JP3179227B2 - Vehicle alarm system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle alarm system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when driving a car, a driver basically sees the driving environment (ambient environment) of his / her own vehicle,
For example, it is usual to grasp the approach of a preceding vehicle or a following vehicle, or the presence or absence of a vehicle attempting to overtake the own vehicle, and perform a driving operation according to the traveling environment. However, since the driver usually has to watch the front while the vehicle is running, the driver is often forced to grasp the side or rear running environment by hearing.

However, in recent years, since the sound insulation of the window glass or the body has been improved, it is often difficult for the driver to hear the sound outside the vehicle when the window glass is closed. For this reason, when driving with the window glass closed, the driver cannot fully understand the side or rear running environment only by hearing, and therefore often has to look to the side or rear. Was. Therefore, for example, the following distance is detected between the own vehicle and the following vehicle, the vehicle speed (acceleration) of the following vehicle, etc., and when the following vehicle is in a predetermined state, an alarm sound is emitted in the vehicle interior, and the vehicle travels backward. There has been proposed a car that allows the environment to be recognized to a certain extent by hearing. Specifically, for example, there has been proposed an automobile that emits an alarm when the inter-vehicle distance to a following vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value and the following vehicle is in a non-braking state (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-18357).
No. 5).

[0004]

However, in a conventional automobile having an alarm means as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 63-183575, the driver is audible, and the following vehicle is in front of the own vehicle. Although it is possible to grasp that the vehicle is in a state where there is a possibility that some kind of influence may occur, it is not possible to accurately grasp the running state of the following vehicle every moment. The problem is that there is no choice but to visually check the back.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems. Even when the vehicle is driven with the window glass closed, the driver can accurately recognize the running environment around the vehicle by hearing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicular alarm device that can be grasped.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is to provide (i) an environmental condition detecting means for detecting a predetermined surrounding environmental condition affecting traveling of the own vehicle; Simulated sound generation and output means for generating simulated sound representing the surrounding environment state of the own vehicle detected by the detection means and outputting the simulated sound to the vehicle interior; (Iii) the azimuth angle θ of the other vehicle is constantly detected from the rear or side (right beside) on the left side or right side of the own vehicle, and (iii) the simulated sound generation and output means The simulated sound is represented by the direct sound and the delay sound output from the speakers at each of the four speakers at the rear left, the front right, and the rear right. (Iv)
The simulated sound generation and output means increases the ratio of the simulated sound volume to the volume of the music sound and shortens the delay time of the delay sound as the inter-vehicle distance to the other vehicle decreases, and the other vehicle has the left side of the own vehicle or By gradually increasing the ratio of the volume of the front left or right front speaker to the volume of the rear left or right rear speaker from 0 to 1 as going from the rear to the side on the right side, the azimuth angle of the other vehicle is reduced. An alarm device for a vehicle, characterized in that the alarm device is adapted to be expressed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle alarm device according to the first aspect, an operation state detecting means for detecting a predetermined operation state of the own vehicle by an occupant, and an operation state detected by the operation state detection means And an output control means for controlling the output of the simulated sound generation and output means in accordance with the following. According to a third invention, in the vehicle alarm device according to the first or second invention, the delay sound has a frequency characteristic in which a high-frequency sound is attenuated as compared with a direct sound. provide.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below.
As shown in FIG. 2, a right front seat 3 for a driver and a left front seat 4 for a passenger are provided at a front portion of a cabin 2 of the automobile 1. A rear seat 5 is provided at a rear portion of the passenger compartment 2. An instrument panel 6 on which various instruments (not shown) are mounted is provided in front of both front seats 3 and 4 in the vehicle interior 2.

