Travel sensation reproduction device, method, and program

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention stores, in a storage unit in advance, relationship information representing a relationship between a vibration characteristic generated by a first part of a vehicle and a vibration characteristic generated by a second part thereof, the vibration characteristics corresponding to speed and inclination when the vehicle is traveling on a slope. In such state, speed measurement data of the vehicle, vibration measurement data indicating the vibration characteristic generated by the first part, and inclination measurement data indicating an inclination of the vehicle in the direction of travel are acquired, relationship information corresponding to the speed indicated by the acquired speed measurement data and the inclination indicated by the inclination measurement data is read from the storage unit, and the vibration characteristic generated by the second part is estimated on the basis of the vibration characteristic of the first part indicated by the acquired vibration measurement data and on the basis of the read relationship information. Vibration is generated by first and second vibration generation parts corresponding to the first and second parts, respectively, on the basis of the estimated vibration characteristics of the first and second parts.

Description

Driving sensation reproduction device, method and program

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a driving sensation reproduction device, method, and program used in a simulator that reproduces the behavior of a vehicle such as a bicycle at a remote location.

[0002] With the development of communication technology, systems have been proposed that transmit and present on-site video and audio via a network, allowing users to experience what is happening at a remote location without actually visiting the location.Recently, systems have also been considered that provide users with a more realistic remote experience by transmitting vibrations in addition to video and audio (see, for example, Patent Document 1 or Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-060274

[0004] Komazaki, T., "Remote High-Fives via Haptic Transmission: Examining Communication between Athletes' Families and Viewing with Hearing-Impaired People," Transactions of the Virtual Reality Society of Japan, Vol. 27, No. 1, 2022

[0005] Incidentally, when applying the technology described in Non-Patent Document 1 and the like to reproduce the sensation of riding a bicycle, for example, the issue of how to reproduce the sensation of riding up a slope is an issue. One possible method for reproducing the sensation of riding up a slope is to make the slope of the floor on which the simulator is installed variable.

[0006] However, in order to change the inclination of the floor surface in accordance with on-site driving data, large-scale equipment using hydraulic mechanisms and the like is required, which inevitably leads to an increase in the size and complexity of the system, as well as an increase in costs.

[0007] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a technology that can reproduce the sensation of driving on a slope without increasing the size, complexity, or cost of the system.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of a driving sensation reproduction device or a driving sensation reproduction method according to the present invention reproduces a driving state of a vehicle in which vibrations are generated at a first portion and a second portion located in a traveling direction, using a first vibration generating unit and a second vibration generating unit provided corresponding to the first portion and the second portion, respectively, by storing relationship information in advance in a storage unit, the relationship information representing a relationship between characteristics of the vibration generated at the first portion and characteristics of the vibration generated at the second portion, depending on the speed and inclination of the vehicle when traveling uphill. In this state, speed measurement data representing the speed of the vehicle while traveling, vibration measurement data representing characteristics of the vibration generated at the first portion, and tilt measurement data representing the inclination of the vehicle in the traveling direction, the relationship information corresponding to the speed represented by the acquired speed measurement data and the inclination represented by the acquired tilt measurement data is read from the storage unit, and the relationship information corresponding to the speed represented by the acquired speed measurement data and the inclination represented by the acquired tilt measurement data is read, and the characteristic of the vibration generated at the second portion is estimated based on the characteristic of the vibration of the first portion represented by the vibration measurement data and the read relationship information. Then, vibrations are generated in the first vibration generating section and the second vibration generating section based on the vibration characteristics of the first portion and the vibration characteristics of the second portion, respectively.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, vibrations are generated that reflect the speed and inclination of the vehicle when traveling up a slope, allowing the user to experience the inclination of the vehicle when traveling up a slope through the difference in vibrations between the first and second portions while using the simulator. This eliminates the need for a mechanism or control device for variably controlling the inclination of the floor on which the simulator is installed, thereby enabling the simulator to be made simpler, more compact, and less expensive.

