Vehicular space presentation system, vehicular space presentation method, and vehicular space presentation program

Abstract

This vehicular space presentation system (10) is a system for presenting a vehicle interior space by controlling devices (11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e) mounted on a vehicle, the system comprising: a plurality of generation units (21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) that generate space presentation requests for presenting the vehicle interior space; a composite unit (22) that generates a composite request by compositing the plurality of space presentation requests generated by the plurality of generation units; and a control unit (23) that controls the devices in accordance with the composite request generated by the composite unit.

Description

Vehicle space effect presentation system, vehicle space effect presentation method, and vehicle space effect presentation program Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0001] The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-043624 filed on March 18, 2025, and the content described therein is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle space effect presentation system, a vehicle space effect presentation method, and a vehicle space effect presentation program.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for producing effects in a vehicle interior space by controlling devices mounted on a vehicle, which is a system that links the operating state of a lighting device that illuminates the vehicle interior space with the operating state of an air conditioning device that air-conditions the vehicle interior space.

[0004] Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 115568071 Specification

[0005] In recent years, not only air conditioning devices and lighting devices, but also a wide variety of devices have been mounted in vehicles, such as, for example, acoustic devices that output voice and music to the vehicle interior space, and vibration devices that vibrate seats. However, if there is no unity in the content that each individual device intends to present, the user will feel uncomfortable with the effect realized in the vehicle interior space. For example, if an air conditioning device supplies warm air into the vehicle interior space to present a warm image, while an acoustic device outputs music with a cold image, it is impossible to provide the user with an effect of a unified temperature impression.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a vehicle space effect presentation system, a vehicle space effect presentation method, and a vehicle space effect presentation program which can perform an effect with unity even when a plurality of mutually contradictory effects are requested, in a case where a plurality of types of effects can be performed in a vehicle interior space.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle space design system is a system that designs an interior space by controlling a device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a plurality of generation units that generate space design requests for designing an interior space; a composite unit that generates a composite request by combining a plurality of space design requests generated by the plurality of generation units; and a control unit that controls the device according to the composite request generated by the composite unit.

[0008] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle space design method is a method for designing an interior space by controlling a device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a generation step of generating a plurality of space design requests for designing an interior space; a composite step of generating a composite request by combining the plurality of space design requests generated in the generation step; and a control step of controlling the device in accordance with the composite request generated in the composite step.

[0009] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle space design program causes a control device that controls a vehicle space design system, which designs the interior space of a vehicle by controlling devices mounted on a vehicle, to execute a generation step of generating a plurality of space design requests for designing the interior space of a vehicle; a composite step of generating a composite request by combining the plurality of space design requests generated in the generation step; and a control step of controlling the devices in accordance with the composite request generated in the composite step.

[0010] According to this disclosure, even if multiple types of spatial effects are required in a vehicle interior space, and even if multiple conflicting spatial effect requests are made, a unified spatial effect can be achieved by combining these multiple spatial effect requests into a single composite request.

[0011] The above-mentioned objectives and other objectives, features and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings. The drawings are as follows: Figure 1 is a diagram of the first embodiment of this disclosure, a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle space presentation system; Figure 2 is a diagram of the first embodiment of this disclosure, a schematic diagram showing an example of presentation content based on a specific road driving requirement; Figure 3 is a diagram of the first embodiment of this disclosure, a schematic diagram showing an example of presentation content based on a warning requirement; Figure 4 is a diagram of the first embodiment of this disclosure, a schematic diagram showing an example of presentation content based on a comfortable air conditioning requirement; Figure 5 is a diagram of the first embodiment of this disclosure, a schematic diagram showing an example of presentation content based on an event occurrence requirement; and Figure 6 is a diagram of the first embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control flow by a vehicle spatial design system. Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a composite processing example according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of composite processing when multiple spatial design requests are composited, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a priority table according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of composite processing when multiple spatial design requests are composited, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a priority table according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Hereinafter, several embodiments relating to the vehicle space design system, vehicle space design method, and vehicle space design program of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, substantially identical components in multiple embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0013] (First Embodiment) The vehicle space design system 10 illustrated in Figure 1 is constructed as a system that designs the interior space of a vehicle by controlling various devices 11 mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle space design system 10 is configured to allow control of the various devices 11 by, for example, a cockpit domain controller 12 mounted on the vehicle. The cockpit domain controller 12 is an example of a control device that controls the vehicle space design system 10. Hereinafter, the cockpit domain controller 12 may be referred to as the "CD controller 12". The CD controller 12 is mainly composed of, for example, an electronic control device mounted on the vehicle.

[0014] Device 11 can include various devices that can be mounted on a vehicle, such as a display device 11a, a lighting device 11b, an acoustic device 11c, an air conditioning device 11d, and a vibration device 11e.

[0015] The display device 11a is a device configured to display various types of information within the vehicle interior. The display device 11a consists of, for example, a meter display and a center display. The meter display is located in the area in front of the driver's seat within the vehicle interior. The center display is located in the area in front of the driver's seat and between the passenger seat within the vehicle interior. The display device 11a may also include a display for the rear seats, for example, located in front of the rear seats within the vehicle interior.

