Vehicle integrated control device and vehicle integrated control method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle integrated control device capable of controlling vehicle attitude so as to prevent kinesia of a person who has high sensitivity to kinesia.SOLUTION: A vehicle integrated control device includes: a target value generating unit for generating or acquiring a control target value of vehicle movement; a kinesia sensitivity acquisition unit for acquiring a kinesia sensitivity index which is a quantitative value of susceptibility to developing kinesia which varies according to occupant characteristics for at least one occupant on the vehicle; and a target value correction unit for correcting the control target value based on the control target value and the kinesia sensitivity index.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the configuration of a vehicle integrated control device that controls the momentum of a vehicle and the control thereof, and more particularly to a technology for controlling the attitude of a vehicle so as to improve the riding comfort of passengers and prevent the onset of motion sickness (motion sickness). [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART A conventional vehicle control device that estimates motion sickness (motion sickness) for a passenger and controls vehicle motion to reduce the risk is known, for example, from the device described in Patent Document 1. The abstract of Patent Document 1 states that "the motion sickness estimation device (100) comprises a sensory conflict calculation unit (10) that estimates the conflict between multiple sensory quantities perceived by the occupant regarding the movement of the occupant's head based on the movement of the occupant's head caused by the shaking of the vehicle; a driving situation feature extraction unit (30) that extracts driving situation features related to motion sickness from the driving situation based on at least one of the movement of the occupant's head and the movement of the vehicle; a habituation progress determination unit (20) that determines whether the occupant is becoming accustomed to the driving situation based on the biological information of the occupant; a sensitivity setting unit (40) that sets the sensitivity to the driving situation features based on the accustomed progress state; a sensory conflict correction unit (50) that corrects the sensory conflict based on the sensitivity; and a motion sickness estimation unit (60) that estimates the motion sickness state of the occupant based on the corrected sensory conflict." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 170640 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the motion sickness estimation method in Patent Document 1 estimates the current extent to which the occupant is suffering from motion sickness based on past driving conditions, and there is a possibility that control to reduce motion sickness may be implemented after the occupant's motion sickness has progressed.

[0005] In order to more effectively reduce motion sickness in occupants, it is necessary to estimate in advance whether or not the occupant is prone to developing motion sickness (susceptibility), and to prevent vehicle movements that could cause motion sickness before the occupant develops motion sickness.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle integrated control device and a vehicle integrated control method using the same that can control the vehicle's attitude so as to prevent motion sickness in occupants who are highly susceptible to motion sickness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a control system including a target value generating unit that generates or acquires a control target value for vehicle motion, a motion sickness susceptibility acquiring unit that acquires a motion sickness susceptibility index, which is a quantitative value of the likelihood of developing motion sickness that varies depending on the occupant characteristics, for at least one occupant riding in the vehicle, and a target value correcting unit that corrects the control target value based on the control target value and the motion sickness susceptibility index. a vehicle motion acquisition unit that acquires a current vehicle motion of the vehicle; a head motion acquisition unit that acquires a head motion of the occupant; and an individual difference learning unit that learns, from the vehicle motion and the head motion, characteristics of the head motion that differ depending on the occupant's characteristics; Equipped with The motion sickness susceptibility acquisition unit predicts the likelihood of the occupant developing motion sickness, which varies depending on the occupant's characteristics, based on the vehicle motion and the head motion, and predicts the occupant's head motion caused by the control target value based on the head motion characteristics learned by the individual difference learning unit, and predicts a motion sickness incidence rate, which is the likelihood of the occupant developing motion sickness, based on the head motion. It is characterized by the following.

[0008] The present invention also provides a method for controlling a vehicle motion, comprising: (a) generating or acquiring a control target value for the motion of the vehicle; and (b) obtaining a motion sickness susceptibility index, which is a quantitative value of the likelihood of developing motion sickness that varies depending on the occupant characteristics, for at least one occupant riding in the vehicle; and (c) correcting the control target value based on the control target value and the motion sickness susceptibility index. (d) acquiring a current vehicle motion of the vehicle; (e) acquiring a head motion of the occupant; and (f) learning, from the vehicle motion and the head motion, characteristics of the head motion that differ depending on the occupant characteristics of the occupant. have A vehicle integrated control method includes predicting the likelihood of an occupant developing motion sickness, which varies depending on the occupant's characteristics, based on the vehicle motion and the head motion, predicting the occupant's head motion caused by the control target value based on the learned characteristics of the head motion, and predicting a motion sickness incidence rate, which is the likelihood of the occupant developing motion sickness, based on the head motion. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a vehicle integrated control device and a vehicle integrated control method using the same that can control the vehicle's attitude so as to prevent motion sickness in occupants who are highly susceptible to motion sickness.

[0010] This will improve the ride comfort for passengers and reduce the onset of motion sickness (motion sickness).

[0011] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating input and output signals of a vehicle integrated control device 2 according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle integrated control device 2 according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4B] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a method for calculating the motion sickness incidence rate (MSI). [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of a target value 22 in the first embodiment. [Figure 7C] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the incidence rate of motion sickness 61 in the first embodiment. [Figure 7D] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a vehicle 1 entering a left curve. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 2 is a diagram conceptually showing attitude control of the vehicle 1 using motor torque or suspension force. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 and the head roll angle 74 of an occupant in the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 in the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle integrated control device 2 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16A] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing how a head roll angle 74 is generated by a lateral acceleration 72. [Figure 16B] FIG. 10 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the function of an individual difference learning unit 83 in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the vehicle's traveling trajectory, lateral acceleration, and the head roll angle of an occupant. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of a vehicle integrated control device 2 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle integrated control device 2 according to a third embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of control by a vehicle integrated control device 2 according to a third embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of control by a vehicle integrated control device 2 according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of overlapping parts will be omitted. [Example]

[0014] First Embodiment A vehicle integrated control device and a vehicle integrated control method according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment.

[0016] In Fig. 1, 2 is a vehicle integrated control device, 3 is an external control device, 4 is a combined sensor, 11 is a wheel, 12 is a motor, 13 is a brake mechanism, 14 is a steering mechanism, 15 is a suspension, 16 is an accelerator pedal, 17 is a brake pedal, and 18 is a handle. In the figure, FL is a symbol indicating a configuration corresponding to the left front, FR is a right front, RL is a left rear, and RR is a right rear. Taking the wheel 11 as an example, 11 FL ,11 FR ,11 RL ,11 RR are the left front wheel, the right front wheel, the left rear wheel, and the right rear wheel, respectively. Also, F is a symbol indicating a configuration corresponding to the front side, and R is a symbol indicating a configuration corresponding to the rear side.

[0017] Below, we will define the front-to-back direction of vehicle 1 as the x-axis (forward direction is positive), the left-to-right direction as the y-axis (left direction is positive), and the up-to-down direction as the z-axis (upward direction is positive), and then explain the details of each component in turn.