[0010] That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that can reproduce the sensation of driving on a slope without increasing the size, complexity, and cost of the system.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving simulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a transmission device provided in a driving measurement device of the system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a transmission device provided in a driving measurement device of the system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a simulator control device provided in a simulator of the system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a simulator control device provided in a simulator of the system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of a driving state measurement process executed by a control unit of the transmission device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of a driving data reception process executed by a control unit of the simulator control device shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of a vibration reproduction process executed by a control unit of the simulator control device shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle used for advance measurement of driving data.

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] [One embodiment] (Summary) One embodiment of the present invention focuses on the fact that when a bicycle is ridden up a slope, the characteristics of the vibrations generated in the front and rear wheels of the bicycle change, and by variably controlling the characteristics of the vibrations presented to the front and rear wheels of the simulator based on the speed and inclination of the bicycle while it is traveling, the inclination of the slope when traveling up a slope is presented through vibrations.

[0014] (Configuration Example) (1) System Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a riding simulation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The riding simulation system according to one embodiment reproduces the riding conditions of a bicycle BK at a remote location, and includes a riding measurement device BM that measures the riding conditions of the bicycle BK at the local location, and a simulator SM that reproduces the riding conditions of the bicycle BK at the remote location, and is capable of communicating between the riding measurement device BM and the simulator SM via a network NW.

[0015] The network NW may include, for example, a wide area network with the Internet at its core and an access network for accessing the wide area network. As the access network, for example, a public data communication network using a wired line or a public mobile communication network using the LTE (registered trademark) or 5G standard may be used, but other networks such as a local area network (LAN) using a wired line or a LAN using low-power wireless technology such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) may also be used.

[0016] (2) Travel measurement device BM The travel measurement device BM is equipped with a speed sensor SS and a vibration sensor VS on the front wheel of the bicycle BK, and an inclination sensor IS on the frame of the bicycle body. Travel data including speed measurement data measured by the speed sensor SS, vibration measurement data measured by the vibration sensor VS, and inclination measurement data measured by the inclination sensor IS is transmitted from the transmitter BT to the simulator SM via the network NW.

[0017] The speed sensor SS measures the traveling speed by, for example, detecting the number of rotations of the wheel using a magnetic sensor or the like, and calculating the distance traveled per unit time from the detected number of rotations and the radius of the wheel. Note that other methods of calculating the distance traveled per unit time can also be used as the speed sensor SS, for example, by mounting a position sensor using a GPS (Global Positioning System) on the bicycle BK. Various other methods are also possible.

[0018] The vibration sensor VS measures vibrations occurring in the front wheel using an inertial sensor such as a three-axis acceleration sensor or angular velocity sensor. More specifically, in order to effectively detect the vibration components occurring in the front wheel of the bicycle BK, the vibration sensor VS samples the vibration measurement signal at a sampling rate corresponding to a frequency of, for example, 0.5 to 80 Hz and converts it into vibration measurement data. Note that the sampling rate used to sample the vibration measurement signal is not limited to the above values ​​and can be set arbitrarily depending on the purpose.

[0019] An example of a vibration evaluation method is described in the following reference, and this method can also be applied to one embodiment: Reference: Maeda Setsuo, "International Trends in Whole-Body Vibration Evaluation, Noise Control," Vol. 21, No. 1 (1997), pp. 6-12.

[0020] The tilt sensor IS measures the tilt of the bicycle BK in the direction of travel and obtains tilt measurement data. For example, a tilt sensor or bicycle cycle computer can be used as the tilt sensor IS, but it is also possible to use a GPS sensor to measure the altitude and distance traveled at two points on the road and calculate the tilt based on these measurements.

[0021] The transmitter BT is configured as a transmitter provided in, for example, a bicycle cycle computer, but a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or wearable terminal owned by the test user USA who rides the bicycle BK may also be used.

[0022] 2 and 3 are block diagrams showing examples of the hardware and software configurations of the transmitting device BT, respectively.

