JP2008046862A - Vehicle alarm device and alarm sound output method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately alert a vehicle driver's without calling his or her attention to a wrong direction even if the direction to be watched by the driver cannot be uniquely specified for a caution-needed event needing attention for maintaining safe traveling of a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: When a caution-needed event detection part 11 of a control device 10 detects a caution-needed event, a direction determination part 12 determines a direction to be watched by the driver of an own vehicle for the caution-needed event, and when the direction to be watched by the driver of the own vehicle cannot be uniquely specified, an alarm sound output control part 13 controls output of alarm sound from speakers 6a-6f to output an alarm sound easy to reverberate within the own vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular alarm device and a warning sound output method for detecting a warning event that requires attention in order to maintain safe driving of a vehicle and outputting a warning sound that alerts a vehicle driver.

  Conventionally, to detect cautionary events that require attention in order to maintain safe driving of a vehicle based on various types of information representing the situation around the vehicle, the driving state of the vehicle, etc., to alert the driver of the vehicle Vehicle warning devices that prevent vehicle accidents by outputting the warning sound are known.

  With this type of vehicle alarm device, the driver can accurately tell the direction in which the cause of the cautionary event is present, that is, the direction in which the attention should be directed, so that the driver can quickly respond to the cautionary event. In order to achieve this, an attempt has been made to output a relatively high-frequency warning sound in which the directionality is easily perceived by matching the output direction of the warning sound with the direction in which the occurrence factor of the cautionary event exists (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1 discloses a warning in which directivity can be easily perceived from a speaker installed in a direction that coincides with a direction in which a cause of occurrence of a cautionary event exists when viewed from a driver among a plurality of speakers installed in a vehicle. Control sound so that the warning sound can be heard from the direction in which the cause of the cautionary event exists by adjusting the volume and timing of the warning sound that is output from each speaker or by using a combination of multiple speakers. Thus, a technique for enabling a driver of a vehicle to immediately grasp a direction in which attention should be directed is disclosed.
JP 2005-134971 A

  By the way, as in the prior art described in Patent Document 1 described above, the technique of matching the output direction of the warning sound with the direction in which the driver of the vehicle should pay attention is the driving of the vehicle with respect to the event requiring attention. It is assumed that the person can uniquely identify the direction in which the person should pay attention. However, in actuality, as a cautionary event that requires attention to maintain safe driving of the vehicle, for example, it is necessary to pay attention in all directions around the vehicle while driving in a school zone or a shopping street. In some cases, the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention cannot be uniquely identified.

  In such a case, with the above-described conventional technology, it is assumed that a countermeasure for simultaneously outputting a warning sound from all of a plurality of speakers installed in the vehicle is assumed. However, when such measures are taken, propagation until the warning sound output from each speaker reaches the driver according to the relationship between the position of the driver inside the vehicle and the installation position of each speaker. Due to the difference in time, the vehicle driver strongly recognizes the output direction of the warning sound that arrived fastest by the preceding sound effect, and misunderstands that the warning sound is output only from that direction. There is a risk of misrecognizing the direction in which to turn.

  The present invention was devised to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and attention should be paid even when the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention to a cautionary event cannot be uniquely identified. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular alarm device and a warning sound output method capable of appropriately alerting a vehicle driver without misrecognizing the direction to be directed.

  The present invention relates to an output direction by a reverberation effect of a warning sound when a direction in which a vehicle driver should pay attention to a cautionary event that requires attention in order to maintain safe driving of the vehicle cannot be specified uniquely. The above-described problem is solved by preventing the vehicle driver from recognizing the vehicle.

  That is, the first invention determines the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention when a cautionary event is detected, and if the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention is uniquely specified, the identification is performed. The warning sound of the first output mode is output from the direction that coincides with the generated direction, and when the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention is not uniquely specified, the warning sound is generated inside the vehicle as compared with the first output mode. A warning sound of the second output mode in which reverberation easily occurs is output.

  The second aspect of the invention determines the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention when a cautionary event is detected. If the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention is not uniquely specified, the sound pressure level is determined. Is output as a warning sound.

