Figures 9(b) and 9(c) show that while there was no difference between accident trials and no-accident trials for young people, elderly people's response time increased significantly in accident trials. Therefore, an increase in braking response time, like an increase in perceptual response time, is thought to be a major cause of accidents. From the above, braking response time is useful as an evaluation item that is directly related to the occurrence of accidents among elderly people.

[0092] Furthermore, by subtracting the perceptual response time from the braking response time, the time required from completely releasing the accelerator pedal 3 to starting to depress the brake pedal 4, i.e., the time required for the step-change, can be calculated. By evaluating the proportion of the time required for the step-change in the braking response time, it is possible to evaluate whether the cause of the delay in braking is a delay in perception or a delay in the foot movement for the step-change. Therefore, by calculating both the braking response time and the perceptual response time, the driving ability of each subject can be evaluated in detail.

[0093] Figure 10 shows the calculation results of the effective vehicle control time. Figure 10(a) shows the average effective vehicle control time for each subject in trials where the pedestrian appearance distance was 30 m. The horizontal axis represents the subject's age attribute, and the vertical axis, Effective Vehicle Control Time, represents the effective vehicle control time. Youth refers to young people, and Older refers to elderly people. The average value for young people was 1.77 seconds, and the average value for elderly people was 1.92 seconds. When the two groups were compared using an unpaired t-test, a significant difference was observed at p<0.005.

[0094] Figures 10(b) and 10(c) show the effective vehicle control time for accident and non-accident trials for young and elderly drivers, respectively, in trials with a pedestrian appearance distance of 30 m. The horizontal axis shows the accident trial group (Collision) and the non-accident trial group (Non-Collision), and the vertical axis (Effective Vehicle Control Time) shows the effective vehicle control time. A comparison between the two groups using a paired t-test revealed a significant difference between the accident and non-accident trials at p<0.005 for both young and elderly drivers.

[0095] According to Figures 10(a) to 10(c), the time required for effective vehicle control was significantly longer in elderly subjects compared to young subjects, and for both young and elderly subjects, it was significantly longer in accident trials compared to no-accident trials. The time required for effective vehicle control is related to multiple parameters, such as the time it takes to perceive a pedestrian after they appear, which is a risk factor, the speed at which the driver changes from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal, and the speed at which the brake pedal pressure increases. From the above, the time required for effective vehicle control can evaluate the multiple factors that lead to accidents, and is useful for evaluating the driving ability of each subject.

[0096] Figure 11 shows the calculation results for the amount of head lean. Figure 11(a) shows the average amount of head lean for each subject in trials where the pedestrian appearance distance was 30 m. The horizontal axis represents the subject's age attribute, and the vertical axis, Max Head Lean, represents the amount of head lean. Youth refers to young people, and Elder refers to elderly people. The average value for young people was 0.01 m, and the average value for elderly people was 0.03 m. When the two groups were compared using an unpaired t-test, a significant difference was observed at p<0.005.

[0097] Figures 11(b) and 11(c) show the amount of head lean in collision trials and non-collision trials for young and elderly people, respectively, in trials with a pedestrian appearance distance of 30 m. The horizontal axis shows the collision trial group and the non-collision trial group, and the vertical axis, Max Head Lean, shows the amount of head lean. A paired t-test was used to compare the two groups, and no significant difference was found between the collision trials and non-collision trials for either young or elderly people.

[0098] Figure 11(a) shows that the amount of leaning back that occurs during sudden braking is significantly greater in elderly people compared to young people. This is thought to be due to the emergence of a bracing reaction accompanied by stiffening of the upper body and upper limbs with age, and therefore the amount of leaning back is a useful index for evaluating aging.

[0099] Figure 12 shows the calculation results of the cumulative head position movement during sudden braking. Figure 12(a) shows the average cumulative head position movement during sudden braking for each subject in trials where the pedestrian appearance distance was 30 m. The horizontal axis represents the subject's age attribute, and the vertical axis, HeadPosAccumulation, represents the cumulative head position movement during sudden braking. Youth refers to young people, and Older refers to elderly people. The average value for young people was 0.02 m, and the average value for elderly people was 0.04 m. When the two groups were compared using an unpaired t-test, a significant difference was observed at p<0.005.

