JP2010285055A - Vehicular warning device and method for generating warning for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular warning device notifying an object such as other vehicles of existence of own vehicle at proper timing. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicular warning device includes an irradiation means 20 irradiating a light beam onto the road surface ahead the own vehicle, an irradiation angle adjusting means 10 adjusting the irradiation angle of the light beam, and a control means 10 moving the irradiation point of the light beam on the road surface ahead viewed from the own vehicle in a predetermined range on the road surface ahead at a predetermined frequency by controlling the irradiation angle adjusting means and adjusting the irradiation angle of the light beam. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle alarm device and a vehicle alarm generation method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicular alarm device that activates warning means (for example, a head lamp, a tail lamp, a hazard lamp, or a horn) when an object that approaches a surrounding area of the host vehicle is detected is known. In such a vehicle alarm device, even when the host vehicle is in a high speed running state, a warning by a warning means is provided when the host vehicle is in a high speed running state in order to accurately alert the driver of the surrounding vehicle. A technique is disclosed in which the cycle is set shorter than the warning cycle when the vehicle is in a non-high speed running state (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-91028 A

  However, in the prior art, when an object close to the surrounding area of the own vehicle is detected, an alarm indicating the presence of the own vehicle is issued, and therefore an object such as another vehicle cannot be detected by the own vehicle. When suddenly approaching the host vehicle from the position, there is a problem that the generation of an alarm by the host vehicle is delayed, and the timing of notifying the existence of the host vehicle to an object such as another vehicle is delayed. .

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle alarm device and a vehicle alarm generation method capable of notifying an object such as another vehicle of the presence of the host vehicle at an appropriate timing.

  The present invention irradiates a light beam on a front road surface of the host vehicle and adjusts an irradiation angle of the light beam so that an irradiation position of the light beam on the front road surface is within a predetermined range on the front road surface. The said subject is solved by moving by a period.

  According to the present invention, even when an object such as another vehicle cannot directly recognize the own vehicle, the other vehicle can be detected by detecting the light beam from the own vehicle irradiated on the front road surface by the object such as the other vehicle. The presence of the own vehicle can be notified to an object such as

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an alarm system according to the present embodiment. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation apparatus 20. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an aspect of a change in the relative distance from the vehicle at the irradiation point of the laser beam on the road surface. 4 (A) and 4 (B) are diagrams showing changes in the relative distance from the vehicle of the laser beam irradiation point on the road surface during sudden deceleration / acceleration. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for switching ON / OFF of laser beam irradiation by the laser beam irradiation device 20 according to the traveling speed of the host vehicle. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a scene to which the vehicle alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing other vehicle detection processing in the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a captured image captured by the in-vehicle camera 30 included in the vehicle A in the scene example illustrated in FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing laser beam irradiation processing in the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an area where the laser light irradiation process and the other vehicle detection process are performed. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation apparatus 20 according to another embodiment.

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 alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment is an alarm system mounted on a vehicle, and includes an alarm device 10, a laser light irradiation device 20, an in-vehicle camera 30, a display 40, and a speaker 50. Is done. Each of these components is connected by an in-vehicle LAN such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) and can exchange information with each other.

  The laser light irradiation device 20 is a device for irradiating a laser beam on a road surface in front of the vehicle, and is installed in a front portion of the vehicle. FIG. 2A is a diagram for explaining a laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation device 20, and is a diagram seen from the side surface direction of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2A, the laser light irradiation device 20 can change the irradiation angle of the laser beam in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the laser beam irradiation device 20 continuously changes the irradiation angle of the laser beam in the front-rear direction of the host vehicle (that is, the direction parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle), The light beam by the laser beam can be continuously changed from the light beam indicated by L1 to the light beam indicated by L2. As a result, the irradiation point of the laser beam on the road surface is continuously changed from P1 to P2. FIG. 2B is a view of the view shown in FIG. 2A as seen from the top surface direction of the vehicle. Further, the laser beam irradiation points P1 and P2 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B do not indicate absolute positions on the road surface, but indicate relative positions from the host vehicle.

