JPS62242997A - Alarm sound generator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an alarm sound generation device, such as a horn, which is installed on a vehicle such as an automobile and is used to call attention.

[Prior Art] A horn for generating an alarm sound installed in a car etc. generates an alarm sound by operating a horn switch, and the sound pressure of this sound is usually set to be constant. Moreover, the sound pressure is set to high. Therefore, the sound pressure is too high when used, for example, in a place with low background noise, or when used as a greeting signal when someone gives way.

As a means to improve these points, for example,
A method such as that shown in Japanese Patent No. 1744 has been considered. That is, the pressing pressure of the push button switch constituting the horn switch is determined, and a sound having a sound pressure corresponding to this suppressing operation pressure is generated.

Also, please refer to Utility Model Publication No. 51-1745 or Utility Model Number 5
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 2-27480, it has also been considered to detect the vehicle speed and set the sound pressure corresponding to this vehicle speed.

However, in the above-mentioned device, if the switch operation force is to be detected, it is necessary to set a pressure detection element such as a semiconductor pressure-sensitive element in the switch part, so it should be simple. To make the configuration of a horn switch part complicated. In addition, a signal line for pressure detection is required in addition to a signal line from the horn switch, making the wiring on the vehicle complicated. Furthermore, even in a device that responds to vehicle speed, a sensor mechanism such as a vehicle speed switch is required for this horn sound, resulting in a complicated configuration.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points. An object of the present invention is to provide an alarm sound generating device which generates an alarm sound having a sound pressure according to the user's intention, and generates an alarm sound corresponding to the situation by obtaining a sound pattern such as a tone corresponding to the intention. It is something to do.

Means for Solving Problem E] That is, in the alarm sound generating device according to the present invention,
It is equipped with a means for comparing the operation time width of the horn switch with a specified judgment reference time width, and in the first operation state where the switch operation time width is shorter than the reference time width, this sound pressure is detected at a relatively small sound pressure. To generate an alarm sound with a tone corresponding to a short period of time.

Further, in a second operation state in which the operation time width of the switch is longer than the reference time width, an alarm sound having a large sound pressure and a tone corresponding to this time width is generated.

[Function] In the alarm sound generating device configured as described above, when the driver operates the horn switch in an extremely short period of time to call for simple attention, the sound pressure is relatively small. A gentle alarm sound is generated over a short period of time. On the other hand, if the horn switch is operated for a longer time than the standard time range, a warning sound with a high sound pressure and strong tone is generated, making it an effective warning sound even when driving on a highway, for example. will now occur. That is, the alarm sound is generated in accordance with the driver's operating feeling, and the alarm sound generation device can be used to appropriately respond to the noise environment corresponding to the situation.

[Embodiments of the invention] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the circuit configuration of an alarm sound generating device such as an automobile horn, and this alarm sound generating device is equipped with a horn switch 11 for outputting a warning sound generation command. When the horn switch 11 is closed by operation, it supplies a switch signal to the input port P1 of the 1-bit microprocessor 12, and this microprocessor 12 receives the switch signal as well as the output port. ) P2 to power supply latch circuit 13
A base signal is applied to the transistor Trl, and the transistor Tri is set to the on state.

Furthermore, the microprocessor 12 outputs a sound generation control command signal from the output capo P3 in response to the input of the switch signal. This command signal is transmitted to the power supply control circuit 14
The transistor Tr2 is supplied to the base of the transistor Tr2 to turn on the transistor Tr2.

1-, the microprocessor 12 has first and second
A program is stored and set to generate a drive signal with a signal waveform that forms a sound into two types of tones, and one of the first or second drive signals is selected and taken out from the output port P4. It looks like this. This drive signal is then supplied to the transistor Tr3 constituting the amplification/output circuit 15 for amplification.

The drive signal amplified by this transistor Tr3 is supplied to the output transformer 151.
On the secondary side of the
B is connected to generate 2YW corresponding to the above drive signal.

The power supplied to the transistor Tr3 and the transformer 151 of the amplification/output circuit 15 is controlled on/off by the transistors Tr of the power supply control circuit 14. When this transistor Tr4 is in the on state, an alarm sound is generated.

