JP2014177819A - Annunciation sound volume control device and opening/closing body device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an annunciation sound volume control device with high convenience, which enables a user to easily and intuitively determine the sound volume of an annunciation sound associated with an operation of an opening/closing body, depending on individual situations, and an opening/closing body device.SOLUTION: An annunciation sound volume control device 10 for controlling an annunciation sound volume associated with an operation of an opening/closing body 3 includes a detection part 20 that detects a user's gesture in the user's operation for the opening/closing body 3, and a control part 30 that determines the annunciation sound volume on the basis of the gesture detected by the detection part 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a notification sound volume control device and an opening / closing body device, and more particularly, to a notification sound volume control device that controls a notification sound volume related to the operation of an opening / closing body and an opening / closing body device using the notification sound volume control device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a notification device that sounds a notification sound such as a buzzer to alert a user when a vehicle door is operated is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a notification device that outputs a notification sound when a door lock / unlock operation is completed, and picks up noise around the vehicle by a plurality of microphones, and attributes the notification sound based on the collected noise. The structure which determines is disclosed. When the noise level around the vehicle is high, the notification volume is set to be large, and when the noise level around the vehicle is low, the notification volume is set to be small. Is output from. The document also discloses a configuration in which the notification volume is set according to the current time such that a large notification volume is set during the daytime and a small notification volume is set at night.

JP 2006-144432 A

  However, according to the configuration of Patent Document 1, the notification volume set uniformly according to the noise around the vehicle or the current time does not always match the notification volume desired by the user according to the situation. There was a problem that the device was not easy to use.

  For example, when the vehicle is parked in a parking lot around the store in the daytime, according to the configuration of the same document, a high notification volume is set because the noise level around the vehicle is high. Even based on the current time, a large notification volume is set due to the daytime time. However, when there is another occupant sleeping in the vehicle, the user who opens and closes the door may desire to make a notification sound with a small sound. Further, in the door opening operation, the user may desire to reduce the degree of attention of the door opening operation by outputting a notification sound with a small sound so that an unspecified number of passersby cannot see the inside of the vehicle. However, since the notification sound is set to a large volume based on the noise level or the current time, the user cannot lower the notification volume by his / her will. As described above, according to the configuration of the same document, even in a situation where the user wants to reduce the notification volume in consideration of the situation in the vehicle or around the vehicle, the user can freely set the notification volume according to the situation. There was a problem that it was not possible to set and the usability of the notification device was poor. In addition, in order to allow the user to set the notification volume, if the configuration that requires the user to perform a complicated notification volume change operation each time the door is actuated, the convenience of the notification device is reduced.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a highly convenient notification volume control device and an opening / closing body device that allow a user to easily and intuitively determine the volume of a notification sound related to opening / closing body operation according to individual situations. To do.

  A notification volume control device for controlling a notification volume related to the operation of an opening / closing body according to the present invention determines a notification volume based on a detection unit that detects a user's gesture in a user operation on the opening / closing body, and a gesture detected by the detection unit. A control unit.

  According to the above notification volume control device, the notification volume is determined according to the user's gesture with respect to the detection unit of the opening / closing body, so that the user can easily and intuitively determine the notification volume according to each situation. A highly convenient notification volume control device is provided.

  Here, the detection unit is configured to detect a swipe operation on the detection unit as a gesture, and the control unit is configured to determine the notification sound volume based on a physical quantity given to the detection unit by the swipe operation. Thus, the above-described intuitive notification volume determination is promoted by correlating the physical quantity representing the user's swipe operation with the magnitude of the notification sound.

  Further, the detection unit is configured by a non-contact sensor, and the non-contact sensor is configured to detect a separation distance from an object that performs a swipe operation, and the control unit is configured to determine a notification sound volume based on the separation distance. You may make it do. Thus, the notification volume is determined according to the sense of distance of the swipe operation with respect to the detection unit, so that the user can easily set the notification volume.

  Alternatively, the detection unit may detect the movement speed of the swipe operation, and the control unit may determine the notification sound volume based on the movement speed. Thus, the notification volume is determined according to the sense of speed of the swipe operation on the detection unit, so that the user can easily set the notification volume.

  Further, the detection unit is configured to detect a separation distance between the detection unit and the user and a shielding time of the detection unit in the user's gesture, and the control unit determines the notification sound volume based on the separation distance and the shielding time. You may make it comprise. With this configuration, even when the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing body is not necessarily related to the swipe operation, the above-described intuitive notification sound volume determination is realized.

  The notification volume control device further includes an operation trigger acquisition unit that outputs an opening / closing request for the opening / closing body based on the gesture detected by the detection unit, and the control unit opens / closes the opening / closing body based on the opening / closing request. Configured as follows. Thus, the user can also set the notification volume in the process of requesting the opening / closing operation, and the convenience is enhanced.

  An opening / closing body device according to the present invention includes the above-described notification sound volume control device, an opening / closing body provided with a detection unit, and a sounding body for generating a notification sound. Thus, an opening / closing body device is provided in which the user can easily and intuitively determine the volume of the notification sound relating to the opening / closing body operation according to the individual situation.

