JP4350563B2 - Own vehicle presence notification device and own vehicle presence notification method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an own vehicle existence information device and an own vehicle existence information method that select alarm type of light or sound in response to a travel environment where one's own vehicle travels and can inform a pedestrian of an appropriate alarm. <P>SOLUTION: The own vehicle existence information device 100 has a function of selecting an alarm by a headlight 340 by an alarm light information control part 320 by an own vehicle existence sound generator 300 in response to the travel environment of the own vehicle 600 determined by a travel environment determining device 800 or informing by a speaker 350 by an alarm sound information control part 330 (or both the headlight 340 and the speaker 350), and of appropriately informing the pedestrian of one of the alarm by the headlight 340 and the alarm by the speaker 350. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle presence notification device that notifies the surroundings of the traveling (presence) of a host vehicle by an alarm sound, and in particular, notifies a pedestrian of an appropriate warning according to the traveling environment in which the host vehicle travels. The present invention relates to an own vehicle presence notification device and an own vehicle presence notification method.

  In recent years, instead of vehicles that use gasoline engines (internal combustion engines) as power sources, they run while generating power with hybrid vehicles that have both a gasoline engine and an electric motor, or with fuel cells that use hydrogen gas as fuel. Fuel cell vehicles and electric vehicles using a battery (electric motor) charged by a charger as a power source have begun to spread.

  Here, usually, a pedestrian walking in the city or a person riding a bicycle can recognize the approach of the vehicle by the engine sound of the automobile (vehicle), etc. Since the driving mode is not the driving by the engine but the electric motor, there is no engine noise, which causes a contact accident or the like. Similarly, in the case of an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle, since the driving mode is always performed by an electric motor, a pedestrian cannot recognize the approach of the electric vehicle or the fuel cell vehicle. Contact accidents may occur.

  For this reason, the self-vehicle presence notification system for solving the problem due to the silent characteristics provided in the hybrid vehicle, the fuel cell vehicle, the electric vehicle and the like as described above has been conventionally disclosed.

  That is, regarding this type of prior art, for example, in Patent Document 1, when a human body (pedestrian) is detected by a photographing camera or a radar provided in the own vehicle, a pedestrian or driver around the own vehicle is detected. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique related to an electric vehicle that gives a warning by a voice from a speaker or the like. Patent Document 3 discloses a technique that notifies a pedestrian or a driver of the driving state of an electric vehicle by sound. There are described technologies related to hybrid vehicles that notify different pseudo sounds depending on the driving mode at the time. Patent Document 4 describes a technology related to a hybrid vehicle that reduces engine noise caused by an engine when the road on which the vehicle is traveling is congested.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-27810 JP 7-322403 A JP-A-10-83187 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-178704

  However, the above-described conventional vehicle presence notification system has the following problems. That is, in the case of the prior art, it is possible to notify the pedestrian of the approach of the vehicle by using a pseudo sound or the like notified from the speaker, but such notification by the pseudo sound is not a pedestrian located in the traveling direction of the vehicle. In addition, since the alarm sound is heard, there is a problem that it is contrary to the quiet characteristic originally provided in the hybrid vehicle and the fuel cell vehicle. In addition, in a suburban residential area or the like, not in a city where there are many pedestrian traffic, noise due to automobiles becomes a problem, so it cannot be said that alarm sound notification by a speaker or the like is very favorable in terms of the environment.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems in the prior art, and ensures the safety of pedestrians while maintaining the quiet characteristics of hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle presence notification device and a vehicle presence notification method that can flexibly cope with environmental noise countermeasures.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is mounted on a vehicle equipped with an electric motor as a power source, and when the vehicle is traveling by the electric motor, A vehicle presence notification device for reporting the presence of the vehicle to the surroundings, a travel environment determination means for determining the travel environment of the vehicle, and a notification necessity determination for determining the necessity of reporting the presence of the vehicle to the surroundings And a selection means for selecting a combination of notification means having different notification forms according to the travel environment determined by the travel environment determination means, and based on the result of the combination selected by the selection means, Ri Na controls the informing means, said selecting means, when it is determined that there is a need for notification by said notification necessity determination means, a notification unit the notification form is different, the vehicle Although selecting a sound informing means for informing the sound presence of, by the driving environment determination means, when the outside volume is determined to be equal to or larger than a predetermined value, characterized in that it does not select the sound notification means .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle is mounted on a vehicle having an electric motor as a power source and travels by the electric motor, the vehicle presence notification that notifies the presence of the vehicle to the surroundings is provided. It is a device, and is determined by a travel environment determination unit that determines a travel environment of the host vehicle, a notification necessity determination unit that determines the necessity of reporting the presence of the host vehicle to the surroundings, and the travel environment determination unit. according to the running environment, and a selection means for informing embodiment selects a combination of different informing means, based on the result of the combination selected by said selecting means, Ri Na by controlling the notification unit, the selection A means for notifying the presence of the host vehicle by sound as a notification means having a different notification form when the notification necessity determination means determines that there is a need for notification. Selecting, but by the driving environment determination means, when the outside volume is determined to be equal to or greater than the predetermined value does not select the sound notification means.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the selection means does not select the sound notification means by the traveling environment determination means, assuming that the volume outside the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In the case where the notification means is different, the notification means having a different notification form from the sound notification means is selected as the different notification means .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the selecting means determines that when the driving environment determining means determines that the sound volume outside the vehicle is not less than a predetermined value and does not select the sound notifying means, the notifying means As a different notification means, a notification means having a notification form different from the sound notification means is selected .

