JP2743603B2 - Information transmission device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information transmitting apparatus for transmitting information to be transmitted to an occupant of a vehicle by forming a sound field.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As this kind of device, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application
There is an alarm device as shown in FIG. It detects the position of obstacles using a transceiver of electromagnetic waves or sound waves, controls the output levels of a plurality of speakers arranged in the vehicle, and localizes the sound image in the detected direction position, thereby giving the driver This is to notify the existence of an obstacle and to give an alarm.

[0003] However, in such a conventional information transmission device, the output from the speaker is an audible sound. For example, even if the alarm is to be transmitted only to the driver, it can be heard by other occupants. Therefore, the warning sound is not only annoying to other occupants, but also may cause discomfort. When controlling the sound image for the driver, especially when trying to notify the position of an obstacle based on the position of the sound image, other occupants may perceive the sound image at a different position and give a sense of discomfort or mischief. There is also.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problem by allowing a sound image to be recognized only by a specific subject to whom information is to be given, but not by others around the subject. I do.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a vehicle
Information generating means for outputting both obstacle position information, arithmetic control means for receiving a signal from the information generating means and generating a control signal having an output level corresponding to the distance to the obstacle , and frequency
Outputs two ultrasonic frequency signals having a constant value as the control signal
A driving means for outputting the level, before being connected to a drive means
At least two speakers for individually outputting the ultrasonic waves of the two frequencies at the output level , each of which is arranged such that its directional axes intersect at a specific transmission target person's head position, and By setting the beat frequency of the two frequencies to belong to the audible range, information is transmitted only to a specific target person. Furthermore, by setting the above configuration corresponding to each of both ears of a specific transmission target person, it is possible to transmit more information and to limit the transmission to a specific transmission target person.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to an obstacle warning of a vehicle. A radar 111 installed at an appropriate position in the vehicle and detecting an object around the vehicle and a determination circuit 112 constitute an information generating means 101. The determination circuit 112 determines whether or not the object corresponds to an obstacle based on the position (azimuth, distance) of the object detected by the radar 111, and outputs the position information when the object is applicable.

The radar 111 detects the distance and direction to an object by transmitting and receiving an electromagnetic wave including a sound wave or a laser beam, and measures the time required for the reciprocation, or processes an image captured by a camera. Therefore, the position of the object is selected according to the range to be monitored.

The arithmetic and control means 102 which receives a signal from the information generating means 101 issues a control signal of an output level corresponding to the position information of the obstacle. The driving means 103 drives the speakers SP1 and SP2 at different ultrasonic frequencies f1 and f2 at this output level.

As shown in FIG. 2, the speakers SP1 and SP2 are installed below the front pillars P1 and P2 on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, and at the mounting portions of the door mirrors M1 and M2 toward the head position of the driver D.

FIG. 3 shows a processing flow in the above circuit. In step 11, when the radar 111 detects an object and outputs a position signal of the object, the determination circuit 112 receives the signal and determines in step 12 whether or not the object is an obstacle. An obstacle position information signal is output as an output of 101. Then, Step 1
At 3, the arithmetic control means 102 determines an output level V that is inversely proportional to the distance R to the obstacle.

In step 14, the driving means 103
At the output level V determined in step 13, output signals of two different ultrasonic frequencies f1 and f2,
The ultrasonic signal of the frequency f1 is sent to the speaker SP1,
2 are supplied to the speaker SP2.

The ultrasonic wave of frequency f1 outputted from the left speaker SP1 and the ultrasonic wave of frequency f2 outputted from the right speaker SP2 travel toward the vicinity of the head of the driver D, and intersect there. Therefore, they interfere with each other and generate a beat. The beat frequency is given by f = f1−f2, and the frequencies f1 and f2 are set so that the beat frequency is in the audible range, for example, 1 kHz.

[0013] Thus, the driver D can perceive a beat sound at his / her ear, and can hear a warning with a larger sound pressure level as the distance to the obstacle is shorter and a smaller sound as the distance from the obstacle is larger.

