Vehicle

Abstract

This vehicle comprises: an on-board device; an information presentation device for presenting information to an occupant; and a control device having one or a plurality of processors and one or a plurality of memories connected to the processors. The processor executes processing including: information presentation control for causing the information presentation device to present information; and, in the information presentation control, causing information to change in accordance with whether or not the on-board device is being driven.

Description

vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle.

[0002] Conventionally, there is a technology for presenting information regarding the steering state of a steering wheel to a driver so that the driver can understand the steering state of the steering wheel. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for displaying information regarding the steering angle and steering direction of the steering wheel on an instrument panel.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-62706

[0004] Meanwhile, vehicles are equipped with on-board devices such as cooling fans. When the on-board devices are driven, the sounds and vibrations generated by the on-board devices are transmitted to the driver of the vehicle. The order components of the sounds and vibrations transmitted to the driver include frequency bands with high tactile sensitivity. Therefore, the driver's steering feel changes depending on whether the on-board devices are driven.

[0005] The present invention aims to suppress changes in steering feel.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the vehicle of the present invention comprises an in-vehicle device; an information presentation device that presents information to occupants; and a control device having one or more processors and one or more memories connected to the processors, wherein the processor performs processing including: performing information presentation control to cause the information presentation device to present the information; and changing the information in the information presentation control depending on whether the in-vehicle device is being driven or not.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress changes in steering feel.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a system configuration of an information presentation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating first and second examples of excitation waveforms according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the pressure of a stimulus applied to an occupant and time, the relationship between the time and an electrical pulse generated when Merkel cells are stimulated, the relationship between the time and an electrical pulse generated when Meissner's corpuscles are stimulated, and the relationship between the time and an electrical pulse generated when Pacinian corpuscles are stimulated. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the frequency sensitivity distribution of Pacinian corpuscles and Meissner's corpuscles. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of gain adjustment in a first gain adjustment unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating another example of gain adjustment in a first gain adjustment unit. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a microphone output history. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correlation between the sound pressure and frequency of environmental sound. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of gain adjustment in a second gain adjustment unit. Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device according to the first embodiment.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Specific dimensions, materials, numerical values, etc. shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 100 according to a first embodiment. In Fig. 1, the Z direction indicates the vertical direction, the X direction indicates a predetermined horizontal direction, and the Y direction indicates a horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction. The X direction is, for example, the forward / rearward direction of the vehicle 100, and the Y direction is, for example, the left / right direction of the vehicle 100.

[0011] The vehicle 100 includes an in-vehicle device 200, an operation unit 300, an information presentation device 400, and a control device 500. The vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle equipped with a motor (not shown) as a drive source. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the vehicle 100 may be an engine vehicle equipped with an engine (not shown) as a drive source. The vehicle 100 may also be a hybrid vehicle equipped with two drive sources, an engine and a motor. The vehicle 100 travels on a road surface by transmitting driving force generated from the drive source to wheels 110 via a power transmission mechanism (not shown). Here, configurations related to the features of the first embodiment will be described in detail, and configurations unrelated to the features of the first embodiment will not be described.

[0012] The in-vehicle device 200 is a device mounted on the vehicle 100 and includes, for example, a cooling fan and an air conditioner compressor. The cooling fan blows cooling air to a radiator (not shown) to cool the radiator. The air conditioner is an air conditioning device that operates on a vapor compression refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant that is liquefied by compression and cooling with outside air. The air conditioner compressor compresses the refrigerant used in the air conditioner.

[0013] The operation unit 300 is an operation unit used to drive the vehicle 100, such as a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal. The steering wheel receives an operation input from the driver to control the direction of travel of the vehicle 100. The steering wheel is connected to the wheels via a steering mechanism (not shown). The steering mechanism changes the direction of the wheels according to the rotation of the steering wheel. The accelerator pedal receives an operation input from the driver to control the driving force of the vehicle 100. The brake pedal receives an operation input from the driver to control the braking force of the vehicle 100.