  In addition, the installation position of the laser beam irradiation device 20 may be a position in front of the vehicle and a position where the laser beam can be irradiated on the road surface in front of the vehicle. Alternatively, the headlight itself may be used as the laser light irradiation device 20 by installing an optical filter or a reflector for changing the irradiation angle on the headlight of the vehicle. In addition, the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation device 20 is not particularly limited, and may be either a visible laser beam or an invisible laser beam. In the present embodiment, an invisible laser beam such as an eye-safe laser is used. Is used.

  The in-vehicle camera 30 includes a plurality of pixels on an image sensor, captures a luminance image, and converts this into image data. As such an in-vehicle camera 30, for example, a camera equipped with a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), or the like can be cited. The in-vehicle camera 30 continuously images the front of the host vehicle, and the image data acquired by the in-vehicle camera 30 is transmitted to the alarm device 10.

  The display 40 displays various information included in the image signal on the display screen provided in the display 40 based on the image signal transmitted from the alarm device 10, thereby alerting the driver. The information received from 10 is presented.

  The speaker 50 presents the information received from the alarm device 10 to the driver by outputting sound into the vehicle interior based on the analog audio signal transmitted from the alarm device 10.

  The alarm device 10 is accessible to a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a program for executing various processes according to the present embodiment, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program stored in the ROM. RAM (Random Access Memory) functioning as a storage device.

  And alarm device 10 which has such composition is provided with various functions explained below. That is, the alarm device 10 includes a host vehicle information acquisition function for acquiring vehicle information such as the traveling speed of the host vehicle from the vehicle controller 60, a laser beam irradiation device control function for controlling the laser beam irradiation device 20, and an in-vehicle camera 30. An image processing function for performing image processing of the captured image data, an other vehicle detection function for detecting a laser beam emitted from another vehicle from the image data processed by the image processing function, and an image processing function for image processing. An other vehicle information detection function for detecting information of other vehicles from the image data and a notification function for notifying the driver of alert information are provided.

  The own vehicle information acquisition function of the alarm device 10 acquires information related to the own vehicle from the vehicle controller 60. The vehicle controller 60 is connected to various sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) and an acceleration sensor (not shown), and information from these various sensors is input to the vehicle controller 60. The host vehicle information acquisition function acquires information about the host vehicle such as information from various sensors input to the vehicle controller 60, for example, travel speed information from the vehicle speed sensor and acceleration information from the acceleration sensor.

  The laser beam irradiation device control function of the alarm device 10 is a function of adjusting the irradiation angle of the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation device 20 by controlling the laser beam irradiation device 20. Specifically, the laser beam irradiation device control function continuously adjusts the irradiation angle of the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation device 20, thereby adjusting the irradiation point of the laser beam on the front road surface viewed from the own vehicle. In a predetermined range on the front road surface, the reciprocating sweep is performed at a predetermined cycle.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B), by controlling the laser light irradiation device 20, the light flux by the laser beam irradiated by the laser light irradiation device 20 is changed from the light flux indicated by L1 to L2. Then, the light beam shown in L2 is continuously changed to the light beam shown in L1. Then, by causing the laser beam irradiation device 20 to repeat such operations, the laser beam irradiation point on the road surface is continuously changed from P1 to P2, and further continuously changed from P2 to P1. Repeatedly execute the operation. That is, the laser beam irradiation device control function performs a reciprocal sweep in the predetermined range, that is, in the range from P1 to P2, where the irradiation point of the laser beam on the road surface is P1, P2, P1, P2, P1, P2, P1,. The laser beam irradiation device 20 is controlled to move. FIG. 3 shows an example of a change in the relative distance from the vehicle of the irradiation point of the laser beam on the road surface when the predetermined range on the road surface is P and the predetermined period is T (that is, reciprocating sweep). An example of a pattern) is shown. Further, as described above, the irradiation points P1 and P2 mean relative positions from the vehicle, and therefore, the laser beam irradiation device control function is used for the laser beam on the road surface (not on the actual road surface). The laser beam irradiation device 20 is controlled so that the relative distance from the vehicle of the irradiation point is swept back and forth at a predetermined cycle.

