JP2007122536A - Obstacle report device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an obstacle report device for vehicle, by which a driver can further accurately know the presence of an obstacle to beware present around the vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: This device comprises an obstacle detection means detecting an obstacle around the vehicle; a warning necessity determination means determining whether attention to the detected obstacle is required or not; display devices 34, 36, 38, and 40 displaying predetermined warning displays; and a virtual sound source generation device capable of generating a virtual sound source in an optional direction to the driver. When the obstacle (pedestrian 60) is detected around the vehicle, a predetermined warning sound is outputted while setting the position of the virtual sound source S to the position of the pedestrian 60, and a predetermined warning display ("Caution!", etc.) is displayed on the display device provided in the position corresponding to the direction of the obstacle. The presence of the obstacle is reported by the warning sound and the warning display in this manner, whereby the driver can further accurately know the presence of the obstacle to notice present around the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle obstacle notification device that notifies a driver of the presence of an obstacle detected around a vehicle.

  Detect obstacles around the vehicle, determine the danger of a collision with the obstacle based on the relative position and speed between the obstacle and the vehicle, and if necessary, There is known an obstacle notification device that notifies the presence of an object. For example, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is this.

The device described in Patent Document 1 configures a direction display device by providing a plurality of rows of light emitters radially on the upper surface of a bonnet or an instrument panel, with a driver seat as the center, and the direction display device has an obstacle. By displaying the direction, the driver is notified of the direction of the obstacle.
JP 2000-242897 A

  Since the driver usually looks at the front of the vehicle, obstacles in front of the vehicle are easier to find by the driver himself than obstacles on the side of the vehicle or behind the vehicle. However, since the device of Patent Document 1 is provided with the direction display device only on the bonnet or the instrument panel, the driver can know the direction of the obstacle existing in front of the vehicle from the display of the direction display device. However, it is impossible to know the presence of an obstacle on the side of the vehicle or behind the vehicle. Even if the direction in which the obstacle exists is displayed on the direction display device, the driver does not always notice the display. For example, when the direction display device is not in the driver's field of view, Although it is in the field of view, the direction display device may not notice the display change because it is relatively located at the edge of the field of view.

  The present invention has been made based on this circumstance, and the object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle obstacle that allows the driver to know the presence of an obstacle to be noted around the vehicle more accurately. The object is to provide an object notification device.

  In order to achieve the object, the invention described in claim 1 includes an obstacle detection means for detecting at least one obstacle on the side of the vehicle and the rear of the vehicle, an obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means, and the own vehicle. Based on the distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the vehicle, the driver needs to determine whether the driver should be careful about the obstacle, and the obstacle detection unit is provided at a position corresponding to the direction in which the obstacle detection unit can detect the obstacle. When it is determined by at least one display device and the attention necessity determination means that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means should be noted, it corresponds to the direction of the detected obstacle. It is a vehicle obstacle notification device characterized by including display control means for displaying a predetermined attention on a display device provided at a position.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the obstacle detecting means detects at least one obstacle on the side of the vehicle and behind the vehicle, and is detected by the obstacle detecting means by the caution necessity determining means. When it is determined that an obstacle should be noted, a predetermined caution display is displayed on the display device provided at a position corresponding to the direction of the obstacle by the display control means. Therefore, it is possible to know from the display on the display device that there is an obstacle to which attention should be paid to at least one of the side of the vehicle and the rear of the vehicle where it is relatively difficult for the driver to find the presence of the obstacle. Therefore, it becomes possible for the driver to know the presence of an obstacle to be noted around the vehicle more accurately.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the obstacle notification device for a vehicle according to the first aspect, the obstacle detection means can detect an obstacle on the side of the vehicle, and the display device operates as a vehicle side portion. It is characterized by having a side notification display device provided at a position where a person can visually recognize. In this case, if an obstacle is detected on the side of the vehicle, and the caution necessity determining means determines that the detected obstacle should be noted, the side provided on the side of the vehicle Because a predetermined warning display will be displayed on the notification display device, the driver should be careful from the warning display on the side display device to the side of the vehicle where it is relatively difficult for the driver to find the presence of the obstacle. Can know that exists.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the obstacle notification device for a vehicle according to the first or second aspect, the obstacle detection means can detect an obstacle behind the vehicle, And a rear notification display device provided around the mirror. In this case, when an obstacle is detected behind the vehicle, and it is determined by the caution necessity determining means that the detected obstacle should be noted, the obstacle is provided around the rear confirmation mirror. Since a predetermined caution display will be displayed on the rear notification display device, there is an obstacle to watch out from the caution display on the rear display device to the rear of the vehicle where it is relatively difficult for the driver to find the presence of the obstacle. You can know that it exists.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the obstacle detection means can also detect an obstacle in front of the vehicle, and as the display device, a forward notification display device provided in front of the driver so as to be visible to the driver. Is preferably further provided. If it does in this way, it can also be known from the caution display of a front display device that the obstacle which should be careful exists ahead of vehicles.

