JP2011162027A - Vehicle alarm sound generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alarm sound generating device for a vehicle capable of preventing a driver from forgetting to return after increasing a volume.
An alarm sound controller 12 restores a volume level of an alarm sound increased by a driver operating a sound increase switch 17 to a specified volume level after a predetermined time has elapsed.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an alarm sound generating device for a vehicle.

  For vehicles with low running noise, such as hybrid vehicles with driving modes that run only on electric vehicles and electric motors, the presence and state of the vehicle to people in the vicinity of the vehicle by emitting an alarm sound when starting or running at low speed Make it easier to recognize. Among these, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for manually switching the volume of an alarm sound.

JP 07-322403 A

However, in the above prior art, the switching of the volume of the warning sound depends on the driver's switch operation. For example, the driver increases the volume of the warning sound in the downtown area, and then exits the downtown area. When driving in a quiet urban area, if the driver forgets to turn the volume back (decrease), an unnecessarily loud warning sound is generated, which may cause discomfort to people in the vicinity of the vehicle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle alarm sound generating device that can prevent a driver from forgetting to return after increasing the volume.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the vehicle alarm sound generating device of the present invention, the volume increased by operating the switch is automatically decreased when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

  Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to prevent the driver from forgetting to return after increasing the volume.

1 is a control system diagram illustrating a control system for an alarm sound source that constitutes an alarm sound generator for a vehicle according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control program of the pre-start warning sound (S sound) which an alarm sound controller performs. It is a flowchart which shows the control program of the forward warning sound (D sound) which an warning sound controller performs. It is a flowchart which shows the control program of the reverse warning sound (R sound) which an alarm sound controller performs. It is a flowchart which shows the warning sound prohibition control program which an warning sound controller performs. It is a flowchart which shows the warning sound increase control program which an warning sound controller performs.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on examples shown in the drawings.
[Example 1]
First, the configuration will be described.
FIG. 1 is a control system diagram illustrating a control system for an alarm sound source that constitutes the alarm sound generator for a vehicle according to the first embodiment.
In this embodiment, as an alarm sound generation source, an outside speaker 1 that is an external alarm sound generation source for generating an alarm toward people outside the vehicle, and an in-vehicle alarm for generating an alarm for the driver It is assumed that the vehicle interior speaker 11 is provided as a sound generation source.

In the present embodiment, the vehicle using the alarm sound generation device is an electric vehicle that uses only an electric motor as a power source and runs electric (EV runs) with this motor.
However, the present invention uses an electric motor and an engine as a power source, and has a hybrid mode (EV mode) in which the vehicle travels only by the electric motor and a hybrid mode (HEV mode) in which the vehicle is driven by power from the electric motor and engine. Needless to say, the present invention can be similarly applied to a vehicle or an engine-equipped vehicle using only an engine as a power source.

The speaker 1 outside the vehicle compartment is a space in the motor room in the front part of the vehicle that houses a power source unit consisting of an electric motor, a transmission, etc., which is a power source of an electric vehicle, in particular, foreign matter such as muddy water and stones that are spun up by wheels. Install in a space where no foreign matter such as rain, snow or high-pressure car wash water enters,
By utilizing this space as a resonance box for the speaker 1 outside the vehicle compartment, the alarm sound generator of this embodiment is configured to be non-directional.

[Alarm sound control system]
The vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated and controlled together with the vehicle interior speaker 11 by an alarm sound controller (volume control means) 12 shown in FIG.
For such control, the warning sound controller 12 is selected in accordance with a shift (range selection) operation performed by the driver to command parking and stopping, and the selected range is a parking (P) range and a reverse (R) range. A signal from the range sensor 13 that detects whether the neutral (N) range or the forward (D) range is input.

In addition to the alarm sound controller 12,
A signal from the vehicle speed sensor 14 for detecting the vehicle speed V;
A signal from the brake switch 15 that is turned on when the brake pedal is depressed and turned off when the brake pedal is released,
A signal from the mute switch 16 that is pressed and commanded to mute the sound from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle compartment,
A signal from a loudspeaker switch (a switch that increases the volume of an alarm sound that is emitted outside the vehicle when operated by the driver) 17 when it is desired to increase the sound from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle compartment,
ON / OFF signal from the ignition switch 18 that enables the power source unit 2 to be driven,
A signal from an obstacle approach distance sensor 19 that detects a distance L between the own vehicle and an obstacle such as another vehicle in the vehicle traveling direction is input.

[Warning sound in the passenger compartment]
In the case of this embodiment, the alarm sound controller 12 in FIG. 1 operates the vehicle interior speaker 11 as follows.
(1) While receiving the R range selection signal from the range sensor 13, an “R range selection alarm sound” (in this embodiment, an intermittent sound) for informing the driver of “selecting the R range” from the vehicle interior speaker 11. The vehicle interior speaker 11 is operated so that a sound is emitted.
(2) While the distance L to the obstacle detected by the obstacle approach distance sensor 19 is less than the set distance, the vehicle interior speaker 11 informs the driver that the vehicle is approaching the obstacle. For example, the vehicle interior speaker 11 is operated so that an “obstacle approach warning sound” is generated by voice.