The base potential of the transistor Tr4 is controlled by the transistor Tr5, which is turned on when the transistor Tr2 is on.
An integrating circuit including a capacitor +41 is connected to the base circuit of. Then, when the transistor Tr5 is turned on, the voltage applied from the power supply control circuit 14 to the amplification/output circuit 15 is delayed by a predetermined time, for example, about 15
When the voltage rises with a delay of m seconds and the transistor Tr5 is turned off, the power supply voltage falls with a delay of a predetermined reverberation time, for example, about 200 m seconds. The timing of the start and end of this pronunciation is
This is set by a sound generation control command signal from the output port P3 of the microprocessor 12, and this command signal is set within the microprocessor 12 in response to a switch signal.

The microprocessor 12 is particularly provided with a control power supply circuit 17 for generating and controlling drive signals obtained from the output port 4. This control power supply circuit 17 is supplied with 10B power when the transistor Tr13 of the power supply latch circuit 13 is in an on state, and in a state where this power is supplied, a stabilized power is supplied to the microprocessor 12, and this microprocessor A drive signal is output from 12.

The transistor Tr6 is the transistor T.
It is controlled to be on when rL is on.

Here, the power supply latch circuit 13 is connected to the horn switch 1.
Even after the microprocessor 1 is turned off, the signal from the output port P2 of the microprocessor 12 causes the microprocessor 1 to
The power supply for generating the drive signal of port P2 is maintained, and the dark current is set to approximately zero when the port P2 is not in use and there is no signal from port P2. .

Reference numeral 18 denotes an oscillation circuit, which supplies an oscillation clock signal for control to the 1-bit microprocessor 12.

FIG. 2 shows a portion of the 1-bit microprocessor 12 that is particularly related to the generation of drive signals for sound generation.
1 is set. This pattern storage section 121 has 2
Patterns S and H of rectangular wave pulse trains that constitute two types of drive signals for generating sounds of different tones are stored and set.The pulse train patterns themselves may be stored and set, but this In some cases, program information for generating the pulse train patterns S and H is stored and set.

Further, the internal storage device 120 includes a pattern selection section 12 for selecting one of the two types of drive signals S and H.
2, a program constituting the timing setting section 123 that determines the start and end timing of sound generation, and a program constituting the power supply setting section 124 that determines the power latch timing, etc. are stored and set.

This internal storage device 120 also includes a horn switch 1.
A switch signal from 1 is supplied, and an on-time determination unit 125 that determines the length of this switch signal is programmed. It selects S or H of the drive signal pattern, and also gives timing setting and setting commands to the start/end timing setting section 123 and the power supply setting section 124.

Then, the transistor Tr2 is controlled by the drive signal taken out via the start/end timing setting section 123, and drives and controls the sound generation device 16, and the power supply latch circuit 13 is controlled by a command from the power supply setting section 124.
transistor Trl is controlled.

The operating state of the alarm sound generating device configured as described above will be explained with reference to the time chart shown in FIG. 3.

First, when the horn switch 11 is turned on as a result of its operation, the on-time determination section 125 measures the duration of the on-state of the switch 11 . Specifically, when the switch ti is turned on, a counter 11 for measuring on-time is activated, and the on-time width counted by this counter is compared with a set determination reference time width Tl. This reference time width T1 is set based on the normal operation time of the horn when the horn is to be sounded for a short time to simply call attention, and is set to, for example, about 125 msec. In other words, it is assumed that when the horn is to be sounded in order to call for simple attention, the horn switch 11 will normally be operated within a time range of 125 milliseconds or less.

Considering how the driver presses the horn switch 11, when the driver intends to generate a warning sound with a large sound pressure, the driver operates the horn switch 11 strongly, and when he does not desire a large sound pressure, he operates the horn switch 11 lightly. It has been confirmed that the operation state of the switch 11 can be determined by the on-time width of the switch 11, and the reference value for this determination has been determined to be approximately 1 as a result of various experiments.
It was confirmed that the time was 25 msec. but,
This time width may vary depending on individual differences, the shape of the horn switch, etc., and cannot be strictly defined, but it is preferably substantially 180 msec or less.