[0014] The operation unit 300 also has a steering angle sensor (not shown) that detects the amount of steering wheel operation. Information indicating the amount of steering wheel operation detected by the steering angle sensor is transmitted to the control device 500. The operation unit 300 also has an accelerator position sensor (not shown) that detects the amount of accelerator pedal operation, and a brake position sensor (not shown) that detects the amount of brake pedal operation. Information indicating the amount of accelerator pedal operation detected by the accelerator position sensor and the amount of brake pedal operation detected by the brake position sensor is transmitted to the control device 500.

[0015] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the system configuration of an information presentation device 400 according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the information presentation device 400 includes a waveform generation unit 410, a differential calculation unit 420, a first gain adjustment unit 430, a microphone 440, a sensing value calculation unit 450, a second gain adjustment unit 460, and an output unit 470.

[0016] The information presentation device 400 presents information to a passenger on board the vehicle 100. The information presentation device 400 presents to the passenger an indication of an upcoming behavior of the vehicle 100, for example, by a sound or vibration output from the output unit 470. The waveform generation unit 410 generates an excitation waveform, which is the waveform of the vibration output by the output unit 470.

[0017] 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating first and second examples of excitation waveforms according to the first embodiment, in which the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents voltage, which is the amplitude of the excitation waveform.

[0018] The excitation waveform may be, for example, a sine wave, as shown in the first example in the upper part of Fig. 3. Furthermore, the excitation waveform may be, for example, a waveform obtained by combining a plurality of sine waves with different wavelengths, as shown in the second example in the lower part of Fig. 3. However, the excitation waveform is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a rectangular wave, a triangular wave, a waveform simulating the running sound of the vehicle 100, or any other waveform. Furthermore, the excitation waveform may be a waveform obtained by combining a variety of waveforms.

[0019] In the first embodiment, the frequency of the excitation waveform is, for example, in the range of 100 to 400 Hz. More preferably, the frequency of the excitation waveform is in the range having a dominant frequency of 150 to 300 Hz. Here, the occupant of the vehicle 100 has Merkel cells, Meissner's corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles, etc. as sensory receptors.

[0020] Figure 4 shows the relationship between the pressure of the stimulus applied to the occupant and time, the relationship between the electrical pulse generated when Merkel cells are stimulated and time, the relationship between the electrical pulse generated when Meissner's corpuscles are stimulated and time, and the relationship between the electrical pulse generated when Pacinian corpuscles are stimulated and time. In the top row of Figure 4, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents pressure. In rows other than the top row of Figure 4, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the electrical pulse generation state.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, Merkel cells have a slower response than Meissner's corpuscles and Pacinian corpuscles, and are highly sensitive to low-frequency stimuli ranging from direct current to a few Hz. Meissner's corpuscles also have a faster response than Merkel cells, and are highly sensitive to stimuli with frequencies ranging from a few Hz to 200 Hz. Meissner's corpuscles emit electrical pulses when there is a rate of change in contact pressure. Pacinian corpuscles have a faster response than Merkel cells and Meissner's corpuscles, and are highly sensitive to stimuli with frequencies ranging from 70 Hz to 1000 Hz. Pacinian corpuscles emit electrical pulses at the moment of a transient change in contact pressure. Among Merkel cells, Meissner's corpuscles, and Pacinian corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles are considered to have the highest sensitivity. Therefore, Pacinian corpuscles are considered to be the most sensitive receptors for passengers to perceive minute vibrations as combined auditory and tactile information.

[0022] Figure 5 shows the frequency sensitivity distribution of Pacinian corpuscles and Meissner corpuscles. In Figure 5, the dashed line shows the sensitivity distribution of Meissner corpuscles, and the solid line shows the sensitivity distribution of Pacinian corpuscles. In Figure 5, the horizontal axis shows frequency, and the vertical axis shows amplitude above threshold, with smaller values ​​indicating better sensitivity.