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the notification means having a different notification form is a sound notification means for notifying the presence of the own vehicle by sound and the presence of the own vehicle. It is the light alerting | reporting means which alert | reports by light.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, the notification means having different notification forms are sound notification means for notifying the presence of the host vehicle by sound and light notification means for notifying the presence of the host vehicle by light. And

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the traveling environment determining unit includes a time zone determining unit that determines a current time zone, and the selection is performed. The means is characterized by selecting a combination of notification means having different notification forms according to the time period determined by the time period determination means.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the traveling environment determining means includes time zone determining means for determining a current time zone, and the selecting means is in a time zone determined by the time zone determining means. Accordingly, a combination of notification means with different notification forms is selected.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the traveling environment determining means includes illuminance determining means for determining brightness around the host vehicle, The selecting means selects a combination of notifying means having different notification forms according to the brightness of the surroundings of the host vehicle determined by the illuminance determining means.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the traveling environment determining means includes illuminance determining means for determining the brightness around the own vehicle, and the selecting means is the own vehicle determined by the illuminance determining means. Depending on the brightness of the surroundings, a combination of notification means with different notification forms is selected.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the traveling environment determining means includes a traffic jam condition determining means for determining a traffic jam situation around the host vehicle. The selection means selects a combination of notification means having different notification forms according to the traffic situation around the host vehicle determined by the traffic situation determination means .

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the traveling environment determining unit includes a traffic jam condition determining unit that determines a traffic jam situation around the host vehicle, and the selection unit is determined by the traffic jam condition determining unit. A combination of notification means with different notification modes is selected according to the traffic congestion around the host vehicle.

The invention according to claim 7 is the notification object according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the notification necessity determination means detects a notification target in the vicinity of the host vehicle. A detecting means is provided, and the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle is determined based on the notification target detected by the notification target detecting means .

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the notification necessity determination unit includes a notification target detection unit that detects a notification target in the vicinity of the host vehicle, and includes a notification target detected by the notification target detection unit. Based on this, the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle is determined.

The invention according to claim 8 is the map information according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the notification necessity determining means acquires map information around the host vehicle. An acquisition unit is provided, and the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the existence of the host vehicle is determined based on the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit .

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the notification necessity determination unit includes a map information acquisition unit that acquires map information around the host vehicle, and includes the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit. Based on this, the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle is determined .

The invention described in claim 9 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the notification necessity determining means detects a traveling position of the host vehicle. And accident history information acquisition means for acquiring accident history information including at least the position information where the accident occurred, the travel position of the host vehicle detected by the travel position detection means, and the accident history information acquisition means Based on the acquired accident history information, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to notify the vicinity of the existence of the host vehicle.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the notification necessity determining unit acquires a traveling position detecting unit that detects a traveling position of the host vehicle and accident history information including at least position information where the accident has occurred. Accident history information acquisition means, and based on the travel position of the host vehicle detected by the travel position detection means and accident history information acquired by the accident history information acquisition means, the presence of the host vehicle is determined. Determine the need to notify the surrounding area.

Further, the invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the notification necessity determining means includes a traveling speed detecting means for detecting a traveling speed of the host vehicle. And determining whether it is necessary to notify the presence of the host vehicle to the surroundings based on the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detecting means .

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the notification necessity determination unit includes a traveling speed detection unit that detects a traveling speed of the host vehicle, and is based on the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detection unit. The necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle is determined.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the driving mode detection means according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the notification necessity determination means detects the driving mode of the host vehicle. And determining the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle based on the driving mode detected by the driving mode detecting means .

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the notification necessity determination unit includes an operation mode detection unit that detects an operation mode of the host vehicle, and is based on the operation mode detected by the operation mode detection unit. The necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle is determined.

The invention according to claim 12 is a vehicle presence notification method for notifying the surrounding of the presence of the host vehicle when traveling by an electric motor, and for determining the travel environment of the host vehicle. A combination of notification means having different notification forms according to an environment determination step, a notification necessity determination step for determining the necessity of notifying the presence of the host vehicle, and a traveling environment determined by the traveling environment determination step And selecting the information based on the result of the combination selected in the selection step, and the selection step is informed by the notification necessity determining step. Sound information means for notifying the presence of the host vehicle by sound is selected as the notification means having a different notification form. There when it is determined to be equal to or larger than the predetermined value, characterized in that it does not select the sound notification means.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, when traveling by an electric motor , the vehicle presence notification method notifies the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle, and the traveling environment of the host vehicle is determined. A notification means having different notification forms according to a traveling environment determination step, a notification necessity determination step for determining the necessity of reporting the presence of the host vehicle to the surroundings, and a traveling environment determined by the traveling environment determination step A selection step for selecting a combination, and the notification means is controlled based on the result of the combination selected by the selection step, and the selection step is not required to be notified by the notification necessity determination step. When it is determined that there is a sound notification means for notifying the existence of the host vehicle by sound as the notification means having a different notification form, the vehicle environment determination step If the volume is determined to be equal to or greater than the predetermined value does not select the sound notification means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle is traveling by an electric motor, the vehicle presence notification device notifies the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle, and travels for determining the traveling environment of the host vehicle. A combination of an environment determination unit, a notification necessity determination unit that determines the necessity of reporting the presence of the host vehicle to the surroundings, and a notification unit having a different notification form according to the traveling environment determined by the traveling environment determination unit and selecting means for selecting, and based on the result of the combination selected by said selecting means, Ri Na controls said notification means, said selection means, the need for notification by said notification necessity determination means If it is determined that there is a sound notification means for notifying the presence of the host vehicle by sound as the notification means having a different notification form, the driving environment determination means selects the sound volume outside the vehicle. If it is determined to be equal to or larger than the predetermined value, does not select the sound notification means, pedestrian less traffic of (notification object), the suburban residential areas where people are not much present, require an alarm by sound Since it is performed at the minimum, it is possible to reliably secure the safety for pedestrians while maintaining the quiet characteristics inherently provided in hybrid vehicles and the like.

