JP7043022B2 - Vehicle control method and its device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control method and a device thereof for determining an occupant's operation request for a vehicle based on an electroencephalogram of the occupant during driving.

Conventionally, it has been known that an event-related potential (ERP) is effective as an index that reflects a human cognitive process.
ERP is the reaction potential of the brain associated with events that can be observed via electroencephalograms (EEGs) emanating from the cerebral cortex. In this ERP, there are event-related desynchronization (ERD) and event-related synchronization (ERS) that occur after ERD as phenomena related to human movement.
ERD is a phenomenon in which the potential of a specific frequency band of an electroencephalogram decreases in a specific portion on the scalp, and ERS is a phenomenon in which the potential of a specific frequency band of an electroencephalogram increases in a specific portion on the scalp.
Therefore, paying attention to the fact that voluntary movements can be detected via ERD, rehabilitation devices and the like have been proposed.

The determination system of Patent Document 1 has a mastoid electrode arranged in each of the left and right half-body mastoids in order to acquire the intention of a part belonging to each of the left and right movements of the user, an ear hole electrode arranged in the user's ear canal, and a mastoid electrode. An electroencephalogram signal measuring device that acquires the voltage between the and the ear canal electrode, and a determining device that determines whether or not the change in voltage includes the movement intention of the part belonging to the left half of the user or the part belonging to the right half of the user. And have.
Calculate the voltage intensity of a predetermined frequency band in the difference waveform between the mastoid electrode placed in the mastoid opposite to the half body to which the user's motion image hand belongs and the ear canal electrode placed in the ear canal opposite to the half body to which the user's motion image hand belongs. If this voltage strength is less than the voltage strength of the predetermined frequency band in the relaxed section, it is determined that ERD exists.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-129661

The determination system of Patent Document 1 can determine the existence of ERD based on the voltage intensity measured from the brain wave, and can detect the half body to which the user's motion image hand belongs.
However, the determination system of Patent Document 1 merely determines a part of itself belonging to the half body that the user wants to move, and the specific behavior of the operation object that the user intends to operate and the operation object. No consideration is given to the relevance of.

When a person acts, the brain, which is a command system, sequentially performs perception, recognition, and judgment on sensory input (stimulation information), and the limbs, which are execution systems, operate based on the judgment.
Here, when a person steers a vehicle, the vehicle control unit, which is a command system, makes a judgment based on the movements of the above limbs input via the operation unit, and the functional unit, which is an execution system, is the vehicle control unit. The process of operating (behavior) based on the judgment is performed.
That is, by reflecting the information obtained from the ERD to the movement of the vehicle (operation target) beyond the domain of the human body (human body), it is considered that the vehicle behavior that meets the intention of the occupant, the so-called operation request, can be executed. Be done.

Further, the electroencephalogram is composed of superposed electroencephalogram components in a plurality of frequency bands.
Normally, the components of brain waves are delta waves (0.5 to 4 Hz) and theta waves (4 to 8 Hz), which are low-speed components, alpha waves (8 to 14 Hz), which are medium-speed components, and fast waves, which are high-speed components. It is classified into β waves (14 to 30 Hz) and the like, and is used for various purposes.
That is, in order to reflect the operation request of the occupant on the vehicle behavior, the brain wave component of the frequency band corresponding to the operation unit operated by the occupant and the vehicle behavior requested by the occupant is specified, and the specified frequency band component is specified. It is necessary to extract the ERD of the above, and it is necessary to clarify the relationship between the extracted ERD and the operation unit to be operated, and the relationship between the ERD and the vehicle behavior required by the occupant.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control method, a device thereof, and the like that can reflect a occupant's operation request in the traveling characteristics of the vehicle prior to the occupant's operation.

The vehicle control method according to claim 1 is a vehicle control method for controlling the traveling characteristics of a vehicle based on an electroencephalogram of an occupant during driving. A specific brain wave detection process that detects changes in the brain wave component of the specific frequency band defined by the corresponding frequency in time series, and a reference potential of the brain wave component of the specific frequency band detected by the specific brain wave detection process. The phenomenon determination process for determining whether the change of the specific electroencephalogram component including the lower potential state is a decreasing tendency , and the event-related desynchronization are determined in the phenomenon determination process, and the reference. When the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component immediately after falling below the potential is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the control of the driving characteristics is preceded or delayed so as to reflect the operation request of the occupants in the driving characteristics of the vehicle prior to the movement of the occupants. It is characterized by having a traveling characteristic change process and a process of changing the traveling characteristics.