  According to the present invention, when the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention to the event requiring attention cannot be uniquely identified, the vehicle driver erroneously recognizes the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention by outputting a warning sound. It is possible to appropriately alert the vehicle driver while effectively preventing it.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
The configuration of a vehicle alarm device to which the present invention is applied is shown in FIG. The vehicle alarm device according to the present embodiment detects a cautionary event that requires attention in order to maintain a safe driving of a vehicle (own vehicle) on which the device is mounted, and alerts the driver of the own vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, an in-vehicle camera 1, a radar device 2, a communication device 3, an in-vehicle navigation device 4, an in-vehicle sensor 5 and the like serving as information sources for detecting a cautionary event are output. , A control device 10 that detects a warning event based on information from these information sources and controls the output of a warning sound, and outputs a warning sound that is installed inside the host vehicle under the control of the control device 10 And a plurality of speakers 6a to 6f.

  The in-vehicle camera 1 captures images around the host vehicle such as the front and rear of the host vehicle and both the left and right sides, and supplies the image data to the control device 10. The radar apparatus 2 scans a predetermined scanning area with electromagnetic waves, detects an object existing in the scanning area, and supplies object detection information to the control apparatus 10. Further, the communication device 3 acquires various types of information from outside the vehicle by road-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the like, and supplies the acquired information to the control device 10. The in-vehicle navigation device 4 supplies the control device 10 with the position information of the own vehicle, the route setting information detected by GPS or the like, the map information around the own vehicle, and the like. The vehicle-mounted sensors 6 are various sensors for detecting the traveling state of the host vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor and a steering angle sensor, and control various information representing the traveling state such as the traveling speed and steering angle of the host vehicle. 10 is supplied.

  The plurality of speakers 6a to 6f are used not only for outputting a warning sound, but also for outputting voice from an in-vehicle audio device or in-vehicle TV (not shown), outputting voice guidance by the in-vehicle navigation device 4, etc., for example, as shown in FIG. It is installed inside the vehicle in the arrangement shown. That is, the speaker 6a is in front of the driver seat DS inside the host vehicle, the speaker 6b is in front of the passenger seat PS inside the host vehicle, the speaker 6c is near the driver DS side door inside the host vehicle, and the speaker 6d is the passenger seat PS inside the host vehicle. Near the side door, the speaker 6e is installed on the right side of the rear seat BS inside the host vehicle, and the speaker 6f is installed on the left side of the rear seat BS inside the host vehicle.

  In the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment, the control device 10 is mainly configured by a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and the CPU is stored in advance in the ROM using the RAM as a work area. By executing a predetermined control program, each functional configuration of the caution required event detection unit 11, the direction determination unit 12, and the warning sound output control unit 13 is realized.

  The caution event detector 11 is a function for detecting a caution event that requires attention in order to maintain safe traveling of the host vehicle. Here, as the cautionary events, for example, there are obstacles and pedestrians in the vicinity of the host vehicle, the host vehicle is approaching the preceding vehicle, and the rear vehicle is approaching the host vehicle. The situation includes situations where the vehicle is driving in a busy area such as a school zone or a shopping street. The caution event detector 11 detects these caution events based on information from information sources such as the in-vehicle camera 1, the radar device 2, the communication device 3, the in-vehicle navigation device 4, and the in-vehicle sensors 5. That is, the presence or absence of an obstacle or a pedestrian in the vicinity of the host vehicle can be determined based on, for example, information on an image in front of the host vehicle photographed by the in-vehicle camera 1, object detection information by the radar device 2, and the like. The situation in which the host vehicle is approaching the preceding vehicle is, for example, information on an image in front of the host vehicle photographed by the in-vehicle camera 1, object detection information by the radar device 2, and inter-vehicle communication using the communication device 3. Can be determined on the basis of the information on the preceding vehicle obtained by the above, information on the traveling speed of the host vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor, and the like. The situation in which the rear vehicle is approaching the host vehicle is, for example, information on an image behind the host vehicle photographed by the in-vehicle camera 1, information on the rear vehicle obtained by inter-vehicle communication using the communication device 3, The determination can be made based on information on the traveling speed of the host vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor. In addition, the situation where the host vehicle is traveling in a busy area such as a school zone or a shopping street is based on information on the image around the host vehicle captured by the in-vehicle camera 1 or road-to-vehicle communication using the communication device 3. The determination can be made based on the obtained road condition information, map information around the host vehicle obtained from the in-vehicle navigation device 4 and the like.

