GENERATION DEVICE FOR VEHICLE-EVOCATIVE SOUND AND GENERATION METHOD FOR VEHICLE-EVOCATIVE SOUND

• US 20130016218A1
• Filed: 10/08/2010
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Tanaka, Junichi, Asao, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 9,393,906 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/00 Arrangement or adaptation of acoustic signal devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/008 for signaling silent vehicles, e.g. for warning that a hybrid or electric vehicle is approaching
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling

Abstract

Based on the current position of a vehicle MV detected by a position detection part 720, an acquisition part 730A acquires vehicle lane information including the vehicle lane number of the road upon which the vehicle MV is traveling, referring to map information contained in a storage part 710; then send it to a determination part 740. Based on the lane information from the part 730A, the part 740 determines the arrival range of vehicle-evocative sound from the vehicle to outside. Subsequently, based on the determined range, a control part 750 calculates predetermined volume of the sound from left and right speakers of a sound output part 760. As a result, the output of the sound is properly controlled, considering to the possibility that a subject to be alerted is present in the surroundings, which changes depending on the lane class of the road upon which the vehicle is traveling.

Claims

1. A vehicle-evocative sound generation device that outputs vehicle-evocative sound from a sound output part to the outside a vehicle comprising:

an acquisition part configured to acquire vehicle lane information including vehicle lane number information that specifies the vehicle lane numbers on the road upon which said vehicle is traveling;

a determination part configured to determine a vehicle-evocative sound arrival range over which vehicle-evocative sound outputted from said sound output part is to arrive, on the basis of said acquired vehicle lane information; and

a control part configured to control the output of vehicle-evocative sound from said sound output part to correspond to said determined vehicle-evocative sound arrival range.

2. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 1 further comprising:

a position detection part configured to detect the current position of said vehicle; and

a storage part configured to store map information including said vehicle lane number information for said road, wherein

said acquisition part acquires said vehicle lane information for said road by referring to said storage part on the basis of said current position detected by said acquisition part.

3. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 1, further comprising

a photography part configured to photograph images around the path along which the vehicle is traveling;

and

said acquisition part acquires said vehicle lane information for said road by analyzing said images photographed by said photography part.

4. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 1, wherein said determination part:

determines predetermined ranges symmetrical with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival ranges, when the number of vehicle lanes upon said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is one; and

determines a broader range than said predetermined range as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival range for the side with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle on which it is estimated that a pedestrian may be present, when the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is two or more.

5. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 1, wherein said determination part:

determines predetermined ranges symmetrical with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival ranges, when the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is one; and

determines a narrower range than said predetermined range as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival range for the side on which it is estimated that no pedestrian is present, if the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is two or more.

9. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 2, wherein said determination part:

determines predetermined ranges symmetrical with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival ranges, when the number of vehicle lanes upon said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is one; and

determines a broader range than said predetermined range as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival range for the side with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle on which it is estimated that a pedestrian may be present, when the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is two or more.

10. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 3, wherein said determination part:

determines predetermined ranges symmetrical with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival ranges, when the number of vehicle lanes upon said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is one; and

determines a broader range than said predetermined range as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival range for the side with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle on which it is estimated that a pedestrian may be present, when the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is two or more.

11. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 2, wherein said determination part:

determines predetermined ranges symmetrical with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival ranges, when the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is one; and

determines a narrower range than said predetermined range as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival range for the side on which it is estimated that no pedestrian is present, if the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is two or more.

12. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 3, wherein said determination part:

determines predetermined ranges symmetrical with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival ranges, when the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is one; and

determines a narrower range than said predetermined range as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival range for the side on which it is estimated that no pedestrian is present, if the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is two or more.

13. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 4, wherein said determination part:

determines predetermined ranges symmetrical with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival ranges, when the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is one; and

determines a narrower range than said predetermined range as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival range for the side on which it is estimated that no pedestrian is present, if the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is two or more.

14. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 9, wherein said determination part:

determines predetermined ranges symmetrical with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival ranges, when the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is one; and

determines a narrower range than said predetermined range as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival range for the side on which it is estimated that no pedestrian is present, if the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is two or more.

15. A generation device for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 10, wherein said determination part:

determines predetermined ranges symmetrical with respect to the direction of progression of said vehicle as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival ranges, when the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is one; and

determines a narrower range than said predetermined range as said vehicle-evocative sound arrival range for the side on which it is estimated that no pedestrian is present, if the vehicle lane number of said road upon which said vehicle is traveling is two or more.

6. A generation method for vehicle-evocative sound employed by a generation device for vehicle-evocative sound that outputs vehicle-evocative sound from a sound output part outside a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

acquiring vehicle lane information including vehicle lane number information that specifies the vehicle lane number on the road upon which said vehicle is traveling;

determining a vehicle-evocative sound arrival range over which vehicle-evocative sound outputted from said sound output part should arrive, on the basis of said acquired vehicle lane information; and

controlling the output of vehicle-evocative sound from said sound output part to correspond to said determined vehicle-evocative sound arrival range.

7. A generation program for vehicle-evocative sound, wherein it causes a calculation part to execute a generation method for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 6.

8. A recording medium, wherein a generation program for vehicle-evocative sound according to claim 7 is recorded thereon so as to be readable by a calculation part.