JP7156718B2 - Electronics, connection adapters and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electronic equipment, connection adapters and programs.

A large number of vehicle speed measuring devices for measuring the speed of automobiles are installed around roads and the like. An example of a vehicle speed measuring device is to emit microwaves of a predetermined frequency band toward a vehicle, receive the reflected waves, and measure the traveling speed of the vehicle.

In order to detect the presence of such a vehicle speed measuring device, there is an electronic device that detects microwaves emitted from the vehicle speed measuring device and outputs an alarm. Although the specific circuit configuration of this electronic device is omitted, the microwave detector generally captures microwaves arriving from the outside with an antenna and receives them with, for example, a superheterodyne receiving circuit. ing. Conventional vehicle speed measuring devices use unmodulated continuous microwaves and pulse-modulated non-continuous microwaves called H-type speed measuring devices (H system). The conventional electronic devices described above are capable of receiving two types of microwaves.

JP-A-2008-64588

A conventional vehicle speed measuring device emits a predetermined microwave and obtains the vehicle to be measured based on the reception of the reflected wave, and what can be measured is the vehicle speed. Some recently developed vehicle speed measurement devices can also measure the distance and direction to the vehicle whose speed is being measured. Since the distance and direction can be known, for example, the measured vehicle speed is associated with the distance and direction, the vehicle speed is measured multiple times at different positions, and control such as photographing the vehicle is performed based on the results of the multiple measurements. On multi-lane roads, it can perform a wide range of processing, such as accurately identifying which lane a vehicle is traveling in.

Such recent vehicle speed measurement devices do not use conventional unmodulated microwaves to measure the distance and direction to the vehicle, making detection difficult with existing electronic equipment. Therefore, a new problem was found in that one electronic device would like to detect radio waves emitted from both the conventional vehicle speed measuring device that emits unmodulated microwaves and the recently developed vehicle speed measuring device. was

In order to achieve the above object, the electronic device according to the present invention includes (1) receiving means for receiving radio waves, and based on the output signal of the receiving means, it is determined whether or not the radio waves to be alarmed have been received. and control means for controlling an alarm, and the receiving means is capable of receiving unmodulated waves and FSK modulated waves. Since the present invention can receive an FSK modulated wave, it can detect, for example, an unmodulated continuous wave microwave or an FSK modulated continuous wave microwave.

The frequency band of the non-modulated wave is the X band, the frequency band of the FSK modulated wave is the K band, and the receiving means preferably lowers the lower frequency side of the reception frequency band of the X band.
(2) The receiving means may be configured to keep the level of the demodulated signal according to the modulation of the FSK-modulated wave above a set level.

For example, receiving means for receiving radio waves such as microwaves, and control means for determining whether or not a radio wave to be alarmed has been received based on the output signal of the receiving means, and controlling the alarm, The target radio wave is at least an unmodulated continuous wave radio wave and a modulated continuous wave radio wave, and the reception frequency range of the receiving means is the range of the unmodulated continuous wave radio wave and the modulated continuous wave radio wave. When the modulated continuous wave is received by the receiving means, a demodulated signal corresponding to the modulation is output from the receiving means, and a sweep is performed as the radio wave is received. It is preferable that the demodulated signal does not drop below the voltage at which the sweep stop is canceled while the sweep stop is stopped.

As described above, the reception frequency range of the receiving means is set to a range in which both unmodulated radio waves and modulated radio waves are detected. to output When the modulated radio wave is received by the receiving means, the receiving means outputs a demodulated signal corresponding to the modulation. At this time, for example, when the lower peak of the demodulated signal corresponding to the modulation becomes equal to or lower than the voltage at which the sweep stop is maintained, the sweep stop is canceled in the middle, and normal radio wave reception is no longer recognized. Therefore, for example, during the sweep stop, the demodulated signal corresponding to the modulation is prevented from falling below the voltage at which the sweep stop is canceled, so that the modulated continuous wave radio wave can be reliably detected. Therefore, both the non-modulated continuous wave radio wave and the modulated continuous wave radio wave can be received as the radio wave to be alerted, and an alarm can be issued. As a result, it is possible to detect both radio waves and radio waves emitted from both the conventional vehicle speed measuring device that emits unmodulated radio waves and the recently developed vehicle speed measuring device with a single electronic device. It is possible to encourage the driver to drive safely by issuing an alarm along with this.

(3) It is preferable that a received radio wave has type determination means for determining whether or not it is the FSK modulated wave, and the control means controls an alarm based on the determination result of the type determination means. When the type determination means detects the reception of, for example, an FSK-modulated continuous wave, for example, by notifying in a different manner from the warning accompanying the reception of other radio waves, the reception of the FSK-modulated radio wave, etc. You can let the driver know.

Velocity measuring devices that emit FSK-modulated continuous microwaves or other radio waves are relatively compact and small-sized, and are sometimes installed in an area where a zone 30 is set, for example. Zone 30 aims to ensure the safe passage of pedestrians and bicycles on community roads by defining a zone and implementing a maximum speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour, as well as other safety measures. It is carried out as necessary. Areas in which such zones 30 are set are, for example, places where many people come and go and the risk of traffic accidents is high. Therefore, for example, when a speed measuring device that emits modulated continuous wave radio waves is installed in the zone 30, when the radio wave from the speed measuring device is received, another It is preferable that the notification is made in a manner different from the warning because the driver can drive more safely. In zone 30, the maximum speed is limited to 30 km/h to ensure safe passage of pedestrians, etc., so it is easy to exceed the speed limit, but the alarm according to the present invention encourages safe driving for pedestrians. can be encouraged.

(4) The type determination means may make the determination based on whether or not the demodulated signal output from the receiving means includes a signal based on the modulated wave. The determination can be easily performed by determining whether or not the demodulated signal contains a signal based on the demodulated wave. The signal based on the modulated wave may be the demodulated wave itself, or may be a rectangular wave whose waveform is shaped as in the embodiment.

(5) The type determining means may make the determination based on at least one of a time component and an amplitude component of the demodulated signal output from the receiving means. (6) Further, it is preferable that the type determining means makes the determination based on the period of the demodulated signal output from the receiving means. A velocity measuring device that emits a modulated continuous wave has a constant period, for example, and can easily and accurately determine based on the period. For example, the demodulated signal accompanying the reception of the radio waves emitted from the velocity measuring device may have a constant cycle although its duty ratio and signal width may vary. In such a case, the present invention, which makes a determination based on the period, is preferable because it can reliably detect the reception of radio waves to be warned.

(7) The type determining means may make the determination based on at least one of the duty ratio and signal width of the rectangular wave based on the demodulated signal output from the receiving means. If the duty ratio and signal width of the radio wave for warning are known, reception of the radio wave for warning can be easily detected based on the duty ratio and signal width in such a constant case, which is preferable.
(8) The determination based on the time component is preferably performed based on the amplitude width based on the demodulated signal output from the receiving means.

(9) When a modulated continuous-wave radio wave that is not to be alarmed is detected, the control means preferably does not issue a normal alarm. Not giving a regular warning includes, for example, not giving the warning itself or giving a warning in a different manner. Alarms in different modes may, for example, change the type of alarm, make the same type of alarm less noticeable (for example, by lowering the volume), or change the content of the alarm. When changing the content of notification, it is preferable to identify the type of the source of the received radio wave and notify the type.

It is preferable that information on radio waves such as FSK-modulated continuous microwaves received from power-on is stored, and when the control means receives the radio waves, the control means does not issue a normal alarm. . The radio wave for warning is not received all the time, but is received when the device that emits the radio wave for warning is approached. Therefore, since the modulated continuous wave radio wave received when the power is turned on may be emitted from the in-vehicle equipment installed in the own vehicle, even if such a radio wave is received, a regular warning is not issued. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of false alarms. In addition, by incorporating such a function, it is possible to prevent false alarms even if the frequency of the radio waves emitted from the equipment mounted on the vehicle, which is received from the time the power is turned on, enters the reception frequency band, so it is possible to set the reception frequency band. is preferred because it increases the tolerance of

(10) Among the demodulated signals output when the received frequency band is swept once and for which a plurality of reception determinations are made, two demodulated signals satisfying a set condition are set as a pair, and the two of the pair are set as a pair. If one of the demodulated signals is a demodulated signal corresponding to the modulation, it is determined that the modulated continuous wave radio wave has been received, and determination based on the other received signal of the two received signals of the pair is not made. good.

Due to the characteristics of the receiving means, the received signal appears twice for one wave of the received frequency, one of which does not contain the demodulated signal corresponding to the modulation. Then, if a determination is made based on a non-modulation-like demodulated wave containing many noise components, which does not include a demodulated wave corresponding to such modulation, it is erroneously determined that the radio wave is not a modulated continuous wave. Therefore, by setting a pair as in the present invention, when a modulated continuous wave is received, it can be reliably detected.

(11) When it is determined that the modulated continuous wave has been received based on the pair, the previous determination result may be maintained for a predetermined period thereafter. A modulated continuous-wave radio wave to be alerted may, for example, have a low received electric field strength and may not be reliably detected in each sweep. Even in such a case, once reception of radio waves is detected by a pair, appropriate warning can be continued by maintaining the previous determination result even if the pair cannot be detected several times thereafter.
The modulation may be FSK modulation.

(12) Provided with a traffic monitoring information notification function for notifying a display unit of traffic monitoring information relating to traffic monitoring activities set in an area including the acquired current position of the vehicle, wherein the traffic monitoring information includes the road on which the monitoring activity is to be performed. is included, it is preferable to perform notification in a manner different from the notification of other traffic monitoring information that does not include the road identification information. In this way, when the target road for enforcement or the like is disclosed as traffic monitoring information, the existence of the target road can be easily known.

(13) The notification of the different mode is a notification that makes it easy to understand the target road of the monitoring activity specified by the road specifying information among the roads drawn in the displayed map image on which the vehicle is present. do it. Since it becomes easy to understand that the road drawn on the map is the target road, it is possible to easily understand, for example, whether the road on which the driver is currently driving is the target road.

(14) It is preferable that the target road of the monitoring activity is drawn in a conspicuous color for the notification that makes the target road easy to understand. This is preferable because the target road can be found at a glance.

(15) The traffic monitoring information notification function has a function of displaying display information in the form of text based on the traffic monitoring information on the display unit, and the notification of the different modes may be made to differ in the display color of the text. Displaying the display information as text corresponds to displaying a message in the sub-display area 52 as a telop or the like in the embodiment. The display color may be a single color, but it is preferable to alternately display a plurality of colors as in the embodiment because it is more conspicuous. By displaying text in different modes, it is possible to easily understand that the traffic monitoring information on the road is open to the public and the content of the information.

(16) It is preferable that the display color of the text and the display color of the road are related colors. Related colors may be the same color or the same system of colors. By using relevant colors, it is easy to link the target road displayed on the map with the content displayed in text, and it is easy to understand the textual information displayed about which road. good.