  The direction determination unit 12 determines a direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention to the detected cautionary event when the cautionary event detection unit 11 detects the cautionary event as described above. It is a function. Here, the direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention to the event requiring attention is the direction in which the cause of the event requiring attention exists, that is, the obstacle in the vicinity of the own vehicle. If there is an object or pedestrian, the direction in which the obstacle or pedestrian is present, if the vehicle is approaching the preceding vehicle, the direction in which the preceding vehicle is present, and the vehicle behind is the own vehicle. In a situation where the vehicle is approaching, the direction of the vehicle behind the vehicle is present. The direction determination unit 12 specifies the position of the cause of the attention event from the information used for the detection of the above-mentioned attention event, and from the relative positional relationship between the position of the occurrence factor and the driver's seat inside the host vehicle, A direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention to the attention event is determined. And the direction determination part 12 outputs the determination result which shows the direction, when the driver | operator of the own vehicle can identify the direction which should pay attention with respect to an attention required event uniquely.

  Further, when a situation in which the own vehicle is traveling in a busy area such as a school zone or a shopping street is detected as a cautionary event by the caution event detecting unit 11, in such a situation, from anywhere around the own vehicle Since it is impossible to predict whether pedestrians or bicycles will jump out, the direction determination unit 12 determines that attention should be directed to all directions around the host vehicle. In addition, when the situation requiring attention detection unit 11 detects a situation in which a plurality of obstacles or pedestrians exist in different directions in the vicinity of the host vehicle as the event requiring attention, the direction determination unit 12 A plurality of directions are specified as directions in which the driver of the driver should pay attention. Then, the direction determination unit 12 determines that the direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention as all directions around the vehicle as described above, or a plurality of directions as directions in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention. When the vehicle is specified, a determination result indicating that the direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention to the event requiring attention cannot be uniquely specified is output.

  The direction determination unit 12 detects, for example, a situation in which a moving obstacle such as a two-wheeled vehicle is present in the vicinity of the host vehicle by the caution event detection unit 11, and the obstacle that is a cause of the caution event. Even if the vehicle driver cannot uniquely identify the direction in which the driver should pay attention due to the movement of the A determination result indicating that the direction to be directed cannot be uniquely identified is output.

  When the direction determination unit 12 uniquely identifies the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention, the warning sound output control unit 13 can easily perceive directionality from the direction that matches the specified direction. In addition to controlling the output of the warning sound from the speakers 6a to 6f so that the warning sound of the output mode 1 is output, the direction determination unit 12 does not uniquely identify the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention. In this case, the output of the warning sound from the speakers 6a to 6f is controlled so that the warning sound of the second output form that is likely to generate reverberation inside the host vehicle is output as compared with the first output form. It is a function.

  That is, when the direction determination unit 12 uniquely identifies the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention and the determination result indicating the direction is supplied, the warning sound output control unit 13 It is determined whether or not any of the speakers 6a to 6f is installed in a direction substantially the same as the direction seen from the above, and if the speaker is installed in a direction substantially the same as the direction in which the driver should pay attention, the speaker is selected. Select as a speaker to be used for warning sound output, and if the speaker is not installed in the same direction as the direction where the driver should pay attention, either one of the speakers close to that direction, or a combination of multiple speakers, Select the speaker to be used for warning sound output. And the warning sound output control part 13 is the warning sound of the 1st output mode which is easy to perceive directionality from this selected speaker, specifically, for example, the intermittent sound (pit, beep, beep) whose frequency is about 4 kHz. Is output. As a result, the driver of the host vehicle can recognize that a warning event that requires attention in order to maintain safe driving of the host vehicle has occurred. From the output direction, it is possible to intuitively grasp the direction in which attention should be directed to the event requiring attention.

