Vehicle control device

Abstract

To improve getting-on / off performance by automatically restoring a positional relationship between a steering column and a driver's seat to a positional relationship corresponding to that during driving when a driver who gets off a vehicle while maintaining a driving power supply in an on-state returns to the vehicle and gets on the vehicle.SOLUTION: In the second power supply control mode, after the getting in / out recognizing unit 111 recognizes that the user has gotten out of the vehicle 1, the getting in / out support controller 114 sets the positional relationship between the steering column 4 and the driver's seat 5 in the driver's seat area 3 to the return positional relationship when the driver's door sensor 96 detects twice or more that the driver's door 7 is switched from the open state to the closed state and it is recognized that the user is in the vehicle 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide access to sustainable transport systems that take into consideration vulnerable transport participants such as the elderly, people with disabilities, and children have been gaining momentum. To achieve this, we are focusing on research and development to further improve transport safety and convenience through development of vehicle ingress and egress. Conventionally, there is known a technology that automatically moves the driver's seat backward when a user gets off the vehicle, thereby increasing the space for the user to get off and also increasing the space for the next user to get in. In this type of technology, the user operates an operating element (ignition key, push starter, etc.) after getting in, and the seat that has been moved backward automatically moves to the forward driving position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-020601 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when a driver moves the driver's seat backward and gets out of the vehicle while keeping the vehicle's drive power supply on in order to run a short trip, if the driver's seat is designed to move forward to the driving position in response to operation of an operator for switching the drive power supply on and off, such as an ignition switch, as in the background art described above, the following inconvenience occurs to the driver: That is, when the driver returns to the vehicle and gets in, even though he or she has taken the trouble to leave the drive power supply on while getting out, he or she must operate the operator for switching the drive power supply on and off, and turn the drive power supply off and then on again in order to move the driver's seat to the forward driving position, which is inconvenient. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present application aims to improve ease of getting in and out of a vehicle by automatically restoring the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat to the positional relationship corresponding to that during driving, without the driver having to operate an operator, when a driver gets out of the vehicle while the vehicle's driving power supply is kept on and then gets back in the vehicle, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable transportation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle control device for controlling the operation of a vehicle having a driver's seat area drive unit that changes the positional relationship between a steering column and a driver's seat in a driver's seat area, and a driver's seat door sensor that detects an open / closed state of a driver's seat door, the vehicle control device including: an entry / exit recognition unit that recognizes a user of the vehicle getting into the vehicle and getting off the vehicle; a power supply control unit that switches between a first power supply control mode, in accordance with a selection operation by the user, to a second power supply control mode that keeps the supply of driving power to the vehicle in an on state even after a disembarkation completion determination condition is met, when the entry / exit recognition unit recognizes that the user has disembarked from the vehicle and the driver's seat door sensor detects that the driver's seat door has switched from an open state to a closed state; and a vehicle entry / exit support control unit that switches the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat between a first positional relationship corresponding to driving and a second positional relationship corresponding to getting in and out of the vehicle. When the driver's door sensor detects that the driver's door has switched from a closed state to an open state while the vehicle is parked, the vehicle entry / exit support control unit sets the positional relationship to the second positional relationship by moving at least one of the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area, and in the second power supply control mode, when the vehicle entry / exit recognition unit recognizes that the user has exited the vehicle, and the driver's door sensor detects that the driver's door has switched from an open state to a closed state two or more times and recognizes that the user is in the vehicle, the vehicle entry / exit support control unit sets the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area to the first positional relationship. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, when a driver who has dismounted from a vehicle while the vehicle's drive power supply is kept on returns to the vehicle and gets in, the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat is automatically restored to the positional relationship corresponding to when driving, without the driver having to operate an operator, thereby improving ease of getting in and out of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the driver's seat area and its surroundings. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a main control system provided in a vehicle. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a control device provided in a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the periphery of the driver's seat area 3. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main control systems provided in the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 may be a vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine as a drive source, an electric vehicle that uses a motor as a drive source, or a hybrid vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine and a motor. In this embodiment, the vehicle 1 will be described as a four-wheeled automobile.