The automobile 1 is provided with an audio device Z (see FIG. 1) which will be described in detail later.
Are provided with a right front speaker 7, a left front speaker 8, a right rear speaker 9, a left rear speaker 10, and an audio main body 11. Here, the right front speaker 7 and the left front speaker 8 are located near the right end and the left end of the passenger compartment 2 at a position in front of the front seats 3 and 4 and immediately below the instrument panel 6, respectively. And are arranged in. On the other hand, the right rear speaker 9 and the left rear speaker 10 are disposed immediately behind the rear seat 5 near the right end and the left end of the passenger compartment 2 respectively. Further, the audio main body 11 is housed in a central part of the instrument panel 6. Note that the audio device Z is a comprehensive multipurpose audio device including the “simulated sound generation and output unit” described in the claims.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 1 detects the position of another vehicle traveling around the vehicle 1, that is, the direction or direction of the other vehicle, and the distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle. First to sixth other vehicle position detection sensors 13 to 18 are provided. Specifically, the first other-vehicle position detection sensor 13 is disposed at the front end of the vehicle 1 at the center in the vehicle width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 3), and the position of the other vehicle located forward, that is, Can detect the position of another vehicle traveling ahead in the same lane. The second other-vehicle position detection sensor 14 and the third other-vehicle position detection sensor 15 are respectively disposed at the right end and the left end of the front end of the automobile 1 (both front corners), and are respectively right or diagonally forward and left. Alternatively, the position of another vehicle located diagonally forward left can be detected, that is, the position of another vehicle traveling in the right lane or the left lane. The fourth other-vehicle position detection sensor 16 is disposed at the rear end of the vehicle 1 at the center in the vehicle width direction,
The position of another vehicle located behind can be detected. The fifth other-vehicle position detection sensor 17 and the sixth other-vehicle position detection sensor 18 are disposed at the right end and the left end of the rear end of the vehicle 1, respectively, and are respectively located at the right or right diagonally rear and left or left diagonally rear. The position of another vehicle located can be detected.

First to sixth other vehicle position detecting sensors 13 to 18
Among them, the first other vehicle position detection sensor 13 and the fourth other vehicle position detection sensor 16 are laser sensors having particularly high detection accuracy, and the other second, third, fifth, and sixth other vehicle position detection sensors are used. 14, 15, 17, and 18 are inexpensive infrared sensors. Note that the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor is not as high as that of the laser sensor. As described above, the use of the laser sensors having high detection accuracy for the first and fourth other vehicle position detection sensors 13 and 16 causes the sensors 13 and 16 to directly interfere with the automobile 1 in some cases. This is because the position of another vehicle traveling in the same lane is detected.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 20 denotes the position of the driver. Further, as will be described later, the automobile 1 is provided with a steering angle sensor 27 for detecting a steering angle, a turn signal switch 28, and a slip sensor 30 for detecting the presence or absence or the degree of slip at each wheel. Have been
(See FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 1, in the audio apparatus Z, an electric signal obtained from a music source such as a CD or a cassette tape or an electric signal obtained from a received broadcast wave is transmitted to a digital signal processor 21.
(Hereinafter, this is abbreviated as DSP 21). The DSP 21 performs predetermined digital processing on the input electric signal to generate first to fourth four digital audio signals, and converts the first to fourth digital audio signals into first to fourth D / A signals, respectively. The signals are output to the converters 22a to 22d. These first to fourth digital audio signals are respectively converted into first to fourth D / A converters 2.
After being converted into the first to fourth analog audio signals in 2a to 22d, the amplified analog audio signals are amplified in the first to fourth amplifiers 23a to 23d. The voice is sent to be converted into a voice, and is output into the passenger compartment 2. And this audio device Z
Is provided with a music ROM 24.
4 stores various processing mode information when the DSP 21 performs digital processing. As the processing mode, for example, a studio mode that emphasizes a sense of stereo, a hole mode that emphasizes a reverberation effect, and a space mode that emphasizes a depth / expansion are set.

The audio apparatus Z generates a simulated sound (sound image) representing the running state of another vehicle running around the automobile 1, the slip state of each wheel of the automobile 1, and the like, and generates the simulated sound. It also has a function as an alarm device to output to the inside. For this reason, in addition to the music ROM 24, the audio device Z is provided with a warning ROM 25 for storing information for generating various warning sounds (warning sounds). The warning ROM 25 stores signal pattern information for producing simulated sound representing the slip state, signal pattern information for producing simulated sound representing the traveling state of another vehicle, and the like. Incidentally, the slip sound is made by a signal having a frequency characteristic as the curve G ₂ in FIG. 4, for example, the running sound of the other vehicle is made by a signal having a frequency characteristic as the curve G ₃ in FIG. 5, for example .