In addition to these, the alarm sound to be notified to the driver in the passenger compartment includes a “seat belt alarm sound” for alarming that the seat belt is not worn, although not shown.
However, the “seat belt warning sound” may be emitted from the dedicated speaker or buzzer instead of the vehicle interior speaker 11 together with the “obstacle approach warning sound”.

[Warning sound outside the passenger compartment]
Next, the operation control of the outside speaker 1 executed by the alarm sound controller 12 of FIG. 1 will be described below.
In this embodiment, as a warning sound from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle compartment, a short-time previous start warning sound (S sound) that should be generated for warning prior to the previous start, and a warning sound generated when traveling forward A forward warning sound (D sound) to be generated and a reverse warning sound (R sound) to be generated for warning during reverse traveling are set.

  The preceding start warning sound (S sound) should be a soft sound like a soft phone type “Fore”, and the forward warning sound (D sound) should be similar to the engine sound generated while the engine-equipped vehicle is running. The engine reverse sound (R sound) is the same intermittent sound as the “R range selection alarm sound” generated from the vehicle interior speaker 11 during the R range selection as described above.

By the way, the forward warning sound (D sound) is an engine pseudo sound as described above and continues to be generated over a long period of time, so it is not preferable to listen to this forward warning sound (D sound). The warning sound (D sound) is a sound that does not need to be heard by the driver.
On the other hand, the pre-start warning sound (S sound) is a soft phone-type soft sound that is generated only for a short time from the start of start to the start of start. However, since it is preferable for the driver to confirm that the previous start alarm is issued, the previous start alarm sound (S sound) is a sound that the driver wants to hear.

In view of these requirements, in this embodiment, the forward warning sound (D sound) is an engine pseudo sound as described below, and the pre-start warning sound (S sound) is a soft phone type soft sound as described below. Sound.
Here, when considering the sound propagation characteristics between the vehicle interior and exterior of the vehicle, the vehicle is difficult for sound in a relatively high predetermined frequency range (normally 1.5 to 6 KHz, depending on the vehicle) to enter the vehicle interior from outside the vehicle interior. In general, the sound of a relatively low predetermined frequency range (which differs depending on the vehicle, but is usually less than 1.5 KHz) can easily enter the vehicle interior from outside the vehicle compartment.

  From these facts, in this embodiment, the forward warning sound (D sound) is used as an engine pseudo sound in a relatively high predetermined frequency range (preferably 2 to 4 KHz) that is difficult to enter the vehicle interior from outside the vehicle interior. The warning sound (D sound) is prevented from being heard by the driver in the passenger compartment, thereby preventing the driver from being uncomfortable by the D sound (engine pseudo sound).

  However, if the previous start warning sound (S sound) is also set to the same engine pseudo sound, the driver in the passenger compartment can hear the previous start warning sound (S sound) and recognize that the previous start warning has been issued. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to make the previous start warning sound (S sound) louder than the horn sound volume, which will surprise the surrounding people.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the soft start type sound (S sound) is set to a soft phone type with a relatively low predetermined frequency range that is easy to enter the vehicle interior from the outside of the vehicle compartment, such as “Fore-Hun”.
The pre-start warning sound (S sound) defined above is easy to enter the vehicle interior from outside the vehicle due to its low frequency range, without increasing the volume (without surprise the surrounding people) The driver in the passenger compartment can hear the previous start warning sound (S sound) and can surely recognize that the previous start warning has been issued.
The previous start warning sound (S sound) is a soft soft phone type sound and is generated only for a short time from the start of the start to the start of the start, so it is not an unpleasant sound for the driver. Will not make you uncomfortable.

[Previous start warning sound (S sound)]
In controlling the preceding start warning sound (S sound), the warning sound controller 12 of FIG. 1 executes the control program of FIG.

First, in step S11, it is checked whether or not the vehicle is in a stop determination state in which the vehicle speed V is less than the stop determination vehicle speed Vs (= 1 Km / h) and is in a travelable state in which the ignition switch 18 is turned on.
If the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the vehicle stop determination vehicle speed Vs (= 1Km / h) and it is determined that the vehicle is traveling, or if the vehicle is in an inoperable state where the ignition switch 18 is turned off, the control is terminated as it is and step S15 is performed. By skipping, no S sound is generated.

If it is determined in step S11 that the vehicle is stopped (V <Vs) and it is determined that the vehicle is ready to travel (ignition switch 18 is ON),
In step S12, it is checked whether or not there has been a range switching operation to the D range when the brake switch 15 is in the OFF state (the brake is not activated).
If "Yes", in step S15, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so that a soft phone type soft "Fore" sound is generated.