[0016] The lighting device 11b is a device configured to illuminate the interior space of a vehicle. The lighting device 11b consists of, for example, lights installed around the meter in front of the driver's seat and interior lights installed in the upper part of the vehicle interior. The lighting device 11b can change the color, frequency, illumination mode (such as flashing or constant illumination), and illumination range of the light irradiated into the interior space of the vehicle. Furthermore, the lighting device 11b can change the direction of light irradiation by moving or concentrating it in a predetermined direction.

[0017] The acoustic device 11c is a device configured to output voice, music, buzzer sounds, warning sounds, etc., into the vehicle interior space. The acoustic device 11c is composed of, for example, a speaker installed in the vehicle interior. The volume, frequency, and sound quality of the sound output to the vehicle interior space of the acoustic device 11c can be changed.

[0018] The air conditioning device 11d is a device configured to supply warm or cool air to the interior space of a vehicle. The air conditioning device 11d is composed of an air conditioning system installed in the vehicle. The air conditioning device 11d can change the temperature, airflow, airflow direction, and airflow speed of the air blown into the interior space of the vehicle from an air outlet (not shown).

[0019] The vibration device 11e is a device configured to apply vibration to people present in the vehicle interior. The vibration device 11e is composed of, for example, vibration generators installed in each seat of the vehicle interior. The vibration device 11e allows for the modification of the magnitude, frequency, mode, and location of vibrations applied to the seats by a vibration generator (not shown).

[0020] Device 11 is envisioned as a device capable of performing actions that act on the sensory functions of a person's five senses. Display device 11a and lighting device 11b can be defined as devices capable of performing actions that primarily act on a person's "sight". Acoustic device 11c can be defined as a device capable of performing actions that primarily act on a person's "hearing". Air conditioning device 11d and vibration device 11e can be defined as devices capable of performing actions that primarily act on a person's "touch".

[0021] The CD controller 12 virtually implements multiple generation processing units 21 in software, for example, by executing a control program using a processor. The CD controller 12 also virtually implements a composite processing unit 22 and a control processing unit 23 in software, for example, by executing a control program using a processor. The CD controller 12 may have a configuration in which these processing units 21-23 are implemented in hardware, or it may have a configuration in which they are implemented through a combination of software and hardware. The control program includes the vehicle space presentation program according to this disclosure, and the CD controller 12 can execute the vehicle space presentation method according to this disclosure by executing the control program.

[0022] Each of the multiple generation processing units 21 is an example of a generation unit and can perform, for example, the generation steps shown below. The generation step is the process of generating spatial design requests for creating the interior space of a vehicle. The CD controller 12 is equipped with multiple generation processing units 21 and can generate multiple spatial design requests. The generation processing unit 21 may be equipped with an artificial intelligence algorithm and configured to perform machine learning on the spatial design request generation process. With this configuration, the generation processing unit 21 can reflect the results obtained from previously executed spatial design request generation processes in newly performed spatial design request generation processes by repeatedly performing machine learning.

[0023] The composite processing unit 22 is an example of a composite unit and can perform, for example, the following composite step. The composite step is the process of generating a composite request by combining multiple spatial performance requests generated by multiple generation processing units 21. The composite processing unit 22 may be equipped with an artificial intelligence algorithm and configured to perform machine learning on the composite request generation process. With this configuration, the composite processing unit 22 can reflect the results obtained from previously executed composite request generation processes in newly performed composite request generation processes by repeatedly performing machine learning.

[0024] The composite processing unit 22 can generate a composite request based on any one of several types of composite rules. In this case, the composite processing unit 22 is configured to select any one of the first composite rule, the second composite rule, or the third composite rule. The first composite rule is a composite rule that prioritizes spatial performance requests that perform effects intended to attract the user's attention over spatial performance requests that perform effects not intended to attract the user's attention. The second composite rule is a composite rule that prioritizes newly generated spatial performance requests over spatial performance requests that have already been generated. The third composite rule is a composite rule that prioritizes spatial performance requests that have already been generated over newly generated spatial performance requests.

[0025] The control processing unit 23 is an example of a control unit and functions as a so-called vehicle API (Application Programming Interface). The control processing unit 23 can execute, for example, the following control steps. The control steps include the process of controlling various devices 11 according to the "spatial presentation request" generated by the generation processing unit 21, and the process of controlling various devices 11 according to the "composite request" generated by the composite processing unit 22. The control processing unit 23 may be equipped with an artificial intelligence algorithm and configured to perform machine learning on the control processing of the devices 11. With this configuration, the control processing unit 23 can reflect the results obtained from previously executed control processing of the devices 11 in newly performed control processing of the devices 11 by repeatedly performing machine learning.

[0026] The CD controller 12 includes a generation processing unit 21 comprising a first generation processing unit 21a, a second generation processing unit 21b, a third generation processing unit 21c, and a fourth generation processing unit 21d. The first generation processing unit 21a generates a "specific road driving request" which provides appropriate effects when the vehicle is driving on a specific road, such as a highway or a race track. The second generation processing unit 21b generates a "warning request" which provides appropriate effects when a situation arises that requires the user to be alerted, such as when a Take Over Request (TOR) occurs. A Take Over Request is a type of autonomous driving technology for vehicles, and it is a process that requests the driver of the vehicle to take over driving when it becomes difficult to continue autonomous driving. The third generation processing unit 21c generates a "comfortable air conditioning request" which provides comfortable air conditioning in the vehicle interior. The fourth generation processing unit 21d generates an "event occurrence request" which provides effects for events that occur in the vehicle interior, such as when the user receives an incoming call on their mobile phone.

