Vehicle presence alert apparatus

• US 8,248,273 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2010
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Electronics Corporation (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hayashi, Toshio, Nakayama, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US12/831,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20110032122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 340/943, 340/901, 340/902, 340/435, 340/903, 340/933, 367/99, 180/274, 280/735, 701/96, 701/93, 701/95, 701/300, 342/70, 342/71, 381/302, 381/77
• US Class Current: 340/943
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors

Abstract

A vehicle presence alert apparatus for alerting a target object to a presence of the vehicle via an alert sound with a frequency in an audible range is disclosed. The vehicle presence alert apparatus includes: a sound emitter configured to (i) cause a carrier wave with a frequency in an ultrasonic range to carry the alert sound, and (ii) emit the carrier wave carrying the alert sound as a radiation wave toward the target object; a sound receiver configured to receive a reflected wave, the reflected wave being generated due to reflection of the radiation wave by the target object; and relative velocity calculation means for calculating a relative velocity of the target object with respect to the vehicle based on a frequency of the radiation wave and a frequency of the reflected wave.

Claims

1. A vehicle presence alert apparatus for alerting a target object, which is movable relative to a vehicle, to a presence of the vehicle via an audible alert sound with a frequency in an audible range, the vehicle presence alert apparatus comprising:

a sound emitter that causes a carrier wave with a frequency in an ultrasonic range to carry the alert sound with a frequency in an audible range, and that emits the ultrasonic carrier wave carrying the audible frequency alert sound as an air pressure radiation wave toward the target object;

an air pressure wave receiver that receives a reflected air pressure wave generated by reflection of the radiation wave from the target object; and

a controller that calculates a relative velocity of the target object with respect to the vehicle based on a frequency of the emitted radiation wave and a frequency of the reflected wave.

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

the controller changes the frequency of the audible alert sound in accordance with the relative velocity.

3. The vehicle presence alert apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the controller compares (i) the frequency of the emitted radiation wave with (ii) the frequency of the received reflected wave in at least one of the audible range and the ultrasonic range, thereby calculating the relative velocity of the target object with respect to the vehicle; and

as the relative velocity and a rate of decrease in relative distance between the vehicle and the target object with time become larger, the controller increases the audible range frequency of the audible alert sound to alert the target object to rapid approach of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle presence alert apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound emitter comprises a parametric speaker.

5. A vehicle presence alert apparatus for alerting a target object, which is movable relative to a vehicle, to a presence of the vehicle via an alert sound with a frequency in an audible range, the vehicle presence alert apparatus comprising:

a sound emitter that causes a carrier wave with a frequency in an ultrasonic range to carry the alert sound, and that emits the carrier wave carrying the alert sound as a radiation wave toward the target object;

a sound receiver that receives a reflected wave generated from reflection the radiation wave by the target object; and

a controller that calculates a relative velocity of the target object with respect to the vehicle based on a frequency of the radiation wave and a frequency of the reflected wave wherein when regularly stopping emission of the radiation wave, the controller lengthens and shortens a period of stop of the emission of the radiation wave in accordance with the relative velocity.

6. The vehicle presence alert apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the controller compares (i) the frequency of the emitted radiation wave with (ii) the frequency of the received reflected wave in at least one of the audible range and the ultrasonic range, thereby calculating the relative velocity of the target object with respect to the vehicle; and

as the relative velocity and a rate of decrease in relative distance between the vehicle and the target object with time become larger, the controller shortens a period of stopping the emission of the radiation wave to alert the target object to rapid approach of the vehicle.