[0018] The vehicle integrated control device 2 is a control device that performs integrated control of each actuator such as the motor 12, brake mechanism 13, steering mechanism 14, suspension 15, etc. in response to the driver's operation, external commands from the external control device 3, and detection signals from the combined sensor 4 (detection signals related to control axes with a total of six degrees of freedom: forward / backward, left / right, and up / down acceleration, and roll, pitch, and yaw rates).

[0019] Specifically, the vehicle integrated control device 2 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that includes hardware such as a calculation device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory, an auxiliary storage device, and a communication device. The calculation device executes a program loaded from the auxiliary storage device to the main storage device, thereby realizing the various functions described below, but the following description will omit such well-known techniques as appropriate.

[0020] The external control device 3 is a higher-level controller for executing driving assistance control and automatic driving control via the vehicle integrated control device 2, and calculates speed command values ​​and acceleration command values ​​for realizing adaptive cruise control (ACC) that follows the vehicle ahead, or yaw command values ​​for realizing lane keep control (LKC) that keeps the vehicle traveling within the lane, based on external information acquired by external sensors 19 (camera, radar, LiDAR, etc.), and outputs these as external commands to the vehicle integrated control device 2.

[0021] In FIG. 1, the vehicle integrated control device 2 and the external control device 3 are separate entities, but they may be realized as a single ECU.

[0022] As the external sensor 19, for example, a fish-eye camera with a 180° viewing angle is installed on the front, left and right sides, and rear of the vehicle 1 (19 F ,19 SL ,19 SR ,19 R ), it is possible to detect the relative distance and relative speed between the vehicle 1 and objects around it, such as other vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, and obstacles.

[0023] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned combination of sensors is shown as an example of the sensor configuration, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be combined with an ultrasonic sensor, a stereo camera, an infrared camera, etc., or a laser radar capable of sensing 360° around the vehicle 1 may be mounted on the ceiling of the vehicle 1. The above-mentioned sensor signals (signals output from the above-mentioned sensors) are input to the vehicle integrated control device 2 or the external control device 3.

[0024] Here, the drive system of the vehicle 1 will be described. The vehicle 1 is equipped with a torque generating device, as a main part of the drive system, that provides driving force to each of the wheels 11. An example of this torque generating device is an engine or a motor that transmits driving force to a pair of left and right wheels 11 via a differential gear and a drive shaft. Another example of a torque generating device is an in-wheel motor 12 that drives each of the wheels 11 independently. Below, the details of this embodiment will be described assuming the vehicle structure of FIG. 1 in which an in-wheel motor 12 is mounted on each of the wheels 11.

[0025] When the driver wants to move the vehicle 1 forward (or backward), the driver sets the shift lever to the desired setting and then operates the accelerator pedal 16. At this time, the stroke sensor 16a detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 16, and the acceleration control device 16b converts the amount of depression and outputs an accelerator command to the vehicle integrated control device 2. The vehicle integrated control device 2 supplies power corresponding to the input accelerator command from a battery (not shown) to the motors 12 of each wheel, and controls the torque of each motor. As a result, the vehicle 1 can be accelerated or decelerated in accordance with the operation of the accelerator pedal 16.

[0026] Furthermore, when driving assistance or automatic driving is performed in response to an external command from the external control device 3, the vehicle integrated control device 2 controls the torque of each motor by supplying the desired power to the motor 12 of each wheel in response to the input external command. As a result, the vehicle 1 is accelerated or decelerated, and the desired driving assistance or automatic driving is performed.

[0027] Next, a braking system of the vehicle 1 will be described. As a main part of the braking system, the vehicle 1 is equipped with wheel cylinders 13a that apply braking force to each of the wheels 11. The wheel cylinders 13a are composed of, for example, a cylinder, a piston, a pad, a disc rotor, etc. In the wheel cylinders 13a, the pistons are propelled by hydraulic fluid supplied from a master cylinder, and the pads connected to the pistons are pressed against the disc rotors that rotate together with the wheels 11, and the brake torque acting on the disc rotors becomes a braking force acting between the wheels 11 and the road surface.

[0028] When the driver wants to brake the vehicle 1, the driver operates the brake pedal 17. At this time, the force with which the driver depresses the brake pedal 17 is increased by a brake booster (not shown), and a hydraulic pressure approximately proportional to the depressing force is generated by the master cylinder. The generated hydraulic pressure is transmitted via the brake mechanism 13 to the wheel cylinders 13a of each wheel. FL ,13a FR ,13a RL ,13a RR Therefore, in response to the driver's brake pedal operation, the piston of the wheel cylinder 13a of each wheel is pressed against the disc rotor, generating a braking force on each wheel.

[0029] In addition, in a vehicle 1 equipped with a vehicle integrated control device 2, the brake booster and master cylinder may be omitted, in which case the brake pedal 17 and the brake mechanism 13 may be directly connected, and the brake mechanism 13 may operate directly when the driver steps on the brake pedal 17.

[0030] Furthermore, when driving assistance or automatic driving is performed in response to an external command from the external control device 3, the vehicle integrated control device 2 controls the brake mechanism 13 and the wheel cylinders 13a of each wheel via the braking control device 13b in response to the input external command. As a result, the vehicle 1 is braked, and the desired driving assistance or automatic driving is performed.

[0031] The braking control device 13b also has the function of converting the amount of operation of the brake pedal 17 by the driver into a braking command and outputting it to the vehicle integrated control device 2 as an external command.

[0032] Next, a steering system of the vehicle 1 will be described. The vehicle 1 is equipped with a steering mechanism 14 as a main part of the steering system, which applies a steering force to each of the wheels 11. In FIG. F (Left front wheel 11 FL , right front wheel 11 FR ) front steering mechanism 14 F and rear wheel 11 R (Left rear wheel 11 RL , right rear wheel 11 RR ) rear steering mechanism 14 R However, it is not necessary to provide the steering mechanism 14 at the front and rear. For example, the rear steering mechanism 14 R may be omitted.

[0033] When the driver wants to steer the vehicle 1, the driver operates the steering wheel 18. At this time, the "steering torque" and "steering angle" input by the driver via the steering wheel 18 are detected by the steering torque detection device 18a and the steering angle detection device 18b. F based on the detected steering torque and steering angle, the front steering motor 14b F Control the front wheels 11 F Similarly, the rear steering control device 14a generates an assist torque for steering the rear wheel. R based on the detected steering torque and steering angle, the rear steering motor 14b R Control the rear wheel R This generates an assist torque for steering the vehicle.

[0034] Furthermore, when driving assistance or automatic driving is performed in response to an external command from the external control device 3, the vehicle integrated control device 2 controls the steering torque of the steering motor 14b via the steering control device 14a. As a result, the vehicle 1 is steered, and the desired driving assistance or automatic driving is performed. In this case, the steering wheel 18 may be omitted.

[0035] Next, we will explain the suspension system of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 is equipped with suspensions 15 as a key part of the suspension system, which absorb vibrations and shocks generated at each wheel 11 and improve the stability of the vehicle body and the ride comfort. This suspension 15 is, for example, a semi-active suspension that combines a damper with adjustable viscosity and a coil spring, or a full-active suspension that combines an actuator with an adjustable length, a damper, and a coil spring, and can arbitrarily change the relative distance between the vehicle body and the wheels 11.