  On the other hand, when the direction determination unit 12 does not uniquely identify the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention, and the determination result to that effect is supplied, the warning sound output control unit 13 is connected to the speakers 6a to 6f. 2 or any of them is selected as a speaker to be used for outputting a warning sound, and the second output in which reverberation is likely to occur inside the host vehicle from the selected speaker as compared with the first output mode. A warning sound of a form (boon, bon, bon) is output. That is, when the driver of the own vehicle cannot uniquely identify the direction in which the driver of the vehicle should pay attention to the event requiring attention, if the driver of the own vehicle recognizes the output direction of the warning sound, There is a risk that the direction may be mistakenly recognized as the direction in which attention should be directed. Therefore, if the driver of the own vehicle cannot uniquely identify the direction in which the driver needs to pay attention to the cautionary event, reverberation occurs inside the own vehicle from all of the speakers 6a to 6f or any speaker therein. An easy warning sound is output so that the driver of the host vehicle does not recognize the output direction of the warning sound due to the reverberation effect of the warning sound.

  Here, reverberation means that sound output from a certain sound source repeats reflection, and after stopping output from the sound source, sound is not output from the sound source, even though it is sound at the observation point. This is a phenomenon that sounds like it is output. As shown in FIG. 3, the reverberation time is defined as the time from when the output is stopped by the sound source until the sound pressure level of the sound observed at the observation point drops by 60 dB. A sound having a characteristic whose level of attenuation is gradual and can secure a sufficient reverberation time is a sound in which reverberation easily occurs. In the actual environment, there is noise around the observation point (background noise). If the sound pressure level that gradually attenuates after the output stops at the sound source becomes smaller than the background noise level, the sound cannot be perceived. It is important to ensure a sufficient amount of time before the pressure level decays below the background noise level.

  As the warning sound conditions of the second output mode in which reverberation is likely to occur inside the host vehicle as compared with the first output mode, the following three may be considered. That is, first, when the warning sound is an intermittent sound in which output / stop is repeated at a predetermined cycle, the warning sound of the second output mode is a warning sound of the first output mode as schematically shown in FIG. Compared with the above, by setting the output repetition interval to be long, that is, an intermittent sound with a long output cycle, reverberation is likely to occur inside the host vehicle. This is because, in the case of an intermittent sound with a short output cycle, the previously output sound is masked by the next output sound, making it difficult to perceive reverberation, but the output cycle is sufficiently long. This is because, by setting, it becomes possible to perceive the state in which the sound pressure level of the previously output sound is gradually attenuated, that is, reverberation.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the warning sound of the second output mode has a reverberation inside the host vehicle by increasing the sound pressure level at the time of output compared to the warning sound of the first output mode. It tends to occur. This is because sound with a low sound pressure level at the time of output has a short time (reverberation time) until it becomes lower than the background noise level due to attenuation after output stop, whereas it is difficult to perceive reverberation. This is because by setting the sound pressure level at the time of output to a large value and increasing the difference from the background noise level, the reverberation time can be increased by that amount, and reverberation can be easily perceived.

  Furthermore, the warning sound of the second output mode is likely to generate reverberation inside the host vehicle by lowering the frequency of the sound compared to the warning sound of the first output mode. This is because sound with a high frequency (for example, a sound of 1 kHz or more) has a high attenuation rate when propagating in the air, and a sufficient reverberation time cannot be obtained, whereas the sound frequency is set to a low value. This is because the reverberation time can be increased and the reverberation can be easily perceived.

  From the above viewpoint, in the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment, when the warning sound output control unit 13 of the control device 10 does not uniquely identify the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention by the direction determination unit 12. Includes an intermittent sound having a longer output cycle than the warning sound of the first output mode, a sound having a higher sound pressure level at the time of output than the warning sound of the first output mode, and a warning sound of the second output mode. A sound of any one of the sounds having a low frequency or a combination thereof is output as a warning sound in the second output mode. This effectively prevents inconvenience that the driver of the vehicle erroneously recognizes that attention should be directed to a specific direction while alerting the driver of the vehicle to a cautionary event with a warning sound. Can do.

  Next, operation | movement of the alarm device for vehicles of this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 5 shows an outline of a series of operations by the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment, and starts when the power source of the vehicle alarm device is turned on.