On the other hand, since the ultrasonic wave has a good directivity and a small spread, it does not overlap in a region other than the vicinity of the head position of the driver D. Therefore, in the vicinity of the ears of the occupants other than the driver, even if the ultrasonic wave reaches only one of them, no beat occurs, and only one of the ultrasonic waves is not perceived by the occupant's ear. If necessary, as shown in FIG.
By providing the cylindrical guide GD at the front of SP2, the directivity can be further sharpened. Therefore, the warning sound as information to be transmitted is heard only by the driver D, and other passengers do not hear the warning sound.

In the above, the case of an obstacle alarm has been described as an example. However, the object of the information is not limited to this, and may be traffic information or warning information when the speed is exceeded, and is not particularly limited. The occupant to whom information is transmitted is not limited to the driver, but may be selected according to the purpose of the content.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment, in which controlled ultrasonic waves are directed to the left and right ears of a specific occupant.

As in the first embodiment, the information generating means 201 is composed of a radar for detecting an object around the vehicle and a judgment circuit and emits an obstacle position information signal.

The arithmetic and control means 202 which receives a signal from the information generating means 201 issues two control signals WL and WR having output levels corresponding to the position information of the obstacle. The driving unit 203 drives the first speaker set SPL1 and SPL2 at different ultrasonic frequencies at the output level of the control signal WL, and the driving unit 204 connects the second speaker set SPR1 and SPR2 to each other at the output level of the control signal WR. Drive at different ultrasonic frequencies.

As shown in FIG. 6, the speakers SPL1 and SPR1 are installed at the lower portions of the front pillars P1 and P2 on the left and right sides of the vehicle body and at the mounting portions of the door mirrors M1 and M2, and the speaker SPL2 is mounted on a spot lamp at the front edge of the ceiling. The SPR2 is installed above the right front pillar P2. Then, the first speaker set SPL1 and SPL2 are directed to the left ear position of the driver D, and the second speaker set SPR1 and SPL2 are turned to the left ear position.
PR2 is directed to the right ear position.

In this embodiment, as shown in the processing flow of FIG. 7, the position signal of the object detected by the radar in step 21 is output in the information generating means 201, and the determination circuit determines in step 22 whether the object is an obstacle. It is the same as in the previous embodiment that the position information signal is issued when an obstacle is determined. The arithmetic control means 202 receives the obstacle position information signal, and calculates the overall speaker output level V according to the distance of the obstacle in step 23.

The arithmetic control means 202 then determines the output levels WL and WR of each speaker set according to the direction of the obstacle in step 24.

The output level V is calculated so as to be inversely proportional to the distance to the obstacle, and the output levels WL and W
R is WL greater than WR according to the angle of the obstacle if the azimuth of the obstacle is leftward, and WR is WL if it is rightward.
It is determined to be larger.

In step 25, the driving means 203 outputs signals of two different ultrasonic frequencies fL1 and fL2 at the output level WL determined in step 24, and outputs the ultrasonic signal of frequency fL1 to the speaker SPL1.
The ultrasonic signal of the frequency fL2 is supplied to the speaker SPL2. The driving means 204 outputs signals of two different ultrasonic frequencies fR1 and fR2 at the output level WR, and outputs the ultrasonic signal of the frequency fR1 to the speaker SPR1.
The ultrasonic signal of the frequency fR2 is supplied to the speaker SPR2.

The ultrasonic wave of the frequency fL1 output from the left speaker SPL1 and the ultrasonic wave of the frequency fL2 output from the speaker SPL2 travel toward the left ear of the driver D, where they intersect and interfere with each other. Causes a beat.

The ultrasonic wave of the frequency fR1 output from the right speaker SPR1 and the ultrasonic wave of the frequency fR2 output from the speaker SPR2 travel toward the right ear of the driver D, where they intersect and beat. Occurs.

The respective ultrasonic frequencies are beat frequencies fL = fL1-fL2 and f
R = fR1-fR2 is set to be the same, for example, 1 kHz in the audible range. fL1 = fR1, fL2 = fR
If it is 2, it is more simplified.