[0023] The transmitting device BT has a control unit 1A that uses a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and this control unit 1A is connected via a bus 6A to a storage unit having a program storage unit 2A and a data storage unit 3A, a sensor interface (hereinafter, the interface will be abbreviated as I / F) unit 4A, and a communication I / F unit 5A.

[0024] The sensor I / F unit 4A receives the speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data output from the speed sensor SS, vibration sensor VS, and tilt sensor IS, respectively. The sensor I / F unit 4A also receives the video data and running sound data output from a camera and microphone (not shown).

[0025] The communication I / F unit 5A transmits the driving data to the simulator SM using a communication protocol defined in the network NW.

[0026] The program storage unit 2A is configured by combining, for example, a nonvolatile memory such as a solid-state drive (SSD) as a storage medium that can be written to and read from at any time, and a nonvolatile memory such as a read-only memory (ROM), and stores middleware such as an operating system (OS), as well as application programs required to execute various controls according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, the OS and each application program will be collectively referred to as the program.

[0027] The data storage unit 3A is, for example, a combination of a non-volatile memory such as an SSD that can be written to and read from at any time and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a storage medium, and stores the speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data received by the sensor I / F unit 4A until the transmission process is completed.

[0028] The control unit 1A includes a measurement data acquisition processing unit 11A and a driving data transmission processing unit 12A as processing functions necessary to carry out an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] These processing units 11A and 12A are both realized by causing a hardware processor in the control unit 1A to execute an application program stored in the program storage unit 2A. Note that part or all of the processing units 11A and 12A may be realized using hardware such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0030] The measurement data acquisition processing unit 11A acquires the speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data output from the speed sensor SS, vibration sensor VS, and tilt sensor IS during driving via the sensor I / F unit 4A, and stores the acquired speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data in the data memory unit 3A in association with the measurement time.

[0031] The running data transmission processing unit 12A reads out the speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data stored in the data storage unit 3A for a predetermined period of time, with the data measured at the same time, and generates running data by, for example, multiplexing the data, and then transmits the generated running data from the communication I / F unit 5A to the simulator SM.

[0032] The driving data transmission processing unit 12A also transmits video data and driving sound data captured by a camera and microphone (not shown) during driving, together with the driving data.

[0033] (3) Simulator SM The simulator SM includes a simulator control device ST, and vibration generators VV1 and VV2 are provided on the legs corresponding to the front and rear wheels of the bicycle BK, respectively.

[0034] The vibration generators VV1 and VV2 are configured by speakers such as subwoofers, and are driven by vibration signals output from the simulator control device ST. Alternatively, the vibration generators VV1 and VV2 may be vibrators using motors or the like.

[0035] The simulator control device ST functions as a driving sensation reproduction device, and reproduces the video data and audio data contained in the driving data sent from the transmission device BT of the driving measurement device BM using a display device such as an HMD (Head Mount Display).

[0036] In addition, the simulator control device ST generates vibration signals corresponding to the front wheels and rear wheels, respectively, based on the speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data contained in the driving data sent from the transmission device BT of the driving measurement device BM, and causes vibrations to be generated from the vibration generators VV1 and VV2, respectively.

[0037] This allows the user USB to experience indoor cycling with a sense of realism, as if they were actually riding on the road, while indoors.

[0038] 4 and 5 are block diagrams showing an example of the hardware and software configurations of the simulator control device ST.

[0039] The simulator control device ST is, for example, a personal computer, and includes a control unit 1B that uses a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU). A storage unit having a program storage unit 2B and a data storage unit 3B, an output I / F unit 4B, and a communication I / F unit 5B are connected to the control unit 1B via a bus 6B.

[0040] The communication I / F unit 5B receives the driving data transmitted from the transmitter BT using a communication protocol defined in the network NW.

[0041] The output I / F section 4B outputs vibration signals generated by the control section 1B and corresponding to the front and rear wheels, respectively, to the vibration generators VV1 and VV2.