[0023] As shown in Figure 5, Pacinian corpuscles exhibit good sensitivity in the range of 100 to 400 Hz, and even better sensitivity in the range of 150 to 300 Hz. This range is included in the range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, which is generally considered to be the human audible range. The dominant frequency of the excitation waveform can be set to 250 Hz, for example.

[0024] The differential calculation unit 420 acquires information about the amount of operation of the operation unit 300, and calculates a differential value by differentiating the amount of operation of the operation unit 300 with respect to time. For example, the differential calculation unit 420 acquires information about the steering angle θ, which is the amount of operation of the steering wheel, from a steering angle sensor, and calculates a differential value Δθ, which is the amount of change in the steering angle θ per time. Hereinafter, the differential value Δθ of the steering angle θ may be referred to as the steering angle differential value Δθ. The differential calculation unit 420 sequentially transmits the calculated differential value Δθ to the first gain adjustment unit 430.

[0025] The first gain adjustment unit 430 performs a first gain adjustment on the fundamental wave of the excitation waveform generated by the waveform generation unit 410. The first gain adjustment changes the gain G1, which is a first gain by which the voltage of the excitation waveform is multiplied, in accordance with the differential value of the operation amount of the operation unit 300. For example, the first gain adjustment changes the gain G1 by which the voltage of the excitation waveform is multiplied in accordance with the differential value Δθ of the steering angle θ of the steering wheel.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of gain adjustment in the first gain adjuster 430. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents the absolute value of the differential value Δθ of the steering angle θ, and the vertical axis represents the gain G1 by which the voltage of the excitation waveform is multiplied. Note that the voltage of the excitation waveform is a value that depends on the amplitude of the excitation waveform. Therefore, the larger the voltage of the excitation waveform, the larger the amplitude of the excitation waveform. Also, the smaller the voltage of the excitation waveform, the smaller the amplitude of the excitation waveform.

[0027] 6, the gain G1 increases as the absolute value of the differential value Δθ increases. The rate of increase of the gain G1 is maximum in a region where the absolute value of the differential value Δθ is small, and decreases as the absolute value of the differential value Δθ increases.

[0028] The gain G1 can be calculated, for example, from the absolute value of the differential value Δθ of the steering angle θ using a logarithmic function. For example, the gain G1 is expressed by the following equation 1: Gain G1=log(absolute value of steering angle differential value Δθ×coefficient k) (Equation 1)

[0029] Here, the coefficient k is a value set during the development stage of the vehicle 100 in accordance with the characteristics of the vehicle 100. The characteristics of the vehicle 100 include, for example, the yaw gain relative to the steering angle θ, the center of gravity position, etc. The first gain adjustment unit 430 sets the gain G1 based on the derivative value of the operation amount of the operation unit 300, with reference to the graph shown in FIG.

[0030] Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically showing another example of gain adjustment in first gain adjustment unit 430. In Fig. 7, the horizontal axis represents the differential value ΔS of the accelerator pedal stroke S, and the vertical axis represents the gain G1 by which the voltage of the vibration waveform is multiplied.

[0031] 7, the gain G1 increases as the absolute value of the differential value ΔS increases. The rate of increase of the gain G1 is maximum in a region where the absolute value of the differential value ΔS is small, and decreases as the absolute value of the differential value ΔS increases.

[0032] Furthermore, when comparing the accelerator pedal depression side and release side, if the absolute values ​​of the differential value ΔS are the same, the gain G1 is set to be larger for deceleration operation on the release side than for acceleration operation on the depression side. The accelerator pedal depression side and release side can be distinguished based on the sign of the differential value ΔS.

[0033] The gain G1 can be calculated, for example, from the absolute value of the differential value ΔS of the stroke S using a logarithmic function. For example, the gain G1 is expressed by the following equation 2: Gain G1=log(absolute value of the stroke differential value ΔS×coefficient k) (Equation 2)

[0034] Here, coefficient k is a value set during the development stage of vehicle 100 in accordance with the characteristics of vehicle 100. The characteristics of vehicle 100 include, for example, the characteristics of driving force and braking force relative to changes in stroke S, the position of the center of gravity, etc. First gain adjustment unit 430 sets gain G1 based on the derivative value of the operation amount of operation unit 300 with reference to the graph shown in FIG. 7. Note that first gain adjustment unit 430 may set gain G1 based on the operation amount of the brake pedal, similar to setting gain G1 based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal. In other words, first gain adjustment unit 430 may set gain G1 based on the derivative value of the operation amount of the brake pedal.