  It should be noted that the irradiation point of the laser beam on the front road surface is a predetermined range for reciprocating sweeping at a predetermined cycle (that is, in the example shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the irradiation points P1 and P2 Although it does not specifically limit as (relative position from a vehicle), For example, the method of setting based on the traveling speed of the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition function is mentioned. As a method for setting a predetermined range for the reciprocal sweep based on the traveling speed of the host vehicle, for example, when the traveling speed of the host vehicle is N [km / h], N [m] It is possible to adopt a mode in which N / 10 [m] is reciprocally swept around that distance. That is, in this case, when the traveling speed of the host vehicle is 50 [km / h], the distance of 50 [m] from the host vehicle is the center, and 5 [m] before and after that is reciprocally swept. In this case, P1 is a distance of 45 [m] from the own vehicle, and P2 is a distance of 55 [m] from the own vehicle.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the irradiation points are P1 → P2 → P1 in a predetermined cycle for reciprocating sweeping of the laser light irradiation points on the front road surface. Although it does not specifically limit as time to move), The method of setting based on the traveling speed of the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition function similarly to the predetermined range mentioned above is mentioned. As a method for setting a predetermined cycle for the reciprocal sweep based on the traveling speed of the host vehicle, for example, when the traveling speed of the host vehicle is N [km / h], the predetermined cycle is 10 / N. It can be set as an aspect set to [second]. That is, in this case, when the traveling speed of the host vehicle is 50 [km / h], one cycle is 0.2 [second], and the number of reciprocating sweeps per second is five. Become.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the laser beam irradiation apparatus control function of the alarm device 10 is based on the information about the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition function in addition to the above, and is fixed as shown in FIG. Instead of the pattern, a configuration may be adopted in which a specific reciprocating sweep pattern corresponding to the behavior of the host vehicle is set. For example, the laser beam irradiation device control function is configured to detect the sudden deceleration or rapid acceleration of the host vehicle from the acceleration information acquired by the host vehicle information acquisition function on the road surface of the laser beam irradiation point. The reciprocating sweep pattern in FIG. 4 may be changed to a reciprocating sweep pattern as shown in FIG. 4A or 4B instead of the fixed pattern as shown in FIG. In this case, for example, a reciprocating sweep pattern as shown in FIG. 4 (A) may be used during sudden deceleration, and a reciprocating sweep pattern as shown in FIG. 4 (B) may be used for sudden acceleration, or vice versa. Good.

  The laser beam irradiation device control function of the alarm device 10 adjusts the irradiation angle of the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation device 20 and also switches between irradiation / non-irradiation of the laser beam by the laser beam irradiation device 20. Specifically, the laser light irradiation device control function is based on the information on the traveling speed of the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition function, and when the traveling speed of the own vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, the laser light irradiation device On the other hand, when the traveling speed of the host vehicle is less than a predetermined speed, the laser light irradiation by the laser light irradiation device 20 is turned off. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the speed at which laser beam irradiation by the laser beam irradiation device 20 is turned on is V2, the speed at which it is turned off is V1, the speed at which laser beam irradiation is turned on, and the speed at which it is turned off. Different speeds may be used to provide hysteresis.

  In this way, by switching between irradiation / non-irradiation of the laser beam by the laser beam irradiation device 20 according to the traveling speed of the host vehicle, the irradiation point of the laser beam from the host vehicle is detected in a vehicle other than the host vehicle. It is possible to prevent the frequency from becoming higher than necessary, and to effectively prevent the driver from feeling troublesome.

