JP2006144432A - Annunciator system and annunciating method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an annunciator system which sounds answer back buzzer with appropriate sound adapted to surrounding environments. <P>SOLUTION: A keyless entry actuation system 10 of a keyless entry system 1 performs locking/unlocking of a door by a remote control device of a driver, and outputs an operation signal to a control part 41 at the time of completion of the operation. Then the noise surrounding a vehicle is collected by a plurality of microphones 21 provided in each predetermined area. Then the properties of the annunciation sound are determined at a processing part 42 of the control part 41 based on the volume of the collected noise, like turning up the volume of the annunciation sound at the time of noisy environments surrounding the vehicle, or turning down the volume of the annunciation sound at the time of silent environments surrounding the vehicle. Then the annunciation sound of the determined properties is outputted from a buzzer 22 provided in correspondence with a predetermined area surrounding the vehicle through the medium of a buzzer drive part 43 in accordance with the operation signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention provides a notification that outputs a notification sound by sounding a buzzer or the like in order to confirm a desired state of the vehicle such as a door lock or door unlock operation confirmation in the vehicle or to call attention to the desired state. The present invention relates to a device and a notification method.

In a system such as a keyless entry system, an intelligent key system, a power sliding door system, or a power back door system in a vehicle, etc., confirmation of completion of a predetermined operation in the system, notification of system malfunction, or key fob It is often equipped with an answer-back function that sounds a buzzer (answer-back buzzer) and informs the user (for example, driver) of the condition by sound in order to call attention in a predetermined state such as misplacement. . In recent years, the distance between the vehicle and the user is detected based on the strength of the signal from the remote control, and when the user is near the vehicle, a buzzer sound is notified, and when the user is far away A keyless entry system that performs notification by blinking lamps is also disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-129794 A

  It is important that the answer-back function for notifying the state by the sound of such a system (including a system used in combination with blinking of lamps) reliably transmits the notification sound to a user in a certain range around the vehicle. . For this reason, the answer back function can be heard at a certain volume level so that the notification sound is reliably transmitted to the users around the vehicle even in places where there is a lot of noise (referred to as environmental sound) such as around urban areas and highways. It is configured to output a notification sound with easy sound quality. However, such loud notification sounds, for example, in a quiet place such as a late-night residential area (a place where there are few environmental sounds), the volume is too high, which may cause inconvenience to nearby residents and surrounding people. is there. Moreover, such a loud sound is not preferable because it may be annoying and annoying to the user himself.

  In order to prevent such an inconvenience, for example, the user can select on / off of the answerback buzzer operation, volume and sound quality by operating a switch provided in the vehicle or a keyless entry remote control. Is also possible. However, such a method requires the user to appropriately determine the surrounding situation and perform an operation, and cannot always make an appropriate determination and output an appropriate sound. Cannot be sufficiently prevented. In addition, if you forget to operate or forget to cancel the settings, for example, it is not possible to output sound with sufficient volume or sound quality in situations where it is necessary to call attention. There is a possibility that the function cannot be realized. Moreover, the problem that a user's operation is troublesome also arises.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a notification device and a notification for notifying a desired state of a vehicle using appropriate sounds (including volume and sound quality) adapted to the surrounding environment. It is to provide a method.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a notification device according to the present invention is a device that notifies a predetermined state of a vehicle by sound, for example, a situation related to sounds such as noise and environmental sound around the vehicle, such as a microphone. Based on the ambient situation detecting means for detecting the position of the vehicle by detecting the position of the vehicle and collating it with map information, etc., and for example, noise around the vehicle is detected. When the volume is high, the volume of the notification sound is increased, and when the surroundings of the vehicle are quiet, the volume of the notification sound is decreased. Notification sound output means such as a buzzer for output.

  Further, the notification method according to the present invention is a method of notifying a predetermined state of the vehicle by sound, and by collecting a situation related to sound such as so-called noise around the vehicle, environmental sound, for example, by a microphone or the like, Or, by detecting the position of the vehicle and comparing it with map information, the volume of the notification sound is increased based on the detected situation related to the sound around the vehicle, for example, when the noise around the vehicle is large. When the surroundings of the vehicle are quiet, the notification sound attribute is determined, for example, the volume of the notification sound is reduced, and the notification sound having the determined attribute is output.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the alerting | reporting apparatus and alerting | reporting method which alert | report the desired state of a vehicle with the suitable sound (a sound volume, a sound quality, etc. are included) suitable for the surrounding environment can be provided.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In each embodiment described below with reference to the drawings, a keyless entry system that controls a door lock of a vehicle with a remote controller, and in particular, a keyless entry system that includes a notification device according to the present invention as an answerback device. The present invention will be described by way of example.