  In the case of the invention described in claim 4, the display device is provided with a front notification display device and at least one of a side notification display device and a rear notification display device. Thus, the display device is provided in at least two positions. Is provided, the display device may not have a two-dimensional expanse such as a simple indicator lamp. Even if it is a simple indicator light, the direction of the detected obstacle is determined by turning on the front indicator light, or turning on the side notification display device (indicator light) or the rear notification display device (indicator light). It is because it can notify. However, it is preferable that the direction of the obstacle is notified in more detail as described in claim 5.

  In the vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 4, the front notification display device is a display having a display screen capable of displaying a plurality of information in the vehicle width direction, The display control means connects the driver and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means in the display screen of the display when the attention necessity judgment means judges that the obstacle should be noted. A predetermined caution display is displayed on a straight line.

  In this way, the driver can know not only that the obstacle exists in front but also in which direction the front is present from the display position of the caution display displayed on the front display device. .

  As described in claim 6, when the display control means of claim 5 displays a predetermined caution display on the display screen of the display, the display control means already has another position at which the predetermined caution display should be displayed. When the display has been made, the predetermined attention display is displayed at the predetermined position by changing the display position of the other display. In this way, a predetermined caution display can be displayed at an appropriate position, and even after the caution display is displayed, another caution display previously displayed at the position where the caution display was displayed. The contents can also be confirmed.

  In the inventions of the first to sixth aspects described above, the direction of the obstacle is notified using the display device. However, by generating a virtual sound source in the direction of the obstacle as in the seventh aspect of the invention, Can also notify the presence of an obstacle and the direction of the obstacle.

  That is, the invention described in claim 7 is an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle in at least one of the vehicle front, the vehicle side, and the vehicle rear, and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means. Based on the distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the vehicle, and a necessity determination unit for determining whether or not the driver should pay attention to the obstacle, and at least two speakers arranged at predetermined positions in the vehicle. A virtual sound source generating device capable of generating a virtual sound source in a direction in which an obstacle can be detected by the obstacle detection means for the driver by changing sounds output from the speakers to each other; and When it is determined by the attention necessity determination means that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means should be noted, the virtual sound source generation device is controlled to operate. And an output sound control means for outputting a predetermined caution sound from the speaker so that the virtual sound source is positioned in the direction of the detected obstacle. .

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the driver can know the direction in which the obstacle to be noted exists from the direction in which the caution sound is heard, and the direction in which the obstacle exists is notified by the sound. Unlike the case where a warning is displayed on the display device, the driver can know the direction in which the obstacle exists regardless of the line-of-sight direction. Therefore, the driver can more accurately know the presence of an obstacle to be noted around the vehicle.