If the on-time determination section 125 determines that the on-time of the switch 11 is shorter than the reference time T1, the pattern selection section 122 selects the drive signal pattern S generated in the pattern storage section 121, and If it is determined that the on time is longer than the reference time T1, drive signal pattern H is selected. And horn switch 1
After Tl after 1 is turned on, the timing setting section 123
The transistor T of the power supply control circuit 14 is
r2 is turned on, the sounding device 16 is driven by the selected drive signal, and the sounding of the alarm sound is started.

In this case, the timing of the start and end of this pronunciation is
This is set by the timing setting unit 123, and the start timing is set Tl after the horn switch 11 is turned off as described above. Then, when pattern S is selected, the end timing of the pronunciation is set after time T2 from the start of the above pronunciation/sound, and when pattern H
is selected, the setting is made after a time T3 after the horn switch 11 is turned off. Then, the transistor Tr2 of the power supply control circuit 14 is controlled in accordance with this set start/end time width.

In this case, since the power supply control circuit 14 is equipped with an integrating circuit using a capacitor, the attenuation reverberation time is set from the end timing to the time τ, and the amplification/output circuit 15 The supplied power supply voltage is set to include the above-described attenuation reverberation time τ, and the sound generation is controlled in accordance with this power supply voltage.

Here, the sound generation time width T2 in the case of the pattern S is set to, for example, about 100 msec, and the end delay time width T3 in the case of the pattern H is set to, for example, about 100 msec.

The drive signal supplied to the sound generation device 16 to control the sound production as described above has either pattern S or pattern H selected in accordance with the ON time of the switch 11. The sound pressure of the pronunciation sound is determined by the pattern.

In other words, if pattern S is a waveform pattern that generates soft sound quality, and pattern H is a waveform pattern that produces powerful sound, then the sound pressure when pattern S is selected is , the sound pressure is smaller than the sound pressure when pattern H is selected. That is, if the ON time of the switch 11 is shorter than the time T1, a soft alarm sound with a small pressure is generated within the time T2. If the switch 11 is kept on for a period of time 11 or more, a powerful warning sound with a large sound pressure is generated corresponding to the on-time width.

Here, when the horn switch 11 is turned on for longer than the reference time width T1, the sound generation is not stopped when the switch 11 is turned off, but is delayed by a time T3 after the switch 11 is turned off, and then the sound generation is stopped. The reason for this is that when the ON time width of the switch 11 is approximately 125 to 225 msec, which approximates the time width Tl, the on time of the switch 11 is shorter than the sound generation time T2 which is less than TI. caused by. In other words, this is to eliminate the contradiction in which the sounding time is shortened even though the on-time of the switch 11 is lengthened.

The control power supply supplied to the microprocessor 12 for generating drive signals only needs to be controlled to start up after the horn switch 11 is turned on, and this power supply is supplied to the horn switch when pattern S is selected. 11
It is sufficient to continue the operation until at least a time period of "rTl + T2 + τ" has elapsed since the switch was turned on. Furthermore, when pattern H is selected, the power source may be turned off after more than rTa+τ'' have elapsed since the horn switch 11 was turned off. That is, the control signal applied to the base of the transistor Tri of the power supply latch circuit 13 is as shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows the operation flow of the above alarm sound generating device, especially the microprocessor 12, and shows the horn switch 1.
1 is turned on, the contents of the RAM specifying the pattern selection are cleared in step 200, and a timer counter t2 is added to measure the time corresponding to times T2 and T3.
and set t 3 IJ. Then, the transistor Trl is turned on, the power supply latch circuit 13 is turned on, and the alarm sound generation routine is initialized so that the control power is supplied from the power supply circuit 17 to the microprocessor 12 .

Once the initial settings have been made in this way, proceed to step 201.
Then, it is determined whether or not this interrupt corresponds to the rising edge of the switch 11. If it is determined that the interrupt is rising, the timer counter tl for measuring time T1 is reset in step 202. Further, if it is determined that this interrupt does not correspond to the rise of the switch 11 but is a continuation of the on state, step 203
The timer counter 11 that was reset at the above rising time
is counted up using a predetermined clock signal to measure the elapsed time 11 since the switch 11 was turned on.

In step 202 or 203, the timer counter t
After 1 is set, the process proceeds to step 204, where the count value t1 of the timer counter is compared with the set reference time width Tl, and this step 204 is repeatedly continued until tl exceeds Tl. Then, when the state of t1≧TIJ is reached, the process proceeds to step 205, where the timer counter t2 is reset and the transistor Tr2 of the power supply control circuit 14 is turned on. become controlled.

