JP2017182196A - Approaching vehicle detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an approaching vehicle detection device that detects the approach of a vehicle equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system.SOLUTION: An approaching vehicle detection device comprises a reception unit that receives a pressure signal intermittently transmitted from a detection device 2 that detects the pressure of a tire 3 provided in a vehicle C, and a detection unit that detects a vehicle approaching the device itself on the basis of the pressure signal received by the reception unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an approaching vehicle detection device that detects the approach of a vehicle equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system.

  There is a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS: Tire Pressure Monitoring System) that detects the air pressure of a tire provided in a vehicle and issues a warning to a user when the detected air pressure is abnormal (for example, Patent Document 1). . The tire pressure monitoring system includes a detection device provided for each tire and a monitoring device disposed on the vehicle body. The detection device detects the air pressure of the tire, and wirelessly transmits an air pressure signal including information on the air pressure obtained by the detection, a sensor identifier of the own device, and the like using radio waves in a UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band. The monitoring device receives the air pressure signal transmitted from each detection device, and monitors the air pressure of each tire based on the received air pressure signal. The monitoring device stores the sensor identifier of the detection device provided in each tire, and the monitoring device displays an abnormality in the tire pressure on the indicator when the tire air pressure provided in the host vehicle falls below a threshold value. And issue a warning.

Japanese Patent No. 4123799

  By the way, the air pressure signal transmitted from the detection device of the tire pressure monitoring system is a radio wave in the UHF band, and even if the monitoring device is several tens to several hundreds meters away, the radio wave can be received. The inventor of the present application has come up with the idea that by using the air pressure signal, the approach of a vehicle equipped with a tire air pressure monitoring system can be detected, and a collision accident with an approaching vehicle can be prevented.

  The present invention is based on such an idea, and an object thereof is to provide an approaching vehicle detection device that detects the approach of a vehicle equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system.

  An approaching vehicle detection device according to this aspect is an approaching vehicle detection device that detects a vehicle that approaches the device itself, and is an air pressure signal that is intermittently transmitted from a detection device that detects the air pressure of a tire provided in the vehicle. And a detection unit for detecting the vehicle approaching the device based on the air pressure signal received by the reception unit.

  According to the above, it is possible to provide an approaching vehicle detection device that detects the approach of a vehicle equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of the approaching vehicle detection system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of the monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of the detection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detection process procedure of the approaching vehicle which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the table for detecting an approaching vehicle. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the relationship between an approaching vehicle and the intensity | strength of a pneumatic signal. It is a conceptual diagram which shows one structural example of the approaching vehicle detection system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows one structural example of the receiving terminal device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

[Description of Embodiment of the Present Invention]
First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described. Moreover, you may combine arbitrarily at least one part of embodiment described below.

(1) An approaching vehicle detection device according to this aspect is an approaching vehicle detection device that detects a vehicle that approaches the device itself, and is intermittently transmitted from a detection device that detects the air pressure of a tire provided in the vehicle. A receiving unit that receives the air pressure signal, and a detecting unit that detects the vehicle approaching the device based on the air pressure signal received by the receiving unit.

According to this aspect, the detection device provided in the tire of the vehicle detects the air pressure of the tire and transmits the air pressure signal including the air pressure information obtained by the detection. The approaching vehicle detection device outside the vehicle receives the air pressure signal transmitted from the detection device, and uses the received air pressure signal to detect a vehicle approaching the own device.
Therefore, the approaching vehicle detection device can detect the approach of the vehicle equipped with the tire pressure monitoring system.

(2) The approaching vehicle detection device stores a measurement unit that measures the reception signal strength of the pneumatic signal received by the reception unit, and stores the reception signal strength obtained by the measurement unit in time series order. It is preferable that the detection unit includes an increase determination unit that determines whether or not the received signal strength stored in the storage unit increases in time series.

  According to this aspect, the approaching vehicle detection device measures the reception signal strength of the air pressure signal received by the reception unit, and stores the measured reception signal strength in the storage unit. The detection unit can detect the approach of the vehicle to the own device by determining whether or not the received signal strength stored in the storage unit is increasing in time series.

(3) The approaching vehicle detection device includes a notification unit that notifies the presence of the approaching vehicle when the increase determination unit determines that the received signal strength increases in time series. preferable.

  According to this aspect, the approaching vehicle detection device can notify the approach of the vehicle to the own device when the approach of the vehicle is detected.

