JP2011152898A - Notifying sound control device and notifying sound control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for properly controlling output of a notifying sound when requiring generation of a notifying sound. <P>SOLUTION: An arithmetic operation part 20 acquires information on a position of a vehicle and information on the advancing direction of the vehicle, and acquires information on a position of a road and information on the extending direction of the road. An artificial travel sound control part 40 controls output of an artificial travel sound of the vehicle based on a difference between the acquired information on the advancing direction of the vehicle and the acquired information on the extending direction of the road, when estimating that the vehicle exists on the road based on the acquired information on the position of the vehicle and the acquired information on the position of the road. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a notification sound control technique, and more particularly, to a notification sound control device and a notification sound control method for a vehicle that artificially generate a traveling sound of a vehicle.

  In recent years, electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles that do not use an internal combustion engine as a power source are becoming popular. These emit less air pollutants and have a lower environmental impact than gasoline cars. Since electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles do not have an internal combustion engine, they are characterized by extremely quiet running noise and low noise. However, on the other hand, it is often difficult for pedestrians and bicycle riders to determine the approach and start of the vehicle by the running sound of the vehicle itself.

  For this reason, a method has been proposed in which a simulated running sound or warning sound of a vehicle corresponding to the driving situation is generated and the presence or approach of the vehicle is notified to a pedestrian or a bicycle occupant. For example, the vehicle is provided with a speaker that outputs a warning sound to the surroundings and a warning sound device, and is controlled so that the volume of the warning sound generated from the speaker increases according to the steering angle of the front wheels of the vehicle. Alternatively, it is possible to notify a pedestrian of a change in the driving state of the vehicle by controlling the frequency distribution and volume of the alarm sound according to the vehicle speed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, a warning sound is generated by determining when the vehicle starts to start, and the warning sound is initially increased to notify the pedestrian of the vehicle's start, and gradually reduced as time passes. Discomfort associated with sound noise can be reduced (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 7-322403 A JP 2005-343360 A

  As described above, when the alarm sound or the simulated running sound is generated according to the driving situation, the simulated running sound changes greatly as the change in the driving situation increases. On the other hand, in a situation where the vehicle is moving at a low speed that is about the walking speed, changes in driving conditions such as the amount of depression of the accelerator are generally small. For this reason, the simulated running sound does not change significantly, and it may be difficult for a pedestrian or bicycle rider to predict the operation of the vehicle. For example, in a situation where a vehicle is about to enter a sidewalk to enter a parking lot or other site, the driver travels while checking for the presence or absence of pedestrians and bicycles. Is made. At this time, the driving situation such as the accelerator depression amount does not change greatly.

  Therefore, when generating an alarm sound or simulated running sound according to changes in driving conditions, the volume of the sound hardly changes, so for pedestrians and bicycle riders, prediction of vehicle operation due to changes in the volume of the warning sound and simulated running sound. Becomes difficult. In addition, when the vehicle is on the roadway, the vehicle comes into contact with pedestrians or bicycles when the vehicle is temporarily stopped at the sidewalk and when the vehicle is stopped due to traffic jams or traffic lights. The possibilities are different. If the volume of the alarm sound or the simulated running sound is increased when the possibility of contact is low, the low noise property of the electric vehicle or the fuel cell vehicle is impaired.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a condition, The objective is to provide the technique which controls appropriately the output of a notification sound, when generation | occurrence | production of a notification sound is required.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a notification sound control device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first acquisition unit that acquires information about the position of a vehicle and information about a traveling direction of the vehicle, information about the position of a road, Based on the second acquisition unit that acquires information on the road extending direction, information on the position of the vehicle acquired in the first acquisition unit, and information on the position of the road acquired in the second acquisition unit, the vehicle When it is estimated that the vehicle is present on the road, based on the difference between the information related to the traveling direction of the vehicle acquired in the first acquisition unit and the information related to the road extending direction acquired in the second acquisition unit, A control unit for controlling the output.

  According to this aspect, when the vehicle exists on the road, the difference between the traveling direction of the vehicle and the extending direction of the road is derived, so that it is possible to estimate the case of moving from the road to the outside of the road.

  A derivation unit for deriving a distance between the end of the road and the vehicle based on the information on the position of the vehicle acquired in the first acquisition unit and the information on the position of the road acquired in the second acquisition unit; May be. The control unit may estimate that the vehicle exists on the road, and may control the output of the notification sound when the distance derived by the deriving unit is smaller than the threshold value. In this case, when it is estimated that the vehicle exists on the road, it is detected whether the distance between the end of the road and the vehicle is small, so that the case of moving from the road to the outside of the road can be estimated with higher accuracy. .

