JP5477121B2 - Dozing operation prevention device and dozing operation prevention method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a snooze driving prevention apparatus and a snoozing driving prevention method in a vehicle such as an automobile.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a sleepiness / awakening device that detects and awakens the sleepiness of a driver of a vehicle such as an automobile.

  This is because the temperature adjusting means is configured by installing a Peltier element on the rim part of the steering wheel, and when the determination part of the physical condition determining device determines that the driver feels sleepy, the temperature of the Peltier element of the temperature adjusting means By changing the temperature, it is intended to give awakening effect only to the driver without causing discomfort to the passengers.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-50888

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which excessive power is required because the driver's hand is configured to be cooled through a heat conductive material that covers the Peltier element.

  Therefore, the present invention uses less power by locally controlling the portion of the rim portion of the steering wheel, which is in contact with the driver's hand, that is likely to induce peripheral contraction due to temperature stimulation. The present invention provides a snooze driving prevention device and a snoozing driving prevention method capable of improving the arousal level.

  In the snooze driving prevention apparatus of the present invention, the rim portion of the steering wheel includes a plurality of temperature adjusting portions. Each of the plurality of temperature adjustment units includes a contact part detection unit that detects a part that a driver's hand contacts. The contact state detection means detects the contact state of the driver's hand with respect to the plurality of temperature adjustment units, and based on the detection result, the part where the fingertip of the driver's hand contacts in the plurality of temperature adjustment units, and driving At least one contact site with the site where the palm center of the person's hand contacts is determined by the site determination means. The driver's arousal level is detected by the driver's arousal level detection means, and when the arousal level is lower than a predetermined value, it corresponds to at least one of the fingertip contact site and the palm center contact site. The main feature is that the temperature of the temperature adjusting unit is controlled by the control means.

  According to the present invention, a fingertip that is a part that easily induces peripheral contraction due to temperature stimulation or a contact part that a palm center contacts is determined based on a contact part of a driver's hand, and a temperature adjustment unit corresponding to them By controlling the temperature, the awakening degree can be improved with less power.

The block diagram which shows the structure of 1st Embodiment of the snooze driving | running | working prevention apparatus which concerns on this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective explanatory view schematically showing an arrangement state of a first embodiment of the present invention on a vehicle. The partial fracture explanatory view which shows roughly the arrangement state to the steering wheel of the temperature control part in a 1st embodiment of the present invention. Cross-sectional explanatory drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. The flowchart explaining the control action of 1st Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the process example of the contact state determination of the hand in 1st Embodiment of this invention, and contact part determination. Explanatory drawing which shows the contraction induction example of the peripheral part at the time of cooling the whole one hand. Explanatory drawing which shows the contraction induction example of the peripheral part at the time of cooling a part of one hand. The block diagram which shows the structure of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 4 which shows the arrangement | positioning state to the steering wheel of the temperature adjustment part in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart explaining the control operation of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the process example of the contact state determination of the hand in 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and contact part determination. Explanatory drawing which shows the pattern collation procedure of the contact part determination of the hand in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the pattern collation result of FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 4 which shows the arrangement | positioning state to the steering wheel of the temperature adjustment part in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart explaining the control action of 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the snooze driving prevention apparatus according to the present invention.

  A snooze driving prevention apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of Peltier elements 102 that apply temperature stimulation to a driver's hand, an arousal level sensor 103 that detects the driver's arousal level, and arousal level information from the arousal level sensor 103. And a main unit 104 for controlling the temperature of the Peltier element 102.

  As the main unit 104, a microcomputer mainly composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O interface and the like can be used. The main unit 104 performs various calculations according to a control program stored in the ROM, and based on the calculation results, adjusts the temperature of the Peltier element 102 to the arousal induction temperature, and a plurality of Peltier elements 102. Therefore, it has a determination function for specifying the Peltier element 102 to be controlled.

  In the Peltier element 102, the temperature of the endothermic surface (surface) that becomes the cooling surface changes by controlling the applied voltage. Therefore, it is possible to give a temperature stimulus to the driver by changing the surface temperature. The voltage applied to the Peltier element 102 is controlled by the temperature control unit 105 based on a control signal from the main unit 104.

