JP2006182325A - Alarm device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alarm device for vehicle capable of suitably preventing excessive approach of a subsequent vehicle caused by braking control of an own vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: This alarm device for vehicle calls the driver's attention by an alarm sound to the possibility of a collision between the own vehicle and an alarm object, and equipped with a device for measuring a time of delay in stepping-on a brake pedal; a device for measuring a stepping-on speed of the brake pedal; an alarm timing controller for controlling the timing for outputting the alarm sound on the basis of the time of delay in stepping-on a brake pedal and the stepping-on speed of the brake pedal; and a device for detecting the subsequent vehicle rearward of the own vehicle. The alarm timing controller learns the time of delay in stepping-on a brake pedal when the stepping-on speed of the brake pedal is over a predetermined value, thus advancing the timing of outputting the alarm sound in accordance with the learned time of delay in stepping-on a brake pedal. The alarm timing controller advances the timing of outputting the alarm sound only when the subsequent vehicle is detected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention generally relates to a vehicular alarm device that alerts a driver with a warning sound of the possibility of a collision between the own vehicle and an alarm object, and in particular, an excessive approach of a following vehicle due to braking control of the own vehicle. The present invention relates to an alarm device for a vehicle that can be appropriately prevented.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a vehicle alarm device that alerts a driver with a warning sound about the possibility of collision between the host vehicle and an alarm target (for example, a preceding vehicle) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 monitors the driver's side-by-side driving and dozing operation, and when any of them is detected, the timing for outputting an alarm sound is made earlier than usual.

  There has also been proposed an apparatus for preventing excessive approach of a following vehicle due to braking control of the host vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

The device disclosed in Patent Literature 2 lights a brake lamp in advance of an actual brake pedal operation based on the accelerator pedal opening speed in order to prevent an excessive approach of the following vehicle.
JP-A-3-260900 JP-A-8-132959

  However, the conventional device disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not consider the driver's brake pedal operation characteristics. That is, after the driver recognizes and judges the warning sound, the reaction time (see FIG. 1) from when the foot is switched from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal and the braking control is started has individual differences. Even if the warning is advanced based on the side-by-side driving or the drowsy driving, in the case of a driver having a relatively long reaction time, there is a possibility that the timing at which the operation of the brake pedal is started cannot be effectively advanced.

  Similarly, in the conventional device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the driver's brake pedal operation characteristics are not taken into consideration, and in the case of a driver having a relatively long reaction time, that is, the accelerator pedal opening speed is slow. In the case of a driver who suddenly depresses the brake pedal, there is a possibility that the stop lamp cannot be turned on sufficiently and the sufficient effect cannot be obtained.

  Furthermore, in the conventional device disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the stop lamp is lit even though the vehicle has not started decelerating, the vehicle behavior and the lamp lighting state do not match the driver of the following vehicle. It may give a sense of incongruity. In particular, when the operation of the accelerator pedal is started again without depressing the brake pedal, although the foot is released from the accelerator pedal, such a sense of incongruity becomes more prominent.

  As described above, the conventional devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot effectively prevent the sudden braking operation depending on the brake pedal operation characteristics of the driver, and the following vehicle is excessively approached. The possibility remains.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and it is a main object of the present invention to provide a vehicle alarm device that appropriately prevents excessive approach of a succeeding vehicle due to braking control of the host vehicle.

  One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a vehicle alarm device that alerts the driver with a warning sound about the possibility of collision between the host vehicle and an alarm object, and measures the brake pedal depression delay time. The brake pedal depression delay time measuring means, the brake pedal depression speed measuring means for measuring the brake pedal depression speed, and the alarm sound output timing based on the brake pedal depression delay time and the brake pedal depression speed are determined. And an alarm timing control means for controlling the vehicle.

  In this one aspect, the brake pedal depression delay time is a delay from the reference to the brake pedal operation start time necessary to stop at the stop target position with a gradual braking. It is an index representing a difference time indicating whether an operation is started.

  In this aspect, the alarm timing control means specifically learns, for example, the brake pedal depression delay time when the brake pedal depression speed exceeds a predetermined value, and the learned brake pedal The timing for outputting the alarm sound is advanced according to the stepping delay time.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to control the timing at which an alarm sound is output in consideration of the driver's brake pedal operation characteristics (so-called brake operation habits), and thus driving with a relatively long reaction time. An alarm sound can be output to a person at an earlier timing than in the case of a driver estimated to have a normal reaction time so that the brake pedal operation is started by an appropriate time. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a sudden brake operation is required due to the driver's brake pedal operation characteristics, so that an excessive approach of the following vehicle is appropriately prevented.