  Another aspect of the present invention is a notification sound control method. The method includes the steps of obtaining information relating to the position of the vehicle, information relating to the traveling direction of the vehicle, information relating to the position of the road, information relating to the extending direction of the road, and information relating to the obtained position of the vehicle. When it is estimated that the vehicle exists on the road based on the information and the acquired information on the position of the road, the difference between the acquired information on the traveling direction of the vehicle and the acquired information on the extending direction of the road And a step of controlling the output of the notification sound.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and a conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when generation | occurrence | production of a notification sound is required, the output of a notification sound can be controlled appropriately.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the process by the pseudo | simulation driving | running | working sound generator which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the pseudo | simulation driving | running | working sound generator which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the process result by the substantially stop determination part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the table memorize | stored in the simulated driving | running | working sound control part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of another table memorize | stored in the simulated driving | running | working sound control part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the table memorize | stored in the production | generation part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of another table memorize | stored in the simulated running sound control part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of another table memorize | stored in the simulated running sound control part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the generation | occurrence | production procedure by the pseudo | simulation traveling sound generator of FIG.

  Before describing the present invention specifically, an outline will be given first. Embodiments of the present invention relate to a simulated running sound generation device that is mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle and generates a running sound of the vehicle in a pseudo manner to notify a pedestrian or the like of an approach. When the simulated driving sound is generated according to the driving situation and driving environment, the simulated driving sound does not change greatly in a situation where the vehicle moves at a low speed, so that pedestrians and bicycle riders may not notice the operation of the vehicle. . On the other hand, in order to maintain the quietness of the operation sound of the vehicle, it is desirable that the operation is limited to a case where an opportunity for generating the simulated running sound is necessary. In order to deal with these, the simulated running sound generation device according to the present embodiment controls the simulated running sound according to the information on whether or not the vehicle is running on the road and the direction difference. As a result, it is possible to provide a simulated running sound that is easy for a pedestrian or bicycle rider to predict the operation of the vehicle.

  The simulated running sound generator according to the present embodiment mainly assumes the generation of simulated sounds in the three cases, and controls the simulated running sounds in those scenes. The first is a case where a vehicle enters the site from the road via a sidewalk. The simulated running sound generation device estimates that the vehicle exists on the road based on information on the position of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “position information”) and road position information. When the vehicle is present on the road, the simulated running sound generator generates a direction difference (hereinafter referred to as “direction information”) and information on the direction of travel of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “direction information”) and road direction information. ”Direction difference”). If the direction difference is large, the simulated running sound generator estimates that the vehicle is about to enter the site from the road via the sidewalk. That is, the simulated running sound generation device controls the generation of the simulated running sound according to the direction difference.

  The second is a case where the vehicle starts in a state where the vehicle has entered a road such as a sidewalk or a site. The simulated running sound generation device estimates that the vehicle exists outside the road based on the vehicle position information and the road position information. When the vehicle exists outside the road, the simulated running sound generation device estimates whether the vehicle is starting based on the running state of the vehicle. The simulated running sound generator controls the generation of simulated running sound according to whether the vehicle is starting. The simulated running sound generation device estimates that the vehicle exists on the road based on the vehicle position information and the road position information.

  The third is a case where a vehicle parked on the road starts. The simulated running sound generation device estimates that the vehicle exists in the road based on the vehicle position information and the road position information. When the vehicle is present on the road, the simulated traveling sound generation device derives a period during which the vehicle is stopped (hereinafter referred to as “stop period”) based on the traveling state of the vehicle. The simulated running sound generator controls the generation of the simulated running sound according to the stop period. Furthermore, the pseudo running sound generation device controls the generation of the pseudo running sound even when it is detected that the vehicle has started following a stop for a certain period or longer.

  FIG. 1 shows an outline of processing by a simulated running sound generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. This shows an example of a situation to be processed in the present embodiment. The first vehicle 1000a, the second vehicle 1000b, and the third vehicle 1000c are electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and the like, and are equipped with a pseudo running sound generator (not shown). Here, the first vehicle 1000a to the third vehicle 1000c are collectively referred to as the vehicle 1000. The first vehicle 1000a deviates from the road and enters the site such as a parking lot. Since the vehicle crosses the sidewalk when entering, it is necessary to call attention to pedestrians and bicycle riders with simulated running sound.

