JP2011255847A - Apparatus for informing vehicle approach - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for informing vehicle approach to call attention of an informed target according to danger degree.SOLUTION: A brake operation detecting part (1) detects brake pedal stepping velocity and stepping force, based on brake pedal operation degree sensed by a stroke sensor (11) and driver's brake pedal stepping force sensed by a stepping force sensor (12). A danger degree determining part (2) determines danger degree among danger degrees α, β, and γ, based on the detected results. An informing sound controlling part (3) decides informing sound among informing sounds α, β, and γ, based on the determined results, the informing sound informed from a speaker (4).

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle approach notification device, and relates to a technique for changing the type of notification sound by a brake operation.

In recent years, not only internal combustion engines but also electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid vehicles (HEV) using electric motors have been developed and sold.
Vehicles that can be driven using electric motors such as EV and HEV have no so-called engine noise of the internal combustion engine when they are driven using the electric motor. It is difficult to make others aware of the presence of the vehicle, such as pedestrians walking on the road and people riding bicycles.

For this reason, a technology has been developed that generates a start sound, a travel sound, and a pseudo sound such as an acceleration or deceleration sound during travel suitable for EV and HEV, and adjusts the pseudo sound volume according to ambient noise. (Patent Document 1).
Furthermore, a technology has also been developed to alert the surrounding pedestrians (notification target) unconsciously of the approaching and passing of the vehicle by detecting the running state of the vehicle and controlling the pseudo sound (Patent Document). 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-182587 JP 2005-219715 A

As described above, in the pseudo sound generator for electric vehicles of Patent Document 1 and the pseudo sound generator of Patent Document 2, the engine sound and the brake sound are artificially synthesized according to the running state of the vehicle, and a pedestrian or the like A pseudo sound that does not cause discomfort or stress is generated and notified.
However, in the alerting with such a pseudo sound, there is a possibility that a pedestrian or the like may hear the pseudo sound when the degree of danger is high because there is no discomfort or stress. It is not enough to inform you of your vehicle's approach.

For this reason, it is not preferable that there is a possibility of an accident when the vehicle approach notification to a pedestrian or the like is insufficient.
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle approach notification device that can alert a notification target according to the degree of danger. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1 is mounted on a vehicle and notifies a notification sound by a notification sound generating means to a notification target such as a person who is walking or running on a bicycle. An approach notification device for a vehicle that calls attention, and stores a risk level detection means for detecting a risk level that is a risk level of the vehicle, and stores several types of notification sounds according to the risk level in advance. A notification sound control means for controlling the generation means, wherein the notification sound control means determines the type of the notification sound based on the risk as a detection result of the risk detection means, and the notification sound generation means Sound is notified.

Further, in the vehicle approach notification device according to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the risk degree detection means includes a brake operation detection means for detecting an operation state of a brake and a risk degree based on a detection result of the brake operation detection means. It is characterized by comprising a risk level judging means for judging the above.
Further, in the vehicle approach notification device according to claim 3, in claim 1 or 2, the notification sound is a characteristic close to wideband noise when the degree of danger is low, and a frequency at which a person feels harsh as the degree of danger increases. The sound pressure level of the belt is large.

Further, in the vehicle approach notification device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the notification sound control means increases the volume of the notification sound as the degree of danger increases.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle approach notification device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising vehicle speed detection means for detecting a vehicle speed of the vehicle, wherein the notification sound control means has a vehicle speed equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed. Sometimes, the notification sound is notified by the notification sound generating means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the risk detection means detects the risk that is the degree of danger of the vehicle, the notification sound control means determines the type of notification sound to be notified based on the risk, and the notification The sound generation means is controlled to notify the notification sound.
Thus, since the degree of danger is detected and the type of the notification sound is determined, the danger can be notified to the notification target according to the degree of danger.

Therefore, since the notification sound is determined according to the degree of danger, it is possible to reduce discomfort of the subject of notification in a normal driving state with a low degree of danger, and to call attention when the degree of danger is high. it can.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the risk level detection unit includes a brake operation detection unit that detects a brake operation state, and a risk level determination unit that determines the risk level based on the detection result of the brake operation detection unit. In addition, since the degree of risk can be determined from the detection result of the brake operation detecting means, the cost can be reduced with a simple configuration.