[0042] The program storage unit 2B is configured by combining, for example, a nonvolatile memory such as an SSD as a storage medium that can be written to and read from at any time, and a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM, and stores middleware such as an OS as well as application programs required to execute various controls according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, the OS and each application program will be collectively referred to as the program.

[0043] The data storage unit 3B is, for example, a combination of a non-volatile memory such as an SSD that can be written to and read from at any time and a volatile memory such as a RAM as a storage medium, and the storage area thereof is provided with a driving data storage unit 31B and a pre-vehicle measurement data storage unit 32B.

[0044] The travel data storage unit 31B stores the travel data transmitted from the transmitter BT of the travel measurement device BM in chronological order.

[0045] The preliminary vehicle measurement data storage unit 32B stores the preliminary vehicle measurement data required for the control unit 1B to generate vibration control information and vibration timing. Specifically, the preliminary vehicle measurement data consists of a relational expression that represents the vibration characteristics between the front and rear wheels when the bicycle BK is traveled at a speed V [m / s] up a slope with an inclination angle X [degrees]. The vibration characteristics are represented, for example, by vibration amplitude and frequency.

[0046] The control unit 1B includes a driving data receiving processing unit 11B, a vibration control information generating processing unit 12B, a vibration timing generating processing unit 13B, and a vibration signal generating processing unit 14B as processing functions necessary to implement one embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] These processing units 11B to 14B are all realized by causing a hardware processor in the control unit 1B to execute an application program stored in the program storage unit 2B. Note that some or all of the processing units 11B to 14B may be realized using hardware such as an LSI or an ASIC.

[0048] The running data reception processing unit 11B receives the running data transmitted from the transmitter BT of the running measurement device BM via the communication I / F unit 5B. Then, the running data reception processing unit 11B separates and extracts video data, audio data, speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data from the received running data, and stores the extracted data in the running data storage unit 31B in a state where each piece of data is associated with another in chronological order.

[0049] The vibration control information generation processing unit 12B generates vibration control information that represents the vibration characteristics to be presented to the front and rear wheels of the simulator SM, based on the relationship between the vibration characteristics between the front and rear wheels that was measured in advance when driving on a slope, and the vibration characteristics of the front wheels that was measured during the simulation driving, which are stored in the advance vehicle measurement data storage unit 32B. Note that an example of the process of generating the vibration control information will be described in the operation example.

[0050] The vibration timing generation processing unit 13B generates vibration presentation timings for the front and rear wheels based on the speed measurement data included in the travel data read from the travel data storage unit 31B and the wheel spacing between the front and rear wheels of the bicycle BK that is pre-stored in the advance vehicle measurement data storage unit 32B. An example of this vibration presentation timing generation process will also be described in the operation example.

[0051] The vibration signal generation processing unit 14B generates vibration signals for presenting vibrations to each of the front wheel and rear wheel portions of the simulator SM based on the vibration control information generated by the vibration control information generation processing unit 12B and the vibration generation timing generated by the vibration timing generation processing unit 13B, and outputs each of the generated vibration signals from the output I / F unit 4B to the vibration generators VV1, VV2 of the front wheel and rear wheel portions, respectively.

[0052] (Example of Operation) Next, an example of operation of the driving simulation system configured as above will be described.

[0053] (1) Obtaining Preliminary Vehicle Measurement Data Prior to the simulation, vehicle measurement data for the bicycle BK is obtained. For example, as shown in Figure 9, a speed sensor SS and a vibration sensor VS1 are mounted on the front wheel of the bicycle BK that will actually be used, a vibration sensor VS2 is mounted on the rear wheel, and an inclination sensor IS is mounted on the body frame.