[0100] Figures 12(b) and 12(c) show the cumulative head position movement during sudden braking for accident and non-accident trials, performed by young and elderly drivers, respectively, with a pedestrian appearance distance of 30 m. The horizontal axis shows the accident trial group (Collision) and the non-accident trial group (NonCollision), and the vertical axis, HeadPosAccumulation, shows the cumulative head position movement during sudden braking. A comparison between the two groups using a paired t-test revealed no significant difference between the accident and non-accident trials for either young or elderly drivers.

[0101] According to Figure 12(a), the cumulative head position movement during sudden braking was significantly higher in elderly people compared to young people. This suggests that the amount of head sway during sudden braking increases with age, making the cumulative head position movement during sudden braking a useful indicator for evaluating aging. Furthermore, because the cumulative head position movement during sudden braking is an indicator of the amount of forward and backward movement of the head, which includes both the amount of leaning back and the occurrence of forward tilt, it is also useful for evaluating the ability to stabilize the upper body when suddenly changing pedals.

[0102] Figure 13 shows changes in steering pedal operation over time. Figures 13(a) and 13(b) are examples of changes in steering pedal operation over time for a subject. Figure 13(a) shows the entirety of a particular trial, while Figure 13(b) shows the range from when the brake pedal 4 input value became positive up to 1.5 seconds in the same trial as Figure 13(a). In both figures, the horizontal axis Time represents time, the first vertical axis Steering on the left represents the input value of steering 2, and the second vertical axis Pedal Input on the right represents the input values ​​of accelerator pedal 3 and brake pedal 4. In the figure, Steering represents the input value of steering 2, Accel represents the input value of accelerator pedal 3, Brake represents the input value of brake pedal 4, and Pedestrian Appearance represents the time when a pedestrian appears.

[0103] In the examples of Figures 13(a) and 13(b), the input value of Steering Wheel 2 fluctuates rapidly at the same time as the sudden braking immediately after the pedestrian appears. This rapid fluctuation in the operation of Steering Wheel 2 is not intended to avoid a collision with the walker, but is thought to be a panic reaction caused by the subject putting too much force into his or her upper limbs.

[0104] Figure 14 shows the calculation results for the number of times steering operation vibration occurred during sudden braking. Figure 14(a) shows the average number of times steering operation vibration occurred during sudden braking for each subject in a trial where the pedestrian appeared at a distance of 30 m. The horizontal axis represents the age attribute of the subject, and the vertical axis, Steering Operation Vibrate Number, represents the number of times steering operation vibration occurred during sudden braking. Youth refers to young people, and Older refers to elderly people. The average number for young people was 3.0 times, and the average number for elderly people was 5.0 times. When the two groups were compared using an unpaired t-test, a significant difference was observed at p<0.005.

[0105] Figures 14(b) and 14(c) show the number of steering vibrations during sudden braking in accident trials and non-accident trials for young and elderly drivers, respectively, in trials with a pedestrian appearance distance of 30 m. The horizontal axis shows the accident trial group (Collision) and the non-accident trial group (Non-Collision), and the vertical axis, Steering Operation Vibrate Number, shows the number of steering vibrations during sudden braking. A paired t-test was used to compare the two groups, but no significant difference was found between the accident trials and non-accident trials for either young or elderly drivers.

[0106] According to Figure 14(a), the number of steering wheel shudders during sudden braking was significantly greater in elderly people compared to young people. The small shudders of the steering wheel 2 during sudden braking, like leaning back, are thought to be caused by the emergence of the bracing response that occurs with age. Furthermore, according to Figures 14(b) and 14(c), there was no significant difference between the accident trial group and the no-accident trial group for both young and elderly people, and the values' variance and averages were close, so it is thought to be an index that depends on age, regardless of whether or not an accident has occurred. Therefore, the number of steering wheel shudders during sudden braking is useful as an evaluation index of aging.

[0107] Figure 15 shows the calculation results for vehicle speed at collision. Figure 15 shows the average vehicle speed at collision for each subject in trials where the pedestrian appearance distance was 30 m. The horizontal axis represents the subject's age attribute, and the vertical axis, Collision Frame Speed, represents the vehicle speed at collision. Youth refers to young people, and Older refers to elderly people. The average value for young people was 14.10 km / h, and the average value for elderly people was 23.44 km / h. When the two groups were compared using an unpaired t-test, a significant difference was observed at p<0.005.

