JPH0581771U - Vehicle radar device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To eliminate the discomfort caused by phrase A when the primary alarm is issued again within a short time. [Configuration] When the inter-vehicle distance D again becomes equal to or less than the safe inter-vehicle distance D1 at time t3, the time count ta from the time t ₁₁ at which the last phrase B starts to be generated is checked. If the measured time ta at this time is 5 seconds or less, it is determined that the primary alarm will be issued again within 5 seconds after the primary alarm is interrupted, and the occurrence of phrase A is omitted. Start its generation.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a vehicle radar device which measures a distance to a front object and outputs a predetermined alarm by voice when the distance is shorter than a predetermined alarm distance.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Recently, a vehicle radar device has been proposed for the purpose of preventing a rear-end collision accident caused by a dozing driving or a side-looking driving on a highway. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a situation in which a laser radar 3 as a vehicle radar device of this type is mounted on a truck 1 and an inter-vehicle distance D from a vehicle ahead 2 is measured. In the figure, 3-1 is a laser radar head having a light transmitting section and a light receiving section. The laser light LS sent from the light sending unit is reflected by the reflector 4 mounted on the rear end of the front vehicle 2 and guided to the light receiving unit as reflected laser light LR. In the laser radar 3, the inter-vehicle distance D is calculated from the emission timing of the laser light LS and the light receiving timing of the reflected laser light LR, and the calculated inter-vehicle distance D is provided in the display unit 3-2 (FIG. 5) provided in the driver's seat. Display). The display unit 3-2 is provided with an inter-vehicle distance display section 3-21 on the front surface thereof, and the measured inter-vehicle distance D is digitally displayed on the inter-vehicle distance display section 3-21. When the truck 1 and the forward vehicle 2 approach each other and the inter-vehicle distance D becomes equal to or less than the safe inter-vehicle distance (primary alarm distance), the alarm lamp 3-22 is turned on and the primary alarm is output by voice.

This situation will be described with reference to FIG. The figure (a) shows the situation where the inter-vehicle distance D is narrowing with the passage of time t, the figure (b) is the sound output timing of the primary alarm at this time, and the figure (c) is the alarm lamp. The lighting condition of 3-22 is shown. When the inter-vehicle distance D becomes less than or equal to the primary alarm distance D1 at time t1, the voice output phrase A (“ping-pong”) is first generated as the primary alarm, and subsequently, the voice output phrase B (“Gotchu )) Occurs repeatedly.

[0006] During such voice output of the primary alarm, for example, when the inter-vehicle distance D suddenly becomes equal to or greater than the safe inter-vehicle distance D1 at time t2 shown in FIG. If you suddenly disappear, the primary alarm will be interrupted. Then, when the next vehicle in front approaches and the inter-vehicle distance D becomes equal to or less than the safe inter-vehicle distance D1 at time t3, the primary alarm is again outputted by voice.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, according to the conventional laser radar 3 as described above, when the time T1 from the interruption of the primary alarm at time t2 to the restart thereof at time t3 is long to some extent, this does not matter so much. If is short, the occurrence of phrase A (“ping-pong”) becomes unpleasant if such a situation is repeated frequently. In particular, the volume of phrase A may be louder than that of phrase B, and in such a case, the phrase A is more likely to be generated and is more unpleasant.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and when the alarm is issued again within a predetermined time after the alarm is interrupted, the generation of the first voice output phrase is omitted and the second voice output phrase is omitted. The generation is started from the output phrase.

[0007]

[Action]

 Therefore, according to the present invention, for example, if the primary alarm is to be issued again within a predetermined time after the primary alarm is interrupted, the first voice output phrase (phrase A) is omitted and The generation is started from the second voice output phrase (phrase B).

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle radar device according to the present invention will be described in detail below.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a control unit of a laser radar which is an example of the vehicle radar device. The control unit 3-3 is the display unit 3-shown above. Built within 2.

The control unit 3-3 includes a CPU 3-31, a ROM 3-32, and a RAM 3-33, various input information is given to the CPU 3-31 via an interface 3-34, and various processing information in the CPU 3-31 Is output via the interface 3-34.