[0027] ≪Requirements when driving on specific roads≫ As illustrated in Figure 2, according to the "Requirements when driving on specific roads," the CD controller 12, for example, when the vehicle is accelerating, uses the lighting device 11b to illuminate the interior space with light of various colors, such as seven colors. The CD controller 12 also sets the direction of light illumination by the lighting device 11b to flow backward. Furthermore, the CD controller 12 links the speed at which the light illumination flows backward to the vehicle speed. In other words, the CD controller 12 increases the speed at which the light illumination flows backward as the vehicle speed increases, and decreases the speed at which the light illumination flows backward as the vehicle speed decreases.

[0028] Furthermore, the CD controller 12 increases the airflow volume of the air blown into the cabin by the air conditioning device 11d in conjunction with the vehicle speed, for example, when the vehicle is accelerating. In other words, the CD controller 12 increases the airflow volume as the vehicle speed increases.

[0029] Furthermore, the CD controller 12, for example when the vehicle is accelerating, outputs the engine sound during driving into the cabin space using the sound device 11c. The engine sound can be played back using pre-created sound source data. The CD controller 12 changes the volume of the engine sound output by the sound device 11c in conjunction with the vehicle speed. In other words, the CD controller 12 increases the volume of the engine sound as the vehicle speed increases, and decreases the volume of the engine sound as the vehicle speed decreases.

[0030] Furthermore, the CD controller 12, for example, when the vehicle is decelerating on a right curve, uses the lighting device 11b to illuminate the interior of the vehicle with a predetermined color, in this case orange light. The CD controller 12 also sets the direction of the light emitted by the lighting device 11b to concentrate to the right. The CD controller 12 also links the speed at which the light is concentrated to the right to the magnitude of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle. In other words, the CD controller 12 increases the speed at which the light is concentrated to the right the greater the lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and decreases the speed at which the light is concentrated to the right the smaller the lateral acceleration of the vehicle. The lateral acceleration of the vehicle is sometimes referred to as "lateral G".

[0031] Furthermore, the CD controller 12 stops the operation of the air conditioning device 11d and the sound device 11c, for example, when the vehicle is decelerating on a right curve, thereby stopping the spatial effects created by wind and sound. The CD controller 12 may also be configured to operate the air conditioning device 11d and the sound device 11c even when the vehicle is decelerating. In this case, the operation of the air conditioning device 11d and the sound device 11c should be different from the operation of the air conditioning device 11d and the sound device 11c when the vehicle is accelerating.

[0032] Furthermore, the CD controller 12, for example, when the vehicle is decelerating on a left curve, uses the lighting device 11b to illuminate the interior of the vehicle with a predetermined color, in this case orange light. The CD controller 12 also sets the direction of the light emitted by the lighting device 11b to concentrate to the left. The CD controller 12 also links the speed at which the light is concentrated to the left to the magnitude of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle. In other words, the CD controller 12 increases the speed at which the light is concentrated to the left when the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is large, and decreases the speed at which the light is concentrated to the right when the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is small.

[0033] Furthermore, the CD controller 12 stops the operation of the air conditioning device 11d and the sound device 11c, for example, when the vehicle is decelerating on a left curve, thereby stopping the spatial effects created by wind and sound. The CD controller 12 may also be configured to operate the air conditioning device 11d and the sound device 11c even when the vehicle is decelerating. In this case, the operation of the air conditioning device 11d and the sound device 11c should be different from the operation of the air conditioning device 11d and the sound device 11c when the vehicle is accelerating.

[0034] The "Specific Road Driving Request" is a request to operate the air conditioning device 11d in conjunction with the vehicle speed when the vehicle is accelerating, and to stop the air conditioning device 11d when the vehicle is decelerating. In other words, the "Specific Road Driving Request" is a request to change the operation of the air conditioning device 11d depending on whether the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating. Furthermore, the "Specific Road Driving Request" is a request to create an environment that corresponds to the vehicle's driving state.

[0035] ≪Warning Request≫ As illustrated in Figure 3, the "Warning Request" has multiple phases, in this case, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. The "Warning Request" is a request to change the operation content of various devices 11 in chronological order. Furthermore, the "Warning Request" is a request to change the combination of devices 11 to be activated and their operation content for each of the multiple phases.

[0036] In the first phase, the CD controller 12 displays a normal notification on the vehicle's meter display via the display device 11a, informing the user that a situation requiring their attention has occurred. The normal notification is simply text information or icon information that informs the user that a situation requiring their attention has occurred. The CD controller 12 also sounds a buzzer via the sound device 11c to inform the user that a situation requiring their attention has occurred.

[0037] If the user does not respond in the first phase, for example, if a driver change request occurs and the driver does not switch from automatic to manual driving, the CD controller 12 proceeds to the second phase.

[0038] In the second phase, the CD controller 12 displays a normal notification on the vehicle's meter display via the display device 11a to inform the user that a situation requiring attention has occurred. The CD controller 12 also sounds a buzzer via the sound device 11c to inform the user that a situation requiring attention has occurred. The CD controller 12 also illuminates the area around the meter with orange light in a pattern via the lighting device 11b. The CD controller 12 also provides vibration to the user via the vibration device 11e. The vibration from the vibration device 11e in the second phase is a single, isolated vibration.