(17) The traffic monitoring information preferably includes public enforcement information and speed enforcement guideline information, and has a function of notifying the public enforcement information and speed enforcement guideline information in different modes. Both types of information may be reported in the same mode, but by using different reporting modes, it is possible to easily understand which type of traffic monitoring information is based on. A different aspect is that, in the embodiment, the public enforcement information is notified based on red, and the speed enforcement guideline information is distinguished by color, such as left based on blue, but other discrimination methods may be used. However, it is better to use color as a base because it is easy to understand and intuitively understandable.

(18) It is preferable that the notification of the different mode is to notify the traffic monitoring information of the target road when the vehicle is traveling on the target road of the monitoring activity specified by the road specifying information. By doing so, it is possible to easily understand that the traffic monitoring information is being issued on the road on which the vehicle is traveling, which is preferable, and it is possible to more reliably encourage safe driving when traveling on the target road. So good.

(19) When the vehicle is not traveling on the target road, it is preferable not to perform the notification of the different mode for the target road. By doing so, it is not necessary to notify the change monitoring information in a different manner, which is unrelated to the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling, so that the load on the apparatus can be reduced. For example, if the notification of a different mode draws the target road in a conspicuous color, by not displaying the different color, the stored map image, for example, can be used as it is. In addition, in the case of notifying the display information by text, it is possible to appropriately notify the traffic monitoring information required by the driver by not reporting the traffic monitoring information unrelated to the road on which the vehicle is traveling. It should be noted that, if notification in a different manner is not carried out, for example, the traffic monitoring information for roads on which the vehicle is not traveling may be notified in a normal manner.

(20) The notification of the different mode may be triggered by entering the target road of the monitoring activity specified by the road specification information, and the traffic monitoring information of the target road may be notified. Triggered by the entry into the target road, it can take various forms, such as immediately after entry, at the time of entry, and after a predetermined time has passed since entry. It is better to do so relatively soon, such as immediately after entering or at the time of entering, so that the relationship between the reporting of traffic monitoring information for the road on which the vehicle is traveling can be more smoothly understood.

(21) The notification of the different mode is triggered by entering the target road of the monitoring activity specified by the road specifying information, and notifies the display information by text based on the traffic monitoring information about the target road. It is better to There may be a plurality of pieces of traffic monitoring information related to the area/area including the current position of the vehicle. Therefore, if notification is made in the normal order, it is possible to preferentially notify in the case where the text notification of the traffic monitoring information for the road on which the vehicle is running is delayed.

(22) storing road elevation information for identifying the elevation of the road, and identifying and identifying the road on which to travel based on the acquired current position information, the acquired information on the current altitude, and the stored road elevation information; It is preferable to notify the information to be notified based on the road. For example, if a general road and a highway overlap vertically or are adjacent to each other, it may not be possible to specify which road the vehicle is traveling on based on the current location information. In the present invention, since the road elevation information is provided, the control unit determines which road's elevation information matches the acquired altitude of the current position, and accurately determines the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling. . The information to be notified includes, for example, traffic monitoring information.

(23) A connection adapter connectable to any one of the electronic devices described above, wherein a device different from the electronic device can be connected at the same time, and vehicle information periodically output from a vehicle is sent to the electronic device. and a function of transmitting information output from a device different from the electronic device at an interval different from the vehicle information to the electronic device at a timing when the vehicle information is not transmitted.

In this way, the electronic device can periodically acquire vehicle information output from the vehicle, and can also efficiently acquire information sent from other devices. Then, the electronic device can perform predetermined control based on the acquired information or the like, and can report or record the acquired information.

(24) A connection adapter to which any one of the electronic devices described above can be connected, wherein a device different from the electronic device can be connected at the same time, and the vehicle information periodically output from the vehicle is transmitted to the electronic device. and a function of mixing a signal transmitted from a device different from the electronic device and the vehicle information and transmitting the mixture to the electronic device.
(25) A program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to implement the function of the control means in any one of the electronic devices described above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the reception of both unmodulated radio waves and FSK-modulated radio waves.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a radar detector that is a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing output waveforms of each processing unit and the like upon reception of unmodulated continuous microwaves; FIG. 2 illustrates reception of modulated continuous wave microwaves; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing output waveforms of each processing unit and the like upon reception of a modulated continuous microwave. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a radar detector that is a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing output waveforms and the like of each processing unit associated with reception of modulated continuous microwaves in the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing output waveforms and the like of each processing unit upon reception of unmodulated continuous microwaves in the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the essential configuration of a radar detector that is a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; It is a figure explaining a modification. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a radar detector that is a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing traffic monitoring information stored in a third DB; 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen 50 displayed on a display unit 45; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen 50 displayed on a display unit 45; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen 50 displayed on a display unit 45; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen 50 displayed on a display unit 45; FIG. Fig. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of a connection adapter; 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen 50 displayed on a display unit 45; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen 50 displayed on a display unit 45; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are used to explain technical features that can be employed by the present invention. The configuration, shape, etc. of the device described are merely illustrative examples, and the present invention is not to be construed as being limited thereto. , is subject to various alterations, modifications and improvements.

[Basic configuration]
FIG. 1 shows a preferred first embodiment of the electronic device of the invention. This embodiment shows an example of application to a radar detector, which is one form of electronic equipment. As shown in the figure, the radar detector has a double superheterodyne receiving circuit. This receiving circuit includes an antenna 11 for receiving radio waves in a predetermined frequency band, a first local oscillator 12, and a frequency-mixing signal received by the antenna 11 and a signal output from the first local oscillator 12. a mixer 13, a second local oscillator 14, and a second mixer for frequency-mixing the frequency-mixed first intermediate-frequency signal output from the first mixer 13 and the signal output from the second local oscillator 14. and a detector 16 that receives the output obtained by frequency mixing in the second mixer 15 and detects the reception of radio waves of a predetermined frequency.

The first local oscillator 12 outputs a constant frequency signal. The second local oscillator 14 is configured using a VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) and repeatedly sweeps a predetermined frequency range based on the control voltage from the local oscillator frequency control section 17 .

A detector 16 amplifies and detects the second intermediate frequency signal from the second mixer 15 . The detector 16 outputs white noise when no microwave of a predetermined frequency is received, and outputs a demodulated signal of a certain level or higher when microwaves of a predetermined frequency are received.

When each processing unit provided after the detector 16 detects the reception of the microwave to be alarmed, the alarm unit 23 issues an alarm. Each processing unit includes a detection determination unit 18 that determines whether or not there is a demodulated signal output with the reception of microwaves, and a detection continuation unit that generates a determination signal for determining whether the demodulated signal continues for a certain period of time. A determination signal generation unit 19, a reception signal generation unit 20 that generates a reception signal based on the output of the detection continuation determination signal generation unit 19, and a reception strength signal that generates a signal based on the reception electric field strength from the S meter output of the detector 16. A generator 21 and a controller 22 that performs control to give an alarm when alarm conditions are satisfied based on the outputs of the received signal generator 20 and the reception intensity signal generator 21 .

The local oscillator frequency control section 17 controls the sweep voltage based on the output of the detection determination section 18 . That is, the local oscillator frequency control unit 17 repeatedly sweeps the control voltage within the set range when the microwave of the predetermined frequency is not received. Then, when a microwave of a predetermined frequency is received, the control voltage is held for a certain period of time and then sweep-stopped. After a certain amount of time has passed, the sweep continues again. When the microwave is no longer received before a certain period of time elapses, the pause is canceled and the sweep is restarted.

The radio waves to be alerted are unmodulated continuous microwaves emitted from conventional vehicle speed measurement devices and pulses emitted from a vehicle speed measurement device called H-type speed measurement device (H system). There are modulated microwaves. The former unmodulated continuous wave microwave and the latter pulse-modulated microwave both exist in the X-band frequency band. Further, there is a K band as a frequency band that can be used for the vehicle speed measuring device. In order to detect microwaves existing in different frequency bands in the same reception frequency band, the fundamental wave of the local oscillator is used to cover the detection target band of the X band, and the second harmonic of the local oscillator is detected. It is set to cover the detection target band of the K band. The microwaves emitted from the H-type speed measuring device are pulse-modulated microwaves and are emitted discontinuously. A predetermined detection waveform is output from the detector 16 in the same manner as an unmodulated continuous wave microwave.

A detection determination unit 18 monitors the output of the detector 16 and determines whether or not there is a received microwave signal in the detection output. Specifically, for example, the output of the detector 16 is threshold-processed, and when the output is equal to or greater than the threshold, processing is performed to indicate that there is reception.

The detection continuation determination signal generation unit 19 performs processing for generating a signal based on the time during which the output of the detection determination unit 18 continues to be received. For example, when the output of the detection determination unit 18 indicates that reception is present, the processing is performed, and the integration is reset when the output of the detection determination unit 18 indicates that there is no reception.

Based on the output of the detection continuation determination signal generation section 19, the reception signal generation section 20 generates a reception signal that becomes valid when the detection signal continues for a certain period of time. The fixed period of time corresponds to the fixed period of time for sweep stop, and is a period of time obtained by providing a predetermined margin to the fixed period of time for sweep stop. That is, it is effective when the sweep-stopped microwave of a predetermined frequency is continuously received while the sweep-stop is being performed. Specifically, the received signal generator 20 performs threshold processing on the integrated value output from the detection continuation determination signal generator 19 and the continuation determination value, and outputs the received signal when the threshold is exceeded.

A reception strength signal generator 21 receives the S meter output of the detector 16, generates and outputs level signals in which the reception electric field strength is divided into a plurality of stages (for example, five stages). Furthermore, in the present embodiment, based on the received signal output from the received signal generating section 20, the S meter output is observed when a predetermined microwave is being received. As a result, the level signal is not generated during the period in which the microwave is not received, so the processing load can be suppressed.

For example, when the reception signal of the reception signal generation section 20 becomes valid, the control section 22 issues an alarm by the alarm section 23 . The alarm unit 23 issues a predetermined alarm according to the output of the control unit 22 . The alarm unit 23 has, for example, a speaker, a display panel, a light emitter, and the like. Predetermined warnings include, for example, audible notification of radar reception from a speaker, notification with sound and music using an alarm/buzzer, and display of characters, graphics, images, etc. on the display panel to notify of radar reception. , to cause the luminous body to emit light or blink.

While receiving the microwaves to be alerted, one or two received signals appear for each sweep. Therefore, when the received signal appears in a plurality of sweeps, it is determined that the microwave to be warned has been received, and a predetermined warning is continuously issued, for example.

Also, the control unit 22 notifies the received electric field strength based on the level signal output from the received strength signal generation unit 21 . This notification of the strength of the received electric field may be performed by, for example, displaying a level meter on a display panel, or by indicating the received level of microwaves in the form of the light emission color, light emission pattern, level meter, or the like of the light emitter. Further, the control unit 22 preferably controls the mode of warning accompanying the generation of the reception signal of the reception signal generation unit 20 based on the received level signal. For example, the alarm is made inconspicuous when the received electric field strength is low, and the alarm is conspicuous when the received electric field strength is high.