[0009] Vehicle 1 is provided with a driver's seat area 3 where the driver, who is the user who drives vehicle 1, gets in and out, and a driver's seat 5 and a steering column 4 in front of the driver's seat 5. The driver's seat area 3 is an area used by the driver, where the driver's seat 5 where the driver sits and the steering column 4 operated by the driver are located. The vehicle 1 is provided with a driver's seat door 7 on the side of the driver's seat area 3. The driver's seat 5 is an example of the driver's seat of the present disclosure.

[0010] The vehicle 1 is provided with a brake pedal 11 in front of and below the driver's seat 5. The vehicle 1 is provided with a display operation unit 98, which will be described later, in front of the driver's seat 5 and adjacent to the steering column 4.

[0011] The driver's seat 5 includes a seat cushion 13 on which the driver sits and a seat back 15 that functions as a backrest.

[0012] A seat drive unit 94 that moves the position of the driver's seat 5 is connected to the lower part of the seat cushion 13. The seat drive unit 94 moves the position of the driver's seat 5 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction as shown by the arrow Y1.

[0013] The steering column 4 has a tilt mechanism, and is connected to a column drive unit 95 that changes the position of the steering column 4 in a substantially arcuate shape, as indicated by arrow Y2 on the steering column 4. The column drive unit 95 is configured as a drive unit that moves the steering column 4 in a so-called tilt manner, but is not limited to this, and may be configured as a drive unit that extends and retracts the steering column 4 that has a telescopic mechanism, or may be configured as a drive unit that changes the position of the steering column 4 that has a tilt mechanism and a telescopic function. The seat drive unit 94 and the column drive unit 95 are an example of a driver's seat area drive unit of the present disclosure.

[0014] The control device 100 provided in the vehicle 1 includes a processor 110 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), a memory 120, and an interface circuit to which other devices and sensors are connected. The control device 100 is a so-called ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control device 100 is an example of a vehicle control device of the present disclosure.

[0015] The control device 100 is connected to a communication device 91, a power switch 92, a brake sensor 93, a seat drive unit 94, a column drive unit 95, a driver's door sensor 96, a speed sensor 97, and a display operation unit 98. The control device 100 is also connected to a drive power supply 130. The drive power supply 130 is a battery mounted on the vehicle 1. Power is supplied to each of the electric drive units provided in the vehicle 1 by the drive power supply 130.

[0016] The memory 120 is a memory that stores programs and data. The memory 120 stores a program 121, count data 122 (described later), and data to be processed by the processor 110. The memory 120 has a non-volatile storage area. The memory 120 may also have a volatile storage area and constitute a work area for the processor 110. The memory 120 is constituted by, for example, a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM).

[0017] The communication device 91 is a communication device having a transmitter and a receiver, and performs short-range wireless communication to communicate with an electronic key 2 that is used primarily by the driver among users of the vehicle 1. Examples of the electronic key 2 include a smart key, a FOB (Free On Board) key, a smartphone, a smartwatch, and facial recognition.

[0018] The power switch 92 is a physical button that can be operated to switch the supply of the driving power source 130 between an on state and an off state. The brake sensor 93 is a sensor that detects whether the brake pedal 11 is operated.

[0019] The driver's door sensor 96 is a sensor that detects whether the driver's door 7 is open or closed. The speed sensor 97 is a sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 1 . The display operation unit 98 includes a touch panel 99. The touch panel 99 displays each screen and operation buttons as software buttons.

[0020] The processor 110 reads and executes a program 121 stored in the memory 120, thereby functioning as a boarding / alighting recognition unit 111, a power supply control unit 112, a display control unit 113, and a boarding / alighting support control unit 114.

[0021] The boarding / exiting recognition unit 111 communicates with the electronic key 2 via the communication device 91. The boarding / exiting recognition unit 111 recognizes whether the electronic key 2 is located outside or inside the vehicle 1 depending on the communication status between the communication device 91 and the electronic key 2, and thereby recognizes whether the user has boarded or exited the vehicle 1.

[0022] The power supply control unit 112 controls the power supply of the driving power supply 130, switching between a first power supply control mode and a second power supply control mode in response to a user's operation on the touch panel 99.

