JP2022097339A - Method for expressing gratitude by raising hand and flashing hazard lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method for a driver who has been given the right of way of a car to express his/her appreciation by raising his/her hand and simultaneously flashing his/her hazard lamps.SOLUTION: A conventional hazard lamp switch circuit is considered a main circuit. A thank you hazard lamp flashing switch circuit is installed parallel to the circuit. If a switch (6) is installed on the ceiling of the driver's seat, and the driver raises his/her hand to operate the switch, a hazard lamp will flash in association with the hand raising to express the driver's thanks.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a method of giving thanks when driving a vehicle, in addition to the conventional practice of blinking a hazard lamp as an expression of gratitude for interrupting at a confluence or the like while the vehicle is running.

Conventionally, the Road Traffic Act stipulates the installation of hazard lamps that blink and display in emergencies and the scenes that should blink for automobiles traveling on public roads. To make the hazard lamp blink, basically, when the vehicle is stopped and the alternate type hazard lamp switch placed on the dashboard of the vehicle is pressed, the four front, rear, left and right turn signals blink all at once and the switch again. Press to turn off the light. However, the use of this hazard lamp has permeated among drivers in some situations other than the provisions of the Road Traffic Act.

For example, when you want to interrupt when you want to change lanes on a road with heavy traffic, or when you want to give way to a priority road from a side road, you enter the course to express "thank you" to the driver. Many drivers are aware of a signal method called "thank you hazard" that blinks the hazard lamp 1 to 3 times while driving.

Alternatively, in a parking lot or the like, when a space for stopping a car is found, there is a signal method for turning on a hazard lamp when the vehicle is stopped or reversed as an indication of intention to park in the space, and this signal is called "reverse hazard". , Used in parking lots such as shopping malls, and is useful for preventing rear-end collisions and contact accidents with following vehicles.

Furthermore, when a natural traffic jam or an accident traffic jam is encountered while driving on a highway, when approaching the end of the convoy, the intention to slow down or stop the self-driving vehicle and alert the following vehicle. Therefore, there are times when the hazard lamp blinks.

Also, as a general tendency, it can be said that driving on a congested road is highly stressful for the driver. For that reason, it has become a social problem such as the news that has developed from minor troubles at the time of overtaking and interruption to major accidents and incidents are frequently reported, and in recent years, the law has been severely punished for road rage and it is newly stipulated as a crime of disturbing driving. Has reached the point.

In light of these circumstances, the blinking signals for following vehicles due to hazard lamps such as thank-you hazards and reverse hazards improve traffic safety and traffic manners from the perspective of preventing accidents and preventing mutual troubles between drivers. Hazard lamps are widely used for purposes other than their original purpose, regardless of whether or not they violate the provisions of the Road Traffic Law.

However, due to the hazard lamp switch mounting position in domestic vehicles, it is necessary to take a moment away from the traveling direction and operate the switch in order to operate the switch while driving. Furthermore, the mounting position of the hazard lamp switch differs depending on the vehicle model, and in the vehicle model where the switch is installed far from the driver's seat, a small driver must lean forward to operate it. The switch operation is dangerous.

Therefore, as a technique for avoiding the danger, instead of using the hazard lamp switch on the existing dashboard, a dedicated switch called a thank-you lamp switch is separately provided near the handle or near the turn signal lever and operated at hand. For example, a special camera recognizes the movement of the hand and activates the thank-you lamp switch to blink the hazard lamp, and the rear window displays and moves icons such as thank-you letters, human face illustrations, and palm illustrations. There are also advanced technologies that express their gratitude.

In this way, various prior arts for expressing gratitude for thank-you hazard lamps and the like are considered (see Patent Document). In particular, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, a special circuit is installed in parallel with a normal hazard lamp circuit. It is devised so that the operation can be switched by installing the operation switch on the handle. However, in each case, there were no switches installed near the ceiling, and none of them involved raising the hand, which is an expression of physical movement by the driver himself.