  The image processing function of the alarm device 10 is a function of receiving image data of an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 30 from the in-vehicle camera 30 and performing image processing on the received image data. The image processing method is not particularly limited and may be a conventionally known method.

  The other vehicle detection function of the alarm device 10 detects the irradiation point of the laser beam irradiated on the road surface by the other vehicle based on the image data image-processed by the image processing function. That is, when there is another vehicle having a vehicle alarm system similar to the vehicle alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment, the other vehicle detection function detects the irradiation point of the laser beam irradiated on the road surface by the other vehicle. By doing so, detection of other vehicle inspection is performed.

  The other vehicle information detection function of the warning device 10 is based on the image data processed by the image processing function when the irradiation point of the laser beam irradiated on the road surface by the other vehicle is detected by the other vehicle detection function. This is a function of detecting the movement mode of the irradiation point of the laser beam from the other vehicle, thereby detecting other vehicle information that is information of the other vehicle.

  Specifically, the other vehicle information detection function obtains the moving direction, moving range, and reciprocating sweep cycle of the laser beam irradiation point from the other vehicle based on the laser beam irradiation point from the other vehicle. The position and traveling direction of the vehicle and the traveling speed of other vehicles are detected. More specifically, the other vehicle information detection function can detect the position and traveling direction of the other vehicle from the moving direction of the laser beam irradiation point. For example, the moving direction of the laser beam irradiation point from the other vehicle can be detected. When the vehicle is perpendicular to the traveling direction of the host vehicle, the other vehicle is detected as approaching the host vehicle from the side. The other vehicle information detection function can detect the traveling speed of the other vehicle from the moving range of the laser beam from the other vehicle and the cycle of the reciprocating sweep. For example, the moving range of the laser beam from the other vehicle is relatively If the cycle of the reciprocating sweep is relatively short, a relatively high speed is detected as the running speed of the other vehicle.

  The notification function of the alarm device 10 is a function that notifies the driver of alert information. Specifically, the notification function first detects when the irradiation point of the laser beam irradiated on the road surface by the other vehicle is detected by the other vehicle detection function, and when other vehicle information is detected by the other vehicle information detection function. Based on the detected other vehicle information, the possibility of collision between the other vehicle and the host vehicle is calculated. When the calculated possibility of collision is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio, the notification function generates attention information for notifying the driver, and the generated attention information is displayed on the display 40 and / or the speaker. By transmitting to 50, the alert information is notified to the driver via the display 40 and / or the speaker 50. In the present embodiment, instead of the alert information or in addition to the alert information, other vehicle information detected by the other vehicle information detection function (for example, information on the moving direction of the other vehicle and travel speed). ) May be informed to the driver, or may be informed of alert information and / or other vehicle information to the driver without calculating the possibility of collision. Good.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the scene example shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a scene to which the vehicle alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment is applied. In the example of the scene shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle A is passing the oncoming lane and is going to turn right at the intersection, while the vehicle B is traveling from the oncoming lane toward the intersection. . In the example of the scene shown in FIG. 6, there are a plurality of vehicles that are stopped or driven slowly due to traffic congestion or the like in the lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle B is traveling. Becomes a shielded vehicle, and the presence of the vehicle B cannot be visually confirmed by the driver of the vehicle A. In the following description, it is assumed that both the vehicle A and the vehicle B are provided with the vehicle alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment.

  First, in the scene example shown in FIG. 6, the case where the host vehicle is the vehicle A and the vehicle B is the other vehicle is exemplified, and the other vehicle detection process in the present embodiment is based on the flowchart shown in FIG. Give an explanation. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing other vehicle detection processing in the present embodiment.

  In step S101, the other vehicle detection function of the alarm device 10 acquires image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 30 and image-processed by the image processing function of the alarm device 10, and based on the image data, the road surface by the other vehicle. The irradiation point of the laser beam irradiated on the top is detected. Then, when the irradiation point of the laser beam irradiated on the road surface by the other vehicle is detected by the other vehicle detection function, the process proceeds to step S102. Otherwise, the process stays at step S101, and the road surface by the other vehicle. The detection of the irradiation point of the laser beam irradiated above is repeated.