(4) The approaching vehicle detection device needs to determine whether or not notification is necessary based on a road information acquisition unit that acquires information on a road on which the device is located and information acquired by the road information acquisition unit. Preferably, a configuration is provided that includes a rejection determination unit, and the notification unit notifies the presence of the approaching vehicle when the necessity determination unit determines that notification is required.

According to this aspect, the approaching vehicle detection device determines whether or not it is necessary to notify the presence of an approaching vehicle based on information related to the road on which the device is located. For example, when the own device is present on a road with poor visibility, it is determined that notification is required. Information on the road may be acquired from, for example, a car navigation device mounted on the vehicle. When it is determined that notification is required and the received signal strength is increasing in chronological order, the notification unit notifies the presence of an approaching vehicle.
Therefore, the approaching vehicle can be notified only in situations where there is a possibility of a collision with the vehicle.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
A specific example of the approaching vehicle detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to these illustrations, is shown by the claim, and intends that all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to the claim are included.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of an approaching vehicle detection system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The approaching vehicle detection system according to the first embodiment includes a tire air pressure monitoring system mounted on a plurality of vehicles C. The tire pressure monitoring system includes a monitoring device 1 provided at an appropriate location of the vehicle body, a plurality of detection devices 2 provided on each of the wheels of a plurality of tires 3 provided on the vehicle C, and a notification device 4. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that a tire pressure monitoring system is mounted on each of two vehicles C approaching each other. The monitoring device 1 is an example of the approaching vehicle detection device of this aspect.
The detection device 2 periodically detects the air pressure of the tire 3 provided with the device itself, and uses the UHF band radio wave to generate the air pressure signal including the information on the air pressure obtained by the detection and the sensor identifier of the device itself. To send. The monitoring device 1 receives the air pressure signal transmitted from each detection device 2 and informs the information device 4 of the air pressure information included in the received air pressure signal. When the air pressure of the tire 3 is less than a prescribed threshold value, the alarm device 4 issues a warning. As will be described later, the monitoring device 1 stores a relationship between each tire position where the tire 3 is provided and a sensor identifier of the detection device 2 provided on the tire 3 at the tire position. Since the monitoring device 1 stores the relationship between each tire position and the sensor identifier of the detection device 2 provided on the tire 3 at the tire position, each tire 3 is used by using the sensor identifier included in the air pressure signal. The air pressure can be recognized. The UHF band is an example of a radio wave band used when performing wireless communication, and is not necessarily limited thereto.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the monitoring device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring device 1 includes a monitoring control unit 11 that controls the operation of each component of the own device. A storage unit 12, an air pressure signal receiving unit 13, a received signal strength measuring unit 13b, and an in-vehicle communication unit 14 are connected to the monitoring control unit 11.

  The monitoring control unit 11 is a microcomputer having, for example, one or a plurality of CPUs (Central Processing Units), a multi-core CPU, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output interface, and the like. The CPU of the monitoring control unit 11 is connected to the storage unit 12, the air pressure signal receiving unit 13, the received signal strength measuring unit 13b, and the in-vehicle communication unit 14 via an input / output interface. The monitoring control unit 11 controls the operation of each component by executing a control program stored in the storage unit 12 and executes the approaching vehicle detection process according to the first embodiment.

  The storage unit 12 is a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or a flash memory. The storage unit 12 stores a control program for executing an approaching vehicle detection process by the monitoring control unit 11 controlling the operation of each component of its own device. The storage unit 12 stores an identifier table. The identifier table stores a plurality of tire positions in association with sensor identifiers of the detection device 2 provided on the tire 3 at the tire position.

  An RF receiving antenna 13 a is connected to the air pressure signal receiving unit 13. The air pressure signal receiving unit 13 receives a signal transmitted from the detection device 2 using radio waves in the UHF band by the RF receiving antenna 13a. The air pressure signal receiving unit 13 is a circuit that demodulates the received signal and outputs the demodulated signal to the monitoring control unit 11. Although a UHF band of 300 MHz to 3 GHz is used as a carrier wave, the carrier wave is not limited to this frequency band.

  The received signal strength measuring unit 13b is a circuit that detects the received signal strength of the pneumatic signal transmitted from the detection device 2 and received by the RF receiving antenna 13a, and outputs the detected received signal strength to the monitoring control unit 11.

