Methods for reducing or avoiding motion sickness

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for reducing or avoiding motion sickness in occupants of a vehicle (1) during driving operation, in which the course of a driving section located in front of the vehicle (1) is ascertained. According to the present invention, the upcoming lateral acceleration acting on the occupant is predicted based on the confirmed course of the driving section located in front of the vehicle (1), and as a measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness, the body of the vehicle (1) and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated is rotated in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration before entering the predicted lateral acceleration, thereby inducing the occupant to perform an opposing movement of the upper body or at least the head.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for reducing or avoiding motion sickness according to the preamble of claim 1. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a method for predicting and mitigating injuries to occupants due to motion sickness during vehicle operation is known from the prior art. The occupant is detected at least by means of a vehicle camera. Depending on the stimuli acting on the occupant, the occupant's individual differences in susceptibility to motion sickness and the type of activity performed during the vehicle operation, characteristic values ​​indicative of the probability of injury due to motion sickness are ascertained. Depending on the ascertained characteristic values, at least one individual measure from a catalog of measures for predicting injury due to motion sickness is recommended to the occupant or is automatically implemented. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] DE102019003429A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem on which the present invention is based is to provide a method for reducing or avoiding motion sickness which is an improvement over the prior art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] This problem is solved according to the invention by a method for reducing or avoiding motion sickness with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0006] Thus, in a method for reducing or avoiding motion sickness in vehicle occupants during vehicle operation, the course of a journey ahead of the vehicle is determined, for example, based on a digital road map and the vehicle's current position, determined, for example, using a global navigation satellite system, and / or is determined using a vehicle environment detection sensor system. The vehicle environment detection sensor system may, for example, have at least one camera, for example a monocular or stereo camera, and / or at least one radar sensor and / or at least one lidar sensor and / or at least one ultrasonic sensor as sensors. The environment detection sensor system may, for example, have multiple identical or different sensors. Using the environment detection sensor system, the course of a journey ahead of the vehicle can be determined, for example, by detecting the journey and / or the journey section boundary and / or by detecting at least one traffic sign or guide sign indicating the course of the journey ahead of the vehicle. In addition to using, for example, a digital road map and the vehicle's confirmed current location, and / or the vehicle's surrounding environment detection sensor system, for example, occupant input information can be used to confirm the course of the trip ahead of the vehicle, the input information being, for example, a destination entered by the occupant into, for example, the vehicle's navigation system, and / or occupant-specified preferred trip segments, and / or occupant-specified preferred trip segment characteristics.

[0007] According to the present invention, the upcoming lateral acceleration and / or resulting lateral force acting on the occupant is predicted based on the determined path of the section of travel ahead of the vehicle. This lateral acceleration acting on the occupant is, in particular, centrifugal acceleration. This is caused, in particular, by a section of travel that is configured as a curve. That is, this lateral acceleration and the resulting lateral force, in particular generated as a centrifugal force, act on the occupant when passing through this section of travel that is configured as a curve, and in particular act on the occupant due to the inertia of the occupant's body. This lateral acceleration generated as centrifugal acceleration or this lateral force generated as a centrifugal force is in the direction opposite to the direction of the curve. That is, if the section of the section of travel ahead of the vehicle that is the subject of the upcoming lateral acceleration acting on the occupant curves to the right, the direction of this lateral acceleration or lateral force acting on the occupant is directed to the left. Conversely, if the section of the section of travel ahead of the vehicle that is the subject of the upcoming lateral acceleration acting on the occupant curves to the left, the direction of this lateral acceleration or lateral force acting on the occupant is directed to the right. The lateral force generated as a centrifugal force is the product of the lateral acceleration generated as centrifugal acceleration and the mass of the occupant. The prediction of the lateral acceleration or lateral force is based, in particular, on the identified road section ahead and the vehicle speed. The speed used for this purpose is, for example, the vehicle's current speed and / or a predicted or set vehicle speed for the road section ahead, in particular the section that will cause the upcoming lateral acceleration. The set speed is, for example, a predetermined maximum speed for this section, or a speed set for this section for automated, in particular highly automated or autonomous, driving of the vehicle. Alternatively or additionally, the speed and / or magnitude of the lateral acceleration can be based, for example, on empirical and / or learned values, thus in particular on an empirically-based personalized analysis, and thus predicted on an empirical and / or learned basis. The empirical and / or learned information can, for example, be based on previously performed driving, in particular driving by the same occupant, and / or on the occupant's preferred driving style. For example, artificial intelligence can be used to identify the occupant and their preferred driving style. The prediction of the upcoming lateral acceleration acting on the occupant may, for example, be based on correlation of the currently existing situation with past scenarios, particularly learned scenarios.As mentioned above, lateral accelerations are caused in particular by curved sections, that is to say, lateral accelerations act on the vehicle occupants when passing through curved sections.