Each Peltier element 102 includes a temperature sensor 106 that measures the temperature of each cooling surface (surface). The detection signal of the temperature sensor 106 is output to the temperature control unit 105, and the temperature control unit 105 performs feedback control so that a cooling surface (surface) of a specific Peltier element 102 described later maintains a required arousal induction temperature. doing. In this embodiment, the detection signal of each temperature sensor 106 is output to the main unit 104, and the portion of the plurality of Peltier elements 102 that is in contact with the driver's hand is the temperature of the cooling surface of the corresponding Peltier element 102. Detect with change. That is, the plurality of temperature sensors 106 are used as the hand contact portion detection means 107.

  Further, the Peltier element 102 includes a heat pipe 108 that conducts waste heat generated on the heat generation surface opposite to the cooling surface (surface), and a heat sink 109 that dissipates heat transported from the heat pipe 108. .

  The arousal level sensor 103 detects a biological signal sensor 110 that detects biological signals such as a driver's brain wave, heart rate, and skin potential, a face image capturing camera 111 that captures the driver's face, and a steering angle of the steering wheel. A steering angle sensor 112, a lateral G sensor 113 that detects lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a traveling road imaging camera 114 that captures a traveling road ahead of the vehicle are provided.

  The biological signal sensor 110, the face image photographing camera 111, the steering angle sensor 112, the lateral G sensor 113, and the traveling road photographing camera 114 are all examples of sensors that output a signal for detecting arousal level to the main unit 104. In addition, the sensor is not particularly limited as long as it provides a signal for detecting the driver's arousal state.

  Further, it is not necessary to include all of the sensors of the biological signal sensor 110, the face image photographing camera 111, the steering angle sensor 112, the lateral G sensor 113, and the traveling road photographing camera 114, and according to the design concept of the snooze driving prevention device, One sensor or a combination of a plurality of sensors can be arbitrarily selected.

  When determining the drowsiness driving state based on the driver's biological signal detected by the biological signal sensor 110, for example, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-67632 can be employed.

  For example, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-143669 can be employed when determining the drowsiness driving state based on the driver's face image captured by the face image capturing camera 111.

  When determining the drowsiness driving state based on the steering angle signal detected by the steering angle sensor 112, for example, a technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-58192 can be employed.

  When determining the drowsiness driving state based on the acceleration in the lateral direction of the vehicle detected by the lateral G sensor 113, for example, the change in the steering angle is converted into the lateral G, or the change in the distance between the vehicle and the travel zone is determined as the lateral G. In other words, the drowsiness driving state can be determined.

  For example, the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-69757 can be employed when determining the drowsiness driving state based on the forward photographed image of the vehicle traveling path detected by the traveling path photographing camera 114.

  FIG. 2 shows an arrangement state of components of the drowsy driving apparatus 101 on the vehicle.

  A plurality of Peltier elements 102 are arranged in the gripping area S of the left and right hands H where the driver D grips the rim portion 12 of the steering wheel 11 in a normal driving posture.

  The main unit 104 and the temperature control unit 105 are arranged inside the instrument panel 13.

The arousal level sensor 103 is disposed at a place where the driver's awakening level is most easily detected. For example, the face image capturing camera 111 is disposed at a position where the face of the driver D on the instrument panel 13 is easily captured from the front. The biological signal sensor 110 is disposed in the vicinity of the surface of the seat back 14 where the driver D's back is in close contact.

  3 and 4 show the arrangement of the Peltier elements 102 in the rim portion 12 of the steering wheel 11.

  In the gripping region S of the rim portion 12, a plurality of Peltier elements 102 are arranged on the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side in the front and rear two rows in the circumferential direction on the vehicle front side and rear side of the rim portion 12, respectively. It is arranged.

  Each Peltier element 102 is disposed in a thermally independent state by the heat insulating material 15.