[Signal processing when unmodulated continuous wave is received]
The radio waves emitted from the conventional vehicle speed measuring device are continuous waves and unmodulated microwaves. Therefore, the signal processing function of each of the above-described processing units will be described, taking as an example the case of receiving unmodulated continuous microwaves. FIG. 2 shows signal waveforms output from each processing unit in one sweep. Since unmodulated continuous microwaves are received, the output (b) of the local frequency control unit is Soup stops twice. Further, the output signal (a) of the detector 16 outputs a constant level of white noise in the section where no microwave is received, and during the sweep stop, the detection signal of a level higher than the noise continues. output. It is unmodulated and has noise.

The detection determination unit 18 has a threshold set in accordance with the level of white noise in the output signal (a) of the detector 16, and binarizes the output signal (a) according to the threshold to generate a pulse. do. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the signal is such that High is the reference side and Low level is valid. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the output signal (c) of the detection determination unit 18 becomes a pulse in which High/Low is repeated in a short period in the section in which the microwave is not received, and , remains valid (Low).

The detection continuation determination signal generator 19 is configured by, for example, an integration circuit. When the output signal (c) of the detection determination unit 18 repeats High/Low in a short period, the continuation determination signal (d) maintains a high value because the integration is set when the output signal is High. The integrated value gradually becomes a lower value in the section where microwaves are being received. Then, when the sweep stop is canceled after a certain period of time has passed, the microwave is not received and the integrated value is reset. When the detection continuation determination signal generation section 19 is configured by hardware, the output of the detection continuation determination signal generation section 19 becomes a voltage.

The reception signal generator 20 is configured by, for example, a comparator. The output value (for example, reference value continuation determination voltage value) of the detection continuation determination signal generation unit 19 when the output signal (c) of the detection determination unit 18 continues to be Low for a predetermined time or more is set as the reference value. As a result, the received signal generation unit 20 compares the output value of the detection continuation determination signal generation unit 19 with the reference value. to output When this reception signal (e) is turned ON, indicating reception of microwaves of a predetermined frequency.

[Continuous wave reception function of FSK modulation]
Some recently developed vehicle speed measurement devices can also measure the distance and direction to the vehicle whose speed is being measured. In order to detect the distance and direction, the radio waves emitted from the vehicle speed measuring device are continuous microwaves that are alternately switched between two frequencies (hereinafter referred to as "FSK modulation"). And the frequency band of the microwave is the K band. The first local oscillator 12 is operated so that the K-band FSK-modulated microwaves, together with the X-band unmodulated microwaves and the pulse-modulated X-band microwaves, are detected in the same reception frequency band. The reception frequency band of the control voltage in the local oscillator frequency control unit 17 that controls the frequency and the frequency of the second local oscillator 14 is set.

In the reception frequency band in the radar detector considering the detection of conventional X-band unmodulated and pulse-modulated microwaves and conventionally established and expected pulse-modulated K-band microwaves, in this embodiment, The frequency band of FSK-modulated microwaves to be detected cannot be covered. Therefore, while the center frequency of the X-band reception frequency band set in the conventional electronic device remains the same, the reception frequency band may be widened to detect in a wide band. I shifted the frequency to the lower frequency side. For example, in a collision prevention system mounted on a vehicle, for example, millimeter waves are used to measure the distance to the vehicle ahead, and when the distance approaches, for example, an alarm is issued or the brake is applied automatically. . Therefore, if the center frequency is widened without changing the center frequency, the harmonic components of the original transmission frequency used to generate the millimeter wave frequency used to measure the distance to the vehicle in front will be received, resulting in false alarms. be a factor. Therefore, if the reception frequency band is maintained at the conventional X-band bandwidth and the reception band of the K-band is slid to the lower side as in this embodiment, the millimeter wave will not be received. Therefore, even if the radar detector of this embodiment is installed in a vehicle equipped with a collision avoidance system, false alarms can be suppressed, which is preferable.

If the receiving frequency band is appropriately set as described above, the output of the detector 16 is shown in FIG. become. As shown in the figure, as with the unmodulated continuous wave of the X band, one sweep causes two received signals to appear, so the sweep is stopped twice. Then, when an FSK modulated wave including FM is received, one of the two demodulated signals appears as a demodulated signal in which two frequencies are switched as shown in an enlarged view, and the other demodulated signal appears. The signal is not demodulated in the 2-frequency switching manner and becomes noisy. In this way, when microwaves are received from a new type vehicle speed measuring device, a binary demodulated wave and a non-modulated demodulated wave containing many noise components are output as a pair. Although the binary demodulated wave and the non-modulated demodulated wave are output as a pair, the magnitude of the level is indefinite, and the binary demodulated wave does not necessarily have a higher level as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the receiving circuit of the double super-heterodyne is designed so that the demodulated signal corresponding to the modulation does not drop to the level at which the sweep stop is canceled during the fixed period of time during which the sweep stop is stopped. For example, when the lower peak of the sine wave during sweep stop becomes the white noise level when microwaves are not received, the output of the detection determination unit 18 becomes High, and the sweep stop is performed even though microwaves are being received. is released. Therefore, in this embodiment, by setting the sine wave so that it does not drop to the level at which the sweep stop is canceled, the microwave is continuously received for a certain period of time during which the sweep stop is performed, and the normal microwave reception is performed. Judgment can be made.

In this embodiment, the detection band of the detector 16 is widened so as not to drop to the level at which the sweep stop is released. For example, in a detector such as an FM radio receiver, a detection band of ±3.5 kHz with respect to the center frequency is set, but in this embodiment, it is expanded to MHz order. By widening the detection band in this way, the waveform becomes smoother and the amplitude becomes smaller, so that the lower peak of the sine wave maintains a level higher than the threshold value of the detection determination section 18 . A normal detector narrows the detection bandwidth in order to increase the amplitude, thereby improving the radar reception sensitivity. In addition, it is possible to detect microwaves from the new vehicle speed measurement device.

FIG. 4 shows signal waveforms output from each processing unit in one sweep when FSK-modulated microwaves including FM output from a new vehicle speed measuring device are received. As described above, as the microwave is received, a pair of sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal waves is generated as a received signal. A non-sinusoidal signal is then output. Since the detection band of the detector 16 is set wide, the sine wave signal maintains a level sufficiently higher than the white noise level as shown in the figure. Therefore, the output signal of the detection determination unit 18 maintains Low during the fixed period of time during which the sweep is stopped. As is clear from a comparison between FIG. 4 and FIG. 2, subsequent signal processing is the same as in the case of the non-modulated continuous wave described above.

Also, the non-sinusoidal wave signal that is output second is in the same state as an unmodulated continuous wave with noise. Keep Low. Therefore, it is processed in the same manner as the unmodulated continuous wave described above. Then, the reception signal generator 20 outputs a reception signal upon reception of both sine waves and non-sine waves.

As described above, in the present embodiment, in the same reception frequency band, unmodulated continuous microwaves, pulse-modulated discontinuous microwaves of the H system, and FSK modulation of the new vehicle speed measuring device It is possible to detect and notify the reception of any of the continuous wave microwaves.

[Second embodiment]
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the invention. This embodiment has a function of determining the type of microwave, such as whether or not the received microwave is from a new FSK-modulated vehicle speed measuring device. In this embodiment, the radar detector of the first embodiment is assumed, and the type determination unit 30 is provided. The output of the detector 16 is connected to the detection determination section 18 and the type determination section 30, respectively. The type determination unit 30 acquires the output signal of the detector 16 , determines the type of received microwave based on the output signal, and provides the determination result to the control unit 22 . Based on the type of microwave received, the control unit 22 issues an alarm corresponding to the type.

The type determination section 30 includes a demodulated signal selection section 31 , a waveform shaping section 32 , a periodic signal generation section 33 , a modulation determination section 34 and a frequency analysis section 35 . The function of each processing unit will be described with reference to the signal waveform diagrams shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. FIG. 6 shows the case of receiving microwaves that are FSK-modulated and output from a new vehicle speed measuring device. The output signal (a) of the detector 16 shown in FIG. 6 is the same as the output signal (a) of the detector 16 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows the case of receiving unmodulated continuous microwaves. The output signal (a) of the detector 16 shown in FIG. 7 is the same as the output signal (a) of the detector 16 shown in FIG.

A demodulated signal selector 31 selects a fluctuating signal portion from the demodulated signal output from the detector 16 . As shown by the signal (f) in FIGS. 6 and 7, white noise was selected in the section where no microwave was received, and sine waves and non-sine waves were selected in the section where microwaves were received. A signal is generated and output.

The waveform shaping section 32 acquires the signal (f) output from the demodulated signal selection section 31, performs threshold processing on the signal (f), binarizes it, and generates a rectangular wave. The threshold is set, for example, to the center level of the amplitude of the sine wave. As a result, the waveform shaping section 32 generates and outputs a rectangular wave that repeats at a constant cycle when a sine wave demodulated signal is output, as shown by the signal (g) in FIGS. do. The waveform shaping unit 32 outputs a non-sinusoidal signal when no microwave is received, or when a non-sinusoidal wave signal accompanying the reception of an FSK modulated wave microwave including FM emitted from a new vehicle speed measuring device is output ( 6), or when unmodulated microwaves are received (see FIG. 7), the cycle is irregular and repeats High/Low in a short cycle compared to when a sine wave demodulated signal is output. Generates and outputs a square wave. Furthermore, comparing the rectangular wave when receiving microwaves other than sine waves and the rectangular wave when not receiving microwaves, the one receiving microwaves has a shorter period of High/Low. becomes a square wave that repeats

The periodic signal generator 33 generates a signal representing the period of the signal (g) output from the waveform shaping section 32 . In this embodiment, the periodic signal generator 33 detects the fall of the signal (g) and generates a single pulse with a predetermined width. If the signal (g) has a very short period, such as when receiving an unmodulated microwave or when outputting a non-sinusoidal signal associated with receiving an FSK-modulated microwave, the periodic signal generator 33 does not generate a single pulse and maintains the Low state.

The output (periodic signal (h)) of the periodic signal generating section 33 is given to the modulation determining section 34 and the frequency analyzing section 35 . The modulation determination unit 34 determines whether or not the received microwave is an FSK-modulated microwave. The modulation determination unit 34 generates a modulation determination signal (i) that is normally High and becomes Low when the periodic signal (h) output from the periodic signal generator 33 is output at appropriate intervals. ,Output. For example, the modulation determination unit 34 detects the interval at which the periodic signal (h) falls, and if the interval is equal to or greater than a certain interval, the modulation decision signal (i) goes High as the periodic signal (h) falls. to Low. After that, when pulses are generated in the periodic signal (h) at intervals equal to or longer than a certain interval, the low state is maintained. On the other hand, when pulses are generated at short generation intervals without receiving microwaves, the modulation determination unit 34 switches the modulation determination signal (i) from Low to High. Further, when a signal other than a sine wave demodulated signal accompanying reception of microwaves is being output, the periodic signal (h) becomes Low, so that no pulse is generated and the trailing edge of the pulse is not detected. maintains the modulation decision signal (i) in the High state. Therefore, when the microwave of the new vehicle speed measuring device is received, as shown in FIG. becomes High in sections other than On the other hand, when a normal unmodulated continuous microwave is received, the modulation determination signal (i) remains High as shown in FIG. Based on the modulation determination signal (i), it is possible to determine whether or not an FSK-modulated microwave has been received.