Patent No. 5679497 JP-A-2005-239003 JP 2011-201352 Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-22888 Utility model registration No. 3224312

When merging from a side road to a high-traffic highway, etc., as a general driver's behavior, first put out a turn signal as an indication of intention to enter the highway and check the timing of entry.

When the driver who noticed this behavior sent a "please" signal, he was nervous about the movement of the front, rear, left and right cars to get on the flow of the driving lane by operating the accelerator pedal steering wheel while confirming safety. Focus on the flow, press the hazard lamp switch at the moment when you get on the flow, and adjust to the flow of the lane while visually observing the movement of the following vehicle etc. that interrupted with the rearview mirror while counting the number of blinks of the lamp. It is necessary to perform a series of operations to turn off the hazard switch while increasing the speed.

However, it is necessary to perform this series of operations within a few seconds, but if the operation until the lights are turned off is difficult and the number of times the hazard lamp blinks increases to 4 times 5 times or more, it is used as a thank-you lamp. Even if I intended, it was just a blinking lamp that made me nervous for a moment because I was a little worried about what kind of signal the peripheral vehicles including the following vehicle would have. There is a risk that the thank-you lamp, which was issued with such a good feeling, will have the opposite result.

As described above, the thank-you lamp operated by the hazard switch is an operation while driving, and there is a problem in terms of safety because it is necessary to repeat complicated operations in a short time.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, in the case of a general automobile in Japan, a thank-you lamp switch is attached near the driver's seat overhead so that the driver does not lose his or her driving posture and keeps an eye on the direction of travel. While facing forward and operating the handle with the right hand, the thank-you lamp starts blinking just by raising the hand normally and operating the switch overhead once, and the turn signal relay ends after the set time with the delay timer and the hazard lamp blinks. I tried to finish it.

As a result, you will not be distracted by the hazard lamp switch on / off operation as in the past while driving, and you will be able to express your gratitude to the other party by raising your hand.

The effects of the present invention are listed in a bulleted list.
(Effect of installing on the upper part of the driver's seat)
Since you do not bend your body or move your head due to the conventional hazard lamp switch operation while driving, you can drive with a margin and you can turn on the thank-you switch without moving your eyes. Improves safety.

(Gesture effect by raising hands for the driver of the following vehicle)
If the driver of the vehicle behind sees his hand raised, he will judge that the thank-you lamp is blinking with a sense of intimacy while expressing his gratitude.This can be used as a communication-up tool for the following vehicle. Promote prevention of road rage and improvement of driving manners.

(Gesture effect by raising hands for vehicles in front)
At the same time, as a driver of a vehicle in front, if the driver of the car that cuts in behind raises his hand, it looks as if he is raising his hand to himself through the rear-view mirror, and at the same time, the thank-you lamp blinks. At the very least, it is possible to read the gratitude, and it is expected that the worry of being agitated will be reduced and that it will contribute to the improvement of traffic safety.

(Psychological effect on raising hands)
As the psychological state of people who raise their hands and greet, there are many states where they are open to the other person, so the hazard lamp is blinking, but since they are raising their hands, they open their hearts and give a signal. It is easy for the other driver to imagine that he sent. On the other hand, there are some drivers who give a bow while driving, but it is safer to raise your hand because it is dangerous because the line of sight shifts when you bow your head.

(Effects of time switch and delay timer)
You don't have to worry about the number of blinks by pressing the momentary switch once and completing the process from the blinking of the thank-you lamp to the end of blinking a predetermined number of times with the combination of the delay timer that turns off after the set time has elapsed. Also, after blinking the set number of times, the blinking always ends, so it is less likely to be misunderstood because the hazard lamp is forgotten to be turned off and the blinking does not occur more than necessary. You can concentrate on driving without being distracted by the hazard lamp operation.

(Effect of utilizing existing hazard lamp circuit)
This thank-you lamp circuit device can be easily installed in the car currently in use, and it can be manufactured at low cost due to its simple structure. Moreover, since it is a parallel circuit with the existing hazard lamp circuit, the original hazard lamp function is not affected.