In this vehicle control method, specific electroencephalogram detection that detects changes in the electroencephalogram component in a specific frequency band defined by a frequency corresponding to the operation of the operation unit when the occupant operates the operation unit among the brain waves in a time series. Since it has a stroke, it is possible to detect the electroencephalogram component in the frequency band corresponding to the operation unit operated by the occupant and the vehicle behavior required by the occupant.
Phenomenon determination to determine whether the change of the specific EEG component detected by the specific EEG detection process and including the potential state lower than the reference potential is an event-related desynchronization that tends to decrease. Since it has a stroke, it is possible to extract the event-related desynchronization of the frequency band component corresponding to the operation unit operated by the occupant and the vehicle behavior required by the occupant.
When the event-related desynchronization is determined in the phenomenon determination process and the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component immediately after the potential drops below the reference potential is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the vehicle makes an operation request of the occupant prior to the operation of the occupant. Since it has a driving characteristic change process that precedes or delays the control of the traveling characteristic so as to be reflected in the traveling characteristic of the vehicle, the operation request of the vehicle by the occupant can be reflected in the traveling characteristic of the vehicle prior to the operation of the occupant. , The anxiety of the occupants can be eliminated.

The invention of claim 2 is the invention of claim 1, wherein when the occupant operates the accelerator pedal, the phenomenon determination process determines the first event-related desynchronization from the electroencephalogram component in the frequency band of 8 to 23 Hz. The driving characteristic change stroke is changed so as to reflect the occupant's acceleration request prior to the occupant's movement when the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component when it is determined to be the first event-related desynchronization is equal to or higher than the first threshold value. It is characterized by shifting the shift up line and shift down line of the map to the high speed side.
According to this configuration, the acceleration traveling request of the occupant can be reflected in the traveling characteristics of the vehicle prior to the operation of the occupant, and the comfort of the occupant can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when the accelerator pedal is operated by an occupant, the phenomenon determination process determines the second event-related desynchronization from the electroencephalogram component in the frequency band of 23 to 28 Hz. The driving characteristic change stroke reflects the occupant's constant speed request prior to the occupant's movement when the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component when it is determined to be the second event-related desynchronization is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. It is characterized by shifting the shift up line of the shift map to the high speed side and shifting the shift down line to the low speed side.
According to this configuration, the constant speed traveling request of the occupant can be reflected in the traveling characteristics of the vehicle prior to the operation of the occupant, and the traveling safety of the occupant can be improved.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control device that controls the running characteristics of a vehicle based on the brain waves of an occupant during driving. The specific brain wave detecting means for detecting the change of the brain wave component in the specific frequency band defined by the above-mentioned means and the brain wave component in the specific frequency band detected by the specific brain wave detecting means, which are lower than the reference potential. The phenomenon determination means for determining whether the change of the specific electroencephalogram component including the potential state is the event-related desynchronization tending to decrease, and the phenomenon determination means for determining the event-related desynchronization and more than the reference potential. When the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component immediately after the decrease is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the driving characteristic that precedes or delays the control of the driving characteristic so that the operation request of the occupant is reflected in the driving characteristic of the vehicle prior to the operation of the occupant. It is characterized by having a changing means.

In this vehicle control device, a specific brain wave detection that detects a change in a brain wave component in a specific frequency band defined by a frequency corresponding to the operation operation of the operation unit in a time series when the operation unit is operated by an occupant. Since it has the means, it is possible to detect the electroencephalogram component in the frequency band corresponding to the operation unit operated by the occupant and the vehicle behavior required by the occupant.
Phenomenon determination to determine whether the change of the specific EEG component detected by the specific EEG detecting means and including the potential state lower than the reference potential is an event-related desynchronization that tends to decrease. Since it has the means, it is possible to extract the event-related desynchronization of the frequency band component corresponding to the operation unit operated by the occupant and the vehicle behavior required by the occupant.
When the event-related desynchronization is determined by the phenomenon determination means and the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component immediately after the potential drops below the reference potential is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the vehicle makes an operation request of the occupant prior to the operation of the occupant. Since it has a traveling characteristic changing means for preceding or delaying the control of the traveling characteristic so as to be reflected in the traveling characteristic of the vehicle, the operation request of the vehicle by the occupant can be reflected in the traveling characteristic of the vehicle prior to the operation of the occupant. , The anxiety of the occupants can be eliminated.