First, a keyless entry system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a diagram functionally showing the configuration of the keyless entry system 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the keyless entry system 1 includes an operation system 10, first to Nth answerback systems 20 _{-1 to} 20 _-N, and a control unit 41. Each answerback system 20- _i (i = 1 to N) includes environmental sound detection means 21- _i and a buzzer 22- _i . In addition, the control unit 41 includes a processing unit 42 and a buzzer driving unit 43.

  The operation system 10 locks or unlocks the door of the vehicle based on, for example, an operation of a remote control device by a vehicle user or the like (for example, a driver). Although not shown, the operating system 10 includes a remote control device, communication means for communicating with the remote control device, actuator control means for controlling an actuator that drives a door locking mechanism based on the communication result, and door lock / door unlock. There is an operation signal output means for outputting an operation signal indicating the operation result to the control unit 41.

The first to Nth answerback systems 20 _{-1 to} 20 _-N are provided corresponding to the first to Nth areas (zones) set around the vehicle, and each of the corresponding areas (zones) is provided. On the other hand, the door lock / door unlock operation result is notified by sound. As described above, each answerback system 20- _i (i = 1 to N) includes the environmental sound detection means 21- _i and the buzzer 22- _i .

The environmental sound detection means 21- _{i collects} sound (referred to as environmental sound or noise) heard in a predetermined area (zone) around the vehicle assigned to the answerback system 20- _i in that area. And output to the processing unit 42 of the control unit 41 as an electrical signal. In the present embodiment, the environmental sound detection means 21- _i is a microphone (which may be simply referred to as a microphone) provided exclusively for each region (zone).
Note that the signal output to the control unit 41 may be the sound signal of the collected sound itself, or necessary for subsequent processing such as the volume and frequency (pitch) detected based on the sound signal. It may be a signal indicating various information.

The buzzer 22 _-i sounds based on a drive signal (drive output) input from the buzzer drive unit 43 of the control unit 41, and a predetermined area (zone) around the vehicle assigned to the answerback system 20 _-i. On the other hand, a buzzer sound for notifying the operation result of the door lock / door unlock is output.

Any number of areas (zones) around the vehicle where the first to Nth answerback systems 20 _{-1 to} 20 _-N are set may be set in an arbitrary area (direction). For example, as shown in FIG. 2 (A), two regions of the vehicle traveling direction left side (L) and the traveling direction right side (R) may be set, or as shown in FIG. Two regions, front (f) and rear (r), may be set. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 2C, boundary lines are set in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the vehicle, and left front (Lf), right front (Rf), left rear (Lr), and right rear (Rr) You may divide | segment into the area | region of 4 directions. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (D), the diagonal line of the vehicle is set as a boundary line, and the vehicle is divided into regions in four directions, left (L), right (R), front (f), and rear (r). As shown in FIG. 2 (E), the left front (Lf), front (f), right front (Rf), left (L), right (R), left rear (Lr), rear ( r) and 8 rear regions (Rr), or as shown in FIG. 2 (F), front left (fL), front right (fR), front left (Lf), front right (Rf), You may divide into the area | region of 8 directions of left back (Lr), right back (Rr), back left (rL), and back right (rR).

The control unit 41 includes an environmental sound detection signal input from each of the environmental sound detection units 21 _{-1 to} 21 _-N of the first to Nth answer back systems 20 _-i and an operation signal input from the operation system 10. based on the first to the buzzer ₂₂ -1 _{through 22 -N} answerback system _{20 -i} of the N control, notifies the completion of the door lock / door unlocking to the user of the vehicle.