[0108] According to Figure 15, the vehicle speed at the time of collision was significantly higher for elderly people compared to younger people. Because elderly people also have significantly longer perception response times and braking response times than younger people, it is thought that the timing between recognizing the pedestrian and starting to brake was slower, and vehicle speed remained high at the time of collision. Since a high vehicle speed at the time of collision is thought to increase the likelihood of a serious accident, vehicle speed at the time of collision is a useful indicator for determining the driving ability of elderly people and whether they should continue driving.

[0109] Figure 16 shows the calculation results of the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving. Figure 16(a) shows the average cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving for each subject in trials with a pedestrian appearance distance of 30 m. The horizontal axis shows the subject's age attribute, and the vertical axis, AccelOperateAccumulation, shows the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving. Youth refers to young people, and Older refers to elderly people. The average value for young people was 1.1 x 10 to the power of 5, and the average value for elderly people was 1.7 x 10 to the power of 5. When the two groups were compared using an unpaired t-test, a significant difference was observed at p<0.05.

[0110] Figures 16(b) and 16(c) show the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving for young and elderly drivers in accident and no-accident trials, respectively, for trials with a pedestrian appearance distance of 30 m. The horizontal axis shows the accident trial group (Collision) and the no-accident trial group (NonCollision), and the vertical axis, AccelOperateAccumulation, shows the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving. When the two groups were compared using a paired t-test, no significant difference was found in the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving between the accident and no-accident trials for young drivers, but a significant difference was found between the accident and no-accident trials for elderly drivers at p<0.05.

[0111] According to Figure 16(a), the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving was significantly greater for elderly people compared to young people. Therefore, the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving is useful as an evaluation index for adaptive ability, which declines with age. Furthermore, according to Figure 16(c), a significant difference was observed between accident trials and no-accident trials for elderly people, so it can be said that subjects who require more operations to adapt are more likely to get into an accident. Therefore, the cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount while driving is useful not only for evaluating adaptive ability, but also for evaluating the subject's likelihood of getting into an accident. [Example]

[0112] Hereinafter, a second example of the driving simulator 1 will be described as a second example of the driving simulator 1, which is a test example 2 of driving ability using the driving simulator 1. In this example, the virtual traffic environment 20 shown in Fig. 3 was used, as in the test example 1. The distance between oncoming vehicles was set to 120 m, and the speed of the oncoming vehicle was set to 60 km / h.

[0113] After the test scene began, the subject depressed the accelerator pedal 3 and operated the vehicle to stabilize the speed at 57-63 km / h. In this state, when the distance between the leading vehicle and the driver's vehicle was 50 m or more, a pedestrian appeared from behind a roadside tree in front of the driver's vehicle or an oncoming vehicle and began crossing the driving lane at a speed of 1 m / s. The test scene ended once the pedestrian finished crossing or the driver's vehicle collided with the pedestrian. The test scene was then restarted, and the subject began driving from a stopped state. Each subject drove for two sessions, with one trial consisting of six trials, with one session consisting of six trials until the test scene changed.

[0114] [Table 2]

[0115] Table 2 shows the pedestrian appearance conditions for each session. The first letters "L" and "R" indicate the direction in which the pedestrian appeared from the subject's perspective, and the two-digit numbers "30m," "40m," and "50m" indicate the distance from the front of the vehicle to the pedestrian when it appeared. To balance the order of stimuli and prevent learning due to order effects, a Latin square design was used for the important pedestrian appearance conditions of "30m" and "40m," and the "50m" condition was set at the beginning and end of each session.

[0116] The number of subjects was 24 in total, consisting of 14 young people and 10 elderly people. The procedure was as follows: explanation of the teaching conditions, seat adjustment, HMD5 calibration, 2-minute practice drive, measurement of head position range of motion, and actual drive. After the end of the actual drive session, participants answered a VR sickness questionnaire and took a 3-minute break. Below, we will limit the explanation to the "L30m" and "R30m" trials and explain the calculation results of the evaluation items.

[0117] [Table 3]

[0118] Table 3 shows the results of comparing the accident rates of young and elderly people. In both the "L30m" and "R30m" trials, it can be seen that the accident rate for elderly people was higher than that for young people. It is thought that elderly people are more likely to have accidents in situations requiring sudden braking.

