JP2012001110A - Device for reporting approach of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for reporting approach of a vehicle that emits a notification sound to a pedestrian and the like, by an easy operation by the intention of a driver.SOLUTION: The device includes: a piezoelectric film sensor 25 which is installed on a hub (an airbag-and-horn button unit 20) of a steering wheel and detects vibration with a knock operation of the hub; a speaker 3 which emits the notification sound toward the outside of the vehicle, wherein sound volume of the notification sound is suppressed than sound volume emitted from a horn 2 for alarm whistle; and an ECU 30 for driving and controlling the speaker 3 so as to emit the notification sound when the piezoelectric film sensor 25 detects the vibration with the knock operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle approach notification device for notifying a pedestrian or the like of approach of a vehicle or the like.

  In hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles (hereinafter referred to as “hybrid vehicles”), it is problematic for pedestrians and bicycle riders (hereinafter referred to as “pedestrians”) to be too quiet when traveling. It has become. This is because tire noise is also quiet particularly in a low-speed traveling state of a vehicle with high quietness, and a pedestrian or the like hardly notices that the vehicle is approaching from behind.

  Therefore, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has determined the requirements for a vehicle approach notification device for notifying pedestrians of the presence / approach or retreat of vehicles (hereinafter referred to as “approach”) for hybrid vehicles. The effective measure regarding quietness, such as these, is aimed at the spread (refer nonpatent literature 1).

  Conventionally, various types of vehicle approach notification devices have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). These vehicle approach notification devices basically detect information such as the presence or absence of a pedestrian and the driving state of a vehicle, and automatically generate a notification sound for a pedestrian or the like.

JP 2006-163637 A JP-A-7-209424 JP 7-322403 A

Press release materials: [Online], January 29, 2010, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, [April 2, 2010 search] Internet <URL: http://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/jidosha07_hh_000049.html>

  By the way, in Non-Patent Document 1 and Patent Documents 1 to 3, since a notification sound is automatically emitted to a pedestrian or the like, for example, the notification is made even though the pedestrian or the like clearly recognizes the vehicle. A sound is emitted, which gives discomfort to pedestrians and the like. In particular, when a notification sound is automatically generated when the vehicle is running at a low speed as in Non-Patent Document 1, a notification sound is automatically generated regardless of a situation where a pedestrian or the like is absent (for example, when parked). It becomes very troublesome. Also, in the future, when vehicles equipped with such a vehicle approach notification device have become popular, for example, on roads with heavy traffic, notification sounds emitted from each vehicle may become a problem as noise in nearby private houses. is there. On the other hand, when a notification sound is generated only in a situation where a pedestrian or the like is present, it is necessary to detect the pedestrian or the like with an area sensor, a camera, or the like, which complicates the electrical configuration.

  In Non-Patent Document 1, provision of a temporary stop switch is also defined as a measure that can cope with such annoyance. This switch is for temporarily stopping the vehicle approach notification device by the operation of the driver. Therefore, the driver can suppress the alarm sound from being generated by operating the switch. However, in addition to the driving operation, the driver leaves the vehicle approach notification device in a stopped state due to the troublesome operation of the switch each time the operation / stop of the vehicle approach notification device is switched. Eventually, the vehicle approach notification device will not be used.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle approach notification device capable of emitting a notification sound to a pedestrian or the like with a simple operation according to a driver's intention.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is provided at a central portion of the steering wheel and detects a vibration caused by a knock operation at the central portion, and a sound volume generated by a horn for a horn. A sound generation unit that emits a notification sound having a more suppressed volume toward the outside of the vehicle, and drive control of the sound generation unit so that the notification sound is generated when vibration associated with the knocking operation is detected by the vibration sensor. The gist of the present invention is that it includes a control means.

  According to this configuration, when the driver knocks the central portion of the steering wheel with the intention, vibration associated with the knocking operation is detected by the vibration sensor. Then, the sound generation means is driven and controlled by the control means, and a notification sound having a volume that is lower than the volume emitted by the horn, which is the original horn, is emitted. Thereby, the approach of a vehicle etc. are notified to a pedestrian etc. In other words, the notification sound is not automatically generated unless the center of the steering wheel is knocked by the driver's intention. In particular, the steering wheel is displaced in accordance with its operation (rotation operation). However, since the vibration sensor is centrally arranged at the central portion with a small amount of displacement, the driver can By knocking the central portion regardless of the operation position of the wheel, the vibration sensor can easily detect the vibration associated with the knocking operation. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the troublesomeness of the driver's operation when the notification sound is generated by the sound generation means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle approach notification device according to the first aspect, the control means detects the vibration associated with the knocking operation consisting of a plurality of hits by the vibration sensor. The gist is to drive and control the sounding means so as to emit a notification sound.