The processing unit 42 of the control unit 41 receives an input from the first to Nth environmental sound detection units 21 _{-1 to} 21 _-N when an operation signal indicating that the notification by the answer back buzzer is performed is input from the operation system 10. Based on the detected environmental sound detection signal, the characteristic of the environmental sound in each region around the vehicle is detected. Next, the buzzers 22 of the first to N-th answerback systems 20 _{-1 to} 20 _-N so that a person can appropriately recognize the buzzer sound in each region based on the detected environmental sound characteristics of each region. The characteristic (attribute) of the sound output to each area around the vehicle via _{−1 to} 22− _N is determined. Then, a control signal is generated so that the sound having the determined characteristic is output from each of the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N, and is output to the buzzer driving unit 43.

At this time, the characteristics of the environmental sound detected by the processing unit 42 are generally a sound volume (sound pressure, sound intensity), a sound pitch (frequency), and a timbre (sound signal) indicating the nature of the sound. The arbitrary property in the waveform) is used. In addition, the characteristics (attributes) of the sounds output from the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N determined by the processing unit 42 are also the sound volume, sound pitch, and sound type (tone color, sound signal waveform). Among the attributes that can be controlled (output) by the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N , the desired attributes (size, frequency, waveform, etc.) are determined. In the present embodiment, the processing unit 42 simply determines the magnitude of the environmental sound in each region based on the environmental sound detection signals input from the first to Nth environmental sound detection units 21 _{-1 to} 21 _-N. Shall be detected. The characteristics of the sound output from the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N determined by the processing unit 42 are also fixed to the timbre and height unique to the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N . The processing unit 42 simply determines the volume.

The buzzer drive unit 43 generates a drive signal for actually driving the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N based on the control signal input from the processing unit 42, and applies it to each of the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N. To do.

The configuration example in the case where the keyless entry system 1 functionally described above is actually mounted on a vehicle will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of the keyless entry system 1 as a configuration example that is concrete and close to a form that is actually mounted.
In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 41 and the signal processing unit of the operation system 10 in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 are realized by one signal processing unit (controller) 40. The controller 40 is a general arithmetic processing device that includes an arithmetic processing unit (CPU), a ROM that stores processing programs and fixed parameters, and a RAM that stores data during processing and processing results. The controller 40 may be a signal processing device commonly used for in-vehicle devices. By executing a program stored in the ROM in the controller 40, the functions of the processing unit 42 and the buzzer driving unit 43 of the control unit 41 and the signal processing system of the operating system 10 are realized.

The operation switch 11 connected to the controller 40 is an operation unit for performing various operation settings for the keyless entry system 1 by a vehicle user (driver or the like).
The reception antenna 12 and the transmission antenna 13 are antennas for communicating with a remote control device (not shown). That is, the keyless entry operating system 10 (see FIG. 1) is realized by the controller 40 and the receiving antenna 12 and the transmitting antenna 13 for communicating with a remote control device (not shown).

The keyless entry system 1 shown in FIG. 3 includes, for example, four areas (left front (Lf), right front (Rf), left rear (Lr), and right rear (Rr)) around the vehicle as shown in FIG. Zone) and answerback systems 20 _{-1 to} 20 _-4 are provided corresponding to the respective areas. Therefore, the keyless entry system 1 has four microphones (environmental sound detection means) 21 _{−1 to} 21 ₋₄ and four buzzers 22 _{−1 to} 22 ₋₄ . The first microphone 21 _-1 and the first buzzer 22 _-1 is provided near the left front of the vehicle, for outputting a buzzer sound to the detection and the area of environmental sound from the front left (Lf) area of the vehicle. Similarly, the second microphone _21-2 and the second buzzer _22-2 are installed in the vicinity of the right front of the vehicle and detect environmental sound from the front right (Rf) region of the vehicle and output the buzzer sound to that region. The third microphone _21-3 and the third buzzer _22-3 are installed in the vicinity of the left rear of the vehicle and detect environmental sound from the left rear (Lr) region of the vehicle and output the buzzer sound to the region. The fourth microphone _21-4 and the fourth buzzer _22-4 are installed in the vicinity of the right rear of the vehicle and detect environmental sound from the right rear (Rr) region of the vehicle and output the buzzer sound to that region. .

  The keyless entry system 1 of the present embodiment whose functional block diagram is shown in FIG. 1 is mounted and realized in a vehicle by the specific configuration shown in FIG. 3, for example.

Next, a processing flow of the keyless entry system 1 having such a configuration will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the keyless entry system 1 of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the process flow of the keyless entry system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. Here, the keyless entry system 1 has first to fourth four answerback systems 20 _{-1 to} 20 _-4 , and the four areas set around the vehicle shown in FIG. In this case, environmental sounds are detected and notification sounds are output.