[0054] In this state, the bicycle is actually driven up a slope, and the speed, inclination, and vibrations of the front and rear wheels are measured by the sensors SS, IS, VS1, and VS2. For example, when the bicycle BK is driven up a slope with an inclination angle of X [degrees] at a speed of V [m / s], the vibration amplitude AV of the front and rear wheels is １１ , AV １２ and vibration frequency FV １１ , FV １２ Then, the vibration amplitude AV of the front wheels measured while traveling uphill is calculated. １１ and rear wheel vibration amplitude AV １２ and the front wheel vibration frequency FV １１ and rear wheel vibration frequency FV １２are transmitted as advance vehicle measurement data from the transmitting device BT to the simulator control device ST.

[0055] The simulator control device ST calculates the vibration amplitude AV of the front wheels while the vehicle is traveling on a slope with an inclination angle X [degrees] at a speed V [m / s] based on the above-mentioned advance vehicle measurement data sent from the transmission device BT. １１ and rear wheel vibration amplitude AV １２ The relational expression AV shows the relationship between １２ / AV １１ and the front wheel vibration frequency FV １１ and rear wheel vibration frequency FV １２ The relation FV １２ / FV １１ The generated relational expressions are stored in the advance vehicle measurement data storage unit 32B.

[0056] The advance vehicle measurement data storage unit 32B also stores in advance data representing the wheel spacing between the front and rear wheels of the bicycle BK.

[0057] (2) Acquisition of Driving Data Prior to the driving simulation, actual driving data of the bicycle BK is measured, and the measured driving data is transferred to the simulator control device ST and stored therein.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing contents of the running data measurement processing executed by the control unit 1A of the transmitter BT.

[0059] At the site, for example, a test user USA starts up the transmitter BT and then actually rides the bicycle BK on the road. At this time, the control unit 1A of the transmitter BT detects the start of the bicycle riding in step S10.

[0060] During the above-mentioned driving, the scenery along the road is captured by a camera (not shown), and the driving sounds are collected by a microphone, and the obtained video data and driving sound data during driving are input to the transmission device BT.

[0061] During the traveling, the control unit 1A of the transmitter BT, under the control of the measurement data acquisition processing unit 11A, first receives, in step S11, measurement data of the traveling speed measured by the speed sensor SS via the sensor I / F unit 4A and stores the data in the data storage unit 3A. In step S12, the measurement data acquisition processing unit 11A also receives, via the sensor I / F unit 4A, vibration measurement data representing the vibration of the front wheels measured by the vibration sensor VS and stores the data in the data storage unit 3A. Furthermore, in step S13, the measurement data acquisition processing unit 11A receives, via the sensor I / F unit 4A, inclination measurement data representing the inclination of the vehicle body in the traveling direction measured by the inclination sensor IS and stores the data in the data storage unit 3A. Thereafter, during the traveling, the measurement data acquisition processing unit 11A repeatedly executes the measurement data acquisition processing of steps S11 to S13.

[0062] When the control unit 1A of the transmission device BT detects that the bicycle BK has stopped traveling and this end of traveling is detected in step S14, in step S15, under the control of the traveling data transmission processing unit 12A, the control unit 1A executes the process of transmitting traveling data as follows.

[0063] That is, the running data transmission processing unit 12A reads out the speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data stored in the data storage unit 3A for a predetermined period of time, with data measured at the same time. Then, the read measurement data is multiplexed, for example, to generate running data. When generating this running data, the running data transmission processing unit 12A also multiplexes video data and running sound data obtained during running.

[0064] Then, the running data transmission processing unit 12A transmits the generated running data from the communication I / F unit 5A to the simulator SM.

[0065] In response to this, the simulator control device ST executes the process of receiving the travel data as follows.

[0066] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing contents of the traveling data receiving processing executed by the control unit 1B of the simulator control device ST.

[0067] That is, when the control unit 1B of the simulator control device ST detects a reception request from the transmitter BT in step S20, in step S21, under the control of the traveling data reception processing unit 11B, it receives the traveling data transmitted from the transmitter BT via the communication I / F unit 5B. Then, the traveling data reception processing unit 11B separates the video data, traveling sound data, speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data from the received traveling data, and stores the separated data in the traveling data storage unit 31B in a state where each of the separated data corresponds to one another in chronological order.