  In the example of the scene shown in FIG. 6, in step S <b> 101, from the image data of the image captured by the in-vehicle camera 30 by the other vehicle detection function of the alarm device 10 of the vehicle A that is the host vehicle, Since the irradiation point of the irradiated laser beam is detected, the process proceeds to step S102. FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a captured image captured by the in-vehicle camera 30 provided in the vehicle A that is the host vehicle in the scene example illustrated in FIG. In the scene example shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 8, the in-vehicle camera 30 provided in the vehicle A which is the host vehicle images the irradiation point of the laser beam emitted from the vehicle B which is the other vehicle. In this case, the other vehicle detection function of the alarm device 10 of the vehicle A which is the own vehicle detects the irradiation point of the laser beam irradiated by the vehicle B which is the other vehicle, thereby the vehicle B which is the other vehicle. Detect the presence of

  Next, in step S102, image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 30 by the other vehicle information detection function of the alarm device 10 and image processed by the image processing function of the alarm device 10 is acquired, and other data is obtained based on the image data. By detecting the movement mode of the irradiation point of the laser beam from the vehicle, the other vehicle information that is the information of the other vehicle is detected.

  In the example of the scene shown in FIG. 6, in step S102, the movement mode of the irradiation point of the laser beam from the vehicle B which is the other vehicle is detected by the other vehicle information detection function of the alarm device 10 of the vehicle A which is the own vehicle. Based on this, the other vehicle information of the vehicle B, which is another vehicle, is detected. The other vehicle information in this case includes information that the vehicle B, which is the other vehicle, is traveling from the opposite lane toward the vehicle A, which is the own vehicle, and the traveling speed of the vehicle B, which is the other vehicle. It is done.

  Next, in step S103, the possibility of collision between the other vehicle and the host vehicle is calculated based on the other vehicle information detected by the other vehicle information detection function by the notification function of the alarm device 10, and is calculated. By determining whether or not the possibility of a collision is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to notify the driver of alert information. That is, when the calculated possibility of collision is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio, it is determined that the alert information needs to be notified, and the calculated possibility of collision is determined to be less than the predetermined ratio. Become. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the alert information needs to be notified to the driver, the process proceeds to step S104, and the alert information is notified to the driver by the notification function. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not necessary to notify the driver of the alert information, the process is terminated without notifying the alert information, and the process returns to step S101.

  In the example of the scene shown in FIG. 6, based on the other vehicle information of the vehicle B which is the other vehicle detected by the other vehicle information detection function by the notification function of the alarm device 10 of the vehicle A which is the own vehicle in step S103. Then, it is determined whether or not the driver of vehicle A needs to be notified of the alert information. When it is determined that the alert information needs to be notified, the process proceeds to step S104, and the alert information is notified to the driver of the vehicle A by the notification function. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not necessary to notify the driver of vehicle A of the alert information, the alert information is not notified and the process returns to step S101.

  As described above, the other vehicle detection process in the present embodiment is performed.

  Next, in the example of the scene shown in FIG. 6, the case where the host vehicle is the vehicle B and the vehicle A is another vehicle will be exemplified, and the laser beam irradiation process in the present embodiment will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. I do. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing laser beam irradiation processing in the present embodiment.

  In step S <b> 201, information related to the host vehicle such as travel speed information and acceleration information is acquired from the vehicle controller 60 by the host vehicle information acquisition function of the alarm device 10.

  In step S202, it is determined by the laser light irradiation device control function of the alarm device 10 whether or not the traveling speed of the host vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined speed among the information related to the vehicle acquired by the host vehicle information acquisition function. It is. If it is determined that the speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if it is determined that the speed is less than the predetermined speed, the process proceeds to step S205.