  First, in a normal state, the control unit 41 of the keyless entry system 1 waits for the input of an operation signal as a signal for instructing the buzzer to sound from the operation system 10 (step S11). When the vehicle door lock or door unlock is executed by the user's remote control operation, the operation system 10 outputs an operation signal indicating completion of the operation to the control unit 41.

When the operation signal is input, the control unit 41 detects the volume of the environmental sound (noise) in each of the four regions (zones) set around the vehicle (step S12). That is, the environmental sound in each region is detected by the four microphones 21 _{-1 to} 21 _-4 , and the detected audio signal is output to the control unit 41. The control unit 41 detects the volume (noise level) of the environmental sound based on the environmental sound detection signals input from the four microphones 21 _{-1 to} 21 _-4 .

Next, the sound source direction (noise direction) of the environmental sound (noise) is determined based on the volume of the environmental sound detected by each of the four microphones 21 _{-1 to} 21 _-4 (step S13). Based on the determination result of the noise direction and the amount of noise detected in step S12, it is possible to detect the distribution of environmental sounds (noise) around the vehicle (the situation relating to sounds around the vehicle) (step S13).

After detecting the status of the sound around the vehicle, it determines the characteristics of the buzzer sound to be output from each of the buzzer ₂₂ -1 _{to 22 -4} (notification sound) (step S14). In the present embodiment, as described above, the volume of the buzzer sound output from each of the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-4 is determined. A high sound volume is set for the direction of the direction, and a low sound volume is set for the area far from the noise direction and where the noise is low, or for the direction not pointing the noise direction.

Then, the control unit 41, so that each buzzer sounding at the determined volume, and controls each of the four buzzer ₂₂ -1 _{to 22 4} (step S15).

  As described above, according to the keyless entry system 1 of the present embodiment, an environmental sound (noise) is detected for each region around the vehicle, and the sound is appropriately recognized by the user under the environmental sound. Outputs a buzzer sound. That is, an appropriate answerback buzzer sound according to the surrounding environment is output. Therefore, it is necessary to output a buzzer with a louder volume than necessary in a quiet place, causing inconvenience to nearby residents, making the vehicle user feel such anxiety, or the user himself being noisy. You can prevent the situation from feeling. On the other hand, in a place where the environmental sound is loud, a loud buzzer sound is output as necessary, so that the notification sound can be reliably transmitted to the user.

A keyless entry system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the keyless entry system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the state of sound around the vehicle (environmental sound characteristics) is not collected and detected by a microphone, but is estimated using information obtained from the navigation system. This point is different from the keyless entry system 1 of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the keyless entry system will be described focusing on differences from the keyless entry system 1 of the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram functionally showing the configuration of the keyless entry system 2 of the second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 5, the keyless entry system 2 includes an operation system 10, a navigation system 30, first to Nth answer back buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N and a control unit 51. The control unit 51 includes a processing unit 52 and a buzzer driving unit 43.

In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component same as the keyless entry system 1 of 1st Embodiment demonstrated with reference to FIG. 1, and the description is abbreviate | omitted. In other words, actuation system 10, the buzzer ₂₂ -1 _{through 22 -N,} and a buzzer drive unit 43 is the same structure and function as the keyless entry system 1 of the first embodiment described above, description thereof will be omitted.
Note that the keyless entry system 2 of the present embodiment also divides the vehicle periphery into desired N areas, and from each buzzer 22 _-i (i = 1 to N) provided corresponding to each area to each area. In response, a notification sound is output. However, the keyless entry system 2 does not have the microphone that the keyless entry system 1 has, because it estimates and determines the state of sound around the vehicle.

The keyless entry system 2 includes a navigation system 30 as a device that detects the position of the host vehicle and provides information (referred to as map information) related to the surrounding environment of the host vehicle.
The navigation system 30 is a device that detects the position of the host vehicle by GPS (Global Positioning System) and detects the speed and direction of the host vehicle by a built-in sensor, and includes a GPS antenna, a gyro sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor. (See FIG. 6). Moreover, it has the map DVD which memorize | stored the map information which is the information of the ground where the own vehicle moves (runs) (refer FIG. 6). The information obtained from the map information is, for example, information related to types and positions of ground roads, railways, etc., hospitals, houses, shops, entertainment facilities, stations, airports, and the like. Then, the navigation system 30 outputs information on the position and orientation of the host vehicle and information on the ground around the host vehicle obtained from the map DVD to the control unit 51.