[0008] As a measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness, the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated is rotated, particularly suddenly or sharply, in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration before the predicted lateral acceleration is entered, thereby inducing the occupant to perform an opposing movement of the upper body or at least the head. That is, this sudden or sharp rotation is performed so that the occupant is induced to perform an opposing movement of the upper body or at least the head. For this purpose, the rotation, particularly the sudden or sharp rotation, is performed particularly strongly so that this opposing movement occurs, i.e., an opposing movement is induced. The opposing movement is in this case directed in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration. The occupant is thus induced to actively tilt their upper body or at least their head toward the curve. This tilt is also referred to as leaning toward the curve or lying toward the curve.

[0009] In particular, this pivoting of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is performed several hundred milliseconds before the predicted lateral acceleration is entered, for example, 1 to 200 milliseconds before the predicted lateral acceleration is entered.

[0010] In particular, as a further measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness, the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated is then rotated in a direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration to support the occupant's counter-movement. Thus, the rotation of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated supports the occupant's tilting of the upper body or at least the head toward the curve in a direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration. This rotation of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated in a direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is particularly performed synchronously with the occupant's counter-movement. To ensure this, for example, the occupant's counter-movement is determined, for example, using a vehicle camera that detects the occupant, in particular the occupant's movement, and / or using an occupant movement sensor system, for example, in the vehicle seat. Alternatively, for example, a waiting time is set between the execution of a rotation of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat with the occupant in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration and the execution of a rotation of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat with the occupant in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration, so that in this case the rotation of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat with the occupant in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is executed at the end of this waiting time, i.e. immediately after the expiration of this waiting time.

[0011] If the section of the road located in front of the vehicle, which is the subject of the prediction of the upcoming lateral acceleration acting on the occupant, is a right curve, the direction of this lateral acceleration acting on the occupant, i.e., the direction of the centrifugal acceleration acting on the occupant, is particularly directed to the left based on the inertia of the occupant's body. The vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat on which the occupant is seated are rotated in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration, thus to the left, particularly suddenly or sharply to the left, before entering the predicted lateral acceleration, thereby inducing the occupant to perform an opposite movement of the upper body or at least the head. The opposite direction is therefore directed to the right. The occupant therefore actively tilts their upper body or at least their head in the direction of the curve, here, the direction of the right curve. In this case, as a further measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness, the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat on which the occupant is seated are particularly rotated in the direction opposite to the predicted lateral acceleration, thus to the right, in order to support the opposite movement of the occupant. This pivoting of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated thus assists the occupant in leaning their upper body or at least their head in the direction of the curve, and this pivoting of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is carried out in particular synchronously with the opposite movement of the occupant.

[0012] If the section of the road located in front of the vehicle, which is the subject of the prediction of the upcoming lateral acceleration acting on the occupant, is a left curve, the direction of this lateral acceleration acting on the occupant, i.e., the direction of the centrifugal acceleration acting on the occupant, is particularly directed to the right based on the inertia of the occupant's body. The vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat on which the occupant is seated are rotated in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration, thus to the right, particularly suddenly or sharply to the right, before entering the predicted lateral acceleration, thereby inducing the occupant to perform an opposite-direction movement of the upper body or at least the head. Therefore, the opposite direction is directed to the left. Therefore, the occupant actively tilts their upper body or at least their head in the direction of the curve, here, the left curve. In this case, as a further measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness, the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat on which the occupant is seated are particularly rotated in the direction opposite to the predicted lateral acceleration, thus to the left, in order to support the opposite-direction movement of the occupant. This pivoting of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated thus assists the occupant in leaning their upper body or at least their head in the direction of the curve, and this pivoting of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated in the opposite direction to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is carried out in particular synchronously with the opposite movement of the occupant.