[0119] [Table 4]

[0120] Table 4 shows the results of comparing the percentage of pedal misapplication trials between young people and elderly people. In the "L30m" trials, the percentage of pedal misapplication trials for elderly people was approximately 6.9 times higher than for young people. In addition, in the combined "L30m" and "R30m" trials, the percentage of pedal misapplication trials for elderly people was approximately 2.9 times higher than for young people. Therefore, it is thought that elderly people are more likely to misapplication of pedals when a pedestrian suddenly appears from the left.

[0121] Figure 17 shows the calculation results of the time required to switch from the accelerator to the brake. In the "L30m" (=30L) trial, the elderly had a significantly longer time required to switch from the accelerator to the brake (=duration required for pedal switching) than the younger adults. Therefore, the time required to switch from the accelerator to the brake is useful as an evaluation index for aging.

[0122] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an evaluation item related to the gaze movement of a young person. The example in FIG. 18 is a trial in which driver D is a young person and the accident occurred at "L30m." Similar to FIG. 6(a), FIG. 18(a) visualizes the time-dependent changes in the coordinates (αx, αy) of the relative angle of the gaze vector, the coordinates (βx, βyh) of the relative angle of the pedestrian's head vector, and the coordinates (βx, βyf) of the relative angle of the pedestrian's feet vector. The trajectory is shown from 0 seconds, the moment the pedestrian suddenly appears on the left side, to 1.5 seconds later. Band-like objects S1, S2, and S3 represent the trajectory of the time-dependent changes in the relative angle of the gaze vector, the trajectory of the time-dependent changes in the relative angle of the pedestrian's head vector, and the trajectory of the time-dependent changes in the relative angle of the pedestrian's feet vector, respectively. The dotted arrows indicate the time-series direction of each trajectory. Three circles indicate the relative angle positions of the gaze vector from time t1 to t3. Time t1 is the timing when a pedestrian appears, time t2 is the timing when the accelerator pedal 3 is completely released, and time t3 is the timing when the brake pedal 4 begins to be depressed.

[0123] FIG. 18(b) shows the change over time in the X-coordinate of the relative angle of each vector. A discrete plot group 61 shows the change over time in the X-coordinate αx of the relative angle of the gaze vector. A dotted line graph 62 shows the change over time in the X-coordinate βx of the relative angle of the pedestrian vector. A solid line graph 63 shows the change over time in the input value of the accelerator pedal 3. A solid line graph 64 shows the change over time in the input value of the brake pedal 4. A dotted vertical bar 65 indicates the time when the input value of the accelerator pedal 3 becomes 0. A dotted vertical bar 66 indicates the time when the input value of the brake pedal 4 becomes positive. A bold arrow 67 indicates the direction of the change over time in the plot group 61. As can be seen from the bold arrow 67, the plot group 61 suddenly approaches the dotted line graph 62 just before the dotted vertical bar 65. In other words, it can be seen that the driver D's gaze is directed toward the pedestrian just before he releases his foot from the accelerator pedal 3. Hereinafter, the same elements in the figures are given the same reference numerals and the explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0124] FIG. 18(c) shows the change over time in the Y coordinate of the relative angle of each vector. Dotted line graph 68 shows the change over time in the Y coordinate βyh of the relative angle of the pedestrian's head vector. Dotted line graph 69 shows the change over time in the Y coordinate βyf of the relative angle of the pedestrian's foot vector. Focusing on the range of frame line 70, it can be seen that from just before the dotted vertical bar 65, the plot group 61 falls within the range with dotted line graph 68 as the upper limit and dotted line graph 69 as the lower limit. In other words, it can be seen that the vertical direction of driver D's gaze falls within the range from the top of the pedestrian's head to their feet from just before the driver D releases his / her foot from the accelerator pedal 3.

[0125] Figure 19 shows an example of the analysis results of the evaluation item related to eye movement. In both Figure 19(a) and Figure 19(b), driver D is an elderly person and the trial is "L30m." Figure 19(a) is a no-accident trial, and Figure 19(b) is an accident trial.

[0126] In the accident-free trial shown in Figure 19(a), it can be seen that within 0.7 seconds after the appearance of a pedestrian, driver D completes a series of actions: (a) noticing the pedestrian, (b) turning toward the pedestrian, (c) taking his foot off accelerator pedal 3, and (d) pressing brake pedal 4. In the accident trial shown in Figure 19(b), it can be seen that driver D is late in starting to move his gaze, and is also late in the timing of taking his foot off accelerator pedal 3 and pressing brake pedal 4. It can also be seen that 0.7 seconds after the appearance of the pedestrian, driver D has only completed the action of taking his foot off accelerator pedal 3. From the analysis results shown in Figure 19, it can be considered that if driver D can complete the above-mentioned actions (a) to (d) within 0.7 seconds after the appearance of a pedestrian, he is less likely to cause an accident.