According to the vehicle control method and the device thereof of the present invention, the operation request of the occupant can be reflected in the traveling characteristics of the vehicle prior to the operation of the occupant through the event-related desynchronization of the specific electroencephalogram component.

It is a schematic block diagram of the vehicle which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is a system configuration diagram. It is a graph which shows the ERP which concerns on the electroencephalogram component of the 1st frequency band. It is a graph which shows the ERP which concerns on the electroencephalogram component of the 2nd frequency band. It is a target driving force map. It is a shift map of the normal mode. It is a shift map of the acceleration mode. It is a shift map of constant speed mode. It is explanatory drawing when it is confirmed that there is a constant speed running request in a constant speed mode. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of acceleration mode setting. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of a constant speed mode setting.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The following description exemplifies the application of the present invention to a vehicle control device, and does not limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

Hereinafter, Example 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11.
The vehicle 1 can determine the operation request of the occupant via the brain wave, and can set the traveling characteristic to any of the normal mode, the acceleration mode, and the constant speed mode based on the determined operation request of the occupant. It has a control device 2.
The following description includes a description of the vehicle control method.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 has an engine 3, an automatic transmission (hereinafter referred to as AT) 4, and a differential device 5, and the torque of the engine 3 is AT 4, the differential device 5, and the differential device 5. It is transmitted to the pair of left and right drive wheels 7 via the axle 6.
Further, the vehicle 1 executes engine control based on the accelerator pedal 8 that is depressed and stepped back by the occupant, the actuator 9 that controls the opening degree of the throttle valve 3a of the engine 3, and the target driving force map M1 described later. A control unit 10 that executes shift control based on the shift map M2 (M3, M4), an accelerator sensor 11 that detects the operation amount S of the accelerator pedal 8, and a rotation speed sensor 12 that detects the rotation speed of the engine 3. It includes a vehicle speed sensor 13 that detects the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 1 from the output rotation speed of the AT 4, a rotation speed sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation speeds of the input shaft and the output shaft of the AT4, and the like.

Next, the control device 2 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 2 includes an electroencephalogram 21 (specific electroencephalogram detecting means), a phenomenon determination unit 22 (phenomenon determination means), a characteristic determination unit 23 (operation request determination means), and a traveling characteristic changing mechanism. 24 (means for changing traveling characteristics) and the like are provided.

The electroencephalograph 21 measures the electroencephalogram of the occupant via a cap or headset that can be worn by the occupant, and outputs the measured electroencephalogram signal to an amplifier (not shown).
Specifically, the electroencephalograph 21 has a plurality of electrodes, and the electroencephalogram at a plurality of points on the head of the occupant is measured in time series by the plurality of electrodes. Then, the electroencephalograph 21 generates an electroencephalogram signal at a plurality of points measured in time series and transmits it to an amplifier, and the amplifier amplifies the electroencephalogram signal received from the electroencephalogram 21 and generates an electroencephalogram signal (electroencephalogram W). ) Is transmitted to the phenomenon determination unit 22 (control unit 10).

The phenomenon determination unit 22 extracts the electroencephalogram component W1 in the frequency band of 8 to 23 Hz and the electroencephalogram component W2 in the frequency band of 23 to 28 Hz from the electroencephalogram W received from the electroencephalogram meter 21, and changes in these electroencephalogram components W1 and W2 are generated. The first and second event-related desynchronization (hereinafter, the event-related desynchronization is referred to as ERD), which tends to decrease, are determined respectively.
As a result of repeated studies by the present inventor, the electroencephalogram component W1 in the frequency band of 8 to 23 Hz is generated in response to the occupant's operation request (particularly the acceleration driving request) to actively operate the vehicle 1, and is generated from 23 to 23. It has been found that the electroencephalogram component W2 in the frequency band of 28 Hz is generated in response to the occupant's operation request (particularly the constant speed driving request) for maintaining the current running state.
Therefore, it is determined whether or not the first and second ERDs are generated for the brain wave components W1 and W2, which are the specified frequency band components, respectively.