When the determination in step S12 is “No”, in step S13, the brake switch 15 is switched from ON to OFF while the D range is selected (the brake pedal is released from the braking state where the brake pedal is depressed). Has been switched to a non-braking state)
If "Yes", in step S15, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so that a soft phone type soft "Fore" sound is generated.

When the determination in step S13 is “No”, in step S14, simultaneously with the range switching operation to the D range, switching from the braking state in which the brake pedal was depressed to the non-braking state in which the brake pedal was released was performed. Check whether the brake switch 15 has been switched from ON to OFF.
If "Yes", in step S15, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so that a soft phone type soft "Fore" sound is generated.

  By the way, in step S13 or step S14, while the brake pedal is slowly being returned from the depressed state, the brake switch 15 remains ON and has not been switched OFF because the foot has not yet been released. Therefore, control does not proceed to step S15, and S sound cannot be generated.

If the driver misunderstands that an S sound is generated during such gentle brake pedal return operation, the driver recognizes that the person in the vicinity of the vehicle should be aware of the start of driving by the S sound. Therefore, it is not preferable for safe driving.
By the way, the braking force decreases even by a gentle brake pedal return operation, and the vehicle may start due to, for example, the creep force or the road surface gradient of the downhill road, which requires attention in safe driving.

However, in this embodiment, as described above, the S sound is used as a warning sound in a relatively low predetermined frequency range that is easy to enter the vehicle interior from the outside of the passenger compartment, so that the driver can hear the S sound reliably and the warning of the previous start is issued. Since it has been made possible to reliably recognize what has been done, it is possible to reliably recognize that no S sound has been generated during the gentle brake pedal return operation described above.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the driver does not mistake that the S sound is generated during the gentle brake pedal return operation, and the driver recognizes the start of driving because the person near the vehicle has not heard the S sound. Recognizing that this is not the case, it is possible to strive for safe driving, which is very advantageous for safe driving.

If the determination in step S14 is “No”, the control is terminated as it is and step S15 is skipped, so that no S sound is generated.
That is, during a stop (V <Vs) where the vehicle is ready to travel (ignition switch 18 is ON) (step S11),
When there is a range switching operation to the D range in the non-braking state with the brake pedal released (step S12), or
In the D range selection state, when switching from the braking state where the brake pedal is depressed to the non-braking state where the brake pedal is released (step S13), or
When the range switching operation to the D range and the switching from the braking state in which the brake pedal is depressed to the non-braking state in which the brake pedal is released (step S14),
In step S15, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so as to generate the S sound, and otherwise, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is kept in the non-operating state and the S sound is not generated.

In this way, while the vehicle is stopped (step S11),
When there is a shift operation to the D range with the brake pedal released (non-braking) (step S12), or
When the foot that was depressing the brake pedal was released from the brake pedal with the D range selected (step S13), or
When the shift operation to the D range and the brake release operation to release the foot that had been depressing the brake pedal from the brake pedal at the same time (step S14),
In step S15, when the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so that an S sound is generated, the S sound is generated immediately before the start of traveling.

Here, if the S sound is generated when the ignition switch 18 is turned on and the vehicle is ready to run, the S sound is generated too early. Sound is generated wastefully, and there is a problem that an S sound is generated in the meantime and surrounding people are confused while there is a long time to start running.
However, if the S sound is generated after the start of traveling, there is a problem that the meaning of the alarm is weakened because the purpose of generating the S sound for alarming the start of traveling is not met.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the S sound is generated immediately before the start of traveling,
Although there is a long time until the start of running, it is possible to avoid the problem that S sound is generated and the surrounding people are confused or the meaning of the alarm due to S sound is diminished.

[Forward warning sound (D sound)]
In controlling the forward warning sound (D sound), the warning sound controller 12 of FIG. 1 executes the control program of FIG. 3 to perform the control.
First, in step S21, it is checked whether or not the S sound is generated by the operation of the speaker 1 outside the vehicle.
If the S sound is being generated, it is checked in step S22 whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 500 msec) has elapsed since the generation of the S sound, and the control is terminated until this predetermined time (500 msec) has elapsed. Continue to generate S sound.

When it is determined in step S22 that a predetermined time (500 msec) has elapsed since the generation of the S sound, that is, after the S sound is continuously generated for this predetermined time, the control proceeds to step S23, where the S sound is changed to the D sound. Make a crossfade to.
This crossfade from the S sound to the D sound gradually decreases the volume level of the S sound that is being generated, and gradually increases the volume level of the D sound (pseudo engine sound). The operation state of the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is switched so that the sound is gradually switched, so that switching from the S sound to the D sound can be performed without causing the surrounding people to feel uncomfortable.

In the present embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, the S sound is generated immediately before the start of travel (steps S12 to S15 in FIG. 2).
The S sound is generated at the optimal timing immediately before the start of driving when the start of the vehicle should be warned, and the generation timing of the D sound generated as described above following the S sound is also optimal and the driving is performed. Even though there is a long time to start, it is possible to avoid problems such as the sound of D being generated and the surrounding people being confused or the meaning of the warning of forward running by the sound of D being weakened.

