Control device, control method, and program

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a control device, a control method, and a program that make it possible to perform a safer operation. The control device comprises: a recognition section that recognizes an operator's operation state with respect to an operation device, and acquires operation state information indicating the operation state; an odor parameter setting section that sets a parameter for instructing presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation state; and an odor presentation section that outputs air including an odor component in accordance with the parameter and presents the odor to the operator. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a control system that controls reflection of an operation with respect to a vehicle.

Description

Control device, control method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, a control method, and a program, and more particularly to a control device, a control method, and a program that enable safer operations to be performed.

[0002] In the past, there have been concerns that various accidents could be caused by drivers operating vehicles or workers operating machinery incorrectly, and attempts have been made to use smells to prevent such errors before they occur.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle fragrance device that releases a fragrance into the vehicle cabin only when the vehicle door is unlocked and the door is opened using the outer door handle. Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle alarm system that can appropriately notify occupants of a danger level by releasing a fragrance that emits a stronger stimulating scent as the danger level increases based on the detection result of the vehicle state.

[0004] JP 2-117446 A JP 2023-148338 A

[0005] There is a demand for a technology that can more reliably prevent erroneous operations than the technologies disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, and that enables safer operations to be performed.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and aims to enable safer operations to be carried out.

[0007] A control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a recognition unit that recognizes the operation state of an operator with respect to an operating device and acquires operation state information indicating the operation state, an odor parameter setting unit that sets parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation state, and an odor presentation unit that outputs air containing odor components according to the parameters to present the odor to the operator.

[0008] A control method or program according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes recognizing an operation state of an operator with respect to an operating device, acquiring operation state information indicating the operation state, setting parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation state, and outputting air containing odor components according to the parameters to present the odor to the operator.

[0009] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the operation state of an operator using an operating device is recognized, operation state information indicating that operation state is obtained, parameters are set that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the content of that operation state, and air containing odor components according to the parameters is output, thereby presenting the odor to the operator.

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a first embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating transitions in an operation state of a driver. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a first control process. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a second embodiment of a control system. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating transitions in an operation state of a driver. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a second control process. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a modified example of the second control process. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a third embodiment of a control system. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a fourth embodiment of a control system. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a third control process. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a fifth embodiment of a control system. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of presenting an odor according to a situation outside the vehicle. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a fourth control process. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a sixth embodiment of a control system. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a seventh embodiment of a control system. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an eighth embodiment of a control system. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of display of a driver alert screen. FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a fifth control process. FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of a computer to which the present technology is applied.

[0011] Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present technology is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] <First Configuration Example of Control System> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a first embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied.

[0013] 1, the control system 11 is configured to include an operation device 21, an interior recognition device 22, a vehicle recognition device 23, an exterior recognition device 24, an operation state recognition unit 25, a situation recognition unit 26, a vehicle control unit 27, an odor parameter setting unit 28, and an odor presentation device 29. For example, the control system 11 in FIG. 1 can control the reflection of an operation on the vehicle when the driver attempts to perform an operation, based on the transition of the driver's operation state caused by presenting an odor to the driver.

[0014] The operation device 21 is configured to have a steering wheel 41, an accelerator pedal 42, a brake pedal 43, and a shift lever 44. The operation device 21 supplies to the operation content acquisition unit 51 of the operation state recognition unit 25 a steering wheel operation signal indicating the steering wheel angle in response to the driver's operation of turning the steering wheel 41, an accelerator pedal operation signal indicating the amount of depression in response to the driver's operation of depressing the accelerator pedal 42, a brake pedal operation signal indicating the amount of depression in response to the driver's operation of depressing the brake pedal 43, and a shift lever operation signal indicating the position (drive / reverse / parking, etc.) in response to the driver's operation of moving the shift lever 44.

[0015] The interior recognition device 22 is configured with an interior camera 45 and an interior sensor 46, and captures images for recognizing the interior of the vehicle with the interior camera 45, and detects the interior of the vehicle that can be recognized in ways other than the images with the interior sensor 46. The interior recognition device 22 then supplies the interior images captured by the interior camera 45 to the operation standby estimation unit 52 of the operation state recognition unit 25 and the interior situation recognition unit 53 of the situation recognition unit 26. Similarly, the interior recognition device 22 supplies interior sensor information indicating the detection results by the interior sensor 46 to the operation standby estimation unit 52 of the operation state recognition unit 25 and the interior situation recognition unit 53 of the situation recognition unit 26.

[0016] The vehicle recognition device 23 is configured with a vehicle sensor 47 and a position information acquisition unit 48, and detects the speed, acceleration, etc. of the vehicle using the vehicle sensor 47, and acquires vehicle position information using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) using the position information acquisition unit 48. The vehicle recognition device 23 then supplies the vehicle speed data, acceleration data, etc. output from the vehicle sensor 47 to a vehicle information acquisition unit 54 of the situation recognition unit 26, and supplies the vehicle position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 48 to an outside-vehicle situation recognition unit 55 of the situation recognition unit 26.

[0017] The vehicle exterior recognition device 24 is configured with an exterior camera 49 and an exterior sensor 50, and captures images for recognizing the state outside the vehicle with the exterior camera 49, and detects the state outside the vehicle that can be recognized in ways other than the images with the exterior sensor 50. The vehicle exterior recognition device 24 then supplies the vehicle exterior images captured by the exterior camera 49 and exterior sensor information indicating the detection results by the exterior sensor 50 to an exterior situation recognition unit 55 of the situation recognition unit 26.

[0018] The operation state recognition unit 25 is configured to have an operation content acquisition unit 51 and an operation standby estimation unit 52, and recognizes the driver's operation state with respect to the vehicle based on various operation signals supplied from the operation device 21 and the interior image and interior sensor information supplied from the interior recognition device 22, and acquires operation state information indicating the operation state. The operation state information includes operation execution information and operation standby information, which will be described later.

[0019] The operation content acquisition unit 51 acquires the operation content performed by the driver on the steering wheel 41, accelerator pedal 42, and shift lever 44 in accordance with the steering wheel operation signal, accelerator pedal operation signal, brake pedal operation signal, and shift lever operation signal supplied from the operation device 21, and supplies operation execution information indicating the operation content to the vehicle control unit 27. Furthermore, when the operation content acquisition unit 51 acquires the operation content, the operation state recognition unit 25 can recognize that the driver's operation state has entered operation start.

[0020] The operation standby estimation unit 52 estimates an operation (hereinafter referred to as operation standby) that the driver is predicted to perform on the vehicle based on the interior image captured by the interior camera 45 and the interior sensor information detected by the interior sensor 46, and supplies operation standby information indicating the content of the operation standby to the odor parameter setting unit 28. Furthermore, when the operation standby estimation unit 52 estimates the operation standby, the operation state recognition unit 25 can recognize that the driver's operation state has entered operation standby. Furthermore, when the content of the operation standby estimated by the operation standby estimation unit 52 is changed, the operation state recognition unit 25 can recognize that the driver's operation state has changed to operation standby.

[0021] For example, when the operation standby estimation unit 52 detects that the driver has his / her foot on the accelerator pedal 42 in the in-vehicle image, it estimates that the driver is in an accelerator operation standby state, in which the driver is predicted to operate the accelerator. Furthermore, when the operation standby estimation unit 52 detects that the driver has his / her foot on the brake pedal 43 in the in-vehicle image, it estimates that the driver is in a brake operation standby state, in which the driver is predicted to operate the brakes. Furthermore, when the operation standby estimation unit 52 detects that the driver has taken his / her foot off the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43, or has moved his / her foot from the accelerator pedal 42 to the brake pedal 43, or has moved his / her foot from the brake pedal 43 to the accelerator pedal 42 in the in-vehicle image, it estimates that the content of the operation standby has changed.

[0022] In addition to estimating the operation standby state based on the in-vehicle image in this way, the operation standby estimation unit 52 may also estimate the operation standby state based on in-vehicle sensor information detected by the in-vehicle sensor 46. For example, the in-vehicle sensor 46 can detect pressure or contact with the accelerator pedal 42, the brake pedal 43, etc., and the operation standby estimation unit 52 can estimate the accelerator operation standby state, the brake operation standby state, etc. based on the in-vehicle sensor information indicating the detection results.

[0023] The situation recognition unit 26 includes an in-vehicle situation recognition unit 53, a vehicle information acquisition unit 54, and an outside-vehicle situation recognition unit 55, and recognizes the situation of the vehicle.

[0024] The in-vehicle situation recognition unit 53 recognizes the situation inside the vehicle based on the in-vehicle images taken by the in-vehicle camera 45 and the in-vehicle sensor information detected by the in-vehicle sensor 46, and supplies in-vehicle situation information indicating the results of recognizing the situation inside the vehicle to the vehicle control unit 27.

[0025] The vehicle information acquisition unit 54 acquires vehicle information indicating the vehicle speed data, acceleration data, etc. output from the vehicle sensor 47 and supplies the information to the vehicle control unit 27 .

[0026] The vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55 recognizes the situation outside the vehicle based on the vehicle position information supplied from the vehicle recognition device 23, and the vehicle exterior images and vehicle exterior sensor information supplied from the vehicle exterior recognition device 24, and supplies the vehicle control unit 27 with vehicle exterior situation information indicating the results of recognizing the situation outside the vehicle.

[0027] The vehicle control unit 27 controls the driving of the vehicle in accordance with the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51. At this time, the vehicle control unit 27 can perform control so as to drive the vehicle more safely, based on the vehicle interior situation information supplied from the vehicle interior situation recognition unit 53, the vehicle information supplied from the vehicle information acquisition unit 54, and the vehicle exterior situation information supplied from the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55.

[0028] The odor parameter setting unit 28 sets, for the odor presentation device 29, odor parameters (e.g., IDs (Identifications) that identify various odors) that instruct the presentation of odors associated with the content of the operation standby, based on the operation standby information supplied from the operation standby estimation unit 52. That is, the odor parameter setting unit 28 can instruct the odor presentation device 29 to present different odors depending on the content of the operation standby.

