JP7613304B2 - vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle that can switch between manual and autonomous driving modes.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with a plate-shaped footrest plate that moves to a position that covers both the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode. With this technology, in automatic driving mode, the driver can place their feet on the footrest plate and relax.

JP 2018-116383 A

The above technology requires a separate footrest plate to be provided in the vehicle. This specification provides a technology that allows the driver to be in a relaxed state with a simple configuration in autonomous driving mode.

One embodiment of the vehicle disclosed in this specification can include a footrest, an accelerator pedal, and a pedal angle adjustment mechanism. The pedal angle adjustment mechanism is configured to fix the accelerator pedal so that the accelerator pedal angle of the accelerator pedal is the same as the footrest angle of the footrest when switching from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode.

In the vehicle of the above embodiment, the accelerator pedal is fixed when the driving mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. This allows the driver to relax by placing his/her foot on the accelerator pedal in the automatic driving mode. Since the accelerator pedal can have the same function as the footrest, the configuration of the vehicle does not become complicated. Also, in the automatic driving mode, the accelerator pedal and the footrest are adjusted to the same angle. Therefore, the driver can be in a relaxed state when placing his/her left and right feet on the accelerator pedal and the footrest, respectively.

A functional block diagram of the driving position variable system is shown. FIG. 2 shows a side view of the driver's seat of the vehicle in a manual driving position. FIG. 2 shows a side view of the driver's seat of the vehicle in an autonomous driving position. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an example of a pedal unit. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between an accelerator pedal, a footrest, and a steering wheel when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating a driving posture changing procedure executed by a control unit of the driving posture changing system.

Below, with reference to the drawings, a vehicle 100 capable of switching between manual and automatic driving modes will be described. The vehicle 100 is equipped with a driving posture variable system 1 for changing the driving posture when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. As shown in FIG. 1, the driving posture variable system 1 is equipped with a control unit 10 and various adjustment mechanisms 21-24. FIG. 2 shows the manual driving posture in the manual driving mode, and FIG. 3 shows the automatic driving posture in the automatic driving mode. The driving posture variable system 1 is configured to drive the various adjustment mechanisms 21-24 so that when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the manual driving posture in FIG. 2 is changed to the automatic driving posture in FIG. 3.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vehicle 100 includes a seat back 30, a seat cushion 40, and a pedal unit 50.

The seat back 30 is for supporting the driver's upper body and is attached to the rear end of the seat cushion 40. The seat back 30 is configured to be pivotable (i.e., reclining) around a pivot axis extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle at the rear end of the seat cushion 40. The reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 30 is defined as the angle from a vertical axis extending in the up-down direction of the vehicle to the seat back 30. The seat back 30 is configured so that the reclining angle θ1 can be adjusted by operating a reclining angle adjustment mechanism 21 including a motor, etc.

The seat cushion 40 is for supporting the driver's buttocks and is attached to the floor 62 via seat rails that slide the seat cushion 40 in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle. The seat cushion 40 is configured so that the seat angle θ2 can be adjusted by moving or contracting the portion of the seat surface on the front side of the vehicle in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The seat angle θ2 of the seat cushion 40 is defined as the angle from a horizontal axis extending in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle to the seat surface of the seat cushion 40. The seat cushion 40 is configured so that the seat angle θ2 can be adjusted by operating a seat angle adjustment mechanism 22 including a motor, etc.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pedal unit 50 is a structure including an accelerator pedal 53, a brake pedal 54, and a footrest 55. For clarity of illustration, the pedal arm that supports the brake pedal 54 to be able to swing is omitted. The pedal unit 50 includes a support plate 51 on which the driver's heel is placed when the accelerator pedal 53 and the brake pedal 54 are operated. The support plate 51 is a member separated from the floor 62, and the height from the floor 62 is adjusted by the operation of a pedal unit position adjustment mechanism 23 including a motor (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3). The accelerator pedal 53, the brake pedal 54, and the footrest 55 are configured to rise and fall together with the support plate 51, and the height from the floor 62 is adjusted according to the movement of the support plate 51 in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