It is the schematic which shows the vehicle carrying the alerting | reporting volume control apparatus by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the opening / closing body apparatus by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the detection part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the alerting | reporting sound volume control apparatus by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the alerting | reporting volume control apparatus by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the alerting | reporting sound volume control apparatus by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the alerting | reporting volume control apparatus by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the vehicle carrying the alerting | reporting sound volume control apparatus by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the detection part in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the alerting | reporting sound volume control apparatus by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the alerting | reporting volume control apparatus by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the alerting | reporting sound volume control apparatus by the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of a detection part in the modification of this invention. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of a detection part in the modification of this invention. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of a detection part in the modification of this invention.

Embodiment 1. FIG.
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a left side surface of a vehicle 1 on which a notification sound volume control device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted. The vehicle 1 includes a body 2 and a rear door 3r. The rear door 3r is a sliding door, and is slidably opened and closed in the vehicle front-rear direction by a motor (not shown). The notification sound volume control device 10 includes a detection unit 20 disposed in the window 3w of the rear door 3r and a control unit 30 disposed in the rear door 3r. The detection unit 20 and the control unit 30 may be connected to each other by a wire (not shown) provided along the door frame of the rear door 3r, or may be connected wirelessly. A sounding body 4 such as a buzzer for outputting a notification sound at the time of opening / closing operation is disposed inside the rear door 3r. In the following description, the opening / closing bodies such as the rear door 3r and the back door 3b described later are collectively referred to as the opening / closing body 3. As shown in FIG. 1B, the opening / closing body device 40 includes a notification sound volume control device 10 including a detection unit 20 and a control unit 30, an opening / closing body 3 provided with the detection unit 20, a sounding body 4 for generating a notification sound, and the like. Is configured.

  As a basic opening / closing operation of the rear door 3r, when the user swipes his / her hand from the left to the right (toward the rear of the vehicle) in front of the detection unit 20 with the rear door 3r closed, the rear door 3r moves against the body 2 Slide backwards to open the vehicle. In addition, when the user swipes his / her hand from the right to the left (toward the front of the vehicle) in front of the detection unit 20 with the rear door 3r opened, the rear door 3r slides toward the front of the vehicle 2 and closes. When the user swipes his / her hand in front of the detection unit 20 while the rear door 3r is opening, the rear door 3r stops the opening operation or reverses the closing operation and slides to the left. May be. Further, when the user swipes the hand in the right direction in front of the detection unit 20 while the rear door 3r is closing, the rear door 3r stops the closing operation or reverses the opening operation and slides to the right. May be.

  As an outline of the present embodiment, the user's swipe operation with respect to the detection unit 20 is detected, and the notification sound volume by the sounding body 4 is determined based on the distance (distance) of the swipe operation with respect to the detection unit 20. More specifically, when the swipe operation is performed at a position relatively far from or away from the detection unit 20, the notification sound is set to the standard volume, and the swipe operation is performed at a position relatively close to the detection unit 20. In the case where the notification sound is made in the approaching direction, the notification sound is set to a low volume. As described above, the sense of distance of the swipe operation with respect to the detection unit 20 and the magnitude of the notification sound are correlated, so that the user can easily determine the notification volume intuitively. Note that the relationship between the distance of the swipe operation and the magnitude of the notification volume does not restrict the present invention, and may be the reverse of the above.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the detection unit 20. 2 shows a top view of the rear door 3r as seen from above the vehicle, and the lower part shows a view of the rear door 3r as seen from the rear of the vehicle. In addition, drawing is a schematic diagram and is not as the dimension. The detection unit 20 includes distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c. In the following description, the distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c are collectively referred to as the distance sensor 21 or representative of any one of them. The distance sensor 21 is disposed in the vicinity of the upper end of the window 3w, and is arranged in the order of distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c from the front to the rear of the vehicle. The sensor element of the distance sensor 21 and the processing circuit for the output signal from the sensor element may be integrated, or the processing circuit may be incorporated in the frame of the rear door 3r or the like via wiring from the sensor element. Also good. As the distance sensor 21, an active infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a microwave sensor can be used. That is, in the present embodiment, each distance sensor 21 detects and outputs the distance to the object together with the presence / absence of the object in each detection range.

  As the distance measurement method, a triangular distance measurement method using an active infrared sensor, a time-of-flight method using an active infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a microwave sensor may be employed. In the triangulation method, the light emitted from the infrared light emitting element is irradiated onto the object, the reflected light is received by a light receiving element such as CMOS or PSD, and the distance is calculated based on the imaging position on the light receiving element. The In the time-of-flight method, the time from when light, ultrasonic waves, or microwaves from a light source, an ultrasonic source or a microwave source is emitted until it is reflected by an object and received by a detection element is measured and measured. The calculated time is converted into a distance by calculation processing.

  In FIG. 2, when an object (a user's hand) is detected in the order of the distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c, and is no longer detected in the order of the distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c, a swipe operation to the rear of the vehicle (Hereinafter referred to as “open swipe operation”) will be detected. Conversely, when the object is detected in the order of the distance sensors 21c, 21b, and 21a and is not detected in the order of the distance sensors 21c, 21b, and 21a, the swipe action toward the front of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “closed swipe action”). ") Will be detected. Thus, the moving direction in the swipe operation is determined by the detection order of each distance sensor.

  FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the notification sound volume control device 10. As described above, the notification sound volume control device 10 includes the detection unit 20 and the control unit 30, and the detection unit 20 includes the distance sensor 21. The control unit 30 includes an operation trigger acquisition unit 31, a door control unit 32, a door motor control unit 33, a pulse acquisition unit 34, and a notification sound control unit 35.

