JP2004198228A - Travel warning device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel warning device for vehicle that can give a warning to the driver of a vehicle by taking the air pressure in a tire into consideration. <P>SOLUTION: The control circuit 2 of car navigation equipment 1 measures the air pressure in a tire by means of a tire air pressure sensor 10 when a point to be warned, at which a heavy load acts on the tire, exists on a route or in the advancing direction along the route when the route is set or in the advancing direction of the vehicle. When the measured air pressure is not a specified value, the control circuit 2 issues a warning by judging that the vehicle becomes unstable due to the heavy load when the vehicle runs through the point. Therefore, the vehicle can be prevented from becoming unstable when the vehicle passes through the point to be warned by adjusting the air pressure in the tire to the specified value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle travel warning device that issues a warning based on tire pressure.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When a vehicle enters a curve ahead of the vehicle at the current traveling speed and determines that the vehicle cannot pass the curve safely, a warning is issued to a driver of the vehicle.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-11-316899
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, even when it is determined that the vehicle can safely travel on the curve, it may not be possible to travel on the curve stably if the tire pressure is insufficient. That is, the air pressure of the tire is an important factor for stable running when a large load acts on the tire.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular traveling warning device that can give a warning to a driver in consideration of the tire air pressure.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the user sets the destination, the route setting means sets the traveling route. Then, the warning unit determines whether there is a warning target point on the traveling route set by the route setting unit, where a large load acts on the tire. At this time, if the point to be warned is present and the air pressure of the tire obtained by the air pressure obtaining means is out of the specified range, the warning means issues a warning. Therefore, when the warning unit issues a warning, the running of the vehicle can be prevented from becoming unstable by setting the tire pressure to the specified value.
[0007]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle is traveling on the traveling route set by the route setting unit, the warning means applies a large load to the tire in the traveling direction on the traveling route. It is determined whether a point to be warned exists. At this time, if the point to be warned is present and the tire pressure acquired by the air pressure acquiring means is out of the specified range, the warning means issues a warning. Can be prevented beforehand.
[0008]
According to the third aspect of the invention, when the vehicle is traveling, the warning unit determines whether there is a warning target point at which a large load acts on the tire in the traveling direction of the vehicle. At this time, if the point to be warned is present and the tire pressure acquired by the air pressure acquiring means is out of the specified range, the warning means issues a warning. Can be prevented beforehand. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, even when a large load acts on the tire by traveling at a place where the vehicle enters a highway from a general road, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from becoming unstable.
[0009]
According to the invention of claim 5, even if a large load acts on the tires when the speed of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined speed, it is possible to prevent the running of the vehicle from becoming unstable.
[0010]
According to the invention of claim 6, even when a large load acts on the tires due to the vehicle approaching a steep slope or a sharp curve, the running of the vehicle can be prevented from becoming unstable.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the car navigation device. In FIG. 1, a car navigation device 1 includes a control circuit 2, a position detector 3 as a position detection means, a map data input device 4, a display device 5, an operation switch group 6, an external memory 7, a remote control sensor 8, and a VICS. In addition to the transceiver 9, a tire pressure sensor (corresponding to an air pressure acquisition means) 10 is connected to the control circuit 2 and configured. The control circuit 2 is configured as a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and a bus line (none of which is shown) for connecting these components. This corresponds to warning means.
[0012]
The position detector 3 includes a geomagnetic sensor 11 for detecting an absolute azimuth, a gyroscope 12 for detecting a yaw angular velocity, a distance sensor 13 used for detecting a traveling distance of a vehicle, and a plurality of GPS satellites (not shown). And a GPS receiver 14 for receiving a signal from the vehicle, and detects and specifies the current position of the vehicle. These geomagnetic sensors 11, gyroscopes 12, distance sensors 13, and GPS receivers 14 each have an error having a different property, so that each of them detects a position while interpolating the error. Incidentally, the position detector 3 may be constituted by a part of these sensors 11 to 14 depending on accuracy or the like, and may be a steering rotation sensor or the like.
[0013]
The map data input device 4 is for reading data from a medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM. This media stores road map data. In this case, the road map data includes geographic data such as map drawing data for displaying a map, road data necessary for various processes such as map matching, route search, and route guidance, and intersection data including detailed data of intersections. Information is stored.