[0023] First, the configuration of the power supply control unit 112 related to the first power supply control mode will be described. In the first power supply control mode, when a disembarking completion determination condition is met, in which the boarding / disembarking recognition unit 111 recognizes that the driver has disembarked from the vehicle 1 and the driver's door sensor 96 detects that the driver's door 7 has switched from an open state to a closed state, the power supply control unit 112 turns off the supply of the driving power source 130 to the vehicle 1. In the first power supply control mode, after turning off the supply of the driving power source 130 in response to the satisfaction of the disembarking completion determination condition, when the boarding / disembarking recognition unit 111 recognizes that the driver has gotten into the vehicle 1, the power supply control unit 112 turns on the supply of the driving power source 130.

[0024] Next, the configuration of the power supply control unit 112 related to the second power supply control mode will be described. In the second power supply control mode, the power supply control unit 112 keeps the supply of the driving power supply 130 in the ON state even after the dismounting completion determination condition is met.

[0025] The display control unit 113 controls the display operation unit 98 , receives input from the display operation unit 98 , and displays each screen via the touch panel 99 .

[0026] When the vehicle 1 is in a parked state, which will be described later, the display control unit 113 displays a selection screen on which the second power control mode can be selected. The display control unit 113 accepts an input from the user to select the second power control mode via a physical button on the display operation unit 98 or a software button on the touch panel 99. If the user does not select the second power control mode, the first power control mode is assumed to have been selected.

[0027] The getting on and off support control unit 114 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 is in a parked state. The parked state is a state in which the shift position is in parking and the vehicle 1 is traveling at a speed of 2 kilometers per hour or less.

[0028] The getting-in / out support control unit 114 operates the seat drive unit 94 and the column drive unit 95 in accordance with predetermined conditions to move at least one of the steering column 4 and the driver's seat 5 in the driver's seat area 3, thereby switching the positional relationship between them between a restored positional relationship suited to driving and a retracted positional relationship suited to a positional relationship that makes it easy for the driver to get in and out of the vehicle. By moving either the steering column 4 or the driver's seat 5, or both, the user can select which positional relationship to switch to when the driver gets in and out. The predetermined conditions will be described in detail in the explanation of the operation of the control device 100 of the vehicle 1. In this way, when switching the positional relationship between the steering column 4 and the driver's seat 5, it is sufficient that at least one of the steering column 4 and the driver's seat 5 moves. The return positional relationship is an example of a first positional relationship of the present disclosure, and the retracted positional relationship is an example of a second positional relationship of the present disclosure.

[0029] The positional relationship between the driver's seat 5 and the steering column 4 in the restored positional relationship is adjusted to a position preferred by the driver in response to the driver's operation of a position change lever or the like.

[0030] The setting information for the return position relationship is linked to the electronic key 2 and pre-stored in the memory 120. In this embodiment, in the retracted position relationship, the driver's seat 5 is moved rearward to an arbitrary position (for example, 35 mm) from the return position relationship, and the steering column 4 is at its uppermost position.

[0031] The present invention is not limited to this, and the seat back 15 may be configured to recline in the direction of arrow Y3 when moving from the return position to the retracted position. The seat driver 94 may be configured to allow the user to freely change the settings of the seat driver 94 in the retracted position, thereby customizing the vertical position of the seat cushion 13, the front-rear position of the seat cushion 13, and the reclining position of the seat back 15. Such settings may be made via the display operation unit 87, or a display audio or meter provided in the vehicle 1.

[0032] When the second power supply control mode is selected and the supply of the driving power supply 130 is maintained in an on state in the parked state, the vehicle getting in and out support control unit 114 counts the number of times that the driver's door 7 is detected to be switched from an open state to a closed state by the driver's door sensor 96, using the counter variable CT. Specifically, the vehicle getting in and out support control unit 114 increments the counter variable CT by 1 each time the driver's door 7 is closed, and stores the incremented value in the count data 122.

[0033] Next, the process of supporting passengers getting on and off a vehicle, which is executed by the control device 100, will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0034] First, the vehicle getting on and off support control unit 114 determines whether the vehicle 1 is in a parked state (step S1). If the vehicle 1 is not in a parked state (step S1: NO), the vehicle getting on and off support control unit 114 repeats the determination in step S1.