In step 206, it is determined whether or not the horn switch 11 is in the on state in this state.
is already off, it is determined that the on time of the switch 11 is shorter than Tl, and the process proceeds to step 207, where the RAM is set to the first state "0". Further, if the ON state of the switch 11 is confirmed in step 206, it is determined that the switch 11 has been continuously operated beyond the time Tl, and the process proceeds to step 208, where the above-mentioned R
Set AM to the second state "1". Then, in step 209, the content of the RAM is determined and the first state is "0".
If so, the process proceeds to step 210, and the second state "
1'', the process advances to step 211.

In step 210, the drive signal S is outputted, and at the same time, in step 212, the timer counter t2 is counted up. Further, in step 211, the drive signal H
is generated, and in the next step 213 it is determined whether the switch 11 is still in the on state. If it is determined that the switch 11 is still on, the process proceeds to step 214, where the timer counter t3 is reset,
If it is determined in step 213 that the switch 11 is turned off, the counter t3 is counted up in step 215.

In steps 21B and 217, the values of timer counters t2 and t3 are compared with the set times T2 and T3, respectively, and the counting times t2 and t3 are
Until the set times T2 and T3 are reached, the process proceeds to step 218 and the timer counter t4 is reset.

Then, in step 216 or 217, the measurement time t2
Alternatively, when it is determined that t3 has become equal to the set time T2 or T3, the transistor Tr2 of the power supply control circuit 14 is turned off in step 219, and when t2 or t3 exceeds the set time T2 or T3, step The process advances to 220 and counts up the timer counter t4.

In step 221, the count value of the timer counter t4 and the set time width T4 are compared, and t4 is T4.
Return to step 201 in a smaller state and repeat the previous routine, and if t4 becomes larger than T4, in step 221 the power supply latch circuit 13
The transistor Tri is turned off to terminate this alarm sound generating operation.

FIG. 5 shows the pattern storage section 12 of the microprocessor 12.
This describes the states of patterns S and H, which are the first and second drive signals generated in the microprocessor 12, and these drive signals are sent to a specific address in the internal storage device of the microprocessor 12 (low<LO). and high (HI) output. A rectangular pulse train in which the same pattern is repeated five times within one cycle period T (240 steps) of this program is expressed.

A pattern H is defined as having three pulses within one cycle, and a pattern S is defined as a pulse train in which two pulses are omitted from among the three pulse trains. In this case, a program that basically generates pattern H is set in the storage device, and when pattern S is selected, two specified pulses of three pulses in each period of pattern H are generated. All you have to do is program it to prohibit the output.

In addition, when a flat horn (which generates sound by attracting a movable core with an electromagnetic coil and causing the movable core to collide with a fixed core), which is normally used as a horn for automobiles, is used as the sounding device 1B, The response of the sounding body itself is slow at several tens to several hundreds of milliseconds. Therefore, the time required from turning on the horn switch until the sound pressure reaches its maximum state is delayed, and especially if the sounding operation is performed after Tl after turning on the switch 11 as shown in the embodiment, it may cause an audible discomfort. arise.

Therefore, in the sounding device 16 shown in the above embodiment, a sounding body using a piezoelectric element with good responsiveness or an electromagnetic speaker having a voice coil is used. By using this, it becomes possible to control the generation of an alarm sound that does not give any audible discomfort.

Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5, since pattern H is composed of a drive signal that includes, for example, three pulses within one cycle, it produces a powerful and large sound pressure that contains many overtone components. sound will now be generated. On the other hand, in pattern S, one period consists of one pulse, and the fundamental frequency (in this example, 1/2
．． 5 msec = 400 Hz) is the largest component, and soft-feeling sound with low sound pressure and few overtone components can be obtained. That is, by switching and selecting the drive signal pattern, the sound pressure can be switched and controlled without providing any particular sound pressure control means, and the tone color can also be switched and set.

In the example of 1U, especially the sound at low sound pressure of pattern S,
Although the state is described as a single pronunciation, this may be expressed as two pronunciations. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the drive signals corresponding to the pattern S are two drive signals Sl and S2 with different fundamental frequencies, and if these are alternately switched and sounded, for example, "Ping Bong" is produced. It produces a sound-like sound.