[0013] The aforementioned pivoting of the vehicle body is in particular achieved by means of the chassis suspension of the vehicle, in particular by means of a corresponding actuator of the vehicle, and the aforementioned pivoting of the vehicle seat is in particular achieved by means of a corresponding pivot actuator, by means of which the vehicle seat is pivoted in the aforementioned manner relative to the vehicle body.

[0014] Therefore, in the above-mentioned method, which is particularly automatically implemented by the vehicle or by at least one device of the vehicle, a sudden control that is predicted by driving dynamics is implemented in order to avoid motion sickness in the vehicle occupants, especially when lateral dynamics are imminent.

[0015] Motion sickness, also known as motion sickness or acceleration sickness, is a natural physiological response of the human organism characterized by primary symptoms of fatigue, sweating, headache, and nausea. Fatigue, attention, and concentration problems may manifest as secondary symptoms and may persist for hours to days. This can significantly affect the ability to take over or drive a vehicle when automated driving operations, especially highly automated or autonomous driving operations, are interrupted, and can be a significant safety issue.

[0016] Motion sickness occurs when the human body senses sensory, especially visual, vestibular, and somatosensory, motor stimuli that do not match previous motor patterns stored in neuronal memory. In particular, the increasing automation of vehicles, and the resulting ability of drivers to engage in particularly visually demanding intermissions during automated, especially highly automated or autonomous, driving operations, are expected to significantly increase the incidence of motion sickness.

[0017] The described method improves the occupant's postural stability, particularly when the occupant is not facing forward, i.e., when the occupant's gaze is not directed through the vehicle window to the external vehicle environment, for example, when reading a book, in order to reduce or avoid motion sickness. For this purpose, the described method induces a rotational impact along the vehicle longitudinal axis or along a direction parallel to the vehicle longitudinal axis by the chassis suspension and / or the vehicle seat in the manner described above, particularly for several hundred milliseconds before the predicted lateral acceleration. This rotational impact is induced by the chassis suspension by pivoting the vehicle body in the manner described above and / or by pivoting the vehicle seat in the manner described above. A rocking movement of the vehicle body or at least the vehicle seat acting on the occupant is thus implemented. The induced movement follows the predicted, and therefore future, lateral acceleration. That is, the lateral acceleration is directed in the direction of the lateral acceleration, as described above. This induces an opposing movement of the occupant's upper body or at least their head. This impact, i.e., a sudden or sudden turning movement, is performed with a corresponding strength to cause a countermovement, whereby this reflex countermovement is preferably assisted by the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in the aforementioned subsequent turning, i.e., in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration, whereby this turning is performed in particular in synchronization with the countermovement of the occupant.

[0018] In one possible embodiment of the method, acoustic, visual, and / or haptic information is output to the vehicle occupants as a further measure to mitigate or avoid motion sickness. In this case, in one possible embodiment of the method, the intensity of the information output is set depending on the magnitude of the predicted lateral acceleration. Thus, acoustic, visual, and haptic information are used in a complementary manner to mitigate or avoid motion sickness, thereby providing the vehicle occupants with a clear indication of the information content of the upcoming lateral movement, and thus the lateral acceleration. In this case, intensity-adjusted information is of particular interest. This means that a stronger lateral acceleration results in a louder acoustic signal and / or a brighter color or brightness. Thus, the intensity of the information output is set depending on the magnitude of the predicted lateral acceleration, for example, by adapting the volume of the acoustic information output and / or the saturation and / or brightness of the visual information output to the magnitude of the predicted lateral acceleration.