  In addition, in light and sound notifications, in environments where light notification is more effective than sound notification, this light notification is selected and notification control is performed, so notification according to the driving environment must be performed reliably. There is an effect that can be. Further, even in the suburbs, according to the traveling environment of the host vehicle, the notification of the travel area is performed by sound instead of light, so that it is possible to perform appropriate notification more suitable for the environment.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the driving environment determining unit determines that the sound volume outside the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the selecting unit does not select the sound notifying unit. However, since the notification means having a different notification form from the sound notification means is selected as the notification means , the pedestrian (notification target) can be reliably alerted.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, the notification means having different notification forms are a sound notification means for notifying the presence of the own vehicle by sound and a light notification means for notifying the presence of the own vehicle by light. Therefore, there is an effect that the presence of the own vehicle can be reliably notified to the notification target by the sound and light notification means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the travel environment determining means includes a time zone determining means for determining a current time zone, and the selecting means is a time zone determined by the time zone determining means. Accordingly, since a combination of notification means having different notification forms is selected, it is possible to notify a pedestrian of an alarm according to an appropriate alarm type according to the traveling time zone of the host vehicle.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the traveling environment determination unit includes an illuminance determination unit that determines the brightness of the surroundings of the host vehicle, and the selection unit determines the own vehicle determined by the illuminance determination unit. Depending on the brightness of the surroundings of the vehicle, a combination of notification means with different notification modes is selected, so an alarm according to the appropriate alarm type is notified to the pedestrian according to the surrounding brightness when the vehicle is traveling. There is an effect that can be done.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the travel environment determining unit includes a traffic jam condition determining unit that determines a traffic jam situation around the host vehicle , and the selecting unit is determined by the traffic jam condition determining unit. Depending on the traffic situation around the host vehicle, a combination of notification means with different notification modes is selected, so an alarm based on an appropriate alarm type is notified to the pedestrian according to the traffic situation in the traveling area of the host vehicle. There is an effect that can be done.

According to the invention described in claim 7, the notification necessity determination unit includes a notification target detection unit that detects a notification target in the vicinity of the host vehicle, and the notification target detected by the notification target detection unit. Therefore, the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle is determined, so that it is possible to reliably ensure the safety for the pedestrian (notification target) .

According to the invention described in claim 8, the notification necessity determination means includes map information acquisition means for acquiring map information around the host vehicle, and the map information acquired by the map information acquisition means Therefore, it is necessary to notify the surroundings of the existence of the host vehicle, so that a pedestrian can travel at an appropriate timing according to the scheduled road (map information) on which the host vehicle is traveling and the traveling road. There is an effect that an alarm for (notification target) can be performed .

Further , based on the travel position (map information) of the host vehicle searched by the map information acquisition means, it is determined whether or not the travel position of the vehicle is in the city, thereby alerting the pedestrian by an appropriate alarm type. The effect that it can alert | report is produced. In addition, when the vehicle's driving position is other than driving in the city (such as in the suburbs), the sound generation by the vehicle's presence sound generation means is performed to the minimum necessary, so that it can maintain the quiet characteristics and is also required in the suburbs. By performing sound notification according to the above, there is an effect that notification by the most appropriate alarm type can be performed .

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the notification necessity determining unit acquires a traveling position detecting unit that detects a traveling position of the host vehicle and accident history information including at least position information where an accident has occurred. Accident history information acquisition means for performing the operation based on the travel position of the host vehicle detected by the travel position detection means and the accident history information acquired by the accident history information acquisition means. Since it is necessary to notify the surroundings of the existence of the vehicle, it is possible to accurately determine the possibility that a pedestrian (notification target) exists around the host vehicle based on accurate history information corresponding to past accident history information. There is an effect that it can be (recognized) .

Further , according to the invention described in claim 10, the notification necessity determining unit includes a traveling speed detecting unit that detects a traveling speed of the host vehicle, and is based on the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detecting unit. Since it is necessary to notify the vicinity of the existence of the own vehicle, a pedestrian (notification target) exists around the own vehicle based on the traveling speed of the own vehicle detected by the vehicle speed detecting means. It is possible to accurately determine (recognize) .

According to the invention described in claim 11, the notification necessity determination means includes an operation mode detection means for detecting an operation mode of the host vehicle, and is based on the operation mode detected by the operation mode detection means. Thus, the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle is determined, so that an alarm by an appropriate alarm type can be notified to the pedestrian (notification target) according to the driving mode by the host vehicle. Play.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle presence notification method for notifying the presence of the host vehicle when the vehicle is traveling by an electric motor, wherein the traveling environment of the host vehicle is determined. A notification means having different notification forms depending on the traveling environment determination step, the notification necessity determination step of determining the necessity of reporting the presence of the host vehicle to the surroundings, and the traveling environment determined by the traveling environment determination step A selection step of selecting a combination of the two, and the notification means is controlled based on a result of the combination selected by the selection step, and the selection step is a notification necessity by the notification necessity determination step. When it is determined that there is a sound notification means for notifying the existence of the host vehicle by sound as the notification means having a different notification form, When it is determined that the volume outside the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the sound notification means is not selected, so that a sound alarm is required in a suburban residential area where there are few pedestrian traffic and there are not many people. As a result, it is possible to realize a vehicle presence notification method that can reliably ensure the safety for pedestrians while maintaining the quiet characteristics inherent in hybrid vehicles and the like .

  Exemplary embodiments of a vehicle presence notification device and a vehicle presence notification method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In Example 1 described below, after describing the outline and features of the vehicle presence notification device according to the present invention, the configuration of the vehicle presence notification device applied to a hybrid vehicle will be described, and then the vehicle presence notification will be described. The main control procedure (city control mode / suburban control mode) according to the method will be described. In addition, this invention is not limited by Example 1 shown below.

(Outline and features of the vehicle presence notification device)
First, with reference to FIG. 1, the outline | summary and characteristic of the own vehicle presence alerting | reporting apparatus which concern on the present Example 1 are demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating the configuration of the own vehicle presence notification device applied to the hybrid vehicle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a traveling environment determination device 800 that constitutes a main part of the feature of the first embodiment.

  The outline of the main features of the vehicle presence notification device will be described. The vehicle presence notification device 100 has a function of determining the necessity of reporting the presence of the vehicle to the surroundings according to the traveling environment of the vehicle. In addition, when there is a need for notification, a combination of notification means (for example, headlight 340 and speaker 350) having different notification forms is selected, and a pedestrian or the like is selected based on the combination by the selected notification means. It is characterized in that appropriate notification is given to the notification target.