[0035] The microphone 440 is a sound collecting device provided in the cabin of the vehicle 100 and collects environmental sounds of the vehicle 100. In the first embodiment, the microphone 440 collects environmental sounds in the cabin. The microphone 440 is disposed, for example, in a position close to the ears of the occupants. Specifically, the microphone 440 is provided in a headrest portion of a seat of the vehicle 100. The output of the microphone 440 is transmitted to the sensing value calculation unit 450.

[0036] The sensing value calculation unit 450 extracts components of a predetermined frequency band from the environmental sound of the vehicle 100 acquired by the microphone 440, and transmits the sound pressure of the extracted components to the second gain adjustment unit 460 as a sensing value.

[0037] 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the output history of the microphone 440. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the sound pressure of the environmental sound acquired by the microphone 440.

[0038] The sensing value calculation unit 450 performs a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the acoustic signal of the environmental sound acquired by the microphone 440 to convert it into the frequency domain. The sensing value calculation unit 450 also performs a band-pass filter process to extract components of a predetermined frequency band from the converted frequency domain. Here, the frequency band to be extracted is set so as to include the dominant frequency of the excitation waveform output by the waveform generation unit 410. The sensing value calculation unit 450 sets the average sound pressure of the extracted frequency band as the sensing value to be used for the second gain adjustment.

[0039] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the correlation between sound pressure and frequency of environmental sound. In Fig. 9, the horizontal axis represents frequency and the vertical axis represents sound pressure. The band-pass filter extracts, for example, a frequency band near 250 Hz, which is the dominant frequency of the excitation waveform in the waveform generation unit 410. The average value of the sound pressure in the extracted frequency band is provided to the second gain adjustment unit 460 as a sensing value.

[0040] The second gain adjustment unit 460 performs a second gain adjustment on the excitation waveform after the first gain adjustment. The second gain adjustment changes the gain of the excitation waveform in accordance with the sensed value of cabin noise in order to adjust the output amplitude of the excitation waveform in accordance with changes in environmental noise while the vehicle 100 is traveling. Examples of environmental noise while the vehicle 100 is traveling include drivetrain noise, aerodynamic noise, and road noise. The second gain adjustment unit 460 performs the second gain adjustment based on the output of the sensing value calculation unit 450. Specifically, the second gain adjustment unit 460 sets a gain G2, which is a second gain, based on the sensing value output by the sensing value calculation unit 450.

[0041] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of gain adjustment by the second gain adjustment unit 460. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents the sensed value, and the vertical axis represents the gain G2 multiplied by the voltage of the excitation waveform. As shown in FIG. 10, the gain G2 increases as the sensed value increases. The gain G2 is set, for example, so that the sound pressure of the sound generated by the excitation amplitude output from the output unit 470 does not dominate the sound pressure of the ambient sound at the occupant's ear. Preferably, the gain G2 is set so that the sound generated by the excitation amplitude blends in with the ambient sound of the vehicle and reaches a sound pressure level that the occupant can unconsciously hear. The second gain adjustment unit 460 sets the gain G2 based on the sensed value of the interior noise by referring to the graph shown in FIG. 10.

[0042] The output value A, which is the voltage of the vibration waveform after the first gain adjustment and the second gain adjustment, is expressed by the following equation 3: Output value A = Waveform generator output value × Gain G1 × Gain G2 = Waveform generator output value × log (absolute value of differential value of manipulated variable × coefficient k) × Gain G2 (Equation 3)

[0043] The output unit 470 is a vibration device disposed in the cabin of the vehicle 100. The output unit 470 uses the output value A to vibrate the area around the occupants in the cabin, generating vibrations. The output unit 470 includes, for example, a speaker that generates sound and a vibrator that generates vibrations. The speaker is, for example, a speaker used for audio playback in an in-car audio device. However, the speaker is not limited to this, and may be a speaker separate from the in-car audio device. The vibrator is, for example, provided in the steering wheel and vibrates at least a portion of the steering wheel.