[0029] The odor presentation device 29 is configured to have an output unit control section 61 and N output units 62-1 to 62-N.

[0030] The output unit control unit 61 controls the output units 62-1 to 62-N so that an odor (fragrance) according to the odor parameters set by the odor parameter setting unit 28 is presented to the driver.

[0031] The output units 62-1 to 62-N output air containing an odor component (for example, air from which a perfume or the like has evaporated) under the control of the output unit control unit 61, and present the odor to the driver.

[0032] The control system 11 is configured in this manner, with the operation standby estimation unit 52 estimating the operation standby and supplying the operation standby information to the odor parameter setting unit 28, which sets an odor parameter that instructs the presentation of an odor associated with the operation standby content based on the operation standby information. Thus, the control system 11 can present the odor associated with the operation standby content to the driver using the odor presentation device 29.

[0033] As a result, when the driver is about to perform a certain operation, the driver can determine whether to start the operation or change the operation based on the odor presented by the odor presentation device 29. For example, if the driver is about to perform a certain operation and an odor associated with the operation is presented, the driver can determine to start the operation because the odor matches the operation the driver is about to perform. On the other hand, if the driver is about to perform a certain operation and an odor not associated with the operation is presented, the driver can determine to change the operation because the odor does not match the operation the driver is about to perform.

[0034] The transition of the driver's operation state (operation standby, change to operation standby, and operation start) caused by the presentation of an odor will be described with reference to the transition diagram shown in FIG. 2 .

[0035] The operation standby is an operation state in which the driver has their foot on the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43 (a state in which the driver has their foot on the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43 but has not yet depressed the pedal). For example, when the operation standby estimation unit 52 estimates that the driver has their foot on the accelerator pedal 42, the operation state recognition unit 25 recognizes that the driver's operation state has become accelerator operation standby. Also, when the operation standby estimation unit 52 estimates that the driver has their foot on the brake pedal 43, the operation state recognition unit 25 recognizes that the driver's operation state has become brake operation standby.

[0036] The operation standby change is an operation state in which the driver has changed the operation standby. For example, when the operation standby estimation unit 52 estimates that the driver has removed his / her foot from the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43, or that the driver has moved his / her foot from the accelerator pedal 42 to the brake pedal 43, or that the driver has moved his / her foot from the brake pedal 43 to the accelerator pedal 42, the operation state recognition unit 25 recognizes that the driver's operation state has changed to the operation standby.

[0037] The operation start is an operation state in which the driver starts operating the vehicle by depressing the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43 with his / her foot. For example, when the operation content acquisition unit 51 acquires the operation content in which the driver depresses the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43, the operation state recognition unit 25 recognizes that the driver's operation state has become operation start.

[0038] Therefore, for example, when the driver has his / her foot on the accelerator pedal 42, the control system 11 can present to the driver an odor associated with accelerator operation standby, and when the driver has his / her foot on the brake pedal 43, the control system 11 can present to the driver an odor associated with brake operation standby.

[0039] As a result, if an odor associated with accelerator operation standby is presented when the driver places his / her foot on accelerator pedal 42 to operate the accelerator, the driver will determine that the odor matches the operation he / she is about to perform and will start operating the accelerator, and will be able to depress accelerator pedal 42. Also, if an odor associated with brake operation standby is presented when the driver places his / her foot on brake pedal 43 to operate the brake, the driver will determine that the odor matches the operation he / she is about to perform and will start operating the brake, and will be able to depress brake pedal 43.

[0040] On the other hand, if an odor not associated with accelerator operation standby (i.e., an odor associated with brake operation standby) is presented when the driver places his / her foot on the brake pedal 43 to operate the accelerator, the driver will determine that the odor does not match the operation he / she is about to perform and will change his / her operation, and will be able to remove his / her foot from the brake pedal 43. Therefore, in this case, it is possible to prevent the driver from accidentally depressing the brake pedal 43 when trying to operate the accelerator.

[0041] Similarly, if a driver places their foot on the accelerator pedal 42 to brake and is presented with an odor not associated with brake operation standby (i.e., an odor associated with accelerator operation standby), the driver will determine that the odor does not match the operation they are attempting to perform and will change their operation, and will be able to remove their foot from the accelerator pedal 42. Therefore, in this case, it is possible to prevent the driver from accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal 42 to brake.

[0042] In this way, by presenting an odor associated with an operation that the driver is about to perform, the control system 11 can prevent the driver from making an operational error and control the vehicle's driving more safely. For example, when the vehicle is stopped (or parked), the control system 11 can prevent the vehicle from erroneously starting due to an erroneous operation such as when the driver mistakenly operates the accelerator instead of the brake.

[0043] The first control process executed in the control system 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0044] In step S11, the operation state recognition unit 25 recognizes the driver's operation state of the vehicle according to operation standby information indicating the content of the operation standby estimated by the operation standby estimation unit 52, and obtains operation state information indicating that operation state.

[0045] In step S12, the operation state recognition unit 25 determines whether the driver's operation state has become operation standby, according to the operation state information that is the recognition result in step S11.

[0046] In step S12, if the operation state recognition unit 25 determines that the driver's operation state is not in operation standby, the process returns to step S11, and the same processes are repeated thereafter.

[0047] On the other hand, if the operation state recognizing unit 25 determines in step S12 that the driver's operation state has entered operation standby, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0048] In step S13, the operation standby estimation unit 52 supplies operation standby information indicating the content of the operation standby estimated in step S11 to the odor parameter setting unit 28. Then, based on the operation standby information, the odor parameter setting unit 28 sets, for the odor presentation device 29, an odor parameter that instructs the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation standby.

[0049] In step S14, the output unit control unit 61 controls the output units 62-1 to 62-N so that an odor is presented to the driver in accordance with the odor parameters set by the odor parameter setting unit 28 in step S13. The output units 62-1 to 62-N output air containing odor components in accordance with the control by the output unit control unit 61, and present the driver with an odor associated with the operation standby content.

[0050] In step S15, the operation state recognition unit 25 recognizes the driver's operation state of the vehicle in accordance with operation standby information indicating the content of the operation standby estimated by the operation standby estimation unit 52 and operation implementation information indicating the operation content acquired by the operation content acquisition unit 51, and acquires operation state information indicating the operation state.

[0051] In step S16, the operation state recognition unit 25 determines whether the driver's operation state has changed to operation standby or operation start, according to the operation state information that is the recognition result in step S15.

[0052] In step S16, if the operation state recognition unit 25 determines that the driver's operation state has been changed to operation standby, the process returns to step S13, and the same process is repeated. In this case, in step S13, the odor parameters are set according to the operation standby state after the operation standby change estimated in step S15.

[0053] On the other hand, if the operation state recognizing unit 25 determines in step S16 that the driver's operation state has entered the operation start state, the process proceeds to step S17.

[0054] In step S17, the operation content acquisition unit 51 supplies operation execution information indicating the operation content being performed by the driver to the vehicle control unit 27. Then, the vehicle control unit 27 starts control to drive the vehicle in accordance with the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51, and then the first control process is terminated.

[0055] By executing the first control process as described above, the control system 11 can prevent the driver from making an operational error and can control the vehicle's running more safely.

[0056] For example, the driver can detect the smell presented by the smell presentation device 29 and determine whether he or she has mistakenly pressed the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43 before pressing the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43. This allows the driver to clearly know whether he or she is about to press the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43, thereby avoiding the mistake of pressing the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43.

[0057] <Second Configuration Example of Control System> Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a second embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied. In the control system 11A shown in Fig. 4, blocks common to the control system 11 in Fig. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, the control system 11A in Fig. 4 can control the reflection of an operation performed by a driver on the vehicle based on a transition of the driver's operation state caused by presenting an odor to the driver.

[0058] As shown in Figure 4, the control system 11A has a common configuration with the control system 11 in Figure 1 in that it includes an operation device 21, an interior recognition device 22, a vehicle recognition device 23, an exterior recognition device 24, a situation recognition unit 26, a vehicle control unit 27, and an odor presentation device 29.

[0059] The control system 11A differs from the control system 11 of FIG. 1 in that it includes an operation state recognition unit 25A, an odor parameter setting unit 28A, an erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30, and an erroneous operation prevention control unit 31.

[0060] The operation state recognition unit 25A is configured with an operation content acquisition unit 51A, and recognizes the driver's operation state (operation execution, operation change, or operation maintenance) of the vehicle based on the operation content acquired by the operation content acquisition unit 51A from the operation signal supplied from the operation device 21, and acquires operation state information indicating that operation state.

[0061] The operation content acquisition unit 51A acquires the operation content being performed by the driver, similar to the operation content acquisition unit 51 in Fig. 1. Then, the operation content acquisition unit 51A supplies operation execution information indicating the operation content to the odor parameter setting unit 28A and the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31.

[0062] Based on the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51A, the odor parameter setting unit 28A sets, for the odor presentation device 29, odor parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the operation content being performed by the driver. That is, the odor parameter setting unit 28A can instruct the odor presentation device 29 to present a different odor for each operation content.

[0063] The erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30 sets ON / OFF, which indicates whether or not to execute the erroneous operation prevention process, for the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31. The erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30 also sets, for the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31, an operation cancellation time to be used when the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 executes the erroneous operation prevention process. For example, the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30 can make these settings by using default setting information or by using setting information input by the driver using a user input unit (not shown).

[0064] The misoperation prevention control unit 31 is supplied with operation implementation information from the operation content acquisition unit 51A, as well as in-vehicle situation information from the in-vehicle situation recognition unit 53, vehicle information from the vehicle information acquisition unit 54, and outside-vehicle situation information from the outside-vehicle situation recognition unit 55.

[0065] When the erroneous operation prevention processing is set to ON by the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30, the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 executes the erroneous operation prevention processing that controls the supply of the operation execution information, the in-vehicle situation information, the vehicle information, and the outside-vehicle situation information to the vehicle control unit 27 based on the operation state of the driver recognized by the operation state recognition unit 25A. On the other hand, when the erroneous operation prevention processing is set to OFF by the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30, the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 supplies the operation execution information, the in-vehicle situation information, the vehicle information, and the outside-vehicle situation information to the vehicle control unit 27 as is.