  In the keyless entry system 2 of the present embodiment, a normal navigation system that guides the route to the destination to the driver of the vehicle or displays and outputs the position of the vehicle in a map format is automatically used in the keyless entry system 2. It is used as a system that provides vehicle location and surrounding map information. However, the keyless entry system 2 may be configured to have means having such a function independently.

  The control unit 51 converts the vehicle position and orientation information input from the navigation system 30, the map information around the vehicle input from the navigation system 30, and the time information input from the clock in the control unit 51. Based on this, the situation regarding the sound around the vehicle at the position of the vehicle is estimated, and the attribute of the sound to be output as the notification sound is determined. Specifically, for example, the loudness of sound heard around the vehicle or the volume of the notification sound that can be output at the vehicle position is estimated, and the basic loudness of the sound output as the notification sound is determined.

  For example, if there is a main road or main track near the vehicle, it is estimated that there is an environmental sound (noise) at a certain level in the area regardless of the time, and a sound with a certain level as a notification sound. Is determined to be output. Also, when there are roads and tracks of a certain scale, it is estimated that there is almost no environmental noise in the middle of the night or early morning, although there is a certain amount of environmental sound in the predetermined time zone from morning to night. Depending on the situation, it is determined to output a sound with a certain volume or a sound with a certain volume.

Also, when the vehicle is in a residential area, it is estimated that there will be an average environmental sound during the daytime and it is decided to output an average sound level. It is estimated that there is no noise, and it is determined that it is not an area where a loud sound should be output, and a decision is made to output a sound with a low volume.
Also, if there are hospitals or welfare facilities around the vehicle, it is estimated that there is no loud noise around that day, and that it is not an area where loud sound should be output. Is determined to be output.
It is assumed that the relationship between the ambient environment and time of the vehicle, the estimated environmental sound volume, the notification sound volume that can be output, and the sound volume of the notification sound to be determined is registered in advance as a rule. Then, if necessary, for example, adjustment and determination of the estimated environmental sound, taking into account the distance between the facility and the vehicle, which are important in determining the volume of roads, railways, hospitals, houses, etc. The notification volume to be adjusted is adjusted.

  Based on the notification volume determined in this way, the notification volume to be output for each region (zone) around the vehicle is finally determined in consideration of the direction of the vehicle. That is, based on the direction of the vehicle, the relative positional relationship (direction) between the vehicle and the facility important for determining the notification volume of the road, railway, hospital, house, etc. is detected, and the noise source side of the road, railway, etc. For such areas, the notification volume is made relatively larger, and the notification volume is made relatively smaller for areas on the facility side that should be quiet, such as hospitals and houses.

Then, the processing unit 52 generates a control signal such that the sound of the determined volume is output from each of the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N, and outputs the control signal to the buzzer driving unit 43. The buzzer drive unit 43 generates a drive signal for actually driving the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N based on the control signal input from the processing unit 52 and applies the drive signals to each of the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-N. To do.
In the present embodiment, the processing unit 52 simply determines the volume of the notification sound. However, the sound volume (sound pressure, sound intensity), sound pitch (frequency), and sound type Arbitrary attributes (characteristics) related to sound, such as (tone color, waveform of audio signal), etc. may be determined.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration example when the keyless entry system 2 having such a configuration is actually mounted on a vehicle.
In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 51, the signal processing unit of the operation system 10, and the signal processing unit of the navigation system 30 in the configuration shown in FIG. 5 are realized by one signal processing unit (controller) 50. . The controller 50 is a general arithmetic processing device having an arithmetic processing unit (CPU), a ROM that stores processing programs and fixed parameters, and a RAM that stores data during processing and processing results. The controller 50 may be a signal processing device commonly used for in-vehicle devices. By executing the program stored in the ROM in the controller 50, the functions of the processing unit 52 and the buzzer driving unit 43 of the control unit 51, the signal processing system of the operating system 10, and the signal processing unit of the navigation system 30 are performed. Realize.