The operation trigger detection unit 31 includes a direction determination unit 311 and a perspective determination unit 312.
As described above, the direction determining unit 311 outputs the operation request direction information based on the detection output order of the distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c. That is, when the detection outputs are obtained in the order of the distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c, the direction determining unit 311 specifies an open swipe operation and outputs an open request. On the other hand, when the detection outputs are obtained in the order of the distance sensors 21c, 21b, and 21a, the direction determining unit 311 specifies a close swipe operation and outputs a close request.

  The perspective determination unit 312 obtains the separation distance from the detection unit 20 of the swipe operation based on the detection distances from the distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c. The definition of the separation distance will be described later. Then, the perspective determination unit 312 compares the separation distance with a threshold value and outputs swipe perspective information. Specifically, the perspective determination unit 312 outputs the distance swipe information as the swipe perspective information when the separation distance is greater than or equal to the threshold, and outputs the near swipe information as the swipe perspective information when the separation distance is less than the threshold. .

  The separation distance can be defined as an average value of detection distances from the distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the trajectory of the swipe operation is T1, since the average value of the detection distance becomes larger than the threshold Th, the perspective determination unit 312 outputs the far swipe information. on the other hand. When the trajectory of the swipe operation is T2, the average value of the detection distance is smaller than the threshold value Th, so the perspective determination unit 312 outputs the near swipe information. Here, the threshold Th may be about 10 cm to 1 m, preferably about 50 cm to 60 cm. Note that the median value of the detection distances may be adopted as the separation distance instead of the average value of the detection distances.

  Further, the separation distance may be defined as a detection distance that is output last among the detection outputs from the three distance sensors 21. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the trajectory of the swipe operation is T3 approaching the distance sensor 21c, the distance determination unit 312 displays the near-swipe information because the detection distance by the distance sensor 21c is smaller than the threshold Th. Output. On the other hand, when the trajectory of the swipe operation is T4 moving away from the distance sensor 21c, the distance determination unit 312 outputs the distance swipe information because the distance detected by the distance sensor 21c is greater than the threshold Th. Note that the last detection output is used as a determination factor for determining the separation distance because there is a high possibility that the user more accurately grasps the sense of distance from the detection unit 20 at the end time than at the start time of the swipe operation. Based on the premise that

  In addition, the separation distance is defined as the last detection distance output among the detection outputs from the three distance sensors 21, and the threshold value is output first among the detection outputs from the three distance sensors 21. It may be defined as a detection distance. That is, the swipe perspective information is determined based on whether the swipe operation takes a trajectory moving away from the detection unit 20 or a trajectory approaching the detection unit 20. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 5, when the trajectory of the swipe operation is T3, the detection distance from the distance sensor 21c that is output last is smaller than the detection distance from the distance sensor 21a that is detected first. Therefore, the perspective determination unit 312 outputs the near swipe information. On the other hand, when the trajectory of the swipe operation is T4, since the detection distance from the distance sensor 21c that is output last is larger than the detection distance from the distance sensor 21a that is detected first, the perspective determination unit 312 Output far swipe information.

  Further, the separation distance may be defined as a detection distance output by a predetermined distance sensor. For example, it is assumed that the predetermined distance sensor is the distance sensor 21b. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, when the trajectory of the swipe operation is T3, since the detection distance by the distance sensor 21b is smaller than the threshold Th, the perspective determination unit 312 outputs the near swipe information. On the other hand, when the trajectory of the swipe operation is T4, the distance determination unit 312 outputs the distance swipe information because the detection distance by the distance sensor 21b is larger than the threshold Th. Note that the predetermined distance sensor may be different for the open swipe operation and the closed swipe operation.

  Note that the direction determination unit 311 may output operating condition non-satisfied information when the detection result from the detection unit 20 is incomplete. The case where the detection result is incomplete includes a case where the swipe direction is not specified within a predetermined time after the first detection result of the distance sensor 21 is obtained. For example, when one or more detection outputs continue to be output because the user's hand is stationary in front of the detection unit 20, the swipe direction is not specified. In addition, the swipe direction is not specified even when the user is making a gesture but is not performing a swipe operation and the order of detection result output from the three distance sensors 21 is not specified.

  The door control unit 32 receives the opening request and the closing request from the direction determining unit 311 and outputs an opening request signal and a closing request signal to the door motor control unit 33. Further, the door control unit 32 outputs a blowing request for blowing the sounding body 4 to the notification sound control unit 35 at a predetermined timing in response to the input of the opening request, the closing request, and the operating condition non-established information. .

  The door motor control unit 33 drives the motor 5 according to the opening request signal and the closing request signal from the door control unit 32. A Hall IC (not shown) is connected to the motor 5, and the number of rotations of the motor 5 is detected. The pulse acquisition unit 34 acquires a pulse output from the Hall IC, and outputs information on the door position calculated from the acquired number of pulses to the door control unit 32. The door control unit 32 determines the operation end time based on the door position information input from the pulse acquisition unit 34 and generates an operation stop request. The door motor control unit 33 stops the motor 5 in response to the operation stop request.