  In this aspect, in consideration of the possibility that the driver may feel annoyed if the warning sound is output at a timing earlier than usual until no subsequent vehicle exists, The vehicle further includes a subsequent vehicle detecting means for detecting a rear succeeding vehicle, and the alarm timing control means advances the timing for outputting the alarm sound only when the subsequent vehicle is detected by the subsequent vehicle detecting means. It is preferable to do.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the alarm device for vehicles which prevents appropriately the excessive approach of the succeeding vehicle resulting from the braking control of the own vehicle can be provided.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle alarm device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the vehicle alarm device 200 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle alarm device 200 detects an alarm target such as a preceding vehicle that may collide with the host vehicle, and calculates a distance, a relative speed, and the like between the detected alarm target and the host vehicle. It has various sensors such as a radar sensor 201, an image sensor 202, and a vehicle speed sensor 203. Furthermore, it may have sensors (not shown) such as a rudder angle sensor and a yaw rate sensor for detecting the state of the host vehicle and sensors (not shown) for detecting the driver's gaze direction and face direction. The sensor may be shared with other in-vehicle systems.

  The vehicle alarm device 200 further includes a subsequent vehicle detection unit 204 that detects a subsequent vehicle behind the host vehicle. Here, the method of detecting the presence of the following vehicle by the following vehicle detection unit 204 may be arbitrary. For example, a laser radar and / or a camera is used as in the case of detecting an alarm target such as a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle. Alternatively, the information on the following vehicle may be acquired using inter-vehicle communication or road-to-vehicle communication. In the former case, unlike the case of forward detection, a range of about several hundred meters is sufficient.

  The vehicle alarm device 200 further includes a collision determination unit 207 that analyzes the output signals of the sensors to detect an alarm object, and determines the possibility of collision between the detected alarm object and the host vehicle. . In the present embodiment, the collision determination unit 207 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

  The vehicle alarm device 200 further includes an alarm processing unit 208 that generates an alarm sound for alerting the driver of the possibility of collision. In the present embodiment, the alarm processing unit 208 is, for example, an ECU.

  The vehicle alarm device 200 further includes an output unit 209 that provides the driver with an alarm sound generated by the alarm processing unit 208. In the present embodiment, the output unit 209 includes one or more speakers.

  In the vehicular alarm device 200 having such a schematic configuration, the alarm processing unit 208 controls the alarm sound output timing according to the brake pedal operation characteristics (trend, habit) of the driver. Specifically, the brake pedal depression delay time when a sudden braking operation is considered to have occurred due to a longer response time than usual (ie, when the brake pedal was depressed later than usual) was learned. Thereafter, the timing for outputting the alarm sound is advanced based on the learning result.

  Such alarm sound output timing control according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the flow of the driver operation state from the alarm sound output until the brake pedal operation is performed and the vehicle stops.

  Here, it is assumed that the vehicle driver starts the brake operation in response to the alarm sound and stops the vehicle at the stop target position. Pattern A in the upper part of FIG. 3 shows a normal pattern in which the brake pedal is slowly depressed to the target stop position at a moderate speed, and pattern B in the middle part is abrupt due to a relatively long reaction time. The case where it became a brake is shown.

  In both patterns A and B, the alarm sound is output at the alarm position α before the stop distance from the stop target position so that the vehicle can stop at the stop target position calculated by the relative speed or distance from the alarm object. Has been.

  The stop distance is a distance necessary for the vehicle to stop, and can be divided into an idle running distance and a braking distance. Here, the idle running distance is the distance from the output of the alarm sound to the start of brake pedal operation (STP_ON), and the braking distance is the distance at which the brake pedal is operated.

  The idling distance can be further divided into a time N for the driver to recognize and judge the output warning sound and a reaction time T for moving the foot away from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal.

In pattern A, the alarm sound output in alarm position α driver recognizes and judgment time period N _1, instead stepping the accelerator pedal smoothly to the brake pedal at time period T _1, after the brake pedal operation start STP_ON is operating the brake pedal at a moderate depression speed [Delta] [theta] _1.

On the other hand, pattern B is for a driver with a relatively long reaction time as a brake pedal operation characteristic, and as shown in the figure, the recognition / determination time N ₂ is considered to be almost the same as the normal pattern (N ₂ = N ₁ ), the reaction time T ₂ is longer than T _{1 in the} normal state (T ₂ > T ₁ ). This tends to be seen when the driver is an elderly person, for example.

Thus, even if the reaction time T is extended and the brake pedal operation start STP_ON is delayed, the stop target position does not change. Therefore, in the pattern B, the brake pedal must be depressed more quickly after the brake pedal operation start (STP_ON) (Δθ _2). > Δθ ₁ ), which can be a sudden braking operation.