  In the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment, when the flow of FIG. 5 is started, first, in step S101, the cautionary event detection unit 11 of the control device 10 includes the in-vehicle camera 1, the radar device 2, the communication device 3, and the in-vehicle device. Information necessary for detecting a cautionary event is collected from each information source of the navigation device 4 and the vehicle-mounted sensors 5. In step S102, the caution event detection unit 11 determines whether or not a caution event that requires attention in order to maintain safe traveling of the host vehicle has occurred based on the information collected in step S101.

  If no caution event has occurred, monitoring of the caution event based on information newly obtained from each information source (the processing in steps S101 and S102) is repeated while the system is powered on. It is. On the other hand, if it is determined that a caution event has occurred, the process proceeds to step S103. In step S103, the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention to the caution event detected in step S102 by the direction determination unit 12. Determine the direction. If it is determined in step S103 that the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention can be uniquely specified, the process proceeds to step S104. In step S104, the warning sound output control unit 13 matches the specified direction. The warning sound output from the speakers 6a to 6f is controlled so that the warning sound in the first output mode in which the directionality is easy to be perceived from the determined direction. On the other hand, if the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention is not uniquely identified in the determination in step S103, the process proceeds to step S105. In step S105, the warning sound output control unit 13 compares the direction with the first output mode. Then, the output of the warning sound from the speakers 6a to 6f is controlled so that the warning sound of the second output mode in which reverberation is likely to occur inside the host vehicle is output.

  The series of processes from step S101 to step S105 is repeated while the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment is turned on, and the vehicle alarm device is turned off (in step S106). If the determination is YES, the process is terminated.

  As described above in detail with reference to specific examples, in the vehicle alarm device according to the present embodiment, caution is required to maintain safe traveling of the host vehicle by the caution event detection unit 11 of the control device 10. When a caution event is detected, the direction determination unit 12 determines a direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention to the caution event, and the direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention is determined. When uniquely specified, the warning sound output control unit 13 outputs the warning sound of the first output mode in which the directionality is easy to be perceived from the direction coinciding with the specified direction. The warning sound output control unit 13 controls the output of the warning sound from 6f, and if the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention is not uniquely specified, the warning sound output control unit 13 compares it with the first output mode. Second output that is likely to cause reverberation inside the host vehicle As like alarm sound is output, so as to control the output of the warning sound from the speaker 6 a to 6 f. Therefore, if the direction in which the driver of the vehicle should pay attention to the event requiring attention can be uniquely identified, the direction in which the driver should pay attention to the event requiring attention is determined by the output direction of the warning sound. When the driver of the vehicle is not able to uniquely identify the direction that requires attention to a cautionary event, the output direction is not recognized due to the reverberation effect of the warning sound. In addition, it is possible to appropriately alert the driver of the host vehicle to the event requiring attention while effectively preventing the inconvenience that the driver of the host vehicle erroneously recognizes that attention should be directed to a specific direction.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a vehicle alarm device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment has the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment described above (see FIG. 1), and uniquely identifies the direction in which the driver of the vehicle should pay attention to a cautionary event. The warning sound that is output from the speakers 6a to 6f when it is not possible is different from the above-described first embodiment. That is, in the first embodiment described above, when the direction determination unit 12 of the control device 10 does not uniquely identify the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention to the event requiring attention, the warning sound output control unit 13 outputs a warning sound of the second output mode in which reverberation is likely to occur inside the host vehicle. However, in the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment, the direction determination unit 12 of the control device 10 requires attention. When the direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention to the event is not uniquely specified, the warning sound output control unit 13 is configured to output a pseudo reverberation sound whose sound pressure level gradually attenuates with time. Yes.

  In the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment, the caution event detection unit 11 of the control device 10 is similar to the first embodiment in that the vehicle-mounted camera 1, the radar device 2, the communication device 3, the vehicle-mounted navigation device 4, and the vehicle-mounted sensor. Based on information from an information source such as class 5, a cautionary event that requires attention in order to maintain safe driving of the host vehicle is detected. Similarly to the first embodiment, the direction determination unit 12 determines the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention to the caution event detected by the caution event detection unit 11.