  The notification sound control unit 35 determines the type and volume of the notification sound by the sounding body 4 based on the opening request or the closing request from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 and the swipe perspective information. And the notification sound control part 35 will sound the sounding body 4 with the determined kind and volume, if the blowing request | requirement from the door control part 32 is input. Here, the notification sound control unit 35 sets the notification volume to the standard volume when the swipe perspective information is the far swipe information, and sets the notification volume from the standard volume when the swipe perspective information is the near swipe information. Set to a low volume. The notification sound control unit 35 also sets a predetermined notification sound according to the operation condition non-established information.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a notification sound volume setting process in the control unit 30 when the rear door 3r is opened. As a premise of processing, it is assumed that the rear door 3r is in a closed state and the door lock is released.

  In step S <b> 100, the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 determines whether there is a detection output from the detection unit 20. When the detection output is input to the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 (step S100, Yes), the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S105, the direction determination unit 311 of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 determines whether the user's gesture is an open swipe operation. When the open swipe operation is specified (step S105, Yes), the direction determining unit 311 outputs an open request, and the process proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, when the open swipe operation is not specified (No at Step S105), the direction determining unit 311 outputs the operating condition unsatisfied information, and the process proceeds to Step S130.

  In step S110, the perspective determination unit 312 of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 acquires the separation distance from the detection unit 20 of the swipe operation based on the detection distances from the distance sensors 21a, 21b, and 21c. This separation is assumed to be determined according to any of the aspects described above with reference to FIG. 4 or FIG.

  In step S115, the perspective determination unit 312 compares the separation distance with a threshold value. If the separation distance is greater than or equal to the threshold (step S115, Yes), the perspective determination unit 312 outputs the far swipe information, and the process proceeds to step S120. On the other hand, when the separation distance is less than the threshold value (No in step S115), the perspective determination unit 312 outputs the near swipe information, and the process proceeds to step S125.

In step S120, the notification sound setting unit 35 sets the type of notification sound according to the far swipe information from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31, and sets the notification volume to the standard volume.
In step S <b> 125, the notification sound setting unit 35 sets the type of notification sound according to the near swipe information from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 and sets the notification volume to a low volume.
Note that the type of notification sound set in step S120 and the type of notification sound set in step S125 may be the same or different.

  In step S <b> 130, the notification sound setting unit 35 sets a predetermined notification sound according to the operation condition non-established information from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31.

In step S135, the door control unit 32 outputs a blowing request at a predetermined timing.
In step S140, the notification sound setting unit 35 sounds the sounding body 4 according to the type of notification sound and the notification volume set in step S120, step S125, or step S130, and the process ends.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In 1st Embodiment, although the structure which determines a notification sound volume based on the separation distance with respect to the detection part 20 in a user's swipe operation was shown, as 2nd Embodiment, a notification sound volume is based on the moving speed of a swipe operation | movement. The structure which determines is shown. The notification volume control device of the present embodiment is also applied to the opening and closing of the rear door 3r as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 1A), and the detection unit 20 is provided in the window 3w of the rear door 3r (see FIG. 2).

  As an outline of the present embodiment, the user's swipe operation with respect to the detection unit 20 is detected, and the notification volume of the sounding body 4 is set based on the moving speed of the swipe operation. Specifically, when the fast swipe operation is performed on the detection unit 20, the notification sound is set to the standard volume, and when the slow swipe operation is performed on the detection unit 20, the notification sound is small. Set to volume. Thus, the user can easily set the notification volume intuitively by correlating the sense of speed of the swipe operation with respect to the detection unit 20 and the magnitude of the notification volume. Note that this embodiment is based on the premise that a user who desires a low notification sound, particularly a user who does not want to detect a gesture of the door opening operation from around the vehicle, will likely perform a slow swipe operation. However, the relationship between the level of the swipe operation speed and the magnitude of the notification volume does not restrict the present invention and may be the reverse of the above.

  FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the notification volume control device 10 of the present embodiment. The notification volume control device 10 includes a detection unit 20 and a control unit 30 as in the first embodiment. The detection unit 20 includes human sensors 22a, 22b, and 22c. In the following description, the human sensors 22a, 22b, and 22c are collectively referred to as the human sensor 22 or one of them is represented. The arrangement of the human sensor 22 may be the same as that of the distance sensor in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3). As the human sensor 22, a passive infrared sensor, an active infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a microwave sensor can be used. That is, the presence / absence of the object in each detection range is detected and output by each human sensor 22.

  In the control unit 30, the configurations of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 and the notification sound control unit 35 are different from those of the first embodiment, and the configurations of the door control unit 32, the door motor control unit 33, and the pulse acquisition unit 34 are the first embodiment. Therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted.

The operation trigger acquisition unit 31 includes a direction determination unit 311 and a speed determination unit 313.
The operation of the direction determining unit 311 is the same as that of the first embodiment. However, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that when the operating condition is not satisfied, the operation condition non-established information is not generated in the direction determining unit 311 and the sounding body 4 is not sounded.

  The speed determination unit 313 obtains the swipe speed for the detection unit 20 of the swipe operation based on the difference in detection time in the detection outputs from the human sensors 22a, 22b, and 22c. The definition of the swipe speed will be described later. Then, the speed determination unit 313 compares the swipe speed with a threshold value and outputs swipe speed information. Specifically, the speed determination unit 313 outputs the high-speed swipe information as the swipe speed information when the swipe speed is equal to or greater than the threshold, and outputs the low-speed swipe information as the swipe speed information when the swipe speed is less than the threshold. .