With this, the driver can control the sound pressure level to the left and right ears in addition to the loudness of the beat as the obstacle is closer, so that the driver can hear the alarm sound from the direction of the obstacle. A sound image can be localized, and the direction and distance of an obstacle can be instantaneously recognized.

Moreover, since this beat only occurs near the driver's ear, it cannot be heard by other occupants.

In this embodiment, the left and right sound pressure levels are changed in order to control the position of the sound image. However, the left and right phases may be shifted or both may be controlled in combination.

Further, it is needless to say that the present invention can be used not only for information transmission in a vehicle but also for information transmission in a large conference hall for many people.

[0031]

As described above, the present invention relates to a vehicle obstacle.
Upon receiving a signal from the information generating means for outputting position information ,
One frequency to produce a beat audible band frequency when the interference
Outputs two ultrasonic constant, since the ultrasonic wave so as to intersect the head position of the specific subject, to the obstacle
The distance information is transmitted to only a specific target person by a sound image.

Therefore, for example, even when a warning is given to a driver regarding an unexpected obstacle while the vehicle is running, the driver can be alerted by sound images while reducing the driver's visual burden, and contributes to safety. This is given only to serious drivers, and other passengers do not hear the alarm sound, so they do not feel bothered or anxious. This is extremely useful especially when there are many passengers other than the driver, such as a large bus.

Further, since the ultrasonic wave itself is not perceived by the occupant's ear, there is no restriction that the speaker must not be placed near another occupant not transmitting information, and the ultrasonic speaker can be made relatively small. Therefore, when it is used for transmitting information in a narrow vehicle, the degree of freedom of speaker arrangement is large. Also, there is an advantage that necessary information can be transmitted only to a specific occupant without using an acoustic device that restricts the occupant's movement, such as earphones or headphones.

Further, when the right and left output levels are controlled by using two sets of ultrasonic waves intersecting at the left and right ear positions of the specific occupant, the information is applied to an obstacle alarm and the information on the direction in addition to the distance to the obstacle. Can be transmitted, which has a great effect on the running safety of the vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit connection according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a speaker arrangement according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a processing flowchart in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a structural example of a speaker.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a circuit connection according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a layout diagram of speakers according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a processing flowchart in another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101, 201 Information generating means 111 Radar 112 Judgment circuit 102, 202 Operation control means 103, 203, 204 Driving means SP1, SP2 Speakers SPL1, SPL2, SPR1, SPR2 Speaker D Driver

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04R 1/32 330 G01S 17/88 A

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] And 1. A data generating means for outputting the obstacle position information of the vehicle, and operation control means for issuing a control signal output level corresponding to the distance to the obstacle by receiving signals from said information generating means, the frequency The two ultrasonic frequency signals having a constant
A driving means for outputting at the output level , and at least two speakers connected to the driving means for individually outputting the ultrasonic waves of the two frequencies at the output level. An information transmitting device, wherein the information transmitting device is arranged so as to intersect at a position of a head of a transmission target person and is set so that a beat frequency of the two frequencies belongs to an audible range. 2. An information source for outputting obstacle position information of a vehicle.
Raw unit, obstacles as a whole receives a signal from the information generating means or
Two control signals with output levels corresponding to the distance at
An arithmetic and control unit for emitting two ultrasonic frequency signals having a constant frequency.
Drive means for outputting at each output level the control signal
And ultrasonic waves of each of the two frequencies connected to the driving means.
Speaker set consisting of two speakers that individually output
Two sets are provided. One speaker set specifies the directional axes of the two speakers.
Cross at the left ear position of the person to whom the
The directional axes of the two speakers are in the right ear position of the transmission target.
And two of each set
So that each beat frequency of the frequency belongs to the audible range.
An information transmission device characterized by being set to: 3. The output level of the two control signals is
3. The information transmitting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control is performed in accordance with the direction of each obstacle .