[0014]
Furthermore, this media includes, for example, leisure facilities (family restaurants, zoos, botanical gardens, museums, museums, movie theaters, etc.), accommodation facilities, hot spring facilities, and public facilities (police, fire department, ward office, city hall, public hall, civic center, school hall, etc.) , Public toilets for men and women), hospitals, vehicle-related facilities (parking lots, gas stations, car supply stores, car sales offices, rental cars) and transportation facilities (highway interchanges, toll booths, toll roads, intersections, Detailed data of various facilities such as stations, airports, ferry stops, roadside stations, taxi stands, etc. are stored in correspondence with their locations. Specifically, data on business hours is stored in association with facilities whose business hours are determined, such as leisure facilities. In the case of accommodation facilities, detailed data such as the presence or absence of a parking lot, the accommodation price, and the accommodation facility type (business hotel, resort hotel, pension, capsule hotel, etc.) are stored for each accommodation facility. These facilities are configured so that the control circuit 2 searches through the detailed settings such as the location by the user operating the operation switch group 6 in normal times.
[0015]
Incidentally, the medium may be constituted by a memory card or the like. Further, a wireless communication device may be provided in place of the map data input device 4, and the above-described data (including road map data) may be downloaded by wireless communication with the outside of the vehicle.
[0016]
The display device 5 is provided with a color liquid crystal display for displaying a map screen and the like. On this display screen, a road map whose scale can be changed in a plurality of steps at normal times is displayed, and is superimposed on this display. A pointer indicating the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle is displayed so as to be matched. In addition, the display device 5 also displays a guidance route, various messages, and the like, and facilities around the current position of the vehicle are also displayed by symbols (landmarks). ing.
[0017]
The operation switch group 6 includes touch switches formed on a color liquid crystal display of the display device 5 or mechanical switches arranged around the display device 5, and inputs operation data such as various data and setting items to the control circuit 2. Provided to give. Further, a remote controller 15 having the same function as the operation switch group 6 is also provided. The operation signal from the remote controller 15 is provided to the control circuit 2 through the remote controller sensor 8. The external memory 7 stores, for example, program software for supporting map information of another standard, and saves and recalls specific data (photo data by digital camera, point registration data, etc.). Is provided.
[0018]
When the position of a stopover or destination is input under various conditions (address, telephone number, facility name, postal code, latitude and longitude, etc.) by the remote controller 15 and the operation switch group 6, the control circuit 2 outputs the position detector 3 The optimum route is searched from the current position of the vehicle detected by the above and the road map data of the map data input device 4. Incidentally, a technique such as the Dijkstra method is known as a technique for searching for such a route. When a facility is designated by the remote controller 15 or the operation switch group 6, the control circuit 2 searches the facility based on the search condition.
The transceiver 9 has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from the VICS sensor 16 installed on the road, and also has a function of accessing the Internet via a car telephone network or a mobile telephone network. .
[0019]
The tire air pressure sensor 10 is for monitoring the air pressure of the tire, and includes a type for directly monitoring the air pressure and a type for indirectly monitoring the air pressure. In the present embodiment, a direct monitoring type is used. . In this type of direct monitoring, a pressure sensor is provided inside the tire wheel, and the air pressure measured by the pressure sensor is wirelessly transmitted to the control circuit 2. In addition, the indirect type is designed to infer the change in tire air pressure by, for example, a change in the number of revolutions of the tire, and although the cost is lower than that of the direct type, the accuracy is generally inferior. is there.
[0020]
Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an air pressure warning operation by the control circuit 2 of the car navigation device 1. This air pressure alarm operation is performed in parallel with the operation as the original navigation, and is repeatedly executed. In FIG. 2, the control circuit 2 determines whether a route (running route) exists (S101). At this time, immediately after the user sets a destination in the car navigation device 1 and instructs a route search, the control circuit 2 searches for the route and sets the route, so that the route exists. .
Therefore, the control circuit 2 determines that a route exists (S101: YES), and determines whether the route has just been calculated (S102). At this time, since it is immediately after the route calculation, the warning determination process 1 is executed (S103).
[0021]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the warning determination process 1. In FIG. 3, the control circuit 2 determines whether a warning target point exists on the route (S201). The warning target point is, for example, a place on a route that enters a highway from a general road, a place where the speed of a vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed, a place where a sharp slope or a sharp curve is approached. Here, the determination as to whether the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined speed, or whether the vehicle speed is a steep slope or a sharp curve, can be changed depending on the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling and can be changed depending on the vehicle type.
[0022]
If the warning target point exists on the route (S201: YES), the tire pressure is measured by the tire pressure sensor 10, and it is determined whether the tire pressure is out of the specified range (S202). At this time, when the tire air pressure is out of the specified range, it is determined that there is a possibility that running may become unstable when a large load is applied to the tire by running at the point to be warned. A warning is issued by a message on the screen 5 (S203). Therefore, when the car navigation device 1 searches for a route to a destination and sets the route to the destination, when the car navigation device 1 issues a warning, the traveling of the vehicle during the traveling of the route is determined to be unstable. It is determined that there is a possibility that the tire pressure may be increased, and the tire pressure is adjusted to a specified value. This makes it possible to prevent the vehicle from becoming unstable when the vehicle passes the warning target point.
