JP2019038295A - Preceding-vehicle start notice apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent a vehicle from advancing toward a direction unintended by an occupant of the vehicle caused by notifying the occupant of the start of a preceding vehicle that has been stopped.SOLUTION: An apparatus includes: notification means for notifying an occupant of a vehicle that a preceding vehicle has started in a case where the vehicle is stopped following the preceding vehicle; and determination means for determining whether a given condition is established, where the condition is that a steering wheel of the vehicle is not in a neutral state and that an apparent orientation of the steering wheel is the same as the apparent orientation of the steering wheel in the neutral state. Further, in the case of the given condition being established, the notification means does not notify the occupant of the fact that the preceding vehicle has started even if the preceding vehicle has started.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a preceding vehicle start notification device that notifies a vehicle occupant that a preceding vehicle that has been stopped has started when the vehicle has stopped following the preceding vehicle.

  An example of such a preceding vehicle start notification device is described in Patent Literature 1 to Patent Literature 4. Specifically, in Patent Document 1, a detection wave unique to a vehicle is transmitted to a preceding vehicle, and it is determined whether the preceding vehicle has started based on the detection wave reflected by the preceding vehicle. There is described a preceding vehicle start notification device for notifying a vehicle occupant that a preceding vehicle has started when it is determined that the vehicle has started. In Patent Document 2, when the vehicle is in an intersection or the turn signal of the vehicle is operated, even if the preceding vehicle has started, the preceding vehicle does not notify the vehicle occupant that the preceding vehicle has started. A vehicle start notification device is described. In Patent Document 3, when a vehicle is in a specific place (for example, near an intersection, near a stop line, a parking lot, a gas station, or just before a railroad crossing without a stop line), Even so, there is described a preceding vehicle start notification device that does not notify the vehicle occupant that the preceding vehicle has started. Patent Document 4 describes a preceding vehicle start notification device that, when the signal light color is red or yellow, does not notify the vehicle occupant that the preceding vehicle has started even if the preceding vehicle has started. ing.

JP 2000-231700 A Patent No. 3893739 JP 2001-277967 A JP 2011-070299 A

  When the vehicle is stopped, the steering wheel (that is, the steering wheel) is normally in a neutral state that allows the vehicle to go straight. However, in some cases, a situation may occur in which the steering wheel is not in a neutral state even though the vehicle is stopped.

  Here, when the direction of the steering wheel that is not in the neutral state is different from the direction of the steering wheel that is in the neutral state, the occupant can easily recognize from the direction of the steering wheel that the steering wheel is not in the neutral state. . Therefore, even if the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started in this situation, the occupant must start the vehicle after returning the steering wheel to the neutral state without immediately starting the vehicle. Can do.

  On the other hand, the direction of the steering wheel that is not in the neutral state may be the same as the direction of the steering wheel that is in the neutral state. For example, when the steering wheel has made exactly one rotation (that is, the rotation angle of the steering wheel is 360 °), the direction of the steering wheel that is not in the neutral state is the same as the direction of the steering wheel that is in the neutral state. In this case, the occupant cannot recognize that the steering wheel is not in a neutral state from the direction of the steering wheel. Therefore, if the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started in this situation, the occupant may start the vehicle while misunderstanding that the steering wheel is in a neutral state. As a result, the vehicle may travel in a direction that is not intended by the occupant.

  The present invention provides a preceding vehicle start notification device capable of preventing a vehicle from moving in a direction unintended by the occupant due to notifying the vehicle occupant of the start of the preceding vehicle that has stopped. This is the issue.

  In one aspect of the preceding vehicle start notification device of the present invention, when the vehicle is stopped following the preceding vehicle, the notifying means for notifying the occupant of the vehicle that the stopped preceding vehicle has started, (I) The steering wheel of the vehicle is not in a neutral state capable of causing the vehicle to go straight, and (ii) the appearance of the steering wheel is in the neutral state on the appearance of the steering wheel Determining means for determining whether or not a predetermined condition that the direction is the same as the direction of the vehicle, and when the predetermined means is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition, Even if the vehicle has started, the occupant is not notified that the preceding vehicle that has been stopped has started.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the preceding vehicle start notification operation. Each of FIGS. 3A to 3D shows a case where the T-shaped spoke member is operated so that the steering wheel connected to the ring member on the inner side of the ring member rotates clockwise. It is a top view which shows the direction on the external appearance of the said steering wheel with the snake state of a snake ring. Each of FIGS. 4 (a) to 4 (b) shows a case where the Y-shaped spoke member is operated so that the steering wheel connected to the ring member inside the ring member rotates clockwise. It is a top view which shows the direction on the external appearance of the said steering wheel with the snake state of a snake ring.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a preceding vehicle start notification device will be described with reference to the drawings. Below, description is advanced using the vehicle 1 by which embodiment of the preceding vehicle start notification apparatus was mounted.