[0036] The vehicle integrated control device 2 not only improves ride comfort by controlling the viscosity of the semi-active suspension and the length of the full-active suspension, but also appropriately controls the posture of the vehicle 1 according to the environment.

[0037] Next, the input and output of the vehicle integrated control device 2 will be described using Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram listing input and output signals of the vehicle integrated control device 2. As shown in Fig. 2, accelerator commands, brake commands, steering torque, steering angle, etc. generated by the driver operating an accelerator pedal 16, a brake pedal 17, a steering wheel 18, etc. are input to the vehicle integrated control device 2 as external commands.

[0038] In addition, the vehicle integrated control device 2 receives external commands with up to six degrees of freedom from among longitudinal acceleration command values, lateral acceleration command values, vertical acceleration command values, roll command values, pitch command values, and yaw command values ​​generated by the external control device 3 during driving assistance control or autonomous driving control.

[0039] Furthermore, the combined sensor 4 inputs to the vehicle integrated control device 2 the detected values ​​of the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical accelerations, and the roll, pitch, and yaw rates.

[0040] Then, the vehicle integrated control device 2 controls the motor 12 (12 FL ~12 RR ), brake mechanism 13 (wheel cylinder 13a FL ~13a RR), steering mechanism 14 (steering motor 14b F ,14b R ), Suspension 15 (15 FL ~15 RR ) (hereinafter, reference numerals 12 to 15 may be collectively referred to as actuators) and the amount of operation of each is appropriately distributed to perform drive, braking, steering, and suspension control, thereby realizing desired vehicle control including attitude control.

[0041] 1 is compatible with manual driving, and therefore an external command initiated by the driver is also illustrated in FIG. 2, but the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle 1 that is compatible only with fully automated driving or remote control, in which case the external command initiated by the driver can be omitted. During automated driving, an external command with up to six degrees of freedom may be input from the external control device 3, or target values ​​for automated driving may be generated using external information from the external sensor 19 and map information stored inside the vehicle integrated control device 2. In this embodiment, the description will be given on the assumption that target values ​​for automated driving are generated inside the vehicle integrated control device 2.

[0042] Occupant characteristics 5 are also input to the vehicle integrated control device 2. As will be described in detail later, a camera is mounted inside the vehicle 1 to measure the head movements of the occupants and estimate their susceptibility to motion sickness (motion sickness). Alternatively, a mechanism may be provided to acquire information related to the occupants' susceptibility to motion sickness (motion sickness) from a mobile terminal carried by the occupants while they are in the vehicle.

[0043] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle integrated control device 2. Fig. 2 illustrates an example of the vehicle integrated control device 2 to which three types of external commands (accelerator command, brake command, steering torque / steering angle) originating from the driver are input, and to which up to six types of external commands are input from the external control device 3, but in this embodiment, as described above, the details of the vehicle integrated control device 2 of this embodiment will be described taking as an example a configuration in which target values ​​for autonomous driving are generated inside the vehicle integrated control device 2.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle integrated control device 2 of this embodiment is composed of at least a target value generating unit 21, an occupant characteristic acquiring unit 23, a motion sickness susceptibility index acquiring unit 25, and a target value correcting unit 27.

[0045] The target value generation unit 21 sets vehicle motion targets that achieve specific driving tasks in autonomous driving (such as following a route or traveling at the same speed as a preceding vehicle) as target values ​​22 and outputs them to the target value correction unit 27. The target values ​​22 are generally three types: longitudinal acceleration command value, lateral acceleration command value, and yaw command value. In addition, a roll angle command value, a pitch angle command value, and a vertical acceleration command value may be added to generate up to six types of command values. When three types of external commands (accelerator command, brake command, steering torque / steering angle) originating from the driver are input, the target value generation unit 21 converts these external commands into longitudinal acceleration command value, lateral acceleration command value, and yaw command value, and outputs them as the target values ​​22.

[0046] The occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23 acquires occupant characteristics 24 through sensors and input means mounted inside the vehicle 1. As will be described later, the occupant characteristics 24 are indices or physical quantities that represent the likelihood (susceptibility) of an occupant to develop motion sickness while riding.

[0047] An example of the occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23 will be described using FIGS. 4A and 4B. FIG. 4A illustrates an example in which the vehicle 1a has the shape of an autonomously driven passenger bus. In FIG. 4A, the occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23a is a camera attached to the ceiling with a 360-degree field of view. This camera detects the riding position, riding direction, posture, head posture, head movement, line of sight, riding task (reading, sleeping, etc.) of the occupant 52a (two occupants 52a, 52'a in the example of FIG. 4A), etc. as occupant characteristics 24. Note that the shape and position of the camera are not limited to these, and multiple cameras may be installed in the vehicle cabin, and the field of view may not be 360 ​​degrees.

[0048] 4B, if the vehicle 1b has the shape of a passenger car, the occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23b may be a camera installed near the connection point between the windshield and the ceiling (where the rearview mirror is usually located). In this case, the occupant characteristic 24 of the occupant 52b seated in the back seat is detected.

[0049] The motion sickness susceptibility index acquisition unit 25 predicts or acquires whether the occupant is prone to developing motion sickness (motion sickness susceptibility) based on the occupant characteristics 24 acquired by the occupant characteristics acquisition unit 23, and calculates the motion sickness susceptibility index 26.

[0050] Here, with reference to FIG. 5, the motion sickness incidence index (MSI), which is the incidence rate of motion sickness (so-called "car sickness"), will be described as an example of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 for evaluating the motion sickness susceptibility of a passenger.

[0051] The motion sickness index (MSI) can be calculated, for example, by a calculation method such as that shown in Fig. 5. That is, the MSI can be calculated based on the three-axis head acceleration plus gravitational acceleration, the three-axis head angular velocity, and the three-axis head acceleration.

[0052] 5 are the acceleration and angular velocity experienced by the head of a passenger in vehicle 1. The motion sickness index (MSI) is an index of vehicle motion that indicates that the smaller the value, the less likely motion sickness is to occur, so it is desirable to generate a target value for vehicle motion that reduces the motion sickness index (MSI).

[0053] Another example of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is the Motion Sickness Dose Value (MSDV). This is a value extracted from the accelerations generated in the human body that are considered to be particularly susceptible to causing motion sickness, and it is generally known that the higher this value, the more likely a person is to develop motion sickness. Therefore, when focusing on this susceptibility index, a target value for vehicle motion is generated that controls the acceleration in the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions so as to prevent the generation of those specific frequency components.

[0054] Another example of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is a biological signal (such as sweating or heart rate). It is generally known that when a passenger develops motion sickness, an increase in heart rate and sweating of the palms or forehead are observed. Therefore, when focusing on this susceptibility index, a target value for vehicle motion is generated so as to improve this biological signal.