  According to the same configuration, since the notification sound is not generated unless the vibration sensor detects vibration associated with the knocking operation consisting of a plurality of hits, for example, due to an erroneous operation or disturbance of the driver, It is possible to suppress the generation of the notification sound.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle approach notification device according to the first or second aspect, the control means generates the sounding means in accordance with a characteristic of vibration associated with the knocking operation detected by the vibration sensor. The gist is to change the drive control mode.

  According to this configuration, when the driver changes the knock operation method (for example, the number of hits, strength, rhythm, etc.), the vibration characteristics (for example, wave number, amplitude, Frequency). Then, the driving control mode of the sounding means by the control means (for example, the number of sounding sounds, volume, sound quality, rhythm, etc.) is changed. Therefore, the driver can drive the sounding means in a predetermined manner corresponding to the method by performing the knocking operation by a predetermined method.

  Invention of Claim 4 is a vehicle approach notification apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3. WHEREIN: It is drive-controlled by the said control means, The light emission means which emits notification light toward the vehicle outer side is provided, The gist of the invention is that the control means changes a drive control mode of the light emitting means according to a characteristic of vibration caused by the knocking operation detected by the vibration sensor.

  According to this configuration, when the driver changes the method of the knocking operation, the control means changes the drive control mode of the light emitting means (for example, the number of emitted lights, the amount of light, the flashing pattern, etc.) together with the sound generation means. The Therefore, the driver can drive the light emitting means in a predetermined manner corresponding to the method by performing the knocking operation by a predetermined method. In particular, it is possible to notify, for example, a hearing-impaired person by the notification light from the light emitting means. Or the notification light by the said light emission means can be utilized as a signal (passing) of "thank you" or "please first" to the oncoming vehicle.

The gist of a fifth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle approach notification device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the vibration sensor is a sheet-like piezoelectric sensor.
According to this configuration, since the vibration sensor is a sheet-like piezoelectric sensor having a high degree of freedom in layout, even if the driver roughly knocks the center portion of the steering wheel, the vibration sensor The vibration accompanying the knocking operation can be detected.

  In the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle approach notification device capable of emitting a notification sound to a pedestrian or the like with a simple operation based on the driver's intention.

1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The front view which shows a steering wheel. (A) and (b) are the back view and side view which show an airbag horn button unit. The block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the same embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, in a front body 1a of a vehicle body 1 such as an automobile, a horn 2 for a whistle that emits a sound toward the front outside the vehicle is installed, and a notification sound is emitted toward the front outside the vehicle. A speaker 3 is installed as a sounding means for emitting sound. The front body 1a is provided with a lamp 4 as a light emitting means so as to be exposed to the front outside the vehicle. On the other hand, in the rear body 1b of the vehicle body 1, a speaker 3 is installed as a sound generating unit that emits a notification sound toward the rear side of the vehicle, and a lamp 4 as a light emitting unit is installed so as to be exposed at the rear side of the vehicle. Has been.

  As shown in the front view of FIG. 2, the steering wheel 10 for steering installed in the passenger compartment facing the driver's seat has a substantially inverted triangular hub portion 11 as a central portion, and a radial shape from the hub portion 11. And a plurality of (three) spoke portions 12 extending in a ring shape, and an annular ring portion 13 that connects the tip portions of the spoke portions 12.