(1) Configuration of Vehicle 1 First, the configuration of the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a preceding vehicle sensor 11, a vehicle speed sensor 12, a steering wheel 13, a steering angle sensor 14, and an ECU (an example of the preceding vehicle start notification device) described above. Electrical Control Unit) 15 and output device 16 are provided.

  The preceding vehicle sensor 11 detects a preceding vehicle that precedes the vehicle 1 (specifically, a vehicle that exists in front of the vehicle 1 and no other vehicle exists between the vehicle 1). The preceding vehicle sensor 11 includes, for example, at least one of a camera, a radar, and a lidar. The detection result of the preceding vehicle sensor 11 is output from the preceding vehicle sensor 11 to the ECU 15.

  The vehicle speed sensor 12 detects the speed of the vehicle 1 (that is, the vehicle speed). The detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 12 is output from the vehicle speed sensor 12 to the ECU 15.

  The steering wheel (in other words, the steering wheel) 13 is an operating instrument that is operated by a driver to steer the vehicle 1. The snake wheel 131 of the vehicle 1 is snaked based on the operation of the steering wheel 13.

  The steering angle sensor 14 detects the rotation angle (that is, the steering angle) of the steering wheel 13. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the steering angle of the steering wheel 13 in the neutral state is the reference angle of the steering angle. That is, the steering angle of the steering wheel 13 is 0 ° when the steering wheel 13 is in a neutral state. The neutral state is a state in which the vehicle 1 can be moved straight (that is, a state in which the snake ring 131 does not snake, and the rolling direction of the snake ring 131 can be made to coincide with the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1. State). The detection result of the steering angle sensor 14 is output from the steering angle sensor 14 to the ECU 15.

  The ECU 15 controls the overall operation of the vehicle 1. In the present embodiment, in particular, when the vehicle 1 is stopped following the preceding vehicle, the ECU 15 indicates that the stopped preceding vehicle has started (typically a driver, (Hereinafter simply referred to as “occupant”). In order to perform the preceding vehicle start notification operation, the ECU 15 includes, as processing blocks logically realized in the ECU 15, a notification unit 151 that is a specific example of the above-described “notification unit” and the above-described “determination unit”. And a determination unit 152 which is a specific example. The details of the operations of the notification unit 151 and the determination unit 152 will be described later (see FIG. 2 and the like), but the outline will be briefly described. Based on the detection results of the preceding vehicle sensor 11 and the vehicle speed sensor 12, the notification unit 151 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle that has stopped in a situation where the vehicle 1 has stopped following the preceding vehicle has started. . Furthermore, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle that has stopped has started, the notification unit 151 notifies the occupant that the preceding vehicle that has stopped has started. Based on the detection result of the steering angle sensor 14, the determination unit 152 determines whether or not a predetermined non-notification condition that should be satisfied if the occupant is not notified that the preceding vehicle that has stopped has started. . When it is determined that the non-notification condition is satisfied, the notification unit 151 does not notify the occupant that the stopped preceding vehicle has started even if the stopped preceding vehicle has started.

(2) Flow of the preceding vehicle start notification operation Next, the flow of the preceding vehicle start notification operation performed by the ECU 15 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of a preceding vehicle start notification operation performed by the ECU 15.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the notification unit 151 determines whether the vehicle 1 is stopped based on the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 12 (step S11). Specifically, the notification unit 151 determines that the vehicle 1 is stopped when the vehicle speed indicated by the vehicle speed sensor 11 is zero.

  As a result of the determination in step S11, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 has not stopped (step S11: No), the ECU 15 ends the preceding vehicle start notification operation shown in FIG. When the preceding vehicle start notification operation shown in FIG. 2 is completed, the ECU 15 restarts the preceding vehicle start notification operation shown in FIG. 2 after a predetermined period has elapsed. On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is stopped as a result of the determination in step S11 (step S11: Yes), the notification unit 151 determines the vehicle 1 based on the detection result of the preceding vehicle sensor 11. It is determined whether or not there is a preceding vehicle ahead (step S12).