  In the illustrated example, a total of eight Peltier elements 102 are arranged in the front and rear two rows on the outer peripheral side of the rim portion 12 in the front-rear direction, and a total of eight Peltier elements 102 in the front and rear two rows on the inner peripheral side of the rim portion 12. The Peltier elements 102 are arranged opposite to each other in the front-rear direction.

  The Peltier element 102 has a cooling surface (front surface) disposed close to the skin 16 of the rim portion 12. A temperature sensor 106 is disposed between the cooling surface of each Peltier element 102 and the skin 16, and a heat conductive agent 17 is filled therein. Thereby, the cooling surface temperature of each Peltier element 102 is directly measured.

  The skin 16 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity so that a temperature stimulus can be effectively applied to the hand of the driver D.

  The plurality of Peltier elements 102 in each row arranged on the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side of the rim portion 12 are connected by heat pipes 108 in the column direction between their back surfaces (heat generation surfaces). The space between the back surface of these Peltier elements 102 and the skin 16 of the rim portion 12 is also filled with the thermal conductive agent 17 to increase the thermal gradient of the heat pipe 108 and increase the thermal conduction efficiency.

  The heat radiation side end of the heat pipe 108 is connected to the heat sink 109. The heat sink 109 is disposed away from the Peltier element 102, for example, in the spoke portion 18 of the steering wheel 11 so as to dissipate heat without affecting the Peltier element 102. Further, a fan 19 is installed in the vicinity of the heat sink 109 to enhance the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink 109.

  By arranging the Peltier element 102 on the rim portion 12 of the steering wheel 11 as described above, when the driver D grips the rim portion 12 with his hand H in a normal driving posture, the rim as shown in FIG. On the outer peripheral side of the part 12, the palm of the hand H contacts some of the Peltier elements 102 on the outer peripheral side, and on the inner peripheral side of the rim part 12, some of the Peltier elements 102 on the inner peripheral side are in contact with the hand H. The finger comes into contact.

  The contact state of the hand H of the driver D with the Peltier element 102 is detected by the temperature sensor 106 provided near each Peltier element 102 as described above.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the snooze driving prevention apparatus 101 of this embodiment. The process shown in this flowchart is executed by the main unit 104 when the engine of the vehicle is started.

  First, in step S101, the arousal level determination reference value of the control program stored in the ROM is initialized.

  Next, in step S102, a detection signal from the arousal level sensor 103 is input, and a process of converting into the arousal level is performed. This input signal varies depending on the type of sensor used for the arousal level sensor 103.

  The biological signal sensor 110 outputs, for example, an electroencephalogram signal to the main unit 104 if it detects an electroencephalogram, and outputs a pulse wave signal if it detects a heart rate.

  The face image photographing camera 111 outputs an image obtained by photographing the driver's face to the main unit 104. The face image photographing camera 111 can also incorporate an image processing device. In this case, the eye open / closed state and the expression change of the driver D are detected from an image obtained by photographing the face of the driver D with the camera, and the eye The opening / closing determination signal and the facial expression change of the driver D are output to the main unit 104 as time series signals.

  The steering angle sensor 112 outputs a steering angle signal indicating a steering operation state to the main unit 104.

  The lateral G sensor 113 outputs the lateral acceleration of the vehicle to the main unit 104.

  The traveling road photographing camera 114 outputs an image obtained by photographing the traveling road ahead of the vehicle with the camera to the main unit 104. The traveling road imaging camera 114 can also incorporate an image processing device. In this case, the traveling road imaging camera 114 recognizes the traveling zone and the forward vehicle from the image obtained by photographing the forward traveling road of the vehicle with the camera, And the distance to the preceding vehicle are calculated and output to the main unit 104.

  The process of converting the input signal from each of these sensors into the arousal level determination value is, for example, an integrated value of the number of eyes closed at a predetermined time in the case of the eye open / close determination result signal, and the frequency in the case of the steering angle signal. It is the integrated value of the specific frequency that was analyzed.