  Here, as described in claim 8, it is preferable that the obstacle detection means is capable of detecting at least one of the vehicle side and the vehicle rear side. In this case, the output sound control means generates a virtual sound source on at least one of the side of the vehicle and the rear of the vehicle and notifies the driver of the presence of an obstacle existing in that direction. Since the driver usually looks at the front of the vehicle, the presence of obstacles on the side of the vehicle and on the sides of the vehicle is less noticeable than the obstacle on the front of the vehicle. Therefore, if the presence of at least one obstacle on the side of the vehicle and the rear of the vehicle is notified as in the invention described in claim 8, the driver knows the obstacle existing around the vehicle more accurately. be able to.

  The attention sound output from the speaker may be one kind of predetermined sound, but it is preferable that the attention sound is as described in claim 9 or 10.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the obstacle notification device for a vehicle according to the seventh or eighth aspect, when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection means, a caution sound output from the speaker is detected. It is a voice representing the direction of the obstacle that has been made. In this way, the driver can know the direction of the obstacle more reliably.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the obstacle notification device for vehicle according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means is classified based on a preset classification. And further comprising an object classification means, wherein the output sound control means outputs an attention sound to be output from the speaker when the obstacle necessity judgment means should be careful of the obstacle by the obstacle classification means. It is characterized by changing based on the classified classification.

  In this way, not only the direction in which the obstacle exists can be known from the sound source direction of the caution sound, but also the driver can know the type of the obstacle according to the kind of the caution sound.

  The eleventh to fifteenth aspects are dependent on any one of the seventh to tenth aspects described above, and the features of the invention according to the eleventh to fifteenth aspects are substantially the same as the first to fifth aspects. It is. In other words, the inventions according to claims 11 to 15 notify the driver of the presence of an obstacle using both a warning sound and a warning display. Thus, by using both the caution sound and the caution display, the driver can more surely know the presence of an obstacle to be noted around the vehicle.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle obstacle notification device (hereinafter simply referred to as an obstacle notification device) 10 according to the present invention.

  The obstacle notification device 10 includes an information collection unit 100 that collects various information inside and outside the vehicle, and information collected by the information collection unit 100 is sent to the information selection unit 12. The information selection unit 12 selects information necessary for processing in the navigation unit 14 and the information processing units 16, 18, and 20 from various information sent from the information collection unit 100, and selects the selected information as the selected information. It outputs to the navigation part 14 and each information processing part 16,18,20.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of the information collection unit 100. The information collecting unit 100 includes a GPS receiver 102, a map information input device 104, a gyroscope 106, a vehicle speed sensor 108, a steering sensor 110, a remaining fuel sensor 112, a tire air pressure sensor 114, a brake switch 116, a throttle opening sensor 118, An in-vehicle computer abnormality monitoring device 120, a peripheral monitoring camera 122, an obstacle sensor 124, an indoor camera 126, a VICS transceiver 128, an Internet communication device 130, a radio 132, a television 134, and a sound / video reproduction device 136 are provided.

  The GPS receiver 102 is a receiver for a global positioning system (GPS) that measures the position of a vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. The map information input device 104 includes a storage medium (not shown) such as a DVD-ROM or a CD-ROM, and reads map information stored in the storage medium and inputs it to the information selection unit 12. The gyroscope 106 detects the relative direction of the vehicle. The GPS receiver 102, the map information input device 104, and the gyroscope 106 collect vehicle position information.

  The vehicle speed sensor 108 detects the vehicle speed by detecting the rotation of the wheel. The steering sensor 110 detects the steering angle of the steering. The remaining fuel sensor 112 and the tire pressure sensor 114 detect the remaining fuel and tire pressure in the fuel tank, respectively. The brake switch 116 detects that the foot brake has been operated, and the throttle opening sensor 118 detects the opening of the throttle valve. The in-vehicle computer abnormality monitoring device 120 monitors the abnormality of various computers mounted on the vehicle, and is configured by a diagnostic program stored in its own computer or another computer, for example. The vehicle speed sensor 108, the steering sensor 110, the fuel remaining amount sensor 112, the tire air pressure sensor 114, the brake switch 116, the throttle opening sensor 118, and the in-vehicle computer abnormality monitoring device 120 collect vehicle information of the own vehicle. is there.