  When the direction determination unit 12 uniquely identifies the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention, the warning sound output control unit 13 matches the identified direction as in the first embodiment. Controlling the output of warning sounds from the speakers 6a to 6f so as to output a warning sound in which directionality is easily perceived from the direction, specifically, an intermittent sound having a frequency of about 4 kHz, for example. . Further, the warning sound output control unit 13 artificially creates a state in which reverberation occurs inside the host vehicle when the direction determination unit 12 does not uniquely identify the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention. The output of the warning sound from the speakers 6a to 6f is controlled so that the pseudo reverberation sound, specifically, the pseudo reverberation sound whose output sound pressure level gradually attenuates as time elapses as shown in FIG. 6, for example, is output. To do.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of a series of operations by the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment. In the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment, when the vehicle alarm device is turned on and the flow of FIG. 7 is started, first, in Step S201, the caution event detecting unit 11 of the control device 10 is operated by the on-vehicle camera. 1. Information necessary to detect a cautionary event is collected from each information source of the radar device 2, the communication device 3, the in-vehicle navigation device 4, and the in-vehicle sensors 5. In step S202, the caution event detection unit 11 determines whether or not a caution event that requires attention in order to maintain the vehicle's safe traveling has occurred, based on the information collected in step S201.

  Here, if no caution event has occurred, monitoring of the caution event based on information newly obtained from each information source (the processing in step S201 and step S202) is repeated while the system is powered on. It is. On the other hand, if it is determined that a caution event has occurred, the process proceeds to step S203. In step S203, the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention to the caution event detected in step S202 by the direction determination unit 12. Determine the direction. If it is determined in step S203 that the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention can be uniquely specified, the process proceeds to step S204. In step S204, the warning sound output control unit 13 matches the specified direction. The warning sound output from the speakers 6a to 6f is controlled so that the warning sound of the first output mode in which the directionality is easy to be perceived from the determined direction. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S203 that the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention is not uniquely specified, the process proceeds to step S205. In step S205, the warning sound output control unit 13 determines that the sound pressure level has increased with time. The output of the warning sound from the speakers 6a to 6f is controlled so that the gradually reverberating pseudo reverberation sound is output as the warning sound.

  The series of processes from step S201 to step S205 is repeated while the vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment is turned on, and the vehicle alarm device is turned off (in step S206). If the determination is YES, the process is terminated.

  As described above, in the vehicle alarm device according to the present embodiment, when a caution event that requires attention is detected by the caution event detection unit 11 of the control device 10 to maintain safe traveling of the host vehicle. The direction determination unit 12 determines a direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention to the cautionary event, and a warning is given if the direction in which the driver of the own vehicle should pay attention is uniquely specified. The sound output control unit 13 controls the output of the warning sound from the speakers 6a to 6f so that the warning sound of the first output mode in which the directionality is easy to be perceived from the direction that matches the specified direction. In addition, when the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle should pay attention is not uniquely specified, the warning sound output control unit 13 outputs a pseudo reverberant sound whose sound pressure level gradually attenuates as time passes. Speaker 6 So as to control the output of the warning sound from ~6f. Therefore, if the direction in which the driver of the vehicle should pay attention to the event requiring attention can be uniquely identified, the direction in which the driver should pay attention to the event requiring attention is determined by the output direction of the warning sound. When the driver of the vehicle is not able to uniquely identify the direction that requires attention to a cautionary event, the output direction is not recognized due to the reverberation effect of the warning sound. In addition, it is possible to appropriately alert the driver of the host vehicle to the event requiring attention while effectively preventing the inconvenience that the driver of the host vehicle erroneously recognizes that attention should be directed to a specific direction.

  The vehicle alarm device of each embodiment described above is an example of application of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents disclosed in the description of the above embodiment. Of course, various alternative technologies that can be easily derived from these disclosures are also included. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the speakers 6a to 6f are exemplified as the speakers that output the warning sound. However, the number and arrangement of the speakers that output the warning sound can be arbitrarily set. In the above-described embodiment, the in-vehicle camera 1, the radar device 2, the communication device 3, the in-vehicle navigation device 4, and the like are used as information sources for detecting a cautionary event that requires attention in order to maintain safe traveling of the host vehicle. The in-vehicle sensor 5 is exemplified, but the information source is not particularly limited to these examples, and any information source can be used as long as it can acquire information for determining the occurrence of an alarm target event. It is.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the alarm device for vehicles to which this invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the speaker in the own vehicle. It is a figure explaining reverberation. It is a figure explaining the warning sound of the 2nd output mode in contrast with the warning sound of the 1st output mode. It is a flowchart which shows the outline | summary of a series of operation | movement by the alarm device for vehicles of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining a pseudo reverberation sound. It is a flowchart which shows the outline | summary of a series of operation | movement by the alarm device for vehicles of 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car-mounted camera 2 Radar apparatus 3 Communication apparatus 4 Car-mounted navigation apparatus 5 Car-mounted sensors 6a-6f Speaker 10 Control apparatus 11 Attention required event detection part 12 Direction determination part 13 Warning sound output control part