If it is determined in step S21 that the vehicle exterior speaker 1 does not generate S sound, it is checked in step S24 whether or not the ignition switch 18 is in an ON-runnable state.
If the vehicle is ready to run, it is checked in step S25 whether the D range is selected.
If it is in the D range selection state, it is checked in step S26 whether or not the vehicle speed V is being determined to be traveling at a vehicle stop determination vehicle speed Vs or higher.
When it is determined in step S24 that the vehicle is ready to travel, in step S25 it is determined that the vehicle is in the D range selection state, and in step S26 it is determined that the vehicle is traveling (V ≧ Vs), a sound D (engine pseudo sound) is generated in step S27. The outside speaker 1 is operated.

The sound D is an engine pseudo sound as described above, but the frequency is kept within a relatively high predetermined high frequency range where it is difficult to enter the vehicle interior from outside the vehicle compartment at a high vehicle speed while keeping the volume level constant. The frequency is determined to be higher.
In this way, when the D sound is an engine pseudo sound whose volume level is constant and whose frequency is higher at higher vehicle speeds,
For people outside the vehicle, the distance to the vehicle can be determined from the volume of the D sound (the higher the volume of the D sound, the closer the vehicle is), and the vehicle speed can be determined from the level of the D sound (D The higher the sound, the higher the vehicle speed), and it is possible to know how close the vehicle is and how close it is from the D sound alone.

In the next step S28, it is checked whether or not the vehicle speed V after the start has reached the D sound unnecessary vehicle speed lower limit (D sound fade-out vehicle speed) of 30 km / h or more, and the determination in step S28 is “No” In step S29, whether or not the vehicle speed V is lower than the D-sound fade-in vehicle speed of 25 Km / h, which is lower by a hysteresis (5 Km / h) than the D-sound unnecessary vehicle speed lower limit (D-sound fade-out vehicle speed) of 30 Km / h. To check.
When it is determined in step S28 that the vehicle speed V after starting has reached the D sound unnecessary lower vehicle speed lower limit (D sound fade-out vehicle speed) of 30 Km / h or more, in step S31, the D sound generated in step S27 gradually decreases. The vehicle exterior speaker 1 is activated so that it disappears (fades out).

If it is determined in step S29 that the vehicle speed V is less than the D-sound fade-in vehicle speed of 25 km / h, it is checked in step S32 whether or not the D-sound is being generated, and the D-sound is not being generated by executing step S31. If so, in step S33, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so that the D sound gradually increases from the sound volume level 0 (fades in).
When it is determined in step S32 that the D sound is being generated, the control is terminated as it is, so that the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so that the D sound is continuously generated.

If it is determined in step S29 that the vehicle speed V is greater than or equal to the D sound fade-in vehicle speed 25Km / h, that is, the vehicle speed V is a D sound unnecessary vehicle speed lower limit (D sound fade-out vehicle speed) 30Km / h, and the D sound fade-in vehicle speed 25Km / h. If the vehicle speed is in the hysteresis range between h and
By ending the control as it is, the operating state of the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is maintained in the current state, and the D sound generation state is maintained in the current state.

If it is determined in step S24 that the ignition switch 18 is in an inoperable state, the sound D is unnecessary, so control proceeds to step S31 and the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so that the sound D fades out. .
Also, if it is determined that the D range is selected in step S25 and is still in the D range selected state, but it is determined that the vehicle is stopped in step S26, the D sound fades out because the D sound is unnecessary. In this case, the D sound control is particularly performed as follows.
First, in step S34, it is checked whether or not the vehicle speed V = 0 km / h has been stopped for a set time (here, 10 seconds). If the determination result is “Yes”, the control proceeds to step S31. Then, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so that the D sound fades out.

If it is determined in step S34 that the vehicle speed V is not 0 km / h and the vehicle is stopped, it is determined that the vehicle will not continue for more than the set time (10 seconds).
In step S35, it is checked whether it is a non-traveling range of P range or N range, and if the determination result is `` Yes '',
In step S36, it is checked whether or not the vehicle speed V is less than the stop determination vehicle speed Vs, and if the determination result is “Yes”,
In step S31, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated so that the sound D fades out.

In other words, in step S34, it is determined that the vehicle is not in a stopped state with a vehicle speed V = 0 km / h, and while it is determined that the stopped state does not continue for more than the set time (10 seconds)
When the selected range is the non-traveling range (P, N range) (step S35) and the vehicle speed V is being determined to stop less than the stop determination vehicle speed Vs (step S36), the D sound is unnecessary. D sound is faded out (step S31).

  However, when it is determined in step S35 that the vehicle is not in the non-traveling range (P, N range), or even if it is determined in step S35 that the vehicle is in the non-traveling range (P, N range), the vehicle speed V is determined to be the stop vehicle speed Vs in step S36. During the travel determination that determines that the above is true, the sound D is necessary, and thus the control proceeds to step S27, whereby the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is continuously operated so as to continue generating the sound D.