  The operation switch 11 connected to the controller 50 is an operation unit for performing various operation settings for the keyless entry system 1 by a vehicle user (driver or the like). The reception antenna 12 and the transmission antenna 13 are configured as a keyless entry system. The operating system 10 is an antenna for communicating with the remote control device.

The vehicle speed sensor 31, the gyro sensor 32, the GPS antenna 33, and the map DVD 34 are components of the navigation system 30 described above.
The vehicle speed sensor 31 is a sensor that detects the moving speed of the host vehicle, and the gyro sensor 32 is a sensor that detects the movement and inclination of the host vehicle. These sensors act as a supplement to GPS position measurement, correct GPS measurement errors, follow vehicles and follow small movements, and positions when GPS such as tunnels and underground cannot be used Measurements are performed.
The GPS antenna 33 is an antenna for receiving information from GPS satellites.
The map DVD 34 is a device that stores electronic map information in which, for example, road information and facility information throughout Japan are recorded, and is read out and supplied upon request.

Further, the keyless entry system 2 shown in FIG. 6 includes four front, left front (Lf), right front (Rf), left rear (Lr) and right rear (Rr), as shown in FIG. 2 (C), for example. set the area (zone), so as to correspond to the respective regions is a configuration in which a buzzer ₂₂ -1 _{to 22 -4.} The first buzzer _22-1 is installed near the left front of the vehicle and outputs a buzzer sound to the left front (Lf) region of the vehicle, and the second buzzer _22-2 is installed near the right front of the vehicle (right front of the vehicle ( Rf) outputs a buzzer sound to the region, and a third buzzer _22-3 is installed near the left rear of the vehicle and outputs a buzzer sound to the left rear (Lr) region of the vehicle. _-4 is installed near the right rear of the vehicle and outputs a buzzer sound to the right rear (Rr) region of the vehicle.
The keyless entry system 2 of the present embodiment whose functional block diagram is shown in FIG. 5 is implemented and mounted on a vehicle by the configuration shown in FIG. 6, for example.

Next, the process flow of the keyless entry system 2 having such a configuration will be described.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the keyless entry system 2 of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the processing flow of the keyless entry system 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7. Here, the keyless entry system 2 has first to fourth four buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _-4 , and provides notification sounds for the four areas set around the vehicle shown in FIG. Is output.

  First, in a normal state, the control unit 51 of the keyless entry system 2 waits for input of an operation signal as a signal for instructing the buzzer to sound from the operation system 10 (step S21). When the vehicle door lock or door unlock is executed by the user's remote control operation, the operation system 10 outputs an operation signal indicating completion of the operation to the control unit 51.

  When the operation signal is input, the control unit 51 acquires the position information of the host vehicle and the map information around the position from the navigation system 30 (step S22). At this time, the navigation system 30 may newly detect the position of the host vehicle based on a control signal from the control unit 51, or may output information detected immediately before to the control unit 51.

  Next, the control unit 51 acquires information on the current time from the built-in clock (step S23).

Then, the control unit 51 estimates the noise around the vehicle (environmental sound) based on the position information of the host vehicle, the map information around the vehicle, and the current time information, and detects the volume that can be output as a notification sound. four determining characteristics of a buzzer sound to be output from each of the buzzer ₂₂ -1 _{to 22 4} (step S24). In the present embodiment, the volume (noise amount) of environmental sounds around the vehicle can be estimated from the map information and time information around the host vehicle based on the previously stored rules, or can be output as a notification sound. The volume is detected and corrected according to the direction of the vehicle or the like to determine the volume of the buzzer sound output from the buzzers 22 _{-1 to} 22 _{-4 in} each region. Specifically, the volume is determined to be large near roads, railways, etc., and the volume is set to low in hospitals and late-night residential areas.

Then, the control unit 51, so that each buzzer sounding at the determined volume, and controls each of the four buzzer ₂₂ -1 _{to 22 4} (step S25).

  As described above, according to the keyless entry system 1 of the present embodiment, the map information and the host vehicle that have in advance the situation related to the sound around the vehicle, that is, the volume of environmental sound (noise), the volume of sound that can be output, and the like. Based on the position information, an appropriate buzzer sound that is suitable for the environment and recognized by the user is output under the estimated environmental sound. Therefore, similar to the keyless entry system 1 of the first embodiment, a buzzer with a louder volume than necessary is output in a quiet place, causing inconvenience to nearby residents, etc. It is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable or a situation where the user feels noisy. On the other hand, in a place where the environmental sound is loud, a loud buzzer sound is output as necessary, so that the user can be surely recognized the notification sound.