  More specifically, the own vehicle presence notification device 100 is based on the driving environment (the driving area, the driving time zone, and the vicinity of the driving region) determined by the driving environment determination device 800 when a pedestrian (notification target) is detected. Depending on the illuminance of the vehicle, the sound volume outside the vehicle during driving, etc., the vehicle presence sound generator 300 generates an alarm by light from the warning light notification control unit 320 (for example, the headlight 340) or a sound from the warning sound notification control unit 330 ( For example, it is possible to select the notification by both the light by the speaker 350) or the warning light notification control unit 320 and the notification by the sound by the warning sound notification control unit 330, and the light or sound (or both sound and light) is selected. It has a function to select and notify an alarm to a pedestrian.

  In other words, in accordance with the traveling environment based on the traveling position of the host vehicle 600, the presence of the host vehicle 600 is notified to the pedestrian only when necessary by sound from the speaker 350 or the light from the headlight 340. Specifically, even when a pedestrian is detected, if it is determined that notification by sound or light (both sound and light) is not necessary, this sound or light (or sound and light) The notification by both of them is not performed.

  That is, in the own vehicle presence notification device of the present invention, the presence of the own vehicle is notified only when necessary according to the traveling environment, and it is determined that the notification of the presence of the own vehicle is useless when notification is not required. There is sometimes a feature that control is not performed, and depending on the driving environment, the presence of the vehicle 600 is detected by a speaker or the light from a headlight (or sound) for a pedestrian only when necessary. And both of the light).

  In general, even when a pedestrian is detected, if it is determined that the notification by sound or light (both sound and light) is not effective because the sound and light are drowned out due to the surrounding environment. Does not perform notification by this sound or light (or either sound or light or both sound and light). That is, the combination of notification means (sound from a speaker or light from a headlight) having different notification forms includes a case where notification is not performed using these notification means.

  Specifically, in the area where the vehicle 600 is traveling, for example, in a city where there are many pedestrians and bicycles such as in the streets, sound notification is effective for pedestrians and bicycles. On the other hand, in areas such as suburban residential areas, notification with sound similar to that in the above city is not preferable in consideration of noise and the like, so in a residential area located in the suburbs, the vehicle 600 is notified to pedestrians and the like. As a method to perform (own vehicle presence notification method), a notification method mainly using light is performed.

  More specifically, when a pedestrian is detected by the pedestrian detection unit 400 and the travel area determination unit 845 determines that the travel area of the host vehicle 600 is in the city, the own vehicle presence notification control unit Based on the alarm type set by 310, the pedestrian is alerted by the headlight 340 by the warning light notification control unit 320 by the subject vehicle sound generation device 300 or by the speaker 350 by the warning sound notification control unit 330. Or, it has a function of selecting one of the notification controls from the notifications by both the headlight 340 and the speaker 350 and notifying the pedestrian of the selected alarm.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle presence notification device 100 includes a drive control unit 200, a vehicle presence sound generation device 300, a pedestrian detection unit 400, a main control unit 500, and a travel environment determination device. 800.

  The drive control unit 200 includes a generator 210, an inverter 220, and a battery 230, and has a function of mainly controlling the drive of the electric motor 300 mounted on the host vehicle 600. Specifically, the electric motor 630 is driven by the control of the drive control unit 200, and the host vehicle 600 can be driven by the rotational drive of the tire 615.

  The own vehicle presence sound generating apparatus 300 includes an own vehicle presence notification control unit 310, an alarm light notification control unit 320, and an alarm sound notification control unit 330. The own vehicle presence notification control unit 310 has a function of determining the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the own vehicle. The warning light notification control unit 320 has a function of notifying the presence or absence of the host vehicle 600 as a light warning. The warning light notification by the warning light notification control unit 320 can be performed by the headlight 340. The alarm sound notification control unit 330 has a function of notifying the presence or absence of the host vehicle 600 as a sound alarm. The warning sound notification by the warning sound notification control unit 330 can be performed by a pseudo sound or voice from the speaker 350.

  The own vehicle presence notification control unit 310 determines whether the warning light notification control unit 320 generates an alarm from the headlight 340 or the alarm sound notification control unit 330 uses a speaker according to the traveling environment of the host vehicle 600 determined by the traveling environment determination device 800. A function of selecting and executing one of the notification controls of notification by 350 or notification by both the headlight 340 and the speaker 350 is provided. More specifically, the vehicle presence notification control unit 310 includes a travel time zone determination unit 810, a travel region illuminance determination unit 820, a travel region volume determination unit 830, and a traffic jam information determination unit that constitute the travel environment determination device 800. 840 has a function of performing predetermined control according to the traveling environment of the host vehicle 600 determined by the determination units 810, 820, 830, and 840.

  Reference numeral 356 denotes an operation mode detection unit that detects an operation mode. Here, the operation mode is a “low noise control mode” such as a motor drive mode of a hybrid vehicle, a power generation system non-drive mode of a fuel cell vehicle, or a “mode other than the low noise control mode” such as an engine drive mode of a hybrid vehicle. Even when the operation mode is detected by the operation mode detection unit 356 and there is a need for notification, control is performed such that notification is not performed in a mode other than low noise control.

  The pedestrian detection unit 400 has a function of detecting pedestrians (human bodies) and bicycles that are present or approaching the host vehicle 600, and includes a human body detection sensor 410, a photographing camera 420, a radar 430, and the like. ing. The image processing unit 415 has a function of converting analog information (video information) photographed by the photographing camera 410 into digital information. The human body detection sensor 410 may be a pyroelectric infrared sensor having a wide wavelength range that can detect infrared rays emitted from a pedestrian (human body) or a person riding a bicycle.

  The main control unit 500 has a function of controlling all components of the vehicle presence notification device 100 as a whole, and includes a pedestrian presence / absence determination unit 510 and a travel position acquisition unit 520.