  The periphery monitoring camera 122 is provided at a position where a predetermined direction around the vehicle can be imaged. The obstacle sensors 124 are provided for detecting obstacles in all 360 degrees around the vehicle (for example, for vehicle front detection, vehicle rear detection, vehicle right side detection, vehicle left side detection) 4) sensors. This sensor is an ultrasonic sensor or a laser radar sensor. This obstacle sensor is also used to detect the distance between the obstacle and functions as an inter-vehicle distance sensor when the obstacle is another vehicle. These periphery monitoring camera 122 and obstacle sensor 124 collect vehicle periphery information.

  The indoor camera 126 collects driver information and is provided at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior (for example, a position at the front end of the vehicle interior on the ceiling and at the center in the vehicle width direction). , Shoot the driver's situation sequentially.

  The VICS transceiver 128 is a road traffic information, weather information, date information, facility provided from a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) (registered trademark) center via beacons laid on the road or FM broadcasting stations in various places. Receive information and advertising information. The Internet communication device 130 is a wireless communication device that can be connected to a public telephone line, and is connected to the Internet network via the public telephone line. These VICS transmitter / receiver 128 and Internet communication device 130 collect wide area information, which is information of a region farther from the vehicle than the vehicle surrounding information collected by the surrounding monitoring camera 122 and the obstacle sensor 124.

  The sound / video playback device 136 is a device capable of playing a DVD in which videos such as music CDs and movies are stored. The sound / video playback device 136, the radio 132, and the television 134 mainly collect entertainment information. To do.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the navigation unit 14 performs route guidance processing, and information from the GPS receiver 102, the map information input device 104, the gyroscope 106, the vehicle speed sensor 108, etc. via the information selection unit 12. Is supplied. In addition, information on a destination input by the user input device 30 being operated by the user is supplied via the user input / output control unit 32.

  The vehicle information processing unit 16 determines the traveling state of the host vehicle (abnormality of the in-vehicle device, traveling speed, etc.), and the vehicle speed sensor 108, the steering sensor 110, and the remaining fuel sensor 112 via the information selection unit 12. Information from tire pressure sensor 114, brake switch 116, throttle opening sensor 118, and in-vehicle computer abnormality monitoring device 120 is supplied.

  The wide area information processing unit 18 processes the above-described wide area information, and is supplied with information from the VICS transmitter / receiver 128 and the Internet transmission / reception device 130 via the information selection unit 12.

  The vehicle periphery information processing unit 20 collects and processes information around the vehicle. Information from the periphery monitoring camera 122 and the obstacle sensor 124 is supplied via the information selection unit 12. Further, vehicle information such as information from the vehicle speed sensor 108 is also supplied, and further, the position of the other vehicle relatively close to the own vehicle from the VICS transceiver 128, the type of the other vehicle (ambulance, fire engine, patrol car, Other vehicles are also supplied. The vehicle periphery information processing unit 20 includes an obstacle detection unit 22, a caution necessity determination unit 24, and an obstacle classification unit 26.

  The obstacle detection unit 22 corresponding to the obstacle detection means determines the relative distance, relative direction, and relative speed of the obstacle around the vehicle based on the information from the obstacle sensor 124 and the information from the vehicle speed sensor 108. .

  The attention necessity determination unit 24 corresponding to the attention necessity determination means is based on the relative distance, relative direction, and relative speed between the obstacle and the vehicle determined by the obstacle detection unit 22. Judge whether or not to pay attention to the obstacle. For example, when it is possible to determine from the relative direction and relative speed of the detected obstacle that the obstacle is in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the relative distance is shorter than a predetermined danger distance determined based on the relative speed Judge that you should pay attention to the obstacles. Even if an obstacle is detected in the lateral direction or backward direction with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle, if the relative distance, relative direction, and relative speed satisfy the predetermined caution conditions, the obstacle Judge that things should be noted.