  The airbag / horn button unit 20 exposed on the driver's seat side of the hub portion 11 is a resin cover that forms its design surface as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), respectively. 21, a substantially block-like airbag unit 22 fixed to the center of the cover 21, and a metal made in a substantially U shape along both side edges and lower edge of the airbag unit 22. A horn switch mounting plate 23 is provided. A plurality of horn switches 24 are attached to the left and right upper ends and the lower center of the horn switch mounting plate 23. Each horn switch 24 has a well-known structure that is turned on / off by a spring load, and detects that the sound of the horn 2 for a horn is turned on when the cover 21 (airbag / horn button unit 20) is pressed. Output a signal.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, a plurality (four) of sheet-like piezoelectric film sensors 25 as vibration sensors are attached to the peripheral portion of the cover 21 that is outside the airbag unit 22. ing. Each piezoelectric film sensor 25 is composed of a piezoelectric element (for example, a piezo element) that converts an applied pressure into a voltage, and outputs a detection signal representing vibration of the cover 21 (airbag / horn button unit 20). Therefore, for example, when the driver performs a knocking operation (a tapping operation) on the peripheral edge of the cover 21, the vibration associated therewith is detected by the piezoelectric film sensor 25.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the present embodiment will be described based on the block diagram of FIG. As shown in the figure, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 30 as a control means installed in the vehicle body 1 is mainly composed of, for example, a micro controller (MCU). The horn 2, the speaker 3 and the lamp 4 are electrically connected to each other. The ECU 30 is electrically connected to the horn switch 24 and the piezoelectric film sensor 25, respectively. And ECU30 will drive-control the horn 2 so that a horn sound may be emitted, if the detection signal of an ON state is output from the horn switch 24. FIG. Alternatively, when the vibration detection signal corresponding to the knocking operation is output from the piezoelectric film sensor 25, the ECU 30 controls the driving of the speaker 3 so as to emit a notification sound and the driving control of the lamp 4 so as to emit a notification light. To do. In the present embodiment, the ECU 30 controls the driving of the speaker 3 and the like to notify when the detection signal from the piezoelectric film sensor 25 represents a vibration associated with a knock operation consisting of a plurality of (for example, two) hits. To do. The speaker 3 and the lamp 4 related to the notification may use only those arranged on the side (front body 1a side or rear body 1b side) that coincides with the vehicle traveling direction (front or rear) at that time. Both may be used. Note that the volume of the notification sound emitted from the speaker 3 is suppressed from the volume of the horn sound emitted from the horn 2 so as not to cause discomfort to pedestrians and the like. For example, the volume of the notification sound is preferably equal to or less than the volume of the traveling sound when a vehicle using only the internal combustion engine as a prime mover travels at a speed of 20 km / h.

  Further, the ECU 30 automatically controls driving of the rear speaker 3 so as to emit a notification sound and emits a notification light when it is detected by a shift position switch (not shown) that the shift lever is in the reverse state. Thus, the rear lamp 4 is driven and controlled. As a result, it is possible to notify the person behind the vehicle.

  In such a configuration, when the driver pushes the cover 21 (airbag / horn button unit 20), an on-state detection signal is output from the horn switch 24, and the horn 2 outputs a warning whistle. A sound is emitted. Alternatively, when the driver knocks the peripheral portion of the cover 21 (airbag / horn button unit 20), a detection signal indicating vibration associated therewith is output from the piezoelectric film sensor 25, and a notification sound is output from the speaker 3. As well as being emitted, notification light is emitted from the lamp 4. Thereby, the pedestrian etc. can know the approach of a vehicle, etc. by these notification sounds and notification light.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the present embodiment, when the driver knocks the hub portion 11 of the steering wheel 10 with the intention, the vibration associated with the knocking operation is detected by the piezoelectric film sensor 25. Then, the loudspeaker 3 is driven and controlled by the ECU 30, and a notification sound having a volume that is lower than the volume emitted by the horn 2 that is the original horn is emitted. Thereby, the approach of a vehicle etc. are notified to a pedestrian etc. In other words, unless the hub portion 11 of the steering wheel 10 is knocked by the driver's intention, the notification sound is not automatically generated. In this case, since the piezoelectric film sensor 25 has a sheet shape with a high degree of freedom in layout, even if the driver roughly knocks the center portion of the steering wheel 10, vibration caused by the knocking operation on the piezoelectric film sensor 25 is caused. Can be detected. Further, the driver makes the piezoelectric film sensor 25 detect the vibration associated with the knocking operation, which is a simpler operation than the operation (pushing operation) of the on / off type switch such as the horn switch 24. be able to. In particular, the steering wheel 10 is displaced in accordance with its operation (rotation operation). However, since the piezoelectric film sensor 25 is arranged in a concentrated manner on the hub portion 11 with little displacement, the driver can By knocking the hub portion 11 regardless of the operation position of the wheel 10, the piezoelectric film sensor 25 can easily detect the vibration associated with the knocking operation. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the troublesome operation of the driver when the speaker 3 emits the notification sound.

