VEHICLE PRESENCE NOTIFICATION APPARATUS

• US 20130106590A1
• Filed: 10/29/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Hamanako Denso Company Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Hamanako Denso Company Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: NAKAYAMA, Toshiaki, Suzuki, Koji, Hanada, Keijirou
• Granted Patent: US 8,933,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/42 Means to improve acoustic vehicle detection by humans
• 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 5/008 for signaling silent vehicles, e.g. for warning that a hybrid or electric vehicle is approaching
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2857 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/30 Combinations of transducers with horns, e.g. with mechanical matching means , i.e. front-loaded hornshorns in general G10K; transducer enclosures or mountings using a back-loaded horn H04R1/2861; application of horns as guiding means to obtain a predetermined directivity characteristic H04R1/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle presence notification apparatus notifying a presence of a vehicle includes an alarm device and a dynamic speaker. The alarm device includes an alarm generator generating an alarm sound and an acoustic tube through which the alarm sound is emitted outside of the vehicle. The dynamic speaker generates a notification sound with audible frequency. The dynamic speaker is fixed to the acoustic tube and emits the notification sound inside of the acoustic tube, such that the notification sound is generated outside of the vehicle through the acoustic tube.

Claims

1. A vehicle presence notification apparatus notifying a presence of a vehicle comprising:

an alarm device including

an alarm generator generating an alarm sound, and

an acoustic tube through which the alarm sound is emitted outside of the vehicle; and

a dynamic speaker generating a notification sound with audible frequency, wherein

the dynamic speaker is fixed to the acoustic tube and emits the notification sound inside of the acoustic tube, such that the notification sound is generated outside of the vehicle through the acoustic tube.

2. The vehicle presence notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the dynamic speaker is constructed of a piezoelectric speaker generating an audible sound.

3. The vehicle presence notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the acoustic tube is constructed of a swirl-shaped horn, and

the dynamic speaker is disposed to oppose to the alarm generator through the acoustic tube.

4. The vehicle presence notification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing receiving the dynamic speaker, wherein

the housing having a communication port communicating with the acoustic tube, a sound wave emitted from the dynamic speaker being introduced into the acoustic tube through the communication port,

the housing is defined to have an inside volume,

the communication port is defined to have a length corresponding to a wall thickness of the housing, and an aperture area,

the housing and the communication port construct a resonator with a resonant frequency, and

the resonant frequency is configured to agree with a resonance peak frequency peculiar to the acoustic tube by changing at least one of the inside volume of the housing, the length of the communication port, and the aperture area of the communication port.

5. The vehicle presence notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic speaker generates a sound different from the notification sound based on an operation signal output from an apparatus different from the vehicle present notification apparatus.

6. The vehicle presence notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alarm generator generates a warning sound based on an operation signal output from an apparatus different from a horn button that is operated by an occupant of the vehicle.