[0066] For example, when executing the erroneous operation prevention process, the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 temporarily stops supplying the operation execution information, in-vehicle situation information, vehicle information, and outside-vehicle situation information to the vehicle control unit 27 from the time it recognizes that the driver's operation status has changed to operation execution until the operation cancel time has elapsed. Thereafter, if the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 recognizes that the driver's operation status has changed to operation change before the operation cancel time has elapsed, it discards the operation execution information, in-vehicle situation information, vehicle information, and outside-vehicle situation information and does not supply these pieces of information to the vehicle control unit 27. In this case, the driver's operation performed during the operation cancel time is canceled. In contrast, if the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 recognizes that the driver's operation status is operation continuation when the operation cancel time has elapsed, it supplies the operation execution information, in-vehicle situation information, vehicle information, and outside-vehicle situation information to the vehicle control unit 27.

[0067] The control system 11A is configured as described above, with the operation content acquisition unit 51A acquiring the operation content and supplying the operation implementation information to the odor parameter setting unit 28, which then sets an odor parameter that instructs the presentation of an odor associated with the operation content based on the operation implementation information. Thus, the control system 11A can present the odor associated with the operation content to the driver using the odor presentation device 29.

[0068] As a result, when a driver performs a certain operation, the driver can determine whether to maintain the operation or change the operation based on the odor presented by the odor presentation device 29. For example, when a driver performs a certain operation and an odor associated with the operation is presented, the driver can determine to maintain the operation because the odor matches the operation performed by the driver. On the other hand, when a driver performs a certain operation and an odor not associated with the operation is presented, the driver can determine to change the operation because the odor does not match the operation performed by the driver.

[0069] The transition of the driver's operation state (operation execution, operation change, and operation maintenance) due to the presentation of an odor will be described with reference to the transition diagram shown in FIG. 5 .

[0070] The operation execution state is an operation state in which the driver operates the vehicle by depressing the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43 with his / her foot. For example, when the accelerator pedal operation signal or the brake pedal operation signal supplied from the operation device 21 indicates a predetermined depression amount of the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43, the operation state recognition unit 25A recognizes that the driver's operation state is an operation execution state.

[0071] The operation change is an operation state in which the driver changes the operation execution before the operation cancellation time has elapsed. For example, when the accelerator pedal operation signal or the brake pedal operation signal supplied from the operation device 21 changes to indicate that the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43 is zero, the operation state recognition unit 25A recognizes that the driver's operation state has changed.

[0072] The operation maintenance is an operation state in which, after the operation cancellation time has elapsed, the driver continues to operate the vehicle by continuing to depress the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43 with his / her foot. For example, when the accelerator pedal operation signal or the brake pedal operation signal supplied from the operation device 21 continues to indicate the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43, the operation state recognition unit 25A recognizes that the driver's operation state is operation maintenance.

[0073] Therefore, for example, when the driver is stepping on the accelerator pedal 42 with his / her foot, the control system 11A can present to the driver an odor associated with the accelerator operation, and when the driver is stepping on the brake pedal 43 with his / her foot, the control system 11A can present to the driver an odor associated with the brake operation.

[0074] As a result, if an odor associated with accelerator operation is presented while the driver is performing an accelerator operation and depressing the accelerator pedal 42 with their foot, the driver will determine that the odor matches the operation they are performing and will therefore be able to continue to operate the accelerator, and will be able to continue to depress the accelerator pedal 42. Similarly, if an odor associated with braking operation is presented while the driver is performing a brake operation and depressing the brake pedal 43 with their foot, the driver will determine that the odor matches the operation they are performing and will therefore be able to continue to depress the brake pedal 43.

[0075] On the other hand, if a driver is depressing the brake pedal 43 with their foot, thinking they are operating the accelerator, and an odor not associated with the accelerator operation (i.e., an odor associated with the brake operation) is presented, the driver will determine that the odor does not match the operation they are performing and will change their operation, and will remove their foot from the brake pedal 43. Similarly, if a driver is depressing the accelerator pedal 42 with their foot, thinking they are operating the brakes, and an odor not associated with the brake operation (i.e., an odor associated with the accelerator operation) is presented, the driver will determine that the odor does not match the operation they are performing and will change their operation, and will remove their foot from the accelerator pedal 42.

[0076] If the control system 11A recognizes that the driver's operation state has changed before the operation cancellation time has elapsed, the control system 11A cancels the driver's operation performed during the operation cancellation time. This prevents the vehicle from being stopped due to the driver accidentally depressing the brake pedal 43 while thinking that he or she is operating the accelerator pedal, and prevents the vehicle from being started due to the driver accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal 42 while thinking that he or she is operating the brake pedal. For example, the control system 11A can prevent the vehicle from being started due to an erroneous operation when the driver is stopped (or parked) and mistakenly operates the accelerator pedal instead of operating the brake pedal.

[0077] Furthermore, for example, when the driver operates the shift lever 44 to the drive or reverse position, the control system 11A can present the driver with an odor associated with drive or reverse.

[0078] As a result, if the driver operates the shift lever 44 to the drive position to move the vehicle forward and an odor associated with drive is presented, the driver can determine that the odor matches the operation he or she is performing and therefore maintain the operation of the shift lever 44. Similarly, if the driver operates the shift lever 44 to the reverse position to move the vehicle backward and an odor associated with reverse is presented, the driver can determine that the odor matches the operation he or she is performing and therefore maintain the operation of the shift lever 44.

[0079] On the other hand, if an odor not associated with drive (i.e., an odor associated with reverse) is presented when the driver operates the shift lever 44 to the reverse position to move the vehicle forward, the driver may determine that the odor does not match the operation he or she is performing and may change the operation and perform an operation to change the position of the shift lever 44 to drive. Similarly, if an odor not associated with reverse (i.e., an odor associated with drive) is presented when the driver operates the shift lever 44 to the drive position to move the vehicle backward, the driver may determine that the odor does not match the operation he or she is performing and may change the operation and perform an operation to change the position of the shift lever 44 to reverse.

[0080] Then, when the control system 11A recognizes that the driver's operation state has changed before the operation cancel time has elapsed, the driver's operation performed during the operation cancel time (e.g., accelerator operation during that time) is canceled. This prevents the vehicle from accidentally moving backward when the driver operates the shift lever 44 to the reverse position in an attempt to move the vehicle forward, and prevents the vehicle from accidentally moving forward when the driver operates the shift lever 44 to the drive position in an attempt to move the vehicle backward. For example, the control system 11A can prevent an erroneous start (moving forward when the driver intended to move backward, or moving backward when the driver intended to move forward) caused by the driver erroneously operating the shift lever 44 while the vehicle is stopped (or parked).

[0081] The second control process executed in the control system 11A will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 6. The second control process is executed when the erroneous operation prevention process is set to ON, and when the erroneous operation prevention process is set to OFF, the operation execution information, the in-vehicle situation information, the vehicle information, and the outside-vehicle situation information are supplied directly from the operation content acquisition unit 51A to the vehicle control unit 27 via the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31.

[0082] In step S21, the operation state recognition unit 25A recognizes the driver's operation state of the vehicle based on the operation content acquired by the operation content acquisition unit 51A from the operation signal supplied from the operation device 21, and acquires operation state information indicating that operation state.

[0083] In step S22, the operation state recognition unit 25A determines whether the driver's operation state has become an operation execution state, in accordance with the operation state information that is the recognition result in step S21.

[0084] In step S22, if the operation state recognition unit 25A determines that the driver's operation state is not an operation execution state, the process returns to step S21, and the same processes are repeated thereafter.

[0085] On the other hand, if the operation state recognition unit 25A determines in step S22 that the driver's operation state has become operation execution, the process proceeds to step S23.

[0086] In step S23, the operation content acquisition unit 51A supplies operation execution information indicating the operation content acquired in step S21 to the odor parameter setting unit 28A. Then, based on the operation execution information, the odor parameter setting unit 28A sets, in the odor presentation device 29, an odor parameter that instructs the presentation of an odor associated with the operation content being performed by the driver.

[0087] In step S24, the output unit control unit 61 controls the output units 62-1 to 62-N so that an odor is presented in accordance with the odor parameters set by the odor parameter setting unit 28A in step S23. The output units 62-1 to 62-N output air containing odor components in accordance with the control by the output unit control unit 61, and present the odor associated with the operation content to the driver.

[0088] In step S25, the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 waits for the operation cancellation time to elapse.

[0089] In step S26, the operation state recognition unit 25A recognizes the driver's operation state with respect to the vehicle based on operation implementation information indicating the operation content acquired by the operation content acquisition unit 51A from the operation signal supplied from the operation device 21, and acquires operation state information indicating that operation state.

[0090] In step S27, the operation state recognition unit 25A determines whether the operation state of the driver is an operation change or an operation maintenance, in accordance with the operation state information that is the recognition result in step S26.

[0091] In step S27, if the operation state recognition unit 25A determines that the driver's operation state is an operation change, the process returns to step S23, and the same process is repeated. In this case, the driver's operation performed during the operation cancellation time is canceled, and in step S23, odor parameters are set according to the operation content after the operation change recognized in step S26. Therefore, in this case, the odor presentation device 29 presents an odor associated with the operation content after the change.

[0092] On the other hand, if the operation state recognition unit 25A determines in step S27 that the driver's operation state is the operation maintenance, the process proceeds to step S28.

[0093] In step S28, the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 supplies the operation execution information, the vehicle interior situation information, the vehicle information, and the vehicle exterior situation information to the vehicle control unit 27. Then, after the vehicle control unit 27 controls the vehicle to run in accordance with the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51, the process returns to step S23, and the same processes are repeated thereafter.

[0094] By executing the second control process as described above, the control system 11A can cancel an operation performed by the driver if the operation is changed before the operation cancellation time has elapsed, thereby enabling the vehicle's driving to be controlled more safely.