Since the characteristic determination unit 23 detects the ERD at the time of recalling the motion or immediately before the actual start of the motion, the initial change rates ΔW1 and ΔW2 of the first and second ERDs determined by the phenomenon determination unit 22 are the first and first, respectively. When the two threshold values A1 and A2 are equal to or higher, it is determined that there is an operation request of the vehicle 1 by the occupant.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the occupant accelerates the operation, the initial change rate ΔW1 of the first ERD becomes the first threshold value A1 or more even though the stage is before 0 sec when the operation of the accelerator pedal 8 is started. When the rate of change ΔW1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value A1, it is determined that there is an acceleration travel request by the occupant. In this case, since it corresponds to the acceleration mode, the acceleration mode flag F is set from 0 to 1. Further, when the occupant's demand for acceleration is high, the amplitude width W1a on the negative side of the electroencephalogram component W1 becomes the first determination value B1 or more, so that the amplitude width W1a of the electroencephalogram component W1 is the first determination value B1 (for example, 1. When it is 5 μV) or more, it is determined that there is an acceleration driving request by the occupant.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the occupant operates at a constant speed so as to maintain the accelerator pedal 8, the initial change rate ΔW2 of the second ERD is the second, even though the occupant is in the stage before performing a specific constant speed running operation. Since the threshold value is A2 or more, when the initial change rate ΔW2 is the second threshold value A2 or more, it is determined that there is a constant speed traveling request by the occupant. In this case, since it corresponds to the constant speed mode, the constant speed mode flag G is set from 0 to 1. Further, when the occupant's constant speed running request is high, the amplitude width W2a on the negative side of the brain wave component W2 becomes the second determination value B2 or more, so that the amplitude width W2a of the brain wave component W2 is the second determination value B2 (for example, 2). When it is 0.5 μV) or more, it is confirmed that there is a constant speed driving request by the occupant.

The traveling characteristic changing mechanism 24 includes a target driving force map changing unit 24a and a shifting map changing unit 24b, and controls the control characteristics and shifting of the engine control unit 14 based on the operation request of the occupant determined by the characteristic determining unit 23. The control characteristics of the unit 15 are changed respectively.
The target driving force map M1 is stored in the target driving force map changing unit 24a, and the shifting maps M2 to M4 are stored in the shifting map changing unit 24b.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the target driving force map M1, the horizontal axis is defined by the accelerator operation amount S, the vertical axis is defined by the driving force P, and the driving force P is set to be proportional to the accelerator operation amount S of the occupant. There is.
As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, in the shift maps M2 to M4, the horizontal axis is defined by the vehicle speed V and the vertical axis is defined by the accelerator operation amount S, and the shift stage of the vehicle 1 is the vehicle speed V and the accelerator operation amount S of the occupant. It is set based on. Since the accelerator operation amount S and the throttle valve 3a are interlocked with each other, the vertical axis of the shift maps M2 to M4 may be the opening degree of the throttle valve 3a instead of the accelerator operation amount S.

The target driving force map changing unit 24a changes the target driving force map M1 from the normal mode to the acceleration mode when it is determined by the characteristic determination unit 23 that there is an acceleration traveling request, and when it is determined that there is an acceleration traveling request. The acceleration tendency of the acceleration mode is further increased.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the traveling characteristic of the vehicle 1 is in the normal mode, the engine control is executed based on the drive characteristic line N1, and in the acceleration mode, the engine control based on the drive characteristic line N1 is stopped and the drive characteristic line is stopped. Engine control is executed based on the drive characteristic line N2, which has a higher acceleration tendency than N1. As a result, in the acceleration mode, higher running performance than in the normal mode can be ensured. Further, when it is determined that there is an acceleration travel request, engine control is executed based on the drive characteristic line N3, which has a higher acceleration tendency than the drive characteristic line N2. As a result, it is possible to secure even higher running performance than the drive characteristic line N2.
The acceleration mode is canceled when it is determined that there is a constant speed running request.

Further, the target driving force map changing unit 24a sets a hysteresis region N around the driving characteristic line N1 when the characteristic determination unit 23 determines that there is a constant speed traveling request.
As shown in FIG. 9, a region N in which the insensitive zone region expands as the accelerator operation amount S increases is set in the drive characteristic line N1. As a result, when it is determined that there is a constant speed running request when the accelerator operation amount S is α, the driving force P is maintained at a constant β even if the accelerator operation amount S moves slightly between α1 and α2. ing. As a result, the change in the driving force P due to the minute displacement of the accelerator pedal 8 can be delayed, and the fluctuation of the driving force P can be suppressed.
The region N is set according to the inclination angle of the drive characteristic line N1 so that the distance from α to α1 and the distance from α to α2 are equal.