When the received microwave is an FSK-modulated sine wave signal, the frequency analysis unit 35 determines whether the sine wave frequency and the modulation frequency of the detected demodulated signal are within a predetermined range. be. The modulation frequency of the microwave emitted from the new vehicle speed measuring device is set at a certain fixed value (for example, a period of several milliseconds or less). One cycle of the sine wave is equal to one cycle T of the rectangular wave signal (g) shown in FIG. 6, for example. This one period T is equal to the generation interval T' of each pulse of the periodic signal (h).

Therefore, the frequency analysis unit 35 determines that the periodic signal (h) generated from the periodic signal generation unit 33 has a pulse generation interval within a certain range as the effective FSK frequency, outputs Low, and outputs the frequency out of the range. Outputs High when

Specifically, the frequency analysis unit 35 starts integration at the falling edge of the periodic signal (h), for example, and resets at the rising edge of the next pulse. is within the range of the lower limit threshold, and if it is within the range, it is set to Low, and if it is out of the range, it is set to High. Then, the frequency analysis unit 35 maintains the output in the previous state until the next peak determination is performed.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, when receiving an FSK-modulated sinusoidal microwave, the frequency determination signal (j) becomes Low in the section where the demodulated sinusoidal signal is output, and the non-sinusoidal When a wave signal is being output or when an unmodulated microwave is being received, the peak exceeds the upper limit threshold value and is High.

Further, the FSK-modulated radio wave received by the electronic device of the present embodiment is not limited to the new vehicle speed measuring device, and can be received within the swept bandwidth range. For example, a device for detecting the approach of a vehicle or the like from behind emits microwaves rearward. This microwave is in the K-band band, and if it is behind a vehicle equipped with this device, it will receive the microwave and give an erroneous alarm if no countermeasures are taken. However, since the modulation frequency of the microwave emitted from such a device differs from the modulation frequency of the microwave emitted from the new vehicle speed measuring device, the peak of the integrated value is either below the lower threshold or above the upper threshold. , the frequency determination signal (j) becomes High. Based on this frequency determination signal (j), it can be determined whether or not the received microwave is emitted from the new vehicle speed measuring device to be warned.

A modulation determination signal (i) output from the modulation determination section 34 and a frequency determination signal (j) output from the frequency analysis section 35 are provided to the control section 22 . The control unit 22 also receives the received signal (e) and the level signal as in the first embodiment. The control unit 22 appropriately uses the given signal to perform alarm control.

As an example of alarm control, for example, the control unit 22 uses the received signal (e) and the modulation determination signal (i), and when issuing an alarm for radar reception accompanying the reception of microwaves, the modulation determination signal (i) is When the signal is High, an alarm associated with normal radar reception is issued, and when the modulation determination signal (i) is Low and the frequency determination signal (j) is also Low, a different alarm is issued. An unusual warning is, for example, changed in a display mode, or generates an identification voice or a special warning sound so that radar reception from a new vehicle speed measuring device can be recognized. In addition, the microwave emitted from the new vehicle speed measuring device has a lower received signal strength level than the microwave emitted from a conventional vehicle speed measuring device. Since the detection is based on the components, the S meter output of the detector 16 is also small. Therefore, even if the level signal is small, when it is detected, there is a possibility that the vehicle is approaching the new vehicle speed measuring device. Alternatively, a dedicated alarm sound is issued.

On the other hand, when the modulation determination signal (i) is Low and the frequency determination signal (j) is High, the alarm is stopped or suppressed. Also, if the type of microwave generation source (for example, vehicle approach identification alarm) is known, it is preferable to issue an alarm based on the type of generation source. By issuing such an alarm, it is possible to notify a wider variety of information.

[Judgment using pairs]
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, 6, and 7, due to the characteristics of the receiving circuit, the received signal appears twice for one wave of the received frequency. With this two occurrences, the output of the received signal generator 20 generates an ON signal (Low) twice. Therefore, in the determination processing in the control unit 22, received signals within the same sweep period are recognized as a pair and determined. When an FSK modulated wave including FM emitted from a new vehicle speed measuring device is received, a sine wave demodulated signal is obtained only in the AF output linear region (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 6). For this reason, the type determination unit 30 can determine that the reception of the FSK-modulated microwave is one, and the other has the same output as an unmodulated continuous wave, so it is determined as a continuous wave as it is. put away. Therefore, it is recognized as a pair, and if one of the pair is determined to be an FSK modulated wave, it is determined to be an FSK modulated wave regardless of the other determination results, so it appears when an FSK modulated microwave is received. This prevents the other signal from being erroneously determined as a continuous wave. Specific pair setting processing is as follows.

[Pair setting]
The control unit 22 pairs two received signals that satisfy the following conditions. (1) Pair two received signals that appear in the same sweep cycle. If more than two received signals appear in the same sweep cycle, they are not paired in principle, but if one received signal appears in a certain cycle and three received signals appear in the next cycle, the number increases. Make a pair of two. (2) Two lines are set as a pair when the received signal level of the first line and the second line exceeds the received signal level of the received signal in the past cycle. (3) The level of the first received signal exceeds the level of the first received signal of the received signals in the past cycle, and the two lines when the second line appears are set as a pair. (4) Pairing is performed only for the first time when any of the above pairing conditions are established.

[Retention and update of received signal information]
In situations where stable reception cannot be obtained, the FSK decision value changes due to fluctuations in the reception level. Therefore, the identification alarm and alarm stop processing become unstable due to the fluctuation of the FSK determination value. In addition, there is a problem that the control voltage of the local oscillator frequency control unit 17 changes due to a change in the ambient temperature, and it is determined as a different frequency, making the discrimination alarm and alarm stop processing unstable.

Therefore, the control unit 22 holds the judgment performed in the past reception and the pair-managed reception information, and issues an alarm using the held reception information, thereby stabilizing the alarm processing. As a result, even if the holding and reception of the received signal information is unstable, the same processing as before is performed, which is preferable because it stabilizes. The retention period is, for example, about 25 seconds. If it is not received during the retention period, it will be cancelled.

[Update control voltage]
Also, the control voltage output from the local oscillator frequency control unit 17 fluctuates due to fluctuations in the ambient temperature and the internal temperature of the product (for example, the internal temperature rises as the current consumption increases), and the oscillation frequency of the local oscillator fluctuates. Therefore, when the update allowable voltage is exceeded, the voltage is updated, and the oscillation frequency is adjusted to a desired value.

[Update of FSK judgment value]
As the received signal level rises, the demodulated waveform stabilizes, enabling FSK determination. Therefore, if the determination value is determined to be an FSK modulated wave with the same control voltage even once, the determination result is updated and held. As a result, even if it is once determined that an FSK modulated wave has been received and no sine wave signal appears during subsequent sweep processing, the previous determination result is maintained unless the cancellation is made. Therefore, alarm control based on reception of the FSK-modulated signal is stably performed.

[Change of FSK judgment value]
The determination result of the received signal determined to be FSK and the determination result of the paired received signal are changed to be the same. In this way, the judgment result of each received signal based on the reception of the FSK-modulated signal is an FSK signal, so that the control unit 22 does not make an erroneous alarm even if the alarm control is performed using the judgment result as it is. .

[Alarm processing]
The control unit 22 performs alarm processing with the following priority based on the received signal determination value within the same sweep cycle.
(Priority 1) If an effective FSK determination is made, the warning level is set to "5" and a warning is issued.
(Priority 2) If determined to be a continuous wave, issue a normal alarm.
(Priority 3) When invalid FSK determination is made, the alarm is stopped.
Also, instead of stopping the warning of "priority 3", it is preferable to specify the type of device other than the vehicle speed measuring device based on the reception level, and issue a warning according to the type of the specified device. For example, when weak reception changes to strong reception, there is a high possibility that a vehicle equipped with a device that outputs an FSK-modulated signal is approaching, so an "other vehicle approach warning" is issued. In addition, when the reception level drops from the level when the vehicle is stopped, it is highly possible that the vehicle ahead has started but the vehicle remains stopped, so the "front vehicle start notification" is performed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from continuing to stop without noticing that the vehicle has started.

A beacon receiver, for example, is an electronic device mounted on a vehicle that emits microwaves. The frequency of microwaves emitted from this beacon receiver falls within the reception frequency band of this embodiment. Therefore, if no measures are taken, the received signal will be detected and a false alarm will occur. Since the beacon receiver is located near the radar detector, the microwaves emitted from the beacon receiver are continuously detected from when the power of the radar detector is turned on. On the other hand, the microwave emitted from the vehicle speed measuring device to be warned is normally not received when the power of the radar detector is turned on. Therefore, the microwave of the frequency received since the power is turned on is stored, and the reception of the microwave of the stored frequency is excluded from the alarm processing targets of this function.

In the above-described embodiment, unmodulated continuous microwaves emitted from a conventional speed measuring device are distinguished from FSK-modulated continuous microwaves emitted from a new vehicle speed measuring device. explained the function. The microwave emitted from the H system that can be received by the radar detector of this embodiment is pulse-modulated. The result is the same determination result as for unmodulated continuous wave microwaves. Therefore, it can be distinguished from FSK-modulated microwaves. In the case of discriminating non-modulated continuous waves from microwaves, for example, the determination is made by discriminating whether or not the received microwaves are continuous waves.

[Third embodiment]
FIG. 8(a) shows the main part of the third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the type determination unit 30 is different from that in the second embodiment. A frequency analysis section 35 ′ is connected to the output of the waveform shaping section 32 and performs frequency analysis based on the signal output from the waveform shaping section 32 . The frequency analysis performed here is determination based on the duty ratio.

As described in the second embodiment, the rectangular wave signal (g) obtained by waveform shaping the sine wave demodulated signal based on the FSK modulated microwave detection signal including FM has a constant period. However, the duty ratio is constant for signals based on microwaves output from the same speed measuring device. Therefore, the frequency analysis unit 35' determines whether the duty ratio of the waveform-shaped signal (g) is within the set range or not, and outputs the determination result. Other configurations and effects are the same as those of the above-described embodiments and modified examples, so description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 8(b) shows a modification of the third embodiment. In this modified example, the frequency analysis performed by the frequency analysis unit 35' is changed. The frequency analysis performed in this modified example is performed based on the signal width. The rectangular wave signal (g) obtained by waveform shaping the sine wave demodulated signal as described above has a constant period and duty ratio if it is a signal based on microwaves output from the same speed measuring device. be. Therefore, the signal width of Hhigh and the signal width of Low, which form one cycle, each take a unique value. Therefore, the frequency analysis unit 35' determines whether the signal width of, for example, the High portion of the waveform-shaped signal (g) is within a set range, and outputs the determination result. The same applies to the determination based on the Low signal width. Other configurations and effects are the same as those of the above-described embodiments and modified examples, so description thereof will be omitted.