The accelerator pedal 53 is a member having a substantially rectangular support surface on which the driver's foot is placed. The accelerator pedal 53 is configured so that it can swing about a swing axis extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle at its lower end. The accelerator pedal angle θ3 of the accelerator pedal 53 is defined as the angle from a horizontal axis extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle to the support surface of the accelerator pedal 53. In the manual driving mode, an accelerator position sensor (not shown) detects the accelerator pedal angle θ3 of the accelerator pedal 53, i.e., the stroke position of the accelerator pedal 53, and transmits the accelerator pedal angle θ3 to an ECU (not shown). The ECU executes various controls on the engine or motor according to the stroke position of the accelerator pedal 53.

The pedal angle adjustment mechanism 24 is provided at a position facing the back surface of the accelerator pedal 53. The pedal angle adjustment mechanism 24 has an extendable rod 124 connected to the back surface of the accelerator pedal 53. The extendable rod 124 is configured to be slidable in response to the pivoting motion of the accelerator pedal 53. In the manual driving mode, the pedal angle adjustment mechanism 24 is configured not to impede the pivoting motion of the accelerator pedal 53 by allowing the sliding motion of the extendable rod 124. On the other hand, in the automatic driving mode, the pedal angle adjustment mechanism 24 is configured to fix the accelerator pedal 53 at a position where the accelerator pedal angle θ3 is a predetermined angle by restricting the sliding motion of the extendable rod 124.

The footrest 55 is a member with a substantially rectangular support surface on which the driver's feet are placed. The footrest angle θ4 of the footrest 55 is defined as the angle from a horizontal axis extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle to the support surface of the footrest 55. In this example, the footrest 55 is configured as a structure with a fixed footrest angle θ4.

5 shows the positional relationship between the accelerator pedal 53, the footrest 55, and the steering wheel 70. The dashed line 53a indicates the position of an imaginary plane that passes through the center of the accelerator pedal 53 in the left-right direction of the vehicle and is perpendicular to the left-right direction of the vehicle when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The dashed line 55a indicates the position of an imaginary plane that passes through the center of the footrest 55 in the left-right direction of the vehicle and is perpendicular to the left-right direction of the vehicle when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The dashed line 70a indicates the position of an imaginary plane that passes through the rotation axis 72 of the steering wheel 70 and is perpendicular to the left-right direction of the vehicle when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle. If the distance between the dashed line 53a of the accelerator pedal 53 and the dashed line 70a of the steering wheel 70 is L1, and the distance between the dashed line 55a of the footrest 55 and the dashed line 70a of the steering wheel 70 is L2, then L1 = L2. That is, the accelerator pedal 53 and the footrest 55 are disposed in positions that are symmetrical to the steering wheel 70 when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

Figure 6 shows a flowchart illustrating the driving posture variable procedure executed by the control unit 10 of the driving posture variable system 1. This driving posture variable procedure is a process executed when the vehicle is operated in manual driving mode. Note that the manual driving posture in manual driving mode (see Figure 2) may be a driving posture adjusted by the driver when getting in the vehicle, or a driving posture corrected by the control unit 10 from a driving posture adjusted by the driver, for example, a driving posture corrected by the control unit 10 based on the driver's physical parameters.

In step S1, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the vehicle has transitioned to the automatic driving mode. The control unit 10 determines that the vehicle has transitioned to the automatic driving mode when it detects that the driver has operated a switch or the like that instructs the vehicle to switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode.

In step S2, the control unit 10 drives the various adjustment mechanisms 21-24 to switch from the manual driving position in FIG. 2 to the automatic driving position in FIG. 3.

In step S2, the reclining angle control unit 11 of the control unit 10 controls the reclining angle adjustment mechanism 21 so that the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 30 is increased. The reclining angle θ1 in the autonomous driving position may be a fixed value set in advance. Alternatively, the reclining angle θ1 in the autonomous driving position may be set based on various data in the manual driving position, such as the reclining angle θ1 in the manual driving position and a calculated value calculated from the seat sliding amount, etc. (e.g., estimated physique parameters of the driver).