  The second vehicle 1000b has already deviated from the roadway and exists outside the road. In the second vehicle 1000b, when moving on a sidewalk or a parking lot at a low speed, when the pedestrian or bicycle is in a substantially stopped state, or when trying to start from a parking lot, a pedestrian is caused by simulated running sound. It is necessary to call attention to bicycle riders. The third vehicle 1000c is stopped on the road, and it is necessary to call attention to pedestrians and bicycle riders when starting. Here, the first vehicle 1000a and the third vehicle 1000c exist on the road, but the second vehicle 1000b exists outside the road. Therefore, the simulated running sound generation device determines whether the simulated running sound is present on the road or outside the road, and controls the simulated sound according to each case.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration of the simulated running sound generator 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The simulated running sound generator 100 is mounted on the vehicle 1000 in FIG. The simulated running sound generator 100 includes a map database 10, a GPS positioning unit 12, an angular velocity detecting unit 14, a speed detecting unit 16, an acceleration detecting unit 18, a computing unit 20, a traveling state detecting unit 30, and a simulated running sound control unit 40. . The calculation unit 20 includes a road extension direction deriving unit 50, a vehicle traveling direction deriving unit 52, a direction difference deriving unit 54, an inside / outside determining unit 56, and a distance deriving unit 58. The traveling state detecting unit 30 is a substantially stop determining unit. 32, a start determination unit 34, and a stop period measurement unit 36, and the simulated running sound control unit 40 includes a generation unit 42 and a volume control unit 44. Further, as signals, road data 200, GPS positioning data 202, turning angular velocity data 204, velocity data 206, acceleration data 208, direction difference data 210, distance data 212, approximate stop determination result 220, start determination result 222, stop period 224, A simulated running sound 230 is included.

  The map database 10 stores road data 200. Since the road data 200 is digital data such as map data, the map database 10 is configured as a storage medium such as a hard disk. The road data 200 includes information corresponding to a predetermined section of the road, and includes longitude and latitude, road width, direction, and the like. Note that the road data 200 may include attribute information such as the presence / absence of a sidewalk and the number of lanes in addition to these values. Therefore, the road data 200 can be said to be information regarding the position of the road. The map database 10 sequentially outputs the road data 200 to the calculation unit 20.

  The GPS positioning unit 12 receives a signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite (not shown) and calculates GPS positioning data 202. The GPS positioning data 202 includes the longitude and latitude, the GPS azimuth that is the azimuth of the vehicle, and the like. Further, since the GPS positioning data 202 may be calculated by a known technique, description thereof is omitted here. The GPS positioning unit 12 calculates the GPS positioning data 202 at every sampling interval, that is, periodically. The GPS positioning unit 12 sequentially outputs the GPS positioning data 202 to the calculation unit 20.

  The angular velocity detection unit 14 corresponds to, for example, a gyro apparatus such as a vibration gyro and detects the turning angular velocity data 204. The turning angular velocity data 204 is a value obtained by detecting a change in the traveling direction of the vehicle as a relative angular change of the vehicle at every sampling interval. Regarding a method for accurately calculating the change in the angle of the vehicle from the gyro device, any known technique may be used, and thus the description thereof is omitted here. The angular velocity detection unit 14 sequentially outputs the turning angular velocity data 204 to the calculation unit 20.

  The speed detector 16 is connected to a speed sensor (not shown), and the speed sensor outputs a pulse signal accompanying the rotation of the drive shaft. The speed detection unit 16 counts pulse signals output as the vehicle moves for each predetermined period, and detects the speed data 206 of the vehicle using a distance conversion coefficient representing a distance with respect to the rotation of the drive shaft. . The speed detection unit 16 sequentially outputs the speed data 206 to the calculation unit 20 and the traveling state detection unit 30.

  The acceleration detection unit 18 is, for example, a multi-axis acceleration sensor or the like, and one of the acceleration detection axes is arranged so as to be in the traveling direction of the vehicle. The acceleration detector 18 detects acceleration data 208 in the vehicle traveling direction at every sampling interval. Further, another acceleration detection axis may be arranged in the vertical direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle, the gravitational acceleration component may be corrected for the acceleration data 208, and the horizontal component may be calculated. The acceleration detection unit 18 sequentially outputs the acceleration data 208 to the traveling state detection unit 30.