When the characteristic determination unit 23 determines that there is an acceleration travel request, the shift map changing unit 24b changes the shift map M2 in the normal mode to the shift map M3 in the acceleration mode.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the shift map M2, the shift up lines U1 to U3 are set at predetermined inclinations from the vehicle speeds u1 to u3, and the shift down lines D1 to D3 are the vehicle speeds d1 to d3 (d1 <u1, d2 <. From u2, d3 <u3), each is set with a predetermined inclination. The shift-up lines U1 to U3 indicate the shift-up switching lines from the 1st speed to the 2nd speed, the 2nd speed to the 3rd speed, and the 3rd speed to the 4th speed. The switching lines for downshifting from 3rd gear to 2nd gear and 4th gear to 3rd gear are shown respectively.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the shift map M3, the shift-up lines U1a to U3a in which the shift-up lines U1 to U3 are shifted in parallel to the high-speed side are the vehicle speeds u1a to u3a (u1 <u1a, u2 <u2a, u3 <u3a). ), And the shift downlines D1a to D3a shifted to the higher speed side than the shift downlines D1 to D3 are set from the vehicle speeds d1a to d3a (d1 <d1a, d2 <d2a, d3 <d3a). There is. The hysteresis between U1a (U2a, U3a) and D1a (D2a, D3a) is the same as the hysteresis between U1 (U2, U3) and D1 (D2, D3).

When the traveling characteristic of the vehicle 1 is in the normal mode, the shift control is executed based on the shift map M2, and in the acceleration mode, the shift control based on the shift map M2 is stopped and the acceleration tendency is increased as compared with the shift map M2, that is, The shift control is executed based on the shift map M3 so as to delay the shift up for acceleration and precede the shift down for early shift.
As a result, in the acceleration mode, the shift-up lines U1a to U3a are shifted to a higher speed side than the shift-up lines U1 to U3 in the normal mode to improve the acceleration, and the shift downlines D1a to D3a are shifted downlines D1 in the normal mode. By shifting to the higher speed side than D3 and trying to accelerate the downshift, higher running performance than in the normal mode is ensured.

Further, the shift map changing unit 24b changes the shift map M2 in the normal mode to the shift map M4 in the constant speed mode when the characteristic determination unit 23 determines that there is a constant speed travel request.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the shift map M4, the shift uplines U1a to U3a are set from the vehicle speeds u1a to u3a, respectively, and the shift downlines D1b to D3b are shifted to the lower speed side than the shift downlines D1 to D3, respectively. The vehicle speeds are set from d1b to d3b (d1b <d1, d2b <d2, d3b <d3). The hysteresis between U1a (U2a, U3a) and D1b (D2b, D3b) is greater than the hysteresis between U1 (U2, U3) and D1 (D2, D3).
When the traveling characteristic of the vehicle 1 is the constant speed mode, the shift control based on the shift map M2 in the normal mode (or the shift map M3 in the acceleration mode) is stopped, and the shift up line and the shift down line are higher than the shift map M2 (M3). The shift control is executed based on the shift map M4 having a large hysteresis.
As a result, in the constant speed mode, the shift control is delayed for both upshift and downshift compared to the normal mode, so that the anxiety of the occupant caused by frequent shift changes can be eliminated and driving safety is ensured. ..

Next, the control unit 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 10 inputs an electroencephalogram component W, an accelerator operation amount S, an engine rotation speed, a vehicle speed V, a transmission rotation speed, and the like, and supplies a fuel injection amount to the engine 3. The ignition timing is controlled.
Further, the control unit 10 controls the control valve (not shown) of the AT4 by obtaining a target shift stage based on the accelerator operation amount S and the vehicle speed V.
The control unit 10 is provided with an engine control unit 14, a shift control unit 15, a phenomenon determination unit 22, a characteristic determination unit 23, a traveling characteristic changing mechanism 24, and the like.