The audio device Z includes a DSP 2
A control unit 26 for controlling a digital processing operation related to the first warning function is provided, and the control unit 26 is provided with the positions of the other vehicles detected by the first to sixth other vehicle position detection sensors 13 to 18. And the slip state detected by the slip sensor 30 are input as control information. further,
The control unit 26 receives the vehicle 1 by the driver.
The information indicating the operation state of is input.
Specifically, a steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 27 and an output signal of the turn signal switch 28 are input as control information. Then, the control unit 26 (audio device Z) appropriately generates a simulated sound (sound image) representing the slip state of the car 1 or the running state of another car around the car 1 based on the control information. A warning audio control such as outputting the signal to the interior of the vehicle cabin 2 is performed. Note that the control unit 26 corresponds to “output control means” described in the claims. Further, each of the other vehicle position detection sensors 13 to 18 and the slip sensor 30 correspond to "environmental state detection means" described in the claims, and the steering angle sensor 27 and the turn signal switch 28 correspond to the claims. Corresponds to “operation state detecting means” described in (1).

The control method of the audio control for warning by the control unit 26 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 and appropriately referring to FIGS. When the control is started, first, in steps # 1 and # 2, it is determined whether or not there is a steering angle, that is, whether or not the steering wheel is turned, and whether or not a slip has occurred. If it is determined that there is a steering angle (YES in step # 1) and a slip has occurred (YES in step # 2), a slip warning is performed in step # 3. That is, there is a steering angle
(The steering wheel is turned) and when a slip is occurring, spin-out is likely to occur,
Simulated sound representing the slip state of the wheels is generated and output to inform the driver. Specifically, the right front speaker 7 when the slip to the right front wheel is generated, having a frequency characteristic as the curve G ₂ in FIG. 4,
The slip sound (simulated sound) generated by the DSP 21 is output. Similarly, a slip sound is output from the left front speaker 8 when a slip occurs on the front left wheel, a slip sound is output from the right rear speaker 9 when a slip occurs on the right rear wheel, and a slip occurs on the left rear wheel. When this occurs, a slip sound is output from the left rear speaker 10. Therefore, the driver can control each speaker 7 to 1
By listening to the slip sound (simulated sound) output from 0, it is possible to easily know which wheel is slipping.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step # 1 that there is no steering angle (NO), or if it is determined in step # 2 that no slip has occurred (NO), it is determined whether or not slip has occurred. Or, even if it occurs, there is no possibility of causing spin-out, so the slip warning is stopped (not performed) in step # 4.

Next, in step # 5, it is determined whether or not the turn signal switch 28 is turned on. Here, if it is determined that the turn signal switch 28 is turned on (YES), Step # 6 to Step # 8
Then, it is determined whether the turning direction is left or right, whether there is another vehicle behind the right in the case of a right turn, and whether there is another vehicle behind the left in the case of a left turn. If another vehicle is traveling in the same direction behind the turn or lane to be changed, there is a possibility that interference with the other vehicle may occur.
At 9 (at the time of right turn) or at step # 10 (at the time of left turn), a warning control is performed, and a pseudo sound representing the running state of another vehicle is generated and output as described later. On the other hand, when another vehicle is not traveling in the same direction behind the direction to be turned (step # 7 or step # 8 is N
O), or when the turn signal switch 28 is turned off (NO in step # 5), there is almost no possibility of interference with other vehicles due to turning or changing lanes, so the warning control is stopped in step # 11. (Not done).

The following is an example of a case where another vehicle is traveling in the same direction on the left rear side when the left lane or lane change to the left is to be performed (step # 10 is executed). The method of generating and outputting the pseudo sound in is described. As shown in FIG. 7, when automobile 1 (own vehicle) is traveling in the direction of arrow X _1, the other vehicle 33 is an automobile 1
The left lane faster than automobile 1 is traveling in the direction of arrow X _2. In addition, the position of the car 1 or the other vehicle 33 is represented by the position where the driver is sitting for convenience. The relative position of the other vehicle 33 with respect to the vehicle 1 changes in the order of A → B → C → D → E. At the position E, it is assumed that the other vehicle 33e has reached just to the left of the vehicle 1. Here, the relative positional relationship of the other vehicle 33 (33a to 33e) with respect to the vehicle 1 is obtained by subtracting the inter-vehicle distance α between the vehicle 1 and the other vehicle 33 and the vehicle width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 7). And the straight line connecting the vehicle 1 and the other vehicle 33 is represented by an angle θ (hereinafter, referred to as another vehicle azimuth angle θ). Here, the inter-vehicle distance α and the other vehicle azimuth angle θ are detected every moment by the fourth other vehicle position detection sensor 16 or the sixth other vehicle position detection sensor 18. In FIG. 7, the inter-vehicle distance α ₁ and the other vehicle azimuth θ ₁ with respect to the other vehicle 33a at the position A, the inter-vehicle distance α ₂ and the other vehicle azimuth θ ₂ with respect to the other vehicle 33c at the position C, and the E position Inter-vehicle distance α ₃ of the other vehicle 33e in the vehicle (the azimuth of the other vehicle is 0)
And only shows.