  The calculation unit 20 inputs road data 200 from the map database 10, GPS positioning data 202 from the GPS positioning unit 12, turning angular velocity data 204 from the angular velocity detection unit 14, and velocity data 206 from the velocity detection unit 16. The computing unit 20 estimates the position of the vehicle 1000 on which the simulated running sound generator 100 is mounted based on the GPS positioning data 202, the turning angular velocity data 204, and the velocity data 206. That is, the calculation unit 20 acquires information regarding the position of the vehicle 1000. Since a known technique may be used as the position estimation method, the description thereof is omitted here. Note that the calculation unit 20 may include dimension information of the vehicle 1000 and correct information regarding the estimated position of the vehicle 1000 as two-dimensional information. In addition, the calculation unit 20 acquires information regarding the position of the road in the vicinity of the position of the vehicle 1000 in the road data 200. The vicinity is defined as a circle having a radius of 1 km centered on the position of the vehicle 1000, for example.

  The vehicle traveling direction deriving unit 52 estimates the traveling direction of the vehicle 1000 based on the information regarding the position of the vehicle 1000 estimated by the computing unit 20. The vehicle traveling direction deriving unit 52 acquires, for example, a history of the position of the vehicle 1000 by storing information related to the position of the vehicle 1000 over a predetermined period. The vehicle traveling direction deriving unit 52 estimates the traveling direction of the vehicle 1000 by approximating the history of the position of the vehicle 1000 with a vector. The vehicle traveling direction deriving unit 52 may acquire the GPS azimuth included in the GPS positioning data 202 and use this as the traveling direction of the vehicle 1000. The vehicle traveling direction deriving unit 52 outputs information regarding the traveling direction of the vehicle 1000 to the direction difference deriving unit 54.

  The road extension direction deriving unit 50 estimates information on the road extension direction based on the information on the road position extracted by the calculation unit 20. For example, the road extension direction deriving unit 50 is information regarding the position of the road over a predetermined section from the position of the vehicle 1000 estimated by the computing unit 20 to a direction close to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1000 estimated by the vehicle traveling direction deriving unit 52. Get more than one. The road extending direction deriving unit 50 estimates the extending direction of the road by approximating a plurality of information histories with vectors. The road extension direction deriving unit 50 may acquire the orientation included in the road data 200 and use this as the road extension direction. The road extension direction deriving unit 50 outputs information regarding the road extending direction to the direction difference deriving unit 54.

  The direction difference deriving unit 54 inputs information related to the road extending direction from the road extending direction deriving unit 50, and inputs information related to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1000 from the vehicle traveling direction deriving unit 52. The direction difference deriving unit 54 calculates a difference between the road extending direction and the traveling direction of the vehicle 1000 (hereinafter referred to as “direction difference data 210” described above). The direction difference deriving unit 54 outputs the calculated direction difference data 210 to the simulated running sound control unit 40.

  The inside / outside determination unit 56 determines whether the vehicle 1000 exists on the road or outside the road based on the position of the vehicle 1000 estimated by the calculation unit 20 and the position of the road extracted by the calculation unit 20. Is estimated. The inside / outside determination unit 56 specifies the range of the road based on the position of the road and the road width included in the road data 200. The inside / outside determination unit 56 estimates that the vehicle 1000 exists on the road if the location of the vehicle 1000 is included in the road range, and if the location of the vehicle 1000 is not included in the range of the road, the vehicle 1000 Presumed to exist outside the road. The inside / outside determination unit 56 outputs the estimation result to the distance deriving unit 58.

  When the inside / outside determination unit 56 estimates that the vehicle 1000 is present on the road, the distance deriving unit 58 determines the position of the vehicle 1000 estimated by the calculation unit 20 and the road range specified by the inside / outside determination unit 56. Based on this, the distance between the end of the road and the vehicle 1000 is derived. For example, the distance deriving unit 58 derives the shortest distance between the end of the road and the vehicle 1000. The distance deriving unit 58 outputs the combination of the derived distance and the estimation result obtained by the inside / outside determination unit 56 to the simulated running sound control unit 40 as distance data 212.

  The traveling state detection unit 30 inputs speed data 206 and acceleration data 208. The traveling state detection unit 30 detects the traveling state of the vehicle based on the speed data 206 and the acceleration data 208. Details will be described below. The approximate stop determination unit 32 determines whether or not the vehicle is substantially stopped based on the input speed data 206. Here, FIG. 3 is used to describe an example of a substantially stop determination method. FIG. 3 shows a data structure of a processing result by the approximate stop determination unit 32. As shown, a time column 310, a speed column 320, and a substantially stop determination column 330 are shown. The time column 310 indicates the input timing of the speed data 206 as time T (n). Here, it is assumed that the input timing interval is 1 second.