[0019] In one possible embodiment of the method, the one or more measures for mitigating or avoiding motion sickness are implemented only if it is determined that at least one predetermined motion sickness criterion or a plurality of predetermined motion sickness criteria are fulfilled, in particular a criterion which, when fulfilled, indicates the existence of a situation that is close to the onset of motion sickness, i.e., that the risk of motion sickness occurring or increasing.

[0020] For example, one or more measures to reduce or avoid motion sickness will be implemented only if it is determined that: - the predicted lateral acceleration exceeds a predetermined lateral acceleration threshold, and / or - The occupant has a susceptibility to motion sickness, and / or - the duration of the current drive exceeds a predetermined drive time threshold, and / or - the occupant is performing an interim activity that is not dependent on the vehicle's motion; and / or the occupant's gaze is directed downwards and / or towards the vehicle window and / or towards an object related to the intermittent activity, and / or - The vehicle's interior temperature is above a predetermined interior temperature threshold, and / or - The crew is unwell, i.e. the crew is not in good health, This will only be carried out if it is confirmed that

[0021] In particular, one or more measures to mitigate or avoid motion sickness are implemented only if it is determined that the predicted lateral acceleration exceeds a predetermined lateral acceleration threshold and, in addition, at least one further predetermined motion sickness criterion or a plurality of further predetermined motion sickness criteria are fulfilled, e.g. - The occupant has a susceptibility to motion sickness, and / or - the duration of the current drive exceeds a predetermined drive time threshold, and / or - the occupant is performing an interim activity that is not dependent on the vehicle's motion; and / or the occupant's gaze is directed downwards and / or towards the vehicle window and / or towards an object related to the intermittent activity, and / or - The vehicle's interior temperature is above a predetermined interior temperature threshold, and / or - The crew is unwell, i.e. the crew is not in good health, This will only be carried out if it is confirmed that

[0022] The occupant's susceptibility to motion sickness, i.e., whether the occupant is sensitive or prone to developing motion sickness, can be determined, for example, by the occupant transmitting this information to the vehicle by voice or text input, or by information from the occupant's previous trips in the vehicle that has been determined and stored by the vehicle, for example, in particular using an occupant sensor system.

[0023] The current driving duration is determined, for example, by a driving time counter in the vehicle or by some other method.

[0024] An inertial activity that is not dependent on a driving movement is, in particular, an activity that is not required for the driving movement and is not related to the driving movement. Such inertial activities are, for example, reading, for example, a book or a newspaper, playing a game, for example, a computer game, or watching a video or a television program. Whether an occupant is performing such an inertial activity can be determined, for example, by using an occupant sensor system of the vehicle, in particular by using a camera.

[0025] The line of sight of the occupant can be determined, for example, by means of the vehicle's occupant sensor system, in particular by means of a camera.

[0026] The interior temperature is ascertained, for example, using an interior temperature sensor in the vehicle.

[0027] The health of an occupant and therefore the occupant's unhealthy condition, i.e. poor physical condition, can be confirmed, for example, using the vehicle's occupant sensor system, for example, using a camera and / or a sensor system for checking the occupant's vital parameters.

[0028] If the occupant is a driver of the vehicle, the method is implemented for this occupant in particular or exclusively during automated, in particular highly automated or autonomous, driving operations of the vehicle, where the driver is the occupant of the vehicle who must take over control of the vehicle when the automated driving operation is interrupted, in particular who must actively drive the vehicle.

[0029] If the occupant is not the driver of the vehicle, the method may be performed on the occupant during automated driving operations of the vehicle, in particular highly automated and / or autonomous driving operations, and / or in other driving operation situations, in particular during driving operations of the vehicle actively performed by a driver.

[0030] The method described above can also be implemented for several vehicle occupants. In particular, if each occupant is engaged in a turning movement in their vehicle seat, the method can then be implemented individually for each occupant, in particular depending on whether at least one or each motion sickness criterion for each occupant is fulfilled. In this case, the method is implemented, for example, for only one or several of the occupants, since the presence of susceptibility to motion sickness, the performance of non-travel-dependent intermittent activities, line of sight, and health status, i.e., whether or not they are in poor health, may vary from occupant to occupant.