The in-vehicle communication unit 14 is a communication circuit that performs communication according to a communication protocol such as CAN (Controller Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network), and is connected to the notification device 4 and the route guidance device 5. The in-vehicle communication unit 14 transmits information related to the air pressure of the tire 3 to the notification device 4 according to the control of the monitoring control unit 11.
The notification device 4 includes, for example, a display device such as a multi-information display and a head-up display that notifies information related to the air pressure of the tire 3 transmitted from the in-vehicle communication unit 14 by an image, a speaker, and the like. Moreover, you may utilize the display which comprises a car navigation apparatus as the alerting | reporting apparatus 4. FIG.
The route guidance device 5 includes a GPS receiver, a map information storage unit that stores road map information, and the like. The GPS receiver constitutes a GPS system together with an artificial satellite (GPS satellite), receives radio waves from the artificial satellite, and detects the position of the own device, that is, the position of the vehicle C. The road map information is information in which the positions of nodes of a plurality of links, the distance of each link, the number of lanes, information related to traffic regulations, and the like are associated with each other. A link is a road section of two adjacent intersections, and logically constitutes a road on which the vehicle C travels. Each link is connected by a node corresponding to an intersection, and logically constitutes a road network. The route guidance device 5 can identify the current location of the vehicle C on the road map based on the detected position of the vehicle C and the road map information stored in the map information storage unit. The route guidance device 5 transmits information related to the road on which the vehicle C is traveling to the monitoring device 1 in response to a request from the monitoring device 1. The information relating to the road is information that serves as an index for determining whether the prospect is good, such as the number of lanes of the road on which the vehicle C is traveling, information relating to traffic regulations, and the like. The number of road lanes is an example of information related to the road, and may be information indicating a position where a collision accident tends to occur, or information directly indicating whether the road has a good or bad view. Also good.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the detection apparatus 2 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The detection device 2 includes a sensor control unit 21 that controls the operation of each component of the detection device 2. A sensor storage unit 22, an air pressure signal transmission unit 23, an air pressure detection unit 24, and a temperature detection unit 25 are connected to the sensor control unit 21.

  The sensor control unit 21 is a microcomputer having, for example, one or a plurality of CPUs, a multi-core CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output interface, and the like. The CPU of the sensor control unit 21 is connected to the sensor storage unit 22, the air pressure signal transmission unit 23, the air pressure detection unit 24, and the temperature detection unit 25 via an input / output interface. The sensor control unit 21 reads a control program stored in the sensor storage unit 22 and controls each unit. The detection device 2 includes a battery (not shown) and operates with electric power from the battery.

  The sensor storage unit 22 is a nonvolatile memory. The sensor storage unit 22 stores a control program for the CPU of the sensor control unit 21 to perform processing related to detection and transmission of the air pressure of the tire 3. Further, a unique sensor identifier for identifying the own device and the other detection device 2 is stored.

  An RF transmission antenna 23 a is connected to the air pressure signal transmission unit 23. The air pressure signal transmission unit 23 modulates the response signal generated by the sensor control unit 21 into a UHF band signal, and transmits the modulated response signal using the RF transmission antenna 23a.

  The air pressure detection unit 24 includes, for example, a diaphragm, and detects the air pressure of the tire 3 based on the deformation amount of the diaphragm that changes depending on the magnitude of the pressure. The air pressure detection unit 24 outputs a signal indicating the detected air pressure of the tire 3 to the sensor control unit 21.

  The temperature detection unit 25 includes an element whose electric resistance changes with temperature, for example, and detects the temperature of the tire 3 based on the voltage between the elements that changes with temperature change. The temperature detection unit 25 outputs a signal indicating the detected temperature of the tire 3 to the sensor control unit 21.

  The sensor control unit 21 periodically acquires information on the air pressure and temperature of the tire 3 from the air pressure detection unit 24 and the temperature detection unit 25 by executing a control program, and is specific to the air pressure, temperature, and detection device 2. A response signal including a sensor identifier and the like is generated and output to the air pressure signal transmission unit 23.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting approaching vehicles according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the air pressure monitoring system mounted on one vehicle C will be mainly described below. The monitoring control unit 11 receives the air pressure signal transmitted from the detection device 2 provided on the tire 3 of the host vehicle C and the other vehicle C at the air pressure signal receiving unit 13 (step S11). Then, it is determined whether or not the received air pressure signal is an air pressure signal addressed to the own vehicle (step S12). For example, if the received air pressure signal cannot be demodulated and information cannot be obtained, the monitoring control unit 11 determines that the air pressure signal is not addressed to the host vehicle. Moreover, the monitoring control part 11 determines with not being addressed to the own vehicle, when the sensor identifier contained in the received air pressure signal is not registered in the identifier table. When it is determined that the air pressure signal is addressed to the host vehicle (step S12: YES), the monitoring control unit 11 specifies the air pressure of each tire 3 based on the air pressure information and the sensor identifier included in the received air pressure signal. Then, a monitoring process for transmitting the specified air pressure information to the notification device 4 is executed (step S13), and the process returns to step S11.