  As a result of the determination in step S12, when it is determined that there is no preceding vehicle (step S12: No), the ECU 15 ends the preceding vehicle start notification operation shown in FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a preceding vehicle as a result of the determination in step S12 (step S12: Yes), there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle is also stopped because the vehicle 1 is stopped. . In this case, the notification unit 151 further determines whether or not the stopped preceding vehicle has started based on the detection result of the preceding vehicle sensor 11 (step S13).

  As a result of the determination in step S13, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle has not started (that is, the preceding vehicle continues to stop) (step S13: No), the notification unit 151 stops the preceding vehicle that has stopped. It continues to determine whether the car has started (step S13). On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S13, if it is determined that the preceding vehicle has started (that is, the preceding vehicle has not stopped) (step S13: Yes), then the notification unit 151 includes a vehicle speed sensor. Based on the detection result of 12, it is determined whether the stopped vehicle 1 has started (step S14).

  As a result of the determination in step S14, if it is determined that the vehicle 1 has started (that is, the vehicle 1 has not stopped) (step S14: Yes), the vehicle 1 has already started, so it stops. There is no need to notify the occupant that the previous car had started. Therefore, in this case, the ECU 15 ends the preceding vehicle start notification operation shown in FIG. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S14, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 has not started (that is, the vehicle 1 continues to stop) (step S14: No), the notification unit 151 Based on the detection result of the sensor 11, it is determined whether or not the preceding vehicle has traveled more than a predetermined distance after starting (step S15).

  As a result of the determination in step S15, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle has not traveled more than a predetermined distance after starting (that is, it has traveled less than a predetermined distance) (step S15: No), the preceding vehicle has It is estimated that only a short time has passed since the departure. In this case, the occupant recognizes that the preceding vehicle has started, but actually starts the vehicle 1 in order to start the vehicle 1 safely (for example, starting after securing a distance between the preceding vehicle). There is a possibility that the timing to start. If it is notified that the preceding vehicle has started in this situation, the occupant may feel bothered by the notification. For this reason, when the preceding vehicle has not started traveling more than a predetermined distance, the notification unit 151 repeats the operations after step S14 without notifying that the preceding vehicle has started. For this reason, the “predetermined distance” used in step S15 is set to an appropriate value so as not to bother the occupant even if the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started after the preceding vehicle has started. May be.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S15, if it is determined that the vehicle has traveled more than a predetermined distance since the preceding vehicle started (step S15: Yes), a certain amount of time has already elapsed since the preceding vehicle started. It is estimated to be. In this case, since the vehicle 1 has not yet started, there is a possibility that the occupant has not yet recognized that the preceding vehicle has not started. Therefore, the notification unit 151 notifies the occupant that the preceding vehicle has started.

  However, in the present embodiment, even when it is determined that the vehicle 1 has not started even though the preceding vehicle has started a predetermined distance after starting, the non-notification condition is satisfied. The notification unit 151 does not notify the occupant that the preceding vehicle has started. Conversely, if the non-notification condition is not satisfied, the notification unit 151 notifies the occupant that the preceding vehicle has started. For this reason, even if it is determined in step S15 that the preceding vehicle has traveled for a predetermined distance or more after the start, the determination unit 152 is configured before the notification unit 151 notifies the occupant that the preceding vehicle has started. Then, it is determined whether or not the non notification condition is satisfied (step S16). The non-notification condition includes a first condition that the steering wheel 13 is not in a neutral state, and a steering wheel in which the direction of the steering wheel 13 (specifically, the appearance direction for the occupant, the same applies hereinafter) is in a neutral state. It includes both of the second condition that the direction is the same as the 13th direction.

  Here, the technical reason why the non-notification condition including the first condition and the second condition is used will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (d) and FIGS. 4 (a) to 4 (b). This will be described in more detail. In each of FIGS. 3A to 3D, a steering wheel 13 (hereinafter referred to as “steering wheel 13a”) in which a T-shaped spoke member is connected to the ring member inside the ring member, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an appearance direction of the steering wheel 13a when operated so as to rotate clockwise, together with a snaked state of a snake wheel 131 of the vehicle 1; In each of FIGS. 4A to 4B, a steering wheel 13 (hereinafter referred to as “steering wheel 13b”) in which a Y-shaped spoke member is connected to the ring member inside the ring member, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an appearance direction of the steering wheel 13b when it is operated so as to rotate clockwise, together with a snaked state of a snake wheel 131 of the vehicle 1;

  FIG. 3A shows the steering wheel 13a in a neutral state (that is, the steering angle is 0 °). When the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started in this situation, the occupant determines that the steering wheel 13a is in a neutral state from the direction of the steering wheel 13a, and responds to the notification from the notification unit 151 in response to the vehicle 1 Should try to start. In this case, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 assumed by the occupant coincides with the actual traveling direction of the vehicle 1 because the rolling angle of the rolling snake wheel 131 is 0 °. For this reason, even if the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started, there is no possibility that the vehicle 1 will travel in a direction not intended by the occupant.

