JPH0418576B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a rear warning system for a running vehicle that detects an obstacle when a running vehicle such as an automobile is backing up and provides a warning and information regarding the obstacle to the driver.

Generally, as shown in Figure 1, for example, two ultrasonic transmitters TX1, TX2 and one ultrasonic receiver RX are attached to the rear of the vehicle body, and the transmitted ultrasonic waves are transmitted by sequentially switching the channels of the combination of transmitting and receiving. The presence or absence of an obstacle is detected based on whether the sound wave is reflected by obstacle 1 or 2 and received, and when obstacle 1 or 2 is detected, a warning is given to the driver and ultrasonic waves are transmitted. The distance to obstacle 1 or 2 is measured based on the time from the time it is received until it is received.
Or, determine the direction of 2 (in the case of the figure, when the rear of the vehicle is divided into two regions, left and right, obstacle 1
A rear warning system for a running vehicle has been developed that displays the determined distance and direction on a display device to provide information about obstacles to the driver.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a rear warning system for a vehicle that can optimally perform rear warning depending on the driving operation of the vehicle, especially when the vehicle is backing up.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 2, the basic configuration of the rear warning system for a running vehicle according to the present invention is as shown in FIG.
1, TX2 and ultrasonic receivers RX1, RX2,
A gear shift position sensor S1 detects whether the vehicle's gear shift position is in the back while sequentially switching channels based on each combination of transmission and reception, and a brake sensor detects whether the vehicle's brakes are applied. S2 and the vehicle speed sensor S3, which detects whether the vehicle speed is below a certain level (for example, 20 km/h or below), determine whether there is an obstacle behind the vehicle or not based on the reception status of each receiver RX1 and RX2. A signal processing unit (CPU) 1 that detects and determines the distance and direction of the detected obstacle, as well as centrally controls the entire system; an alarm display device 2 that displays the distance and direction of the system; and an operating device 3 that turns on the main power 4 to the system, gives appropriate display commands to the signal processing device 1, and displays the status of the system.
It is composed of: In addition, in this embodiment, two ultrasonic transmitters TX1, TX2 and 2 are used.
Two ultrasonic receivers RX1 and RX2 (each amplifies the received wave to stabilize the received signal and remove noise,
As shown in FIG. 3, each obstacle 1, 2, and 3 in a region divided into three regions at the rear of the vehicle can be detected by appropriately combining the sensors (having a detection function). Further, the alarm display device 2 is provided with a buzzer, a display, and their drivers inside, and as shown in FIG. Distance to object in 0.1m increments of 2 significant figures
It consists of a distance display section with digital digit display and a system operation indicator lamp W. The obstacle detection capability of this system is set to be able to detect obstacles within a range of, for example, 2.0 m behind the vehicle and 1.6 m in the left and right directions. Further, the warning display device 2 is installed in the rear part of the vehicle interior at a position where the driver can see the display surface without obstructing the driver's rear field of view when backing up. Further, the operating device 3
As shown in the figure, the main power switches M and SW, the display switches D and SW, and the alarm lamps L1 and D that are lit when an obstacle is detected.
It consists of a lamp L2 that lights up when the SW is pressed, and a lamp L3 that flashes when there is an error in the system (drivers for various lamps are built-in).
It is attached to the instrument panel of the driver's seat, allowing the driver to operate switches and check the status of the system. Further, the gear shift position sensor S1 and the brake sensor S2 may not be specially provided, and may be configured to provide a back clamp lighting signal and a brake lamp lighting signal in the vehicle to the signal processing device.

In the rear warning system for a running vehicle configured as described above, in particular, the present invention is designed to test the operation of the warning display device 2 and optimize it according to the driving operation when the vehicle is backing up after the main power source 4 is turned on to the system. The objective is to take steps to carry out rearward vigilance in stages.

That is, first, when the main power switch M/SW of the operating device 3 is pressed to turn on the main power 4 to the system and the vehicle is put into reverse gear, the detection output of the gear shift position sensor S1 is activated. Then, the signal processing device 1 enters the test mode and gives each drive command to the buzzer and direction indicator lamp to the alarm display device 2, causing the buzzer to sound and all the lamps D1, D2, and D3 to turn on for a short period of time (about 0.8 seconds). This causes the driver to check whether the warning display is normally displayed. In addition, the main power supply 4
When the gear is put into reverse when the system is turned on, the signal processing device 1 turns on the lamp W in the alarm display device 2 to indicate that the system is in operation. Furthermore, when a gear shift is made instantaneously and the gear is placed in the back position for, for example, about 0.5 seconds, the signal processing device 1 does not respond in any way to prevent the system from operating.