In this way, while expressing gratitude by raising the hand, without being distracted by blinking or turning off, there is no anxiety about the following vehicle by leaving it blinking, and at the same time expressing gratitude only by blinking. It seems that raising your hands at the same time will increase the probability that you will be able to accept your gratitude honestly. In addition, as a driver in front, it is expected to be effective in preventing road rage from the rear, which is a hot topic.

Schematic diagram of how the present invention is being implemented as seen from a following vehicle. Schematic diagram of a side view of the implementation of the present invention Circuit diagram in which a thank-you lamp switch is incorporated in parallel with a hazard switch Schematic diagram of the thank-you lamp switch installed in the rear-view mirror above the driver's seat Schematic diagram of a string-pull type thank-you lamp switch installed on the ceiling of the driver's seat Wired hazard lamp blinks Flow chart from start to end

A mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example in which the hazard lamp is blinked by raising a hand according to the present invention to express gratitude, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the situation as seen from the side.

In FIG. 1, the main device of the passenger car (1) required for this explanation will be described. First, the rear left turn signal (2RL) is mounted on the upper part of the left rear tire, and the rear right turn signal (2RR) is mounted on the upper part of the right tire. , The driver (4) is raising the left hand (5) in the driver's seat of the right handle, and the rearview mirror (3) and sun visor (9L) (9R) are on the left and right on the ceiling. A state in which a thank-you lamp switch (6) is installed near the base of the rear-view mirror is displayed.

It should be noted that the drawing in which the rear left and right turn signals (2RL) (2RR) are radially surrounded by eight short lines vertically, horizontally and diagonally indicates that the lamp is shining. The device diagrams of the tail lamp, the stop lamp, the back lamp, etc., which are not shown in the description of the present invention, are omitted.

As can be understood from FIG. 1, the moment the driver (4) raises his left hand (5) and presses the thank-you lamp switch (6) installed within reach near the rear-view mirror (3), the turn signal (2RL) It can be inferred that (2RR) is blinking.
At the same time, the turn signals (2FL) (2RL) on the left side of the front and rear of the partial display in FIG. 2 also blink at the same time as hazard lamps.

In carrying out by a method other than this embodiment, the driver can easily and naturally raise his / her hand to operate the thank-you lamp switch (6) without disturbing the driving posture, and the following driver raises his / her hand to give a signal. If you can see, you may install it near the lighting switch near the driver's ceiling on the windshield (7) or near the sun visor (9R) above the driver's seat.

The switch (6) used in this embodiment is a momentary switch, and once the switch is pressed, the power is turned off by the delay timer for the set time, so no operation for turning it off is necessary.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the implementation of the present invention as viewed from the side. Since it is not necessary for the driver to look at and operate the existing hazard lamp blinking switch in the present invention, the driver raises his hand to the driver who gave way while maintaining the safe driving posture, and at the same time, the thank-you lamp is displayed. By blinking the lamp a set number of times and then turning it off, the following vehicle or surrounding vehicles will be more thankful than the conventional thank-you lamp lighting.

FIG. 3 is a main circuit diagram of the present invention. In the figure, three types of circuits for blinking the blinkers (2FL) (2RL) (2FR) (2RR) are shown. The first is the turn signal lamp switch (10) circuit, the second is the hazard lamp switch (11) circuit, and the third is the thank-you lamp switch (6) circuit used in the present invention. Since the blinker switch circuit and the hazard lamp circuit are known techniques, the description thereof is omitted.

Even if the thank-you lamp switch (6) and the delay timer (12) of the present invention are incorporated in the second hazard lamp switch (11) circuit which is the main circuit of the present invention and connected in parallel, the function of the hazard lamp itself of the main circuit remains. It will continue as it is, and in addition, it will be a thank-you switch circuit that has the function of a thank-you lamp.