[0044] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device 500 according to the first embodiment. The control device 500 controls the entire vehicle 100. Specifically, the control device 500 controls the in-vehicle device 200 and the information presentation device 400. As shown in FIG. 11 , the control device 500 includes an I / F 510, a storage device 520, a system bus 530, one or more processors 540, and one or more memories 550. The I / F 510 is an interface for communicating with the in-vehicle device 200, the operation unit 300, and the information presentation device 400. For example, the I / F 510 acquires data transmitted from the in-vehicle device 200 and the operation unit 300. The I / F 510 also transmits a control signal to the information presentation device 400.

[0045] The storage device 520 is composed of RAM, flash memory, HDD, etc., and holds various information necessary for the processing of the processor 540 described below. The system bus 530 electrically connects the I / F 510, storage device 520, processor 540, and memory 550, and is a transmission path for transmitting data among them.

[0046] The processor 540 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory 550 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM is a storage element that stores programs and calculation parameters used by the CPU. The RAM is a storage element that temporarily stores data such as variables and parameters used in processing executed by the CPU.

[0047] Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 500 according to the first embodiment. For example, as shown in Fig. 12, the control device 500 includes an acquisition unit 500a and a control unit 500b.

[0048] The processor 540 cooperates with the programs contained in the memory 550 and executes the programs contained in the memory 550 to realize various processes including the processes described below that are performed by the acquisition unit 500a and the control unit 500b.

[0049] The acquisition unit 500a acquires information related to the operation of the vehicle 100. The acquisition unit 500a acquires information related to the operation of the vehicle 100, for example, from the in-vehicle device 200 or the operation unit 300. The information related to the operation of the vehicle 100 includes information related to the operation of the in-vehicle device 200 and information related to the amount of operation of the operation unit 300. The information related to the operation of the in-vehicle device 200 includes, for example, information related to the on / off state of the operation of the cooling fan. Furthermore, the information related to the operation of the in-vehicle device 200 includes, for example, information related to the on / off state of the operation of the air conditioner compressor. The information related to the amount of operation of the operation unit 300 includes, for example, information related to the amount of operation of the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal.

[0050] The control unit 500b controls the in-vehicle device 200 based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 500a. The control unit 500b controls, for example, the driving of a cooling fan. For example, the control unit 500b controls the driving of the cooling fan to turn on when the coolant temperature is equal to or higher than a threshold, and controls the driving of the cooling fan to turn off when the coolant temperature is below the threshold. The control unit 500b also controls the driving of an air conditioner compressor in response to the operation of an air conditioner switch (not shown) provided in the vehicle 100. For example, the control unit 500b controls the driving of the air conditioner compressor to turn on when the air conditioner switch is turned on, and controls the driving of the air conditioner compressor to turn off when the air conditioner switch is turned off.

[0051] Furthermore, the control unit 500b executes information presentation control to cause the information presentation device 400 to present information based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 500a. Specifically, when the driver operates the operation unit 300, the control unit 500b executes a generation process to cause the waveform generation unit 410 to generate a vibration waveform.

[0052] Next, the control unit 500b executes a calculation process in which the differential calculation unit 420 calculates a differential value of the operation amount of the operation unit 300. Then, the control unit 500b executes a first gain setting process in which the first gain adjustment unit 430 sets a gain G1 according to the differential value of the operation amount of the operation unit 300.

[0053] The control unit 500b also executes a sensing value setting process to set, as a sensing value, the average sound pressure of the frequency band extracted from the environmental sound by the sensing value calculation unit 450. The control unit 500b then executes a second gain setting process to set, by the second gain adjustment unit 460, a gain G2 according to the sensing value.