  The swipe speed may be defined based on, for example, the time from when the first detection output is output until the last detection output is output. In this case, in the open swipe operation, the swipe speed is defined based on the reciprocal of the time from when the detection output is output from the human sensor 22a until the detection output is output from the human sensor 22c.

  The swipe speed may be defined based on a detection output continuation period in a predetermined human sensor 22, that is, a time during which an object passes through a detection area of the human sensor 22. The predetermined human sensor 22 may be, for example, a human sensor determined in advance such as the human sensor 22b at the center, or a human sensor (usually a human sensor) that outputs a detection output at the end. Sensor 22a or 22c). In this case, the swipe speed is defined based on the reciprocal of this detection output duration.

  The door control unit 32 outputs an opening request signal and a closing request signal to the door motor control unit 33 in response to the opening request and the closing request from the direction determining unit 311. Further, the door control unit 32 outputs a blowing request for blowing the sounding body 4 to the notification sound volume control unit 35 at a predetermined timing in response to the input of the opening request and the closing request.

  The notification sound control unit 35 determines the type and volume of the notification sound by the sounding body 4 based on the opening request or the closing request from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 and the swipe speed information. And the notification sound control part 35 will sound the sounding body 4 with the determined kind and volume, if the blowing request | requirement from the door control part 32 is input. The notification sound control unit 35 sets the notification volume to the standard volume when the swipe speed information is high-speed swipe information, and sets the notification volume to a small volume smaller than the standard volume when the swipe speed information is low-speed swipe information. Set to.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a notification volume determination process in the control unit 30 when the rear door 3r is opened. As a premise of processing, it is assumed that the rear door 3r is in a closed state and the door lock is released.

  In step S <b> 200, the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 determines whether there is a detection output from the detection unit 20. When the detection output is input to the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 (step S200, Yes), the process proceeds to step S205.

  In step S205, the direction determination unit 311 of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 determines whether the user's gesture is an open swipe operation. When the open swipe operation is specified (step S205, Yes), the direction determining unit 311 outputs an open request, and the process proceeds to step S210. On the other hand, when the open swipe operation is not specified (step S205, No), the process ends.

  In step S <b> 210, the speed determination unit 313 of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 acquires the swipe speed for the detection unit 20 of the swipe operation based on the detection output from the human sensor 22.

  In step S215, the speed determination unit 313 compares the swipe speed with a threshold value. When the swipe speed is equal to or higher than the threshold (step S215, Yes), the speed determination unit 313 outputs high-speed swipe information, and the process proceeds to step S220. On the other hand, when the swipe speed is less than the threshold (No in step S215), the speed determination unit 313 outputs low-speed swipe information, and the process proceeds to step S225.

In step S220, the notification sound setting unit 35 sets the type of notification sound according to the high-speed swipe information from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31, and sets the notification volume to the standard volume.
In step S225, the notification sound setting unit 35 sets the type of notification sound according to the low-speed swipe information from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31, and sets the notification volume to a low volume.
Note that the type of notification sound set in step S220 and the type of notification sound set in step S225 may be the same or different.

In step S235, the door control unit 32 outputs a blowing request at a predetermined timing.
In step S240, the notification sound setting unit 35 sounds the sounding body 4 according to the type of notification sound and the notification volume set in step S220 or step S225, and the process ends.

Embodiment 3. FIG.
In 1st Embodiment, although the detection part 20 showed the structure which consists of three distance sensors, the structure which the detection part 20 consists of one distance sensor as 3rd Embodiment is shown. In the present embodiment, the user's intention to act on the door is not determined by a swipe operation on the detection unit 20 but by an aspect of an operation in which the user touches the detection unit 20 (hereinafter referred to as “shielding operation”).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a left side surface of the vehicle 1 on which the notification sound volume control device 10 according to the present embodiment is mounted. The vehicle 1 includes a body 2 and a back door 3b. The back door 3b is a flip-up type door, and is pivoted about a back door upper end by an unillustrated motor. The notification sound volume control device 10 includes a detection unit 20 disposed in a frame or window of the back door 3b and a control unit 30 disposed inside the back door 3b. It is assumed that the detection unit 20 and the control unit 30 are connected by a wiring (not shown) provided along the door frame of the back door 3b. Inside the back door 3b, a sounding body 4 such as a buzzer for outputting a notification sound during opening / closing operation is arranged.

  As a basic opening / closing operation of the back door 3b, if the detection unit 20 performs a shielding operation with the back door 3b closed, the back door 3b is opened, and the shielding operation is performed with the back door 3b opened. The back door 3b is closed. If the user performs a shielding operation while the back door 3b is being opened, the back door 3b may stop the opening operation, or may be reversed to the closing operation. Further, when the user performs a shielding operation while the back door 3b is being closed, the back door 3b may stop the closing operation or reverse the opening operation.

  As an outline of the present embodiment, the notification volume of the sounding body 4 is determined based on the distance between the detection unit 20 and the user's hand and the shielding time in the shielding operation of the user. Specifically, when the shielding operation is performed for a relatively long time at a position relatively far from the detection unit 20, the notification sound volume is determined as the standard volume, and the shielding operation is relatively short at a position relatively close to the detection unit 20. If it is performed, the notification volume is determined to be a low volume. Thus, even when the door opening / closing direction does not necessarily correlate with the swipe operation, intuitive notification volume determination is realized. It should be noted that the relationship between the distance of the shielding operation and the magnitude of the notification volume does not restrict the present invention, and may be the reverse of the above.