The engine control unit 14 calculates the target driving force P based on the target driving force map M1 set by the target driving force map changing unit 24a and the accelerator operation amount S, and the engine speed and the speed change are changed from the target driving force P. After setting the target engine torque using the machine rotation speed, a command signal based on the target engine torque is output to the engine 3.
Specifically, the gear ratio is calculated by dividing the input shaft rotation speed of the transmission speed of the AT4 by the output shaft rotation speed, and the slip ratio of the torque converter (not shown) is divided by the engine rotation speed. Is calculated. Further, the torque amplification ratio is calculated based on the slip ratio of the torque converter, and the target driving force P is divided by the gear ratio to calculate the input torque target value of AT4. Then, the target engine torque is set by dividing the input torque target value by the torque amplification ratio.

The shift control unit 15 obtains a target shift stage based on the shift maps M2 to M4 set by the shift map changing unit 24b, the accelerator operation amount S, and the vehicle speed V, and outputs a command signal based on the target shift stage to AT4. is doing.

Next, a control processing procedure for setting the acceleration mode by the control device 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In addition, Si (i = 1, 2, ...) Indicates a step for each process.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, first, in S1, the output values and various information of each sensor 11, 13, 21 are read, and the process proceeds to S2.
In S2, it is determined whether or not the constant speed mode flag G is 1.
As a result of the determination of S2, when the flag G is 1, since the execution condition of the constant speed mode is satisfied at the present time, the process proceeds to S3.

In S3, it is determined whether or not the acceleration mode flag F is 1.
As a result of the determination of S3, when the flag F is 1, since the acceleration mode has already been executed before the present time, the process shifts to S4. As a result of the determination of S3, when the flag F is 0, it returns because the acceleration mode has not been executed before the present time.
In S4, in order to change the target driving force map M1 so as to match the operation mode to be executed from the present time, the driving characteristic line N2 (N3) is changed to the driving characteristic line N1 and the acceleration mode flag F is set to 0 ( S5), return.

As a result of the determination of S2, when the flag G is 0, the execution condition of the constant speed mode is not satisfied at the present time, so the process proceeds to S6.
In S6, it is determined whether or not the initial change rate ΔW1 of the first ERD is equal to or greater than the first threshold value A1.
As a result of the determination in S6, when the initial change rate ΔW1 is equal to or higher than the first threshold value A1, the condition for establishing the acceleration mode is satisfied, so the process proceeds to S7.
As a result of the determination in S6, when the initial change rate ΔW1 is less than the first threshold value A1, it returns because it is not in the constant speed mode and the condition for establishing the acceleration mode is not satisfied.
In S7, in order to reflect the acceleration traveling request by the occupant on the traveling characteristics of the vehicle, an acceleration mode is set in which the drive characteristic line N1 is changed to the drive characteristic line N2 and the shift map M2 is changed to the shift map M3. As a result, the operation request of the occupant is reflected in the traveling characteristics of the vehicle 1 before the occupant starts the operation of the accelerator pedal 8.

In S8, the flag F is set to 1 and the process shifts to S9.
In S9, it is determined whether or not the amplitude width W1a of the electroencephalogram component W1 is equal to or greater than the first determination value B1.
As a result of the determination in S9, when the amplitude width W1a of the electroencephalogram component W1 is equal to or greater than the first determination value B1, the occupant has a strong demand for acceleration, so the drive characteristic line N2 is changed to the drive characteristic line N3 (S10) and returns. do. As a result, while the occupant is operating the accelerator pedal 8, the occupant's operation request is more strongly reflected in the traveling characteristics of the vehicle 1.
As a result of the determination in S9, when the amplitude width W1a of the electroencephalogram component W1 is less than the first determination value B1, the occupant does not have a strong demand for acceleration, so the occupant maintains the drive characteristic line N2 and returns.

Next, a control processing procedure for setting the constant speed mode by the control device 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The constant speed mode setting process is executed in parallel with the acceleration mode setting process.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, first, in S21, the output values and various information of each sensor 11, 13, 21 are read, and the process proceeds to S22.
In S22, it is determined whether or not the initial change rate ΔW2 of the second ERD is equal to or greater than the second threshold value A2.
As a result of the determination in S22, when the initial change rate ΔW2 is equal to or higher than the second threshold value A2, the process proceeds to S23 in order to satisfy the condition for establishing the constant speed mode.
In S23, in order to reflect the constant speed running request by the occupant on the running characteristics of the vehicle, the drive characteristic line N2 (N3) is changed to the drive characteristic line N1 and the shift map M2 (M3) is changed to the shift map M4. Set the mode. As a result, the operation request of the occupant is reflected in the traveling characteristics of the vehicle 1 before the occupant starts the constant speed traveling operation.