  The pedestrian presence / absence determination unit 510 is based on the “pedestrian detection ON signal” transmitted from any of the imaging camera 410, the pedestrian detection sensor 420, and the radar 430 constituting the pedestrian detection unit 400. It has a function to detect the presence or absence of a pedestrian (human body) or a bicycle that is present or approaches in the vicinity. The travel position acquisition unit 520 has a function of acquiring the travel position of the host vehicle 600. Here, the acquisition of the travel position by the travel position acquisition unit 520 can be performed using the navigation system 700.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the travel environment determination device 800 includes a travel time zone determination unit 810, a travel region illuminance determination unit 820, a travel region volume determination unit 830, a traffic jam information determination unit 840, and a travel area determination. Part 845. Reference numerals 880a and 880b denote alarm type setting tables in which alarm types are set (stored) by the vehicle presence notification method corresponding to the traveling environment. Of these, 880a indicates an alarm type setting table in which an alarm type in the city control mode is set (stored), and 880b indicates an alarm type setting table in which an alarm type in the suburban control mode is set (stored). .

  The travel time zone determination unit 810 has a function of acquiring the travel time zone of the host vehicle 600 and determining the travel time zone time of the host vehicle 600 based on the acquired travel time zone. The determination of the travel time zone by the travel time zone determination unit 810 is roughly divided into night time and daytime, and acquisition of this time zone can be performed by the travel position acquisition unit 520 using the navigation system 700.

  The travel region illuminance determination unit 820 has a function of determining ambient brightness when the host vehicle 600 is traveling. The detection of illuminance by the travel region illuminance determination unit 820 is performed by the illuminance sensor 870. The travel area volume determination unit 830 has a function of determining the volume outside the vehicle when the host vehicle 600 is traveling. Acquisition of the volume outside the vehicle (volume of sound) in the travel region of the host vehicle 600 by the travel region volume determination unit 840 is performed by the sound collection microphone 860.

  The traffic jam state determination unit 840 has a function of acquiring traffic jam information from other vehicles in the vicinity of the travel region of the host vehicle 600 and determining the acquired traffic jam information. The acquisition and determination of the traffic jam information by the traffic jam information determination unit 840 is performed by the acquisition of the traffic jam information by the VICS 850. The travel area determination unit 845 has a function of determining whether the travel area based on the travel position of the host vehicle 600 is in a city or a travel area such as a suburb rather than a city (residential area).

  The navigation system 700 is connected to a GPS receiver 710 that calculates the current position of the host vehicle 600 through communication with a GPS artificial satellite, a monitor 720, and a speaker 730. It has a function to manage the running position. In particular, in this example, as described above, whether or not the time zone and the travel area when the host vehicle 600 is traveling are in the city based on the current position of the host vehicle calculated by the GPS receiver 710 using the navigation system 700. Is determined by the travel area determination unit 845.

(Own vehicle notification method in own vehicle presence notification device)
Next, with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the detail of the own vehicle alerting | reporting method which concerns on a present Example is demonstrated ("city control mode" by the own vehicle alerting | reporting method). FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the vehicle presence notification method. Further, as described above, FIG. 4 is the alarm type setting table 880a indicating the own vehicle presence notification method corresponding to the traveling environment. The alarm type setting table 880a of FIG. 4 shows an alarm type setting table in which the travel area target by the host vehicle 600 is in the city, and the alarm type in the “city control mode” is set (stored). Specifically, it shows the alarm notification setting by either the light notification by the headlight 340 and the sound notification by the speaker 350 or a combination of both (in the city, there are many notification targets such as pedestrians). , Assuming that there is a bright area around the vehicle at night).

  That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, first, the presence or approach of a pedestrian, a bicycle (notification target) or the like around the own vehicle 600 is detected (ON) by the human body detection sensor 420 (FIG. 1) (step). S100) When the vehicle presence notification device 100 receives the human body detection ON signal from the human body detection sensor 420 (step S110), the travel region in which the host vehicle 600 is traveling is acquired (step S115), and then Based on the travel area acquired in step S115, the travel area is determined (step S120). The travel region is acquired in step S120 by the travel position acquisition unit 520. Based on the travel position of the host vehicle 600 acquired by the travel position acquisition unit 520, a travel area determination during travel of the host vehicle 600 is performed.

  In addition, the travel area determination is performed by the travel area determination unit 845. Here, the determination of the travel area in step S120 is a process of determining whether the travel area of the host vehicle 600 is in a city or a suburb (for example, a residential area). Specifically, in the next step S125, it is determined whether or not the travel area is in the city (step S125). If it is determined in step S125 that the travel area is in the city (Yes in step S125). Then, the travel time zone is acquired (step S140), and the travel time zone is determined (step S150).

  Then, based on the determination result of the travel time zone, it is determined whether or not the travel time zone is nighttime in the next step S160 (step S160). If it is determined in step S125 that the travel area is not in the city (No in step S125), the travel area of the host vehicle is shifted to the “suburban control mode” for suburbs such as residential areas ( (Refer to the flowchart of FIG. 5). That is, determining the traveling environment of the host vehicle means determining whether it is nighttime or daytime using the traveling time zone acquired by the traveling time zone determining unit 810 (FIG. 2), for example. That is.

  Hereinafter, the process of step S160 will be described. That is, this step S160 is a process for determining whether the time zone when the host vehicle is traveling is nighttime or daytime. If it is determined in step S160 that the traveling time zone of the host vehicle is nighttime (Yes in step S160), the illuminance is then acquired (step S170), and the illuminance acquired in step S170 is based on the illuminance acquired in step S170. Then, it is determined whether or not the surroundings of the host vehicle are dark (step S180). If it is determined in step S180 that the surroundings of the host vehicle are dark (Yes in step S180), a warning by light is given to the pedestrian (step S185). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S180 that the surroundings of the host vehicle are not dark (bright) (No in step S180), a warning with light and sound is given to the pedestrian (step S186), and all processing is performed. End (end).