Even if it is determined that the vehicle is in the non-traveling range (P, N range) in step S35 as described above, the D sound continues to be generated during the traveling determination in which it is determined in step S36 that the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the stoppage determination vehicle speed Vs. If you do so,
If the vehicle is still traveling due to inertia even after switching from the D range to the non-traveling range (P or N range), the D sound will continue to be generated from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle compartment. It is possible to alert the person in the vicinity of the front end with a warning while driving the vehicle.

Also, in this embodiment, it is determined that the D range is selected in step S25, and the D sound is no longer necessary because it is determined that the vehicle is stopped in step S26 although it is still in the D range selected state. Immediately continue to generate D sound without fading out in step S31, and perform D sound fading out in step S31 for the first time when it is determined in step S34 that the vehicle speed V = 0 km / h has been stopped for a set time (10 seconds). So that
In a congested road where the vehicle speed V = 0 km / h does not last for the set time (10 seconds), the D sound is faded out each time the vehicle stops, and the S sound is generated by the S sound control in Fig. 2 (step S15). Annoyance can be avoided.
In order to achieve this object more reliably, the above set time can be changed automatically while measuring the stop time on a congested road, or manually by the driver considering the stop time on a congested road. It is better to do so.

Further, in this embodiment, when it is determined in step S13 or step S14 in FIG. 2 that the brake switch 15 is switched from ON to OFF by releasing the brake pedal, an S sound is generated in step S15.
While the brake pedal is being slowly returned from the depressed position, the brake pedal has not yet been released, and the S switch is generated in step S15 because the brake switch 15 has not yet been switched from ON to OFF. Not.

By the way, such a gentle brake pedal return operation also reduces the braking force, and the vehicle may start to move due to, for example, creep force or the slope of the downhill road. There is a need.
However, since the vehicle movement start alarm is an alarm after the vehicle starts to move, the D sound that warns the traveling is more appropriate than the S sound that warns the start.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, when the brake pedal is slowly returned so that no S sound is generated, step S21 in FIG. 3 advances the control from step S24 to step S26. During the travel determination in which it is determined in step S26 that the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the stop determination vehicle speed Vs, a D sound is generated in step S27.
When the vehicle starts moving slowly by the brake pedal slow return operation, the D sound is generated instead of the S sound, and the movement of the vehicle is more suitable for the driving warning than the S sound for the start warning. Alarm can be surely made by D sound.

[Backward alarm sound (R sound)]
In controlling the reverse warning sound (R sound), the warning sound controller 12 of FIG. 1 executes the control program of FIG. 4 to perform the control.
First, in step S41, it is checked whether or not the ignition switch 18 is in an ON-runnable state.
If the vehicle is ready to run, it is checked in step S42 whether the R range is selected.
If the R range is selected, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is actuated so that an R sound is generated in step S43.

That is, when the ignition switch 18 is ON (step S41) and the R range is selected (step S42), an R sound is immediately generated from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 (step S43).
Since the R sound is generated from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 as soon as the R range is selected (step S42 and step S43), as described above, the “R range selection alarm is issued from the vehicle interior speaker 11 during the R range selection. It occurs at the same time as sound.

And as described above, the R sound from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is the same type of vehicle information as the “R range selection alarm sound” from the vehicle interior speaker 11, so it is the same intermittent sound as the “R range selection alarm sound”.
When generating the R sound (intermittent sound) from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 in step S43, it is generated in synchronization with the intermittent “R range selection alarm sound” generated from the vehicle interior speaker 11.
Therefore, step S43 constitutes a vehicle interior / exterior intermittent alarm sound synchronizing means in the present invention.

  Note that, on the contrary, the intermittent “R range selection alarm sound” from the vehicle interior speaker 11 may be synchronized with the R sound (intermediate sound) from the vehicle exterior speaker 1.

In any case, when synchronizing the R sound (intermittent sound) from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 and the intermittent “R range selection alarm sound” from the vehicle interior speaker 11 as described above,
The R sound from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 that does not need to be heard by the driver is put on the intermittent “R range selection alarm sound” from the vehicle interior speaker 11 so that it cannot be heard by the driver. This eliminates the annoyance of unnecessary R sounds from 1 being heard by the driver.

In addition, by synchronizing the above R sound (intermittent sound) with the intermittent “R range selection alarm sound”, the R sound (intermittent sound) from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 and the intermittent “R” from the vehicle interior speaker 11 None of the “range selection warning sounds” is generated, and the period during which these are not heard by the driver, that is, the period during which the driver can easily hear other warning sounds becomes longer.
Therefore, the driver can surely hear the other warning sounds, such as the “obstruction approach warning sound” and the “seat belt warning sound”, over the long period of time, and can obtain the corresponding information without fail. Other warning sounds can be recognized quickly by the driver, which is very advantageous for safety.