  In step S203, the laser beam irradiation condition when the laser beam irradiation device 20 irradiates the laser beam based on the vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition function by the laser beam irradiation device control function of the alarm device 10 is set. Settings are made. Specifically, the reciprocating sweep range and the reciprocating sweep period are set when the irradiation point on the road surface of the laser beam generated by irradiating the laser beam with the laser beam irradiating device 20 is reciprocally swept.

  In step S204, the laser beam irradiation device control function of the alarm device 10 controls the laser beam irradiation device 20, so that the laser beam irradiation device 20 performs laser beam irradiation based on the laser beam irradiation conditions set in step S203. Done.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S202 that the speed of the host vehicle is less than the predetermined speed, the process proceeds to step S205, and control for turning off the laser beam irradiation by the laser beam irradiation device 20 is performed.

  In the scene example shown in FIG. 6, first, in step S201, information about the own vehicle is acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition function of the alarm device 10 of the vehicle B that is the own vehicle. Whether or not the traveling speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed is determined by the laser beam irradiation device control function of the alarm device 10 of the vehicle B which is a vehicle. In the example of the scene shown in FIG. 6, since it is determined that the traveling speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed (step S202 = Yes), the process proceeds to step S203, and the laser beam irradiation condition is set. In step S204, the laser beam irradiation device 20 performs laser beam irradiation.

  As described above, the laser beam irradiation process in the present embodiment is performed.

  In the present embodiment, when performing the above-described laser beam irradiation process, the laser beam irradiation process may be performed only when a predetermined condition is satisfied. As such a predetermined condition, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, there is a condition that the host vehicle is traveling near an intersection (for example, within 50 m from the intersection). In this case, the laser beam irradiation process is performed only when the vehicle is traveling near the intersection. As described above, the laser beam irradiation process is performed only when a predetermined condition is satisfied, so that the laser beam irradiation process is not performed in a low demand scene. Can do. And it can prevent that the frequency in which the irradiation point of the laser beam from the own vehicle is detected more than necessary in vehicles other than the own vehicle, and the driver feels troublesome. It can be effectively prevented.

  Similarly, when the other vehicle detection process described above is performed, the other vehicle detection process may be performed only when a predetermined condition is satisfied. As such predetermined conditions, for example, as described above, a condition where the host vehicle is traveling near an intersection is used, or the host vehicle is traveling near an intersection. In addition to the case, the condition that the direction indicator (not shown) provided in the host vehicle is operating may be mentioned as a condition. As described above, the other vehicle detection process is performed only when a predetermined condition is satisfied, so that the other vehicle detection process is not performed in a low-demand scene. can do. And it can prevent that the frequency where the irradiation point of the laser beam from another vehicle is detected becomes higher than necessary, and can effectively prevent the driver from feeling troublesome. .

  According to the present embodiment, the irradiation condition of the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation device 20 is set according to the traveling state of the host vehicle, and based on this, the irradiation point of the laser beam on the front road surface viewed from the host vehicle is set. Even if the driver of the other vehicle cannot directly recognize the host vehicle by moving the vehicle so as to sweep back and forth in a predetermined range on the front road surface and causing the other vehicle to detect this, The driver can be notified of the presence of the host vehicle and information on the host vehicle (for example, information on the traveling direction of the host vehicle and information on the traveling speed of the host vehicle) at an appropriate timing.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, even if the driver of the own vehicle cannot directly recognize the other vehicle by detecting the irradiation point of the laser beam from the other vehicle via the in-vehicle camera 30, the driving of the own vehicle is performed. A person can be notified of the presence of other vehicles and information on other vehicles (for example, information on the traveling direction of other vehicles and information on the traveling speed of other vehicles) at an appropriate timing.