  In step S103, the current state of driver arousal level acquired in step S102 is determined. When the current driver arousal level is lower than the arousal level determination reference value initialized in step S101 (True), the process proceeds to step S104, and the contact state determination of the hand H with respect to the plurality of Peltier elements 102 is performed. Further, when the current driver wakefulness level is not lower than the wakefulness level determination reference value initialized in step S101 (Fale), it is determined to be normal and the process returns to step S102, and the same processing is executed.

  A processing example of the hand contact state determination in step S104 will be described with reference to FIG.

  Since both the left-hand side Peltier element group corresponding to the right hand HR of the driver D and the left-hand side Peltier element group corresponding to the left hand HL face the palm of the hand H on the outer peripheral side of the rim portion 12, Since the number of elements is large and the inner peripheral side of the rim portion 12 faces the finger of the hand H, the number of contacting Peltier elements is smaller than that on the outer peripheral side.

  The contact state of the hand H is determined based on the cooling surface temperature information obtained from the temperature sensor 106 attached to each Peltier element 102 on both the right hand side and the left hand side. A value is calculated and treated as a Peltier element 102 having a cooling surface temperature equal to or higher than the median value.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, in both the right-hand side Peltier element group and the left-hand side Peltier element group, the Peltier element 102 shaded with diagonal lines is determined as the portion where the hand H is in contact.

  Each arrangement of the Peltier element group on the right hand side and the Peltier element group on the left hand side in FIG. 6 is shown as a state in which the rim portion 12 in FIG.

  In this way, when the determination result is obtained in step S104, the process proceeds to step S105, and the Peltier element 102 to be controlled is specified from the Peltier elements 102 (hatched display portion) in contact with the hand H.

  In step S105, the Peltier element 102 that contacts the center of the palm is first selected from the hand contact surface information obtained in step S104. The Peltier element 102 in contact with the center of the palm calculates the contact surface centroid point 0 in the contact surface area based on the contact surface information of the hand obtained in step S104, and corresponds to the one where the contact surface centroid point 0 exists. Determine as an element. Next, the Peltier element 102 with which the fingertip of the hand H contacts is selected. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the Peltier element 102 with which the fingertip comes into contact is determined as the corresponding element in the right-hand side Peltier element group that is closest to the right end RS of the contact surface area in the example shown in FIG. 6. In the left-hand side Peltier element group, the element closest to the left end LS of the contact surface area is determined as the corresponding element. The Peltier element 102 to be controlled is shown by a thick frame in FIG.

  In step S105, the reason for selecting the Peltier element 102 in contact with the palm center and the Peltier element 102 in contact with the fingertip is that the palm center of the hand H and the fingertip easily induce peripheral contraction due to cooling, as will be described later. This is because it is a part.

  When the Peltier element 102 to be controlled is specified in step S105, the process proceeds to step S106, and temperature control is performed so that the cooling surface of the Peltier element 102 to be controlled becomes a required arousal induction temperature, for example, 15 ° C. The temperature control in step S105 is performed, for example, for 1 minute. When the process in step S105 is completed, the process returns to step S102 again, and the same process is executed.

7 and 8 show an example of the induction of contraction of the peripheral part of the hand by cooling.

  FIG. 7 shows the middle finger temperature of the opposite hand and the standard deviation of the little finger pulse wave when the entire one hand is cooled at the required arousal induction temperature. In the figure, during the cooling time indicated by the bold line frame, the qualitative tendency that the middle finger temperature indicated by the a line decreases and the little finger pulse wave standard deviation indicated by the b line decreases is observed. This indicates that blood flow is reduced due to the peripheral contraction of the hand.

  FIG. 8 shows the middle finger temperature of the opposite hand and the standard deviation of the little finger pulse wave when a part of one hand is cooled under the same temperature conditions as in FIG. In this example, as shown in the figure, the palm center (1), palm thumb (2), palm outside (3), palm upper (4), thumb (5), finger (6), middle finger ( 7) The middle finger temperature of the opposite hand and the change of the little finger pulse wave standard deviation when the eight parts of the ring finger (8) are cooled are shown as a 'line and b' line, respectively. As can be seen from this figure, when partial cooling (1), (5), (6), (7), (8) is performed, the middle finger temperature of the opposite hand and the little finger pulse wave standard deviation are A qualitative tendency similar to that shown in FIG. On the other hand, when partial cooling (2), (3), (4) is performed, a phenomenon of lowering the little finger pulse wave standard deviation of the opposite hand is seen, but no tendency of lowering the middle finger temperature is seen.