[0039] If the user does not respond even after the second phase, the CD controller 12 proceeds to the third phase.

[0040] In the third phase, the CD controller 12 displays a normal notification on the vehicle's meter display via the display device 11a to inform the user that a situation requiring attention has occurred. The CD controller 12 also sounds a buzzer via the sound device 11c to inform the user that a situation requiring attention has occurred. The CD controller 12 also illuminates the area around the meter with red light in a flashing pattern via the lighting device 11b. The CD controller 12 also illuminates the interior lights with orange light via the lighting device 11b. Furthermore, the CD controller 12 sets the direction of the light emitted from the interior lights to flow forward. Finally, the CD controller 12 vibrates the user via the vibration device 11e. The vibration from the vibration device 11e in the third phase is also a single, isolated vibration.

[0041] If the user does not respond in the third phase, the CD controller 12 proceeds to the fourth phase.

[0042] In the fourth phase, the CD controller 12 displays a normal notification on the vehicle's meter display via the display device 11a to inform the user that a situation requiring attention has occurred. The CD controller 12 also sounds a buzzer via the sound device 11c to inform the user that a situation requiring attention has occurred. The CD controller 12 also illuminates the lights around the meter with a flashing red light via the lighting device 11b. The CD controller 12 also illuminates the interior lights with a flashing red light via the lighting device 11b. The CD controller 12 also vibrates the user with a vibration device 11e. The vibration from the vibration device 11e in the fourth phase is a vibration pattern that is performed multiple times in succession.

[0043] According to the "attention call request", no effect presentation by the air conditioning device 11d is requested in any phase. In other words, according to the "attention call request", the effect presentation by the air conditioning device 11d, that is, the effect presentation by wind, is not performed in any phase. Note that effect presentation by the air conditioning device 11d may be performed in the "attention call request". In this case, it is preferable to vary the content of the effect presentation by the air conditioning device 11d for each of a plurality of phases.

[0044] <<Comfort Cooling Request>> As illustrated in Fig. 4, according to the "comfort cooling request", the CD controller 12 causes the lighting device 11b to irradiate light blue light from the vehicle interior lamp in a lighting pattern. Further, the CD controller 12 supplies wind to the vehicle interior space via the air conditioning device 11d in a "fluctuation mode". The "fluctuation mode" is an operation mode for performing air conditioning while gently varying the intensity of wind supplied to the vehicle interior space. Further, the CD controller 12 outputs the sound of birds chirping via the acoustic device 11c. The sound of birds chirping can be reproduced from pre-created sound source data. Alternatively, the CD controller 12 may output background music specified by a user via the acoustic device 11c.

[0045] The "comfort cooling request" is a request aimed at creating a comfortable and pleasant vehicle interior space for a user when, for example, the environment outside the vehicle is extremely hot. The "comfort cooling request" is intended to create a comfortable and pleasant space for a user by forming an environment in the vehicle interior space that is opposite to the environment outside the vehicle. Examples of requests that can create a comfortable space for the user include: when the air outside or inside the vehicle is clear, such as when driving near a plateau or a lake, illuminating light blue light, supplying wind in a temperature range of about 15°C to 20°C that is neither hot nor cold, or outputting calming background music. Furthermore, as requests that can create a comfortable space for the user, for example, there may be requests for effects corresponding to the season, such as illuminating yellow-green light in early summer or irradiating orange-toned light in autumn.

[0046] <<Request on Event Occurrence>> As illustrated in FIG. 5, according to the "request on event occurrence", there are a plurality of phases, in this case, a first phase and a second phase. The "request on event occurrence" is a request for changing the operation contents of various devices 11 in chronological order. Further, the "request on event occurrence" is a request for changing the combination of devices 11 to be activated and the operation contents for each of the plurality of phases.

[0047] In the first phase, the CD controller 12 causes a display device 11a to display a normal notification notifying that an event has occurred on a center display of a vehicle. The normal notification is character information, icon information, or the like that simply notifies that an event has occurred. Further, the CD controller 12 causes an acoustic device 11c to sound a bell tone notifying that an event has occurred.

[0048] If the user does not respond in the first phase, for example, if the user does not answer an incoming call when the event is the incoming call, the CD controller 12 shifts to the second phase.

[0049] In the second phase, the CD controller 12 causes the display device 11a to display a normal notification notifying that an event has occurred on the center display of the vehicle. Further, the CD controller 12 causes the acoustic device 11c to sound a bell tone notifying that an event has occurred. In addition, the CD controller 12 causes a lighting device 11b to emit green light from lights around a meter in a blinking pattern. Further, the CD controller 12 also causes the lighting device 11b to emit green light from vehicle interior lights in the blinking pattern. In addition, the CD controller 12 causes a vibration device 11e to apply vibration to the user. The vibration generated by the vibration device 11e in the second phase is a vibration pattern that is intermittently performed a plurality of times.

[0050] According to the "Event Occurrence Request," the effects provided by the air conditioning device 11d are not requested in any phase. In other words, according to the "Event Occurrence Request," the effects provided by the air conditioning device 11d, i.e., the effects provided by wind, are not performed in any phase. However, it is also possible to specify that the effects provided by the air conditioning device 11d be performed in the "Event Occurrence Request." In this case, it is advisable to make the effects provided by the air conditioning device 11d different for each of the multiple phases.