[0035] If the vehicle 1 is in a parked state (step S1: YES), then the display control unit 113 uses the touch panel 99 to display a selection screen that allows the user to select between the first power supply control mode and the second power supply control mode (step S2). Next, the display control unit 113 determines whether the user has selected to turn on the second power supply control mode (step S3). If the second power supply control mode has been selected (step S3: YES), the vehicle getting on / off support control unit 114 determines whether the driver's door 7 has changed from a closed state to an open state (step S4). If the driver's door 7 has not changed from a closed state to an open state (step S4: NO), the vehicle getting on / off support control unit 114 repeats the determination in step S4.

[0036] If the driver's door 7 changes from a closed state to an open state (step S4: YES), the boarding / exiting support control unit 114 operates the seat drive unit 94 and the column drive unit 95 to control the driver's seat 5 and steering column 4 in the driver's seat area 3 to a retracted position (step S5).

[0037] Next, while the supply of the driving power source 130 is maintained in the ON state, the vehicle entry / exit recognition unit 111 determines whether the electronic key 2 is outside the vehicle (step S11). If the vehicle entry / exit recognition unit 111 determines that the electronic key 2 is outside the vehicle (step S11: YES), the vehicle entry / exit support control unit 114 determines whether the driver's door 7 has changed from an open state to a closed state (step S12). If the driver's door 7 has not changed from an open state to a closed state (step S12: NO), the vehicle entry / exit support control unit 114 repeats the determination in step S12.

[0038] If the driver's door 7 has changed from an open state to a closed state (step S12: YES), the vehicle getting on / off support control unit 114 increments the counter variable CT by 1 (step S13).

[0039] After step S13 is completed, the getting on and off support control unit 114 determines whether the counter variable CT is less than 2 (step S14), and if the counter variable CT is less than 2 (step S14: YES), the process proceeds to step S12.

[0040] If the counter variable CT is not less than 2 (step S14: NO), the vehicle entry / exit support control unit 114 causes the vehicle entry / exit recognition unit 111 to determine whether the electronic key 2 is outside the vehicle (step S15). If the vehicle entry / exit recognition unit 111 determines that the electronic key 2 is outside the vehicle (step S11: YES), the process proceeds to step S12. If the vehicle entry / exit recognition unit 111 determines that the electronic key 2 is inside the vehicle (step S15: NO), the vehicle entry / exit support control unit 114 activates the seat drive unit 94 and the column drive unit 95 to control the driver's seat 5 and the steering column 4 in the driver's seat area 3 to their restored positions (step S16).

[0041] The operations up to step S16 correspond to, for example, the following case: the driver selects the second power supply control mode, closes the driver's door 7 when getting out of the vehicle while the supply of driving power supply 130 is maintained in the on state, and then gets in with the driver's door 7 open again, sits in the driver's seat 5, and closes the driver's door 7.

[0042] After step S16 is completed, the boarding / exiting support control unit 114 resets the counter variable CT of the count data 122 to 0 (step S17). The second power supply control mode is reset, and thereafter, processing is performed assuming that the first power supply control mode has been selected.

[0043] In this way, in the second power supply control mode, after the boarding / alighting recognition unit 111 recognizes that the user has alighted from the vehicle 1, the boarding / alighting support control unit 114 controls the positional relationship between the steering column 4 and the driver's seat 5 in the driver's seat area 3 to a restored positional relationship when the driver's seat door sensor 96 detects that the driver's seat door has switched from an open state to a closed state two or more times and recognizes that the user is in the vehicle 1. The above-described operation is particularly suitable when the driver gets off the vehicle for only a short time, for example, to stop by a convenience store.

[0044] Returning to the explanation of step S11, if the boarding / exiting recognition unit 111 determines that the electronic key 2 is not outside the vehicle (step S11: NO), it determines whether the driver's door 7 has changed from an open state to a closed state (step S21), and if the driver's door 7 has not changed from an open state to a closed state (step S21: NO), the boarding / exiting support control unit 114 repeats the determination of step S21. For example, if there are other occupants remaining in the vehicle other than the driver, the driver may get out of the vehicle without the electronic key 2.