Since it is stipulated by security standards that the turn signal blinks 60 to 120 times per minute at regular intervals, the set time of the delay timer (12) is set to the number of times the thank-you lamp blinks in consideration of the blinking interval of the implementing vehicle. Since it can be set, the circuit is cut off after the set number of blinks.

Normally, when the hazard lamp switch (11) is turned on, the turn signal relay (13) is started and the turn signal (2FL) (2FR) (2RR) (2RR) blinks at the same time with the energized electricity.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mounting position of the thank-you lamp switch (6) of the present invention. An example of installing a thank-you lamp switch (6) near the center base of a rear-view mirror (3) on the windshield (7) ceiling of an automobile, and arranging a signal line (8) extending from the switch to a turn signal relay and a delay timer. It is a schematic diagram shown.

The thank-you lamp switch (6) in the figure is displayed with an icon marked with a triangle, which is associated with a hazard lamp switch, but it is desirable to attach the icon even when implementing it. In this embodiment, the switch (6) is mounted near the center of the rear-view mirror, but the switch (6) may be mounted on either the top, bottom, left, right, or front and back of the rear-view mirror.

Further, depending on the vehicle type, it may be installed near the front interior light switch, near the sun visor (9R) above the driver's seat, or near the ceiling of the driver's seat of the windshield itself. In this embodiment, it is fixedly installed at the base of the rearview mirror. It is desirable to have a switch structure that prevents the switch from being inadvertently turned on during normal driving operations or normal movements by passengers, pets, and the like.

Further, as an embodiment of this switch, a momentary type switch is used, and once the switch is turned on, the time switch is activated, the switch is turned off after the set time has elapsed, and the hazard lamp circuit is also turned off.

In this example of the thank-you lamp switch, a push-type button that turns on when pressed with the automatic return type (momentary switch) of the push switch and returns when released is used, so that the thank-you lamp blinks when pressed. The switch button should have a wide touch surface on the contact surface.

FIG. 5 is a second example of the thank-you lamp switch. As shown in the figure, it is carried out with a pull switch and a string switch (14) that pull the string to turn on the switch. The string switch that operates by pulling is also a momentary type switch. Since several techniques have already been disclosed for the operating principle of this string switch, those techniques will be applied.

In addition to this, the thank-you switch may be an electronic switch using a touch panel, a touch switch or a sensor switch that responds to the sensation of a human hand, etc., although drawings and usage instructions are omitted. Wide is desirable.

Although not shown in the figure, the location of the delay timer (12) is to install it in a room such as above the dashboard in a car, or if it is installed in the engine room, waterproof and dustproof electronic devices. It is desirable to take measures against heat resistance and vibration.

Further, although this figure is an example in which a signal is transmitted by wire, the implementation is not limited to the wire, and it is desirable to carry out by a wireless method, but the embodiment is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the wired type shown in the embodiment until the thank-you lamp blinks and ends. First, when the thank-you lamp switch is turned on, the turn signal relay and delay timer start supplying power, and all turn signals start blinking. Meanwhile, the delay timer ticks the time, and the blinker keeps blinking during that time. When the set time elapses, the delay timer is activated, the turn signal relay power supply is stopped, and all turn signal blinking ends.

1 Automobile 2 Turn signal 3 Room mirror 4 Driver 5 Left hand 6 Thank you lamp switch 7 Windshield 8 Signal line 9 Sun visor 10 Turn signal Left / right switch 11 Hazard lamp switch 12 Delay timer 13 Winker relay 14 String switch

Claims (1)

The hazard lamp switch circuit already installed in the automobile is regarded as the main circuit, and the thank-you lamp switch circuit of the hazard lamp (hereinafter referred to as thank-you lamp) switch (6) for expressing gratitude and the delay timer, which is configured in parallel with the main circuit. A method of raising a hand and blinking a hazard lamp to express gratitude, characterized in that the thank-you lamp switch is installed near the ceiling of the driver's seat where the driver can raise and operate the driver in a stable driving posture while driving.

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