According to the invention of claim 3, the notification sound has a characteristic close to the wide band noise when the risk level is low, and the sound pressure level in the frequency band that the person feels uncomfortable increases as the risk level increases. Therefore, in a normal driving state with a low degree of danger, it is possible not to be uncomfortable for the notification target, and it is possible to reliably call attention when the degree of danger is high.
In addition, according to the invention of claim 4, since the volume of the notification sound is increased as the degree of danger increases, it is possible to reliably call attention when the degree of danger is high as in claim 3. it can.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the notification sound control means controls the notification sound generation means to notify the notification sound when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed. In addition, when the vehicle speed is lower than the predetermined vehicle speed and the degree of danger is low, the notification sound can be stopped and unnecessary notifications can be reduced, so that discomfort of the notification target can be reduced.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle approach notification device according to the present invention. It is a part of flowchart which shows the control routine of the approach notification apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is the remainder of the flowchart which shows the control routine of the approach notification apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is a map which shows the area | region of the danger level in the stepping speed and stepping force which concern on this invention. It is a graph which shows the frequency component and sound pressure level of each alerting sound which concern on this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle approach notification device according to the present invention mounted on a vehicle (not shown). Hereinafter, the configuration of the vehicle approach notification device will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle approach notification device includes a brake operation detection unit (risk level determination unit, brake operation detection unit) 1, a risk level determination unit (risk level determination unit) 2, a notification sound control unit (notification sound). Control means) 3, speaker (notification sound generating means) 4, stroke sensor (risk level detection means, brake operation detection means) 11, pedal force sensor (risk level detection means, brake operation detection means) 12, vehicle speed sensor (vehicle speed detection means) ) 13 and the vehicle start switch 14.

  The brake operation detection unit 1 operates the brake pedal based on the degree of depression of a brake pedal (not shown) detected by the driver by the stroke sensor 11 and the force by which the driver depresses the brake pedal detected by the pedal force sensor 12. ) And the depression speed of the brake pedal (brake operation state) and the depression force (brake operation state) are detected, and the depression speed information and the depression force information are supplied to the risk determination unit 2.

If the vehicle start switch 14 is ON, the risk determination unit 2 determines whether the vehicle is based on the brake pedal depression speed information and the depression force information supplied from the brake operation detection unit 1 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 13. The degree of risk that is the degree of risk is determined, and the risk level information is supplied to the notification sound control unit 3.
The notification sound control unit 3 determines a notification sound based on the risk level information supplied from the risk level determination unit 2 and controls the speaker 4 to notify a person who is walking or running on a bicycle (notification target). The notification sound is notified to alert the user.

The operation and effect of the vehicle approach notification device according to the present invention configured as described above will be described below.
2 and 3 are flowcharts showing a control routine of the vehicle approach notification device according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a map showing risk areas in a stepping speed and a pedaling force that are arbitrarily determined in advance. The descriptions of the risk level α region, the risk level β region, and the risk level γ region in the figure indicate respective risk level regions in the stepping speed and the stepping force. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the frequency component and sound pressure level of each notification sound. The solid line in the figure indicates the notification sound γ that is very unpleasant to the person, and the broken line indicates the degree that the person feels annoyance. Indicates the notification sound β smaller than the notification sound γ, and the alternate long and short dash line indicates the notification sound α having characteristics close to those of the wideband noise that the person does not feel harsh. The degree that a person feels harsh becomes greater as the sound pressure level in a region below a specific frequency (for example, 1500 Hz) increases.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in step S <b> 10, the brake operation detection unit 1 determines whether or not the brake pedal has been operated (brake ON) based on the detection result of the stroke sensor 11. If the determination result is true (Yes) and the brake pedal is operated (brake ON), the process proceeds to step S12. If the determination result is false (No) and the brake pedal is not operated, the process proceeds to step S40.

In step S12, the risk determination unit 2 determines whether or not the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 11 is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed. If the determination result is true (Yes) and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, the process proceeds to step S14. If the determination result is false (No) and the vehicle speed is not equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, the process proceeds to step S40.
In step S14, the current risk level is determined by the risk level determination unit 2 based on the step speed information and the pedal force information detected by the brake operation detection unit 1 based on the map indicating the risk level region shown in FIG.

In step S16, the notification sound control unit 3 determines whether or not the current risk level is α. If the determination result is true (Yes) and the current risk level is α, the process proceeds to step S18. If the determination result is false (No) and the current risk level is not α, the process proceeds to step S30.
In step S18, the notification sound control unit 3 determines whether or not the degree of risk one cycle before is α. If the determination result is true (Yes) and the risk level one cycle before is α, the process proceeds to step S20. If the determination result is false (No) and the risk level one cycle before is not α, the process proceeds to step S24.

In step S20, the notification sound control unit 3 controls the speaker 4 to notify the notification sound α shown in FIG.
In step S24, the notification sound control unit 3 determines whether or not the risk level one cycle before is β. If the determination result is true (Yes) and the risk level one cycle before is β, the process proceeds to step S26. In step S26, the notification sound control unit 3 controls the speaker 4 to display the notification sound shown in FIG. After notifying β from the speaker 4 for a predetermined time, the notification sound α is notified, and the process proceeds to step S22. If the determination result is false (No) and the risk level one cycle before is not β, the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the notification sound control unit 3 controls the speaker 4 to display the notification sound shown in FIG. After notifying γ from the speaker 4 for a predetermined time, the notification sound α is notified, and the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S30, the notification sound control unit 3 determines whether or not the current risk level is β. If the determination result is true (Yes) and the current risk level is β, the process proceeds to step S32. If the determination result is false (No) and the current risk level is not β, the process proceeds to step S38, and the notification sound control unit 3, the speaker 4 is controlled to notify the notification sound γ shown in FIG. 5 from the speaker 4, and the process proceeds to step S <b> 22.