[0068] Through the above processing, for example, riding data obtained when the test user USA actually rides a given course in a tourist spot on the bicycle BK is stored in the simulator control device ST.

[0069] (3) Riding Simulation Control When experiencing indoor cycling, the user USB gets on the bicycle-type simulator SM, puts the HMD on his / her head, and inputs a simulation start request to the simulator control device ST.

[0070] (3-1) Playback of Images and Running Sounds When the control unit 1B of the simulator control device ST detects the simulation start request in step S30, it reads out the running data in chronological order from the running data storage unit 31B, and outputs the image data and running sound data contained in the read out running data to an HMD (not shown), thereby playing back the surrounding scenery and running sounds while running.

[0071] (3-2) Reproduction of Vibration In addition, the control unit 1B of the simulator control device ST executes control to reproduce vibrations during driving in parallel with the above-mentioned operation of reproducing the video and driving sounds, as follows.

[0072] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing contents of the vibration reproduction processing executed by the control unit 1B of the simulator control device ST.

[0073] (3-2-1) Generation of vibration control information In step S31, the control unit 1B of the simulator control device ST reads out the speed measurement data, vibration measurement data, and tilt measurement data included in the driving data from the driving data memory unit 31B at regular time intervals, and in step S32, under the control of the vibration control information generation processing unit 12B, executes the process of generating vibration control information as follows.

[0074] That is, based on the read speed measurement data and inclination measurement data, the vibration control information generation processing unit 12B reads from the preliminary vehicle measurement data storage unit 32B a relational expression that indicates the relationship between the vibration amplitude and vibration frequency between the front wheels and the rear wheels when traveling on a slope with a given inclination at a given speed.The vibration control information generation processing unit 12B then estimates the vibration amplitude and vibration frequency of the rear wheels based on the vibration amplitude and vibration frequency of the front wheels represented by the vibration measurement data and the read-out relational expression.

[0075] For example, when driving at a speed of V [m / s] on a slope of X [degrees], the relationship between the vibration amplitude between the front and rear wheels is AV １２ / AV １１ , the vibration frequency relationship is FV １２ / FV １１ The measured vibration amplitude and vibration frequency of the front wheels are AV ２１ , FV ２１ In this case, the vibration control information generating processor 12B calculates the vibration amplitude and vibration frequency AV of the rear wheels. ２２ , FV ２２ AV ２２ = AV １２ / AV １１ ×AV ２１ FV ２２ = FV １２ / FV １１ ×FV ２１ It is calculated as follows.

[0076] (3-2-2) Setting of Vibration Timing Next, in step S33, the control unit 1B of the simulator control device ST sets the vibration generation timing of each of the front and rear wheels as follows under the control of the vibration timing generation processing unit 13B.

[0077] That is, the vibration timing generation processing unit 13B determines the vibration presentation timing T for the front and rear wheels at this time based on the speed measurement data V [m / s] included in the travel data and the wheel spacing WL [m] of the bicycle BK that is stored in advance. １ , T ２ T １ =0 [sec] T ２ =WL / V [sec] and set.

[0078] (3-2-3) Generation and output of vibration signal Next, in step S34, the control unit 1B of the simulator control device ST generates and outputs a vibration signal under the control of the vibration signal generation processing unit 14B, based on the vibration control information generated by the vibration control information generation processing unit 12B and the vibration presentation timing set by the vibration timing generation processing unit 13B.

[0079] For example, for the front wheel portion of the simulator SM, the vibration signal generation processing unit 14B uses the time attached to the vibration measurement data of the front wheel as the vibration presentation timing T １ Then, the vibration amplitude AV for the front wheels is set as follows: ２１ and vibration frequency FV ２１ and vibrating the generated vibration signal at the set timing T １ The output I / F unit 4B outputs the signal to the vibration generator VV1 in the front wheel section.