FIGS. 8A to 8E show the output levels of the music sound and the warning sound output from the speakers 7 to 10 when the other vehicle 33 is at the positions A to E in FIG. 7, respectively.
(Output characteristics). 8 (a) to 8 (e), M indicates a music sound output from each of the speakers 7 to 10;
L indicates a warning sound output from the left front speaker 8, and RL indicates a warning sound output from the left rear speaker 10. In this example, no warning sound is output from the right front speaker 7 and the right rear speaker 9. Further, the earliest warning sound in the same diagram, for example, W (S ₁ ) in FIG. 8A indicates a direct sound, and the later warning sound, for example, FIG. W (S ₁ ′) in the middle indicates a delay sound (reflection sound).

In general, sound waves emitted from a sound source directly reach the listener's ear, and are also reflected by surrounding objects to reach the listener's ear. Therefore, the listener's ear receives a direct sound and a delay sound (reflected sound). Will enter. Therefore, in this embodiment, a warning sound (simulated sound) in the warning control is expressed by both a direct sound and a delay sound.

As shown in FIG. 9, the delay sound of the warning sound is generated by a delay circuit 31 and a high frequency range attenuation circuit 32 in the DSP 21. Here, the delay circuit 31 is a circuit that outputs the digital audio signal S ₁ corresponding to the input direct sound with a delay by the delay time specified by the control unit 26. Also,
Treble attenuation circuit 32 is a circuit which outputs a digital audio signal S ₁ 'corresponding to amplify the digital audio signal outputted from the delay circuit 31 with characteristics shown in broken line G ₁ in FIG. 10 in the delay sound is there. In general, high-frequency sound has a low reflectivity due to an object, and thus delay sound (reflected sound) has a frequency characteristic in which the high-frequency sound is attenuated. Therefore, in consideration of this, the amplification factor of the high frequency range of the delay sound is reduced.

In the simulated sound at the time of the warning control, the azimuth angle of the other vehicle is basically expressed by the balance of the warning sounds output from the speakers 7 to 10. However, in this case, other car 3
3 is located on the left side, the other vehicle azimuth θ is expressed only by the balance between the warning sound output from the left front speaker 8 and the warning sound output from the left rear speaker 10, and the other vehicle azimuth θ Is larger, the ratio of the warning sound output from the left rear speaker 10 is set higher.

On the other hand, the inter-vehicle distance α to the other vehicle 33 is determined by the balance between the volume of the music sound and the volume of the warning sound, and the delay sound W with respect to the direct sound W (S ₁ ) of the warning sound.
(S ₁ ′) is represented by the delay time Δt. That is, when a person listens to a sound, it is generally determined that the sound source is closer when the volume at the ear is higher, and that the sound source is closer when the delay time of the delay sound (reflected sound) with respect to the direct sound is shorter. I do. Therefore, in this embodiment, the smaller the inter-vehicle distance α to the other vehicle 33, the larger the ratio of the volume of the warning sound to the volume of the music sound and the shorter the delay time of the delay sound.

As described above, the balance of the sound volume between the left front speaker 8 and the left rear speaker 10 is changed according to the azimuth angle θ of the other vehicle detected by any of the other vehicle position detection sensors 13 to 18, and By changing the balance of the volume between the music sound and the warning sound and the delay time in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance α, the simulated sound similar to the case where the traveling sound of the other vehicle 33 is directly heard in the cabin 2. Thus, the driver can hear the simulated sound so that the position or running state of the other vehicle can be instantaneously and accurately recognized.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, when the position of the other vehicle 33 changes from A → B → C → D → E and gradually approaches the vehicle 1, FIGS. As shown in e), the ratio of the volume (FL) of the left front speaker 8 to the volume (RL) of the left rear speaker 10 gradually increases from 0 to 1,
The decrease in the azimuth angle θ of the other vehicle is expressed. And the volume (RL, FL) of the warning sound with respect to the volume (M) of the music sound
And the delay time becomes Δt ₁ →
Δt ₂ → Δt ₃ → Δt ₄ → Δt ₅ gradually becomes shorter, and a decrease in the inter-vehicle distance α is expressed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the driver can accurately recognize the slip state of the wheels or the running state of another vehicle even when driving the automobile 1 with the window glass closed. it can. Simulated sound corresponding to the running state of another vehicle is generated and output only in a situation where interference with another vehicle is likely to occur, such as when turning left or right or changing lanes, and unnecessary simulation is performed in the vehicle interior 2. No sound is output.