[0031] Unlike existing technical solutions that aim to compensate for lateral dynamics, for example, by using leaning techniques while the vehicle is passing through a curve and thus leaning into the curve when it enters a lateral acceleration, the solution described herein focuses on predictive impact and thus inducing the occupant's own movement against centrifugal force. The key here is to activate the human motor system, not passively inducing the human to compensate for the lateral forces that occur. It has been shown that only active movement can reduce motion sickness. The essence of the described solution is, in particular, to induce reflexive body movements. Thus, the stimulation cannot be ignored without deliberate suppression and leads to direct muscle activity, thereby stimulating, in particular, the vestibulo-spinal reflex and / or the vestibulo-cervical reflex and / or the cervicocervical reflex. This stimulation is particularly advantageous for reducing or avoiding motion sickness.

[0032] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates, in schematic form, one embodiment of a method for reducing or avoiding motion sickness in an occupant during vehicle driving operations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] 1 shows an exemplary traffic situation during the driving operation of a vehicle 1, as well as a method implemented in this case for reducing or avoiding motion sickness in the occupants of the vehicle 1. Components or required input quantities of the described technical solution are, in particular, a prediction of the future trajectory of the vehicle 1, i.e. a prediction of the driving section located ahead of the vehicle 1, and an associated description of the lateral acceleration, in particular the centrifugal acceleration, that will occur in the future for the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0035] In the method described below, measures to mitigate or avoid motion sickness are implemented, particularly when a predetermined lateral acceleration threshold is exceeded and further criteria for a situation where motion sickness is imminent are additionally detected. Criteria related to motion sickness include, among others, the occupant's individual susceptibility to motion sickness, the driving duration, the occupant's interim actions, the interior temperature of the vehicle 1, and the occupant's current health state. A situation where motion sickness is imminent exists, for example, when the occupant looks down, for example, to read a book or perform other interim activities.

[0036] Thus, in the method described herein for reducing or avoiding motion sickness in occupants of a vehicle 1 during driving operation, the course of a journey ahead of the vehicle 1 is determined based on, for example, a digital road map and the current position of the vehicle 1 as determined, for example, using a global navigation satellite system, and / or is determined using a surrounding environment detection sensor system of the vehicle 1. Using the surrounding environment detection sensor system, the course of a journey ahead of the vehicle 1 can be determined, for example, by detecting the journey and / or the journey section boundary and / or detecting at least one traffic sign 2 or guide sign indicating the course of the journey ahead of the vehicle 1. In the illustrated example, there is a traffic sign 2 indicating a sharp right curve ahead of the vehicle 1.

[0037] Based on the determined path of the section of travel ahead of the vehicle 1 and, for example, on additional, particularly experience-based, driving dynamics parameters, the upcoming lateral acceleration acting on the occupants is predicted. This lateral acceleration acting on the occupants is, in particular, the centrifugal acceleration acting on the occupants, particularly based on the inertia of their bodies, while the vehicle 1 is negotiating a curve, particularly with respect to its direction. The prediction of the lateral acceleration is based, in particular, on the determined section of travel ahead and the speed of the vehicle 1. The speed used for this purpose is, for example, the current speed of the vehicle 1 and / or a predicted or set speed for the section of travel ahead, in particular the section causing the upcoming lateral acceleration. The set speed is, for example, a predetermined maximum speed for this section of travel, or a speed set for this section of travel for automated, in particular highly automated or autonomous, driving operation of the vehicle 1. In the illustrated example, the section of travel is a right-hand curve. The speed of the vehicle 1 is therefore the predicted or set speed for negotiating this right-hand curve, or is used to confirm the predicted or set speed for negotiating this right-hand curve.