[0055] Another example of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is to provide a means for the occupant to input their likelihood of developing motion sickness. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an input means. In Fig. 6, the vehicle 1 is assumed to be in the form of an automatically driving shared bus, and the occupant 52 makes a reservation for a ride in advance using a mobile terminal 53.

[0056] In this example, the reservation screen displays a question asking "Are you prone to motion sickness?", prompting the user to select Yes or No. The occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23 acquires the answer to this question when acquiring reservation information via communication from the mobile terminal 53, and the motion sickness susceptibility index acquisition unit 25 sets the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 based on the answer to this question. For example, if the answer is "Yes," the motion sickness susceptibility index of the occupant is set to 1. This enables the target value correction unit 27, described later, to determine that the occupant is "prone to motion sickness" and appropriately correct vehicle motion.

[0057] Another example of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is to provide a means for estimating motion sickness susceptibility from the occupant's past incidence of motion sickness. Figures 7A to 7D are diagrams showing an example of a means for estimating motion sickness susceptibility. As shown in Figure 7A, assume that the vehicle 1 has the shape of an automatically driven passenger bus, and that the motion sickness susceptibility index was set to 1.0 the last time the occupant 52 used this bus. During the ride, the vehicle 1 estimates or measures, using the occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23, the motion sickness incidence level 61, which indicates the current level of motion sickness that the occupant 52 is currently experiencing.

[0058] Here, if the target value 22 (e.g., lateral acceleration) increases over time as shown in Figure 7B, and at the same time the motion sickness incidence level 61 increases as shown in Figure 7C, exceeding the threshold value 61' and determining that motion sickness has occurred, the next time the occupant 52 gets in the vehicle, the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is changed from 1.0 to 2.0 as shown in Figure 7D. This enables the target value correction unit 27, which will be described later, to determine that the occupant is "prone to motion sickness" and to appropriately correct the vehicle motion.

[0059] The target value corrector 27 corrects the target values ​​22 of the input types, generates target values ​​of types that were not input, and outputs a final target value 28. Here, the target value corrector 27 plays a role in generating vehicle motion targets that take into consideration improvement of ride comfort and reduction of motion sickness, and generates a final target value 28 that optimizes the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 acquired by the motion sickness susceptibility index acquirer 25.

[0060] An example of the operation of the target value correction unit 27 will be described with reference to Fig. 8 to Fig. 14. Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the vehicle 1 entering a left curve. The road shape described here is a left curve, and the vehicle 1 enters a road with this left curve shape. The driving operation executed here is a left turn.

[0061] The road shown in Figure 8 is divided into a first section (~A) with a curvature of 0 (straight line), a second section (A~B) with a gradually increasing curvature (monotonically increasing curvature: increasing lateral acceleration), a third section (B~C) with a constant curvature (steady turning), a fourth section (C~D) with a gradually decreasing curvature (monotonically decreasing curvature: decreasing lateral acceleration), and a fifth section (D~) with a curvature of 0 (straight line).

[0062] Figure 9 shows an example of the behavior of vehicle 1 on a left curve as shown in Figure 8 and the change over time in motion sickness susceptibility index 26. From top to bottom, Figure 9 shows the changes in vehicle 1's speed 71, lateral acceleration 72, roll angle 73, and motion sickness susceptibility index 26, with the horizontal axis representing the distance traveled from the position immediately before approaching the curve. The dashed-dotted lines correspond to the positions of sections A to D shown in Figure 8, respectively.

[0063] First, the speed 71 starts to decelerate in the first section (~A) before approaching the curve, continues to decelerate in the second section (A~B), and travels at a constant speed in the third section (B~C).Then, the speed increases when approaching the fourth section (C~D), and continues to accelerate even in the fifth section (D~), returning to the original speed.

[0064] When traveling at such a speed transition, the lateral acceleration 72 generated in the vehicle 1 increases as the curvature gradually increases in the second section (A to B), remains constant in the third section (B to C) where the curvature is constant (steady turning), and gradually decreases in the fourth section (C to D) where the curvature gradually decreases. The roll angle 73 also transitions in substantially the same manner as the lateral acceleration 72.

[0065] The lateral acceleration 72 is defined as positive when the vehicle 1 moves to the left relative to the direction of travel, that is, when the vehicle 1 turns to the left, and the roll angle 73 calculated at this time is also positive (clockwise relative to the direction of travel), that is, a roll toward the outside of the turn (to the right).

[0066] An example of the transition of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 in such vehicle behavior is shown in the bottom part of Figure 9. The transition of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 in the bottom part of Figure 9 is the time course using the motion sickness incidence rate (MSI) shown in Figure 5 as an example.

[0067] When vehicle 1 approaches a left curve, occupant 52's head perceives lateral inertial acceleration. Furthermore, inertia causes the head to sway to the outside of the turn, resulting in a roll angle. These two effects result in a noticeable upward trend, particularly in the second section (A-B) and the fourth section (C-D) where lateral acceleration 72 and roll angle 73 change, and the rate of increase gradually decreases in sections where lateral acceleration and roll angle remain constant. Since MSI is also caused by longitudinal acceleration and pitch angle, MSI begins to increase already in the first section (-A) where vehicle 1 begins to decelerate.

[0068] At this time, even with the same vehicle behavior (lateral acceleration and roll angle), head sway varies depending on the occupant, or even for the same occupant depending on the task they are performing while riding. As a result, the motion sickness susceptibility index of occupant a, whose head does not sway easily, will change as shown in 26a, while the motion sickness susceptibility index of occupant b, whose head sway easily, will change as shown in 26b. According to the MSI principle, the latter occupant b is more susceptible to motion sickness.

[0069] 10 and 11, an example of how the target value correction unit 27 changes the final target value 28 will be described, taking as an example when occupant a, whose head does not easily move, is riding and when occupant b, whose head easily moves, is riding.

[0070] Fig. 10 shows an example of changing the speed 71 as the final target value 28. From top to bottom, the graph shows the changes in the speed 71, lateral acceleration 72, and motion sickness susceptibility index 26 of the vehicle 1, with the horizontal axis representing the distance traveled from the position immediately before the curve. The dashed dotted lines correspond to the positions of sections A to D shown in Fig. 8, respectively.

[0071] The behavior of occupant a, whose head does not easily sway, i.e., the behavior of speed 71a, lateral acceleration 72a, and motion sickness susceptibility index 26a, is the same as in Figure 9. In contrast, when occupant b, whose head tends to sway, passes through a left curve at the same speed 71a while riding, the motion sickness susceptibility index will be a value 26b higher than 26a. Therefore, target value corrector 27 generates final target value 28 that reduces the speed to 71b.

[0072] Specifically, a longitudinal acceleration (not shown) that starts decelerating earlier than for occupant a is generated as final target value 28. As a result, lateral acceleration while negotiating a curve is reduced to 72b, and motion sickness susceptibility index 26b becomes 26'b, which is equivalent to 26a. In other words, for occupant b, who is highly susceptible to motion sickness, the speed while negotiating a curve is reduced, and the resulting head sway is suppressed, thereby preventing the onset of motion sickness.