[0095] For example, the driver can detect the smell presented by the smell presentation device 29 and know whether they have mistakenly pressed the accelerator pedal 42 or the brake pedal 43 before the vehicle reflects the operation. As a result, even if the driver accidentally presses the accelerator pedal 42 in a parking lot, for example, the smell allows the driver to notice the mistake before the vehicle starts moving, and the driver can cancel the vehicle's movement due to the mistaken pressing of the accelerator pedal 42, thereby reducing the risk of an accident.

[0096] In addition, in the control system 11A, the operation cancellation time starts when it is recognized that the driver's operation state has been changed to operation execution. Alternatively, for example, the odor parameter setting unit 28A may notify the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 that an odor parameter has been set for the odor presentation device 29, and the operation cancellation time may start when this notification is received.

[0097] In addition, the control system 11A may, for example, perform detailed sensing of the driver's operation status, and provide feedback such as canceling the presentation of the odor if the desired safe operation is being performed.

[0098] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a modification of the second control process described with reference to FIG.

[0099] As shown in Fig. 7, steps S21 to S28 are performed as described with reference to Fig. 6. After step S28 is completed, the process proceeds to step S29.

[0100] In step S29, the operation state recognition unit 25A determines whether the operation duration, which is the time during which the operation state continues from the time when it was determined in step S22 that the driver's operation state has become operation execution, has exceeded a predetermined time.

[0101] In step S29, if the operation state recognition unit 25A determines that the operation duration is not longer than the predetermined time (i.e., it is shorter than the predetermined time), the process returns to step S23, and the same process is repeated thereafter.

[0102] On the other hand, if the operation state recognizing unit 25A determines in step S29 that the operation duration has reached or exceeded the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S30.

[0103] In step S30, the operation state recognition unit 25A supplies a stop command to the odor parameter setting unit 28A to instruct it to stop presenting the odor. In accordance with the stop command, the odor parameter setting unit 28A instructs the odor presentation device 29 to stop presenting the odor, and in the odor presentation device 29, the output unit control unit 61 controls the output units 62-1 to 62-N to stop presenting the odor. This stops the presentation of the odor associated with the operation content.

[0104] Thereafter, the process returns to step S26, and the same process is repeated thereafter. For example, if it is determined in subsequent step S27 that the driver's operation state is to maintain the operation, the driver's operation is not canceled, and the operation execution information, vehicle interior situation information, vehicle information, and vehicle exterior situation information are supplied from the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 to the vehicle control unit 27, and the vehicle driving is controlled by the vehicle control unit 27. On the other hand, for example, if it is determined in subsequent step S27 that the driver's operation state is to change the operation, the presentation of the odor is resumed in accordance with the operation content after the change.

[0105] As described above, when a certain operational state continues for a predetermined time or longer, the control system 11A can determine that the desired safe driving is being performed and can stop presenting the scent according to the operation content at that time. Note that, similar to the control system 11A, the control system 11 of other embodiments may also stop presenting the scent when a certain operational state continues for a predetermined time or longer.

[0106] <Third Configuration Example of Control System> Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a third embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied. In the control system 11B shown in Fig. 8, blocks common to the control system 11 in Fig. 1 and the control system 11A in Fig. 4 are assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, the control system 11B in Fig. 7 can set the erroneous operation prevention process to on / off depending on the situation of the vehicle.

[0107] As shown in Figure 8, the control system 11B has a common configuration with the control system 11 of Figure 1 in that it includes an operation device 21, an interior recognition device 22, a vehicle recognition device 23, an exterior recognition device 24, a vehicle control unit 27, and an odor presentation device 29, and a common configuration with the control system 11A of Figure 4 in that it includes an erroneous operation prevention control unit 31.

[0108] The control system 11B differs from the control system 11 of FIG. 1 and the control system 11A of FIG. 4 in that it includes an operation state recognition unit 25B, a situation recognition unit 26B, an odor parameter setting unit 28B, and an erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B.

[0109] The operation state recognition unit 25B is configured with an operation content acquisition unit 51B, and similarly to the operation state recognition unit 25A in Fig. 4 , recognizes the operation state of the driver with respect to the vehicle and acquires operation state information indicating that operation state. Similar to the operation content acquisition unit 51 in Fig. 1 , the operation content acquisition unit 51B acquires the operation content being performed by the driver. The operation content acquisition unit 51B then supplies operation execution information indicating the operation content to the odor parameter setting unit 28B and the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31.

[0110] The situation recognition unit 26B is configured to include an in-vehicle situation recognition unit 53, a vehicle information acquisition unit 54B, and an outside-vehicle situation recognition unit 55B, and recognizes the situation of the vehicle.

[0111] The vehicle information acquisition unit 54B acquires vehicle information in the same manner as the vehicle information acquisition unit 54 in Fig. 1. Then, the vehicle information acquisition unit 54B supplies the vehicle information to the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B and the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31.

[0112] The vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55B recognizes the situation outside the vehicle, similar to the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55 in Fig. 1. The vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55B then supplies vehicle exterior situation information indicating the results of the recognition of the situation outside the vehicle to the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B and the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31.

[0113] 4, the odor parameter setting unit 28B sets odor parameters for the odor presentation device 29 based on the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51B. That is, the odor parameter setting unit 28B can instruct the odor presentation device 29 to present different odors depending on the operation content.

[0114] The erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B sets the erroneous operation prevention processing to on / off for the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 based on the vehicle information supplied from the vehicle information acquisition unit 54B and the vehicle exterior situation information supplied from the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55B.

[0115] For example, the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B determines whether the vehicle is stopped or running based on the vehicle speed data indicated by the vehicle information supplied from the vehicle information acquisition unit 54B. If the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B determines that the vehicle is running, it determines whether an object is present within a predetermined distance from the vehicle based on the presence or absence of an object outside the vehicle indicated by the vehicle exterior situation information supplied from the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55B and information on the distance to the object outside the vehicle (relative position information with respect to the vehicle).

[0116] When the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B determines that the vehicle is in a traveling state and that an object is present within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B sets the erroneous operation prevention processing related to steering wheel operation to OFF. As a result, the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 supplies the operation content for the steering wheel 41, which is included in the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51B, to the vehicle control unit 27 as is.

[0117] Furthermore, if the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B determines that the vehicle is stopped, it sets the erroneous operation prevention process for accelerator operation to ON. As a result, even if the accelerator pedal 42 is depressed while the vehicle is stopped, the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 cancels the accelerator operation until the operation cancellation time has elapsed, and temporarily stops supplying the operation details for the accelerator pedal 42, which are part of the operation execution information supplied from the operation details acquisition unit 51B, to the vehicle control unit 27.

[0118] Furthermore, when the erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30B determines that the vehicle is in a traveling state and that there is no object within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, it sets the erroneous operation prevention processing related to steering wheel operation to ON. As a result, even if an operation is performed on the steering wheel 41 of a traveling vehicle, the erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 cancels the steering wheel operation until the operation cancellation time has elapsed, and temporarily stops supplying the operation execution information, which is supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51B, to the vehicle control unit 27, with the operation content for the steering wheel 41.

[0119] The control system 11B is configured in this manner, and can set the anti-misoperation processing to on / off based on the vehicle speed data, the conditions outside the vehicle, etc., so that the anti-misoperation processing can be executed more appropriately.

[0120] In the control system 11B, when the erroneous operation prevention process is set to ON, the second control process is executed in the same manner as in the flowchart of FIG. 6 described above.

[0121] <Fourth Configuration Example of Control System> Figure 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a fourth embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied. Note that in the control system 11C shown in Figure 9, blocks common to the control system 11 in Figure 1 and the control system 11A in Figure 4 are assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, the control system 11C in Figure 9 can control the reflection of an operation on the vehicle when the driver attempts to perform an operation and when the driver performs an operation, based on a transition of the driver's operation state due to presentation of an odor to the driver.

[0122] As shown in Figure 9, the control system 11C has a common configuration with the control system 11 of Figure 1 in that it includes an operation device 21, an in-vehicle recognition device 22, a vehicle recognition device 23, an outside-vehicle recognition device 24, an operation state recognition unit 25, a situation recognition unit 26, a vehicle control unit 27, and an odor presentation device 29, and has a common configuration with the control system 11A of Figure 4 in that it includes an erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30 and an erroneous operation prevention control unit 31.

[0123] The control system 11C differs from the control system 11 in FIG. 1 and the control system 11A in FIG. 4 in that it includes an odor parameter setting unit 28C.

[0124] The odor parameter setting unit 28C is supplied with operation execution information from the operation content acquisition unit 51, and is also supplied with operation standby information from the operation standby estimation unit 52. The odor parameter setting unit 28C sets, for the odor presentation device 29, odor parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the operation content of the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51. Furthermore, the odor parameter setting unit 28C sets, for the odor presentation device 29, odor parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation standby information supplied from the operation standby estimation unit 52. In other words, the odor parameter setting unit 28C can instruct the odor presentation device 29 to present different odors depending on the content of the operation standby and the operation content.

[0125] In other words, the odor parameter setting unit 28C is configured to perform the operations of both the odor parameter setting unit 28 in FIG. 1 and the odor parameter setting unit 28A in FIG.

[0126] The control system 11C configured in this manner can control the running of a vehicle more safely, similar to the control system 11 in FIG. 1 and the control system 11A in FIG.

[0127] In addition, just as the control system 11C is a configuration that combines the control system 11 of Figure 1 and the control system 11A of Figure 4, a configuration that combines the control system 11 of Figure 1 and the control system 11B of Figure 8 may also be adopted.

[0128] The third control process executed in the control system 11C will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0129] In steps S31 to S36, the same processes as in steps S11 to S16 in FIG. 3 are performed.

[0130] In step S37, the operation content acquisition unit 51C supplies operation execution information indicating the operation content acquired in step S35 (i.e., the content of the operation execution initiated by the driver) to the odor parameter setting unit 28C. Then, based on the operation execution information, the odor parameter setting unit 28C sets, in the odor presentation device 29, odor parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the operation content.