  The speed column 320 indicates the value of the input speed data 206 as V. When the speed data 206 shown in the speed column 320 is equal to or lower than the threshold value during a predetermined period, the approximate stop determination unit 32 determines that the approximate stop state is present. In FIG. 3, it is assumed that the threshold for the speed data 206 is 3 km / h for a total period of 3 seconds, which is 1 second before and after the time T (n). Therefore, the approximate stop determination from T (4) to T (8) is TRUE. Such an approximate stop determination result is shown in an approximate stop determination column 330. Returning to FIG. The approximate stop determination unit 32 outputs an approximate stop determination result 220 representing the approximate stop determination result with a flag to the start determination unit 34.

The start determination unit 34 determines the start state of the vehicle based on the input acceleration data 208 and the approximate stop determination result 220 from the traveling state detection unit 30. The start determination unit 34 determines that the approximate stop determination result 220 is TRUE and the value of the input acceleration data 208 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, or the approximate stop determination result 220 changes from TRUE to FALSE. It is determined that the vehicle is in a starting state. For example, when the input timing of the acceleration data 208 is 100 [msec], the threshold value is set such that the acceleration data 208 is 0.4 [m / sec ² ] or more.

  The timing at which the start determination unit 34 inputs the acceleration data 208 is shorter than the timing at which the approximate stop determination unit 32 inputs the speed data 206. Therefore, the start determination unit 34 can determine the start state of the vehicle earlier than calculating acceleration from the speed data 206 and determining start. The start determination unit 34 outputs a start determination result 222 representing the start state of the vehicle 1000 as a flag to the simulated running sound control unit 40 for a predetermined period, for example, 5 seconds after determining start.

  The stop period measuring unit 36 calculates a period during which the vehicle is stopped based on the input speed data 206. When the speed data 206 is continuously “0” for a predetermined period, for example, 3 seconds or longer, the stop period measuring unit 36 determines that the state is a stop and starts counting the period. The stop period measuring unit 36 outputs the stopped period as the stop period 224 to the simulated running sound control unit 40. Here, the start determination result 222 and the stop period 224 correspond to information related to the traveling state of the vehicle 1000.

  The simulated running sound control unit 40 inputs the direction difference data 210, the distance data 212, the start determination result 222, and the stop period 224. The simulated running sound control unit 40 controls the characteristics and volume of the simulated running sound based on the direction difference data 210, the distance data 212, the start determination result 222, and the stop period 224. Details will be described below. The simulated running sound control unit 40 extracts the estimation result from the inside / outside determination unit 56 from the distance data 212. In the estimation result, when it is estimated that the vehicle 1000 exists on the road, the simulated running sound control unit 40 extracts information related to the distance from the distance data 212. Furthermore, the simulated running sound control unit 40 determines whether or not to continue the subsequent processing by comparing the table and the distance held in advance. In addition, the process regarding distance may be omitted.

  FIG. 4 shows the data structure of the table stored in the simulated running sound control unit 40. As illustrated, a distance column 510 and a processing column 520 are included. As shown in the distance column 510, a case of 0 m or more and less than 1.5 m and a case of 1.5 m or more are defined. Here, “1.5 m” corresponds to the threshold value. Further, in the processing column 520, the case where the subsequent processing is continued is indicated as “◯”, and the case where the subsequent processing is stopped is indicated as “X”. Returning to FIG. The pseudo running sound control unit 40 stops the process when it is determined to stop the subsequent process based on the table shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the simulated running sound control unit 40 determines to continue the subsequent processing based on the table shown in FIG. 4, that is, the vehicle 1000 exists on the road and the distance is less than the threshold value. If smaller, the direction difference data 210 is compared with another table.

  FIG. 5 shows the data structure of another table stored in the simulated running sound control unit 40. As illustrated, a direction difference column 610, a tone color column 620, and a volume column 630 are included. In the direction difference column 610, a range in which the direction difference data 210 is to be classified is shown. Here, three ranges are defined such as 0 degree or more and less than 10 degrees, 10 degrees or more and less than 45 degrees, and 45 degrees or more. The tone color column 620 indicates the type of tone color to be generated by the generation unit 42, and the volume column 630 indicates the volume to be output by the volume adjustment unit 44. Here, level1 <level2. The tone types tone1 and tone2 will be described later. Returning to FIG.