  Therefore, the alarm processing unit 208 according to the present embodiment sets the timing of outputting an alarm sound when a sudden braking operation occurs due to the reaction time T taking longer than usual as shown in the pattern B. Advancing ahead and letting go ahead.

Specifically, the brake pedal depression speed after the brake pedal operation start (STP_ON) is measured, and it is determined that the brake operation is sudden (for example, Δθ ₂ > predetermined value γ), and the reaction time T ₂ > for _{T 1,} the stepping delay time ΔT ₍₌ T 2 -T ₁₎ is calculated, and stores the [Delta] T.

  Then, the shift amount T_shift of the alarm sound output timing is calculated based on the stepping delay time ΔT. As a result, the alarm position is corrected to β. Thereafter, an alarm sound for the alarm object is output at the corrected alarm position β. The case of this corrected output timing is shown in pattern C in the lower part of FIG.

In the pattern C, the alarm sound is output at the alarm position β that is T_shift before the alarm position α. Therefore, even if the same reaction time T ₂ as the pattern B in the middle part of FIG. 3 is applied, the pattern A in the upper part of FIG. The brake pedal operation is started at the same timing as, and the brake pedal operation can be performed at the same slow brake pedal depression speed Δθ ₁ as in the pattern A, so that braking with a margin is realized.

  In this way, even in the case of a driver who takes a relatively long reaction time, the occurrence of a sudden braking operation is avoided, so that excessive approach of the following vehicle is appropriately prevented.

Note that the step delay time ΔT indicating the tendency of the driver's reaction time T to be delayed is stored and learned every time Δθ ₂ > γ and T ₂ > T ₁ . The ΔT used to calculate the shift amount T_shift of the alarm sound output timing may be, for example, the average value of the accumulated past ΔT or the latest value of ΔT. Regardless of which statistical method is used, the shift amount T_shift is sequentially updated (learned) according to the measured / calculated ΔT in accordance with the latest characteristics / trends.

  Therefore, the shift amount T_shift may gradually increase, or conversely, may gradually decrease and the alarm position β may approach the alarm position α. In the sense that the driver has become aware of his / her own brake pedal operation characteristics, the latter is a preferable situation. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the warning sound output timing is output ahead of schedule, a message prompting early braking operation may be displayed on, for example, a navigation system display or a head-up display. Good.

  Regarding such alarm sound output timing control, the processing flow of the alarm processing unit 208 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of alarm sound output timing control by the alarm processing unit 208 of the vehicle alarm device 200 according to the present embodiment.

  First, the alarm processing unit 208 determines whether or not a subsequent vehicle is detected within a predetermined range behind the host vehicle by the subsequent vehicle detection unit 204 (S401). The forward sound output of the warning sound described with reference to FIG. 3 is mainly intended to prevent excessive approach of the following vehicle, and it is assumed that the warning sound is output at the corrected forward movement timing even in the situation where the subsequent vehicle does not exist. , May give the driver an annoying impression.

  Therefore, based on this insight, in this embodiment, the alarm sound output timing (alarm position β in FIG. 3) forwarded by the shift amount T_shift described with reference to FIG. 3 is used when the following vehicle is detected. It is assumed that the default output timing (alarm position α in FIG. 3) is used in a situation where there is no following vehicle.

  Therefore, if “YES” in S401, the corrected alarm sound output timing is adopted (S402), and if “NO” in S401, the default alarm sound output timing is adopted (S403).

  When the warning sound output timing used in this way is determined, it is then determined whether or not to output a warning sound according to the relative speed, distance, etc. with respect to the warning object such as the preceding vehicle (S404). ).

  Note that this embodiment relates to the control of the alarm sound output timing, and various methods have been proposed for determining the degree of possibility of collision in what situation. Any type.

  For example, when the condition for outputting the alarm sound is not satisfied, for example, the possibility of collision does not reach a predetermined level (“NO” in S404), the alarm processing unit 208 does not generate the alarm sound, and the process returns to S401.

  For example, when a condition for outputting an alarm sound is satisfied, for example, the possibility of a collision exceeds a predetermined level (“YES” in S404), the alarm processing unit 208 generates an alarm sound and sends it to the output unit 209. The output unit 209 amplifies it and outputs it from the speaker (S405). The driver is alerted by the output alarm sound and starts operating the brake pedal.

  Next, the alarm processing unit 208 measures the reaction time T from the time when the output of the accelerator pedal operation amount detection unit 205 becomes 0 to the time when the output of the brake pedal operation amount detection unit 206 exceeds 0 (S406). .

  Next, the warning processing unit 208 measures the brake pedal depression speed Δθ by the driver from the change speed of the output value of the brake pedal operation amount detection unit 206 (S407).