[0051] ≪Control Flow by Vehicle Space Design System 10≫ ​​For example, the control flow when a "warning request" occurs while the vehicle interior space design is being created based on a "specific road driving request" will be explained. As illustrated in Figure 6, when the CD controller 12 starts creating the vehicle interior space design by controlling the operation of various devices 11 in accordance with the "specific road driving request" (step A1), it monitors whether or not a "warning request" has occurred (step A2). When the CD controller 12 detects a "warning request" occurring during the design process based on the "specific road driving request" (YES in step A2), it starts a composite process (step A3).

[0052] As illustrated in Figure 7, when the CD controller 12 starts the composite processing, it checks the operating status of the various devices 11 that are currently running according to the effects being executed at that time, in this case the "specific road driving request" (step B1). After checking the operating status of the various devices 11, the CD controller 12 determines a composite rule for combining the multiple spatial effects requests (step B2).

[0053] In this case, a "warning request" for a performance intended to warn the user occurs while a performance based on a "specific road driving request" that does not aim to warn the user is being performed. Therefore, the CD controller 12 determines a first composite rule as a composite rule that prioritizes the spatial performance request for a performance intended to warn the user over the spatial performance request for a performance not intended to warn the user.

[0054] The CD controller 12 generates a "composite request" by combining the "specific road driving request" and the "warning request" based on the determined composite rule (step B3). The CD controller 12 decides whether it is necessary to switch the currently running performance based on the "specific road driving request" to a performance based on the "composite request" (step B4). In this case, since the "composite request" was generated based on the first composite rule, it is preferable to switch to a performance based on the composite request, which prioritizes the "warning request" that performs a performance intended to warn the user, rather than continuing with the "specific road driving request" that performs a performance not intended to warn the user. Therefore, the CD controller 12 decides that it is necessary to switch the currently running performance based on the "specific road driving request" to a performance based on the "composite request," and terminates the composite processing.

[0055] As illustrated in Figure 6, after completing the composite processing (step A3), the CD controller 12 checks whether it is necessary to switch the currently running performance based on the "specific road driving request" to a performance based on the "composite request" (step A4). In this case, the CD controller 12 has decided in step B4 of the composite processing that it is necessary to switch the currently running performance based on the "specific road driving request" to a performance based on the "composite request". Therefore, the CD controller 12 determines that it is necessary to switch the currently running performance based on the "specific road driving request" to a performance based on the "composite request" (YES in step A4).

[0056] When the CD controller 12 determines that it is necessary to switch the effects (YES in step A4), it executes a fade-out process (step A5). The fade-out process gradually stops the operation of the device 11 based on the currently executing spatial effects request, while gradually starting the operation of the device 11 based on the newly switched spatial effects request. Therefore, by executing the fade-out process, the CD controller 12 gradually stops the effects based on the currently executing "specific road driving request," while gradually starting the effects based on the newly switched "composite request." The fade-out process allows for a smooth switch in the spatial effects provided to the vehicle interior. Once the CD controller 12 has completed the switch in spatial effects requests, it continues the effects based on the switched spatial effects request (step A6).

[0057] Furthermore, if the CD controller 12 determines that it is not necessary to switch the currently running spatial effect request-based effect to an effect based on a "composite request" (NO in step A4), it will continue the currently running spatial effect request-based effect (step A7).

[0058] ≪Examples of combining multiple spatial design requirements≫ Based on Figure 8, we will explain the case of combining, for example, a "comfortable air conditioning requirement" and a "requirement for driving on a specific road." The "comfortable air conditioning requirement" and the "requirement for driving on a specific road" each include "interchangeable effects" and "non-interchangeable effects." An "interchangeable effect" is an effect that can be replaced with an effect required by another spatial design requirement. A "non-interchangeable effect" is an effect that cannot be replaced with an effect required by another spatial design requirement.

[0059] In the "Comfortable Air Conditioning Request," the lighting patterns of the interior lights and the sounds emitted into the interior space are set as "replaceable effects." In the "Comfortable Air Conditioning Request," the colors of the light emitted by the interior lights and the air conditioning effects for the interior space are set as "non-replaceable effects."

[0060] In the "Requirements for Driving on Specific Roads," the effects related to the color of the light emitted by the interior lights and the effects related to the air conditioning in the interior space are set as "replaceable effects." In the "Requirements for Driving on Specific Roads," the effects related to the lighting patterns of the interior lights and the effects related to the sound output into the interior space are set as "non-replaceable effects."

[0061] The composite processing unit 22 generates a request as a "composite request" by extracting the performance content set as "non-replaceable performance" from the "comfortable air conditioning request" and the "request for driving on specific roads." Therefore, according to the "composite request" generated by the composite example shown in Figure 8, the performance content related to the color of the light emitted by the interior lights and the performance content related to the air conditioning of the interior space are performance content from the "comfortable air conditioning request." In addition, the performance content related to the lighting pattern of the interior lights and the performance content related to the sound output to the interior space are performance content from the "request for driving on specific roads."