[0131] In steps S38 to S42, the same processes as in steps S24 to S28 in FIG. 6 are performed.

[0132] By executing the third control process as described above, the control system 11C can control the running of the vehicle more safely, similar to the control system 11 in FIG. 1 and the control system 11A in FIG.

[0133] <Fifth Configuration Example of Control System> Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a fifth embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied. In the control system 11D shown in Fig. 11, blocks common to the control system 11 in Fig. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0134] As shown in Figure 11, the control system 11D has a common configuration with the control system 11 in Figure 1 in that it includes an operation device 21, an interior recognition device 22, a vehicle recognition device 23, an exterior recognition device 24, a vehicle control unit 27, and an odor presentation device 29.

[0135] The control system 11D differs from the control system 11 of FIG. 1 in that it includes an operation state recognition unit 25D, a situation recognition unit 26D, and an odor parameter setting unit 28D.

[0136] The operation state recognition unit 25D is configured to include an operation content acquisition unit 51D, and similarly to the operation state recognition unit 25A in Fig. 4, recognizes the operation state of the driver with respect to the vehicle and acquires operation state information indicating the operation state. Similar to the operation content acquisition unit 51 in Fig. 1, the operation content acquisition unit 51D acquires the operation content being performed by the driver and supplies operation execution information indicating the operation content to the vehicle control unit 27.

[0137] The situation recognition unit 26D is configured to include an in-vehicle situation recognition unit 53, a vehicle information acquisition unit 54, and an outside-vehicle situation recognition unit 55D, and recognizes the situation of the vehicle.

[0138] The vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55D is supplied with vehicle position information from the position information acquisition unit 48, vehicle exterior images from the exterior camera 49, and vehicle exterior sensor information from the exterior sensor 50, as well as vehicle speed data from the vehicle sensor 47. The vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55D recognizes the situation outside the vehicle based on the vehicle position information, vehicle exterior images, exterior sensor information, and vehicle speed data, and supplies vehicle exterior situation information indicating the results of the recognition of the situation outside the vehicle to the odor parameter setting unit 28D.

[0139] Based on the vehicle exterior situation information supplied from the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55D, the odor parameter setting unit 28D sets odor parameters that instruct the odor presentation device 29 to present an odor according to the vehicle exterior situation. In other words, the odor parameter setting unit 28D can instruct the odor presentation device 29 to present a different odor for each vehicle exterior situation.

[0140] The control system 11D is configured as described above, with the exterior situation recognition unit 55D recognizing the situation outside the vehicle and providing the exterior situation information to the odor parameter setting unit 28D, which then sets odor parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor corresponding to the exterior situation based on the exterior situation information. Thus, the control system 11D can present an odor corresponding to the exterior situation to the driver using the odor presentation device 29. For example, if the exterior situation is unsafe, the control system 11D can present an unpleasant odor (an unpleasant odor) to the driver to warn of danger, and if the exterior situation is safe, the control system 11D can present a pleasant odor (a pleasant odor) to the driver to notify them of a safe or acceptable state. This allows the control system 11D to support the driver in understanding the exterior situation.

[0141] An example of presenting an odor according to the situation outside the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG.

[0142] The control system 11D can control the odor presented to the driver in accordance with the magnitude of the vehicle speed exceeding the legal speed limit, so that the intensity of the unpleasant odor increases as the vehicle speed exceeds the legal speed limit. On the other hand, the control system 11D can control the odor presented to the driver in a pleasant manner when the vehicle speed is below the legal speed limit. For example, the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55D can recognize signs and acquire legal speed information by performing image analysis on exterior vehicle images captured by the exterior camera 49, or can acquire legal speed information from map information by referencing vehicle position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 48. The vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55D can then calculate the difference between the vehicle speed data output from the vehicle sensor 47 and the legal speed limit to acquire the excess speed.

[0143] In the example shown in A of Figure 12, when the excess speed is 0 [km / h] or more, odor B (unpleasant odor) is presented to the driver, and the odor presented to the driver is controlled so that the intensity of odor B (unpleasant odor) increases with each 10 [km / h] increase in excess speed. On the other hand, when the excess speed is less than 0 [km / h], odor A (pleasant odor) is presented to the driver.

[0144] Similarly, the control system 11D can control the odor presented to the driver according to the relative speed of the vehicle relative to the speed of the preceding vehicle, so that when the relative speed is high, the intensity of the unpleasant odor increases, whereas when the relative speed is low, the control system 11D can control the odor presented to the driver so that a pleasant odor is presented.

[0145] In this way, the control system 11D can warn / notify the driver of speeds exceeding the legal speed limit, relative speeds to other vehicles ahead, etc. by presenting an unpleasant smell, allowing the driver to operate the vehicle more safely.

[0146] The control system 11D can control the scent presented to the driver according to an inter-vehicle distance parameter (speed [km / h] ÷ (inter-vehicle distance [m] × 1000)) which is expressed as the ratio of the inter-vehicle distance to other vehicles in front and behind the vehicle and the vehicle speed. For example, the exterior situation recognition unit 55D can acquire inter-vehicle distance information by analyzing images outside the vehicle taken by the exterior camera 49, or detect the inter-vehicle distance using the exterior sensor 50, and can acquire the inter-vehicle distance parameter based on the vehicle speed data output from the vehicle sensor 47.

[0147] In the example shown in Figure 12B, when the inter-vehicle distance parameter is less than 1.0, i.e., when the vehicle is sufficiently far from the other vehicles in front and behind, taking vehicle speed into consideration, odor A (a pleasant odor) is presented, and when the inter-vehicle distance parameter is 0.5 or greater, the odor presented to the driver is controlled so that the intensity of odor A (a pleasant odor) is higher than when the inter-vehicle distance parameter is less than 0.5. On the other hand, when the inter-vehicle distance parameter is 1.0 or greater, i.e., when the vehicle is not sufficiently far from the other vehicles in front and behind, taking vehicle speed into consideration, odor B (an unpleasant odor) is presented, and when the inter-vehicle distance parameter is 1.5 or greater, the intensity of odor B (an unpleasant odor) is controlled so that it is higher than when the inter-vehicle distance parameter is less than 1.5. Furthermore, the intensity of the odor presented to the driver is controlled so that it increases as the inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicles in front and behind increases, taking vehicle speed into consideration.

[0148] In this way, the control system 11D can warn / notify the driver by presenting an unpleasant odor that the vehicle is not keeping a sufficient distance from other vehicles in front and behind, taking into account the vehicle speed, thereby allowing the driver to operate the vehicle more safely.

[0149] The control system 11D can control the scent presented to the driver according to the distance [m] to surrounding objects in the left and right directions perpendicular to the vehicle's direction of travel. For example, the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55D can acquire distance information to surrounding objects by analyzing images of the vehicle exterior captured by the exterior camera 49, or can detect the distance to surrounding objects using the exterior sensor 50.

[0150] In the example shown in Figure 12C, when the distance to a peripheral object in the left or right direction perpendicular to the vehicle's direction of travel is less than 1.0, i.e., when the distance to the peripheral object is close, odor B (unpleasant odor) is presented to the driver. The odor presented to the driver is controlled so that when the distance to the peripheral object is less than 0.5, the intensity of odor B (unpleasant odor) is higher than when the distance is 0.5 or greater. On the other hand, when the distance to the peripheral object in the left or right direction perpendicular to the vehicle's direction of travel is 1.0 or greater, i.e., when the distance to the peripheral object is far, odor A (pleasant odor) is presented to the driver. The intensity of odor A (pleasant odor) is controlled so that when the distance to the peripheral object is less than 1.5, the intensity of odor A (pleasant odor) is higher than when the distance is 1.5 or greater. Furthermore, the closer the distance to the peripheral object in the left or right direction perpendicular to the vehicle's direction of travel, the higher the intensity of the odor presented to the driver.

[0151] In this way, the control system 11D can warn / notify the driver that the distance to a surrounding object on the left or right, which is perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle, is close by presenting an unpleasant odor, thereby enabling the driver to operate the vehicle more safely. Note that the control system 11D may also control the odor presented to the driver according to the distance to the white line on the road, as well as the distance to the surrounding object.

[0152] For example, the control system 11D can use citrus or floral scents as pleasant scents, and strong mint, vinegar, sulfur, or other stimulating scents as unpleasant scents.

[0153] The control system 11D may present the driver with a scent associated with the vehicle speed. For example, the scent presented to the driver can be controlled in such a way that a forest scent is presented when the vehicle speed is between 20 and 30 km / h, a rose scent is presented when the vehicle speed is between 40 and 60 km / h, a fruity scent is presented when the vehicle speed is between 60 and 80 km / h, and a citrus scent is presented when the vehicle speed is between 80 and 100 km / h.

[0154] The fourth control process executed in the control system 11D will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0155] In step S51, the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55D recognizes the situation outside the vehicle based on the vehicle position information, the vehicle exterior image, the vehicle exterior sensor information, and the vehicle speed data.

[0156] In step S52, the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit 55D supplies vehicle exterior situation information indicating the results of the recognition of the situation outside the vehicle recognized in step S51 to the odor parameter setting unit 28D. Then, based on the vehicle exterior situation information, the odor parameter setting unit 28D sets odor parameters for the odor presentation device 29 that instruct the presentation of an odor according to the vehicle exterior situation.

[0157] In step S53, the output unit control unit 61 controls the output units 62-1 to 62-N so that an odor is presented to the driver in accordance with the odor parameters set by the odor parameter setting unit 28 in step S52. The output units 62-1 to 62-N output air containing odor components in accordance with the control by the output unit control unit 61, and present the driver with an odor associated with the situation outside the vehicle (for example, a pleasant odor if it is safe, and an unpleasant odor if it is not safe).

[0158] In step S54, the vehicle control unit 27 controls the vehicle to run in accordance with the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51D, and then the process returns to step S51, and the same process is repeated thereafter.