[0045] Next, the getting on / off support control unit 114 determines whether or not the brake pedal 11 is depressed by the brake sensor 93 (step S22), and if the brake pedal 11 is not depressed (step S22: NO), repeats the determination of step S22.

[0046] If the brake pedal 11 is depressed (step S22: YES), the getting on / off support control unit 114 operates the seat drive unit 94 and the column drive unit 95 to control the driver's seat 5 and the steering column 4 in the driver's seat area 3 to their restored positions (step S23). The second power supply control mode is reset, and thereafter, the process is performed assuming that the first power supply control mode has been selected.

[0047] In this way, in the second power supply control mode, when the electronic key 2 is located inside the vehicle 1 and the brake pedal 11 is operated, the boarding / exiting support control unit 114 controls the positional relationship between the steering column 4 and the driver's seat 5 in the driver's seat area 3 to a return positional relationship.

[0048] Returning to the explanation of step S2, if the second power supply control mode is not selected (step S2: NO), the power supply control unit 112 enters the first power supply control mode. Next, the vehicle getting on / off support control unit 114 determines whether the driver's door 7 has changed from a closed state to an open state (step S31). If the driver's door 7 has not changed from a closed state to an open state (step S31: NO), the vehicle getting on / off support control unit 114 repeats the determination of step S31. If the driver's door 7 has changed from a closed state to an open state (step S31: YES), the vehicle getting on / off support control unit 114 operates the seat drive unit 94 and the column drive unit 95 to control the driver's seat 5 and the steering column 4 in the driver's seat area 3 to their retracted positions (step S32).

[0049] Next, the getting-in / out recognizing unit 111 determines whether the electronic key 2 is outside the vehicle (step S33), and if the getting-in / out recognizing unit 111 determines that the electronic key 2 is inside the vehicle (step S33: NO), the process proceeds to step S22.

[0050] If the entry / exit recognition unit 111 determines that the electronic key 2 is outside the vehicle (step S33: YES), the power supply control unit 112 recognizes that the driver's door 7 has been closed by the user (step S34), and the power supply control unit 112 turns off the supply of the driving power supply 130 (step S35).

[0051] Next, the boarding / exiting recognition unit 111 determines whether the driver has boarded the vehicle by determining whether the electronic key 2 is outside the vehicle (step S36), and if the driver has not boarded the vehicle (step S36: NO), the determination of step S36 is repeated.

[0052] If the boarding / exiting recognizing unit 111 determines that the driver has boarded (step S36: YES), the power supply control unit 112 turns on the supply of the driving power supply 130 (step S37).

[0053] Next, triggered by the supply of the driving power supply 130 being turned on, the boarding / exiting support control unit 114 operates the seat driving unit 94 and the column driving unit 95, and controls the driver's seat 5 and steering column 4 in the driver's seat area 3 to their restored positions (step S38).

[0054] The vehicle 1 may be equipped with an accessory power switch, and step S38 may be executed when the accessory power switch is turned on from off. Alternatively, step S38 may be executed when the electronic key 2 is inside the vehicle and the brake pedal 11 is depressed, which causes the power supply control unit 112 to turn on the supply of driving power 130.

[0055] In this way, in the first power supply control mode, the power supply control unit 112 turns off the driving power supply in response to the establishment of the dismounting completion determination condition, and then turns on the supply of driving power supply 130 when the boarding / exiting recognition unit 111 recognizes that the user has boarded the vehicle. Also, in the first power supply control mode, after the power supply control unit 112 turns off the supply of driving power supply 130 in response to the establishment of the dismounting completion determination condition, the boarding / exiting support control unit 114 sets the positional relationship between the steering column 4 and the driver's seat 5 in the driver's seat area 3 to the restored positional relationship when the user operates the power switch 92 or the brake pedal 11.

[0056] (Other embodiments) The control device 100 may be configured to be able to customize the speed of the operation of the seat drive unit 94 and the column drive unit 95 when changing between the return position relationship and the retracted position relationship. The control device 100 may be configured to automatically close the window provided on the driver's door 7 or on any other door when the driver gets out of the vehicle.