Further, specific frequency analyzes in the frequency analysis units 35 and 35' of the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and their modifications may be performed independently, or may be performed in combination with an appropriate number of them. . By performing a plurality of combinations, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the microwaves are from the vehicle speed measuring device, which is preferable. That is, for example, the frequency of the sine wave of the demodulated signal generated along with the reception of the FSK-modulated microwave from the vehicle speed measurement device and the reception of the microwave emitted from a device of a different type from the speed measurement device Even if the frequency of the demodulated signal generated along with it is the same, if the duty ratio and signal width are different, it is possible to discriminate under these conditions, which is preferable.

On the other hand, when any one frequency analysis is performed, it is preferable to perform it based on one period/frequency as in the second embodiment. For example, when there are multiple driving lanes, the vehicle speed measuring device measures the driving speed of each vehicle traveling in each driving lane by emitting microwaves with different duty ratios for each driving lane. becomes possible. Even in such a case, since the frequency is fixed, it is preferable to perform the detection based on one period/frequency, since there are many devices that can handle this and versatility is high.

[Modification]
In each of the above-described embodiments and modifications, as shown in FIG. 9, one reception frequency band is divided into an area for detecting X-band microwaves and an area for detecting FSK-modulated microwaves. It is recommended to set the reception frequency band to By doing so, it is possible to identify the type of microwave based on the control voltage value and frequency when the microwave is received and the sweep is stopped.

[Fourth embodiment]
FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, it is an electronic device that notifies an alarm or other traffic-related information based on information such as the current position information of the vehicle that has been acquired. As shown in FIG. 10, the electronic device includes a control section 41 that controls the entire operation. Various devices such as a GPS receiver 42, a microwave receiver 43, a radio receiver 44, a display 45, a speaker 46, a storage 47, and a memory card reader 48 are electrically connected to the controller 41. FIG. A memory card 49 is detachably attached to the memory card reader 48 .

Corresponding to each of the above-described embodiments and modifications, the display unit 45 and the speaker 46 correspond to the alarm unit 23, the control unit 41 corresponds to the control unit 22, and the microwave receiving unit 43 is a double superheterodyne type. , and the hardware components of each processing unit after the detector 16. FIG. When each processing unit after the detector 16 is configured by software, it is incorporated as one function of the control unit 41 . The function of issuing an alarm when a predetermined microwave is received, as described in each of the above-described embodiments and modifications, is realized by the microwave receiving section 43, the control section 41, the display section 45, and the speaker 46 in this embodiment. be.

The control unit 41 is a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, nonvolatile memory, I/O, etc., and receives signals from the above various input devices (GPS receiving unit 42, microwave receiving unit 43, wireless receiving unit 44, etc.). Predetermined processing is executed based on the input information, and predetermined alarms/messages and information are output using output devices (display unit 45, speaker 46, etc.).

The display unit 45 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, an EL display, or the like. The control unit 41 controls, for example, the display unit 45 to display a desired image. The control unit 41 also controls the speaker 46 to output a desired sound.

A memory card reader 48 is an interface for accessing the memory card 49 . The control unit 41 reads information stored in the memory card 49 via the memory card reader 48 and writes the contents of the memory of the storage unit 47 and the control unit 41 to the memory card 49 .

The storage unit 47 is a nonvolatile storage element that stores various information. The storage unit 47 is, for example, an EEPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk drive, etc., inside the microcomputer of the control unit 41 or externally attached to the microcomputer.

The storage unit 47 stores map data, image data displayed on the display unit 45, sound data output from the speaker 46, and various databases. Examples of various databases include a first DB and a second DB. The first DB stores information about targets to be notified to the driver. Examples of targets include speed measuring devices (including speed measuring devices that emit radar waves (microwaves) such as radar, and speed measuring devices that do not emit radar waves such as loop coils), speed limit switching points, Control area, inspection area, parking monitoring area, N system, traffic monitoring system, intersection monitoring point, signal disregard suppression system, police station, accident-prone area, vehicle-targeting-prone area, sharp/continuous curve (highway), junction/ Junction point (highway), ETC lane advance guidance (highway), service area (highway), parking area (highway), parking area (highway), highway oasis (highway), smart interchange (highway) , gas stations in PA/SA (highway), tunnels (highway), highway radio reception areas (highway), prefectural border announcements, roadside stations, view point parking, etc. Hereinafter, the target to be notified to the driver is also referred to as a notification target. The first DB contains information indicating the type of the notification object, latitude and longitude information indicating the position of the notification object, data of schematic diagrams or photographs displayed on the display unit 45, and sound output from the speaker 46. Data are associated and stored.

The second DB stores polygon data that can specify administrative divisions based on position information. Administrative divisions are defined for each municipality. Hereinafter, areas represented by administrative divisions are also referred to as division areas. Area identification information for identifying the partition area is associated with the polygon data. By referring to the second DB based on the position information output from the GPS receiving unit 42, the control unit 41 sets the area identification information for identifying the partitioned area where the vehicle is located to a number smaller than the prefecture unit. It can be specified by municipality. Note that the area represented by the partitioned area in the present invention is not limited to municipalities, and may represent other areas.

The database is stored in the storage unit 47 when the radar detector is shipped. Also, the database can be updated by a well-known method. For example, the memory card 49 storing update information is loaded into the memory card reader 48 . The data stored in the memory card 49 includes
If there is update information for new alert target information (position information including longitude and latitude, type information, etc.), the control unit 41 reads out the update information and stores (downloads) it in the database in the storage unit 47. , update the data in the database.

The GPS receiver 42 is a radio module for receiving radio signals transmitted from GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 42 detects and outputs location information of the own vehicle based on the received radio signal. The position information is the latitude and longitude of the own vehicle position. Based on the positional information output from the GPS receiver 42, the control unit 41 refers to a database to identify an object to be notified near the own vehicle, and refers to the storage unit 47 to obtain information necessary for notification. Information is acquired and notified using the display unit 45 and the speaker 46 .

The radio receiver 44 is a radio module for receiving radio signals. Specific examples of radio signals received by the radio receiving unit 44 include radio signals transmitted from radio equipment for crackdown communication, digital radio signals transmitted and received between each police headquarters and a mobile station, and car mobile phones dedicated to police. Examples include radio signals used in the system and radio signals transmitted from emergency vehicles. The radio receiving unit 44 scans the frequency of the radio signal to be detected, and outputs a detection signal when the radio signal is received at the scanned frequency.

The control unit 41 accesses the first DB of the storage unit 47 using the radio type of the received radio signal as a key, and receives a radio signal corresponding to the frequency stored for each radio type in the first DB. is acquired and displayed on the display unit 45 as an alarm screen. The control unit 41 also reads the audio data stored in the first DB of the storage unit 47 for each wireless type, and outputs an alarm sound indicating the wireless type from the speaker 46 . For example, when receiving a crackdown radio, a voice such as "This is crackdown radio. Be careful of speed" is output. Since the alarm/notification function other than the alarm associated with microwave reception is the same as the conventional one, detailed description is omitted.

[Basic configuration of traffic monitoring information reporting function]
Further, in this embodiment, a traffic monitoring information notification function for notifying traffic monitoring information such as public enforcement information is provided. This function is based on the current position of the vehicle, and if there is public enforcement information that indicates traffic surveillance activities that have been made public in the surrounding area, the public enforcement information is notified. Public crackdown information is, for example, regularly published and updated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prefectural police. Therefore, in this embodiment, the public enforcement information is stored in the memory card 49, and the data can be updated in the electronic device.

The memory card 49 stores a third DB storing a plurality of pieces of traffic monitoring information. Traffic monitoring activity is information related to monitoring activities for promoting safe driving. An example of surveillance activity is crackdowns and checkpoints conducted by the police. Surveillance activities are conducted irregularly at unspecified locations. By referring to the third DB, the control unit 41 specifies the details of the monitoring activity being carried out near the own vehicle, and notifies according to predetermined notification conditions.

Details of the third DB will be described with reference to FIG. Among the information stored in indexes 1 to 15, the information stored in the lower row corresponds to traffic monitoring information. Traffic monitoring information includes the "prefecture", "start date", "start time", "end date", "end time" where the monitoring activity will be carried out, the "jurisdiction" police station where the location” is associated with it. For example, the information of index 2 in FIG. , "Traffic Monitoring Information: [Crackdown] Afternoon Iwate Prefectural Police ~"), from 12:00 to 18:00 on March 7, 2011, under the jurisdiction of the Iwate Prefectural Police, crackdown in any area in Kuzumaki Town. is performed. 302 of the “place of implementation” is area identification information for specifying a municipality.

As traffic monitoring information, textual information relating to monitoring activities is stored. Text information stored as traffic monitoring information is used as it is as a message displayed on the display unit 45 . The part of the text information enclosed in brackets [ ] stores the category of the monitoring activity. The wording of the text information stored as traffic monitoring information consists of "what", "when", and "where" so that the driver can grasp the content even while driving (while glancing at it). is spelled out in a single sentence. The information of "what" indicates the content of enforcement such as "speeding", "drinking", and "pause". The "when" information indicates the time period and date when the monitoring activity is performed. "Where" information indicates, for example, an address or a route where surveillance activities are carried out.

The traffic monitoring information is information published through the homepages (hereinafter referred to as "HPs") of each prefectural police throughout the country and converted into data based on a predetermined format. The control unit 41 displays a message based on the traffic monitoring information as a telop on the display unit 45 at a place and time according to the content of the message. By noticing the message displayed as a telop, the driver becomes aware of safe driving. Traffic monitoring information includes the type of monitoring activity (“what”), the period in which the monitoring activity will be performed (“when”), and the area in which the monitoring activity will be performed (“where”). . Thus, when a message is created based on traffic monitoring information and communicated to the driver, the driver can recognize the focus of enforcement, for example, as a type of monitoring activity. Priority items for enforcement include, for example, speeding, overloading, seatbelts, drunken driving, ignoring traffic lights, and the like. Also, for example, the driver can recognize police jurisdictions, routes, municipalities, etc. as areas where surveillance activities are carried out. These allow the driver to grasp the traffic monitoring information in detail, and by paying particular attention to these points when driving, he or she can drive with consideration given to traffic safety. Information related to surveillance activities, which is published through the websites of prefectural police throughout the country, is hereinafter collectively referred to as public crackdown information.

