Voice warning system for vehicles

• US 4,383,241 A
• Filed: 10/23/1981
• Issued: 05/10/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Kojima, Akira, Okamoto, Atutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, Sr., John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nowicki, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US06/314,414
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 340/21 R, 340/27 R, 340/52 R, 340/52 D, 340/52 F, 340/517, 340/518, 340/519, 340/520, 340/521, 340/523, 340/692, 179/1 SM, 179/1 SA
• US Class Current: 340/460
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L

Abstract

A voice warning system for vehicles adapted to give a voice warning of a specified condition detected by one of a plurality of sensors in one of a plurality of items of a vehicle which are to be checked, includes a rank selector switch which classifies the items to be checked into a plurality of ranks of different priorities whereby when a given one of the ranks is selected, the generation of a voice warning is inhibited even if a specified condition is detected in any one of the items belonging to the rank or ranks lower in priority than the selected rank.

Claims

1. A voice warning system for vehicles comprising:

a plurality of sensors each of which detects a specified condition of one of a plurality of items of a vehicle which are to be detected and generates a detection signal;

encoder means responsive to said detection signal to generate a code signal indicative of corresponding one of said items and an interruption operation command signal;

voice generating means including means storing warning voice data corresponding to each of said items to be detected to generate a warning voice;

externally-operated command means for establishing a plurality of ranks of different priorities to classify said items correspondingly and selecting one of said ranks to inhibit said voice generating means from generating warning voices corresponding to particular one or more of said ranks; and

computing means responsive to said encoder means and said externally-operated means to control said voice generating means to inhibit the generation of warning voices corresponding to one or more of said ranks lower in priority than said selected rank, said computing means including first memory means responsive to said interruption operation command signal and said code signal to store said code signal, means for determining one of said ranks corresponding to said code signal, second memory means for storing said determined rank, comparing means for comparing said stored rank with said rank selected by said externally-operated command means to cause said voice generating means to generate a warning voice when said stored rank is not lower in priority than said selected rank, and counter means whereby after the generation of said warning voice a code signal corresponding to another higher-priority one of said ranks is read from said first memory means to cause the generation of another warning voice.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said externally-operated command means comprises rank selecting switch means for establishing a plurality of ranks of different priorities to classify said items to be detected correspondingly to inhibit the generation of warning voices corresponding to a selected one of said ranks and lower-priority one or ones of said ranks.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising means responsive to said encoder means to cause the generation of a warning voice corresponding to a specified condition detected by each said sensor irrespective of a command from said externally-operated command means.

4. A voice warning system for vehicles comprising:

a plurality of sensors each of which detects a specified condition of one of a plurality of items of a vehicle which are to be detected;

voice generating means for giving a voice warning of said specified condition detected by each said sensor;

command means externally operable to generate a command to selectively inhibit said voice warning of sensor detected specified conditions with respect to said items; and

control means responsive to said command from said command means for controlling said voice generating means so as to inhibit said voice warnings corresponding to said command;

said externally-operated command means comprising rank selecting switch means for establishing a plurality of ranks of different priorities to classify said items to be detected correspondingly to inhibit the generation of warning voices corresponding to a selected one of said ranks and lower-priority one or ones of said ranks.