[0057] The control device 100 is configured to switch between the return position relationship and the evacuation position relationship according to predetermined conditions, but it may also be configured to allow the user to set it so that the return position relationship and the evacuation position relationship are not switched. The control device 100 is configured to switch between the return position relationship and the retracted position relationship according to predetermined conditions, but may also be configured to be able to cancel the switching operation between the return position relationship and the retracted position relationship by operating a predetermined operator (for example, a seat manual switch or a seat position switch) midway through.

[0058] The processor 110 may be configured with a single processor or multiple processors. These processors may be hardware programmed to implement corresponding functional units. That is, these processors may be configured with, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0059] The configuration of vehicle 1 shown in Figure 2 is an example, and the specific implementation form is not particularly limited. In other words, it is not necessarily necessary to implement hardware corresponding to each unit individually, and it is also possible to configure the vehicle 1 so that the functions of each unit are realized by a single processor executing a program. Furthermore, some of the functions realized by software in the above-described embodiment may be realized by hardware, or some of the functions realized by hardware may be realized by software.

[0060] The step units of the operation shown in Figure 3 are divided according to the main processing content to make the operation easier to understand, and the operation is not limited by the way the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The operation may be divided into more step units depending on the processing content. Furthermore, one step unit may be divided so that it includes more processing. Furthermore, the order of the steps may be changed as appropriate within the scope that does not interfere with the purpose of this disclosure.

[0061] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

[0062] The above embodiment is a specific example of the following configuration.

[0063] (Configuration 1) A vehicle control device for controlling the operation of a vehicle having a driver's seat area drive unit that changes the positional relationship between a steering column and a driver's seat in a driver's seat area, and a driver's seat door sensor that detects an open / closed state of a driver's seat door, the vehicle control device comprising: an entry / exit recognition unit that recognizes when a user of the vehicle gets into the vehicle and gets off the vehicle; a power supply control unit that switches between a first power supply control mode, in which a power supply for driving the vehicle is turned off, and a second power supply control mode, in which the power supply for driving the vehicle is kept on even after the disembarkation completion condition is met, in accordance with a selection operation of the user when the entry / exit recognition unit recognizes that the user has disembarked from the vehicle and the driver's seat door sensor detects that the driver's seat door has switched from an open state to a closed state; and a power supply control unit that switches between a first power supply control mode, in which a power supply for driving the vehicle is turned off, and a second power supply control mode, in which the power supply for driving the vehicle is kept on even after the disembarkation completion condition is met, in accordance with a selection operation of the user when the entry / exit recognition unit recognizes that the user has disembarked from the vehicle and the driver's seat door sensor detects that the driver's seat door has switched from an open state to a closed state, in accordance with a selection operation of the user. and a vehicle entry / exit support control unit that switches the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area between a first positional relationship corresponding to driving and a second positional relationship corresponding to getting in and out of the vehicle, wherein when the driver's seat door sensor detects that the driver's seat door has switched from a closed state to an open state while the vehicle is parked, the vehicle entry / exit support control unit sets the positional relationship to the second positional relationship by moving at least one of the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area, and when, in the second power supply control mode, the vehicle entry / exit recognition unit recognizes that the user has exited the vehicle, and then the driver's seat door sensor detects that the driver's seat door has switched from an open state to a closed state two or more times and recognizes that the user is in the vehicle, the vehicle entry / exit support control unit sets the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area to the first positional relationship. According to configuration 1, when a driver who has dismounted from the vehicle while the vehicle's drive power supply is kept on returns to the vehicle and gets in, the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat is automatically restored to the positional relationship corresponding to when driving, without the driver having to operate an operator, thereby improving ease of getting in and out of the vehicle.

[0064] (Configuration 2) In the vehicle control device described in Configuration 1, the power supply control unit, in the first power supply control mode, turns off the supply of the driving power supply in response to the establishment of the disembarkation completion determination condition, and then turns on the supply of the driving power supply when the boarding / disembarking recognition unit recognizes that the user has boarded the vehicle. According to configuration 2, if the second power supply control mode is not selected and the first power supply control mode is selected, the drive power supply is turned off when the user disembarks and turned on when the user gets on, so the user does not need to switch the drive power supply on and off every time they get on or off, improving convenience.