If it is determined in step S41 that the ignition switch 18 is OFF and the vehicle is in an inoperable state, the reverse travel is impossible and the generation of the R sound is unnecessary.
By terminating the control as it is and skipping step S43, no R sound is generated (the speaker outside the vehicle compartment 1 is deactivated).

If it is determined in step S42 that the R range is not selected, it is checked in step S44 whether the non-traveling range (P or N range) is selected, and the non-traveling range (P or N range) is not selected. When determining that it is in the D range selection state, since the generation of R sound is unnecessary,
By terminating the control as it is and skipping step S43, no R sound is generated (the speaker outside the vehicle compartment 1 is deactivated).

If it is determined in step S44 that the non-traveling range (P or N range) is selected, it is checked in step S45 whether or not the vehicle speed V is determined to be less than the stop determination vehicle speed Vs.
If it is determined that the vehicle is stopped, the vehicle exterior speaker 1 is operated in step S46 so that the R sound generated in step S43 gradually decreases and disappears (fades out).

However, even if it is determined that the non-traveling range (P or N range) is selected in step S44, it is recognized in step S45 that the vehicle speed V is not being determined to be less than the stop determination vehicle speed Vs (that is, the determination is in progress). Because the vehicle is moving backward even in the non-traveling range (P or N range), the control proceeds to step S47, and the loudspeaker 1 outside the vehicle is continued so that the R sound started to be generated in step S43 continues. Continue to operate.
By doing the above, if the vehicle is still moving backward due to inertia even after switching from the R range to the non-traveling range (P or N range), the R sound will continue to be generated from the outdoor speaker 1. Even in such a case, it is possible to reliably alert a person in the vicinity of the rear end of the vehicle to alert the vehicle while the vehicle is moving backward.

However, the R sound is generated in step S47 when it is determined in step S42 that the R range is not selected. At this time, as is clear from the above description, the “R range selection alarm” is given from the vehicle interior speaker 11. No sound is generated,
It is not necessary to synchronize the R sound from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 and the “R range selection alarm sound” from the vehicle interior speaker 11 as performed in step S43.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the D sound is generated by the driver while stopping (step S11 in FIG. 2), such as D range selection and brake pedal release (steps S12 to S14 in FIG. 2). After the generation of the S sound in response to (step S15 in the figure), for example, it is generated after a predetermined time (step S22 in FIG. 3) such as 500 msec,
As described above with reference to FIG. 4, the R sound is generated immediately when the R range selection operation by the driver (step S42 in FIG. 4) is performed (step S43 in FIG. 4). The reason is as follows. is there.

In other words, the vehicle is intended to travel forward, and traveling backward is more difficult for the driver than traveling forward,
People in the vicinity have predicted that the vehicle will normally move in the forward direction, and originally paid attention to the forward travel, but the reverse travel is a movement in the unexpected direction of the vehicle. The situation is not paying much attention.

Therefore, the reverse warning sound (R sound) that should be generated for warnings when traveling backward is an alarm sound when traveling in a direction that the driver is unfamiliar with, and the surrounding people are traveling in unexpected directions. Since it is a warning sound at the time, it is preferable for safety that it is generated as early as possible to call attention to the people around.
On the other hand, the forward warning sound (D sound) that should be generated for warning when traveling forward is a warning sound when traveling in the direction familiar to the driver, and vehicles that are expected by the surrounding people Since it is a warning sound when driving in the original direction, the D sound is an engine pseudo sound as described above, and it is better to shorten the D sound generation time as much as possible to ensure the quietness of the vehicle. In combination, the D sound is preferably generated as late as possible.

In the present embodiment, in view of such a request, as described above, the R sound is not generated immediately when the R range selection operation by the driver (step S42 in FIG. 4) is performed (step S43 in FIG. 4).
As described above, the D sound is a soft phone type that responds to the start preparation operation (step S12 to step S14 in FIG. 2) such as D range selection and brake pedal release by the driver who is stopped (step S11 in FIG. 2). After the soft S sound is generated (step S15 in the figure), it is generated after a predetermined time (step S22 in FIG. 3) such as 500 msec elapses.
By doing as described above, it is possible to generate an alarm sound at the required timing and during the required period during forward traveling and backward traveling, and to disturb surrounding people with unnecessary alarm sound Disappears.

[Alarm sound prohibition control]
In late night or residential areas, alarm sounds from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle, such as S, D, and R sounds, can be annoying. In such cases, the driver can turn off the mute switch 16 shown in FIG. Press to issue a warning sound prohibition command.
Here, it is assumed that the mute switch 16 is self-returned when it is not pressed and is maintained in the normal position (OFF position), and is turned on each time it is pressed to issue a warning sound prohibition command.