[0062] "Interchangeable effects" should be set to effects that, in the event of a conflict with the effects requested by other spatial effects requests, can be replaced with the effects requested by other spatial effects requests without causing any problems, or effects that would be better replaced with the effects requested by other spatial effects requests. "Non-interchangeable effects" should be set to effects that, in the event of a conflict with the effects requested by other spatial effects requests, would cause problems if replaced with the effects requested by other spatial effects requests, or effects that would be better not to be replaced with the effects requested by other spatial effects requests.

[0063] The effects of the vehicle interior space design system 10 will now be explained. The CD controller 12, which designs the interior space of a vehicle by controlling various devices 11 mounted on the vehicle, comprises a plurality of generation processing units 21 that generate space design requests for designing the interior space of the vehicle, a composite processing unit 22 that generates a "composite request" by combining the plurality of space design requests generated by the plurality of generation processing units 21, and a control processing unit 23 that controls the various devices 11 according to the "composite request" generated by the composite processing unit 22. According to this configuration example, even if multiple conflicting space design requests are made when it is possible to perform multiple types of design in the interior space of the vehicle, a unified space design can be achieved by combining the multiple space design requests into a "composite request".

[0064] The CD controller 12, through its generation processing unit 21, generates a request for spatial presentation that changes the operation of device 11 over time. This configuration example makes it possible to realize dynamic spatial presentation that changes over time.

[0065] The CD controller 12, through its generation processing unit 21, generates a request to change the combination of devices 11 as a spatial presentation request. According to this configuration example, dynamic spatial presentation can be realized in which the combination of operating devices 11 changes.

[0066] The CD controller 12, via the generation processing unit 21, generates a request to change the operation of the air conditioning device 11d as a spatial effect request. According to this configuration example, it is possible to realize a spatial effect in which the operation of the wind changes, which acts on the user's "sense of touch" rather than their "sight." For example, if the effect that acts on the user's "sight" through screen display or light is changed, the driver will not notice the change in the effect unless they shift their gaze away from the front of the vehicle in the direction of travel. In contrast, if the effect that acts on the driver's "sense of touch" through wind is changed, the driver will notice the change in the effect from the change in the wind received from the air conditioning device 11d without shifting their gaze away from the front of the vehicle in the direction of travel. Therefore, it is possible to inform the user of the change in the effect while maintaining driving safety.

[0067] The CD controller 12, through its generation processing unit 21, generates a request for spatial presentation that corresponds to the vehicle's driving state. This configuration allows for the realization of spatial presentation in the vehicle's interior that corresponds to the vehicle's driving state, thus providing the user with a unique spatial presentation specific to the vehicle.

[0068] The CD controller 12, through its generation processing unit 21, generates requests for creating a comfortable space as a spatial design request. According to this configuration example, a comfortable spatial design can be realized within the vehicle interior, allowing the user to enjoy a more comfortable drive.

[0069] The CD controller 12 and the composite processing unit 22 generate a "composite request" based on one of several types of composite rules. According to this configuration example, by selecting the optimal composite rule according to the combination of spatial design requests to be composited, a more desirable spatial design can be realized in the vehicle interior space.

[0070] For example, according to the first composite rule, when combining a spatial design request that aims to draw the user's attention with a spatial design request that does not aim to draw the user's attention, a "composite request" can be generated that prioritizes the spatial design request that aims to draw the user's attention. Therefore, it is possible to realize a highly safe spatial design that can draw the user's attention.

[0071] For example, according to the second composite rule, when combining a newly generated spatial design request with an already generated spatial design request, it is possible to generate a "composite request" that prioritizes the newly generated spatial design request. Therefore, the latest spatial design based on the latest spatial design request can be realized in the vehicle interior space.

[0072] For example, according to the third composite rule, when combining a newly generated spatial effect request with an already generated spatial effect request, it is possible to generate a "composite request" that prioritizes the already generated spatial effect request. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the spatial effect that is already being executed suddenly switching to another spatial effect, and the user can continue to enjoy the spatial effect that is already being executed.

[0073] The CD controller 12 generates a request as a "composite request" by extracting the "non-replaceable effects" from among multiple spatial effect requests. With this configuration example, even if multiple spatial effect requests are combined, the effect content that is allowed to be replaced in advance will be switched, and the effect content that is not allowed to be replaced will not be switched to another effect content. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where the user's intended effect content is switched as a result of combining multiple spatial effect requests.

[0074] (Second Embodiment) As illustrated in Figure 9, the generation processing unit 21 sets a priority for each of the generated spatial design requests. In this case, the highest priority "1" is set for the "warning request" among the multiple spatial design requests, the second highest priority "2" is set for the "event occurrence request", the third highest priority "3" is set for the "specific road driving request", and the fourth highest priority "4" is set for the "comfortable air conditioning request".

[0075] In the second embodiment, a fourth composite rule is provided as a composite rule. The fourth composite rule is a composite rule that prioritizes the performance content based on a spatial performance request with a higher priority among the performance content based on multiple spatial performance requests to be combined, over the performance content based on a spatial performance request with a lower priority.

[0076] Based on Figure 10, the case in which the "Specific Road Driving Request" and the "Warning Request" are combined using the fourth combined rule will be explained. According to the priority setting example described above, the "Specific Road Driving Request" is assigned a priority of "3," and the "Warning Request" is assigned a priority of "1." Therefore, the combined processing unit 22 generates a "combined request" in which the performance based on the higher-priority "Warning Request" takes precedence over the performance based on the lower-priority "Specific Road Driving Request."