[0038] As a measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness, as shown in Fig. 1, the body of the vehicle 1, or alternatively or additionally, the vehicle seat on which the occupant of the vehicle 1 is seated, is rotated, particularly suddenly or sharply, in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration before the predicted lateral acceleration is entered, thereby inducing the occupant to perform an opposite-direction movement of the upper body or at least the head. This rotation is schematically shown in Fig. 1 by a first rotation line S1, which indicates the orientation of the body of the vehicle 1 rotating about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle or about a line parallel to the longitudinal axis, relative to the normal attitude of the vehicle 1, i.e., the horizontal orientation of the vehicle 1. Here, the normal attitude of the vehicle 1 is represented by a normal attitude line N, which corresponds to the orientation of the lateral axis of the vehicle 1 in the normal attitude. The first rotation line S1 corresponds to the orientation of the lateral axis of the vehicle 1 after the body has rotated in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration.

[0039] For this purpose, a turning movement, in particular a sudden or rapid turning movement, is performed so strongly that this opposite movement occurs, i.e., the opposite movement is induced. In particular, this turning of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is performed several hundred milliseconds, for example 1 to 200 milliseconds, before the predicted lateral acceleration is entered.

[0040] Furthermore, as a further measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness in the illustrated example, the vehicle body or, alternatively or additionally, the vehicle seat on which the occupant is seated is then rotated to support the occupant's counter-movement in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration. This rotation is schematically shown in FIG. 1 by a second rotation line S2, which indicates the orientation of the vehicle body of the vehicle 1 rotating about the vehicle longitudinal axis or about a line parallel to the vehicle longitudinal axis, relative to the normal position. The second rotation line S2 corresponds to the orientation of the vehicle 1's transverse axis after the vehicle body has been rotated in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration. This rotation of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat on which the occupant is seated in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is particularly performed synchronously with the occupant's counter-movement. For example, the rotation compensates for at least the wheel load difference resulting from the lateral acceleration, including the spring compression (rocking movement) associated with the wheel load difference, so that the normal position of the vehicle 1, i.e., the normal position line N, is at least achieved.

[0041] If the section of the journey ahead of the vehicle 1, which is the subject of the prediction of the upcoming lateral acceleration acting on the occupants, is a right-hand curve, as in the example shown in FIG. 1, the direction of this lateral acceleration acting on the occupants is directed to the left. The vehicle body of the vehicle 1 and / or the vehicle seats in which the occupants are seated are rotated in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration, thus to the left, particularly suddenly or sharply to the left, before entering the predicted lateral acceleration, thereby inducing the occupants to perform a counter-movement of their upper body or at least their head. The counter-movement is therefore directed to the right, i.e., toward the inside of the curve. In this case, as a further measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness, the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seats in which the occupants are seated are rotated in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration, thus to the right, in order to support the counter-movement of the occupants. This rotation of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seats in which the occupants are seated in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is performed synchronously with the counter-movement of the occupants.

[0042] If the section of the driving section located in front of the vehicle 1 for which the next lateral acceleration acting on the occupants is predicted is a left curve not shown here, the above-mentioned movements, in particular the turning movements, are carried out in the opposite direction accordingly.

[0043] The aforementioned pivoting of the vehicle body is in particular implemented by means of the chassis suspension of the vehicle 1, in particular by means of corresponding actuators of the vehicle 1. The aforementioned pivoting of the vehicle seat is in particular implemented by means of corresponding pivot actuators, by means of which the vehicle seat is pivoted in the aforementioned manner relative to the vehicle body.

[0044] The described method improves the occupant's postural stability, particularly when the occupant is not facing forward, i.e., when the occupant's gaze is not directed through the vehicle window to the external vehicle environment, for example, when reading a book, in order to reduce or avoid motion sickness. For this purpose, the described method induces a rotational impact along the vehicle longitudinal axis or along a direction parallel to the vehicle longitudinal axis by the chassis suspension and / or the vehicle seat in the manner described above, particularly for several hundred milliseconds before the predicted lateral acceleration. This rotational impact is induced by the chassis suspension by pivoting the vehicle body in the manner described above and / or by pivoting the vehicle seat in the manner described above. A rocking movement of the vehicle body or at least the vehicle seat acting on the occupant is thus implemented. The induced movement follows the predicted, and therefore future, lateral acceleration. That is, the lateral acceleration is directed in the direction of the lateral acceleration, as described above. This induces an opposing movement of the occupant's upper body or at least their head. The impact is performed with a suitable strength to cause a reflexive countermovement, which is then assisted by the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in the subsequent turning described above, i.e. in the direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration, whereby this turning is performed in synchronization with the countermovement of the occupant.