In the above-described embodiment, the traveling position or traveling state of the other vehicle is detected by the first to sixth other vehicle position detecting sensors 13 to 18. However, this is not the case. As shown by the lines, microphones 19 each having directivity in four directions of front, rear, left and right at the center of the roof of the automobile 1.
And three-dimensional sound detected by the microphone 19.
A simulated sound for reproducing such sound may be output from the audio device Z based on the (sound image).

[0029]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the simulated sound generating and outputting means outputs the simulated sound representing the surrounding environment of the own vehicle, for example, the traveling state of another vehicle, to the interior of the vehicle. Even in a situation where outside sounds are not well heard in the cabin, such as when the deadline is closed, the driver can recognize the surrounding environment of the vehicle instantaneously and accurately by simulated sound. In addition, the smaller the distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle, the larger the simulated sound and the shorter the delay time of the delay sound.Therefore, it is possible to recognize the position or running state of the other vehicle more accurately and auditorily from time to time. it can. Furthermore, since the decrease in the azimuth angle of the other vehicle can be accurately grasped from time to time, the position or running state of the other vehicle can be more accurately recognized by hearing.

According to the second aspect, basically the same operation and effect as those of the first aspect can be obtained. Furthermore, when the own vehicle is in a predetermined operation state, the simulated sound is output only when necessary, for example, when changing lanes where interference with other vehicles is likely to occur, so that the occupant is not bothered by unnecessary simulated sound. According to the third aspect, basically, the same operation and effect as those of the first or second aspect can be obtained. Furthermore, since the high frequency sound of the delay sound is attenuated compared to the direct sound, a frequency characteristic close to the actual reflected sound is obtained, and the position or running state of another vehicle can be more accurately recognized by hearing. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an audio device also serving as a vehicle alarm device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a cabin of an automobile equipped with the audio device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an arrangement position of another vehicle position detection sensor and the like of the automobile shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating frequency characteristics of a simulated sound expressing a slip sound.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating frequency characteristics of simulated sound expressing a traveling sound of another vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control method of audio control for warning.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of a traveling state in which interference with another vehicle is likely to occur.

FIGS. 8A to 8E are diagrams illustrating output level characteristics of an output signal of an audio device during warning control;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a circuit for generating a delay sound in the DSP.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a frequency characteristic of an amplification factor of the high-frequency range attenuation circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Z: audio device 1: automobile 7-10: speaker 11: audio main unit 13-18: first to sixth other vehicle position detection sensors 21: digital signal processor (DSP) 26: control unit 27: steering angle sensor 28: Turn signal switch 30 ... Slip sensor

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 21/00 626 B60R 21/00 621 B60R 21/00 622 G08B 19/00-31/00 G08G 1/00 -9/02

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An environment condition detecting means for detecting a predetermined surrounding environment condition affecting traveling of a vehicle, and a simulated sound representing the surrounding environment condition of the vehicle detected by the environment condition detecting device is generated. and a simulated sound generating output means for outputting the passenger compartment provided Te, the environmental condition detection means detects the distance to the other vehicle
Along with the left or right side of the vehicle
Over time, the azimuth angle θ of the other vehicle is detected every moment, and the simulated sound generation and output means outputs the simulated sound to the front left,
Output from the rear right, front right and rear right speakers
In each speaker, the simulated sound is
Expressed by the direct sound output from the speaker and the delay sound
And the simulated sound generation and output means includes a distance between the vehicle and another vehicle.
Music sound of the above simulated sound volume
Increase the ratio of
Shorten the delay time and the other vehicle is on the left or right side of your vehicle
At the rear left or rear right
Front left or right front speaker volume relative to speaker volume
By gradually increasing the ratio from 0 to 1
An alarm device for a vehicle, characterized by expressing a decrease in an azimuth angle . 2. The vehicle alarm device according to claim 1, wherein an operation state detecting means for detecting a predetermined operation state of the vehicle by an occupant, and an operation state detected by the operation state detection means. An output control means for controlling an output of the simulated sound generation and output means. 3. The alarm device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the delay sound has a higher frequency sound attenuated than a direct sound.
A vehicular alarm device having wave number characteristics .