[0080] On the other hand, for the rear wheel portion, the vibration signal generating processing unit 14B calculates the T ２ The timing delayed by WL / V [sec] is set as the vibration presentation timing for the rear wheels. ２２ and vibration frequency FV ２２ and generating a vibration signal having the timing T ２ In this case, the signal is output from the output I / F section 4B to the vibration generator VV2 in the rear wheel section.

[0081] Thus, vibrations that reflect the inclination of the road in addition to the vibration components generated at the front and rear wheels during driving are presented to the front and rear wheels of the simulator SM.

[0082] (3-2-4) Simulation Termination Control The control unit 1B of the simulator control device ST repeatedly executes the vibration reproduction control in steps S31 to S34 at regular time intervals until the end of the simulation is detected in step S35. Then, when the reading of the driving data is completed or when the user USB inputs an end request during the simulation, the simulation control is terminated.

[0083] (Effects) As described above, in one embodiment, when performing simulation control of indoor cycling, the simulator control device ST calculates the relational expression AV, which indicates the relationship between the vibration amplitude and vibration frequency between the front wheel and the rear wheel when riding uphill at a speed V and an inclination X. １２ / AV １１ , FV １２ / FV １１ The vibration amplitude AV of the front wheels measured while driving on a slope is stored in advance. ２１ and vibration frequency FV ２１ Based on the above relational expression, the vibration amplitude AV of the rear wheel ２２ and vibration frequency FV ２２ At the same time, the vibration presentation timings T for the front and rear wheels are estimated based on the speed measurement data included in the travel data and the wheel spacing WL between the front and rear wheels of the bicycle BK that is stored in advance. １ , T ２ Set the following respectively.

[0084] And, the vibration amplitude AV for the front wheels ２１ and vibration frequency FV ２１ and a vibration signal having a vibration amplitude AV for the rear wheels. ２２ and vibration frequency FV ２２ and a vibration signal having the vibration presentation timing T １ , T ２ In the vehicle, vibrations are generated by outputting vibrations to vibration generators VV1 and VV2 in the front and rear wheel sections, respectively.

[0085] Therefore, the front and rear wheels of the simulator generate vibrations whose amplitude and frequency reflect the speed and inclination of the vehicle when traveling uphill, allowing the user USB to feel the inclination of the vehicle when traveling uphill from the difference in vibration between the front and rear wheels while riding in the simulator. This eliminates the need for a mechanism or control device for variably controlling the inclination of the floor on which the simulator SM is installed, making it possible to simplify, miniaturize, and reduce the cost of the simulator SM.

[0086] [Other Embodiments] (1) In one embodiment, the simulator control device stores riding data from the start to the end of riding the bicycle BK, and the user USB performs indoor cycling at any time based on this riding data. However, other than this, riding data acquired while riding the bicycle BK may be transmitted to the simulator control device in real time, and the simulator control device may operate the simulator in real time based on the transmitted riding data.

[0087] (2) In the embodiment described above, the user experiences indoor cycling using a bicycle BK. However, the present invention may also be applied to driving a vehicle such as a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled automobile.

[0088] (3) In the embodiment, the functions of the driving sensation reproduction device are provided in a simulator control device ST, which is, for example, a personal computer. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The functions of the driving sensation reproduction device may be provided in, for example, a server computer located on the web or in the cloud, and the simulator may be controlled by this server computer. In this way, it is possible to control multiple simulators located in different locations.

[0089] (4) In addition, the configuration of the driving sensation reproduction device, the functions of each processing unit, the processing procedures, the processing contents, and the configuration of the simulator can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. While the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present invention in every respect. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, specific configurations according to the embodiments may be appropriately adopted when implementing the present invention.