[0077] According to the second embodiment, when combining high-priority and low-priority spatial design requests, a "combined request" can be generated that prioritizes the design content based on the higher-priority spatial design request. Therefore, by setting a high priority on spatial design requests that are of high importance from a driving safety perspective, such as "warning requests," it is possible to realize a design in the vehicle interior that contributes to safer driving.

[0078] (Third Embodiment) As illustrated in Figure 11, the third embodiment is an embodiment in which the priority is set differently for each attribute group of the performance. In this case, various groups such as "safety group," "event group," and "state group" are provided as attribute groups of the performance. The "safety group" includes "warning request." The "event group" includes "event occurrence request." The "state group" includes "specific road driving request" and "comfortable air conditioning request." Of the multiple attribute groups, the "safety group" is set to the highest priority "1," the "event group" is set to the second highest priority "2," and the "state group" is set to the third highest priority "3."

[0079] In the third embodiment, a fifth composite rule is provided as a composite rule. The fifth composite rule is a composite rule that prioritizes spatial design requests that create events occurring in the vehicle interior space over spatial design requests that create the state of the vehicle interior space.

[0080] When the composite processing unit 22 combines, for example, an "event occurrence request" and a "specific road driving request" according to the fifth composite rule, it generates a "composite request" in which the performance content of the "event occurrence request" included in the higher-priority "event group" takes precedence over the performance content of the "specific road driving request" included in the lower-priority "state group".

[0081] Furthermore, when the composite processing unit 22 combines, for example, an "event occurrence request" and a "comfortable air conditioning request" according to the fifth composite rule, it generates a "composite request" in which the performance content of the "event occurrence request" included in the higher-priority "event group" takes precedence over the performance content of the "comfortable air conditioning request" included in the lower-priority "state group".

[0082] According to the third embodiment, when combining a spatial design request that creates an "event" occurring in the vehicle interior space with a spatial design request that creates a "state" in the vehicle interior space, it is possible to generate a "combined request" that prioritizes the spatial design request that creates an "event" occurring in the vehicle interior space. Therefore, when an event requiring user response occurs, such as an incoming phone call, a spatial design can be created in the vehicle interior space that makes it easier for the user to notice the event.

[0083] Furthermore, when the composite processing unit 22 combines multiple spatial presentation requests included in the same attribute group using the fifth composite rule, it may also generate a composite request based on a rule that combines composite rules other than the fifth composite rule. To give a specific example, when the composite processing unit 22 combines a "specific road driving request" and a "comfortable air conditioning request" that create the "state" of the vehicle interior space, it may combine, for example, the third composite rule to prioritize the already generated spatial presentation request among the "specific road driving request" and the "comfortable air conditioning request" over the newly generated spatial presentation request among the "specific road driving request" and the "comfortable air conditioning request". In this way, the composite processing unit 22 can also generate a composite request based on a rule that combines two composite rules. Moreover, the composite processing unit 22 can also generate a composite request based on a rule that combines three or more composite rules.

[0084] (Other Embodiments) This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and extensions can be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the vehicle space presentation system 10 may be configured by appropriately selecting and combining the embodiments described above.

[0085] The vehicle space design system 10 may include, as devices 11, an aroma device configured to release fragrance components into the vehicle interior space, a light-blocking device that automatically extends and retracts a sunshade film along the vehicle's windows, and so on. The aroma device can be defined as a device capable of performing actions that primarily affect a person's sense of smell. The vehicle space design system 10 may also include, as devices 11, a device capable of performing actions that affect a person's sense of taste.

[0086] The CD controller 12 may include a generation processing unit 21 that generates spatial presentation requests different from those such as "requests when driving on a specific road," "warning requests," "requests for comfortable air conditioning," and "requests when an event occurs."

[0087] While this disclosure is described in accordance with the embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to those embodiments or structures. This disclosure also encompasses various modifications and variations within the equivalence. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms that include only one, more, or fewer of those elements, fall within the scope and concept of this disclosure.

[0088] Furthermore, the control unit and method described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and method described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor by one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and method described in this disclosure may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may also be stored in a computer-readable non-transitional tangible storage medium as instructions to be executed by the computer.

[0089] Furthermore, this disclosure includes, in addition to the inventions described in the claims, the following inventions:

[0090] [1] A vehicle interior space design system (10) that creates an interior space by controlling devices (11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e) mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a plurality of generation units (21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) that generate space design requests for creating an interior space; a composite unit (22) that generates a composite request by combining the plurality of space design requests generated by the plurality of generation units; and a control unit (23) that controls the devices according to the composite request generated by the composite unit.

[0091] [2] The vehicle spatial presentation system according to [1], wherein the generation unit generates a request to change the operation of the device in a time series as the spatial presentation request.

[0092] [3] The vehicle spatial design system according to [1] or [2], wherein the generation unit generates a request to change the combination of the devices as the spatial design request.

[0093] [4] A vehicle space design system according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the device includes an air conditioning device (11d) for air conditioning the interior space of a vehicle, and the generation unit generates a request to change the operation of the air conditioning device as a space design request.

[0094] [5] The vehicle space presentation system according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the generation unit generates a request for presentation according to the driving state of the vehicle as the space presentation request.