The information to be stored in the third DB is created by the operator digitizing crackdown information published through the websites of prefectural police throughout the country. As shown in FIG. 11, the implementation date, time zone, place, type, etc. are extracted from the published enforcement information with the same wording as much as possible, converted into data, and associated with the traffic monitoring information. Since the public enforcement information is published via the HP of each prefectural police, each traffic monitoring information is summarized for each prefecture, as shown in FIG. Each piece of information is for one case for each date, time zone, jurisdiction, municipality, or enforcement type.

The user downloads and acquires the third DB containing the traffic monitoring information created by converting the public enforcement information into data from the dedicated website. The downloaded third DB is stored in the memory card 49 . By setting the memory card 49 storing this third DB to the memory card reader 48, the public control information notification function can be used.

The control unit 41 accesses the third DB stored in the memory card 49 based on the obtained current position of the own vehicle, and notifies the necessary public information. Specifically, it is as follows. Based on the position information output from the GPS receiver 42, the control unit 41 sends the memory card reader 48 a The set memory card 49 is accessed. When the defined area where the own vehicle is located is determined, the traffic monitoring information on the monitoring activities being carried out in the nearest area is read from the third DB stored in the memory card 49 . The control unit 41 performs display on the display screen 50 of the display unit 45 based on the read traffic monitoring information (see FIG. 12).

With reference to FIG. 12, which shows an example of a notification mode of traffic monitoring information present in a partitioned area including the vehicle position, the function of notifying public enforcement information, etc. of this embodiment will be described. A display screen 50 is provided with a main display area 51 and a sub-display area 52 . The main display area 51 is an area for displaying an image showing the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the notification object. The sub-display area 52 is an area for displaying messages regarding monitoring activities in relation to the present embodiment. It is also a status area that displays various statuses.

The main display area 51 includes an area 511 for displaying a map image, an area 512 for displaying the type of notification object and the distance to the notification object (not shown in the figure because there are no notification objects around), An area 513 that displays the traveling speed of the vehicle, an area 514 that displays the display mode and the current time, the route number of the road on which you are traveling (for example, national road XX, prefectural road XX, etc.) and common name (XX street) A display area 515 and the like are provided. By displaying the route number etc. of the current road you are driving on, for example, if the route number such as "National road No. XX" or "Prefectural road No. It is good because you can check whether it is a road or not.

The control unit 41 reads the map data around the vehicle position from the storage unit 47 , generates a map image, and displays it in the area 511 . The range of the map image displayed in the area 511 of the main display area 51 is determined based on the settings made by the driver. On the map image displayed in the area 511, the own vehicle icon 61 and the target icon indicating the position, type, etc. of the notification object are superimposed and displayed. The own vehicle icon 61 is for indicating the position of the own vehicle with respect to the map image. The control unit 41 identifies the position of the vehicle based on the position information output from the GPS reception unit 42, and superimposes the vehicle icon 61 on a portion of the map image corresponding to the vehicle position.

The target icon is for indicating at what position the notification object is set with respect to the map image. A figure displayed inside the target icon indicates the type of the notification object. The control unit 41 specifies the position of the notification object based on the second DB, and displays the target icon superimposed on the portion of the map image corresponding to the position of the notification object. Also, inside the target icon, a figure indicating the type of the notification object is displayed. Furthermore, the type of the notification object and the distance to the notification object are displayed in area 512 .

The sub display area 52 is arranged below the main display area 51 . The sub-display area 52 may be displayed all the time, but it is preferable that it appears like a telop when displaying a message about monitoring activities and is displayed so as to overlap the main display area 51 . In this way, when the message about the monitoring activity is not displayed, the sub-display area 52 is not displayed, and the main display area 51 can be displayed on the entire display screen 50, and the sub-display area 52 appears. , which is preferable because the driver can notice that something has happened without looking at the screen. Then, by viewing the display screen 50 after that, the driver can read the message regarding the specific monitoring activity and understand the content.

The message displayed in the sub-display area 52 is created based on the traffic monitoring information stored in the third DB stored in the memory card 49. FIG. The message includes information such as enforcement date, time, enforcement type, enforcement location (route, jurisdiction, etc.). Since there are differences in the contents of public enforcement information published by the prefectural police, the displayed contents differ from prefecture to prefecture. When the number of traffic monitoring information included in the message is two or more, the number of characters in the message increases.

The message contains a plurality of phases separated by categories of traffic monitoring information. Each phase contains one or more pieces of traffic monitoring information. When multiple traffic monitoring information is included in one phase, they are displayed in sequence. Each phase begins with a title that summarizes the traffic monitoring information. In this way, messages are created by classifying a plurality of traffic monitoring information to be notified to the driver for each category and displayed in the sub-display area 52 . This makes it possible for the driver to easily distinguish and recognize the information regarding the monitoring activity for each category. Note that the number of characters that can be registered in one phase is limited to, for example, 128 double-byte characters (256 bytes in terms of bytes). This allows the driver to grasp the contents while driving. When the number of characters that can be registered in one phase exceeds 128 characters, the traffic monitoring information is divided into more detailed categories.

If the created message does not fit in the sub-display area 52, the control unit 41 scrolls the message. When the driver looks at the display unit 45 while driving, the driver cannot keep looking at the display unit 45 continuously for a long time. This is because there is a possibility that the On the other hand, the electronic device of the present embodiment divides the text-based messages created based on the traffic monitoring information into categories, and scrolls and displays them in the sub-display area 52 so that all The amount of information in the displayed message can be reduced and the displayed text can be made larger. As a result, the driver can accurately recognize the message displayed in the sub-display area 52 even when repeatedly viewing the display unit 45 at short intervals while driving.

In the above explanation, public monitoring information is registered in the third DB, but the present invention is not limited to this. Guideline information is also registered, and when the current position of the own vehicle enters the area specified by the speed control information, the control unit 41 notifies the information.

[Problems and Solutions in Basic Configuration of Traffic Monitoring Information Reporting Function: Public Control Route Warning]
By the way, the traffic monitoring information notification function for notifying traffic monitoring information such as speed control guideline information and public control information using the sub-display area 52 described above is based on characters in the sub-display area 52 provided at the bottom of the screen in the target area. There is a problem that it is difficult to understand the target road because it is only announcing.

Among the traffic monitoring information, there are those that disclose road identification information that identifies roads, such as specific route numbers and common names of streets that are being monitored. For example, index 8 is "Route 45" and index 9 is "Route 106". Therefore, in this embodiment, when the traffic monitoring information related to the current position includes road specific information such as a target point or a route number or a common name, a form different from other traffic control information is reported.

A different mode of notification is to perform a notification that makes the target road easier to understand. For easy-to-understand notification, for example, a map image displayed in the main display area 51 may be used. By using the map image, the driver can easily understand the existence of the target road. Also, for example, the display mode of the message while traveling on the target road may be conspicuous. By doing so, the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling can be recognized as the target road when the display mode of the message is conspicuous. Also, it is better to combine them.

A specific example is as follows. FIG. 11(a) shows a display example when entering a route on which public control information is issued. Based on the current position information acquired from the GPS receiver 42, the control unit 41 identifies the road on which the vehicle is traveling from the map data stored in the storage unit 47, and obtains traffic monitoring information related to monitoring activities being carried out in the nearest area. 2, when the specified road exists, the control information for that route is output as a telop displayed in the sub-display area 52 by alternately blinking red and white for each item. The order of the items is title (displayed as [public enforcement] in the figure)→road name→address or intersection name→enforcement type→date and time→jurisdiction name.

The display of the telop in this display mode is preferably triggered by, for example, entering a route on which public control information is issued. As described above, when a plurality of pieces of traffic enforcement information exist, each piece of information is displayed in order, but when the vehicle enters the route, it is preferable to display the corresponding telop by interrupt processing. Since the corresponding telop is displayed immediately after entering the road, it is good because it is possible to quickly know public enforcement information about the road and contribute to traffic safety. In addition, it is preferable to display a telop when the vehicle enters the vehicle because the user can intuitively understand the relationship with the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Then, while driving on the road, it is preferable to repeatedly display the telop.

The control unit 41 also displays the road R1 on which the surveillance activity is specified in the public enforcement information displayed in the main display area 51 in a conspicuous manner. As a conspicuous aspect, in this embodiment, it is drawn in a conspicuous color (for example, red). For example, by drawing in red, it becomes easier to attract attention, and by matching the display color of the message displayed in the sub-display area 52, it is possible to show that the driver is traveling on a road where public control is being carried out. It can be easily and reliably recognized. As a conspicuous aspect, for example, it is preferable to draw the road width widely. By drawing the road wide, the roads where public enforcement is being carried out stand out compared to other roads, which is good because it makes it easier to understand. In addition, various other methods such as flashing/blinking the color portion of the road can be adopted. However, drawing in a different color (for example, red) as in the present embodiment is preferable because it is possible to perform simple processing such as changing the display color, and it is possible to attract attention without interfering with driving.

Also, the message displayed in the sub-display area 52 should repeatedly display public enforcement information about the road while the vehicle is traveling on the road. In this way, even if the driver misses a single notification, the information can be known with certainty.

In addition, since there are usually public enforcement information other than those about the road, it is also possible to appropriately display messages related to other public enforcement information. By doing so, it is possible to know public enforcement information in the vicinity other than the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and when turning left or right at an intersection, etc., the public enforcement information on other roads on which the vehicle is scheduled to travel can be recognized in advance. , It is good because it can contribute to safe driving. In this case, it is better not to change the display color of the road. Here, the color of the road on which the vehicle is traveling remains red, so even if the telop is not displayed, it is possible to understand that there is public enforcement information on the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

FIG. 11(b) shows a display example when entering a route on which speed control guideline information is issued. Based on the current position information acquired from the GPS receiving unit 42, the control unit 41 identifies the road on which the vehicle is traveling from the map data or the like stored in the storage unit 47, and if the identified road is designated by the speed control guideline information. , the telop displayed in the sub-display area 52 is made to output the control information of the route in blue-white alternating blinking for each item. The order of the items is title (displayed as [speed control guideline] in the figure) -> road name -> address or intersection name -> speed limit -> date and time -> jurisdiction name. The control of the display timing and the like of the telop in this display mode should be the same as in the case of the public enforcement information described above, for example.

The control unit 41 also displays the road R2 on which the vehicle is traveling, which is designated by the speed control guideline information, displayed in the main display area 51 in a conspicuous manner. As a conspicuous aspect, in this embodiment, it is drawn in a color different from usual, preferably in a color (for example, blue) different from the public control line. By drawing in blue, which is different from the color (red in the embodiment) used when public enforcement is notified, it is possible to understand that it is not a public enforcement. It is possible to easily and reliably recognize that the vehicle is traveling on a road on which a speed control guideline is issued. Furthermore, it is better to draw the road width wider. Rendering the road wide is good because roads with speed control guidelines stand out more than other roads.