  FIG. 10 is a top view of the back door 3b as viewed from above the vehicle. The detection unit 20 includes a non-contact type distance sensor 21. In the present embodiment, the distance sensor 21 is disposed in the vicinity of the lower end of the central portion in the width direction of the window 3w. As in the first embodiment, the distance sensor 21 can be an active infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a microwave sensor. That is, also in the present embodiment, the distance sensor 21 detects and outputs the distance to the object together with the presence / absence of the object in the detection range.

  FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of the notification volume control device 10 of the present embodiment. The block diagram of FIG. 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 except that the detection unit 20 has one distance sensor. However, as described above, due to the single distance sensor 21, the operations of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31, the door control unit 32, and the notification sound control unit 35 of the control unit 30 are the same as those in the first embodiment. Different. Note that the configurations and operations of the door motor control unit 33 and the pulse acquisition unit 34 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The direction determination unit 311 of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 outputs the operation request information based on the period length of the detection output from the distance sensor 21. That is, when the detection output from the distance sensor 21 is detected over a predetermined period, the direction determination unit 311 specifies that the user has performed the shielding operation and outputs an opening request or a closing request.

  The perspective determination unit 312 of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 calculates the shielding amount based on the distance output from the distance sensor 21 and the detection time length, compares the shielding amount with a threshold value, and outputs shielding perspective information. The distance determination unit 312 outputs the distance shielding information as the shielding distance information when the shielding amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and outputs the near shielding information as the shielding distance information when the shielding amount is less than the threshold value. The shielding amount may be defined as a product of the detection distance and the detection output period length, or may be defined as an integral value of the detection distance within a predetermined period from the detection output start. Further, the relationship between the detection distance, the detection output period length, and the shielding amount may be defined in advance by a reference table or the like.

  The operation trigger acquisition unit 31 does not output the shielding perspective information when the shielding operation is not specified from the detection result from the detection unit 20. As the case where the shielding operation is not specified, for example, when the detection output from the distance sensor 21 is input in the direction determination unit 311 but the detection period length is shorter than a predetermined time (when the user blocks the distance sensor 21 for a moment) Etc.). Further, as the case where the shielding operation is not specified, the detection distance is substantially zero when the detection distance is larger than the upper limit threshold even when the detection period length is sufficient (when the user is located far from the back door 3b). The case (when the user is leaning against the back door 3b) or the like is also included.

  The door control unit 32 outputs an opening request signal and a closing request signal to the door motor control unit 33 in response to the opening request and the closing request from the direction determining unit 311. Further, the door control unit 32 outputs a blowing request for blowing the sounding body 4 to the notification sound control unit 35 at a predetermined timing in response to the input of the opening request and the closing request.

  The notification sound control unit 35 determines the type and volume of the notification sound by the sounding body 4 based on the shielding distance information from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31, and is determined when the blowing request from the door control unit 32 is input. The sounding body 4 is sounded with the kind and volume. The notification sound control unit 35 sets the notification sound to the standard volume when the shielding distance information is the distance shielding information, and sets the notification sound to a small volume smaller than the standard volume when the shielding distance information is the near shielding information. Set to.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a notification volume determination process in the control unit 30 when the back door 3b is opened. As a premise of processing, it is assumed that the back door 3b is in a closed state and the door lock is released.

  In step S <b> 300, the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 determines whether there is a detection output from the detection unit 20. When the detection output is input to the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 (step S300, Yes), the process proceeds to step S310. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 outputs an opening request with this detection output.

  In step S <b> 310, the distance determination unit 312 of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 acquires the shielding amount for the detection unit 20 in the shielding operation based on the detection distance and the detection output time output from the distance sensor 21.

  In step S315, the perspective determination unit 312 compares the shielding amount with a threshold value. When the shielding speed is equal to or higher than the threshold (step S315, Yes), the perspective determination unit 313 outputs the distance shielding information, and the process proceeds to step S320. On the other hand, when the shielding amount is less than the threshold (No in step S315), the perspective determination unit 313 outputs the near shielding information, and the process proceeds to step S325.

In step S320, the notification sound setting unit 35 sets the type of notification sound according to the far shielding information from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31, and sets the notification volume to the standard volume.
In step S325, the notification sound setting unit 35 sets the type of the notification sound according to the near shielding information from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31, and sets the notification volume to a low volume.
Note that the type of notification sound set in step S320 and the type of notification sound set in step S325 may be the same or different.

In step S335, the door control unit 32 outputs a blowing request.
In step S340, the notification sound setting unit 35 sounds the sounding body 4 according to the type and notification volume of the notification sound set in step S320 or step S325.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the first to third embodiments, the configuration using the non-contact type sensor for the detection unit 20 has been shown. However, as the fourth embodiment, the configuration using the touch panel as the contact type sensor for the detection unit 20 is used. Show. The notification volume control device of this embodiment is also applied to the opening and closing of the rear door 3r as in the first and second embodiments (see FIG. 1A), and the detection unit 20 is provided in the window 3w of the rear door 3r.