  The obstacle classification unit 26 corresponding to the obstacle classification means, when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit 22, is a relative orientation between the obstacle determined by the obstacle detection unit 22 and the host vehicle. Based on the above, it is determined whether or not the obstacle is in the imaging range of the periphery monitoring camera 122. And when it is an imaging range, the range where the obstacle is imaged is specified from the image captured by the peripheral monitoring camera 122 based on the relative orientation of the obstacle, and the specified range is image-analyzed. To try to classify the detected obstacle into any of the preset classifications. In addition to the classification of the obstacle based on the image analysis, or when the classification of the obstacle based on the image analysis is impossible, classification of the obstacle is attempted using information from the VICS transceiver 128. The preset classification includes, for example, pedestrians, vehicles, and real estate (fixed objects such as utility poles) as major classifications, and vehicles are further classified into ambulances, fire engines, patrol cars, and the like. And other vehicles.

  The user input device 30 includes a key input device that can be input manually by a user such as a mechanical key, and a voice input device that includes a microphone and a voice recognition unit that analyzes voice input from the microphone.

  The user input / output control unit 32 notifies the user in the navigation unit 14, the vehicle information processing unit 16, and the wide area information processing unit 18 in accordance with command signals from the navigation unit 14, the vehicle information processing unit 16, and the wide area information processing unit 18. On the other hand, the information determined to be the content to be output is displayed on the main display 34, and a predetermined sound (such as a sound for route guidance) is output from the speaker 52 in accordance with a command signal from the navigation unit 14. Let In the present embodiment, four speakers 52fl, fr, rl, and rr are provided, which are arranged at the left front part, the right front part, the left rear part, and the right rear part of the passenger compartment, respectively. Further, the user input / output control unit 32 supplies the input signal input from the user input device 30 to the navigation unit 14, and in the case of voice input, the user input / output control unit 32 causes the speaker 52 to talk back.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing a part of the passenger compartment in order to explain the arrangement of the main display 34 and the like. The main display 34 is provided under the windshield. The main display 34 has a width direction length substantially the same as the vehicle width direction length of the passenger compartment, and is constituted by a liquid crystal display or the like. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the main display 34 displays various information such as a speedometer, a fuel gauge, a tachometer, a vehicle periphery image, a traffic regulation display, a route guidance display, and traffic jam information as necessary. In addition, their display position (and size) can be changed in the main display 34.

  The right side display device 36 is an indicator lamp provided integrally with the right side mirror 42, and the left side display device 38 is an indicator lamp provided integrally with the left side mirror 44. The rearview mirror horizontal display device 40 is a pair of indicator lamps provided at both ends in the width direction of the rearview mirror 46 that is a rear confirmation mirror. In addition, since the right side mirror 42 and the left side mirror 44 project the side of the vehicle and also reflect the rear of the vehicle, the side mirrors 42 and 44 are also mirrors for confirming the rear.

  The main display 34, the left and right side display devices 36, 38, and the rearview mirror horizontal display device 40 function as a front notification display device, a side notification display device, and a rear notification display device, respectively. The user input / output control unit 32 described above also functions as a display control unit. When the caution necessity determining unit 24 determines that there is an obstacle that the driver should be aware of, an obstacle detection is performed. Based on the relative orientation of the obstacle determined by the unit 22, the main display 34, the right side display device 36, the left side display device 38, and the rearview mirror horizontal display device 40 are positioned at positions corresponding to the direction of the obstacle. A predetermined caution display is displayed on the provided display device. This caution display blinks at a predetermined period so that the driver can easily notice the caution display.

  Here, the correspondence between the direction of the obstacle and the display device will be described. The obstacle in the front corresponds to the main display 34, the obstacle on the right side corresponds to the right side display device 34, and the obstacle on the left side. An object and the left side display device 36 correspond, and a rear obstacle corresponds to the rearview mirror horizontal display device 40.

  The virtual sound source generating device 50 changes the phase and intensity of the sound output from the four speakers 52fl, fr, rl, and rr to each other, thereby changing the virtual sound source in any direction in the space with respect to the driver's seat. It is a device that can be generated.