FIG. 11(c) shows that when the driving route is not a traffic enforcement route and there is traffic enforcement information (for example, public enforcement information, speed enforcement guidelines, or traffic safety campaign) within the jurisdiction or within the prefecture, the control unit 41 The information is scrolled by characters.

In addition, the control unit 41 has a function of making a notification to make it easier to recognize the road R3 on which the monitoring activity is being performed when there is a road on which the monitoring activity is being performed, instead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Good. Here, the color of the corresponding road R3 is displayed, for example, in red or blue according to the type. In this way, the roads on which crackdowns are being carried out are displayed in the same colors as the notifications shown in FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b). It is good because it is possible to know at a glance whether the road is on or not, and if it exists in the surroundings.

[Modification]
As for the route information, it is preferable to store the start point coordinates, the end point coordinates of the route, and the road specifying information such as the route name (for example, the information for identifying the national highway No. 248) for specifying the route in association with each other. Map data is information supplied from a navigation software maker, and it is difficult to directly add publicly available coordinate data or the like to road link data by changing the information itself. Therefore, it is preferable to match the coordinates of the start point and the end point of the route to either of the two coordinates of the start point and the end point of the road link.

In a configuration in which route information is stored in terms of coordinates of the start point and end point of the route, it is preferable to search for which road link group constituting the road network corresponds to the route.

As a search method, for example, a straight line connecting the coordinates of the start point and the end point of the route is translated in the vertical direction that intersects the straight line, and among the road links that intersect the straight line that has been translated, the route of the road link is searched. It is preferable to pick up road links whose specifying information and route specifying information having route information indicate the same route, and extract the picked up road link group as the road link group of the target route. Information specifying the route of the road link is associated with the road link data and stored.

It is preferable to issue a sound when entering a route with public enforcement information or a route with speed enforcement guidelines. In addition, when entering a route that does not have these, it is preferable not to notify the user of the sound. The notification sound should be different from the alarm sound of the notification object (also referred to as POI). With this arrangement, the user can distinguish whether the vehicle has approached the object to be notified or whether the vehicle has entered a route with public control information or the like without looking at the display unit.

Also, it is preferable to make a sound different from the notification sound when entering a route with public enforcement information and the notification sound when entering a route with speed enforcement guidelines. It is preferable that the alerts for these on-line alert objects are issued in a different alerting mode from the alerts for off-route alerts, and particularly in a alert mode in which the user perceives a higher degree of danger.

In addition, although it is desirable to configure as in the above-described embodiment, speed control guidelines are not frequently revised, for example, once every few years. You may make it add. Similarly, for roads that have had public enforcement information in the past, especially routes that have had public enforcement information in the past for more than a few times, routes that have frequent public enforcement information, etc., roads that have public enforcement information in advance on the road link itself You may make it add a certain information.

In addition, although it is desirable to configure as in the embodiment, it does not have a relationship with public enforcement information, etc., but simply overwrites the drawing of the road link data on the map, or draws the road link data on the map. Alternatively, these routes may be drawn in a color different from that of routes that do not have them.

For example, when the road is severely curved, the route information is divided into a plurality of sets of route start point coordinates and end point coordinates at the inflection points, etc., and these are associated and stored, and searched. should be The start and end points of each of these should be aligned with the start and end points of the road link.

The plurality of sets of start point coordinates and end point coordinates and route specifying information having route information may be stored in a many-to-one correspondence and used for searching and extracting the corresponding road link data group.

The map data stored in the storage unit 47 includes road elevation information. Altitude information is formed, for example, at intervals of 5 m. A contour line is obtained by connecting points of the same height in the altitude information. The control unit 41 receives the output of a sensor capable of detecting the height of the vehicle such as an air pressure sensor, acquires the current height information of the vehicle, and determines which road the vehicle is traveling on based on the acquired height information. It has a function to discriminate.

For example, if a general road and a highway overlap or are placed side by side, it is unclear which road the vehicle is traveling on from the position information output from the GPS receiver 42 . Further, for example, when traveling near the entrance/exit of an interchange, it may be difficult to identify which road the vehicle was traveling on until it reaches the point where the general road separates from the expressway after traveling for a while.

In this modification, since road elevation information is provided, the control unit 41 determines which road's elevation information matches the obtained elevation of the current position, and accurately determines the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling. judge. The estimated travel route is determined by comparing the altitude difference data after passing the junction with the inertial sensor (atmospheric pressure) or the amount of altitude change by GNSS. In this way, based on the road elevation difference data, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the estimated coordinates in the highway/general road determination and the GNSS non-positioning area.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the roads related to the traffic monitoring information are drawn in a predetermined color. Also, if the information of the public crackdown and the crackdown guideline overlaps, the public crackdown should be prioritized. Public control information is information of higher urgency and importance because the date and time, etc., are specifically specified. .

The message to be displayed in the sub-display area 52 may be displayed, for example, in the modes shown in FIG. 13 and subsequent figures. First, the control unit 41 displays "information type and jurisdiction name" in the sub-display area 52 (see FIG. 13(a)). The information type is information specifying a specific type of traffic monitoring information, such as public enforcement information or enforcement guidelines (in the figure, text display of "speed enforcement guidelines"). The jurisdiction name is information specifying the police in charge (in the figure, the text display of "Azabu Station"). Also, an icon 62 indicating the notification of traffic monitoring information may be drawn together. This icon 62 may correspond to traffic monitoring information, but if it corresponds to a specific type of information such as public enforcement information/speed enforcement guideline information, it will be easier to understand. As will be described later, the content of the message displayed in the sub-display area 52 changes sequentially. It is good to know what the information is about.

Next, the control unit 41 displays "road specific information" in the sub-display area 52 (see FIG. 13(b)). In the example of the figure, route numbers are displayed such as "National Route 1". Next, the control unit 41 displays the "section or approximate location" where crackdowns or the like are being carried out (see FIG. 13(c)). In the figure, it is indicated as "Akabanebashi intersection - Azabudai". By indicating a section or a rough place in this way, when the user is traveling on a road on which surveillance activities are specified, the user can see that crackdowns, etc., are being carried out at the actual traveling location. It is good because it is possible to understand whether or not there is a vehicle, and whether or not there is a crackdown on the road ahead.

Next, the control unit 41 displays "speed limit" (see FIG. 14(a)). This speed limit is the speed limit at locations where surveillance activities such as speed enforcement are specified. In the figure, it is displayed as 50 km. As shown in the figure, the current running speed (30 km/h in the figure) is displayed on the upper left of the main display area 51, so that the user can see the current vehicle speed by looking at both displayed on the same screen. If so, it is good because you can understand at a glance whether there is no problem or whether you are exceeding the speed limit, and you can drive safely.

Furthermore, the control unit 41 displays information on the “date and time period” in which crackdowns and the like are carried out in the sub-display area 52 (see FIG. 14(b)). By displaying the date and time in this way, the user can know whether or not there will be a crackdown or the like at present or in the near future while the vehicle is running.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a function is provided to issue an alarm when the current position and the stored object to be notified reach a predetermined proximity relationship. As one of the notification targets, there is a "control area". This "crackdown area" is, for example, an area where crackdowns are often conducted. An interlocking alarm (see FIG. 15) is output based on conditions such as the "enforcement area", the "enforcement route" specified by the traffic monitoring information, the traveling route of the vehicle, and the date and time. The interlocking information is for interlocking the warning of the object to be notified based on the position information and the warning based on the traffic monitoring information.

A condition for starting this interlocking alarm is, for example, when the vehicle enters a control area on a control route. The control unit 41 outputs a crackdown line jingle (for example, a sound like "pyrrololline") and a voice saying "Caution on crackdown" every time the crackdown area is focused. The control unit 41 displays the target name of the control area in the sub-display area 52 (see FIG. 15(a)). In the figure, it is labeled as "Control Area". The control unit 41 superimposes the control area icon 63 and the control line icon 62 and outputs them to the sub-display area 52 . The control unit 41 also displays the remaining distance to the target (“680 m” in the figure) and the direction of the target (arrow 64) in the sub-display area 52 . The remaining distance, direction, etc. are displayed until the vehicle passes.

Next, the control unit 41 displays "road name" in the sub-display area 52 (see FIG. 15(b)). In the figure, "Prefectural road No. 319 (circular control area" is displayed. Next, the control unit 41 displays "sections and general locations" in the sub-display area 52 (see FIG. 15(c)). ) Hereinafter, although not shown in detail, the control unit 41 sequentially displays information such as "speed limit" and "date and time" in the sub-display area 52 .

As shown in FIG. 16, the radar detector 80 of the present embodiment is communicably connected to another device via a connection adapter 70, acquires information from the other device, and based on the acquired information It has a notification function. Other devices include, for example, optional products such as the looking away detector 81 and laser FCWS 82, and an OBD mounted on the vehicle. Vehicle information is output periodically (for example, 200 msec) from the vehicle.

The looking away detector 81 detects the looking away of the driver while the vehicle is running. The looking away detector 81 takes an image of the driver's face, finds the orientation of the face, and periodically outputs angle information specifying the direction in which the face is facing. The power supply voltage is 5V. The output of the looking away detector 81 is sent to the host product such as the radar detector 80 via the connection adapter 70, and is notified using the notification function of the host product.

The laser FCWS 82 is equipped with various sensors, a CPU, etc., and issues an alarm in accordance with the travel speed, relative distance variation, and the like. Examples of functions include a rapid approach warning (collision warning) and a forward vehicle departure notification when the vehicle is stopped (Stop & Go).

This connection adapter 70 has +12V and +5V power supply functions, data mixing functions, and command distribution functions. The connection adapter 70 includes an MCU 71 that executes each function, a host product female connector 72 for connecting the host product, an optional product female connector 73, and a first OBD female connector 74 for connecting to the OBD. A second OBD female connector 75, a power connector 76, a DC/DC converter 77 that converts the +12V voltage supplied from the power connector 76 to +5V, and the output of the DC/DC converter 77 is stepped down to +3.3V. A regulator 78 and the like for supplying power supply voltage to the MCU 71 are provided.

The power connector 76 is connected to the vehicle battery via a car connect cord 97 . It receives +12V power supply from the vehicle battery. The supplied +12V is connected to the +12V terminals of the host product female connector 72 and the option product female connector 73 . The +5V output from the DC/DC converter 77 is connected to the +5V terminals of the host product female connector 72 and the option product female connector 73 .

Either the first cable 91 for 12V or the second cable 92 for 5V is detachably attached to the host product female connector 72 . Each of the first cable 91 and the second cable 92 has male connectors 91a and 92a at one end to be connected to the host product female connector 72, and has jacks 91b and 92b at the other end for connecting to terminals of the respective host products. have.