  In the above-described embodiment, the laser beam irradiation device 20 is used as the irradiation unit of the present invention, and the laser beam irradiation device control function of the alarm device 10 is used as the irradiation angle adjusting unit and the control unit of the present invention. The detection function corresponds to the other vehicle light detection means of the present invention, the other vehicle information detection function of the alarm device 10 corresponds to the other vehicle information detection means of the present invention, and the notification function of the alarm device 10 corresponds to the notification means of the present invention. .

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment was described in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, and was not described in order to limit this invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the vehicle alarm system 1 is applied to a four-wheel vehicle has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to a four-wheel vehicle, and can be applied to a two-wheel vehicle as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to other vehicles such as bicycles and large vehicles.

  Moreover, although the case where the laser beam irradiated with the laser beam irradiation apparatus 20 was made into invisible light was illustrated in the above-mentioned embodiment, it can replace with non-visible light and can also be set as visible light. In addition, when the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation apparatus 20 is visible light, the driver can directly confirm the irradiation point of the laser beam from another vehicle with the naked eye. This makes it possible for the driver to perform a driving operation for avoiding a collision with another vehicle such as reducing the speed of the host vehicle.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the laser light irradiation device 20 irradiates the laser beam. However, it is of course possible to adopt a configuration in which a light beam other than the laser beam is irradiated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle alarm system 10 ... Alarm apparatus 20 ... Laser beam irradiation apparatus 30 ... Car-mounted camera 40 ... Display 50 ... Speaker 60 ... Vehicle controller

Claims (14)

Irradiating means for irradiating light on the front road surface of the host vehicle;
An irradiation angle adjusting means for adjusting an irradiation angle of the light beam;
By controlling the irradiation angle adjusting means to adjust the irradiation angle of the light beam, the irradiation point of the light beam on the front road surface as viewed from the host vehicle is set within a predetermined range on the front road surface in a predetermined cycle. A vehicle alarm device. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 1,
The vehicle alarm device, wherein the light beam is a laser beam. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle warning device, wherein the light beam is a light beam made of invisible light. In the vehicle alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The control means adjusts the irradiation angle of the light beam so that the irradiation point of the light beam on the front road surface viewed from the own vehicle reciprocates and sweeps a predetermined range on the front road surface at a predetermined cycle. A vehicular alarm device. In the vehicle alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The control means changes the moving range and the moving period when moving the irradiation point of the light beam on the front road surface viewed from the own vehicle according to the traveling state of the own vehicle. Alarm device. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 5,
The control means changes the moving range and moving period when moving the irradiation point of the light beam on the front road surface viewed from the own vehicle according to the traveling speed of the own vehicle. Alarm device. In the vehicle alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The vehicle warning device according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit performs irradiation of the light beam when a traveling speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed. In the vehicle alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The vehicle warning device, wherein the irradiating means irradiates the light beam when the vehicle travels near an intersection. In the vehicle alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
An alarm device for a vehicle, further comprising another vehicle light beam detecting means for detecting a light beam irradiated on a road surface in front of the other vehicle by another vehicle. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 9,
When the other vehicle light beam detecting means detects a light beam irradiated on the road surface ahead of the other vehicle, information on the other vehicle that has irradiated the light beam based on the movement of the detected light beam on the road surface The vehicle alarm device further comprises other vehicle information detection means for detecting other vehicle information. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 9 or 10,
The other vehicle light beam detecting means determines whether or not to detect the light beam irradiated on the front road surface of the other vehicle according to the traveling state of the host vehicle. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 10 or 11,
An alarm device for a vehicle, further comprising notification means for notifying a user of the other vehicle information detected by the other vehicle information detection means. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 12,
The informing means determines whether or not to notify the other vehicle information according to the traveling state of the host vehicle.   By irradiating a light beam on the front road surface of the host vehicle and adjusting the irradiation angle of the light beam, the irradiation point of the light beam on the front road surface viewed from the host vehicle is predetermined within a predetermined range on the front road surface. A method for generating an alarm for a vehicle, characterized by being moved at a cycle of

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