[0127] Figure 20 shows an example of the analysis results of the relationship between evaluation items related to gaze movement and accident rates. Figure 20(a) shows an example of changes over time in the gaze, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal of a specific driver D, and is a diagram explaining the definition of trial classification. Solid vertical bar 71 indicates the timing when driver D turned his gaze toward a pedestrian. Solid vertical bar 72 indicates the timing when driver D began to release the accelerator. Period 73 is the period from when a pedestrian appeared until the input value of accelerator pedal 3 reached 0. Period 74 is the period from when driver D began to release the accelerator until the input value of accelerator pedal 3 reached 0. Period 75 is the period after the input value of accelerator pedal 3 reached 0.

[0128] Trials in which the solid vertical bar 71 is included in period 73, i.e., trials in which the driver's gaze is directed toward the pedestrian within the period from when the pedestrian appears until the accelerator pedal 3 input value reaches zero, are classified as "before accelerator zero trials." Trials in which the solid vertical bar 71 is included in period 74, i.e., trials in which the driver's gaze is directed toward the pedestrian within the period from when the driver begins to release the accelerator until the accelerator pedal 3 input value reaches zero, are classified as "release accelerator trials." Trials in which the solid vertical bar 71 is included in period 75, i.e., trials in which the driver's gaze is directed toward the pedestrian within the period after the accelerator pedal 3 input value reaches zero, are classified as "accel zero trials." Trials in which the driver's gaze was directed toward the pedestrian when the pedestrian suddenly appeared are classified as "looked pedestrian trials." Trials with missing gaze data are classified as "shut eyes trials."

[0129] In the bar graphs shown in Figures 20(b) and 20(c), the horizontal axis shows the classification by gaze movement timing, and the vertical axis shows the relative frequency. The relative frequency of accident trials is shown as solid black, and the relative frequency of no-accident trials is shown as hatching. Figure 20(b) shows young people, and Figure 20(c) shows elderly people. The category with the most cases is before accelerator zero trials for both young people and elderly people. It can be seen that in before accelerator zero trials, the accident rate is higher for elderly people than for young people. The reason for this is thought to be that it takes longer for elderly people to change pedals compared to young people.

[0130] In the release accelerator trials, the accident rate for young people was 75% and the accident rate for elderly people was 100%, indicating that accidents are common regardless of age. In the acceleration zero trials, the accident rate for young people was 8.3% and the accident rate for elderly people was 100%. It is thought that young people, with their wide peripheral vision, recognized pedestrians early and immediately turned their gaze in the direction of the pedestrian after releasing the accelerator pedal 3, which resulted in a lower accident rate. It is thought that elderly people, with their narrow peripheral vision, were late in noticing pedestrians, which resulted in a higher accident rate.

[0131] In the looked pedestrian trial, no accidents occurred for either young or elderly drivers. In the shut eyes trial, only elderly drivers had an accident rate of 100%. This is thought to be because Driver D was startled by the pedestrians that suddenly appeared, causing him to close his eyes.

[0132] In this way, evaluation items related to eye movements are useful for assessing a driver's adaptability and likelihood of causing an accident. In particular, by analyzing the relationship between a driver's driving behavior and the timing of their eye movements, it is possible to evaluate the causes of accidents and the characteristics of elderly people.

[0133] While the preferred embodiments of the driving simulator and the like according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the technical ideas disclosed herein, and it is understood that such modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 1. Driving simulator 2. Steering 3...Accelerator pedal 4...Brake pedal 5. Head-mounted display (HMD) 6...Control device 7...Infrared transmitter 10...VR space control unit 11... Driving vehicle control unit 12...Oncoming vehicle control unit 13... Leading vehicle control unit 14...Pedestrian control unit 15....Vehicle distance warning display control unit 16...Grid control unit 17...Driving behavior measurement section 18...Evaluation item calculation section D: Driver S: Driver's seat