The first cable 91 is a cable for the radar detector 80 and the drive recorder 83 operating at 12V. The radar detector 80 and drive recorder 83 are connected to the connection adapter 70 via the first cable 91 . The host product is not limited to this, but includes, for example, a navigation device 84 that operates at 5V. This navigation device 84 is connected to the connection adapter 70 via a second cable 92 . Further, the optional product female connector 73 is detachably attached to, for example, either the third cable 93 for 5V or the fourth cable 94 for 12V. The power supply function supplies power to the host product and optional products via these cables.

The transmission/reception terminals of the host product female connector 72 , option product female connector 73 , first OBD female connector 74 , and second OBD female connector 75 are connected to transmission/reception terminals of the MCU 71 , respectively. A device connected to each connector transmits and receives data to and from the MCU 71 via the transmission/reception terminal of the connector. Then, the MCU 71 transfers the received data to a predetermined device and implements the data mixing function and the command distribution function.

The data mixing function is a function of synthesizing data from optional products and OBD data in a time division manner and outputting the synthesized data to the host product. Each optional product is identified by separate header data. For example, as one aspect of the standby screen, OBD data may be appropriately combined and displayed.

Since the OBD data is periodically output at intervals of 200 msec, the MCU 71 transmits the OBD data to the host product each time it receives it. Therefore, the MCU 71 periodically transmits OBD data to the host product at intervals of 200 msec. The transmission intervals of the aside detector 81 and the laser FCWS 82 are different from the transmission intervals of the OBD data. Therefore, the MCU 71 appropriately distributes the data output from each device at different transmission intervals and performs time-division transmission. As an example of time-division transmission, priority is given to OBD data, which is transmitted at intervals of 200 msec, and data from other option products and data from the host product are transmitted while data is not being transmitted. The command distribution function is a function for distributing and transmitting commands from the host product to each optional product. This command is also transmitted while the OBD data is not transmitted.

A more specific description will be given of the function of transmitting such data. A first OBD cable 95 and a second OBD cable 96 are detachably attached to the first OBD female connector 74 and the second OBD female connector 75, respectively. When it is installed in an actual vehicle, it is determined whether the OBD is compatible with 5V or OBD compatible with 12V depending on the vehicle, so either one is selected and used.

The first OBD cable 95 and the second OBD cable 96 have male connectors 95a and 96a at one ends thereof, and have OBD adapters 95b and 96b at the other ends for connecting to the OBD terminals of the vehicle. have. Each of the OBD adapters 95 b and 96 b incorporates a CPU, appropriately acquires OBD data output from the vehicle, generates a packet to which final destination information and the like is added, and transmits the packet to the MCU 71 .

The final destination is specified by the ID attached to the connector. A command for simultaneous transmission is also prepared. When the final destination information stored in the received packet specifies an ID, the MCU 71 transmits the packet to the connector specified by the specified ID. As a result, the product connected to the specified connector acquires the data sent in packets and uses it within the product. Such uses include, for example, display on a display unit, sound output using a speaker, recording in a storage means, use of information for executing various judgments and controls, and the like.

For example, vehicle speed information, which is one type of OBD data, is sent to the laser FCWS 82 . The laser FCWS 82 controls whether or not to give an approach warning based on the acquired vehicle speed information. For example, when the vehicle is approaching at a low speed, no warning is given, but when the vehicle is approaching at a high speed, the warning is given. Even if the laser FCWS 82 is not equipped with a vehicle speed sensor, it is possible to perform high-performance, high-precision control using OBD information.

Also, if the final destination information stored in the received packet does not specify an ID or has an ID for simultaneous transmission, the MCU 71 transmits the packet to all connectors. Along with this, each product connected to each connector receives the packet all at once. Each product uses the data stored in the received packets as needed.

In the example shown in FIG. 16, one host product female connector 72 and one option product female connector 73 are provided, and one host product and one option product can be connected. may be installed, or a plurality of optional product female connectors 73 may be installed. By installing multiple units, for example, information from multiple optional products can be given to the host product, and data can be transmitted between multiple optional products and between multiple host products. For example, an image captured by the drive recorder 83 can be sent to the radar detector 80 and displayed on the display unit as a standby screen or other screen.

For example, angle information output from the looking away detector 81 is sent to the radar detector 80 . When the control unit 41 of the radar detector 80 recognizes that the face has moved upward, downward, leftward, or rightward by a predetermined angle or more based on the angle information, it issues a predetermined notification. For example, as shown in FIG. 17(a), a warning display section 65 is superimposed on the map screen, or a warning is displayed on the standby screen as shown in FIG. 17(b). The display section 65 is displayed in an overlapping manner. The warning display portion 65 is an area of a predetermined size (for example, a translucent white background pattern, etc.) to which a text of "Beware of Inattentiveness" is added.

Further, the erasing timing of the warning display unit 65 can be set, for example, based on the output from the looking away detector 81 when it can be determined that the inattentiveness has been resolved, or regardless of the output from the looking away detector 81. You can turn it off after the time is displayed.
Also, it is preferable to issue a warning by voice/sound together with the notification of the warning display section 65 or separately from the notification.

FIG. 18 shows an example display of radar detector 80 based on information sent from laser FCWS 82 . The laser FCWS 82 has a function of measuring the distance to a vehicle in front and outputting it. FIG. 18(a) shows a display example of a collision caution warning. Collision attention warning displays the collision attention warning display section 66 to warn, for example, when the vehicle is rapidly approaching the vehicle in front and there is a danger of collision in a few seconds. In FIG. 17, since a collision caution event occurred while the standby screen was being displayed, the collision caution warning display section 66 was displayed over the standby screen. may be displayed overlaid on the . This point is the same below.

FIG. 18(b) shows a display example of a warning warning of approach caution. The approach caution warning is issued by displaying the approach caution warning display section 67, for example, when the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle continues to be short. FIG. 18(c) shows a display example of a warning for checking ahead. The forward confirmation warning displays the forward confirmation warning display section 68 to warn, for example, when it is detected that the preceding vehicle has left while the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light. In this way, if the driver is not aware of the green light when the vehicle is temporarily stopped while waiting for a traffic light and the preceding vehicle starts moving, the driver can notice this fact and start moving by notifying the driver of the fact. .

In addition, when the vehicle is stopped while waiting for a traffic light, for example, when the map data, etc., has signal information position data, the vehicle is temporarily stopped in the vicinity of the traffic signal based on the map data. It is determined that the vehicle is stopped while waiting for a traffic light. In addition, regardless of the presence or absence of an actual signal, a simple temporary stop (for example, the engine is ON and the speed is 0, etc.) may be regarded as a state of stopping while waiting for a signal. In this way, the control can be easily performed, which is preferable.

In addition, when the driver does not notice that the preceding vehicle has started during a temporary stop regardless of whether the vehicle is waiting for a signal, such as in a traffic jam, the driver will notice the vehicle before it hears the horn from the following vehicle. It is good because it can also start.

Furthermore, as described above, when waiting for a signal is detected based on the position information of the signal, etc., and that information is also added to the output condition of the forward confirmation warning, when there is no signal and the vehicle is stopped while approaching the vehicle ahead. In addition, it is good to have a forward confirmation warning. In this way, it is possible to efficiently and appropriately warn the driver that the preceding vehicle has started while the vehicle is temporarily stopped due to a traffic jam.

In addition, it is preferable to temporarily stop while approaching the vehicle in front, and to give a warning to check the front when the distance from the vehicle in front increases in this state. In this way, it is not possible to determine whether the vehicle is waiting for a traffic light or in a traffic jam, but it is possible to efficiently and appropriately warn the driver to check ahead.
It is preferable to output a warning sound together with the above warning. Also, the display of this warning may be extinguished after being displayed for a certain period of time, for example.

Further, although the angle information is output from the looking-aside detector 81, it may be changed to the angle information, or may be output together with the angle information and the captured video/image information and sent to the host product.

Each function described in each of the above-described embodiments and modified examples can constitute an electronic device by replacing or modifying each individual element that embodies the technical idea, either singly or in appropriate combination. Also, when combining, it is preferable to take out a part of the configuration and combine it with another form. Furthermore, another invention may be configured in which a part of the configuration shown in each embodiment and modified example is essential. For example, in an electronic device having a function of notifying traffic surveillance information such as public enforcement information according to the fourth embodiment, a function of receiving a continuous wave modulated like a microwave emitted from a new vehicle speed measuring device You may apply to the electronic device which is not provided with.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments and modifications, the road on which the user is traveling is specified using the road elevation information, and the traffic monitoring information such as determination of whether or not the target road specified by the road specifying information is traveled is determined. Although an example of application to the notification function has been described, it may be used separately from the traffic monitoring information notification function.

In the above-described embodiment and modifications, an example of application to a radar detector as an electronic device has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be incorporated as a function of a car navigation device or other electronic device.

Various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments and modifications, but these embodiments and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but to aid in understanding the present invention. Please note that it is provided for your convenience. The scope of the invention is not to be construed as specifically set forth or limited herein, but rather includes within its scope any combination of the various aspects of the invention disclosed herein. While the claimed features of the invention are identified in the appended claims, any configuration not presently specified in the claims is disclosed herein. For the sake of clarity, it is possible that such a configuration may be claimed in the future.

11 Antenna 12 First Local Oscillator 13 First Mixer 14 Second Local Oscillator 15 Second Mixer 16 Detector 17 Local Oscillator Frequency Control Section 18 Detection Judgment Section 19 Detection Continuation Judgment Signal Generation Section 20 Received Signal Generation Section 21 Received Intensity Signal generation unit 22 Control unit 23 Alarm unit 30 Type determination unit 31 Demodulated signal selection unit 32 Waveform shaping unit 33 Periodic signal generation unit 34 Modulation determination unit 35 Frequency analysis unit 35' Frequency analysis unit 41 Control unit 42 GPS reception unit 43 Microwave Receiver 44 Wireless receiver 45 Display 46 Speaker 47 Storage 48 Memory card reader 49 Memory card 50 Display screen 51 Main display area 52 Sub display area 70 Connection adapter 80 Radar detector 81 Away detector 82 Laser FCWS
83 drive recorder 84 navigation device

Claims (2)

Equipped with a traffic monitoring information notification function that notifies the display unit of traffic monitoring information related to traffic monitoring activities set in an area including the acquired current position of the vehicle,
The traffic monitoring information includes public enforcement information and speed enforcement guideline information,
A function of scrolling and displaying the public control information in a scroll display area provided in the display unit;
a function of scrolling and displaying the speed control guideline information in a scroll display area provided in the display unit ;
Equipped with a function to display the road currently running on the display unit,
The display color of the public enforcement information displayed in the scroll display area and the display color of the speed enforcement guideline information displayed in the scroll display area are set to different colors,
setting the display color of the public enforcement information to be displayed in the scroll display area and the display color of the road for which surveillance activities are specified in the public enforcement information to be the same color or the same system of colors;
The display color of the speed control guideline information to be displayed in the scroll display area and the display color of the road designated by the speed control guideline information are made to be the same color or a color of the same system . electronic equipment. A program for causing a computer to implement the functions of the electronic device according to claim 1 .

Images