From this, in order to induce peripheral contraction equivalent to the case where the whole hand is cooled, as in partial cooling (1), (5), (6), (7), (8), It is considered effective to selectively cool the fingertip. And by the effective temperature stimulation to the periphery, the activity of the autonomic nerve can be induced and the driver can be awakened better.

  Therefore, as in the first embodiment, among the plurality of Peltier elements 102 in contact with the hand of the driver D, in particular, the Peltier element 102 in contact with the fingertip or the center of the palm where the center of gravity 0 of the contact part of the hand exists. By selecting appropriate Peltier elements 102 and controlling their cooling surfaces to the awakening induction temperature, the arousal level can be improved with less power, and it is effective in preventing driver D from taking a nap. You can see if it is.

  In particular, according to the present embodiment, the Peltier element 102 to be controlled is specified by selecting the Peltier element 102 with which the fingertip is in contact from the plurality of Peltier elements 102 with which the hand H of the driver D is in contact. Alternatively, since the contact surface centroid point 0 of the plurality of Peltier elements 102 in contact with the hand H is obtained and the Peltier element 102 where the contact surface centroid point 0 exists is selected as the palm center equivalent, The Peltier element 102 can be easily specified.

  Further, since the cooling surface (surface) temperature of the Peltier element 102 to be controlled is feedback-controlled by the temperature control unit 105 to maintain the required arousal induction temperature based on the detection action of the temperature sensor 106. , Can enhance the arousal effect. In addition, since the temperature sensor 106 is effectively used as the contact portion detection means 107 that detects the Peltier element 102 with which the hand of the driver D contacts, it is advantageous in terms of cost.

  And since the Peltier element 102 in which one surface constitutes a heat absorbing surface (cooling surface) and the other surface constitutes a heat generating surface is used as the temperature adjusting portion in this way, the driver H's hand H is directly applied to the cooling surface. It is possible to cool, avoiding a cooling delay due to heat transfer, and promptly exerting the awakening effect. Since the cooling surface temperature of the Peltier element 102 can be changed by controlling the applied voltage, the temperature control of the cooling surface can be easily performed.

  In addition, the waste heat of each Peltier element 102 can be efficiently radiated to the outside of the cooling surface by the heat conducting portion made of the heat pipe 108 and the heat radiating portion made of the heat sink 109. Can be done. In addition, since the heat generating surface side of each Peltier element 102 is connected by the heat pipe 108, the waste heat can be collected and transported to the heat sink 109, where it can be dissipated away from the cooling surface. Temperature management can be performed appropriately and easily.

  Further, the arousal level of the driver D is detected by the arousal level sensor 103. If the biological signal sensor 110 is used as the arousal level sensor 103, a change in the biological signal of the driver D such as an electroencephalogram, a heartbeat, and skin potential. Since the driver arousal level state is detected, the drowsy driving detection accuracy can be improved.

  If the face image photographing camera 111 is used as the arousal level sensor 103, the driver's arousal level state is detected by a change in the open / closed state of the eyes of the driver D or a change in facial expression, so that a complicated operation is not required. The arousal level determination suitable for the driver state can be performed.

  If the steering angle sensor 112 is used as the arousal level sensor 103, the driver awakening level state is detected by a change in the steering wheel steering state of the steering wheel 11, so that the driving characteristics of the driver D can be achieved without requiring a complicated operation. It is possible to perform the arousal level determination suitable for.

  If the lateral G sensor 113 is used as the wakefulness sensor 103, the driver's wakefulness state is detected based on the meandering state of the vehicle. Therefore, a complex wakefulness detection means for directly detecting the wakefulness state from the driver's state Without being used, the arousal level can be determined by an existing lateral G sensor used in a collision avoidance system or the like provided in the vehicle.