In this way, when the driving posture variable system 1 switches from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 30 is controlled to be larger, so that the driver can be placed in a relaxed driving posture.

In step S2, the seat angle control unit 12 of the control unit 10 controls the seat angle adjustment mechanism 22 so that the seat angle θ2 of the seat cushion 40 is increased. The seat angle θ2 in the automatic driving position may be a fixed value set in advance. Alternatively, the seat angle θ2 in the automatic driving position may be set based on various data in the manual driving position, such as the reclining angle θ1 and the seat sliding amount in the manual driving position, calculated values (e.g., estimated physique parameters of the driver).

In this way, in the driving posture variable system 1, when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, in addition to increasing the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 30, the seat surface angle θ2 of the seat cushion 40 also increases. By simultaneously increasing the reclining angle θ1 and the seat surface angle θ2, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state.

In step S2, the pedal unit position control unit 13 of the control unit 10 controls the pedal unit position adjustment mechanism 23 so that the position of the mounting plate 51 moves upward in the vehicle. The positions of the accelerator pedal 53, the brake pedal 54, and the footrest 55 attached to the mounting plate 51 also move upward in the vehicle as the mounting plate 51 rises. The height of the mounting plate 51 from the floor 62 in the autonomous driving position may be a preset fixed value. Alternatively, the height of the mounting plate 51 in the autonomous driving position may be set based on various data in the manual driving position, such as the reclining angle θ1 and the seat sliding amount in the manual driving position (e.g., estimated physical parameters of the driver) calculated from these data.

In this way, in the driving posture variable system 1, when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, in addition to increasing the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 30, the support plate 51 on which the driver's heels rest moves upward in the vehicle. By moving the support plate 51 upward in the vehicle, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state. Furthermore, by simultaneously moving the support plate 51 upward in the vehicle and increasing the seat surface angle θ2 of the seat cushion 40, the distance from the driver's knees to the accelerator pedal 53 and the brake pedal 54 is maintained constant even when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. Therefore, even if the driver suddenly transitions to a state where he or she must drive manually in the automatic driving mode, the driver can easily operate the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal.

As described above, the driving posture variable system 1 not only allows the driver to be in a more relaxed state when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode, but also allows the driver to drive more safely even if the automatic driving mode suddenly shifts to a state where the driver must drive manually.

In step S2, the pedal angle control unit 14 of the control unit 10 controls the pedal angle adjustment mechanism 24 so that the accelerator pedal angle θ3 of the accelerator pedal 53 is equal to the footrest angle θ4 of the footrest 55. In this example, the footrest angle θ4 of the footrest 55 is a fixed angle. Therefore, when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the pedal angle adjustment mechanism 24 fixes the position of the accelerator pedal 53 so that the accelerator pedal angle θ3 of the accelerator pedal 53 is equal to the angle θ4.

In this way, in the driving posture variable system 1, when the driving mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the position of the accelerator pedal 53 is fixed. This allows the driver to relax by placing his/her foot on the accelerator pedal 53 in the automatic driving mode. Since the accelerator pedal 53 can have the function of the footrest 55 in this way, the configuration of the vehicle 100 does not become complicated. Also, in the automatic driving mode, the accelerator pedal angle θ3 of the accelerator pedal 53 and the footrest angle θ4 of the footrest 55 are adjusted to the same angle. Therefore, the driver can be in a relaxed state when placing the left and right feet on the accelerator pedal 53 and the footrest 55, respectively. In particular, as shown in FIG. 5, the accelerator pedal 53 and the footrest 55 are arranged in positions symmetrical to the left and right of the steering wheel 70, so that the driver can be in a more relaxed state when placing the left and right feet on the accelerator pedal 53 and the footrest 55, respectively.

In the above example, the footrest angle θ4 of the footrest 55 is fixed. Alternatively, the pedal angle adjustment mechanism 24 provided on the accelerator pedal 53 may also be provided on the footrest 55. As a result, the footrest 55 may be configured so that the footrest angle θ4 is adjustable.