[0159] By executing the fourth control process as described above, the control system 11D can warn / notify the driver based on the vehicle speed, the distance between the vehicles, the distance to surrounding objects, etc., as described above with reference to Figure 12, and can allow the driver to perform safer operations.

[0160] For example, the driver can detect the smell presented by the smell presentation device 29 and correct the vehicle's operation to drive in a way that is appropriate for the vehicle's conditions (speed, distance between vehicles, distance to surrounding objects, etc.), which will help prevent accidents and violations.

[0161] <Sixth Configuration Example of Control System> Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a sixth embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied. In the control system 11E shown in Fig. 14, blocks common to the control system 11 in Fig. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, the control system 11E in Fig. 14 controls various machines such as factory machines such as machine tools, trains, and ships, and can control the reflection of an operation on a machine when the worker attempts to operate it based on a transition of the worker's operation state caused by presenting an odor to the worker.

[0162] As shown in FIG. 14, the control system 11E has a common configuration with the control system 11 of FIG. 1 in that it includes an operation state recognition unit 25, an odor parameter setting unit 28, and an odor presentation device 29.

[0163] The control system 11E differs from the control system 11 in FIG. 1 in that it includes an operation unit 71, a camera 72, and a machine control unit 73.

[0164] The operation unit 71 is a handle, pedal, lever, etc. used to operate various machines that are the targets of control by the control system 11E. The operation unit 71 supplies an operation signal corresponding to an operation by an operator to the operation content acquisition unit 51 of the operation state recognition unit 25.

[0165] The camera 72 captures the movements of the worker when operating the operation unit 71 (hand movements on handles, levers, etc., or foot movements on pedals), and supplies the images obtained by capturing them to the operation standby estimation unit 52 of the operation state recognition unit 25.

[0166] The machine control unit 73 controls various machines that are the targets of control by the control system 11E in accordance with the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit 51.

[0167] 1, the control system 11E configured in this manner can present to the worker, using the odor presentation device 29, an odor associated with the operation standby content that the worker is expected to perform on the machine by operating the operation unit 71, i.e., a different odor for each operation standby content. As a result, when the worker is about to perform a certain operation, the odor presented by the odor presentation device 29 allows the worker to determine whether to start the operation or change the operation.

[0168] Therefore, similar to the control system 11 of FIG. 1, the control system 11E can prevent the operator from making an operational error and can control the machine more safely.

[0169] <Seventh Configuration Example of Control System> Fig. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a seventh embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied. Note that in the control system 11F shown in Fig. 15, blocks common to the control system 11 in Fig. 1, the control system 11A in Fig. 4, and the control system 11E in Fig. 14 are assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. For example, the control system 11F in Fig. 15 controls various machines such as factory machines such as machine tools, trains, and ships, and can control the reflection of an operation on a machine when the operator performs an operation based on a transition of the operator's operation state by presenting an odor to the operator.

[0170] As shown in Fig. 15, control system 11F has a configuration in common with control system 11 in Fig. 1 in that it includes an odor parameter setting unit 28 and an odor presentation device 29, a configuration in common with control system 11A in Fig. 4 in that it includes an erroneous operation prevention setting unit 30 and an erroneous operation prevention control unit 31, and a configuration in common with control system 11E in Fig. 14 in that it includes an operation unit 71 and a machine control unit 73. Furthermore, the operation state recognition unit 25F and the operation content acquisition unit 51F included in control system 11F are configured similarly to the operation state recognition unit 25A and the operation content acquisition unit 51A included in control system 11A in Fig. 4.

[0171] 4 , the control system 11F configured in this manner can present to the operator, using the odor presentation device 29, an odor associated with the operation content when the operator performs an operation on the operation unit 71, i.e., a different odor for each operation content. This allows the operator, when performing a certain operation, to decide whether to maintain the operation or change the operation, depending on the odor presented by the odor presentation device 29. If the operation erroneous operation prevention control unit 31 recognizes that the operator's operation status has changed before the operation cancellation time has elapsed, the operation performed by the operator during the operation cancellation time is canceled without supplying operation implementation information to the machine control unit 73.

[0172] Therefore, similar to the control system 11A of FIG. 4, if an operation performed by an operator is changed before the operation cancellation time has elapsed, the control system 11F can cancel that operation, thereby enabling safer control of the machine.

[0173] Note that, similar to the control system 11C in Fig. 9 described above, a configuration in which the control system 11E in Fig. 14 and the control system 11F in Fig. 4 are combined may be employed. Furthermore, the control system 11E in Fig. 14 may be combined with a configuration for setting the on / off of the erroneous operation prevention process, as in the control system 11B in Fig. 8.

[0174] <Eighth Configuration Example of Control System> A configuration example of an eighth embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18 .

[0175] Fig. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an eighth embodiment of a control system to which the present technology is applied. In the control system 11G shown in Fig. 16, blocks common to the control system 11 in Fig. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0176] As shown in Figure 16, the control system 11G has a common configuration with the control system 11 of Figure 1 in that it includes an operation device 21, an interior recognition device 22, a vehicle recognition device 23, an exterior recognition device 24, a situation recognition unit 26, and an odor presentation device 29.

[0177] 1 in that it includes an operation state recognition unit 25G, an odor parameter setting unit 28G, a communication unit 81, a cancel input unit 82, and a driver state determination unit 83. The operation state recognition unit 25G is configured similarly to the operation state recognition unit 25A in FIG. 4, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0178] Furthermore, when a passenger other than the driver is on board the vehicle equipped with the control system 11G, the user terminal 12 carried by the passenger can also constitute part of the control system 11G. The user terminal 12 is, for example, a smartphone, and is configured to include a communication unit 91 and an application execution processing unit 92.

[0179] The communication unit 81 and the communication unit 91 can perform wireless communication using an existing communication standard (for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark)), and connect the control system 11G and the user terminal 12 via communication.

[0180] The application execution processing unit 92 executes a driver alert application that is operated by the passenger to alert the driver using an odor. For example, when the application execution processing unit 92 executes the driver alert application and the passenger operates the application to alert the driver using an odor, the application execution processing unit 92 can supply an alert command instructing the presentation of an alert odor to the odor parameter setting unit 28G and the driver state determination unit 83 via the communication unit 81 and the communication unit 91.

[0181] The cancel input unit 82 is an input unit that allows the driver to input an instruction to stop the presentation of the alert odor when the alert odor is presented by the odor presentation device 29. For example, when the driver inputs an instruction to stop the presentation of the alert odor, the cancel input unit 82 supplies a stop command to the driver state determination unit 83 to instruct the driver to stop the presentation of the alert odor.

[0182] The driver state determination unit 83 is supplied with operation execution information from the operation content acquisition unit 51G, in-vehicle situation information from the in-vehicle situation recognition unit 53, vehicle information from the vehicle information acquisition unit 54, and outside-vehicle situation information from the outside-vehicle situation recognition unit 55. When an alert command is supplied from the application execution processing unit 92 via the communication units 81 and 91, the driver state determination unit 83 determines whether the driver's driving state is normal or not based on the operation execution information, in-vehicle situation information, vehicle information, and outside-vehicle situation information.

[0183] For example, the driver state determination unit 83 can determine whether the driver's driving state is normal by checking whether the vehicle is traveling along the road at an appropriate speed and following distance, or by monitoring the driver's image captured by the in-vehicle camera 45. The driver state determination unit 83 can also determine whether the driver's driving state is normal based on whether a stop command is provided from the cancel input unit 82. If the driver state determination unit 83 determines that the driver's driving state is abnormal, it notifies the odor parameter setting unit 28G that the driver's driving state is abnormal. On the other hand, if the driver state determination unit 83 determines that the driver's driving state is normal, it notifies the odor parameter setting unit 28G that the driver's driving state is normal. For example, if the driver inputs to the cancel input unit 82, the driver state determination unit 83 determines that the driver's operation state is normal and notifies the odor parameter setting unit 28G that the driver's driving state is normal.

[0184] 4 , the odor parameter setting unit 28G sets, in the odor presentation device 29, odor parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the operation content being performed by the driver, based on the operation implementation information supplied from the operation state recognition unit 25G. Furthermore, when an alert command is supplied from the application execution processing unit 92 via the communication units 81 and 91, the odor parameter setting unit 28G sets, in the odor presentation device 29, odor parameters that instruct the presentation of an alert odor. As a result, in the odor presentation device 29, the output unit control unit 61 controls the output units 62-1 to 62-N to present the alert odor.

[0185] Thereafter, when the driver state determination unit 83 notifies the odor parameter setting unit 28G that the driver's driving state is not normal, the odor parameter setting unit 28G causes the odor presentation device 29 to continue presenting the alert odor. On the other hand, when the driver state determination unit 83 notifies the odor parameter setting unit 28G that the driver's driving state is normal, the odor parameter setting unit 28G instructs the odor presentation device 29 to stop presenting the alert odor, and in the odor presentation device 29, the output unit control unit 61 controls the output units 62-1 to 62-N to stop presenting the odor.

[0186] The control system 11G configured as described above can alert the driver by using an alert scent when a passenger other than the driver notices that the driver's driving condition is abnormal. For example, by using the user terminal 12, the control system 11G can alert the driver by using an alert scent without installing a button or the like in the vehicle for instructing the driver to display an alert scent. Furthermore, by using the user terminal 12, the control system 11G can alert the driver by using an alert scent even when the passenger is sitting in the back seat. For example, if the control system 11G is installed on a bus, when a bus passenger notices that the bus driver's driving condition is abnormal, the bus passenger can use the user terminal 12 to alert the driver by using an alert scent.

[0187] For example, when a passenger notices that the driver's driving condition is abnormal, the passenger can execute a driver alert application by operating the user terminal 12. Fig. 17 shows an example of a driver alert screen 93 that is displayed on the display of the user terminal 12 in response to the driver alert application being executed by the application execution processing unit 92.