Next, referring to FIG. 1, the processing operation peculiar to this embodiment in the CPU 3-31 will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

The CPU 3-31 measures the inter-vehicle distance D and monitors it according to the program stored in the ROM 3-32, and determines whether it is an alarm generation condition (step 301). When the inter-vehicle distance D becomes equal to or less than the safe inter-vehicle distance D1 at time t1, it is determined that an alarm is generated and the process proceeds to step 302, and the time measured by the timer at that time is checked. Now, assuming that the time measured by the timer has exceeded 5 seconds, the alarm lamp 3-22 is turned on, phrase A (“ping-pong”) is generated (step 303), and the timer is reset. After that (step 304), the process returns to step 301.

Then, the process goes to step 302 again, and after confirming that the time measured by the timer has not elapsed for 5 seconds or more, the process proceeds to step 305, and phrase B (“gochuikudai”) is generated. Then, after resetting the timer (step 304), the process returns to step 301, and the generation of phrase B is repeated in the same manner.

When the inter-vehicle distance D suddenly becomes equal to or greater than the safe inter-vehicle distance D1 at time t2 during the sound output of the primary alarm, it is determined in step 301 that the alarm is not generated. As a result, the process proceeds to step 306 to interrupt the alarm, and then the process returns to step 301 and waits until the primary alarm generation condition is satisfied again. At this time, the timer continues its time counting, starting from the time point t _{11 at} which the last phrase B starts to be generated.

When the inter-vehicle distance D again becomes equal to or less than the safe inter-vehicle distance D1 at time t3, it is determined that the warning condition is generated and the process proceeds to step 302, where the timer time ta of the timer at that time is checked. If the measured time ta at this time is 5 seconds or more, it is determined that the primary alarm cannot be reissued within 5 seconds after the primary alarm was interrupted, and in step 303, the phrase A is used as usual. Is generated and then the phrase B is generated repeatedly (see FIG. 1 (b)).

On the other hand, if the measured time ta is 5 seconds or less, it is determined that the primary alarm will be issued again within 5 seconds after the primary alarm is interrupted, and the process immediately proceeds to step 305. Proceeding, the generation of phrase A in step 303 is omitted, and the generation of phrase A is started from phrase B (see FIG. 1 (c)).

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the primary alarm is issued again within 5 seconds after the primary alarm is interrupted, the phrase A is omitted and the phrase B before the interrupt is used. Since the occurrence of the phrase B is repeated and the occurrence of the phrase B is repeated, the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

Although the safe inter-vehicle distance is set equal to the primary warning distance D1 in the present embodiment, it may not necessarily be set equal to the primary warning distance D1. It may be set as a delay D1 or more.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, it is determined whether or not the phrase A is omitted at the time ta measured from the time t ₁₁ at which the last phrase B starts to be generated. It may be possible to determine whether or not to omit phrase A based on the time measured from the point of interruption of the primary alarm.

[0020]

[Effect of the device]

 As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, for example, when the primary alarm is to be issued again within a predetermined time after the primary alarm is interrupted, the first voice output phrase (phrase A ) Is omitted, the generation starts from the second voice output phrase (phase B) before the interruption, and the generation of the second voice output phrase is repeated continuously, which makes the driver uncomfortable. There will be nothing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which a phrase A is omitted when a primary alarm is to be issued again within a predetermined time after the primary alarm is interrupted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a control unit of a laser radar which is an embodiment of a vehicle radar device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing operation peculiar to the CPU in this control unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a situation in which a laser radar is mounted on a truck and an inter-vehicle distance to a vehicle ahead is measured.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a display unit of this laser radar.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which phrase B is repeated after phrase A when the primary alarm is to be issued again after the primary alarm is interrupted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3-2 Display unit 3-21 Inter-vehicle distance display section 3-22 Alarm lamp 3-3 Control section 3-31 CPU 3-32 ROM 3-33 RAM 3-34 Interface D1 Safety inter-vehicle distance (primary alarm distance)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kosho Ishikawa 500 Kitawaki, Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Shizuoka Factory

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A distance to a front object is measured, and when this distance is equal to or shorter than a predetermined alarm distance, a first voice output phrase is first generated as a predetermined alarm, and subsequently a second voice output phrase is generated. While repeatedly generated, the vehicle radar device that interrupts the alarm when the measured distance to the front object is equal to or greater than a predetermined safety distance, if the alarm is issued again within a predetermined time after the alarm is interrupted, A vehicle radar device comprising: a voice output unit that omits the generation of the first voice output phrase and starts the generation of the second voice output phrase.