[0073] Although the behavior example has been described here using MSI as an example of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26, similar behavior can be achieved for the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 obtained by the methods shown in Figures 6 and 7A to 7D. That is, even when the motion sickness susceptibility index of occupant a is set to 1.0 and the motion sickness susceptibility index of occupant b is set to 2.0, a final target value 28 similar to that shown in Figure 10 can be generated.

[0074] 10 shows an example in which the final target value 28 is generated so that the motion sickness susceptibility index 26b becomes 26'b, which is equivalent to 26a, but the final target value 28 may be generated so that the absolute value or rate of change of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is within a predetermined range. In the following explanation, an example will be given in which the MSI is used as the motion sickness susceptibility index 26, and the final target value 28 is generated so that 26b becomes 26'b, which is equivalent to 26a, but the behavior can be changed in the same way as above.

[0075] Furthermore, when there are multiple occupants as shown in FIG. 4A, the occupant with the highest motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is selected, and a final target value 28 is generated so as to suppress the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 for that occupant.

[0076] Fig. 11 shows an example in which the roll angle 73 of the vehicle 1 is changed without changing the speed 71 as the final target value 28. From top to bottom, the graph shows the changes in the speed 71, roll angle 73, and motion sickness susceptibility index 26 of the vehicle 1, with the horizontal axis representing the distance traveled from the position immediately before approaching the curve. The dashed dotted lines correspond to the positions of sections A to D shown in Fig. 8, respectively.

[0077] The behavior of occupant a, whose head does not easily sway, i.e., the behavior of speed 71a, roll angle 73a, and motion sickness susceptibility index 26a, is the same as in Figure 9. In contrast, when occupant b, whose head tends to sway, passes through a left curve at the same speed 71a while riding, the motion sickness susceptibility index becomes a value 26b, which is higher than 26a. Therefore, target value corrector 27 generates final target value 28, which tilts the roll angle toward the inside of the turn, as in 73b. As a result, the lateral acceleration due to inertia felt by occupant b's head while passing through the curve is reduced, and motion sickness susceptibility index 26b becomes 26'b, which is equivalent to 26a.

[0078] As mentioned above, motion sickness can be caused not only by lateral acceleration and roll angle when entering a curved road, but also by longitudinal acceleration and pitch angle during acceleration and deceleration. Therefore, depending on the occupant, excessive deceleration before entering a curved road may actually lead to motion sickness, and there may be situations where target values ​​other than speed are changed when passing through a curved road. The method shown in Figure 11 uses an index called MSI to appropriately suppress motion sickness caused by both longitudinal and lateral vehicle motion.

[0079] Here, an example of a method for changing the roll angle by the motor 12 will be described with reference to Fig. 12. When a roll angle is generated on the inside of the turn (to the left in the traveling direction) as shown in Fig. 11, first, the left front wheel 11 is rotated by the motor 12 as shown in the left diagram of Fig. 12. FL and right rear wheel 11 RR generates a driving force in the positive direction to the right front wheel 11 FR and left rear wheel 11 RL A driving force in the negative direction is generated.

[0080] As a result, suspension forces in the DOWN direction on the left side and the UP direction on the right side are generated in the vehicle 1, as shown in the right diagram of Fig. 12, and these suspension forces cause the vehicle 1 to tilt to the left, thereby achieving attitude control of the vehicle 1 in accordance with the final target value 28 generated as an internal command. Alternatively, an actuator may be mounted on the suspension 15 to generate the suspension force directly.

[0081] Using Figures 13 and 14, we will explain the mechanism by which the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 differs for each occupant for the same vehicle motion (speed, lateral acceleration), and the mechanism by which a roll angle toward the inside of a turn reduces the motion sickness susceptibility index 26.

[0082] Figure 13 shows, from top to bottom, the changes in lateral acceleration 72 of vehicle 1, head roll angle 74 of occupant 52, and motion sickness susceptibility index 26 for occupants a and b when the vehicle is driven in the same manner as occupant a in Figure 11. The bottom part of Figure 13 also shows a schematic diagram of the behavior of lateral acceleration 72 and roll angle 73 of vehicle 1, and head roll angles 74a and 74b of occupants a and b in the third section (B to C).

[0083] Similar to Figure 11, Figure 14 shows the behavior of occupant b, whose head tends to sway, when the roll angle is changed toward the inside of the turn, shown from top to bottom as the roll angle 73 of vehicle 1 (reproduced from Figure 11), the occupant's head roll angle 74, and the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 (reproduced from Figure 11). The horizontal axis represents the distance traveled from the position immediately before approaching the curve. The dashed-dotted lines correspond to the positions of sections A to D shown in Figure 8, respectively.

[0084] First, in the example of Figure 13, occupant a, whose head does not sway easily, and occupant b, whose head sways easily, both pass through the curve at the same speed, and therefore the lateral accelerations generated at that time are the same, as shown in 72a and 72b. On the other hand, it is known that the head sways of occupants generally differ depending on the occupant, even when subjected to the same lateral acceleration, and in Figure 13, head roll angle 74b of occupant b is larger in the positive direction than head roll angle 74a of occupant a.

[0085] At this time, as shown in the schematic diagram in the lower part of Figure 13, as lateral acceleration 72 occurs in vehicle 1, a roll angle 73 occurs in the opposite direction due to the law of inertia. Furthermore, since lateral inertial acceleration occurs in addition to roll angle 73 of vehicle 1, a roll angle greater than roll angle 73 of vehicle 1 occurs in the head of occupant 52. At this time, occupant b tilts his / her head more than occupant a.

[0086] This difference in head sway is thought to be due in part to differences in whether occupants voluntarily try to suppress head sway caused by inertial acceleration, and differences in whether they can predict the occurrence of inertial acceleration in vehicle 1 based on experience and the tasks they are performing while riding. Based on the principles of MSI, the greater the head roll angle 74 in the outward direction of the turn for the same lateral acceleration, the greater the MSI, which is why the motion sickness susceptibility index 26b in Figure 13 is greater than 26a. In other words, this suggests that occupant b is more likely to develop motion sickness.

[0087] Therefore, for occupant b, whose head is prone to shaking, changing the target value of vehicle motion to suppress head movement will lead to a reduction in motion sickness.

[0088] In Figure 14, similar to Figure 11, for occupant a, whose head does not easily sway, the roll angle for occupant b, whose head tends to sway, is changed to the inside of the turn as shown at 73, and final target value 28 is determined. As a result, head roll angle 74b for occupant b becomes 74'b compared to 74b before the roll angle of vehicle 1 was changed, and becomes equivalent to that of occupant a. As a result, the motion sickness susceptibility index for occupant b also changes from 26b to 26'b, becoming equivalent to that of occupant a.

[0089] As described above, the target value corrector 27 generates the final target value 28 based on the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 for the occupant 52, or by correcting the target value 22 so that the numerical value of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 or its rate of increase is within a predetermined range. In other words, the target value 22 is corrected so that the occupant's head sway (e.g., head roll angle) is within a predetermined range.