  That is, considering the case where the host vehicle 600 is traveling in the city, the travel time zone is “night”, but the travel region where the host vehicle 600 actually travels may be bright. As described above, even when the travel time zone is “night”, if the actual travel area is bright (No at Step S180), it cannot be said that the light alarm notification alone is very effective. Therefore, in this case, it is assumed that alarm notification by sound is used together with light (step S186). On the other hand, when the travel time zone of the host vehicle is “nighttime” and the travel area where the host vehicle 600 is actually traveling is dark (Yes in step S180), warning notification by light is more effective than notification by sound. Therefore, only light notification is performed (step S185), and sound notification is not performed.

  On the other hand, when it is determined by the determination in step S160 that the traveling time zone is not nighttime (No in step S160), the following processing procedure is performed. That is, when it is determined that the traveling time zone is not nighttime (No at Step S160), this means that the traveling time zone of the host vehicle is daytime. For this reason, next, acquisition of illuminance (Step S170) ), The illuminance is determined (step S175), and based on the illuminance determined in step S175, it is determined whether the surroundings of the host vehicle are dark (step S180). Hereinafter, when it is determined that the surrounding of the host vehicle is dark according to the determination in step S180 (step S180 affirmative), a warning with light and sound is given to the pedestrian (step S186), and all the processes are ended. (End).

  In other words, although the traveling time zone of the host vehicle 600 is “daytime” (No in step S160), if the actual traveling region of the host vehicle 600 is dark, it can be said that the alarm notification by sound alone is not very effective. Therefore, in this case, an alarm notification (light + sound) using light together with sound is performed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S180 that the surroundings of the host vehicle are not dark (No in step S180), the process proceeds to an external volume acquisition process (step S190). In this outside volume acquisition process, the outside volume (sound volume) of the travel area where the host vehicle 600 is running is acquired, and the own vehicle presence notification control unit 310 determines the outside volume according to the acquired outside volume. This is a processing procedure for selecting an alarm type and informing the pedestrian of the pedestrian with the most appropriate alarm when the pedestrian is detected. This is performed by the travel region volume determination unit 830 (FIG. 2) of the environment determination apparatus 800.

  That is, in this outside volume acquisition process, the outside volume is acquired by the sound collecting microphone 860 (step S190), the outside volume is determined based on the acquired outside volume (step S195), and the determination result by this determination Based on the above, the determination of the volume outside the vehicle (large / small) is performed (step S200). If it is determined in step S200 that the volume outside the vehicle is high (No in step S200), the alarm is not notified (step S215), and all the processes are ended (end).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S200 that the volume outside the vehicle is not large (small) (No in step S200), the process proceeds to traffic jam information acquisition processing (step S220).

  That is, the traffic jam information is acquired (step S220), the traffic jam information is determined (step S230), and whether the traffic jam amount is large is determined in the next step S240 (step S240). Here, the traffic jam situation around the traveling of the host vehicle is performed by acquiring traffic jam information by the VICS 850 (FIG. 1).

  Also, the determination of the traffic amount based on the traffic information of the VICS 850 is determined by the traffic information determination unit 840 (FIG. 2) of the traveling environment determination device 800. If it is determined in step 240 that there is a lot of traffic (Yes in step S240), all processing ends (end) without notifying the alarm (step S245). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S240 that the amount of traffic jam is not large (small) (Yes in step S240), a warning is given to the pedestrian by sound (step S250). (End)

  That is, according to the driving environment based on the volume outside the vehicle acquired by the sound collecting microphone 860 (traveling area volume determination result) and the driving environment based on the traffic jam information acquired by the VICS 850 (congestion information determination result), the volume outside the vehicle is small and the traffic jam is When the number is small, the sound notification by the speaker 350 is more effective than the light notification by the headlight 340. Therefore, the alarm for the pedestrian in this case is the sound notification by the speaker 350. On the other hand, when the volume outside the vehicle is large or when there is a large amount of traffic, a warning by sound is difficult for the pedestrian to hear and the effect cannot be expected so much. Therefore, the warning by light and sound is not performed.

  In the processing procedure shown in FIG. 3, the travel time zone acquisition process (determination), the illuminance acquisition process (determination), the vehicle exterior volume acquisition process (determination), and the traffic jam information acquisition process (determination) are performed in this order. However, the processing order is not limited to this order, and the priority order can be set as appropriate.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the detail of the own vehicle alerting | reporting method which concerns on a present Example is demonstrated (suburban control mode by the own vehicle alerting | reporting method). FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing own vehicle notification control by the own vehicle notification method (suburban control mode). Further, in the alarm type setting table 880b of FIG. 6, the subject of the traveling area by the host vehicle 600 is a suburb (residential area). The alarm type setting table 880b in FIG. 6 shows the type of alarm according to the vehicle presence notification method according to the detection type of the driving environment in the suburban control mode. Specifically, the light notification by the headlight 340 and the speaker The alarm notification setting by either one of the sound notifications by 350 or a combination of both is shown (in the suburbs, it is assumed that there are few notification targets such as pedestrians). In the flowchart of FIG. 5 in the suburban mode, detailed description of the processing procedure similar to that of the flowchart of FIG. 3 is omitted.

  That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, first, the presence or approach of a pedestrian, bicycle (notification target) or the like around the host vehicle 600 is detected (ON) by the human body detection sensor 420 (FIG. 1) (step). S100) When the vehicle presence notification device 100 receives the human body detection ON signal from the human body detection sensor 420 (step S110), the travel region in which the host vehicle 600 is traveling is acquired (step S115), and then Based on the travel area acquired in step S115, the travel area is determined (step S120). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the traveling area is in the city at Step S125 (Step S125). If it is determined in Step S125 that the traveling area is in the city (Yes at Step S125), a pedestrian, etc. The operation shifts to the “city control mode” for a traveling area where there are many notification targets (see the flowchart of FIG. 3).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S125 that the travel area is not in the city (No in step S125), the process proceeds to an acquisition process for the next travel time zone (step S140). This travel time zone acquisition process is a process in which the travel time zone determination unit 810 (FIG. 2) determines the travel time zone (step S150). Then, based on the determination result of the travel time zone in step S150, the next step S160 determines whether or not the travel time zone is nighttime (step S160).