  In addition, this embodiment is described in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, and does not limit this invention at all. Each element disclosed in the present embodiment includes all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention, and various suitable modifications can be made.

For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention is applied to a vehicle keyless entry system. However, the present invention is applicable to various other systems. For example, for a vehicle door that automatically opens and closes by mechanical force (for example, an arbitrary opening and closing unit such as a slide door or a back door), immediately before the opening and closing of the door is started, It can also be applied as an informing means for alerting a person who is in the door operation to the operation. The present invention can be suitably applied to such a so-called power slide door system and power back door system.
In addition, when applying this invention to such a system, what is necessary is just to comprise such a power sliding door system etc. as the action | operation system 10 in the system illustrated in FIG.1 and FIG.5. With such a configuration, a system to which the notification device and the notification method according to the present invention are applied can be easily constructed.

In each of the embodiments described above, a plurality of areas (zones) are set around the vehicle (the vehicle periphery is divided into a plurality of areas), and the notification sound is controlled for each area using a plurality of buzzers. . However, a sound may be output by one buzzer for all areas around the vehicle without setting such areas. An example of the configuration of such a keyless entry system is shown in FIG. In the keyless entry system 1b shown in FIG. 8 has a configuration comprising one microphone and a buzzer as an environmental sound detection means, picks up the sound from the entire area around the vehicle environmental sound detector 21 _-1, outputs sound all areas around the vehicle by the buzzer 22 _-1. Control unit 41b detects the condition of the vehicle surrounding environmental sound (noise) from just the environmental sound detection signal input from one environment sound detector 21 _-1 in the processing section 42b, determine the attributes of this by notification sound and, a buzzer driving unit 43b controls the buzzer 22 _-1 to output a desired notification sound. The present invention may have such a configuration.

In each of the above-described embodiments, a plurality of areas (zones) are set around the vehicle, and the plurality of areas are set to include the entire range (omnidirectional) around the vehicle. However, this area may be set to an arbitrary number, and may be set to have directivity in an arbitrary direction, in other words, an area setting that does not cover the entire range around the vehicle. For example, the environmental sound may be detected only with respect to the front or side direction of the vehicle, and notification may be made with sound having an appropriate attribute based on the environmental sound, or the side direction where the automatic door exists Only the environmental sound may be detected and a notification sound based on the environmental sound may be output.
Therefore, even in the configuration having only one environmental sound detection means (microphone) and buzzer shown in FIG. 8, the microphone and buzzer output sound collection and notification sound to the entire area around the vehicle as described above. It is not necessary to have a configuration, and it may be a configuration that collects environmental sound from a predetermined direction and outputs a notification sound in a predetermined direction.

  In the case where a plurality of environmental sound detection means (microphones) and a buzzer are provided, the direction in which the microphone is directed (corresponding region) and the direction in which the buzzer outputs the notification sound (corresponding region) are not the same direction. The number may be different.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the notification sound output from each buzzer is set to a desired volume by controlling each of the one or more buzzers by a drive signal applied from the buzzer driving unit. . Further, if possible, the sound has a desired pitch and tone. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of buzzers that output a specific sound in a fixed manner may be provided, and the attributes of the notification sound may be changed by selectively sounding the plurality of buzzers. For example, two buzzers with different volumes may be provided, and when the surrounding noise (environmental sound) is high, the buzzer with the higher volume may be sounded, and when the ambient noise is low, the lower buzzer may be sounded. . Or, if there are multiple buzzers with the same volume, when the surrounding noise (environmental sound) is high, the buzzers are sounded at the same time according to the amount of noise, and only one of the buzzers is sounded when the ambient noise is low Also good. The present invention may be implemented in this way.

In the above-described embodiment, the environmental sound detection unit 21- _i is, for example, a microphone provided exclusively for each region (zone). However, as the environmental sound detection means 21- _i , an indoor microphone for audio sound field / sound quality correction is used, or an audio or navigation speaker or answerback buzzer (buzzer 22- _i ) is not output. You may measure and use an electromotive voltage.