  As an outline of the present embodiment, a swipe operation by a user's touch operation on the detection unit 20 is detected, and the notification volume of the sounding body 4 is determined based on the strength of the swipe operation on the detection unit 20 (ie, the strength of the pressing force). It is determined. Specifically, when the strong swipe operation is performed on the detection unit 20, the notification sound is determined as the standard volume, and when the weak swipe operation is performed on the detection unit 20, the notification sound is small. Determined by volume. Note that this embodiment is based on the premise that a user who desires a small notification sound will perform a weak swipe operation lightly, but the relationship between the strength of the swipe operation speed and the magnitude of the notification volume restricts the present invention. It is not a thing.

  The detection unit 20 includes a touch panel 23, and the touch panel 23 constitutes a part of the window 3w of the rear door 3r. It is assumed that the touch panel 23 can detect the contact position (coordinates) and the contact strength of the user. Further, when the touch panel 23 is in a non-display state, that is, in a transparent state during traveling or the like, a wide field of view can be given to the occupant. For example, the touch panel 25 may be in a display state in a door lock released state and in a non-display state in a door lock locked state.

  FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of the notification volume control device 10 of the present embodiment. The notification volume control device 10 includes a detection unit 20 and a control unit 30 as in the first embodiment. In the control unit 30, the configuration of the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 and the notification sound control unit 35 is different from that of the first embodiment, and the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, so detailed description thereof is omitted. To do.

The operation trigger acquisition unit 31 includes a direction determination unit 311 and an intensity determination unit 314.
The direction determining unit 311 outputs operation request direction information, that is, an opening request or a closing request, based on the moving direction of the contact coordinates on the touch panel 23. However, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that when the operating condition is not satisfied, the operation condition non-established information is not generated in the direction determining unit 311 and the sounding body 4 is not sounded.

  The strength determining unit 314 obtains the swipe strength in the swipe operation based on the detected strength output from the touch panel 23. Then, the strength determining unit 314 compares the swipe strength with a threshold value and outputs swipe strength information. Specifically, the strength determination unit 314 outputs strong swipe information as swipe strength information when the swipe strength is greater than or equal to a threshold value, and outputs weak swipe information as swipe strength information when the swipe speed is less than the threshold value. .

  The notification sound control unit 35 determines the type and volume of the notification sound by the sounding body 4 based on the opening request or closing request from the operation trigger acquisition unit 31 and the swipe intensity information. And the notification sound control part 35 will sound the sounding body 4 with the determined kind and volume, if the blowing request | requirement from the door control part 32 is input. The notification sound control unit 35 sets the notification sound to the standard volume when the swipe strength information is strong swipe information, and sets the notification sound to a low volume when the swipe strength information is weak swipe information.

  In the present embodiment, the notification sound volume determination processing during the open swipe operation of the rear door 3r is basically the same as the flow of the second embodiment shown in FIG. However, in the present embodiment, the “swipe speed” in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is replaced with “swipe intensity” because the physical quantity of the detected user action is not the swipe speed but the swipe intensity.

  In the present embodiment, the physical quantity to be detected for determining the notification sound volume is the swipe strength, but it may be the swipe speed as in the second embodiment.

  As described above, the notification sound volume control device 10 according to the first to fourth embodiments includes the detection unit 20 that detects a gesture such as a user's swipe operation or shielding operation in a user operation on the opening / closing body 3. The notification volume control device 10 includes a control unit 30 that determines the notification volume based on the user's gesture detected by the detection unit 20. Thus, in the notification volume control device 10 of the present invention, the notification volume is determined according to the user's gesture with respect to the detection unit 20 of the opening / closing body 3. Therefore, the user can easily and intuitively determine the notification volume according to each situation, and the user-friendly notification volume control device 10 is provided.

  Furthermore, the notification sound volume control device 10 further includes an operation trigger acquisition unit 31 that outputs an opening / closing request for the opening / closing body 3 based on the user's gesture detected by the detection unit 20. And the control part 30 is comprised so that the opening-closing body 3 may be opened / closed based on an opening / closing request | requirement. Accordingly, the user can easily set the notification volume in the process of requesting the opening / closing operation, and the convenience is further improved.

  The detection unit 20 is configured to detect a user's swipe operation or shielding operation with respect to the detection unit 20. And the control part 30 is comprised so that notification volume may be determined based on physical quantities, such as the separation distance (distance feeling) of swipe operation | movement, a swipe speed (feeling of speed) or swipe intensity | strength, or the shielding amount of shielding operation | movement. In this way, by correlating the physical quantity representing the mode of user operation on the detection unit 20 with the magnitude of the notification sound, intuitive notification volume determination is promoted.

<Modification>
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways as described below.

-Modification of detection unit 20 In the first, second, and fourth embodiments, three sensor elements are arranged in each detection unit 20, but the number of sensor elements may be two or four or more. The type, arrangement, arrangement, directivity, etc. of the sensor element can be changed as appropriate. In addition, the detection unit 20 of the first embodiment is configured to perform the identification of the swipe direction (detection of presence / absence) and the distance measurement of the object by the same sensor, but the present invention has this configuration. Not limited. That is, the presence / absence detection sensor for specifying the swipe direction and the distance sensor for measuring the distance from the object may be provided separately. For example, among the three sensor elements arranged, the sensors at both ends may be presence / absence detection sensors for specifying the swipe direction, and the center sensor may be a distance sensor for distance measurement.