If the traveling road imaging camera 114 is used as the arousal sensor 103, the driver's arousal state is detected based on the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the trace condition of the road white line, etc. The arousal level suitable for the driver state can be determined without using a complex awakening level detection means for detection.
(Second Embodiment)

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the snooze driving prevention apparatus 101 according to the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, a contact-type biological signal sensor that directly detects a contact of a hand from a biological signal as a contact part detection unit that detects a part of the plurality of Peltier elements 102 that the hand H of the driver D contacts. 115 is used, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the contact-type biological signal sensor 115 is installed on the cooling surface (surface) of each Peltier element 102, and outputs each detection signal to the main unit 104 as shown in FIG. I have to. 9 and 10, since only the biological signal sensor 115 is different from the first embodiment, the description of the overlapping configuration is omitted.

  FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of the control operation of the main unit 104 in the second embodiment.

  Each process of step S101, step S102, step S103, and step S106 is the same as that of the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the contact state determination of the hand and the determination of the Peltier element 102 to be controlled are performed in steps. The following processing is performed by S201 and step S202.

  In step S <b> 201, contact state determination is performed based on the presence or absence of a signal input state of the contact-type biological signal sensor 115 attached to the cooling surface (front surface) of each Peltier element 102. That is, when the driver's hand H comes into contact with the cooling surface (surface) of the Peltier element 102, a biological signal is output from the contact-type biological signal sensor 115 of the corresponding Peltier element 102, and this biological signal is input. The Peltier element 102 is in contact with the hand H.

  A processing example of the hand contact state determination in step S201 will be described with reference to FIG.

  Each arrangement of the right-hand side Peltier element group and the left-hand side Peltier element group in FIG. 12 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the rim portion 12 in FIG. As shown.

  Since both the right-hand side element group corresponding to the right hand HR of the driver D and the left-hand side Peltier element group corresponding to the left hand HL face the palm of the hand H on the outer peripheral side of the rim portion 12, the Peltier elements that come into contact with each other Since the number of the Peltier elements faces the finger of the hand H on the inner peripheral side of the rim portion 12, the number of Peltier elements in contact with the rim portion 12 is smaller than that on the outer peripheral side.

  The determination of the contact state of the hand H is performed on the right hand HR side and the left hand HL side based on the contact detection information of the contact-type biological signal sensor 115 attached to each Peltier element 102. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the Peltier element 102 shaded with a diagonal line is determined as the portion where the hand H is in contact with both the right-hand side Peltier element group and the left-hand side Peltier element group.

When the determination result is obtained in step S201, the process proceeds to step S202, and the Peltier element 102 to be controlled is specified from the Peltier elements 102 (hatched display portion) in contact with the hand H.

  In the present embodiment, the determination process in step S202 is performed on each of the Peltier elements in the right-hand side Peltier element group and the left-hand side Peltier element group shown in FIG. 12 with respect to the hand contact state result obtained in step S201. The control map 116 created by imitating the array 102 is collated, and the control map 116 is performed based on a determination pattern set in advance.

  The number of frames on the contact model surface of the control map 116 is larger than the number of Peltier elements in the Peltier element group. For example, for a Peltier element arrangement number of 4 × 4, a contact model surface in which the contact surface Pa and the control target surface Pb are set in advance in a 5 × 5 frame matrix is used as the determination reference surface.

  In the control map 116, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the arrangement pattern of the contact surface Pa and the control target Pb in the right-hand model and the left-hand model is symmetric.

  The determination process by pattern matching with the control map 116 is performed as shown in FIGS.

  The hand contact information obtained in step S201, that is, the contact surface (shaded portion) and non-contact surface pattern information shown in FIG. 12, and the contact model surface of the control map 116 are matrixed on the contact model surface. Each frame is moved in the horizontal direction, vertical direction, and diagonal direction in FIG. 13 and overlapped to obtain a correlation with the determination pattern of the control map 116. This correlation can be further obtained by a logical sum of whether or not the contact model surface is the contact surface Pa or the control target surface Pb and whether or not the contact surface is the hand contact surface (shaded portion in FIG. 12). As shown in FIG. 14, the superposition having the highest correlation is obtained from all the superposition states, and the Peltier element 102 corresponding to the control target surface Pb of the model surface is obtained in the superposition state at that time. The Peltier element 102 to be controlled is determined. The Peltier element 102 to be controlled is shown in a thick frame in FIG.