  FIG. 3B shows the steering wheel 13a having a steering angle of 30 °. Similarly, FIG. 3C shows a steering wheel 13a having a steering angle of 180 °. In this case, it is obvious that the direction of the steering wheel 13a is not the same as the direction of the steering wheel 13a in the neutral state. When the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started in these situations, the occupant determines that the steering wheel 13a is not in the neutral state from the appearance of the steering wheel 13a, and first returns the steering wheel 13a to the neutral state. Thus, the vehicle 1 should be started in response to the notification from the notification unit 151. In this case, since the turning angle of the snake wheel 131 becomes 0 ° due to the steering wheel 13a being returned to the neutral state, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 assumed by the occupant and the actual state of the vehicle 1 are considered. Matches the direction of travel. For this reason, even if the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started, there is almost no possibility that the vehicle 1 will travel in a direction not intended by the occupant.

  FIG. 3 (d) shows the steering wheel 13a having a steering angle of 360 ° (that is, exactly one rotation from the neutral state). In this case, the direction of the steering wheel 13a is the same as the direction of the steering wheel 13a in the neutral state in appearance. If the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started in this situation, the occupant may misunderstand from the appearance of the steering wheel 13a that the steering wheel 13a that is not originally neutral is in the neutral state. . For this reason, the occupant may start the vehicle 1 in response to the notification from the notification unit 151 without returning the steering wheel 13a which is not originally in the neutral state to the neutral state. In this case, since the steering wheel 13a is not in a neutral state, the snake angle of the snake wheel 131 is not 0 °. For this reason, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 assumed by the occupant may not match the actual traveling direction of the vehicle 1. For this reason, as a result of notifying the occupant that the preceding vehicle has started, the vehicle 1 may travel in a direction not intended by the occupant.

  Next, FIG. 4A shows the steering wheel 13b in a neutral state (that is, the steering angle is 0 °). Even if the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started in this situation, the vehicle 1 may travel in a direction unintended by the occupant for the same reason as described with reference to FIG. There is no sex. FIG. 4B shows the steering wheel 13b having a steering angle of 120 ° (that is, exactly 1/3 of the neutral state). In this case, the direction of the steering wheel 13b is the same in appearance as the direction of the steering wheel 13b in the neutral state. For this reason, when the occupant is notified that the preceding vehicle has started in this situation, the vehicle 1 advances in a direction unintended by the occupant for the same reason as described with reference to FIG. There is a possibility.

  For the above reasons, when the non-notification condition including the first and second conditions is satisfied, the occupant is informed that the preceding vehicle has started, and as a result, the vehicle 1 advances in a direction not intended by the occupant. It can be seen that there is a possibility. For this reason, in order to realize safe traveling of the vehicle 1, if the non-notification condition is satisfied, even if the preceding vehicle has started, the occupant may not be notified that the preceding vehicle has started. preferable. For this reason, in this embodiment, the non-notification condition is used to determine whether or not to notify the occupant that the preceding vehicle has started. The non-notification condition is a specific example of the “predetermined condition” described above.

  In order to determine whether or not the non-notification condition is satisfied, the determination unit 152 determines whether or not the first condition that the steering wheel 13 is not in the neutral state is satisfied based on the detection result of the steering angle sensor 14. Determine. Specifically, the determination unit 152 determines whether or not the steering angle matches 0 °. When the steering angle matches 0 °, the determination unit 152 determines that the first condition is not satisfied. When the steering angle does not coincide with 0 °, the determination unit 152 determines that the first condition is satisfied. Here, not only when the steering angle is completely coincident with 0 °, the determination unit 152 is in a state where the steering wheel 13 is substantially neutral (that is, the vehicle 1 can substantially go straight). It is determined that the steering angle coincides with 0 ° even when the steering angle deviates from 0 ° only to such an extent that the steering angle can be regarded as being in a normal state (that is, the steering angle is 0 ° ± α °). It is preferable to do.