  When the direction difference data 210 is not less than 0 degrees and less than 10 degrees, the simulated running sound control unit 40 selects tone1 as the timbre and level1 as the volume. In addition, the case where it is 0 degree or more and less than 10 degree | times is assumed when the vehicle 1000 is drive | working the road. On the other hand, when the direction difference data 210 is not less than 10 degrees and less than 45 degrees, the simulated running sound control unit 40 selects a synthesized sound of tone1 and tone2 as a timbre. At this time, the simulated running sound control unit 40 controls the generation unit 42 so that the tone2 synthesis ratio increases as the direction difference data 210 increases. Further, the pseudo running sound control unit 40 controls the volume adjusting unit 44 so that the volume approaches the level 2 as the direction difference data 210 increases. The case where the angle is 10 degrees or more and less than 45 degrees is assumed to be when the vehicle 1000 is traveling in a direction away from the road.

  When the direction difference data 210 is 45 degrees or more, the simulated running sound control unit 40 selects tone2 as the tone color and selects level2 as the volume. The case where the direction difference data 210 is 45 degrees or more is assumed to be when the traveling direction of the vehicle 1000 deviates greatly from the road direction. In such a case, it is necessary to pay special attention to pedestrians and bicycle riders. Such a process can be said to be a process assuming the first vehicle 1000a of FIG. That is, in such a case, the simulated traveling sound control unit 40 controls the output of the simulated traveling sound in the generation unit 42 and the volume control unit 44 according to the direction difference data 210.

  The generation unit 42 includes a storage medium such as a ROM, and stores a plurality of pseudo sound data related to the traveling of the vehicle 1000 such as an audio signal obtained by artificially synthesizing an engine sound of a gasoline automobile or the like. The generation unit 42 synthesizes at least one of the plurality of pseudo sound data based on an instruction from the pseudo running sound control unit 40. FIG. 6 shows the data structure of the table stored in the generation unit 42. This shows an example of the pseudo sound data stored in the generation unit 42. As shown, a number field 410 and a timbre field 420 are included. In the number column 410, the timbre type is shown. Here, it is assumed that the tone types are tone1, tone2, and tone3.

  The timbre column 420 shows the characteristics of each timbre. tone1 corresponds to a timbre with low noise that is not harsh to people around the vehicle 1000. Further, tone2 corresponds to a timbre with a moderate noise characteristic that is obtained by artificially synthesizing engine sounds emitted from a gasoline vehicle at a low speed. tone3 is a timbre with a high noise characteristic that is obtained by artificially synthesizing the sound of the gasoline vehicle that increases when the engine is accelerated or started. Returning to FIG. As described above, the generation unit 42 outputs an audio signal obtained by synthesizing one pseudo sound or a plurality of pseudo sounds (hereinafter, the synthesized audio signal is also referred to as “pseudo sound”) to the volume control unit 44.

  The volume control unit 44 inputs the pseudo sound from the generation unit 42. The volume adjusting unit 44 adjusts the volume of the pseudo sound based on the volume determined by the simulated running sound control unit 40. The simulated running sound control unit 40 outputs a simulated sound whose volume is adjusted (hereinafter referred to as “pseudo running sound 230”) to a speaker (not shown).

  So far, the process assuming the first vehicle 1000a of FIG. 1 has been described as the process of the simulated running sound control unit 40. Hereinafter, processing assuming the second vehicle 1000b and the third vehicle 1000c in FIG. 1 will be described. First, the second vehicle 1000b in FIG. The simulated running sound control unit 40 extracts the estimation result from the inside / outside determination unit 56 from the distance data 212. In the estimation result, when it is estimated that the vehicle 1000 exists outside the road, the simulated running sound control unit 40 confirms information regarding the running state of the vehicle 1000 based on the start determination result 222. The simulated traveling sound control unit 40 controls the output of the simulated traveling sound 230 of the vehicle 1000 according to whether the information regarding the traveling state indicates start. More specifically, the simulated running sound control unit 40 stores another table in advance, and selects control contents from another table based on the start determination result 222.

  FIG. 7 shows the data structure of yet another table stored in the simulated running sound control unit 40. As shown, a start determination column 720, a timbre column 730, and a volume column 740 are included. The start determination column 720 corresponds to a running state, and this corresponds to a flag of a determination result in the start determination unit 34. The timbre column 730 indicates the timbre to be generated by the generation unit 42, and the volume column 740 is a volume (level2 <level3) to be adjusted by the volume adjustment unit 44. Returning to FIG.