  The above-described user input / output control unit 32 also functions as an output sound control unit, and when the attention necessity determination unit 24 determines that there is an obstacle to be watched by the driver, the obstacle detection unit Based on the relative orientation of the obstacle determined by 22, a predetermined caution sound is output from the speaker 52 so that the virtual sound source is positioned in the direction in which the obstacle exists with respect to the driver.

  The caution sound is determined in accordance with the classification in the obstacle classification unit 26 described above. For example, in the case of a pedestrian, the sound of a pedestrian walking, an ambulance, a police car, and a fire truck, In the case of a siren or other vehicle, it is the driving sound of the car.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the display and the position of the virtual sound source S when a pedestrian 60 that is an obstacle is detected on the left front side of the vehicle. Since the pedestrian 60 exists ahead, as shown in FIG. 4, “CAUTION!” Which is a caution display is displayed on the straight line L connecting the pedestrian 60 and the driver in the main display 34. Further, the position of the virtual sound source S is set as the position of the pedestrian, and the walking sound of the pedestrian is output from the virtual sound source S. Therefore, the driver's attention is accurately directed to the pedestrian 60.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which another content (here, route guidance display “turn right at 50 m”) is displayed on the main display 34 before detecting the pedestrian 60. In this state, when the pedestrian 60 is detected at the position shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 6, another content “turn right at 50 m” is displayed at another position (see FIG. In the example of FIG. 6, the caution display is displayed at an appropriate position by changing to the right end of the main display 34.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display example when a pedestrian 60 is detected rearward. The pedestrian 60 exists behind the vehicle, and the pedestrian 60 is reflected in the rearview mirror 46. In this case, the rearview mirror horizontal display device 40 is blinked. The virtual sound source S is on a straight line connecting the driver and the pedestrian 60 (not the pedestrian 60 reflected in the rearview mirror 46 but the actual pedestrian 60). In addition, when the pedestrian 60 exists in the vehicle rear, as shown in FIG. 7, the rear-view mirror horizontal display apparatus 40 is blinked, and the virtual sound source S is located behind the driver, and from there The caution sound is output when the vehicle is in reverse. Accordingly, the driver can relatively easily see the direction of the virtual sound source S located behind him / her.

  When there is an obstacle (such as a pedestrian 60) behind the vehicle, depending on the position of the obstacle, the obstacle appears in one of the pair of side mirrors 42 and 44 instead of the rearview mirror 46. Sometimes it is. In this case, the side display devices 36 and 38 integrated with the side mirrors 42 and 44 on the side where the obstacle is reflected are blinked (in this case, the side display devices 36 and 38 are It functions as a backward notification display device).

  Further, although an example in the case where an obstacle is detected on the side of the vehicle is not shown, the presence of the obstacle can be notified in the same manner as in FIG. That is, the side display device on the side where the obstacle is detected, that is, the right side display device 36 or the left side display device 38 is blinked, and a predetermined caution sound is emitted with the position of the virtual sound source S as the direction of the obstacle. Will be output.

  As described above, according to the obstacle notification device 10 of the present embodiment described above, when the attention necessity determination unit 24 determines that the obstacle should be noted, the obstacle notification device 10 is positioned at the position corresponding to the direction of the obstacle. A predetermined caution display is displayed on the provided display devices 34, 36, 38, 40, and the position of the virtual sound source S is positioned in the direction of the obstacle, and a predetermined caution sound is output from the virtual sound source S. Is done. Therefore, it is possible to know the presence and direction of the obstacle by determining which display device 34, 36, 38, 40 is displaying the caution display, and also from the direction of the caution sound. You can know the direction of existence. Therefore, the driver can accurately know the presence of an obstacle to be noted around the vehicle.

  In particular, in the case of the obstacle notification device 10 according to the present embodiment, since the presence of an obstacle is notified by a caution sound, the display devices 34, 36, 38, and 40 are not included in the driver's field of view. Even if the user does not notice the caution display displayed there, the presence of an obstacle can be known from the caution sound.