[0090] As described above, the vehicle integrated control device 2 of this embodiment makes it possible to provide a vehicle integrated control device that responds to individual differences in occupant susceptibility to motion sickness and generates vehicle motion target values ​​that effectively reduce motion sickness. [Example]

[0091] Second Embodiment A vehicle integrated control device and a vehicle integrated control method according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0092] In the first embodiment, a configuration is shown in which a means for acquiring (measuring) occupant characteristics 24 is provided, and a motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is calculated from the occupant characteristics 24 to generate a final target value 28. Among these, head sway is taken as an example of the occupant characteristics 24, and changes in the final target value 28 are shown using the MSI calculated based on the head sway as an example.

[0093] On the other hand, in order to more effectively reduce motion sickness in occupants, it is desirable to predict in advance how occupant head movement will be generated from vehicle movement and modify the vehicle movement. To achieve this, the vehicle integrated control device 2 may have a motion model related to occupant head movement, and the parameters of the motion model may be adapted according to the characteristics of the occupant's head movement.

[0094] FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle integrated control device 2 according to the second embodiment.

[0095] 15, the vehicle integrated control device 2 of this embodiment is composed of at least a target value generation unit 21, a vehicle motion acquisition unit 81, a head motion acquisition unit 82, an individual difference learning unit 83, an individual difference memory unit 84, a motion sickness susceptibility index acquisition unit 25, and a target value correction unit 27. The target value generation unit 21, the motion sickness susceptibility index acquisition unit 25, and the target value correction unit 27 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore their explanation will be omitted.

[0096] The vehicle motion acquisition unit 81 acquires vehicle motion for up to six axes (detected values ​​of longitudinal, lateral, and vertical accelerations, and roll, pitch, and yaw rates) from the combined sensor 4. The combined sensor 4 mounted on a typical vehicle 1 generally acquires a total of three axes: longitudinal and lateral accelerations and yaw rate. In this case, the roll and pitch rates or angles may be estimated by acquiring the vehicle motion and speed 71 for these three axes and the steering angle from the steering mechanism 14.

[0097] The head movement acquisition unit 82 acquires the amount of movement of the head of the occupant 52 riding in the vehicle 1 in up to six axes. In particular, it is necessary to acquire at least one of the roll angle and pitch angle of the head. As an example of a method of acquisition, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, an image of the head of the occupant 52 is captured from an image of a camera mounted in the vehicle cabin, and the roll angle and pitch angle are recognized from the image.

[0098] If the occupant 52 is actively moving his / her head, the head movement acquisition unit 82 excludes the amount of that movement and extracts the head movement caused by the vehicle movement.

[0099] The individual difference learning unit 83 identifies (determines) the head movement model parameters of the occupant based on the acquired vehicle movement and head movement of the occupant.

[0100] An example of the operation of the individual difference learning section 83 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16A to 17. FIG.

[0101] Figure 16A shows how a head roll angle 74 occurs due to a lateral acceleration 72 applied to an occupant 52. Figure 16B shows an example in which a typical spring-mass-damper dynamic model is used as the head movement model. Note that although Figures 16A and 16B use the roll direction as an example, the pitch direction can also be expressed using a similar model.

[0102] First, as shown in Fig. 16A, when lateral acceleration 72 is applied to occupant 52, inertial acceleration occurs in the head, causing a head roll angle 74. At this time, the neck (the connection between the shoulders and head) of occupant 52 is generally known to have the characteristics of a spring (generating a reaction force proportional to displacement) and a damper (generating a reaction force proportional to the change in displacement over time). If this configuration is simplified as a head motion model, it can be expressed as a configuration in which inertia 93 is in contact with the ground via spring 91 and damper 92, as shown in Fig. 16B.

[0103] The dynamic input to this model is the inertial acceleration occurring at the center of gravity of inertia 93, and the resulting displacement 94 is equivalent to head roll angle 74. By assuming such a model, it becomes possible to estimate the change over time in the occupant's head roll angle 74 caused by the change over time in the lateral acceleration set by target value 22.

[0104] 16B differ from person to person (there are individual differences), and it is the coefficients of these springs 91 and dampers 92 that are identified by individual difference learning section 83. In general, the larger the coefficients of the springs and dampers, the smaller the head swing.

[0105] An example of identifying the coefficients of spring 91 and damper 92 will be described using Figure 17. Figure 17 assumes that vehicle 1 is changing lanes from left to right on a two-lane road, and lateral acceleration 72 occurs as shown in the figure. That is, first steering to the right generates negative lateral acceleration, and then steering to the left generates positive acceleration. At this time, occupant a, whose head does not easily sway, and occupant b, whose head easily sway, will have different head roll angles 74a and 74b for the same lateral acceleration 72.

[0106] Individual difference learning section 83 identifies the coefficients of spring 91 and damper 92 from the time-series relationship between lateral acceleration 72 and head roll angle 74. For example, in Figure 17, the amplitude of head roll angle 74b is approximately twice as large as that of 74a, so it is expected that the identified spring coefficient for occupant b will be approximately half that of occupant a.

[0107] The individual difference storage unit 84 stores the head movement model described above and the spring coefficient and damper coefficient of the occupant identified by the individual difference learning unit 83 .

[0108] The motion sickness susceptibility index acquisition unit 25 calculates the head movement (roll angle, pitch angle, etc.) of the occupant based on the head movement model stored in the individual difference storage unit 84, the spring coefficient, the damper coefficient, and the value of the lateral acceleration 72 set in the target value 22. Then, it calculates the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 based on the calculated head movement of the occupant. The calculation example of the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0109] 18 is a flowchart showing the processing of the vehicle integrated control device 2 of this embodiment. In this processing, for each calculation step, it is determined whether or not identification of the head motion model for the occupant 52 riding in the vehicle 1 has been completed, and if identification has not been completed, the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is calculated using general coefficients while identifying, and if identification has been completed, using the identified coefficients.

[0110] First, in step S101, head movement acquisition unit 82 identifies the individual occupant 52. For example, it determines whether or not the occupant 52 has ridden in vehicle 1 in the past, based on a camera image.

[0111] Next, in step S102, the individual difference learning unit 83 determines whether or not a head movement model has been learned for the occupant 52. In other words, it determines whether or not the spring coefficient and damper coefficient of the occupant 52 are stored in the individual difference storage unit 84.

[0112] If the head movement model for the occupant 52 has not yet been learned (No), in step S103, the vehicle movement acquisition unit 81 acquires the vehicle movement, and further in step S104, the head movement acquisition unit 82 acquires the head movement of the occupant 52. Then, in step S105, the individual difference learning unit 83 identifies the head movement model parameters of the occupant 52 based on the acquired vehicle movement and head movement of the occupant 52. Thereafter, in step S106, it is determined whether or not the identification is complete. Here, the identification requires time-series information on the vehicle movement and the head movement of the occupant 52 for a predetermined time. Therefore, the main criterion for determination is whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of learning.

[0113] If it is determined in step S106 that the identification is not complete (No), in step S107, the motion sickness susceptibility index acquisition unit 25 calculates the head movement of the occupant 52 using the spring coefficient and damper coefficient of a typical human body.