The alarm sound controller 12 of FIG. 1 executes the control program of FIG. 5 and performs the alarm sound prohibition control as follows when the alarm sound prohibit command is input from the mute switch 16.
In step S51, it is checked whether or not the mute switch 16 is turned on, whether or not the alarm sound prohibition command is present is checked, and control is performed while the mute switch 16 is not turned on (the alarm sound prohibit command is not issued). The process is terminated and the prohibition of the alarm sound is not executed, thereby generating the alarm sound as described above with reference to FIGS.

  When it is determined in step S51 that the mute switch 16 has been turned on (a warning sound prohibition command has been issued), generation of a warning sound is prohibited in step S52. The alarm sound (S sound, D sound, R sound) should not be generated.

  In the next step S53, it is checked whether or not the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the aforementioned D-sound unnecessary vehicle speed lower limit (D-sound fade-out vehicle speed) of 30 Km / h in step S28 in FIG. ", The control is terminated as it is, and the prohibition of alarm sound generation in step S52 is continued.

  When it is determined in step S53 that the vehicle speed V is greater than or equal to the D-sound fade-out vehicle speed (30 Km / h), the control proceeds to step S54, and the control according to FIGS. A warning sound (S sound, D sound, R sound) is generated from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle in the street.

  According to the above alarm sound prohibition control, when the driver presses the mute switch 16 in the middle of the night or when the alarm sound from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle is annoying (step S51), FIG. Regardless of the control of 4, the alarm sound (S sound, D sound, R sound) can be prohibited from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle (step S52). Can avoid inconvenience.

By the way, if the driver presses the mute switch 16 and prohibits the generation of the alarm sound, the alarm sound will not be emitted even after traveling to a place where the alarm sound will not be annoying. Don't do that.
Therefore, in this embodiment, when the vehicle speed V exceeds the D sound fade-out vehicle speed (30 Km / h) (step S53), it is determined that the vehicle has traveled to a place where the alarm sound is not annoying, and the above-described alarm sound generation prohibition is prohibited. By canceling (step S54), an alarm sound (S sound, D sound, R sound) can be generated from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle as controlled by FIGS.

  By doing as described above, it is possible to avoid the above-mentioned problem that the warning sound is not emitted even after traveling to a place where the warning sound does not cause trouble, and the warning device does not serve as a safety device. .

  As in this example, when the vehicle speed V exceeds the D-sound fade-out vehicle speed (30 Km / h), the warning sound prohibition release condition is established, and when this condition is satisfied, the warning sound is not disturbed. When judging that the vehicle has traveled and canceling the prohibition of the alarm sound, the following effects can be obtained.

  In other words, when the warning sound prohibition release condition is the vehicle speed V <D sound fade-out vehicle speed (30 km / h), this low vehicle speed range is the D sound generation vehicle speed region as apparent from the above, so this low vehicle speed Even if you press the mute switch 16 in the area (turn it on) and prohibit the alarm sound, even if the alarm sound is still annoying when you take your finger off the mute switch 16, The prohibition of the alarm sound is canceled and an alarm sound is generated, which causes a problem of inconvenience to neighboring people.

However, in this embodiment, the alarm sound prohibition cancellation condition is set when the vehicle speed V exceeds the D sound fade-out vehicle speed (30 Km / h), and the prohibition of the alarm sound is canceled when this condition is satisfied. ,
When vehicle speed V is lower than D sound fading out (30Km / h) at low vehicle speed range (D sound generation vehicle speed range) and mute switch 16 is turned on and the finger is released from mute switch 16, the prohibition of warning sound is released It is possible to avoid the above-mentioned problem that an alarm sound is emitted and annoying other people in the vicinity, even though the alarm sound is still annoying. .

[Alarm sound increase control]
When driving in a noisy (high noise level) area such as around a factory or downtown, the alarm sound from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle, such as S, D and R sounds, is at the specified volume level. In such a case, the driver presses the sound increase switch 17 in FIG. 1 to issue an alarm sound increase command.
Here, it is assumed that the sound increase switch 17 is self-returned when it is not pressed and is kept in the normal position (OFF position), and is turned ON every time it is pressed to issue an alarm sound increase command.

When the warning sound increase command is input from the sound increase switch 17, the warning sound controller 12 of FIG. 1 executes the control program of FIG. 6 and performs the warning sound increase control as follows.
In step S61, it is checked whether or not the sound increase switch 17 is turned on, the presence or absence of the alarm sound increase command is checked, and while the sound increase switch 17 is not turned on (the alarm sound increase command is not issued), The control is terminated as it is, and the alarm sound is not increased, so that the volume level of the alarm sound generated as described above with reference to FIGS.

  When it is determined in step S61 that the sound increase switch 17 is turned on (alarm sound increase command is issued), the alarm sound is increased in step S62, and the vehicle exterior speaker 1 generated under the control of FIGS. The volume level of the alarm sound (S sound, D sound, R sound) is increased so as to be louder than the specified value.