[0095] [6] The vehicle space design system according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the generation unit generates a request for designing a comfortable space as the space design request.

[0096] [7] The vehicle space presentation system according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the composite unit generates the composite request based on one of several types of composite rules, or based on a rule that combines two or more rules.

[0097] [8] The vehicle space design system described in [7], wherein the composite rule includes a rule that prioritizes a spatial design request that performs a performance intended to draw the user's attention over a spatial design request that performs a performance not intended to draw the user's attention.

[0098] [9] The vehicle spatial design system according to [7] or [8], wherein the composite rule includes a rule that gives priority to a newly generated spatial design request over a spatial design request that has already been generated.

[0099]

[10] The vehicle spatial design system according to [7] or [8], wherein the composite rule includes a rule that prioritizes a spatial design request that has already been generated over a newly generated spatial design request.

[0100]

[11] The vehicle space design system according to any one of [7] to

[10] , wherein the generation unit sets a priority for the generated space design requests, and the composite rule includes a rule that prioritizes space design requests with a higher priority over space design requests with a lower priority.

[0101]

[12] A vehicle space presentation system according to any one of [7] to

[11] , wherein the composite rule is set to give priority to the space presentation request for presenting an event that occurred in the vehicle interior space over the space presentation request for presenting the state of the vehicle interior space.

[0102]

[13] The spatial effect request includes interchangeable effects that can be replaced with other spatial effect requests and inexchangeable effects that cannot be replaced with other spatial effect requests, and the composite unit generates a request as the composite request, which is obtained by extracting the inexchangeable effects from a plurality of spatial effect requests generated by a plurality of generation units, the vehicle spatial effect system according to any one of [1] to

[12] .

[0103]

[14] A method for creating an interior space in a vehicle by controlling devices (11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e) mounted on the vehicle, comprising: a generation step of generating a plurality of space creation requests for creating an interior space in a vehicle; a composite step of generating a composite request by combining the plurality of space creation requests generated in the generation step; and a control step of controlling the devices in accordance with the composite request generated in the composite step.

[0104]

[15] A vehicle interior space design program that controls devices (11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e) mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a generation step of generating a plurality of space design requests for designing the interior space of a vehicle; a composite step of generating a composite request by combining the plurality of space design requests generated by the generation step; and a control step of controlling the devices in accordance with the composite request generated by the composite step.

Claims

1. A vehicle interior space design system (10) that creates an interior space by controlling devices (11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e) mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a plurality of generation units (21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) that generate space design requests for creating an interior space; a composite unit (22) that generates a composite request by combining the plurality of space design requests generated by the plurality of generation units; and a control unit (23) that controls the devices according to the composite request generated by the composite unit.

2. The vehicle spatial design system according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates a request to change the operation of the device in a time series as the spatial design request.

3. The vehicle spatial design system according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates a request to change the combination of the devices as the spatial design request.

4. The vehicle space design system according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises an air conditioning device (11d) for air conditioning the interior space of a vehicle, and the generation unit generates a request to change the operation of the air conditioning device as a space design request.

5. The vehicle spatial presentation system according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates a request for a spatial presentation that corresponds to the driving state of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle space design system according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates a request for creating a comfortable space as the space design request.

7. The vehicle space presentation system according to claim 1, wherein the composite unit generates the composite request based on one of several types of composite rules, or based on a rule that combines two or more rules.

8. The vehicle spatial design system according to claim 7, wherein a rule is provided as the composite rule that a spatial design request for the purpose of attracting the attention of the user takes precedence over a spatial design request for the purpose of not attracting the attention of the user.

9. The vehicle spatial design system according to claim 7, wherein the composite rule includes a rule that prioritizes newly generated spatial design requests over already generated spatial design requests.

10. The vehicle spatial design system according to claim 7, wherein the composite rule includes a rule that prioritizes already generated spatial design requests over newly generated spatial design requests.

11. The vehicle space design system according to claim 7, wherein the generation unit sets a priority for the generated space design requests, and the composite rule includes a rule that prioritizes space design requests with a higher priority over space design requests with a lower priority.

12. The vehicle space presentation system according to claim 7, wherein the composite rule includes a rule that prioritizes the spatial presentation request for presenting an event occurring in the vehicle interior space over the spatial presentation request for presenting the state of the vehicle interior space.

13. The vehicle space design system according to claim 1, wherein the spatial design request includes interchangeable design elements that can be replaced with other spatial design requests and inexchangeable design elements that cannot be replaced with other spatial design requests, and the composite unit generates a request as the composite request obtained by extracting the inexchangeable design elements from among a plurality of spatial design requests generated by a plurality of generation units.

14. A method for creating an interior space in a vehicle by controlling devices (11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e) mounted on the vehicle, comprising: a generation step of generating a plurality of spatial design requests for creating an interior space in a vehicle; a composite step of generating a composite request by combining the plurality of spatial design requests generated in the generation step; and a control step of controlling the devices according to the composite request generated in the composite step.

15. A vehicle interior space design program that controls devices (11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e) mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a generation step of generating a plurality of space design requests for designing the interior space; a composite step of generating a composite request by combining the plurality of space design requests generated in the generation step; and a control step of controlling the devices according to the composite request generated in the composite step.

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