[0054] Then, the control unit 500b executes an output process in which the output unit 470 outputs the vibration of the excitation waveform after the first gain adjustment by the first gain adjustment unit 430 and the second gain adjustment by the second gain adjustment unit 460.

[0055] As described above, the information presentation device 400 according to the first embodiment can present information to the occupant according to the amount of operation of the operation unit 300 operated by the driver. For example, if the output unit 470 is a speaker, the speaker can be used to emit a sound to the occupant with an amplitude corresponding to the amount of operation of the operation unit 300. Furthermore, if the output unit 470 is a vibrator, the vibrator can be used to emit a vibration to the occupant with an amplitude corresponding to the amount of operation of the operation unit 300. This allows the occupant to predict the occurrence of vehicle behavior accompanied by the occurrence of lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration, yaw rate, and pitch angle. As a result, the occupant's predictability of vehicle behavior is improved, and the occupant can be prevented from feeling abruptness in the vehicle behavior.

[0056] Furthermore, the amplitude of the sound and vibration emitted from the output unit 470 is adjusted by a gain G1 that changes according to the differential value of the operation amount of the operation unit 300, allowing the occupant to predict the magnitude of the lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration, yaw rate, and pitch angle. Furthermore, the amplitude of the sound and vibration emitted from the output unit 470 is adjusted by a gain G2 that changes according to the sensing value of the noise inside the vehicle, making it possible for the occupant to easily recognize the sound and vibration emitted from the output unit 470 regardless of the magnitude of the noise inside the vehicle.

[0057] Furthermore, by making the excitation waveform have a dominant frequency within the frequency band of 100 to 400 Hz, it becomes possible to use Pacinian corpuscles, which are in the audible range and highly sensitive to skin sensation, and this improves the passenger's recognition of the sound, thereby enabling more reliable transmission of information to the passenger.

[0058] When the in-vehicle device 200 mounted on the vehicle 100 is driven, sounds and vibrations generated by the in-vehicle device 200 are transmitted to the occupants. The order components of the sounds and vibrations transmitted to the occupants include frequency bands with high tactile sensitivity. Therefore, the steering feel of the driver changes depending on whether the in-vehicle device 200 is driven or not.

[0059] Therefore, in the information presentation control, the control unit 500b changes the information presented to the occupant depending on whether the in-vehicle device 200 is being driven. Specifically, the control unit 500b changes the information presented to the occupant by adjusting the gain G1 or the gain G2 depending on whether the in-vehicle device 200 is being driven. For example, when the cooling fan of the in-vehicle device 200 is turned on, the control unit 500b adjusts the value of the gain G1 or the gain G2 to be smaller. For example, the control unit 500b multiplies the gain G1 or the gain G2 by a predetermined value smaller than 1. This reduces the amplitude of the sound and vibration output from the output unit 470. As a result, even if the drive sound of the in-vehicle device 200 is transmitted to the occupant, the amplitude of the sound and vibration transmitted to the occupant can be kept constant before and after the in-vehicle device 200 is driven.

[0060] In this way, in the information presentation control, when the in-vehicle device 200 is driven, the control unit 500b executes processing to reduce the frequency components of the drive sound of the in-vehicle device 200 among the sounds and vibrations output from the output unit 470, compared to when the in-vehicle device 200 is not driven. This makes it possible to keep constant the amplitude of the sounds and vibrations transmitted to the occupants before and after the in-vehicle device 200 is driven, and to prevent the driver's steering feel from changing depending on whether the in-vehicle device 200 is driven or not.

[0061] Furthermore, when the output unit 470 is a speaker, sound vibrations can be presented to the occupants as information in the information presentation control using the speaker. When a speaker is used as the output unit 470, an existing speaker installed in the vehicle 100 can be used, and information can be presented to the occupants without adding a new component. Furthermore, information can be presented to occupants other than the driver, such as in the passenger seat of the vehicle 100.