Claims

1. A driving simulator comprising a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a head-mounted display, and a control device, The control device a VR space control unit that controls a virtual reality space of a virtual traffic environment of a straight road and outputs an image of the virtual traffic environment to the head-mounted display; a driving vehicle control unit that calculates the operation of a driving vehicle simulated by a driver based on input values ​​of the steering, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal, and simulates the operation of the driving vehicle in the virtual traffic environment; a pedestrian control unit that, when the speed of the driven vehicle falls within a predetermined range, makes a pedestrian appear on either the left or right side in front of the driven vehicle and makes the pedestrian cross in front of the driven vehicle; a driving behavior measurement unit that measures measurement items related to the driving behavior of the driver from the start of driving the vehicle by the driver until the pedestrian finishes crossing or the vehicle collides with the pedestrian; an evaluation item calculation unit that calculates evaluation items related to the driver's driving ability based on the measurement items; A driving simulator comprising:

2. A grid control unit that controls the display of a grid for preventing VR sickness, The grid control unit visibly displays the VR sickness countermeasure grid in an area far from the driven vehicle when an input value of the steering, the accelerator pedal, or the brake pedal satisfies a predetermined condition.

2. The driving simulator according to claim 1.

3. the driving behavior measurement unit measures a pedestrian appearance time and an input value of the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal at each time; The evaluation item calculation unit calculates a perception response time, which is the time from the pedestrian appearance time to the time the input value of the accelerator pedal becomes 0, or a braking response time, which is the time from the pedestrian appearance time to the time the input value of the brake pedal becomes positive for the first time.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the driving behavior measurement unit measures a pedestrian appearance time, and a position of the driver's head or a pressure applied by the driver's head to a headrest at each time; The evaluation item calculation unit calculates, based on the pedestrian appearance time and the position of the driver's head at each time, a maximum movement distance of the driver's head position within a predetermined time based on the pedestrian appearance time, or a maximum pressure applied by the driver's head against the headrest within a predetermined time from the pedestrian appearance time, as an amount of leaning back.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the driving behavior measurement unit measures a pedestrian appearance time and a head position of the driver at each time; The evaluation item calculation unit calculates a cumulative value of a distance that the driver's head position has moved within a predetermined time from the pedestrian appearance time as a cumulative head position movement amount during sudden braking.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the driving behavior measurement unit measures a pedestrian appearance time, a speed of the vehicle at each time, and an input value of the accelerator pedal; The evaluation item calculation unit calculates, as a cumulative accelerator pedal operation amount during traveling, a cumulative value of the accelerator pedal operation amount from the time when the speed of the driven vehicle exceeds a predetermined value to the time when the pedestrian appears.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

7. the driving behavior measurement unit measures a pedestrian appearance time and a speed of the driving vehicle at each time; The evaluation item calculation unit calculates the time from the pedestrian appearance time until the speed of the driven vehicle becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value as an effective vehicle control required time.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

8. the driving behavior measurement unit measures a pedestrian appearance time and an input value of the steering wheel at each time; The evaluation item calculation unit counts the number of times the direction of the steering input is reversed within a predetermined time from the time the pedestrian appears, and calculates it as the number of times steering vibration occurs during sudden braking.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

9. the driving behavior measurement unit measures a speed of the driven vehicle at the time of a collision between the pedestrian and the driven vehicle; The evaluation item calculation unit calculates a speed of the driven vehicle at the time of a collision between the pedestrian and the driven vehicle as a vehicle speed at the time of collision.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

10. the driving behavior measurement unit measures a pedestrian appearance condition and whether or not a collision occurs between the pedestrian and the driven vehicle; The evaluation item calculation unit calculates the ratio of the number of trials in which a collision between the pedestrian and the driving vehicle occurred to the total number of trials as an accident rate, and calculates an average accident rate for each transition pattern of the pedestrian appearance condition in the trial in which an accident occurred and the trial immediately before that.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

11. the driving behavior measurement unit measures a pedestrian appearance time and an accelerator pedal input value at each time; The evaluation item calculation unit identifies, based on the pedestrian appearance time and the accelerator pedal input value at each time, a trial in which the accelerator pedal input value becomes 0 after the pedestrian appears and then becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value again, as a trial in which a pedal misapplication occurred.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

12. the driving behavior measurement unit measures gaze vectors of both eyes of the driver, The evaluation item calculation unit outputs the change over time of the line of sight vector as the evaluation item related to the movement of the line of sight of the driver.

3. A driving simulator according to claim 1 or 2.

Images