In this example, in step S2, the pedal angle control unit 14 of the control unit 10 controls the pedal angle adjustment mechanism 24 so that the footrest angle θ4 of the footrest 55 is increased, and also controls the pedal angle adjustment mechanism 24 so that the accelerator pedal angle θ3 of the accelerator pedal 53 is the same angle as the footrest angle θ4 of the footrest 55. The footrest angle θ4 in the autonomous driving position may be a preset fixed value. Alternatively, the footrest angle θ4 in the autonomous driving position may be set based on various data in the manual driving position, such as the reclining angle θ1 and the seat sliding amount in the manual driving position, calculated values (e.g., estimated physical parameters of the driver).

In this way, when the driving posture variable system 1 switches from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, in addition to increasing the reclining angle θ1 of the seat back 30 and moving the pedal unit 50 upward, the footrest angle θ4 of the footrest 55 also increases. By adjusting these simultaneously, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state in the automatic driving mode.

The following summarizes the features of the technology disclosed in this specification. Each of the following items has technical utility on its own.

One embodiment of the vehicle disclosed in this specification can include a footrest, an accelerator pedal, and a pedal angle adjustment mechanism. The pedal angle adjustment mechanism is configured to fix the accelerator pedal so that the accelerator pedal angle of the accelerator pedal is the same as the footrest angle of the footrest when switching from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode.

In the vehicle of the above embodiment, the footrest and the accelerator pedal may be arranged in positions that are symmetrical with respect to the steering wheel when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In the autonomous driving mode, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state.

The vehicle of the above embodiment may further include a pedal unit having a support plate on which the driver's heel rests when the accelerator pedal is operated. The footrest and the accelerator pedal may be provided on the support plate.

The vehicle of the above embodiment equipped with the pedal unit may further include a pedal unit position adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the position of the pedal unit, and a reclining angle adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the reclining angle of the seat back of the driver's seat. In this case, the pedal unit position adjustment mechanism may be configured to move the position of the pedal unit toward the upper part of the vehicle when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. Furthermore, the reclining angle adjustment mechanism may be configured to adjust the reclining angle of the seat back to a larger value when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. In the automatic driving mode, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state.

In the vehicle of the above embodiment, the pedal angle adjustment mechanism may be further configured to adjust the footrest angle of the footrest to a greater degree when switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. In the automatic driving mode, the driver can be placed in a more relaxed state.

Specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. The technology exemplified in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of those objectives is itself technically useful.

1: Driving posture variable system, 10: Control unit, 11: Reclining angle control unit, 12: Seat angle control unit, 13: Pedal unit position control unit, 14: Pedal angle control unit, 21: Reclining angle adjustment mechanism, 22: Seat angle adjustment mechanism, 23: Pedal unit position adjustment mechanism, 24: Pedal angle adjustment mechanism, 30: Seat back, 40: Seat cushion, 50: Pedal unit, 51: Placement plate, 53: Accelerator pedal, 54: Brake pedal, 55: Footrest

Claims (2)

A footrest and
Accelerator pedal and
Pedal angle adjustment mechanism
a pedal unit having a support plate on which a driver's heel is placed when the driver operates the accelerator pedal;
a pedal unit position adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a position of the pedal unit;
and a reclining angle adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the reclining angle of a seat back of the driver's seat ,
The footrest angle is the angle between a horizontal axis extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and the surface on which the footrest is placed.
The accelerator pedal angle is the angle between a horizontal axis extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and the surface on which the accelerator pedal is placed.
The footrest and the accelerator pedal are provided on the support plate,
the pedal angle adjustment mechanism is configured to fix the accelerator pedal such that the accelerator pedal angle of the accelerator pedal coincides with the footrest angle of the footrest when the driving mode is switched from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode ,
the pedal unit position adjustment mechanism is configured to move a position of the pedal unit toward an upper portion of the vehicle when a manual driving mode is switched to an automatic driving mode,
The reclining angle adjustment mechanism is configured to largely adjust the reclining angle of the seat back when switching from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode,
The pedal angle adjustment mechanism is further configured to adjust the footrest angle of the footrest to a larger value when switching from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the footrest and the accelerator pedal are positioned symmetrically with respect to the steering wheel when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

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