  Details of the processing in step S160 shown in FIG. 5 will be described below. That is, as described above, this step S160 is a process for determining whether the time zone when the host vehicle is traveling is nighttime or daytime. If it is determined in step S160 that the traveling time zone of the host vehicle is night (Yes in step S160), a light notification is performed (step S165).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S160 that the traveling time zone of the host vehicle is not nighttime (No in step S160), then the illuminance is acquired (step S170) and the illuminance is determined (step S175). Based on the illuminance determined by the above, it is determined whether or not the surroundings of the host vehicle are dark (step S180).

  If it is determined in step S180 that the surroundings of the host vehicle are dark (step S180 affirmative), a warning by sound is given to the pedestrian (step S185), and all the processes are terminated (end). ). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S180 that the surroundings of the host vehicle are not dark (bright) (No in step S180), then the process proceeds to an external volume acquisition process (step S190). Thereafter, the same processing procedure as in the flowchart of FIG. 3 described above is performed (steps S190 to S250).

(Estimation of the existence probability of the notification target based on the traveling speed of the vehicle)
Here, in the above-described flowchart, when the traveling area of the own vehicle is in the city, it is determined that there is a pedestrian (notification target) around the own vehicle. In addition to the situation by the suburbs), it is possible to detect the presence of pedestrians around the own vehicle by using a vehicle speed sensor provided in the own vehicle. , Alarms by sound or light (both sound and light) are reported. That is, for example, when the vehicle speed sensor 355 (FIG. 1) detects that the host vehicle is traveling at a high speed (speed: 100 km / h), it can be determined that there are no pedestrians around the host vehicle. Therefore, when such high speed traveling by the own vehicle is detected, it can be determined that there is no pedestrian or the like around the own vehicle. On the other hand, for example, when the vehicle speed sensor detects that the host vehicle is traveling at a low speed (speed: 20 km / h), it is determined that there may be a pedestrian or the like around the host vehicle. Therefore, when such a low-speed traveling by the own vehicle is detected, control for notifying a pedestrian of an alarm by sound or light (both sound and light) is performed.

(Estimation of the existence probability of the notification target based on the planned driving road by the navigation system)
The navigation system 700 can also be used as a reference for detecting the presence of a pedestrian or the like around the host vehicle. That is, the navigation system 700 acquires map information around the travel position of the host vehicle, and based on the acquired map information, the road condition of the travel position of the host vehicle (the current travel road by the host vehicle) is, for example, In this case, it can be determined that there is a possibility that there are pedestrians (notification targets) around the vehicle when it is "urban area", "road with narrow road", "alley", etc. In this case, control for notifying a pedestrian of a warning by sound or light (both sound and light) is performed.

  Even if the road condition of the vehicle's driving position is “urban area”, “road with narrow road”, “alley”, etc., if there is a sidewalk or a guardrail for the sidewalk, the vehicle is a pedestrian. In this case, it is possible not to perform alerting in particular in this case.

(Estimation of the existence probability of the notification target based on past accident history information)
In addition, an accident history information database 890 (FIG. 1) that stores accident history information that records the occurrence of an accident caused by an automobile in the past can also be used. That is, it can be determined that a pedestrian (notification target) or the like may exist on a road where accidents frequently occur in the past. For this reason, based on the past accident history, when the vehicle travels on the road recorded in the accident history, control is performed to issue a warning by sound or light (both sound and light). Note that accident history information in which an accident caused by an automobile has been recorded in the past can be acquired from the outside by a communication means provided in the host vehicle.

(Estimation of presence probability of notification target based on detection of moving direction of notification target)
Moreover, the imaging | photography camera 410 which is the pedestrian detection part 400 for detecting a pedestrian can also be utilized. That is, by determining whether or not the pedestrian is walking toward the own vehicle by using the photographing camera 410, sound or light is emitted only when it is determined that the pedestrian is walking toward the own vehicle. You may make it perform control which alert | reports the warning by (both sound and light).

  This is because there is no danger of contact between the host vehicle and the pedestrian when the pedestrian is walking in a direction away from the host vehicle. is there. On the other hand, when it is determined that the pedestrian is separated in the direction away from the own vehicle, control is performed to notify the pedestrian, and it is determined that the pedestrian is approaching the own vehicle. In such a case, the control may be performed without performing notification. This is because when the pedestrian is facing in the direction in which the host vehicle exists, it is assumed that the pedestrian recognizes the presence of the host vehicle.

(Estimation of the existence probability of the notification target based on the notification target confirmation operation by the driver)
Moreover, the operation | movement and driving operation which are performed when the driver | operator of the own vehicle visually recognizes a pedestrian (notification object) etc. can also be utilized. That is, for example, when the driver of the host vehicle visually recognizes a pedestrian walking in front, the traveling speed is reduced or a brake operation is performed. Therefore, it is possible to determine the presence of a pedestrian around the vehicle from the actions and driving operations performed when the driver visually recognizes a pedestrian, etc. In this case, a warning by sound or light (both sound and light) is notified. It is assumed that control is performed.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the own vehicle presence notification device of the present invention, the own vehicle presence notification device 100 determines whether or not the own vehicle presence notification device 100 is in accordance with the traveling environment of the own vehicle 600 determined by the traveling environment determination device 800. The alarm by the headlight 340 by the warning light notification control unit 320 constituting the vehicle presence sound generator 300 or the notification by the speaker 350 by the warning sound notification control unit 330 (or notification by the headlight 340 and the speaker 350) is selected. Thus, when it is determined that the alarm by the headlight 340 or the alarm by the speaker 350 (or the alarm by both) is necessary, the pedestrian is appropriately notified. Therefore, depending on the driving environment of the vehicle (in the city or in the suburbs), it is possible to give an alarm according to the most appropriate alarm type, and to walk It is possible to reliably ensure safety against.