  In step S32, the notification sound control unit 3 determines whether or not the risk level one cycle before is γ. If the determination result is true (Yes) and the risk level one cycle before is γ, the process proceeds to step S36. In step S36, the notification sound control unit 3 controls the speaker 4 to display the notification sound shown in FIG. After notifying γ from the speaker 4 for a predetermined time, the notification sound β is notified, and the process proceeds to step S22. If the determination result is false (No) and the risk level one cycle before is not γ, the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the notification sound control unit 3 controls the speaker 4 to display the notification sound shown in FIG. β is notified from the speaker 4, and the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, the notification sound control unit 3 stores the current risk level.
In step S40, the notification sound from the speaker 4 is stopped.
In step S42, the notification sound control unit 3 stores the degree of danger as α.
In step S44, the risk determination unit 2 determines whether or not the vehicle start switch 14 is OFF. If the determination result is true (Yes) and the vehicle start switch 14 is OFF, the routine is exited. If the determination result is false (No) and the vehicle start switch 14 is not OFF, the process proceeds to step S10.

  As described above, according to the vehicle approach notification device according to the present invention, when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, the depression speed and the depression force detected by the stroke sensor 11 and the depression force sensor 12 and detected by the brake operation detection unit 1 are detected. Based on the map indicating the risk area, it is determined whether the current risk level is any one of the risk level α, the risk level β, or the risk level γ. And based on this determination result, there is a maximum value of the sound pressure level in the region below the specific frequency, the notification sound γ that the person feels annoying very much, the maximum sound pressure level in the region below the specific frequency There is a value, and the notification sound β that is less sensitive to the notification sound γ than the notification sound γ, or the notification sound α that is close to the wide band noise that the person does not feel uncomfortable, is switched, and the notification sound is notified from the speaker 4. The risk level is reported.

Therefore, according to the vehicle approach notification device according to the present invention,
(1) Since the degree of operation of the brake is detected by the stroke sensor 11 and the pedaling force sensor 12, a simple configuration can be achieved and the cost can be reduced.
(2) Since the type of notification sound is determined according to the degree of danger, in a normal driving state with a low degree of danger, it is possible to reduce the discomfort of a person who is walking or riding a bicycle, If the degree of danger is high, it is possible to call attention reliably.
(3) When the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, the notification sound is notified. When the vehicle speed is lower than the predetermined vehicle speed and the degree of danger is low, the notification sound is stopped, and unnecessary notifications can be reduced. It is possible to further reduce the discomfort of a person who is walking or traveling on a bicycle.

Although the description of the embodiment of the invention is finished as above, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
For example, in the above embodiment, the brake operation degree is detected by using the stroke sensor 11 and the pedal force sensor 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the brake fluid pressure and the fluid pressure are not limited thereto. The degree of operation of the brake may be detected from the change speed of the above, and the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, the type of notification sound is changed according to the degree of danger, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition to changing the type of notification sound according to the degree of danger, notification is made as the degree of danger increases. The volume of the sound may be increased, so that a person who is walking or traveling on a bicycle can be surely alerted.

1 Brake operation detection unit (risk level detection means, brake operation detection means)
2 Risk determination unit (Danger detection means, Risk determination means)
3. Notification sound control unit (notification sound control means)
4 Speaker (notification sound generating means)
11 Stroke sensor (risk level detection means, brake operation detection means)
12 Stepping force sensor (risk level detection means, brake operation detection means)
13 Vehicle speed sensor (vehicle speed detection means)
14 Vehicle start switch

Claims (5)

An approach notification device for a vehicle, which is mounted on a vehicle and alerts a notification target such as a person who is walking or running on a bicycle by notifying a notification sound by a notification sound generating means,
A degree-of-risk detection means for detecting a degree of danger that is a degree of danger of the vehicle;
Storing several types of notification sounds according to the degree of danger in advance, and comprising a notification sound control means for controlling the notification sound generating means,
The notification sound control means determines the type of notification sound based on the degree of risk that is a detection result of the risk detection means, and notifies the notification sound by the notification sound generation means. apparatus. The risk detection means includes
Brake operation detecting means for detecting the operation state of the brake;
The vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1, further comprising: a risk determination unit that determines a risk based on a detection result of the brake operation detection unit.   The notification sound is a characteristic close to wideband noise when the degree of danger is low, and the sound pressure level in the frequency band that people feel annoying as the degree of danger increases, 3. Vehicle approach notification device.   The vehicle approach notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the notification sound control means increases the volume of the notification sound as the degree of danger increases. Furthermore, a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle is provided,
The vehicle approach notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the notification sound control means notifies the notification sound by the notification sound generation means when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed. .

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