FIG. 7 is a time chart for explaining the case where such an alarm sound is generated, in which the ON time of the horn switch 11 is Tl.
When the state is shorter, patterns St and S2 are generated sequentially. Then, in response to the rise of each of the patterns S1 and S2, the transistor Tr2 of the power supply control circuit 14 is controlled to be turned on in a specified small time width, and the reverberation time is set in response to the on state of the transistor Tr2. This is to generate the supplied power voltage, and to continuously generate sounds corresponding to the patterns St and S2 at short time intervals.

In other words, especially when the operation time of the horn switch 11 is short, by generating a sound that is different from a normal alarm sound, a sound for simply calling attention or expressing gratitude can be effective. It is set to .

Further, although the sound generation time when the switch 11 is operated for a short period of time is set to be a relatively long time of Tl - 100 msec, this may be set to be as short as several tens of msec.

In this case, since the sound is an impulsive sound with a short sounding time, even if the sounding drive signal is not particularly changed and the sound is generated by pattern H, the sound pressure will be perceived as low.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the alarm sound generating device according to the present invention,
The first state of short-time operation and the second state of long-time operation are determined by comparing the operation time of the switch for sound command with the determination reference time width. The acoustic driving signals of the first and second patterns are selected in accordance with the determined results. The sound based on this selected drive signal is generated in a state corresponding to the operation time of the above switch, and includes a gentle warning sound that calls for simple attention, as well as a powerful and powerful sound. The acoustic alarm sound can be easily selected depending on the switch suppression time state of the operator. Therefore, when used as a car horn, for example, the generation of the horn sound is controlled according to the driving situation.
It is possible to easily alert pedestrians and the like without generating unnecessary loud noises, and the effect is remarkable.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram illustrating an alarm sound generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the above device, particularly the microprocessor portion, and FIG. 3 shows the alarm sound generation state. FIG. 4 is a flowchart to explain the flow of the sound generation operation, FIG. 5 is a diagram to explain the drive signal for sound generation set in the device, and FIG. 6 is another example of the drive signal. FIG. 7 is a time chart illustrating the sound generation control state based on the drive signal shown in FIG. 6 above. 11... Horn switch, 12... 1-bit microprocessor, 13... Power supply latch circuit, 14...
Power supply control circuit, 15... Amplification/output circuit, 1G...
Sound generation device, 121... Pattern storage unit, 121...
Pattern selection unit, 123...Start-end timing setting unit, 124...Power setting unit, 125...On time determination unit. Applicant's Representative Patent Attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 5

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) Comparing the operation time of the switch for warning sound generation command with the judgment reference time width, the first operation state has a switch operation time shorter than this judgment reference time width, and the first operation state has a switch operation time shorter than the judgment reference time width. means for discriminating a second operation state in which the switch operation time is long; drive signal generation means for selectively generating drive signals for first and second sound generation that are different from each other; means for selectively outputting a first drive signal from the drive signal generation means in a state in which the operation state is determined; and means for selectively outputting a first drive signal from the drive signal generation means in a state in which the second operation state is determined by the determination means; means for selectively outputting the drive signal; and means for setting a sounding time width in response to the determination result of the first or second operating state determined by the determining means, An alarm sound generating device characterized in that a sounding device is driven to sound by the selected first or second drive signal in a time range. (2) The means for setting the sound generation time width sets the first time width after the elapse of the determination reference time width from the start of operation of the switch, in response to the determination of the first operation state; 2. The alarm sound generating device according to claim 1, wherein the sound generating device is driven by the first drive signal in accordance with the first time width. (3) The means for setting the time width is configured to set a second time width after the end of the operation of the switch in accordance with the determination result of the second operation state, and to set the second time width from the time of the operation state of the switch. 2. The alarm sound generating device according to claim 1, wherein the sound generating device is driven by the second drive signal until a second time period has elapsed. (4) The drive signal generation means includes a first drive signal generation means that generates sound with many overtone components, and a second drive signal generation means that generates sound with fewer overtone components than the sound generated by the first drive signal. 2. The alarm sound generating device according to claim 1, further comprising drive signal generating means.