Claims (8)

In an alarm device for a vehicle that outputs a warning sound that detects a cautionary event that requires attention in order to maintain safe driving of a vehicle and alerts the driver of the vehicle,
Direction determination means for determining a direction in which a vehicle driver should pay attention when the attention-required event is detected;
When a direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention is uniquely specified by the direction determination means, a warning sound of the first output mode is output from a direction that matches the specified direction, and the direction determination means Warning sound output control for outputting a warning sound of the second output mode that is more likely to reverberate inside the vehicle than the first output mode when the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention is not uniquely specified by An alarm device for a vehicle.   The warning sound of the second output mode is an intermittent sound having a longer output cycle than the warning sound of the first output mode, a sound having a higher sound pressure level than the warning sound of the first output mode, The vehicle alarm device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm device is any one or a combination of sounds having a frequency lower than the warning sound of the output mode.   The warning sound output control unit is configured to specify a plurality of directions as directions in which the vehicle driver should pay attention to all directions around the vehicle, or directions in which the vehicle driver should pay attention, by the direction determination unit. If the vehicle driver cannot identify the direction in which the driver should pay attention due to the change in the relative position of the generation factor of the cautionary event with respect to the vehicle, the warning sound of the second output mode is output. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 1, wherein: Several speakers are installed inside the vehicle,
The warning sound output control means, when the direction that the vehicle driver should pay attention to is uniquely specified by the direction determination means, from the speaker installed in the direction that matches the specified direction. When the direction determination means does not uniquely specify the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention, the first sound is output from any speaker or all speakers among the plurality of speakers. The vehicle warning device according to claim 1, wherein a warning sound having two output modes is output. A warning sound output method for outputting a warning sound for detecting a cautionary event that requires attention in order to maintain safe driving of a vehicle and alerting a vehicle driver,
A first step of determining a direction in which a vehicle driver should pay attention when the cautionary event is detected;
When a direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention is uniquely specified in the first step, a warning sound of a first output mode is output from a direction that matches the specified direction, and the first When the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention is not uniquely specified in the step, the second output mode warning sound that is more likely to reverberate inside the vehicle than the first output mode is output. A warning sound output method comprising the steps of: In an alarm device for a vehicle that outputs a warning sound that detects a cautionary event that requires attention in order to maintain safe driving of a vehicle and alerts the driver of the vehicle,
Direction determination means for determining a direction in which a vehicle driver should pay attention when the attention-required event is detected;
A warning sound output control means for outputting, as the warning sound, a continuous sound in which the sound pressure level gradually decays with time when the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention is not uniquely specified by the direction determination means; An alarm device for a vehicle.   The warning sound output control unit is configured to specify a plurality of directions as directions in which the vehicle driver should pay attention to all directions around the vehicle, or directions in which the vehicle driver should pay attention, by the direction determination unit. The sound pressure level gradually attenuates over time when the vehicle driver cannot determine the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention due to a change in the relative position of the generation factor of the attention required event with respect to the vehicle. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 6, wherein a reverberation sound is output as the warning sound. A warning sound output method for outputting a warning sound for detecting a cautionary event that requires attention in order to maintain safe driving of a vehicle and alerting a vehicle driver,
A first step of determining a direction in which a vehicle driver should pay attention when the cautionary event is detected;
And a second step of outputting, as the warning sound, a pseudo reverberant sound whose sound pressure level gradually attenuates with time when the direction in which the vehicle driver should pay attention is not uniquely specified in the first step. A warning sound output method characterized by the above.

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