  Further, according to the obstacle notification device 10 of the present embodiment, not only in front of the vehicle, but also when an obstacle is detected behind the vehicle and the side of the vehicle, the presence of the obstacle is indicated by a caution display and a caution sound. The driver is notified, and the presence of obstacles behind the vehicle and on the side of the vehicle is relatively difficult to find by the driver himself. It is possible to accurately know the presence of an obstacle to be noted.

  Further, according to the obstacle notification device 10 of the present embodiment, since the caution sound is different depending on the type of the obstacle, the driver may know the type of the obstacle depending on the type of the caution sound. it can.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, The following embodiment is also contained in the technical scope of this invention, and also the summary other than the following is also included. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the presence of obstacles in all directions around the vehicle can be notified, but a limited direction in which the driver is not aware of the obstacles (for example, the left side or the rear). Only the obstacles may be notified.

  In the above-described embodiment, the right side display device 36 and the left side display device 38 that function as the side notification display device are integrated with the side mirrors 42 and 44. It may be arranged on the side of the driver in the passenger compartment (for example, on the left and right ends of the passenger compartment ceiling and the vehicle front-rear direction position is the same as or slightly ahead of the driver).

  In the above-described embodiment, the direction in which the obstacle exists is notified according to the position of the virtual sound source S, and the direction in which the obstacle exists is also notified from the position of the caution display. When an object is detected, a large attention may be displayed on the main display 34 regardless of the direction of the obstacle, and the direction of the obstacle may be notified only by the position of the virtual sound source S.

  In the above-described embodiment, as the forward notification display device, one main display 34 that is long in the vehicle width direction is used, and the direction of the obstacle is notified from the position where the caution display is displayed in the one main display 34. However, when a plurality of display devices are provided in the width direction in front of the driver in the passenger compartment, the direction of the obstacle depends on which display device of the plurality of display devices displays the caution display. May be notified.

  In the above-described embodiment, the virtual sound source generation device 50 includes the four speakers 52. However, since the virtual sound source can be generated in an arbitrary direction with at least two speakers, the number of speakers 52 Is not limited to four, and may be any number of two or more.

  In the above-described embodiment, the caution sound is changed according to the type of the obstacle. However, the same caution sound may be output regardless of the type of the obstacle. In that case, when the caution display is displayed blinking as in the above-described embodiment, the loudness may be changed in synchronization with the blinking cycle, or may not be synchronized with the blinking cycle. Further, the caution sound may be a sound indicating the direction of the obstacle (for example, “caution left front”).

  Further, the caution display may be simply turned on (displayed) or the luminance may be changed.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, when an obstacle is detected rearward or laterally, the position of the virtual sound source S is set in the direction of the obstacle, but is reflected in the display devices 36, 38, and 40. The position of the virtual sound source S may be set in the direction of the obstacle.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the obstacle notification apparatus 10 of this invention. 2 is a block diagram illustrating in detail a configuration of an information collecting unit 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows a part of vehicle interior in order to demonstrate arrangement | positioning etc. of the main display. It is a figure which illustrates the position at the time of detecting the pedestrian 60 which is an obstruction in the vehicle left front, and the position of the virtual sound source S. It is a figure which shows the state by which another content is displayed on the main display 34 before detecting the pedestrian 60. FIG. In the state of FIG. 5, it is a figure which shows the example of a display when the pedestrian 60 is detected in the position shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display when the pedestrian 60 is detected back.