In the next step S63, it is checked whether or not a certain time (for example, about 1 minute) has elapsed since the sound increase switch 17 was turned on (warning sound increase command is generated), and the determination result here is “No”. In other words, that is, when it is determined that the predetermined time has not yet elapsed from the ON of the sound increase switch 17 (generation of the alarm sound increase command), the control is ended as it is, and the alarm sound in step S62 is Make the increase run continuously.
When it is determined in step S63 that the fixed time has elapsed since the sound increase switch 17 is turned on (generation of an alarm sound increase command), the control is advanced to step S64, and the increase of the alarm sound in step S62 is canceled. The volume level of the alarm sound (S sound, D sound, R sound) from the outside speaker 1 generated under the control of FIGS. 2 to 4 is reduced to a specified value.

  According to the alarm sound increase control described above, the driver increases the sound increase switch 17 when the surrounding people are difficult to hear the alarm sound from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle because of a noisy place such as the vicinity of the factory or downtown. When is pressed (step S61), the alarm sound (S sound, D sound, R sound) from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 emitted under the control of FIGS. 2 to 4 can be increased by increasing the volume level (step S62). ), People in the vicinity can hear the alarm sound from the speaker 1 outside the vehicle compartment even in noisy places such as around the factory and downtown.

  In this embodiment, the volume level of the alarm sound is increased by manually operating the sound increase switch 17 only when the driver determines that it is necessary. This is because the alarm sound emitted to the outside only needs to be heard by a person in the vicinity of the vehicle, and is preferably as small as possible. For example, when the volume level of the alarm sound is increased according to the external noise level, the volume level is arbitrarily increased even when the driver determines that it is unnecessary. The same applies to the case where the noise level is changed from the own vehicle position using the navigation system. In addition, the map information of the navigation system is often different from the actual one, and even in factories and downtowns, there are places where the noise level is low, so there is a high possibility that it does not match the actual situation. Therefore, it can be said that it is most preferable to increase the sound volume level based on the judgment of the driver.

By the way, if the driver presses the sound increase switch 17 to increase the alarm sound, when driving to a place that is not noisy (low noise level), such as a residential area, You will be bothered by a loud alarm.
In particular, in this embodiment, the forward warning sound (D sound) is an engine pseudo sound of a relatively high frequency range that is difficult to enter the vehicle interior from outside the vehicle compartment, and the forward warning sound (D sound) is heard by the driver in the vehicle interior. This makes it easy to forget to return (decrease) the volume level.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when the predetermined time has elapsed after the sound increase switch 17 is turned on (generation of the alarm sound increase command) (step S63), the increase in the alarm sound is canceled (step S64). The alarm sound (S sound, D sound, R sound) generated from the vehicle exterior speaker 1 generated under the control of FIGS. 2 to 4 can be lowered so that the volume level becomes a specified level.

  As a result, when the above-mentioned fixed time has passed since the sound-increasing switch 17 is turned on, it is determined that the vehicle has traveled to a quiet place such as a suburban area or a residential area. The alarm sound (S sound, D sound, R sound) will be reduced to the specified volume level, and the increase of the alarm sound due to the ON of the sound increase switch 17 will not continue forever, near the vehicle in a quiet place People who are in the area will not be bothered by loud alarm sounds.

  Here, the vehicle speed can be considered as a condition for canceling the alarm sound increase. That is, because the speed cannot be obtained in the downtown area, it can be determined that the downtown area has escaped from the downtown area to the suburbs and residential areas when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value. However, when the vehicle speed is set as a cancellation condition, if the vehicle speed remains low due to traffic congestion even after going out of the downtown area to the suburbs, there is a possibility that the increase of the alarm sound cannot be canceled. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, since the cancellation condition is the elapsed time from the ON of the sound increase switch 17, there is an advantage that the alarm sound increase can be canceled reliably regardless of traffic jams.

The alarm sound generating device according to the first embodiment has the following effects.
(1) The warning sound controller 12 automatically reduces the volume increased by the sound increase switch 17 when a predetermined condition is met, so that the driver can avoid forgetting to return after increasing the volume. It is possible to suppress an alarm sound having an excessive volume level from being emitted to a person.
(2) Since the alarm sound controller 12 returns the volume level to the specified volume level after a lapse of a certain time after the sound increase switch 17 is operated, the volume level can be surely returned to the specified volume level.

1 Speaker outside the vehicle (source for alarm outside the vehicle)
11 Car interior speakers (car interior alarm sound source)
12 Alarm sound controller (volume control means)
13 Range sensor
14 Vehicle speed sensor
15 Brake switch
16 Mute switch
17 Sound increase switch (switch)
18 Ignition switch
19 Obstacle approach distance sensor

Claims (2)

When the driver operates the switch, in the vehicle alarm sound generating device having a volume control means for increasing the volume of the alarm sound emitted outside the vehicle,
The sound volume control device according to claim 1, wherein the sound volume control means automatically reduces the sound volume increased by operating the switch when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The vehicle alarm sound generating device according to claim 1,
The sound volume control device according to claim 1, wherein the sound volume control means reduces the sound volume after a predetermined time has elapsed since the switch was operated.

Images