In S24, the flag G is set to 1, and the process proceeds to S25.
In S25, it is determined whether or not the amplitude width W2a of the electroencephalogram component W2 is equal to or greater than the second determination value B2.
As a result of the determination in S25, when the amplitude width W2a of the electroencephalogram component W2 is the second determination value B2 or more, the occupant has a strong constant speed running request, so the region N is set in the drive characteristic line N1 (S26) and returns. .. As a result, the operation request of the occupant is more strongly reflected in the traveling characteristics of the vehicle 1 while the occupant is operating at a constant speed.
As a result of the determination of S25, when the amplitude width W2a of the electroencephalogram component W2 is less than the second determination value B2, the occupant does not have a strong constant speed running request, so the occupant maintains the drive characteristic line N1 and returns.

As a result of the determination in S22, when the initial change rate ΔW2 is less than the second threshold value A2, the condition for establishing the constant speed mode is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to S27.
In S27, it is determined whether or not the flag G is 1.
As a result of the determination in S27, when the flag G is 1, since the constant speed mode has already been executed before the present time, the process shifts to S28. As a result of the determination in S27, when the flag G is 0, the constant speed mode has not been executed before the present time, so the process returns.
In S28, the shift map M4 is changed to the shift map M2, and the shift to S29.
In S29, the flag G is changed to 0 and a return is made.

Next, the operation and effect of the vehicle control device 2 will be described.
According to this control device 2, since it has an electroencephalogram 21 that detects changes in the electroencephalogram components W1 and W2 in a specific frequency band in the electroencephalogram W in time series, the accelerator pedal 8 operated by the occupant and the vehicle required by the occupant. It is possible to detect the EEG components W1 and W2 in the frequency band corresponding to the behavior.
Since it has a phenomenon determination unit 22 for determining whether the change of the specific electroencephalogram components W1 and W2 detected by the electroencephalograph 21 is an ERD that tends to decrease, it corresponds to the accelerator pedal 8 operated by the occupant and the vehicle behavior required by the occupant. The ERD of the frequency band components W1 and W2 can be extracted.
When the initial change rates ΔW1 and ΔW2 of the first and second ERDs determined by the phenomenon determination unit 22 are equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold values A1 and A2, the occupant has a travel characteristic change unit 24 that precedes or delays the control of the travel characteristics. The operation request of the vehicle 1 can be reflected in the traveling characteristics of the vehicle 1 prior to the operation of the occupant, and the anxiety of the occupant can be eliminated.

The phenomenon determination unit 22 determines the first ERD from the electroencephalogram component W1 in the frequency band of 8 to 23 Hz, and the traveling characteristic changing unit 24 determines the first ERD from the electroencephalogram component W1. In order to shift the shift-up lines U1, U2, U3 and the shift-down lines D1, D2, D3 to the shift map M3 consisting of the shift-up lines U1a, U2a, U3a and the shift-down lines D1a, D2a, D3a on the high-speed side, the occupants The acceleration driving request can be reflected in the driving characteristics of the vehicle prior to the movement of the occupant, and the comfort of the occupant can be improved by increasing the acceleration property.

The phenomenon determination unit 22 determines the second ERD from the brain wave component W2 in the frequency band of 23 to 28 Hz, and the travel characteristic change unit 24 shifts the shift map when the initial change rate ΔW2 of the second ERD is equal to or greater than the second threshold value A2. In order to set the shift map M4 in which the upline is shifted to the high speed side and the shift downline is shifted to the low speed side, the constant speed running request of the occupant can be reflected in the running characteristics of the vehicle 1 prior to the operation of the occupant. It is possible to improve the driving safety of occupants by reducing the frequency of shift changes by expanding the hysteresis.