[0023]
By the way, when the user is traveling the vehicle along the route by the route guidance by the car navigation device 1, although the route exists as shown in FIG. 2 (S101: YES), it is not immediately after the route calculation ( (S102: NO), a warning determination process 2 is performed (S104).
[0024]
FIG. 4 shows the warning determination process 2. In FIG. 4, the control circuit 2 determines whether or not a warning target point exists in the traveling direction on the route on which the vehicle is traveling (S301). That is, it is determined whether or not a warning target point exists in the traveling direction on the route since the route exists but the vehicle is traveling. This warning target point is the same as in the warning determination process 1. If there is a point to be warned in the traveling direction on the route (S301: YES), it is determined whether the tire air pressure is out of the specified range. If not (S302: YES), the air pressure or the screen is displayed. (S303). Therefore, when a warning is issued from the car navigation device 1 during traveling by the route guidance of the car navigation device 1, the user becomes unstable when traveling in the traveling direction on the route. When it is determined that there is a risk, the tire pressure is adjusted to a specified value. This makes it possible to prevent the vehicle from becoming unstable when the vehicle passes the warning target point.
[0025]
On the other hand, when there is no route as shown in FIG. 2 (S101: NO), the control circuit 2 executes a warning determination process 3 (S105).
FIG. 5 shows the warning determination process 3. In FIG. 5, the control circuit 2 determines whether a point to be warned exists in the traveling direction (S401). That is, since there is no route, it is determined whether or not a point to be warned exists in the traveling direction along the road on which the vehicle is traveling. This warning target point is the same as in the warning determination process 1. Then, if there is a point to be warned in the traveling direction of the vehicle, it is determined whether or not the tire pressure is out of the specified range. If not (S402: YES), a warning is issued by voice or a message on the screen (S402). S403). Therefore, when a warning is issued from the car navigation device 1 during traveling while confirming the current position with the car navigation device 1, the user determines that the traveling of the vehicle may become unstable during traveling. Then, the tire pressure is adjusted to a specified value. This makes it possible to prevent the vehicle from becoming unstable when the vehicle passes the warning target point.
[0026]
According to such an embodiment, when the route is set by the car navigation device 1, or when the vehicle is traveling on the route by the route guidance by the car navigation device 1, and further while the vehicle using the car navigation device 1 is traveling. However, if it is predicted that the vehicle will travel at a warning target point where a large load acts on a tire whose air pressure is out of the specified range, a warning will be issued if the tire pressure is out of the specified range. By setting the air to the specified value, it is possible to prevent the running of the vehicle from becoming unstable even when a large load acts on the tire.
[0027]
The present invention can be modified or expanded as follows without being limited to the above embodiment.
A rank may be set as a warning target point in accordance with the magnitude of the load acting on the tire, and an air pressure of the tire that is out of the range may be set in accordance with the rank.
The warning level may be increased as the tire pressure approaches the warning target point while being outside the specified range.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an air pressure warning operation by a control circuit; FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing warning determination processing 1 by a control circuit; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a warning determination process 2 by the control circuit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a warning determination process 3 by the control circuit.
1 is a car navigation device, 2 is a control circuit (route setting means, determination means, warning means), 10 is a tire pressure sensor (pneumatic pressure acquisition means).

Claims (6)

Route setting means for setting a traveling route of the vehicle;
Air pressure acquisition means for acquiring the tire pressure of the vehicle,
When the route setting unit sets a traveling route, a determining unit that determines whether there is a warning target point where a large load acts on the tire on the traveling route,
A warning means for issuing a warning when the determination means determines that a point to be warned is present and determines that the air pressure acquired by the air pressure acquisition means is out of a specified range. apparatus. Route setting means for setting a traveling route of the vehicle;
Air pressure acquisition means for acquiring the tire pressure of the vehicle,
When the vehicle is traveling on the traveling route set by the route setting unit, a determining unit that determines whether there is a warning target point where a large load acts on the tire in the traveling direction on the traveling route,
A warning means for issuing a warning when the determination means determines that a point to be warned is present and determines that the air pressure acquired by the air pressure acquisition means is out of a specified range. apparatus. Air pressure acquisition means for acquiring the tire pressure of the vehicle,
When the vehicle is traveling, determining means for determining whether there is a warning target point where a large load acts on the tire in the traveling direction of the vehicle,
A warning means for issuing a warning when the determination means determines that a point to be warned is present and determines that the air pressure acquired by the air pressure acquisition means is out of a specified range. apparatus. The traveling warning device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the warning target point is a place where the vehicle enters a highway from a general road. The vehicle warning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the warning target point is a place where the speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed. The traveling warning device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the warning target point is a place where the vehicle is approaching a steep slope or a sharp curve.

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