JP3197394U - Obstacle warning device for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

In a low noise vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, an obstacle alarm device for a vehicle that emits a warning sound such as a pseudo sound to the outside only when necessary based on detection information of a corner sensor is provided. SOLUTION: A plurality of corner sensors 5 for detecting an obstacle 50, a plurality of vibrators 6 for generating a warning sound 40 by vibrating a component of a vehicle 20, and a vehicle speed for detecting a vehicle speed. The corner sensor and the vibrator are disposed adjacent to each other in the support main body 11 of the sensor / vibration unit 10. The control means controls to vibrate a vibrator adjacent to the corner sensor and emit a warning sound based on the detection information of the corner sensor and the vehicle speed information of the vehicle speed sensor. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle obstacle alarm device using a corner sensor.

  In recent years, the number of registered hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles has increased rapidly, and is expected to increase further in the future. The spread of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles is considered to contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society. On the other hand, the opinion that these cars do not sound structurally and feel dangerous is given by users and visually impaired organizations, and some experts point out.

  In order to eliminate the problem of running noise that is too quiet and to ensure the safety of pedestrians, for example, when the vehicle starts moving from the start to the vehicle speed of 20 km / h or when the vehicle is moving backward, a pseudo engine sound is emitted to Various techniques for informing pedestrians have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In addition, obstacle warning devices for vehicles using a corner sensor are now widely used. Like the clearance sonar, this obstacle warning device is equipped with ultrasonic sensors at the four corners of the front and rear bumpers, detects the distance to the obstacle, and informs the driver of the approach of the obstacle by voice, alarm, and display. It is. For example, in Patent Document 3, using a speaker for an audio device mounted on a vehicle, based on the detection output of a distance sensor at a position where it is likely to come into contact with an obstacle, in the same direction as the distance sensor viewed from the driver's seat A technique related to a vehicle obstacle warning device that emits a warning sound from a speaker positioned is disclosed.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of use of a corner sensor installed in a vehicle. FIG. 5A shows a case where parallel parking is performed by ultrasonic waves 30 emitted from corner sensors installed before and after the vehicle 20. FIG. 5B shows a case in which garage entry is performed while detecting obstacles behind by the ultrasonic wave 30 of the corner sensor installed at the rear of the vehicle 20. FIG. 5C shows a case where an obstacle such as a tricycle 80 or a ball 70 in a blind spot as viewed from the driver of the vehicle 20 is detected. In either case, the driver of the vehicle 20 will hear an alarm sound in the vehicle when the corner sensor detects the object.

JP-A-7-32948 JP-A-5-208636 JP-A-10-203275

  However, since the above-described simulated sound generator always generates a simulated sound below a predetermined vehicle speed, a simulated sound is generated even when the generation of the simulated sound is unnecessary, and noise is generated to residents around the vehicle. There was a problem of becoming. Further, in the above-described conventional corner sensor, when the corner sensor detects an obstacle or the like, detection information is notified to the driver of the vehicle 20, but when the detected target is a person, the detected person Had the problem of not being able to transmit a warning sound. Such a situation can also cause traffic congestion.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and in a low noise vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, a warning sound such as a pseudo sound is generated only when necessary based on detection information of a corner sensor. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle obstacle alarm device that emits toward the vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

(1) Multiple corner sensors that detect obstacles,
A plurality of vibrators for vibrating a vehicle component to generate a warning sound toward the outside of the vehicle;
A vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed,
Control means, and
The corner sensor and the vibrator are installed adjacent to each other,
The control means controls the vehicle to vibrate and vibrate the vibrator adjacent to the corner sensor based on detection information of the corner sensor and vehicle speed information of the vehicle speed sensor. Thing alarm device.

(2) Multiple corner sensors that detect obstacles,
A plurality of speakers for generating a warning sound outside the vehicle;
A vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed,
Control means, and
The corner sensor and the speaker are installed adjacent to each other,
The vehicle obstacle alarm device according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs control so as to emit a warning sound to the speaker adjacent to the corner sensor based on detection information of the corner sensor and vehicle speed information of the vehicle speed sensor.

  (3) The vehicle obstacle alarm device according to (1) or (2), wherein one corner sensor and a predetermined number of the vibrators or speakers are integrated.

  (4) The control means (1) to (1), wherein when the vehicle speed sensor detects vehicle speed information greater than or equal to a predetermined vehicle speed, the control means does not emit the warning sound toward the outside of the vehicle. The vehicle obstacle alarm device according to any one of (3).

  According to the present invention, in a low noise vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, there is provided a vehicle obstacle alarm device that emits a warning sound such as a pseudo sound to the outside only when necessary based on detection information of a corner sensor. be able to.

The figure for demonstrating the structure and function of the sensor and the vibration unit of the obstacle alarm device for vehicles of an Example. The figure which shows the installation state of the sensor and vibration unit of an Example The block diagram which shows the structure of the obstacle alarm device for vehicles of an Example. The figure which shows the pronunciation pattern of the obstacle warning device for vehicles of an Example. The figure for explaining the use condition of the conventional corner sensor

  Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail by an Example.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and function of a vehicle obstacle alarm device of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a sensor / vibration unit 10 used in the vehicle obstacle alarm device of the present invention. The sensor / vibration unit 10 includes four vibrators 6 and one corner sensor 5, and these components are fixed to the support main body 11. The corner sensor 5 is installed in the central portion of the support main body 11. Note that the number of transducers 6 may be the minimum required number, for example, two.