[0114] On the other hand, if the head movement model for the occupant 52 has already been learned in step S102 (Yes), or if it is determined in step S106 that identification has been completed (Yes), then in step S108, the head movement of the occupant 52 is calculated using the identified spring coefficient and damper coefficient.

[0115] Then, in step S109, the motion sickness susceptibility index 26 is calculated based on the calculated head movement of the occupant 52.

[0116] Finally, in step S110, the target value corrector 27 calculates the final target value 28 based on the calculated motion sickness susceptibility index 26.

[0117] As described above, the vehicle integrated control device 2 of this embodiment can predict in advance how the head movement of the occupant 52 will be caused by the vehicle movement, taking into account individual differences, and modify the vehicle movement, thereby making it possible to more effectively reduce motion sickness in the occupant 52. [Example]

[0118] Third Embodiment A vehicle integrated control device and a vehicle integrated control method according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0119] In the first and second embodiments, the vehicle integrated control device 2 is configured to output a final target value 28 and determine the operation amount of each actuator 12 to 15 or a lower-level controller based on the final target value 28, but the vehicle integrated control device 2 may be provided with a configuration for determining the operation amount of each actuator.

[0120] FIG. 19 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle integrated control device 2 according to the third embodiment.

[0121] 19, the vehicle integrated control device 2 of this embodiment is composed of at least a target value generation unit 21, an occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23, a motion sickness susceptibility index acquisition unit 25, a target value correction unit 27, and an operation amount allocation unit 85. The target value generation unit 21, the occupant characteristic acquisition unit 23, the motion sickness susceptibility index acquisition unit 25, and the target value correction unit 27 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore their explanation will be omitted.

[0122] The operation amount allocation unit 85 appropriately allocates the operation amount of each actuator, such as the motor 12, the brake mechanism 13, the steering mechanism 14, and the suspension 15, based on the final target value 28 generated by the target value correction unit 27. The presence of this operation amount allocation unit 85 within the vehicle integrated control device 2 enables the vehicle integrated control device 2 to realize functions such as reducing the power consumption of the actuators while satisfying the command of the final target value 28, and makes it possible to meet different needs depending on the characteristics of the occupant 52.

[0123] An example of control by the vehicle integrated control device 2 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG.

[0124] As in Example 1, Figures 20 and 21 both show examples of the operation of each actuator when occupant a, who is less susceptible to motion sickness (whose head does not easily shake), and occupant b, who is more susceptible to motion sickness (whose head easily shakes), are riding in the vehicle, taking the example of traveling around the left curve shown in Figure 8.

[0125] 20 and 21 focus on controlling the roll angle 73 of the vehicle 1, and as actuators, focus is particularly on the motor 12 and the suspension 15. That is, the brake mechanism 13 and the steering mechanism 14 operate in the same way for occupant a and occupant b, so explanations will be omitted.

[0126] Fig. 20 shows, from top to bottom, the trends in vehicle speed 71, roll angle 73, motor torque 76a, which is the torque of motor 12 when occupant a is riding, and motor torque 76b when occupant b is riding. Fig. 21 also shows, from top to bottom, suspension force 77a when occupant a is riding, which is the propulsive force of the actuator attached to suspension 15, suspension force 77b when occupant b is riding, total power consumption 78 of vehicle 1 while traveling in the section in question, and occupant motion sickness susceptibility index 26. In all cases, the horizontal axis represents the distance traveled from the position immediately before the curve. The dashed-dotted lines correspond to the positions of sections A to D shown in Fig. 8, respectively.

[0127] Regarding the suspension force 77, a propulsive force in a direction lifting the vehicle body is defined as a positive direction.

[0128] First, let us focus on speed 71 in Fig. 20. As in Fig. 10, this shows an example in which the speed is reduced for occupant b, whose head is more likely to sway, compared to occupant a, whose head is less likely to sway. That is, speed 71b starts to decelerate earlier in the curve than speed 71a. Note that, unlike Fig. 10, Fig. 20 shows an example in which deceleration is completed before reaching point A, and the vehicle travels at a constant speed in sections A to D.

[0129] Next, looking at roll angle 73, when passing through this curve at speed 71a without any control of the roll direction, roll angle 73' occurs. In contrast, in Figure 20, aiming to further reduce motion sickness for occupant b, roll angle 73b is set to be a roll angle that actively tilts the vehicle toward the inside of the turn. Furthermore, roll angle 73a for occupant a is also controlled to suppress an increase in the roll angle compared to 73' when there is no control of the roll direction at all.

[0130] To achieve this change in roll angle, the motor 12 and the suspension 15 are controlled as follows.

[0131] First, looking at the motor torque 76 in FIG. 20, the motor torque 76a for the occupant a is generated in the negative direction by the same amount on all four wheels due to deceleration before point A. Then, when passing through the curved road from section A to section D, the motor torque 76a on the left front wheel FL and right rear wheel motor torque 76a RR is generated in the positive direction, and the motor torque 76a of the right front wheel FR and left rear wheel motor torque 76a RL occurs in the negative direction.

[0132] This causes a roll angle that tilts the vehicle toward the inside of the turn (to the left in the direction of travel) as explained in Figure 12, and this change in roll angle contributes to changing 73' to 73a. After that, when accelerating beyond point D, the same amount of motor torque 76a is generated in the positive direction on all four wheels.

[0133] On the other hand, motor torque 76b for occupant b is similar to that for occupant a in that the same amount of motor torque is generated in the negative direction on all four wheels due to deceleration just before point A, but the deceleration start point is earlier than for occupant a, and the deceleration period is longer. After that, when passing through the curved road from section A to D, a motor torque similar to that for occupant a is generated. From point D onwards, the same amount of motor torque is generated in the positive direction on all four wheels, but again, just like just before point A, the acceleration end point is later, and the acceleration period is longer than for occupant a.

[0134] Next, looking at the suspension force 77 in FIG. 21, the suspension force 77a for occupant a is not generated in any particular section and is zero. On the other hand, the suspension force 77b for occupant b is generated in sections A to D, and is the suspension force 77b for the two right wheels. FR ,77b RR occurs in the positive direction (the direction of lifting the vehicle body), and the suspension force of the two left wheels 77b FL ,77b RL This occurs in the negative direction (the direction that causes the vehicle body to sink). This causes a roll angle that tilts the vehicle to the inside of the turn (to the left in the direction of travel), and this roll angle change contributes to changing the roll angle 73a to 73b.

[0135] Looking at the power consumption 78 of the motor 12 and suspension 15, first, in the first section (-A), the power consumption is negative for both 78a and 78b. This is because the regenerative braking by the motor 12 returns power to the battery during deceleration, and the power consumption of 78b, which has a longer deceleration period, is temporarily smaller (more negative) than 78a.

[0136] Thereafter, power consumption increases in both sections A to D, but this is due to power consumption caused by copper loss and iron loss due to the generation of motor torque 76, and power consumption caused by suspension force 77. In particular, the contribution rate of power consumption caused by suspension force 77b for occupant b is large, and as a result, power consumption 78b rises sharply in this section and exceeds power consumption 78a.