  Next, the alarm processing unit 208 determines whether or not the measured brake pedal depression speed Δθ is a sudden brake operation. Specifically, it is determined whether Δθ is larger than a predetermined threshold γ (S408).

  If Δθ is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold γ (“NO” in S408), it is determined that the sudden braking operation has not occurred in the current braking, and one routine of this flow is terminated without performing special processing. .

If Δθ exceeds a predetermined threshold γ (“YES” in S408), it is determined that a sudden braking operation has occurred during the current braking, and then the brake pedal depression delay time ΔT is calculated. The step delay time ΔT is calculated by subtracting the default reaction time (reaction time T _{1 in} FIG. 3) from the reaction time T measured in S406.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the calculated brake pedal depression delay time ΔT is greater than 0 (S409). When ΔT is 0 or less (“NO” in S409), it is determined that the brake pedal operation is started at an appropriate timing, and the sudden brake operation is determined to be caused by another cause. Therefore, one routine of this flow is terminated without performing special processing.

  If ΔT is greater than 0 (“YES” in S409), it is determined that a sudden braking operation has been performed due to a response delay, and the amount of warning sound output timing is advanced based on the step delay time ΔT. The shift amount T_shift is updated.

  As described above, any method can be used as to how ΔT is reflected in the shift amount T_shift. For example, a predetermined coefficient (constant) may be multiplied (T_shift = ΔT × constant), or simply T_shift = ΔT.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, when the driver has a brake pedal operation characteristic (trend) that the reaction time is relatively long, the length of time that the brake pedal operation is delayed compared to normal braking ( In order to advance the timing of outputting the alarm sound according to ΔT), the situation where a sudden braking operation is required due to the driver's operation tendency (癖) is avoided, and accordingly, excessive approach of the following vehicle is appropriately prevented. be able to.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the warning sound output at such an early timing is output only when there is a following vehicle, so that the possibility of giving the driver an annoying impression is greatly reduced. Can do.

  In the above embodiment, the case where one fixed user uses one vehicle has been described as an implicit assumption. However, the present invention can be applied to a case where a plurality of users use one vehicle. Naturally applicable.

  In this case, each driver's brake pedal operation characteristics (specifically, the learned value of the brake pedal depression delay time ΔT) is stored in advance in association with the user information, and the driver's personal authentication is performed at the time of boarding. It is preferable to recall and use the learned value of the brake pedal depression delay time ΔT stored in association with the driver. The driver's personal authentication in this case may be performed using, for example, smart key (registered trademark) or biometric authentication, or in conjunction with the driving position memory function, the seat position (front and rear, Up / down, reclining angle, etc.), steering wheel position (by tilt mechanism / telescopic mechanism), mirror angle (door mirror, room mirror, etc.), etc. may be set.

  Such customization to an individual can be similarly performed for the frequency of the alarm sound. That is, considering the driver's auditory characteristics such as high sounds becoming harder to hear when older, for example, the frequency of the warning sound used is the driver's individual auditory measurement result, similar to the above brake pedal operation characteristics. It is also possible to customize based on.

  The present invention can be used for a vehicle alarm device. The appearance, weight, size, running performance, etc. of the vehicle to be mounted are not limited.

It is a figure explaining the reaction time which changes from an accelerator pedal to a brake pedal. It is a schematic block diagram of the alarm device for vehicles which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of a driver | operator operation state from a warning sound output until a brake pedal operation is performed and a vehicle stops. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the alarm process by the vehicle alarm device which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

200 Vehicle Alarm Device 201 Radar Sensor 202 Image Sensor 203 Vehicle Speed Sensor 204 Subsequent Vehicle Detection Unit 205 Accelerator Pedal Operation Amount Detection Unit 206 Brake Pedal Operation Amount Detection Unit 207 Collision Determination Unit 208 Alarm Processing Unit 209 Output Unit

Claims (3)

An alarm device for a vehicle that alerts the driver with a warning sound of the possibility of collision between the own vehicle and an alarm object,
Brake pedal depression delay time measuring means for measuring the brake pedal depression delay time,
Brake pedal depression speed measuring means for measuring the brake pedal depression speed;
An alarm device for a vehicle, comprising: alarm timing control means for controlling the timing of outputting the alarm sound based on the brake pedal depression delay time and the brake pedal depression speed. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 1,
The alarm timing control means learns the brake pedal depression delay time when the brake pedal depression speed exceeds a predetermined value, and outputs the alarm sound according to the learned brake pedal depression delay time. A warning device for a vehicle characterized by being accelerated. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 2,
The vehicle further includes a subsequent vehicle detection means for detecting a subsequent vehicle behind the host vehicle,
The alarm device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the alarm timing control means advances the timing for outputting the alarm sound only when the succeeding vehicle is detected by the succeeding vehicle detecting means.

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