[0062] Furthermore, when the output unit 470 is a vibrator, vibrations as information can be presented to the occupants using the vibrator in the information presentation control. When a vibrator is used as the output unit 470, information can be presented only to the driver without presenting information to occupants other than the driver, such as in the passenger seat of the vehicle 100.

[0063] Furthermore, the driving noise of the in-vehicle device 200 varies depending on the type of the in-vehicle device 200. Therefore, the control unit 500b executes a process for controlling information presentation depending on the type of the in-vehicle device 200 being driven. Specifically, the control unit 500b changes the information presented to the occupant by adjusting the gain G1 or the gain G2 depending on the type of the in-vehicle device 200. For example, assume that the driving noise of an air conditioner compressor, which is the in-vehicle device 200, is louder than the driving noise of a cooling fan, which is the in-vehicle device 200. In this case, the control unit 500b adjusts the value of the gain G1 or the gain G2 to be smaller when the air conditioner compressor is driven than when the cooling fan is driven. For example, when the cooling fan is driven, the control unit 500b multiplies the gain G1 or the gain G2 by a first predetermined value smaller than 1. On the other hand, when the air conditioner compressor is driven, the control unit 500b multiplies the gain G1 or the gain G2 by a second predetermined value smaller than the first predetermined value. As a result, even if the driving noise of the in-vehicle device 200 is transmitted to the occupant, the amplitude of the noise and vibration transmitted to the occupant can be made constant regardless of the type of in-vehicle device 200.

[0064] While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. It is clear that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that such modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0065] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the information presentation device 400 presents a sound or vibration that corresponds to the amount of operation of the operation unit 300, while changing the information to be presented depending on whether the in-vehicle device 200 is being driven. However, this is not limited thereto, and the information presentation device 400 may present a sound or vibration that does not depend on the amount of operation of the operation unit 300. For example, the information presentation device 400 may present a sound or vibration that has a constant frequency and amplitude, while changing the information to be presented depending on whether the in-vehicle device 200 is being driven. Specifically, the information presentation device 400 may reduce the amplitude of the sound or vibration to be presented when the in-vehicle device 200 is in an on-state compared to when the in-vehicle device 200 is in an off-state, thereby keeping the amplitude of the sound or vibration transmitted to the occupant constant before and after the in-vehicle device 200 is driven.

[0066] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the frequency of the sound or vibration presented by the information presentation device 400 is in the range of 100 to 400 Hz. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the frequency of the sound or vibration presented by the information presentation device 400 may be outside the range of 100 to 400 Hz.

[0067] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the amplitude of the sound or vibration presented by the information presentation device 400 is varied depending on the type of the driven in-vehicle device 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the amplitude of the sound or vibration presented by the information presentation device 400 may be the same regardless of the type of the driven in-vehicle device 200.

[0068] 100 Vehicle 200 In-vehicle device 300 Operation unit 400 Information presentation device 500 Control device

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: an in-vehicle device; an information presentation device that presents information to an occupant; and a control device having one or more processors and one or more memories connected to the processors, wherein the processor performs information presentation control to cause the information presentation device to present the information; and in the information presentation control, changes the information depending on whether the in-vehicle device is being driven.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information presentation device includes a speaker, and the processor executes processing in the information presentation control that includes presenting vibrations as the information to the occupant using the speaker.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information presentation device includes a vibrator, and the processor executes processing in the information presentation control that includes using the vibrator to present vibrations as the information to the occupant.

4. A vehicle as described in claim 2 or claim 3, further comprising an operating unit used for driving operations, wherein the processor executes processing including, in the information presentation control, changing the vibration in accordance with the driving operation in addition to determining whether or not the in-vehicle device is driven.

5. The vehicle according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the processor executes processing in the information presentation control that includes controlling the frequency of the vibration to be in the range of 100 to 400 Hz.

6. A vehicle as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the processor, in the information presentation control, executes processing including reducing the frequency components of the driving sound of the in-vehicle device among the vibrations when the in-vehicle device is driven compared to when the in-vehicle device is not driven.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes processing including performing the information presentation control in accordance with the type of the in-vehicle device being driven.

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