[0090] In short, this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0091] BM...Driving measurement device BK...Bicycle BT...Transmitter VS, VS1, VS2...Vibration sensor SS...Speed ​​sensor IS...Inclination sensor SM...Simulator ST...Simulator control device VV1, VV2...Vibration generator 1A, 1B...Control unit 2A, 2B...Program memory unit 3A, 3B...Data memory unit 4A...Sensor I / F unit 4B...Output I / F unit 5A, 5B...Communication I / F unit 6A, 6B...Bus 11A...Measurement data acquisition processing unit 12A...Driving data transmission processing unit 11B...Driving data reception processing unit 12B...Vibration control information generation processing unit 13B...Vibration timing generation processing unit 14B...Vibration signal generation processing unit 31B...Driving data memory unit 32B...Pre-vehicle measurement data memory unit

Claims

1. A driving sensation reproduction device provided in a simulator that reproduces the driving state of a vehicle in which vibrations are generated at a first portion and a second portion located in the direction of travel using a first vibration generating unit and a second vibration generating unit provided corresponding to the first portion and the second portion, respectively, comprising: a first processing unit that stores in advance in a memory unit relationship information that represents the relationship between the characteristics of the vibrations generated at the first portion and the characteristics of the vibrations generated at the second portion, depending on the speed and inclination of the vehicle when traveling uphill; a second processing unit that acquires speed measurement data that represents the speed of the vehicle while traveling, vibration measurement data that represents the characteristics of the vibrations generated at the first portion, and tilt measurement data that represents the inclination of the vehicle in the direction of travel; and a third processing unit that reads out from the memory unit the relationship information that corresponds to the speed represented by the acquired speed measurement data and the inclination represented by the acquired inclination measurement data, and estimates the characteristics of the vibrations generated at the second portion based on the characteristics of the vibrations of the first portion represented by the acquired vibration measurement data and the read relationship information. a fourth processing unit that generates vibrations in the first vibration generating unit and the second vibration generating unit based on the vibration characteristics of the first portion and the vibration characteristics of the second portion, respectively.

2. A driving sensation reproduction device as described in claim 1, further comprising: a fifth processing unit that acquires in advance interval information representing the interval in the traveling direction between the first portion and the second portion; and a sixth processing unit that sets the timing of generating the vibrations in the first vibration generating unit and the second vibration generating unit based on the speed represented by the acquired speed measurement data and the interval information.

3. The driving sensation reproduction device according to claim 1, wherein the vibration characteristics are expressed by vibration amplitude and vibration frequency.

4. A driving sensation reproduction device according to claim 1, wherein the first portion is a front wheel portion of the vehicle, and the second portion is a rear wheel portion of the vehicle.

5. A driving sensation reproduction method executed by an information processing device provided in a simulator that reproduces the driving state of a vehicle in which vibrations are generated in a first part and a second part present in the direction of travel using a first vibration generating unit and a second vibration generating unit provided corresponding to the first part and the second part, respectively, comprising the steps of: storing in advance in a memory unit relationship information representing the relationship between the characteristics of the vibrations generated in the first part and the characteristics of the vibrations generated in the second part, depending on the speed and inclination of the vehicle when it is driving uphill; acquiring speed measurement data representing the speed of the vehicle while it is driving, vibration measurement data representing the characteristics of the vibrations generated in the first part, and tilt measurement data representing the inclination of the vehicle in its direction of travel; reading out from the memory unit the relationship information corresponding to the speed represented by the acquired speed measurement data and the inclination represented by the acquired tilt measurement data, and estimating the characteristics of the vibrations generated in the second part based on the characteristics of the vibrations of the first part represented by the acquired vibration measurement data and the read relationship information; generating vibrations in the first vibration generating unit and the second vibration generating unit based on the vibration characteristics of the first portion and the vibration characteristics of the second portion, respectively.

6. A program that causes a processor provided in the running sensation reproduction device to execute at least one of the processes executed by each of the first to fourth processing units provided in the running sensation reproduction device described in claim 1.

7. A program for causing a processor included in the driving sensation reproduction device to execute at least one of the processes executed by the fifth and sixth processing units included in the driving sensation reproduction device according to claim 2.

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