  Therefore, according to the snooze driving prevention device of the second embodiment, the same awakening induction effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained, and the contact-type biological signal sensor 115 is installed on the cooling surface of each Peltier element 102. Since this is a hand contact state detection means, it is possible to verify the contact state of the hand H of the driver D, such as the difference in contact pressure between the left and right hands, and to detect a more accurate hand contact state. Can do.

In addition, the hand contact information obtained by the biological signal sensor 115 is used to control the Peltier element 102 to be controlled based on the comparison with the determination pattern preset in the control map 116 using the control map 116. Since it is determined, various maps can be prepared and pattern matching can be performed, so that the Peltier element 102 to be controlled can be selected more accurately.
(Third embodiment)

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the third embodiment of the snooze driving prevention apparatus 101 according to the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, as a contact part detection unit that detects a part of the plurality of Peltier elements 102 that is in contact with the hand H of the driver D, a contact sensor that directly detects a hand contact by an electrical signal, for example, electrostatic The sensor 117 is used, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16, the electrostatic sensor 117 is installed on the outer surface of the skin 16 of the rim portion 12 at a position corresponding to the cooling surface (front surface) of each Peltier element 102. As shown in FIG. 15 and 16, since only the electrostatic sensor 117 is different from the first embodiment, the overlapping description is omitted.

  FIG. 17 shows a flowchart of the control operation of the main unit 104 in the third embodiment.

  Steps S101, S102, S103, S105, and S106 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  After the process of step S103 is completed, the hand contact state determination is based on the presence or absence of a signal input state of the electrostatic sensor 117 attached to the surface 16 of the skin corresponding to the cooling surface of each Peltier element 102 in step S301. Judgment is being made. That is, when the driver H's hand H contacts the electrostatic sensor 117, the detection signal output from the electrostatic sensor 117 causes the Peltier element 102 corresponding to the electrostatic sensor 117 to move to the driver D's hand. The Peltier element 102 is in contact with H.

  In step S105, the Peltier element 102 to be controlled is specified by the same process as in the first embodiment based on the hand contact information obtained in step S301. This is the same as the step in the second embodiment. The determination process using the control map similar to S201 may be performed.

  Therefore, according to the snooze driving prevention device of the third embodiment, the wakefulness induction effect similar to that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the contact state of the hand is directly detected by the electrostatic sensor 117. A more accurate hand contact state can be detected.

  Note that the Peltier element 102 used in each of the above-described embodiments is particularly limited to this as long as it is a unit that can give a temperature stimulus to the hand H of the driver D holding the rim portion 12 of the steering wheel 11. is not.

  Further, in the correspondence between each embodiment and the configuration of each claim, the Peltier element 102 is the temperature adjustment unit, the arousal level sensor 103 is the driver arousal level detection unit, and the main unit 104 is the control unit and the region determination unit. The temperature control unit 105 is the temperature control means, the heat pipe 108 is the heat conduction part, the heat sink 109 is the heat dissipation part, the biological signal sensor 110 is the biological signal measurement means, and the face image photographing camera 111 is the face image recognition means. Further, the steering angle sensor 112 is the driving operation measuring means, the lateral G sensor 113 is the vehicle state measuring means, the traveling road imaging camera 114 is the driving environment measuring means, the temperature sensor 106, the contact-type biological signal sensor 115, The electrostatic sensor (contact sensor) 117 corresponds to a contact portion detection unit of the hand.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Steering wheel 12 ... Rim part 101 ... Dozing operation prevention apparatus 102 ... Peltier device (temperature adjustment part)
103. Arousal level sensor (driver arousal level detection means)
104 ... Main unit (control means)
105 ... Temperature control unit (temperature control means)
106 ... temperature sensor 107 ... contact portion detection means 108 ... heat pipe (heat conduction part)
109 ... heat sink (heat dissipation part)
110: Biological signal sensor (biological signal measuring means)
111 ... Face image photographing camera (face image recognition means)
112 ... Steering angle sensor (driving operation measuring means)
113 ... Lateral G sensor (vehicle state measuring means)
114 ... Traveling route photographing camera (driving environment measuring means)
115 ... Contact-type biological signal sensor (contact part detecting means)
116: Control map 117 ... Electrostatic sensor (contact sensor)