  When it is determined that the received air pressure signal is not the air pressure signal addressed to the host vehicle (step S12: NO), the monitoring control unit 11 acquires the received signal strength of the air pressure signal from the received signal strength measuring unit 13b (step S12). S14). Then, the monitoring controller 11 extracts a part of the data of the received air pressure signal, and temporarily stores the extracted data string and the acquired received signal strength in association with each other in the table (step S15). The extracted data string is information for specifying the transmission source of the air pressure signal. When the monitoring device 1 receives air pressure signals transmitted from a plurality of other vehicles C in addition to the host vehicle C, it is necessary to identify the air pressure signals transmitted from the other vehicles C, respectively. However, the data format of the air pressure signal is not always unified, and there are some that cannot extract the sensor identifier from the air pressure signal. Therefore, the monitoring control unit 11 extracts and stores a part of data related to the air pressure signal, for example, a data string of the header part as an identifier.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a table for detecting approaching vehicles. The table stores a serial number in chronological order, a data string extracted from the air pressure signal, and the received signal strength of the air pressure signal in association with each other. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the received signal strength of the pneumatic signal from one other vehicle C having the data string “010101” increases in time series order. Note that although there is data of small received signal strength having the data string “11111”, it is the received signal strength of the air pressure signal transmitted from another vehicle C. In this way, the transmission source of the received signal strength can be determined using a data string partially extracted from the air pressure signal.
In addition, although the pneumatic signals transmitted from the four detection devices 2 provided on the respective tires 3 of the same vehicle C are recognized as different transmission sources, these pneumatic signals increase and decrease uniformly, It doesn't matter.

  Next, the monitoring control unit 11 acquires information on the road on which the vehicle C on which the device is mounted is traveling from the route guidance device 5 via the in-vehicle communication unit 14, and the road prospect is good. Is determined (step S16). If it is determined that the line of sight is good (step S16: YES), the monitoring control unit 11 returns the process to step S11. If it is determined that the line of sight is not good (step S16: NO), the monitoring controller 11 determines whether or not the latest received signal strength is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S17). When it determines with it being less than a threshold value (step S17: NO), since the danger of the collision of the vehicle C is low, the monitoring control part 11 returns a process to step S11. When it determines with it being more than a threshold value (step S17: YES), the monitoring control part 11 refers to the received signal strength which a table memorize | stores, and the received signal strength which has the same extracted data sequence increases in time series order. Whether or not the vehicle C is approaching is determined (step S18).

  FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between the approaching vehicle and the strength of the air pressure signal. FIG. 6 shows how the received signal strength of the air pressure signal increases as the two vehicles C approach each other. As shown in FIG. 6, when the two vehicles C approach each other, the received signal strength of the air pressure signal gradually increases. Therefore, the monitoring control unit 11 can detect the presence of the approaching vehicle C by determining increase / decrease in the air pressure signal transmitted from the same vehicle C.

  When it determines with the vehicle C approaching (step S18: YES), the monitoring control part 11 gives a warning by outputting the warning signal which notifies the approach of the vehicle C to the alerting | reporting apparatus 4 (step S19). The process returns to step S11. When it determines with the vehicle C not approaching (step S18: NO), a process is returned to step S11.

  According to the monitoring apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment configured as described above, the approach of the vehicle C equipped with the tire pressure monitoring system can be detected.

  In addition, the approaching vehicle can be notified only in situations where there is a possibility of a collision with the vehicle C, and unnecessary notification can be suppressed.

  In addition, in this Embodiment 1, although the structure which determines the necessity of alerting | reporting according to the condition of the road where the vehicle C drive | works was demonstrated, you may comprise so that the necessity of alerting | reporting may be switched manually.