  The corner sensor 5 includes an ultrasonic transmitter, an ultrasonic receiver, and a distance calculation circuit. When the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic transmitter is reflected by the obstacle and received by the ultrasonic receiver, the corner sensor 5 causes the distance calculation circuit to detect the reception timing of the ultrasonic receiver and the ultrasonic transmitter. Based on the time difference from the transmission time, the distance to the obstacle is calculated and output to the A / D converter as measured distance data.

  FIG.1 (b) is the figure which looked at the vehicle 20 with which the some sensor and vibration unit 10 was installed from upper direction. The vehicle in which the sensor / vibration unit 10 is installed is a low noise vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or EV. The sensor / vibration unit 10 is installed at three places on the front side of the vehicle and four places on the rear side. The three front corner sensors 5 are front corner sensors 5a, the two left and right corner sensors on the rear side are rear corner sensors 5b, and the two inner corner sensors on the rear side are back sensors 5c. Each corner sensor 5 generates an ultrasonic wave 30. The rear corner sensor 5b of the sensor / vibration unit 10 in the upper right of the figure detects the obstacle 50 and emits a warning sound 40. When this obstacle is a person, the approach of the vehicle 20 can be recognized by listening to the warning sound 40.

  2A and 2B are diagrams showing the installation state of the sensor / vibration unit 10, in which FIG. 2A shows the installation state of the front part, and FIG. 2B shows the installation state of the rear part. The sensor / vibration unit 10 is installed inside the front bumper 90 and the rear bumper 91, and vibrates the bumper by the mechanical vibration generated by the vibrator 6 and generates an alarm sound 40. The vibrator 6 may be a semiconductor device or the like provided with a piezoelectric element that generates vibration in addition to the vibrator formed of a magnet and a coil. The installation location is not limited to the bumper, and may be inside the trunk, the headlight cover, and the taillight cover.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle obstacle alarm device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the acoustic signal supply means 2 reproduces the acoustic signal, the control means 4 that controls the reproduction means 3 according to the speed of the vehicle, and amplifies the reproduced acoustic signal. It comprises an amplifier 7 for supplying an acoustic signal to the vibrator 6 via a conversion transformer.

  The signal detected by the corner sensor 5 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 8 and then input to the control means 4. Then, the control unit 4 causes the reproduction unit 3 to reproduce an acoustic signal based on the input signal, and the reproduced acoustic signal is amplified by the amplifier 7 and then input to the vibrator 6. The vibrator 6 vibrates body constituent members such as the front bumper 90 and the rear bumper 91 based on the input acoustic signal, and generates an alarm sound 40 from the vehicle body toward the outside of the vehicle. In addition, vehicle speed data is input to the control means 4 from a vehicle speed sensor 9 installed in the vehicle 20. A small speaker may be used instead of the vibrator 6.

  The vehicle obstacle alarm device of the present invention is activated only when the start switch of the device is in an on state and the vehicle 20 is traveling by itself by a prime mover (motor or the like). Further, the vehicle 20 operates in a state where the traveling speed of the vehicle 20 is 2 km / h to 20 km / h and the vehicle 20 is moving forward or backward. Therefore, when the vehicle 20 is traveling at a speed of 20 km / h or more, the device does not operate. Furthermore, it is assumed that the distance between the corner sensor 5 and the object (person / object) is in the range of 15 cm to 2 m. FIG. 4 shows an example of the sound generation pattern of the apparatus. As can be seen from the figure, sound and silence are repeated at 1 second intervals. The size of the circle represents the volume.

  According to the present invention, in a low noise vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, there is provided a vehicle obstacle alarm device that emits a warning sound such as a pseudo sound to the outside only when necessary based on detection information of a corner sensor. be able to.

2 Acoustic signal supply means 3 Reproduction means 4 Control means 5 Corner sensor 5a Front corner sensor 5b Rear corner sensor 5c Back sensor 6 Vibrator 7 Amplifier 8 A / D converter 9 Vehicle speed sensor 10 Sensor / vibration unit 11 Support body 20 Vehicle 30 Ultrasonic 50 Obstacle 40 Warning sound 70 Ball 80 Tricycle 90 Front bumper 91 Rear bumper

Claims (4)

Multiple corner sensors that detect obstacles,
A plurality of vibrators for vibrating a component of the vehicle and generating a warning sound toward the outside of the vehicle;
A vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed,
Control means, and
The corner sensor and the vibrator are installed adjacent to each other,
The control means controls the vehicle to vibrate and vibrate the vibrator adjacent to the corner sensor based on detection information of the corner sensor and vehicle speed information of the vehicle speed sensor. Thing alarm device. Multiple corner sensors that detect obstacles,
A plurality of speakers for generating a warning sound outside the vehicle;
A vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed,
Control means, and
The corner sensor and the speaker are installed adjacent to each other,
The vehicle obstacle alarm device according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs control so as to emit a warning sound to the speaker adjacent to the corner sensor based on detection information of the corner sensor and vehicle speed information of the vehicle speed sensor.   The vehicle obstacle alarm device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one corner sensor and a predetermined number of the vibrators or speakers are integrated.   4. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the vehicle speed sensor detects vehicle speed information equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed, the control unit performs control so that the warning sound is not emitted toward the outside of the vehicle. The obstacle alarm device for a vehicle according to item 1.

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