Claims (11)

A driver arousal level detecting means for detecting a driver's arousal level;
A plurality of temperature adjusting parts built in the rim part of the steering wheel;
Contact part detection means installed in the vicinity of the plurality of temperature adjustment parts, and detects a part of the plurality of temperature adjustment parts that the driver's hand contacts,
Based on the detection result of the contact part detection means of the hand, at least one of a part where the fingertip of the driver's hand contacts and a part where the palm center of the driver's hand contacts in the plurality of temperature adjustment units Site determination means for determining
When it is determined that the arousal level detected by the driver arousal level detection means is lower than a predetermined value, at least one contact between the part where the fingertip contacts and the part where the center of the palm contacts And a control means for controlling the temperature of the temperature adjusting unit corresponding to the part.   The part determination means includes a contact surface barycentric point in a region where the driver's hand contacts and a fingertip of the driver's hand with respect to the contact state of the hand with the temperature adjustment unit obtained by the contact portion detection means The doze driving prevention device according to claim 1, wherein a temperature adjustment unit to be controlled is selected based on a contact surface with which the contact is made.   The part determination unit collates a control map created by simulating the arrangement of the plurality of temperature adjustment units with respect to a hand contact state with the temperature adjustment unit obtained by the contact part detection unit. 2. The snooze driving prevention apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a temperature adjustment unit to be controlled is selected based on a determination pattern preset in the control map. A plurality of temperature sensors for measuring respective surface temperatures of the plurality of temperature adjustment units;
Temperature control means for controlling the temperature so as to maintain the surface temperature of the temperature adjustment unit at the wakefulness induction temperature based on temperature information obtained from the temperature sensor. The snooze driving prevention apparatus according to any one of 1 to 3. Each of the plurality of temperature adjusting portions has a cooling surface close to the surface of the rim portion of the steering wheel,
A heat conduction part for transporting waste heat of the cooling surface;
The dozing operation prevention device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a heat dissipating unit that dissipates heat from the heat conducting unit.   6. The snooze driving prevention apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of temperature adjusting units is thermally connected by the heat conducting unit. The driver arousal level detecting means is a biological signal measuring means for directly detecting the driver's arousal level by a biological signal;
Face image recognition means for directly detecting the driver's arousal level by face image recognition technology;
Driving operation measuring means for indirectly detecting the driver's arousal level by driving the vehicle;
Vehicle state measuring means for indirectly detecting the driver's arousal level according to the vehicle state;
7. The vehicle according to claim 1, comprising at least one of an environment measuring unit that indirectly detects a driver's arousal level based on a driving environment and a driving condition of the vehicle. A snooze driving prevention device.   The snooze driving prevention apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the hand contact portion detection means is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature change of the temperature adjustment unit due to a hand contact.   The snooze driving prevention device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the hand contact portion detection means is a biosignal measurement means for directly detecting a hand contact by a biosignal.   The doze driving prevention device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the hand contact part detection means is a contact sensor that directly detects a hand contact by an electric signal. Arousal level detection result obtained by the driver arousal level detection means;
Of the plurality of temperature adjustment parts built in the rim part of the steering wheel, a part where the driver's hand contacts is detected, a part where the driver's fingertip contacts based on the detection result, and the driver's hand According to the result of determining at least one contact site with the site where the center of the palm contacts,
When the driver's arousal level is lower than a predetermined value, the temperature adjustment corresponding to at least one contact part of the part in contact with the fingertip and the part in contact with the center of the palm A method for preventing a drowsiness driving, characterized in that the temperature of the section is controlled.

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