Next, a modified example in which the embodiment is partially modified will be described.
1] In the above embodiment, the occupant's acceleration running request and constant speed running request have been focused on, and an example of the ERD corresponding to these requests has been described. However, any ERD that occurs prior to the actual operation may be used. It may be applied to the ERD corresponding to other demands such as the occupant's deceleration running demand and turning running demand.
In the case of a deceleration running request, the ERD of the brain wave component in the frequency band corresponding to the deceleration running request is extracted, and the operation characteristic of the brake pedal is changed as an operation unit. In the case of a turning running request, the ERD of the brain wave component in the frequency band corresponding to the turning running request is extracted, and the steering operation characteristic is changed as an operation unit.

2] In the above embodiment, an example of changing the target driving force map and the shift map has been described, but the traveling characteristics may be changed by changing the gain of each characteristic.
When the initial rate of change of the first ERD is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the angle from the drive characteristic line N1 to the drive characteristic line N2 of the target driving force map may be linearly increased in proportion to the value exceeding the first threshold value. , The amount of movement on the high-speed side of the shift-up line and shift-down line of the shift map may be increased linearly. When the amplitude value of the first ERD is equal to or greater than the first determination value, the angle from the drive characteristic line N2 to the drive characteristic line N3 of the target driving force map is linearly increased in proportion to the value exceeding the first determination value. May be.

3] In the above embodiment, an example of a vehicle capable of switching between 4 speeds has been described, but the present invention may be applied to a vehicle equipped with a switchable transmission having 5 or more speeds.
Further, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, an example of a linear function-shaped straight line in which the shift-up line and the shift-down line are simplified has been described, but a line set to an arbitrary shape is set according to the actual specifications. You may.

4] In addition, a person skilled in the art can carry out the present invention in a form in which various modifications are added to the above-described embodiment or in a form in which each embodiment is combined, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It also includes various modified forms.

1 Vehicle 2 Control device 21 Electroencephalogram 22 Phenomenon determination unit 24 Driving characteristic change unit S Accelerator operation amount V Vehicle speed W EEG W1, W2 EEG component ΔW1, ΔW2 Initial change rate A1, A2 Threshold M2 to M4 Shift map

Claims (4)

In a vehicle control method that controls the driving characteristics of a vehicle based on the brain waves of the occupants while driving,
A specific electroencephalogram detection process for detecting changes in the electroencephalogram component in a specific frequency band defined by a frequency corresponding to the operation of the operation unit during operation of the operation unit by an occupant in a time series.
Phenomenon for determining whether the change of the specific EEG component detected by the specific EEG detection process and including the potential state lower than the reference potential is an event-related desynchronization that tends to decrease. Judgment process and
When the event-related desynchronization is determined in the phenomenon determination process and the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component immediately after the potential drops below the reference potential is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the occupant's operation request is made prior to the occupant's operation. A driving characteristic change process that precedes or delays the control of the driving characteristic so as to be reflected in the driving characteristic of the vehicle, and
A vehicle control method comprising. When the occupant operates the accelerator pedal,
In the phenomenon determination process, the first event-related desynchronization is determined from the brain wave components in the frequency band of 8 to 23 Hz.
The driving characteristic change stroke reflects the occupant's acceleration request prior to the occupant's movement when the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component when it is determined to be the first event-related desynchronization is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the shift up line and shift down line of the shift map are shifted to the high speed side. When the occupant operates the accelerator pedal,
In the phenomenon determination process, the second event-related desynchronization is determined from the brain wave components in the frequency band of 23 to 28 Hz.
The driving characteristic change stroke reflects the occupant's constant speed request prior to the occupant's movement when the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component when it is determined to be the second event-related desynchronization is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the shift up line of the shift map is shifted to the high speed side and the shift down line is shifted to the low speed side. In a vehicle control device that controls the driving characteristics of a vehicle based on the brain waves of the occupants while driving.
Among the above-mentioned brain waves, a specific brain wave detecting means for detecting a change in a brain wave component in a specific frequency band defined by a frequency corresponding to the operation of the operation unit when the occupant operates the operation unit in a time series.
Phenomenon for determining whether the change of the specific EEG component detected by the specific EEG detecting means and including the potential state lower than the reference potential is an event-related desynchronization that tends to decrease. Judgment means and
When the phenomenon-related desynchronization is determined by the phenomenon determination means and the rate of change of the specific electroencephalogram component immediately after the potential drops below the reference potential is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the occupant's operation request is made prior to the occupant's operation. A driving characteristic changing means that precedes or delays the control of the traveling characteristic so as to be reflected in the traveling characteristic of the vehicle.
A vehicle control device characterized by having.

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