  (2) In the present embodiment, unless the piezoelectric film sensor 25 detects vibration associated with a knocking operation consisting of a plurality of hits, no alarm sound or the like is generated. It is possible to suppress the generation of a notification sound or the like.

  (3) In the present embodiment, since the piezoelectric film sensor 25 is provided around the hub portion 11 (cover 21) of the steering wheel 10, the driver knocks an arbitrary position on the peripheral portion of the hub portion 11. By doing so, it is possible to easily cause the piezoelectric film sensor 25 to detect vibration associated with the knocking operation. Moreover, the center part of the hub part 11 can improve the arrangement | positioning freedom degree by the occupation by the piezoelectric film sensor 25 being reduced. The airbag unit 22 can be disposed without interfering with the piezoelectric film sensor 25.

  (4) In this embodiment, by using the piezoelectric film sensor 25 that detects a direct operation (knock operation) of the hub portion 11 by the driver, for example, an excessive reaction like an electrostatic sensor used for a touch panel. Thus, it is possible to prevent the notification sound or the like from being erroneously emitted. Alternatively, since the piezoelectric film sensor 25 is provided around the hub portion 11 (cover 21) of the steering wheel 10, the steering is different from the resistance film pressure type sensor and the on / off type switch used for the touch panel. Regardless of the operation (rotation operation) of the wheel 10, the operation position is not substantially displaced, and the operability can be improved.

  (5) In the present embodiment, the approach of the vehicle or the like can be more reliably notified to a pedestrian or the like by the cooperation of the speaker 3 and the lamp 4. In particular, it is possible to notify a person with hearing loss, for example, by the notification light from the lamp 4. Alternatively, the notification light from the lamp 4 can be used as a signal for “thank you” or “please come first” to the oncoming vehicle.

  (6) In the present embodiment, a notification sound can be generated by the driver's intention to be cautioned and ventilated to pedestrians and the like, so that no notification sound is generated unnecessarily, for example, during traffic jams or parking, and in the future the device There is no worry of noise even if the spread of.

(7) In this embodiment, since an apparatus for detecting a pedestrian or the like is not necessary, the electrical configuration can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced.
In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.

  -In the said embodiment, the alerting sound emitted from the speaker 3 should just be an appropriate melody and audio | voice (a gentle voice, a female voice, etc.) which do not give discomfort to the pedestrian around a vehicle. In this case, the ECU 30 may be provided with a melody IC or a voice synthesis IC.

  In the above-described embodiment, the driving control mode of the speaker 3 by the ECU 30 may be changed according to the vibration characteristics associated with the knocking operation detected by the piezoelectric film sensor 25. In this case, if the driver changes the method of knocking operation (for example, the number of hits, strength, rhythm, etc.), the vibration characteristics (for example, wave number, amplitude, frequency, etc.) detected by the piezoelectric film sensor 25 corresponding to this change. Changes. Then, the driving control mode of the speaker 3 by the ECU 30 (for example, the number of sounds of the notification sound, volume, sound quality, rhythm, etc.) is changed. Therefore, the driver can drive the horn 2 in a predetermined manner corresponding to the method by performing a knocking operation using a predetermined method. Then, pedestrians and the like recognize more clearly the intended content (for example, “the vehicle is approaching”, “thank you”, “giving the course”, etc.) by the sounding means driven in a predetermined manner. Can do.

  At the same time, the drive control mode of the lamp 4 by the ECU 30 may be changed according to the characteristic of the vibration accompanying the knocking operation detected by the piezoelectric film sensor 25. In this case, when the driver changes the method of knocking operation, the ECU 30 changes the driving control mode of the lamp 4 together with the speaker 3 (for example, the number of emitted lights, the amount of light, the blinking pattern, etc.). Therefore, the driver can drive the lamp 4 in a predetermined manner corresponding to the method by performing the knocking operation by a predetermined method. And the pedestrian etc. can recognize the intended content still more clearly by the lamp | ramp 4 driven with the speaker 3 by a predetermined | prescribed aspect. In particular, it is possible to notify a person with hearing loss, for example, by the notification light from the lamp 4. Alternatively, the notification light from the lamp 4 can be used as a signal for “thank you” or “please come first” to the oncoming vehicle.