Explanation of symbols

10: Vehicle obstacle notification device 22: Obstacle detection unit (obstacle detection means)
24: Attention necessity determination section (attention necessity determination means)
26: Obstacle classification section (obstacle classification means)
32: User input / output control unit (display control means, output sound control means)
34: Main display (forward notification display device)
36: Right side display device (side notification display device, rear notification display device)
38: Left side display device (side notification display device, rear notification display device)
40: Rearview mirror horizontal display device (rear notification display device)
42: Right side mirror (rear mirror)
44: Left side mirror (rear mirror)
46: Rearview mirror (backward confirmation mirror)
50: Virtual sound source generator 52: Speaker S: Virtual sound source

Claims (15)

Obstacle detection means for detecting at least one obstacle on the side and rear of the vehicle;
Based on the distance and relative speed between the obstacle and the vehicle detected by the obstacle detection means, the driver needs to determine whether or not the driver should pay attention to the obstacle;
At least one display device provided at a position corresponding to a direction in which the obstacle detection means can detect;
A display device provided at a position corresponding to the direction of the detected obstacle when it is determined by the attention necessity determination means that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means should be noted The vehicle obstacle notification device further comprising: display control means for displaying a predetermined caution. The obstacle detection means can detect an obstacle on the side of the vehicle,
The vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 1, further comprising a side notification display device provided at a position where the driver on the side of the vehicle can visually recognize the display device. The obstacle detection means can detect an obstacle behind the vehicle,
The vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 1, further comprising a rear notification display device provided around a rear confirmation mirror as the display device. The obstacle detection means can also detect an obstacle in front of the vehicle,
The vehicle obstacle notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a forward notification display device provided in front of the driver so as to be visible to the driver as the display device. . The forward notification display device is a display having a display screen capable of displaying a plurality of information in the vehicle width direction,
When the display control means determines that the obstacle should be watched by the attention necessity determination means, the display control means displays the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means and the driver in the display screen of the display. The vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 4, wherein a predetermined caution display is displayed on a connecting straight line. The display control means, when displaying a predetermined caution display in the display screen of the display, if another display has already been made at the position where the predetermined caution display is to be displayed, the display of the other display The vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined attention display is displayed at a predetermined position by changing the position. Obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle in at least one direction of the vehicle front, the vehicle side, and the vehicle rear;
Based on the distance and relative speed between the obstacle and the vehicle detected by the obstacle detection means, the driver needs to determine whether or not the driver should pay attention to the obstacle;
By providing at least two speakers arranged at predetermined positions in the vehicle and changing the sounds output from the speakers to each other, the obstacle can be detected by the obstacle detection means for the driver. A virtual sound source generator capable of generating a virtual sound source;
When it is determined by the attention necessity determination means that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means should be noted, the virtual sound source generation device is controlled and detected by the driver. And an output sound control means for outputting a predetermined caution sound from the speaker so that the virtual sound source is positioned in the direction of the obstacle.   8. The vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 7, wherein the obstacle detection means is capable of detecting at least one of a vehicle side and a vehicle rear.   9. The caution sound output from the speaker when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection means is a voice representing the direction of the detected obstacle. Obstacle notification device for vehicles. An obstacle classification means for classifying the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means based on a preset classification;
The output sound control means, based on the classification classified by the obstacle classification means, the attention sound to be output from the speaker when it is determined that the attention necessity judgment means should pay attention to the obstacle The vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the vehicle obstacle notification device is changed. At least one display device provided at a position corresponding to a direction in which the obstacle detection means can detect;
A display device provided at a position corresponding to the direction of the detected obstacle when it is determined by the attention necessity determination means that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means should be noted The vehicle obstacle notification device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising: a display control unit configured to display a predetermined attention. The obstacle detection means can detect an obstacle on the side of the vehicle,
The vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 11, further comprising a side notification display device provided at a position where the driver on the side of the vehicle can visually recognize the display device. The obstacle detection means can detect an obstacle behind the vehicle,
The vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising a rear notification display device provided around a rear confirmation mirror as the display device. The obstacle detection means can also detect an obstacle in front of the vehicle,
The vehicle obstacle notification device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising a forward notification display device provided in front of the driver so as to be visible to the driver as the display device. . The forward notification display device is a display having a display screen capable of displaying a plurality of information in the vehicle width direction,
When the display control means determines that the obstacle should be noted by the attention necessity determination means, the display control means is located at a position corresponding to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means within the display screen of the display. The vehicle obstacle notification device according to claim 14, wherein a predetermined caution display is displayed.

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