Further, for example, in the keyless entry system 1 of the first embodiment, the control unit 41 is based on a signal input from the environmental sound detection means 21 _{-1 to} 21 _-N when an operation signal is input from the operation system 10. The volume of the environmental sound for each surrounding area was detected, and based on this, a signal for controlling the buzzers 22 _-1 to _-N was generated. However, when the volume of the environmental sound for each region is periodically detected at a predetermined time interval regardless of whether or not the operation signal is input from the operation system 10 and the operation signal is input from the operation system 10. _May generate a signal for controlling the buzzers 22 _-1 to _-N based on the volume detected immediately before.

In the keyless entry system 2 of the second embodiment, a GPS navigation system is used. However, any method can be used as long as it can detect the position of the host vehicle and obtain map information around the vehicle. The navigation system can be used. Further, there is no need for a so-called navigation system, and an arbitrary position detection device may be used.
In each of the embodiments described above, the means for outputting the notification sound need not be a buzzer, and may be any means as long as it is a means for outputting a sound. For example, a device that outputs a pre-recorded sound or a recorded sound may be used.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a keyless entry system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a region (zone) set around the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific configuration example of the keyless entry system shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the keyless entry system shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a keyless entry system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific configuration example of the keyless entry system shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the keyless entry system shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of another keyless entry system according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of still another keyless entry system according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1b, 1c, 2 ... Keyless entry system 10 ... Operation system 11 ... Operation switch 12 ... Reception antenna 13 ... Transmission antenna 20 ... Answer back system 21 ... Environmental sound detection means (microphone)
22 ... Buzzer 30 ... Navigation system 31 ... Vehicle speed sensor 32 ... Gyro sensor 33 ... GPS antenna 34 ... Map DVD
40, 50 ... Controllers 41, 41b, 41c, 51 ... Control unit 42, 42b, 42c, 52 ... Processing unit 43, 43b, 53 ... Buzzer drive unit

Claims (10)

An apparatus for notifying a predetermined state of a vehicle by sound,
Ambient condition detection means for detecting a situation related to sounds around the vehicle,
Notification sound attribute determining means for determining an attribute of the notification sound to be output for the notification based on the detected situation related to the sound around the vehicle;
A notification sound output means for outputting a notification sound of the determined attribute. The ambient condition detection means includes sound collection means for collecting sounds around the vehicle, and detects a situation related to sounds around the vehicle based on the sound collected by the sound collection means. The notification device according to claim 1. The ambient condition detection means includes position detection means for detecting the position of the vehicle, and based on the vehicle position detected by the position detection means and pre-stored map information, The notification device according to claim 1, wherein an environment is detected, and a situation related to sound around the vehicle is detected based on the detected environment. The said surrounding condition detection means detects the environment around the said vehicle further based on the time further, and detects the condition regarding the sound around the said vehicle based on the detected environment. Informing device. The ambient condition detection means estimates the volume of sound heard around the vehicle in the environment based on the detected environment around the vehicle, and detects a situation related to the sound around the vehicle. The notification device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized by the above. The ambient condition detection means detects the volume of sound heard around the vehicle as a condition related to the sound around the vehicle,
The notification sound attribute determination means sets a notification sound having a relatively large volume when the sound around the vehicle is loud, and a relatively small notification sound when the sound around the vehicle is small. The notification device according to claim 1, wherein the notification device is characterized. The ambient condition detection means detects a condition related to sound in the area corresponding to a predetermined area defined around the vehicle,
The notification sound attribute determining means determines a notification sound attribute for the notification to be output to the area corresponding to a predetermined area defined around the vehicle,
The notification sound output means outputs the notification sound of the determined attribute to the predetermined area defined around the vehicle associated with the determination of the attribute. The notification device according to any one of 1 to 6.   The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the notification sound notifies the completion of the operation of locking and unlocking the opening / closing portion of the vehicle.   The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the notification sound notifies the start of the opening and closing so as to call attention to opening and closing of the opening and closing unit of the vehicle. A method for notifying a predetermined state of a vehicle by sound,
Detect the situation related to the sound around the vehicle,
Based on the detected situation about the sound around the vehicle, the attribute of the notification sound to be output for the notification is determined,
A notification method of outputting the notification sound of the determined attribute.

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