  In the above embodiment, when vibration (impact) is detected to the extent that an on-state detection signal is output from the horn switch 24, only the horn 2 is driven and controlled so that a horn sound is given priority. May be.

  In the embodiment, when the vibration detection signal corresponding to the knocking operation is output from the piezoelectric film sensor 25, the ECU 30 drives the speaker 3 and the lamp 4 to notify at the same time. On the other hand, when the method of knocking operation or the like is changed, the ECU 30 may be selectable so that only one of the speaker 3 and the lamp 4 is driven for notification. In particular, when only the lamp 4 is informed driving (light emission driving), it is possible to give a “thank you” or “please come first” signal (passing) to the oncoming vehicle without sounding.

  -In the said embodiment, when the method of knock operation etc. are changed, ECU30 may be made to carry out alerting | reporting drive of the speaker 3 and the lamp | ramp 4 which are arrange | positioned only in any one of the front and back. Thereby, it is possible to selectively notify a person in front of and behind the vehicle.

  In the embodiment, the number of piezoelectric film sensors 25 may be one or a plurality other than four. Further, the installation position of the piezoelectric film sensor 25 may be an arbitrary position on the peripheral edge of the cover 21 (hub portion 11).

  In the above embodiment, the piezoelectric film sensor 25 may be attached to the entire surface of the cover 21 (hub portion 11) as long as the operation of the airbag unit 22 is not affected.

In the embodiment, an organic piezoelectric film sensor such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) may be adopted as the piezoelectric film sensor 25.
In the above embodiment, the speaker 3 may be omitted and the horn 2 may be used as a sounding unit. In this case, when the vibration associated with the knocking operation is detected by the piezoelectric film sensor 25, an appropriate sound volume adjustment function of the horn 2 can be provided so that the horn 2 emits a notification sound whose volume is suppressed more than the original horn. That's fine.

In the embodiment, when the vehicle is driven at high speed (for example, when the vehicle speed is 20 km / h or more), the notification sound may not be generated regardless of the driver's knocking operation.
Next, the technical idea that can be grasped from the above embodiment and other examples will be described below.

In the vehicle approach notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The vehicle approach notification device, wherein the vibration sensor is provided around the central portion of the steering wheel. According to this configuration, the vibration sensor is provided around the central portion of the steering wheel, so that the driver knocks an arbitrary position of the peripheral portion of the central portion, thereby the vibration sensor. It is possible to easily detect the vibration associated with the knocking operation. Moreover, the central part of the central part can improve the degree of freedom of arrangement by reducing the occupation by the vibration sensor.

  2 ... Horn, 3 ... Speaker (sounding means), 4 ... Lamp (light emitting means), 10 ... Steering wheel, 11 ... Hub part (central part), 24 ... Horn switch, 25 ... Piezoelectric film sensor (vibration sensor), 30 ... ECU (control means).

Claims (5)

A vibration sensor that is installed at the center of the steering wheel and detects vibration associated with the knocking operation of the center;
Sound generation means for emitting a notification sound of a volume that is suppressed from the volume emitted by the horn for a horn toward the outside of the vehicle;
A vehicle approach notification device comprising: control means for drivingly controlling the sound generation means so as to emit the notification sound when vibration associated with the knocking operation is detected by the vibration sensor. In the vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1,
The control means drives and controls the sounding means so as to emit the notification sound when the vibration sensor detects a vibration associated with the knocking operation consisting of a plurality of hits. apparatus. In the vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle approach notification device, wherein the control means changes a drive control mode of the sound generation means according to a characteristic of vibration accompanying the knocking operation detected by the vibration sensor. In the vehicle approach notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Drive control is performed by the control means, comprising light emitting means for emitting notification light toward the outside of the vehicle,
The vehicle approach notification device, wherein the control means changes a drive control mode of the light emitting means according to a characteristic of vibration accompanying the knocking operation detected by the vibration sensor. In the vehicle approach notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The vehicle approach notification device, wherein the vibration sensor is a sheet-like piezoelectric sensor.

Images