  The simulated running sound control unit 40 performs control to maintain the tone color at tone2 and the volume level at level 2 when the vehicle 1000 moves from the inside of the road to the outside of the road. In addition, the simulated running sound control unit 40 instructs the generating unit 42 to generate a synthesized sound of tone2 and tone3 when the running state is TRUE, that is, the starting state. Further, the simulated running sound control unit 40 instructs the volume adjusting unit 44 to increase the volume to level3. Furthermore, the pseudo running sound control unit 40 may instruct the volume adjusting unit 44 to decrease the volume from level 3 to level 2 with the passage of time. By such control, the pseudo running sound 230 is changed according to the start of the vehicle, and pedestrians and bicycle riders can be alerted.

  Next, the third vehicle 1000c in FIG. The simulated running sound control unit 40 extracts the estimation result from the inside / outside determination unit 56 from the distance data 212. In the estimation result, when it is estimated that the vehicle 1000 exists on the road, the output of the simulated running sound 230 is controlled based on the start determination result 222 and the stop period 224. More specifically, the simulated traveling sound control unit 40 controls the output of the simulated traveling sound 230 according to the stop period 224 if the information regarding the traveling state in the start determination result 222 indicates that it is stopped. For example, the simulated traveling sound control unit 40 controls the simulated traveling sound 230 so that the longer the stop period 224, the higher the noise level and the higher the volume. Furthermore, the simulated traveling sound control unit 40 controls the output of the simulated traveling sound 230 even if the information regarding the traveling state in the start determination result 222 is changed from the stop to the start for a certain period or more. For example, when the running state changes from stop to start after the stop period 224 becomes longer than a certain period, the simulated running sound control unit 40 has a simulated running sound so that the noise level is high and the volume is increased. 230 is controlled. Such processing is performed based on another table.

  FIG. 8 shows the data structure of yet another table stored in the simulated running sound control unit 40. As shown, a stop period column 820, a start determination column 830, a tone color column 840, and a volume column 850 are included. In the stop period column 820, a determination condition for the stop period 224 is shown. Here, it is classified into “when the stop period 224 is less than the threshold value” and “when the stop period 224 is greater than or equal to the threshold value”. The start determination column 830 corresponds to the running state, and this corresponds to the determination result in the start determination unit 34 as in FIG. The timbre column 730 indicates the timbre to be generated by the generation unit 42, and the volume column 740 is a volume (level1 <level2 <level3) to be adjusted by the volume adjustment unit 44. Returning to FIG.

  The simulated running sound control unit 40 selects tone2 and level1 and controls the generation unit 42 and the volume control unit 44 when the stop period 224 is less than the threshold value. Here, the threshold value is set as 300 seconds, for example. Further, the pseudo running sound control unit 40 selects tone2 and level2 and controls the generation unit 42 and the volume control unit 44 when the stop period 224 becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value P1. Note that the simulated running sound control unit 40 may control the volume control unit 44 so that the volume increases from level 1 to level 2. Further, when the start determination becomes TRUE, the simulated running sound control unit 40 instructs the generation unit 42 to generate a synthesized sound of tone2 and tone3 and also instructs the volume adjustment unit 44 to increase the volume to level3. The simulated running sound control unit 40 may control the sound volume so as to decrease from the level 3 as time passes.

  This configuration can be realized in terms of hardware by a CPU, memory, or other LSI of any computer, and in terms of software, it can be realized by a program loaded in the memory, but here it is realized by their cooperation. Draw functional blocks. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

  The operation of the simulated running sound generator 100 having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a generation procedure by the simulated running sound generator 100. When the vehicle 1000 exists on the road (Y in S10) and moves outside the road (Y in S12), the simulated running sound control unit 40 controls the simulated running sound 230 according to the direction difference (S14). If the vehicle does not move outside the road (N in S12) and the vehicle is parked on the road (Y in S16), the simulated traveling sound control unit 40 controls the simulated traveling sound 230 (S18). When it is not on-street parking (N of S16), Step 18 is skipped. When the vehicle 1000 does not exist on the road (N in S10) and starts (Y in S20), the simulated traveling sound control unit 40 controls the simulated traveling sound 230 (S22). If the vehicle does not start (N in S20), step 22 is skipped.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the output of the simulated running sound of the vehicle is controlled according to whether the vehicle exists on the road or the vehicle exists outside the road, The corresponding control can be executed. In addition, since the control according to the situation around the vehicle is executed, the output of the simulated traveling sound can be appropriately controlled when the generation of the simulated traveling sound is required. Moreover, when it exists on a road, since the case where it moves out of a road from the road based on a direction difference is estimated, estimation accuracy can be improved. In addition, when it is estimated that the vehicle exists on the road, it detects whether the distance between the end of the road and the vehicle is small, so it changes direction when moving from the road to the outside of the road. The case can be separated. In addition, since the case of moving from the road to the outside of the road and the case of changing the direction on the road are separated, the case of moving from the road to the outside of the road can be estimated with higher accuracy. In addition, since the case of moving from the road to the outside of the road is estimated with higher accuracy, it is possible to output a simulated running sound in a situation where it is easy to approach a person or the like on the sidewalk.

