Voice warning system for an automotive vehicle with ready-to-drive sensor

• US 4,346,364 A
• Filed: 08/28/1980
• Issued: 08/24/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takagi, Kazumasa, Tsunoda, Masakazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, III, Glen R.
• Application Number:
  US06/182,239
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 340/692, 340/59, 340/52 D, 179/1 SM, 364/425, 364/424, 364/442
• US Class Current: 340/460
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L

Abstract

A voice warning system for an automotive vehicle informs the driver of the amount of remaining fuel in voice form whenever the driver inserts the ignition key. The system comprises a fuel amount sensing unit, a ready-to-drive sensor, a voice output selector for selectively outputting a voice output designation signal according to the signal from the fuel amount sensing unit, and a voice memory where various voice outputs are stored and are outputted in accordance with the designation signal. The ready-to-drive sensor may be a key sensing switch, a seat switch, or the ignition switch. In addition, a voice warning volume is set in accordance with the car radio system volume setting via a volume memory and a voice volume selector. The voice warning sound volume is adjusted and outputted by an electronic volume controller and a speaker of the car radio system. Additionally, a timer may be used to disenable the system for a predetermined delay interval or according to a predetermined schedule.

Claims

1. A voice warning system for an automotive vehicle, which comprises:

(a) fuel amount sensing means for detecting the amount of remaining fuel;

(b) ready-to-drive sensing means for detecting that the driver is ready to drive;

(c) a voice output selector for selectively outputting a voice output designation signal in accordance with a signal from said fuel amount sensing means whenever the signal from said ready-to-drive sensing menas is input thereto;

(d) a voice memory for storing necessary voice outputs and for outputting a series of voice signals V_s in accordance with the voice output designation signal D_s from said voice output selector,

whereby the amount of remaining fuel is informed to the driver in voice form whenever the driver is ready to drive.

2. A voice warning system for an automative vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ready-to-drive sensing means comprises a timer for disabling the detection function thereof for a predetermined period of time after detecting a state of ready-to-drive and outputting a signal to said voice output selector, so that it is possible to prevent such nuisance that voice warning information is repeated many times within a short time.

3. A voice warning system for an automative vehicle as set forth in claim 2, which further comprises:

(a) an electronic volume controller for controlling the level of voice signal V_s outputted from said voice memory;

(b) a volume memory for storing the volume setting of other audio equipment within the automotive vehicle; and

(c) a voice volume selector for determining the voice volume according to the degree of urgency of the remaining fuel amount in accordance with a voice volume designation signal D_v from said voice output selector and according to the degree of voice volume of other audio equipment provided within the same vehicle in accordance with a sound volume signal V_m from said volume memory, by outputting a volume control signal C_v to said electronic volume controller.

4. A voice warning system for an automotive vehicle as set forth in claim 3, wherein said fuel amount sensing means comprises:

(a) a fuel amount sensor for producing a voltage signal V_G indicating the amount of remaining fuel;

(b) a voltage-frequency converter for converting the analog signal V_G into a frequency signal S_F ;

(c) a waveform shaper for shaping the frequency signal S_F into a rectangular wave pulse signal S_k ;

(d) a one-shot multivibrator for producing a pulse signal with a pulsewidth of predetermined period T; and

(e) a counter for counting the pulses of the pulse signal S_k, only during a period of time determined by said one-shot multivibrator.

5. A voice warning system for an automotive vehicle as set forth in claim 4, which further comprises an audio amplifier for amplifying the voice information outputted from said electronic volume controller.

6. A voice warning system for an automotive vehicle as set forth in any of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 wherein said voice output selector outputs a voice output designation signal D_s to said voice memory only when said fuel amount sensing means detects that the amount of remaining fuel is below a predetermined level.

7. A voice warning system for an automotive vehicle as set forth in any of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein said ready-to-drive sensing means is a key sensing switch which detects when an ignition key is inserted into a key hole.

8. A voice warning system for an automotive vehicle as set forth in any of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein said ready-to-drive sensing means is a seat switch which detects that the driver is sitting in the seat for driving.

9. A voice warning system for an automotive vehicle as set forth in claim 2, which further comprises a repeat switch to output selectively voice information even while the timer is disabling the detection function thereof, whenever the driver wants to hear the voice information.

10. A voice warning system for an automotive vehicle comprising:

(a) a fuel amount sensor for detecting the quantity of remaining fuel;

(b) a ready-to-drive sensor for detecting that the driver is ready to use the vehicle;

(c) a clock for outputting a BCD clock signal S_T indicative of the time;

(d) a repeat switch for actuating the system when actuated by a vehicle user;

(e) a volume control for adjusting the sound volume of other audio equipment in the vehicle; and

(f) a voice synthesizer system responsive to the signals from the fuel amount sensor, the ready-to-drive sensor, the clock, the repeat switch, and the volume control for generating and outputting a voice warning indicative of the remaining fuel quantity when the ready-to-drive sensor produces a signal S_a indicating that the driver is ready to use the vehicle or when the repeat switch is actuated, and for generating and outputting a time information message in response to the ready-to-drive sensor signal S_a and the BCD clock signal S_T.

11. The voice warning system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said voice synthesizer system comprises:

(a) an interface for converting the outputs of the fuel amount sensor, the ready-to-drive sensor, the clock, the repeat switch, and the volume control to digital signals;

(b) a linear-predictive-coding-type voice synthesizer responsive to the signals from the interface for generating a voice warning signal V_s when the ready-to-drive sensor signal S_a is produced or when the repeat switch is actuated, for generating a time information message signal in response to the ready-to-drive sensor signal S_s and the BCD clock signal S_T, and for generating a volume control signal C_v in response to the output from the volume control, the volume control signal C_v being output through said interface; and

(c) an electronic volume controller responsive to the time information message signal, the voice warning signal V_s, and the volume control signal C_v for adjusting the volume level of the voice warning signal V_s and the time information message signal according to the volume control signal C_v, and for outputting said adjusted signals through the other audio equipment of the vehicle.

12. The voice warning system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the time information message is outputted only when the BCD clock signal indicates that the time is between about 4:

00 AM and about noon.

13. The voice warning system as set forth in any one of claims 10, 11, or 12, wherein the ready-to-drive sensor is a key sensing switch for producing a signal when a key is inserted into the ignition key cylinder.

14. The voice warning system as set forth in any one of claims 10, 11 or 12, wherein the ready-to-drive sensor is a seat switch for producing a signal when a weight commensurate to a human body is applied to the driver'"'"'s seat.