[0065] (Configuration 3) A vehicle control device as described in Configuration 1 or Configuration 2, wherein the boarding / exiting support control unit changes the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area to the first positional relationship when the supply of the driving power source is changed from an off state to an on state, or when the user operates the brake pedal provided on the vehicle while the supply of the driving power source is on. According to configuration 3, when the user operates the power switch provided on the vehicle or the brake pedal provided on the vehicle, the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat becomes the first positional relationship. Therefore, even if the drive power supply is automatically turned on when getting in the vehicle, or if the user gets in from a seat other than the driver's seat and moves to the driver's seat, the first positional relationship can be automatically established, improving ease of getting in and out.

[0066] (Configuration 4) A vehicle control device described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the boarding / exiting recognition unit recognizes whether the user has boarded or exited the vehicle by recognizing whether the electronic key is located outside or inside the vehicle depending on the communication status between a communication unit provided in the vehicle and the electronic key of the vehicle used by the user. According to configuration 4, a user's entry into the vehicle is determined by the presence of the electronic key inside the vehicle, and a user's exit from the vehicle is determined by the absence of the electronic key inside the vehicle, so that user detection can be performed without adding a detection means such as a seat sensor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1...vehicle, 2...electronic key, 3...driver's seat area, 4...steering column, 5...driver's seat (driver's seat), 7...driver's seat door, 11...brake pedal, 91...communication device, 92...power switch, 93...brake sensor, 94...seat drive unit (driver's seat area drive unit), 95...column drive unit (driver's seat area drive unit), 96...driver's seat door sensor, 100...control device (vehicle control device), 110...processor, 111...boarding / exiting recognition unit, 112...power supply control unit, 114...boarding / exiting support control unit, 120...memory, 121...program, 122...count data, 130...drive power supply

Claims

1. a driver's seat area drive unit that changes the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area; A vehicle control device that controls the operation of a vehicle having a driver's door sensor that detects the open / close state of a driver's door, a boarding / alighting recognition unit that recognizes when a user of the vehicle gets on or off the vehicle; a power supply control unit that switches between a first power supply control mode in which the supply of a driving power source to the vehicle is turned off and a second power supply control mode in which the supply of the driving power source is maintained in an on state even after the disembarkation completion condition is met, in accordance with a selection operation by the user, when the getting-in / out recognition unit recognizes that the user has disembarked from the vehicle and the driver's door sensor detects that the driver's door has switched from an open state to a closed state, thereby establishing a disembarkation completion determination condition; a vehicle entry / exit support control unit that switches a positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area between a first positional relationship corresponding to driving and a second positional relationship corresponding to getting on and off the vehicle by the driver's seat area drive unit, The boarding and alighting support control unit When the driver's door sensor detects that the driver's door has switched from a closed state to an open state while the vehicle is parked, at least one of the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area is moved to set the positional relationship to the second positional relationship; In the second power supply control mode, after the getting-in / out recognition unit recognizes that the user has gotten out of the vehicle, when the driver's door sensor detects that the driver's door has switched from an open state to a closed state two or more times and it is recognized that the user is in the vehicle, the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area is set to the first positional relationship. Vehicle control device.

2. In the first power supply control mode, the power supply control unit turns off the supply of the driving power supply in response to the establishment of the disembarkation completion determination condition, and then turns on the supply of the driving power supply when the boarding / disembarking recognition unit recognizes that the user has boarded the vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. the getting on / off support control unit sets the positional relationship between the steering column and the driver's seat in the driver's seat area to the first positional relationship when the supply of the driving power source is changed from an off state to an on state, or when the user operates a brake pedal provided in the vehicle while the supply of the driving power source is on. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The getting-in and getting-out recognition unit recognizes whether the electronic key is located outside or inside the vehicle depending on the communication status between a communication unit provided in the vehicle and an electronic key of the vehicle used by the user, thereby recognizing that the user has gotten into and gotten out of the vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

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