[0188] When the communication unit 91 is able to connect to the communication unit 81 via wireless communication, the application execution processing unit 92 displays a message such as "There is a vehicle nearby that can be connected to. Do you want to connect?" as shown on a driver alert screen 93a in Fig. 17. In response to this message, when the user performs an operation to connect the user terminal 12 to the control system 11G, the communication unit 91 starts communication with the communication unit 81 in accordance with an instruction from the application execution processing unit 92.

[0189] Thereafter, when communication is established between the user terminal 12 and the control system 11G, the application execution processing unit 92 displays a message such as "Connected vehicle XX bus_XXX row / Alert driver with odor" as shown on a driver alert screen 93b in Fig. 17, along with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for specifying the odor strength. In the example shown in Fig. 17, a GUI for specifying a strong odor (strong) and a GUI for specifying a weak odor (weak) are displayed on the driver alert screen 93b.

[0190] When the user operates the GUI for specifying the intensity of the scent, the application execution processing unit 92 displays a message such as "Connected vehicle XX bus _XXX line / Confirm! Do you want to execute?" as shown on the driver alert screen 93c in Fig. 17, along with a GUI for instructing whether or not to present an alert scent. In the example shown in Fig. 17, a GUI for instructing to present an alert scent (Yes) and a GUI for instructing to stop presenting an alert scent (Stop) are displayed on the driver alert screen 93c.

[0191] For example, when the user operates the GUI to instruct the presentation of an alert odor, the application execution processing unit 92, as described above, supplies an alert command instructing the presentation of an alert odor to the odor parameter setting unit 28G and the driver state determination unit 83. On the other hand, when the user operates the GUI to instruct the stopping of the presentation of an alert odor, the application execution processing unit 92 does not supply an alert command.

[0192] When the application execution processing unit 92 presents an alert scent, it displays a message such as "Connected vehicle XX bus _XXX line / Driver alerted with scent!" as shown on the driver alert screen 93d in Figure 17.

[0193] The control system 11G needs to be configured so that only passengers in the vehicle can execute the scent alert. For example, the application execution processing unit 92 can perform control so that processing using the driver alert screen 93 as described above is performed only when the user terminal 12 is within the communication range of the communication standard used by the communication unit 81 and the communication unit 91 and the communication unit 81 and the communication unit 91 can communicate wirelessly.

[0194] Furthermore, the application execution processing unit 92 may display a warning on the driver alert screen 93 that if the driver alert application is executed other than in an emergency, the passenger will be held responsible (for example, will be punished by law) so that the driver alert application is executed only in an emergency, such as when the driver's operating state is abnormal. Furthermore, the control system 11G needs to be configured to record identification information (for example, the terminal identification number or IP (Internet Protocol) address of the user terminal 12) that identifies the user terminal 12 that executed the driver alert application, an operation history of operations performed on the driver alert application, and the like, and store these records so that they can be traced.

[0195] The fifth control process executed in the control system 11G will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0196] For example, when the passenger operates the user terminal 12 to start the driver alert application, the processing starts, and in step S61, the application execution processing unit 92 displays the driver alert screen 93a shown in Fig. 17. Then, when the user operates the user terminal 12 to connect to the control system 11G, the application execution processing unit 92 establishes communication with the control system 11G via the communication unit 81 and the communication unit 91.

[0197] In step S62, the application execution processing unit 92 displays the driver alert screen 93b shown in Fig. 17, and when the user operates the GUI to specify the odor intensity, displays the driver alert screen 93c shown in Fig. 17. Then, when the user operates the GUI to instruct the presentation of an alert odor, the application execution processing unit 92 supplies an alert command to the odor parameter setting unit 28G and the driver state determination unit 83 to instruct the presentation of an alert odor.

[0198] In step S63, the parameter setting unit 28G sets odor parameters that instruct the odor presentation device 29 to present an alert odor. As a result, in the odor presentation device 29, the output unit control unit 61 controls the output units 62-1 to 62-N to present the alert odor, and begins presenting the alert odor. At this time, the application execution processing unit 92 displays the driver alert screen 93d shown in FIG. 17.

[0199] In step S64, the driver state determination unit 83 determines whether the driver's driving state is normal or not based on the operation execution information, the vehicle interior situation information, the vehicle information, and the vehicle exterior situation information.

[0200] If the driver state determination unit 83 determines in step S64 that the driver's driving state is not normal, the process proceeds to step S65. In step S65, the driver state determination unit 83 notifies the odor parameter setting unit 28G that the driver's driving state is not normal, and the odor parameter setting unit 28G determines to continue presenting the alert odor, and the process returns to step S64.

[0201] On the other hand, if the driver state determination unit 83 determines in step S64 that the driver's driving state is normal, the process proceeds to step S66.

[0202] In step S66, the driver state determination unit 83 notifies the odor parameter setting unit 28G that the driver's driving state is normal. In response, the odor parameter setting unit 28G instructs the odor presentation device 29 to stop presenting the alert odor, and in the odor presentation device 29, the output unit control unit 61 controls the output units 62-1 to 62-N to stop presenting the odor, thereby stopping the presentation of the alert odor. Then, the processing ends.

[0203] By executing the fifth control process as described above, the control system 11G can alert the driver by emitting an alert scent when a passenger other than the driver notices that the driver's driving condition is not normal, thereby making it possible to control the vehicle's driving more safely.

[0204] The control system 11 of each of the above-described embodiments can prevent erroneous operations by using smells. Erroneous operations can be broadly divided into single erroneous operations, such as accidentally stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake, and repeated erroneous operations, such as speeding. The control system 11 is effective against both single erroneous operations and repeated erroneous operations. That is, for both single erroneous operations and repeated erroneous operations, the control system 11 can prevent erroneous operations from occurring or cancel the erroneous operations by presenting a smell based on operation execution information or operation standby information. In particular, the control system 11 can reliably prevent single erroneous operations from occurring.

[0205] Furthermore, the control system 11 can locally present an odor using the odor presentation device 29. For example, the control system 11 can present an odor only to the driver to make him / her aware of an erroneous operation, thereby preventing the in-vehicle experience of passengers other than the driver from being impaired.

[0206] The control system 11 can also change the scent to suit the driver's preferences or present multiple scents. This allows the driver to recognize an erroneous operation with a scent appropriate for each driver, resulting in more reliable recognition. Furthermore, by using multiple scents, it is possible to recognize different levels of urgency, for example, by scent.

[0207] <Example of Computer Configuration> Next, the above-described series of processes (control method) can be performed by hardware or software. When the series of processes is performed by software, a program constituting the software is installed in a general-purpose computer or the like.

[0208] FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a computer in which a program for executing the above-described series of processes is installed.

[0209] In the computer, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, and an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) 104 are interconnected by a bus 105. An input / output interface 106 is further connected to the bus 105, and the input / output interface 106 is connected to the outside.

[0210] In a computer configured as described above, the CPU 101 performs the above-described series of processes by loading programs stored in, for example, the ROM 102 and EEPROM 104 into the RAM 103 via the bus 105 and executing the programs. In addition, the programs executed by the computer (CPU 101) can be written in advance in the ROM 102, or can be installed or updated in the EEPROM 104 from outside via the input / output interface 106.

[0211] In this specification, the processing performed by a computer according to a program does not necessarily have to be performed in chronological order according to the order described in the flowchart. In other words, the processing performed by a computer according to a program also includes processing that is executed in parallel or individually (for example, parallel processing or object-based processing).

[0212] The program may be processed by a single computer (processor), or may be distributed among multiple computers. Furthermore, the program may be transferred to and executed on a remote computer.

[0213] Furthermore, in this specification, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (components), etc.), regardless of whether all of the components are contained in the same housing. Therefore, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, and a single device housed in a single housing with multiple modules, are both systems.

[0214] Also, for example, a configuration described as one device (or processing unit) may be divided and configured as multiple devices (or processing units). Conversely, configurations described above as multiple devices (or processing units) may be combined and configured as one device (or processing unit). Of course, configurations other than those described above may be added to the configuration of each device (or each processing unit). Furthermore, as long as the configuration and operation of the entire system are substantially the same, part of the configuration of one device (or processing unit) may be included in the configuration of another device (or other processing unit).

[0215] Furthermore, for example, the present technology can be configured as a cloud computing system in which a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by a plurality of devices via a network.

[0216] Furthermore, for example, the above-described program can be executed in any device, as long as the device has the necessary functions (functional blocks, etc.) and can obtain the necessary information.

[0217] Also, for example, each step described in the above flowchart can be executed by one device or can be shared and executed by multiple devices. Furthermore, if one step includes multiple processes, the multiple processes included in that one step can be executed by one device or can be shared and executed by multiple devices. In other words, multiple processes included in one step can be executed as multiple step processes. Conversely, processes described as multiple steps can be executed collectively as a single step.

[0218] In addition, the processing of the steps of a program executed by a computer may be executed in chronological order according to the order described in this specification, or may be executed in parallel or individually at the required timing, such as when a call is made. In other words, as long as no contradiction occurs, the processing of each step may be executed in an order different from the order described above. Furthermore, the processing of the steps of this program may be executed in parallel with the processing of another program, or may be executed in combination with the processing of another program.

[0219] It should be noted that the present technologies described in this specification can be implemented independently and singly, unless a contradiction arises. Of course, any two or more of the present technologies can also be implemented in combination. For example, part or all of the present technologies described in any embodiment can be implemented in combination with part or all of the present technologies described in other embodiments. Furthermore, part or all of any of the present technologies described above can also be implemented in combination with other technologies not described above.