  In addition, when it is estimated that the vehicle exists outside the road, the simulated running sound output is controlled according to the start of the vehicle in a parking lot or the like, so that the simulated running sound can be output in a situation where it is easy for people to approach. . Further, since it is easier to output the simulated running sound when the vehicle is outside the road than when the vehicle is on the road, it is possible to easily notify the person or the like of the presence of the vehicle. In addition, it is possible to determine the operation of the vehicle even in a situation where the vehicle moves at low speed, and to improve the safety of pedestrians and bicycle riders by controlling the pseudo running sound according to the operation of the vehicle. it can.

In addition, when it is estimated that the vehicle is on the road, the output of the simulated running sound of the vehicle is controlled according to the stop period. , It can be separated from the case of once stopped due to red light or traffic jams. In addition, when the vehicle is temporarily stopped due to a red light, traffic jam, or the like, the output of the simulated running sound is suppressed, so that low noise performance can be maintained. In addition, since the simulated running sound is output when the vehicle is parked on the road, the presence of the vehicle can be notified. Moreover, since the output of the simulated running sound of the vehicle is controlled according to whether the vehicle has changed from the stop to the start for a certain period or more, the simulated running sound of the vehicle can be increased when starting from parking on the road. In addition, it is possible to make pedestrians and bicycle riders recognize the presence of electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles. In addition, a simulated running sound that can predict the operation of the vehicle can be generated.

  Further, since the control is changed depending on whether the vehicle exists on the road or outside the road, detailed control according to the situation around the vehicle can be realized. Further, when the vehicle is on the road, the control is changed depending on whether the vehicle is going out of the road or the vehicle is parked on the road, so that it is possible to realize detailed control according to the situation around the vehicle.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. .

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the simulated running sound of the vehicle is illustrated as the notification sound. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the notification sound may be a sound other than the simulated running sound of the vehicle. As long as it is a sound that can alert a pedestrian or a bicycle occupant. According to this modification, the present invention can be applied to various notification sounds.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Map database, 12 GPS positioning part, 14 Angular velocity detection part, 16 Speed detection part, 18 Acceleration detection part, 20 Calculation part, 30 Running state detection part, 32 Substantially stop determination part, 34 Start determination part, 36 Stop period measurement part , 40 pseudo running sound control unit, 42 generating unit, 44 volume adjusting unit, 50 road extending direction deriving unit, 52 vehicle traveling direction deriving unit, 54 direction difference deriving unit, 56 inside / outside determining unit, 58 distance deriving unit, 100 pseudo running Sound generator.

Claims (3)

A first acquisition unit that acquires information related to the position of the vehicle and information related to the traveling direction of the vehicle;
A second acquisition unit that acquires information about the position of the road and information about the direction of road extension;
When it is estimated that the vehicle exists on the road based on the information on the position of the vehicle acquired in the first acquisition unit and the information on the position of the road acquired in the second acquisition unit, the first A control unit for controlling the output of the notification sound based on the difference between the information on the traveling direction of the vehicle acquired in the acquisition unit and the information on the road extending direction acquired in the second acquisition unit;
A notification sound control apparatus comprising: A derivation unit for deriving a distance between the end of the road and the vehicle based on the information on the position of the vehicle acquired in the first acquisition unit and the information on the position of the road acquired in the second acquisition unit; In addition,
The control unit estimates that the vehicle is present on a road, and controls output of a notification sound when the distance derived by the deriving unit is smaller than a threshold value. The notification sound control apparatus according to 1. Obtaining information about the position of the vehicle and information about the direction of travel of the vehicle;
Obtaining information relating to the position of the road and information relating to the extending direction of the road;
When it is estimated that the vehicle exists on the road based on the acquired information on the position of the vehicle and the acquired information on the position of the road, the acquired information on the traveling direction of the vehicle and the extension of the acquired road Controlling the output of the notification sound based on the difference with the information on the direction;
A notification sound control method comprising:

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