  Moreover, although the tire pressure monitoring system in which the detection device 2 spontaneously transmits the air pressure signal is illustrated, the trigger signal is transmitted from the monitoring device 1 to the detection device of each tire, and the detection device transmits the air pressure signal. There may be.

(Embodiment 2)
In Embodiment 1, although the example which operates the monitoring apparatus 1 which comprises a tire pressure monitoring system as an approaching vehicle detection apparatus was demonstrated, it is an example to the last and the form which a pedestrian can carry may be sufficient.
FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of an approaching vehicle detection system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The approaching vehicle detection system according to the second embodiment includes a tire air pressure monitoring system mounted on a vehicle C and a receiving terminal device 6 carried by a pedestrian. The configuration of the tire pressure monitoring system mounted on the vehicle C is the same as that of the first embodiment. The receiving terminal device 6 is an example of an approaching vehicle detection device. The receiving terminal device 6 may be a dedicated receiving device, a portable device for locking / unlocking a vehicle door, or another general-purpose communication device.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the receiving terminal device 6 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The receiving terminal device 6 includes a terminal control unit 61 that controls the operation of each component of the device. The terminal control unit 61 is a microcomputer having, for example, one or a plurality of CPUs, a multi-core CPU, and the like. The terminal control unit 61 includes a terminal storage unit 62, an air pressure signal receiving unit 63, a received signal strength measuring unit 63b, and a notification unit 64.

  The terminal storage unit 62 stores a control program for executing an approaching vehicle detection process when the terminal control unit 61 controls the operation of each component of the own device. The terminal control unit 61 controls the operation of each component by executing a control program stored in the terminal storage unit 62, and executes the approaching vehicle detection process according to the second embodiment.

  An RF receiving antenna 63 a is connected to the air pressure signal receiving unit 63. The air pressure signal reception unit 63 receives a signal transmitted from the detection device 2 using radio waves in the RF band by the RF reception antenna 63a.

  The received signal strength measuring unit 63 b is a circuit that detects the received signal strength of the pneumatic signal transmitted from the detection device 2 and received by the RF receiving antenna 63 a, and outputs the detected received signal strength to the terminal control unit 61.

  The notification unit 64 includes a speaker, for example, and notifies the presence of an approaching vehicle according to the control of the terminal control unit 61.

  The terminal control unit 61 configured as described above detects the vehicle C approaching the own device by executing the processes of step S11, step S14, step S15, and step S17 to step S19 according to the first embodiment, When an approaching vehicle is detected, the notification unit 64 notifies the approach of the vehicle C.

  According to the receiving terminal device 6 according to the first embodiment configured as described above, the approach of the vehicle C equipped with the tire pressure monitoring system can be detected.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Monitoring apparatus 2 Detection apparatus 3 Tire 4 Notification apparatus 5 Route guidance apparatus 6 Receiving terminal apparatus 11 Monitoring control part 12 Memory | storage part 13 Air pressure signal receiving part 13a RF receiving antenna 13b Received signal strength measuring part 14 In-vehicle communication part 21 Sensor control part 22 Sensor storage unit 23 Pneumatic signal transmission unit 23a RF transmission antenna 24 Pneumatic pressure detection unit 25 Temperature detection unit 61 Terminal control unit 62 Terminal storage unit 63 Pneumatic signal reception unit 63a RF reception antenna 63b Reception signal strength measurement unit 64 Notification unit C vehicle

Claims (4)

An approaching vehicle detection device for detecting a vehicle approaching the device,
A receiving unit that receives an air pressure signal intermittently transmitted from a detection device that detects the air pressure of a tire provided in the vehicle;
An approaching vehicle detection device comprising: a detection unit that detects the vehicle approaching the device based on an air pressure signal received by the reception unit. A measuring unit for measuring the received signal strength of the air pressure signal received by the receiving unit;
A storage unit for storing received signal strengths measured by the measurement unit in time series order,
The detector is
The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 1, further comprising an increase determination unit that determines whether or not the received signal strength stored in the storage unit increases in time series order. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 2, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the presence of the approaching vehicle when the increase determination unit determines that the received signal strength is increasing in time series. A road information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the road on which the device is located;
Based on the information acquired by the road information acquisition unit, a necessity determination unit for determining necessity of notification is provided,
The notification unit
The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 3, wherein when the necessity determination unit determines that notification is required, the presence of the approaching vehicle is notified.

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