[0220] <Examples of Combinations of Configurations> The present technology can also be configured as follows. (1) A control device comprising: a recognition unit that recognizes an operation state of an operator with respect to a manipulation device and acquires operation state information indicating the operation state; an odor parameter setting unit that sets parameters instructing the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation state; and an odor presentation unit that outputs air containing an odor component according to the parameters to present the odor to the operator. (2) The control device described in (1) above, wherein the recognition unit has an operation standby estimation unit that estimates an operation predicted to be performed by the operator with respect to the manipulation device and supplies operation standby information indicating the content of the estimated operation to the odor parameter setting unit, and the odor parameter setting unit sets a parameter instructing the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation predicted to be performed by the operator with respect to the manipulation device based on the operation standby information. (3) The control device described in (2) above, wherein, if the content of the predicted operation estimated by the operation standby estimation unit is changed after the odor presentation unit presents the odor, the odor presentation unit presents an odor associated with the content of the changed predicted operation. (4) The control device according to any of (1) to (3), wherein the recognition unit has an operation content acquisition unit that acquires operation content performed by the operator on the operation device and supplies operation execution information indicating the operation content to the odor parameter setting unit, and the odor parameter setting unit sets a parameter that instructs the presentation of an odor associated with the operation content performed by the operator on the operation device based on the operation execution information. (5) The control device according to (4), further comprising: an erroneous operation prevention control unit that cancels execution of the operation in accordance with the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit until a predetermined operation cancellation time has elapsed. (6) The control device according to (5), wherein, when the operation content acquired by the operation content acquisition unit is changed after the operation cancellation time has elapsed, the odor presentation unit presents an odor associated with the changed operation content.(7) The control device according to (5) above, further comprising: an erroneous operation prevention setting unit that sets on / off, indicating whether or not to execute erroneous operation prevention processing, for the erroneous operation prevention control unit. (8) The control device according to any of (1) to (7) above, wherein the recognition unit instructs the odor parameter setting unit to stop presenting an odor when it determines that an operation duration, which is the time during which a predetermined operation state continues, has reached a predetermined time or more. (9) The control device according to any of (5) to (8) above, wherein the control device controls traveling of the vehicle based on an operation performed by a driver on the vehicle. (10) The control device according to (9) above, further comprising: an erroneous operation prevention setting unit that sets on / off, indicating whether or not to execute erroneous operation prevention processing, for the erroneous operation prevention control unit, based on the speed of the vehicle and a situation outside the vehicle. (11) The control device according to (9) or (10), further comprising an exterior situation recognition unit that recognizes the situation outside the vehicle based on position information of the vehicle, exterior images of the exterior of the vehicle, exterior sensor information indicating detection results of conditions outside the vehicle that can be recognized other than through images, and the speed of the vehicle. (12) The control device according to (11), wherein the odor parameter setting unit sets parameters according to the situation outside the vehicle recognized by the exterior situation recognition unit based on the speed of the vehicle. (13) The control device according to (11), wherein the odor parameter setting unit sets parameters according to the amount by which the speed of the vehicle exceeds the legal speed recognized by the exterior situation recognition unit. (14) The control device according to (11), wherein the odor parameter setting unit sets parameters according to the situation outside the vehicle recognized by the exterior situation recognition unit based on the distance between the vehicle and other vehicles in front and behind and the speed of the vehicle. (15) The control device according to (11), wherein the odor parameter setting unit sets parameters in accordance with the situation outside the vehicle recognized by the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit based on the distance to a peripheral object in a left-right direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle.(16) The control device according to any of (9) to (15), further comprising a communication unit that communicates with a user terminal carried by a passenger other than the driver who is in the vehicle, wherein the odor parameter setting unit instructs the odor presentation unit to present an alert odor when an alert command instructing the presentation of an alert odor is supplied from the user terminal via the communication unit. (17) The control device according to any of (9) to (16), further comprising a driver state determination unit that determines whether the driver's operation state is normal or not, and a cancel input unit that allows the driver to input an instruction to stop the presentation of the alert odor when the alert odor is presented by the odor presentation unit, wherein the driver state determination unit determines that the driver's operation state is normal when the driver inputs to the cancel input unit, notifies the odor parameter setting unit that the driver's driving state is normal, and stops the presentation of the alert odor. (18) The control device according to any of (1) to (8), wherein the control device controls the machine based on an operation of the machine by an operator. (19) A control method including: a control device recognizing an operation state of an operator with respect to an operating device, setting parameters instructing the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation state, and outputting air containing an odor component according to the parameters to present the odor to the operator. (20) A program for causing a computer of a control device to execute control including: recognizing an operation state of an operator with respect to an operating device, setting parameters instructing the presentation of an odor component according to the content of the operation state, and outputting air containing an odor component according to the parameters to present the odor to the operator.

[0221] It should be noted that the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting, and other effects may also be obtained.

[0222] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 control system, 12 user terminal, 21 operation device, 22 in-vehicle recognition device, 23 vehicle recognition device, 24 outside-vehicle recognition device, 25 operation state recognition unit, 26 situation recognition unit, 27 vehicle control unit, 28 smell parameter setting unit, 29 smell presentation device, 30 erroneous operation prevention setting unit, 31 erroneous operation prevention control unit, 41 steering wheel, 42 accelerator pedal, 43 brake pedal, 44 shift lever, 45 in-vehicle camera, 46 in-vehicle sensor, 47 vehicle sensor, 48 position information acquisition unit, 49 outside-vehicle camera, 50 outside-vehicle sensor, 51 operation content acquisition unit, 52 operation standby estimation unit, 53 in-vehicle situation recognition unit, 54 vehicle information acquisition unit, 55 outside-vehicle situation recognition unit, 61 output unit control unit, 62 output unit 71 Operation unit, 72 Camera, 73 Machine control unit, 81 Communication unit, 82 Cancel input unit, 83 Driver state determination unit, 91 Communication unit, 92 Application execution processing unit, 93 Driver alert screen

Claims

1. A control device comprising: a recognition unit that recognizes the operation state of an operator with respect to an operating device and acquires operation state information indicating that operation state; an odor parameter setting unit that sets parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation state; and an odor presentation unit that outputs air containing odor components according to the parameters and presents the odor to the operator.

2. The control device described in claim 1, wherein the recognition unit has an operation standby estimation unit that estimates the operation that the operator is predicted to perform on the operating device and supplies operation standby information indicating the content of the estimated operation to the odor parameter setting unit, and the odor parameter setting unit sets a parameter that instructs the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operation that the operator is predicted to perform on the operating device based on the operation standby information.

3. A control device as described in claim 2, wherein if the content of the predicted operation estimated by the operation standby estimation unit is changed after the odor presentation unit presents an odor, the odor presentation unit presents an odor associated with the content of the predicted operation after the change.

4. The control device described in claim 1, wherein the recognition unit has an operation content acquisition unit that acquires the operation content being performed by the operator on the operation device and supplies operation execution information indicating the operation content to the odor parameter setting unit, and the odor parameter setting unit sets a parameter that instructs the presentation of an odor associated with the operation content being performed by the operator on the operation device based on the operation execution information.

5. The control device according to claim 4, further comprising an erroneous operation prevention control unit that cancels the execution of an operation in accordance with the operation execution information supplied from the operation content acquisition unit until a predetermined operation cancellation time has elapsed.

6. The control device described in claim 5, wherein if the operation content acquired by the operation content acquisition unit is changed after the operation cancellation time has elapsed, the odor presentation unit presents an odor associated with the changed operation content.

7. The control device according to claim 5, further comprising an erroneous operation prevention setting unit that sets the erroneous operation prevention control unit to ON / OFF, indicating whether or not to execute erroneous operation prevention processing.

8. The control device described in claim 1, wherein the recognition unit instructs the odor parameter setting unit to stop presenting the odor when it determines that the operation duration, which is the time during which a predetermined operation state continues, has exceeded a predetermined time.

9. The control device according to claim 5, wherein the control device controls the running of the vehicle based on an operation of the driver on the vehicle.

10. The control device described in claim 9, further comprising an erroneous operation prevention setting unit that sets the erroneous operation prevention control unit to on / off, indicating whether or not to execute erroneous operation prevention processing, based on the speed of the vehicle and the situation outside the vehicle.

11. The control device described in claim 9, further comprising an exterior situation recognition unit that recognizes the situation outside the vehicle based on the vehicle's position information, exterior images taken of the exterior of the vehicle, exterior sensor information indicating the detection results of the detection of the exterior of the vehicle that can be recognized other than through images, and the speed of the vehicle.

12. The control device according to claim 11, wherein the odor parameter setting unit sets parameters according to the situation outside the vehicle recognized by the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit based on the speed of the vehicle.

13. The control device according to claim 11, wherein the odor parameter setting unit sets a parameter according to the magnitude of the excess speed by which the vehicle speed exceeds the legal speed limit recognized by the vehicle exterior situation recognition unit.

14. The control device described in claim 11, wherein the odor parameter setting unit sets parameters according to the situation outside the vehicle recognized by the outside situation recognition unit based on the distance between the vehicle and other vehicles in front and behind, and the speed of the vehicle.

15. The control device described in claim 11, wherein the odor parameter setting unit sets parameters according to the situation outside the vehicle recognized by the outside situation recognition unit based on the distance to surrounding objects in the left and right directions perpendicular to the vehicle's direction of travel.

16. The control device described in claim 9, further comprising a communication unit that communicates with a user terminal carried by a passenger other than the driver in the vehicle, wherein the odor parameter setting unit instructs the odor presentation unit to present an alert odor when an alert command instructing the presentation of an alert odor is supplied from the user terminal via the communication unit.

17. The control device described in claim 9, further comprising: a driver state determination unit that determines whether the driver's operating state is normal; and a cancel input unit that allows the driver to input an instruction to stop the presentation of the alert odor when the odor presentation unit presents an alert odor, wherein the driver state determination unit determines that the driver's operating state is normal when the driver inputs an instruction to stop the presentation of the alert odor to the cancel input unit, notifies the odor parameter setting unit that the driver's driving state is normal, and stops the presentation of the alert odor.

18. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the machine based on an operation of the machine by an operator.

19. A control method including: a control device recognizing an operating state of an operator with respect to an operating device, acquiring operating state information indicating the operating state; setting parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operating state; and outputting air containing odor components according to the parameters, thereby presenting the odor to the operator.

20. A program for causing a computer of a control device to execute control including: recognizing the operating state of an operator on an operating device, acquiring operating state information indicating that operating state; setting parameters that instruct the presentation of an odor associated with the content of the operating state; and outputting air containing odor components according to the parameters to present the odor to the operator.

Images