[0045] In particular, acoustic, visual and / or haptic information is output to the occupants as a further measure to mitigate or avoid motion sickness. In this case, in one possible embodiment of the method, the intensity of the information output is set depending on the magnitude of the predicted lateral acceleration. Thus, acoustic, visual and haptic information are used in a complementary manner to mitigate or avoid motion sickness, thereby providing the occupants with a clear indication of the information content of the upcoming lateral movement and thus the lateral acceleration. In this case, intensity-adjusted information is of particular interest. This means that a stronger lateral acceleration results in a louder acoustic signal and / or a brighter color or brightness.

[0046] In particular, measures to mitigate or avoid motion sickness are taken only if it is determined that a predetermined motion sickness criterion is met. In particular, measures to mitigate or avoid motion sickness are taken only if it is determined that the predicted lateral acceleration exceeds a predetermined lateral acceleration threshold and, in addition, at least one further predetermined motion sickness criterion or a plurality of further predetermined motion sickness criteria are met, e.g. - The occupant has a susceptibility to motion sickness, and / or - the duration of the current drive exceeds a predetermined drive time threshold, and / or - the occupant is performing an interim activity that is not dependent on the vehicle's motion; and / or the occupant's gaze is directed downwards and / or towards the vehicle window of vehicle 1 and / or towards an object related to the intervening activity, and / or - The vehicle's interior temperature is above a predetermined interior temperature threshold, and / or - The crew is unwell, i.e. the crew is not in good health, This will only be carried out if it is confirmed that

Claims

1. A method for reducing or avoiding motion sickness in an occupant of a vehicle (1) during driving operation, the method comprising: determining a path of a driving section located in front of the vehicle (1), the method comprising: The method is characterized in that, based on the confirmed course of the driving section located in front of the vehicle (1), an upcoming lateral acceleration acting on the occupant is predicted, and as a measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness, the body of the vehicle (1) and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated is rotated in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration before entering the predicted lateral acceleration, thereby inducing the occupant to perform an opposite-direction movement of the upper body or at least the head.

2. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the pivoting of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat on which the occupant is seated in the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is carried out several hundred milliseconds before entering the predicted lateral acceleration, in particular 1 to 200 milliseconds before entering the predicted lateral acceleration.

3. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, as a further measure to reduce or avoid motion sickness, the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated is then rotated in a direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration in order to assist the occupant in the opposite direction of movement.

4. 4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the rotation of the vehicle body and / or the vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated in a direction opposite to the direction of the predicted lateral acceleration is performed synchronously with the opposite movement of the occupant.

5. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the opposing movement of the occupant is ascertained.

6. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, as a further measure, in particular to reduce or avoid motion sickness, an acoustic, visual and / or tactile information output to the occupants is implemented.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the intensity of the information output is set in dependence on the magnitude of the predicted lateral acceleration.

8. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more measures for mitigating or avoiding motion sickness are implemented only if it is determined that at least one predetermined motion sickness criterion is met.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein one or more measures to mitigate or avoid motion sickness are implemented only if it is determined that the predicted lateral acceleration exceeds a predetermined lateral acceleration threshold and, in addition, at least one further predetermined motion sickness criterion is met.

10. Further criteria for motion sickness include: - the occupant has a susceptibility to motion sickness, and / or - the current driving duration exceeds a predetermined driving time threshold, and / or - the occupant is performing an interim activity that is not dependent on the running operation of the vehicle (1), and / or the occupant's gaze is directed downwards and / or with their back to the vehicle window of the vehicle (1) and / or towards an object related to the intervening activity, and / or - the interior temperature of the vehicle (1) is above a predetermined interior temperature threshold, and / or - the crew member is confirmed to be unwell, 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the following is taken into account:

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