[0137] Finally, in the fifth section (D~), power consumption increases due to acceleration by the motor torque 76, and in this section, the increase in power consumption of 78b, which has a long acceleration period, is large. As a result, the total power consumption of 78b is ultimately greater than that of 78a.

[0138] Due to the velocity 71 and roll angle 73 resulting from the above-described actuator operation, the motion sickness susceptibility index 26b of occupant b is equivalent to the motion sickness susceptibility index 26a of occupant a. In other words, vehicle motion has been achieved that makes occupant b, who is highly susceptible to motion sickness, as unlikely to develop motion sickness as occupant a.

[0139] On the other hand, for occupant a, the decrease in speed 71a is small and power consumption 78a is small, so the convenience of arriving at the destination in a short time and the benefits of high driving efficiency (low driving costs) are provided.

[0140] In other words, this embodiment can provide a high motion sickness suppression effect for occupants who are highly susceptible to motion sickness, and can provide other benefits such as convenience and cost reduction for occupants who are less susceptible to motion sickness.

[0141] As described above, according to the vehicle integrated control device 2 of this embodiment, by providing an operation amount allocation unit inside the vehicle integrated control device 2 that determines the operation amount of each actuator, it becomes possible to respond to the different motion sickness susceptibility and riding needs of each occupant.

[0142] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 1, 1a, 1b...Vehicle 11...Wheel 12...Motor 13...Brake mechanism 13a...Wheel cylinder 13b...Brake control device 14...Steering mechanism 14a...Steering control device 14b...Steering motor 15…Suspension 16...Accelerator pedal 16a...Stroke sensor 16b...Acceleration control device 17...Brake pedal 18...Handle 18a...Steering torque detection device 18b...Steering angle detection device 19...External sensor 2...Vehicle integrated control device 21...Target value generating unit 22...Target value 23, 23a, 23b...Occupant characteristic acquisition unit 24...Occupant characteristics 25...Motion sickness susceptibility index acquisition section 26, 26a, 26b, 26'b...Motion sickness susceptibility index 27...Target value correction section 28...Final target value 3...External control device 4... Combined sensor 5...Occupant characteristics 52, 52a, 52'a, 52b...Crew 53...Mobile device 61...Motion sickness risk 61'...Motion sickness threshold 71,71a,71b…Speed 72…Lateral acceleration 73, 73a, 73b, 73'...Roll angle 74, 74a, 74b, 74'b...Roll angle of occupant's head 75...Travel track 76, 76a, 76b...Motor torque 77, 77a, 77b...Suspension force 78,78a,78b…Power consumption 81...Vehicle Motion Acquisition Department 82…Head motion acquisition unit 83…Individual Differences Learning Department 84…Individual difference memory section 85...Operation amount allocation section 91...Head movement model spring 92...Head movement model damper 93...Inertia of head movement model 94...Inertial displacement of head movement model

Claims

1. a target value generating unit that generates or acquires a control target value for the vehicle's motion; a motion sickness susceptibility acquisition unit that acquires a motion sickness susceptibility index, which is a quantitative value of the likelihood of developing motion sickness that varies depending on the occupant characteristics, for at least one occupant riding in the vehicle; a target value correcting unit that corrects the control target value based on the control target value and the motion sickness susceptibility index; a vehicle motion acquisition unit that acquires a current vehicle motion of the vehicle; a head movement acquisition unit that acquires a head movement of the occupant; an individual difference learning unit that learns characteristics of head movements that differ depending on the occupant's characteristics from the vehicle movement and the head movement; Equipped with the motion sickness susceptibility acquisition unit predicts the likelihood of the occupant developing motion sickness, which differs depending on occupant characteristics, based on the vehicle motion and the head motion, and predicts the occupant's head motion caused by the control target value, based on the head motion characteristics learned by the individual difference learning unit; A vehicle integrated control device that predicts the incidence rate of motion sickness, which is the likelihood of developing motion sickness, based on the head movement.

2. The vehicle integrated control device according to claim 1, The motion sickness susceptibility acquisition unit is a vehicle integrated control device that acquires at least one of the occupant's riding position, riding direction, gaze information, head posture, motion sickness incidence rate, and past motion sickness incidence history as the occupant characteristics.

3. The vehicle integrated control device according to claim 1, The motion sickness susceptibility acquisition unit acquires the likelihood of developing motion sickness input by the occupant via an input means as the motion sickness susceptibility index.

4. The vehicle integrated control device according to claim 1, The motion sickness susceptibility acquisition unit is a vehicle integrated control device that predicts the likelihood of the occupant developing motion sickness based on the occupant's past degree of motion sickness development as the motion sickness susceptibility index.

5. The vehicle integrated control device according to claim 1, The target value corrector is configured to increase the correction range of the control target value as the motion sickness susceptibility index increases.

6. The vehicle integrated control device according to claim 1, The target value correcting unit corrects the control target value so that the motion sickness susceptibility index is within a predetermined value.

7. The vehicle integrated control device according to claim 1, The target value correcting unit is configured to increase a correction range of the control target value as a change in the head posture of the occupant relative to the control target value increases.

8. The vehicle integrated control device according to claim 1, The target value correcting unit corrects the control target value so that a change in the head posture of the occupant relative to the control target value falls within a predetermined value.

9. The vehicle integrated control device according to claim 1, The vehicle integrated control device further includes an operation amount allocation unit that determines operation amounts of a plurality of actuators provided in the vehicle so as to approach the control target value.

10. The vehicle integrated control device according to claim 9, The target value correcting unit corrects the control target value so that the operation amount of the actuator increases as the motion sickness susceptibility index increases.

11. (a) generating or obtaining a control target value for vehicle motion; (b) obtaining a motion sickness susceptibility index, which is a quantitative value of the likelihood of developing motion sickness that varies depending on the occupant characteristics, for at least one occupant riding in the vehicle; (c) correcting the control target value based on the control target value and the motion sickness susceptibility index; (d) obtaining a current vehicle motion of the vehicle; (e) acquiring head movement of the occupant; (f) learning, from the vehicle motion and the head motion, characteristics of the head motion that differ depending on the occupant characteristics of the occupant; A vehicle integration control method comprising: predicting the likelihood of the occupant developing motion sickness, which varies depending on the occupant's characteristics, based on the vehicle motion and the head motion, and predicting the occupant's head motion caused by the control target value, based on the learned characteristics of the head motion; An integrated vehicle control method for predicting the incidence rate of motion sickness, which is the likelihood of developing motion sickness, based on the head movement.

12. The vehicle integrated control method according to claim 11, In the step (b), the vehicle integrated control method acquires at least one of the occupant's riding position, riding direction, gaze information, head posture, incidence rate of motion sickness, and past history of motion sickness as the occupant characteristics.

13. The vehicle integrated control method according to claim 11, In the step (b), the likelihood of developing motion sickness input by the occupant via an input means is acquired as the motion sickness susceptibility index.

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