  In order to determine whether or not the non-notification condition is satisfied, the determination unit 152 determines that the direction of the steering wheel 13 is the same as the direction of the steering wheel 13 in the neutral state based on the detection result of the steering angle sensor 14. It is determined whether or not the second condition is satisfied. Specifically, the determination unit 152 determines whether or not the steering angle matches a specific angle at which the direction of the steering wheel 13 is the same as the direction of the steering wheel 13 in the neutral state. It is apparent from FIGS. 3A to 4B that the specific angle changes according to the shape (in other words, the appearance) of the steering wheel 13. For example, in the steering wheel 13a shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, the specific angles used in the second condition are + 360 °, −360 °, + 720 °, −720 °, + 1080 °, and −1080 °. ... That is, the specific angle is + 360 ° × k1 (where k1 is an integer of 1 or more or −1 or less). For this reason, in the vehicle 1 provided with the steering wheel 13a, it is determined that the second condition is satisfied when the steering wheel 13a has just rotated k1 from the neutral state. For example, in the steering wheel 13b shown in FIGS. 4A to 4B, the specific angles used in the second condition are + 120 °, −120 °, + 240 °, −240 °, + 360 °, and −360 °. ... That is, the specific angle is + 120 ° × k2 (where k2 is an integer of 1 or more or −1 or less). For this reason, in the vehicle 1 provided with the steering wheel 13b, it is determined that the second condition is satisfied when the steering wheel 13b rotates exactly k2 / 3 from the neutral state. Therefore, it is preferable that a specific angle corresponding to the shape of the steering wheel 13 is set in the determination unit 152 in advance. If the steering angle matches the specific angle, the determination unit 152 determines that the second condition is satisfied. If the steering angle does not match the specific angle, the determination unit 152 determines that the second condition is not satisfied. Here, not only when the steering angle is completely coincident with the specific angle, the determination unit 152 is substantially the same as the direction of the steering wheel 13 in the neutral state ( Specifically, the steering angle deviates from the specific angle only to such an extent that the occupant cannot be easily identified from the appearance of the steering wheel 13 as to whether or not the steering wheel 13 is in a neutral state. That is, it is preferable to determine that the steering angle matches the specific angle even when the steering angle is the specific angle ± β °.

  In FIG. 2 again, when it is determined that the non notification condition is not satisfied (that is, at least one of the first condition and the second condition is not satisfied) as a result of the determination in step S16 (step S16: No), the notification unit 151 controls the output device 16 to notify that the preceding vehicle has started (step S17). For example, when the output device 16 is a speaker, the notification unit 151 may control the output device 16 so as to notify by voice that the preceding vehicle has started. For example, when the output device 16 is a display, the notification unit 151 may control the output device 16 so as to notify with an image that the preceding vehicle has started. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S16, when it is determined that the non-notification condition is satisfied (that is, both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied) (step S16: Yes), The notification unit 151 does not notify that the preceding vehicle has started.

(3) Technical Effects As described above, in the present embodiment, the ECU 15 stops when the non-notification condition is satisfied, even if the preceding vehicle that has stopped starts. Do not notify passengers that the car has started. For this reason, the ECU 15 prevents the vehicle 1 from moving in a direction unintended by the occupant due to notifying the occupant of the start of the preceding vehicle that has been stopped, while stopping the preceding vehicle that has stopped. The occupant can be notified that has started.

  The present invention can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and the preceding vehicle start notification device with such a change is also included in the technical concept of the present invention. included.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 11 Leading vehicle sensor 12 Vehicle speed sensor 13 Steering wheel 131 Snake wheel 14 Steering angle sensor 15 ECU
151 Notification Unit 152 Determination Unit 16 Output Device

Claims (1)

A notification means for notifying a passenger of the vehicle that the preceding vehicle that has been stopped has started when the vehicle has stopped following the preceding vehicle;
(I) The steering wheel of the vehicle is not in a neutral state capable of causing the vehicle to go straight, and (ii) the appearance of the steering wheel is in the neutral state on the appearance of the steering wheel Determination means for determining whether or not a predetermined condition that the direction is the same as
When it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the notifying unit notifies the occupant that the preceding vehicle that has been stopped has started even if the preceding vehicle that has stopped has started. A preceding vehicle start notification device characterized by not.

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