-Modification of the opening / closing body 3 and the detection part 20 In the said embodiment, the opening / closing body 3 was the rear door 3r or the back door 3b, and the structure by which the detection part 20 was provided in each window 3w was shown. However, the present invention is not limited to the case where the opening / closing body 3 is the rear door 3r or the back door 3b, and the detection unit 20 is not limited to the configuration provided in the window of each opening / closing body. 14 to 16 show various arrangement examples of the opening / closing body 3 and the detection unit 20 corresponding thereto.

  FIG. 14 shows an arrangement example of the detection unit 20 when the opening / closing body 3 is the rear door 3r or the back door 3b as in the first to fourth embodiments. As shown in the drawing, the detection unit 20 for operating the rear door 3r includes a detection unit 20-1 provided in the rear door 3r, a detection unit 20-2 provided in the front door 3f, and a detection provided in the roof 2r on the rear door 3r. It may be part 20-3 or the like. The detection unit 20 for operating the rear door 3r may be a detection unit 20-4 provided in the frame 3wf of the window of the rear door 3r. In addition, when there is a center pillar between the front door 3f and the rear door 3r, the detection unit 20-4 may be provided in the center pillar. In this case, since the detection unit 20-4 is arranged vertically, the user swipes the hand in the vertical direction to open and close the rear door 3r. For example, the rear door 3r may be opened for the upward swipe operation and closed for the downward swipe operation.

  Further, the detection unit 20 for operating the back door 3b may be a detection unit 20-5 provided in the rear pillar 2rp at the rear part of the rear door 3r. Also in this case, since the detection unit 20 is arranged vertically, the user swipes his / her hand vertically to open and close the back door 3b. For example, the back door 3b may be opened for the upward swipe operation and closed for the downward swipe operation.

  FIG. 15 shows an arrangement example of the detection unit 20 when the opening / closing body 3 is a swing-type rear door 3r. As illustrated, the detection unit 20 for operating the rear door 3r may be a detection unit 20-6 provided at the rear end of the rear door 3r, or a detection unit 20-7 provided in the quarter panel 2q. There may be. In this case, since the detection unit 20 is located at the rear end portion or the rear side of the rear door 3r, the door opening / closing operation in the swipe direction may be the reverse of the case of the first embodiment or the like. For example, the rear door 3r may be opened for swipes in the left direction (from the rear of the vehicle toward the front) and closed for swipes in the right direction.

  FIG. 16 shows an arrangement example of the detection unit 20 when the opening / closing body 3 is a side door (gull wing door) 3s that is flipped upward. As shown in the drawing, the detection unit for operating the side door 3s may be a detection unit 20-8 provided at the rear end of the side door 3s, or a detection unit 20-9 provided in the quarter panel 2q. It may be. In this case, it is desirable that the detection unit 20 be arranged vertically in accordance with the opening / closing direction of the side door 3s. For example, the back door 3b may be opened for the upward swipe operation and closed for the downward swipe operation.

  14 to 16, it is assumed that the opening / closing body 3 is operated by a swipe operation as in the first, second, and fourth embodiments, but shielding is performed in the same manner as in the third embodiment. It is good also as a structure by which the opening / closing body 3 is act | operated by operation | movement.

-Modification of the application object of the notification sound volume control apparatus 10 In each said embodiment, the vehicle door was illustrated and demonstrated as the opening-closing body 3 to which the notification sound volume control apparatus 10 is applied. However, the notification sound volume control device 10 of the present invention can be applied to any opening / closing body that is opened / closed by a user's opening / closing request, such as a building door, window, shutter, and the like, and a notification sound is emitted during the opening / closing operation.

3 Opening / closing body 4 Sounding body 10 Notification volume control device 20 Detection unit (non-contact sensor)
30 Control Unit 31 Actuation Trigger Acquisition Unit 40 Opening / Closing Body Device

Claims (7)

A notification volume control device for controlling a notification volume related to the operation of the opening and closing body,
A detection unit for detecting a user gesture in a user operation on the opening and closing body;
A notification volume control apparatus comprising: a control unit that determines the notification volume based on the gesture detected by the detection unit.   The notification volume control device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is configured to detect a swipe operation with respect to the detection unit as the gesture, and the control unit provides a physical quantity that the swipe operation gives to the detection unit. A notification volume control device configured to determine the notification volume based on the above.   The notification volume control device according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit is configured by a non-contact sensor, and the non-contact sensor is configured to detect a separation distance from an object performing the swipe operation, and the control unit A notification volume control device configured to determine the notification volume based on a separation distance.   The notification volume control device according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit detects a movement speed of the swipe operation, and the control unit determines the notification volume based on the movement speed. apparatus.   The notification volume control device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is configured to detect a separation distance between the detection unit and the user and a shielding time of a shielding operation for shielding the detection unit in the gesture. The notification volume control device is configured such that the control unit determines the notification volume based on the separation distance and the shielding time. The notification volume control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An operation trigger acquisition unit that outputs an opening / closing request for the opening / closing body based on the gesture detected by the detection unit is further provided, and the control unit is configured to operate the opening / closing body based on the opening / closing request. Notification volume control device.   An opening / closing body device comprising: the notification sound volume control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; the opening / closing body provided with the detection unit; and a sounding body for generating the notification sound.

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