  As described above, the vehicle presence notification device and the vehicle presence notification method according to the present invention relate to a vehicle presence notification device that can notify an alarm to a pedestrian that exists or approaches the vehicle. In particular, the present invention is suitable for a vehicle presence notification device that can select an appropriate alarm and notify a pedestrian according to the travel area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an overview of a host vehicle presence notification device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the internal structure of the driving | running | working environment determination apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the basic control procedure by the own vehicle presence notification method which makes a driving | running | working area object a city. It is a warning classification management table by the own vehicle presence notification method which makes a running area object a city. It is a flowchart which shows the basic control procedure by the own vehicle presence notification method which makes a driving | running | working area object a suburb (residential area). It is a warning classification management table by the own vehicle presence notification method which makes a traveling area object a suburb (residential area).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Own vehicle presence notification apparatus 200 Drive control part 210 Generator 220 Inverter 230 Battery 300 Own vehicle presence sound generator 310 Own vehicle presence notification control part 320 Warning light notification control part 330 Alarm sound notification control part 340 Headlight 350 Speaker 355 Vehicle speed Sensor 356 Driving mode detection unit 400 Pedestrian detection unit 410 Imaging camera 415 Image processing unit 420 Human body detection sensor 430 Radar 500 Main control unit 510 Pedestrian presence / absence determination unit 520 Traveling position acquisition unit 600 Own vehicle 610 Engine 615 Tire 630 Electric motor 700 Navigation system 710 Receiver 720 Monitor 730 Speaker 740 Map database 800 Travel environment determination device 810 Travel time determination unit 820 Travel region illuminance determination unit 830 Travel region volume determination unit 840 Astringent Information determining unit 845 traveling area determining unit 850 VICS
860 Sound collecting microphone 870 Illuminance sensor 880, 880a Alarm type setting table 890 Accident history information database

Claims (12)

When the vehicle is equipped with an electric motor as a power source and traveling by the electric motor, the vehicle presence notification device that notifies the surroundings of the presence of the vehicle,
Traveling environment determination means for determining the traveling environment of the host vehicle;
Notification necessity determination means for determining the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle;
Selecting means for selecting a combination of notification means having different notification forms according to the travel environment determined by the travel environment determination means;
Based on the result of the combination selected by said selecting means, Ri Na controls said notification means, said selecting means, when it is determined that there is a need for notification by said notification necessity determination means, wherein As a notification means having a different notification form, a sound notification means for notifying the presence of the host vehicle by sound is selected, but when the driving environment determination means determines that the volume outside the vehicle is a predetermined value or more, A vehicle presence notification device characterized in that no sound notification means is selected . The selecting means differs from the sound notifying means as notifying means in which the notifying means is different when the driving environment determining means determines that the sound volume outside the vehicle is not less than a predetermined value and does not select the sound notifying means. 2. The own vehicle presence notification device according to claim 1, wherein a notification means in a notification form is selected .   The notifying means having different notification forms is a sound notifying means for notifying the existence of the host vehicle by sound and a light notifying means for notifying the presence of the own vehicle by light. Self-vehicle presence notification device. The traveling environment determining means includes a time zone determining means for determining a current time zone,
4. The vehicle presence notification according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects a combination of notification units having different notification forms according to the time period determined by the time period determination unit. apparatus.   The traveling environment determining unit includes an illuminance determining unit that determines the brightness of the surroundings of the host vehicle, and the selecting unit has a notification form according to the surrounding brightness of the host vehicle determined by the illuminance determining unit. The vehicle presence notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a combination of different notification means is selected. The traveling environment determining means includes a traffic jam condition determining means for determining a traffic jam situation around the host vehicle, and the selecting means is notified according to the traffic jam situation around the host vehicle determined by the traffic jam condition determining means. The vehicle presence notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a combination of notification means having different forms is selected. The notification necessity determination means includes notification target detection means for detecting a notification target in the vicinity of the host vehicle,
7. The necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle is determined based on the notification target detected by the notification target detection unit. Self-vehicle presence notification device. The notification necessity determination means includes map information acquisition means for acquiring map information around the host vehicle,
On the basis of the map information acquired by the map information acquiring unit, wherein according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that to determine the need for notifying the existence of the vehicle around Self-vehicle presence notification device. The notification necessity determining unit includes a traveling position detecting unit that detects a traveling position of the host vehicle, and an accident history information acquiring unit that acquires accident history information including at least position information where an accident has occurred,
Based on the travel position of the host vehicle detected by the travel position detection means and the accident history information acquired by the accident history information acquisition means, it is determined whether it is necessary to notify the existence of the host vehicle to the surroundings. The own vehicle presence notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The notification necessity determining means includes a traveling speed detecting means for detecting the traveling speed of the host vehicle, and it is necessary to notify the vicinity of the presence of the host vehicle based on the traveling speed detected by the traveling speed detecting means. 10. The vehicle presence notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the vehicle presence notification device is characterized. The notification necessity determination means includes an operation mode detection means for detecting the operation mode of the host vehicle, and it is necessary to notify the vicinity of the presence of the host vehicle based on the operation mode detected by the operation mode detection means. The vehicle presence notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the vehicle presence is determined. When traveling by an electric motor, the vehicle presence notification method for reporting the presence of the vehicle to the surroundings,
A travel environment determination step for determining the travel environment of the host vehicle;
A notification necessity determination step of determining the necessity of notifying the surroundings of the presence of the host vehicle;
A selection step of selecting a combination of notification means having different notification forms according to the traveling environment determined by the traveling environment determination step;
The notification means is controlled based on the result of the combination selected in the selection step, and the selection step is performed when the notification necessity determination step determines that there is a need for notification. As a notification means having a different form, a sound notification means for notifying the presence of the host vehicle by sound is selected. However, when the driving environment determination step determines that the volume outside the vehicle is a predetermined value or more, the sound A vehicle presence notification method characterized by not selecting a notification means .

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