Next, after the test mode is completed, the signal processing device 1
detects that the vehicle's gear is continuously in the back position and enters obstacle detection mode. The signal processing device 1 transmits ultrasonic waves and puts the receiver in a driving state,
The reception status of the receivers RX1 and RX2 is sequentially switched and read, and the presence or absence of an obstacle in each direction is detected. When an obstacle is detected, the direction indicator lamps D1, D2, and D in the alarm display device 2 are activated.
3 lights up at the same time, and a buzzer sounds for a short period of time (approximately 0.8 seconds) to alert the driver. Note that, at this time, the direction and distance of the obstacle are not yet displayed. Further, when the gear position is shifted from back to another position, the system is brought to a halt and the lamp W is turned off. If you shift the gear into reverse again, the system will be activated again, but if the gear is shifted to a position other than reverse for less than 10 seconds, it will not respond and test mode will not be executed. There is. Furthermore, when no obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection mode, the alarm display device 2 does not operate at all, and its operation indicator lamp W remains lit. Note that this obstacle detection mode is executed without the condition that the vehicle is stopped or running, but when the vehicle is traveling forward at a certain speed or higher (for example, 20 km/h or higher), then According to the output of the vehicle speed sensor S3, the signal processing device 1 forcibly brings the system to a halt state.

Next, when the driver operates the vehicle's brakes in the obstacle detection mode and presses the display switch D/SW on the operating device 3, the signal processing device 1 indicates that the vehicle is in the brake operating state and the gear is in the operating state. When it detects that the vehicle is in reverse or that the gear is shifted to a position other than reverse, it enters the obstacle detail display mode. In that case, the signal processing device 1 determines the direction of the obstacle behind the vehicle according to the obstacle detection state by the ultrasonic receiver RX1 or RX2, and displays each direction on the warning display device 2 according to the result. Lamp D
1, D2, and D3 are lit appropriately. At the same time, the signal processing device 1 calculates the distance to the nearest obstacle based on the time from when the ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is reflected by the nearest obstacle and received, and the signal processing device 1 calculates the distance to the nearest obstacle, The display unit digitally displays the distance in units of 0 and 1 m. Further, by pressing the display switch D/SW again, the detailed display mode is canceled and the system is brought to a halt state.

In addition, the signal processing device 1 has a system self-check function, and checks the ultrasonic transmitters TX1, TX2 and the ultrasonic receiver RX at appropriate timing.
1. Set RX2 to driving state, and each receiver
The sensitivity of RX1 and RX2 is increased so that they can directly receive the test transmission wave even without a reflective object, and when a received signal cannot be obtained from each receiver RX1 and RX2, the lamp L3 in the operating device 3 is turned off. It blinks to indicate a system error. At the same time, the signal processing device 1 performs computer running according to a predetermined system control program, and when an abnormality is detected in the control operation, the lamp L3 is blinked to indicate an abnormality in the system.

In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, each area when the rear of the vehicle is divided into a plurality of areas using two ultrasonic receivers RX1 and RX2 or using a larger number of ultrasonic receivers. The signal processing device 1 sequentially switches to detect the presence or absence of an obstacle in It is also possible to detect the presence or absence of obstacles in each area by sequentially switching channels based on a combination of transmitters and receivers.

As described above, the rear warning system for a running vehicle according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver provided to be able to detect obstacles behind the vehicle;
In addition to detecting obstacles and calculating information about the obstacles such as distance and direction according to the signals received by the receiver, there is also a signal processing device that controls the entire system, and a signal processing device that issues an alarm when an obstacle is detected. and a display device that displays information regarding obstacles, the display device having a display mode in which only the presence or absence of the obstacle is displayed, and a direction and distance of the detected obstacle. This system is equipped with a switch that can selectively switch between the detailed display mode and the detailed display mode.When an obstacle is detected when the vehicle is backing up, the system immediately displays the detection status of the obstacle in the all-in-one display mode so that the driver can If necessary, when the driver wants to know detailed information about the detected obstacle, such as when parking the vehicle, the driver can switch to the detailed display mode and view the area behind the vehicle. It has the excellent advantage of being able to grasp the situation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a combination of ultrasonic transmitter and receiver when each obstacle can be detected in an area divided into two areas at the rear of the vehicle, and Fig. 2 is a rear view warning of a running vehicle according to the present invention. A block configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the system, Figure 3 shows the rear of the vehicle.
A diagram showing the combination of ultrasonic transmitter and receiver when detecting each obstacle when divided, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the display surface in the alarm display device of the same embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the display surface in the alarm display device of the same embodiment FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an example operating device. 1...Signal processing device, 2...Alarm display device, 3
...Operation device, 4...Main power supply, TX1, TX2...
...Ultrasonic transmitter, RX1, RX2...Ultrasonic receiver, 1-3...Obstacle, D1-D3...Direction indicator lamp, W...Operation indicator lamp, M/SW...
…Main power switch, D/SW…display switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic transmitter and receiver installed to be able to detect obstacles behind the vehicle, detect obstacles and determine information about the obstacles according to the received signals of the receiver, and In a rear warning system for a running vehicle, which includes a signal processing device that controls the entire system and a display device that displays information regarding the obstacle when the obstacle is detected, the display mode of the display device includes the presence of an obstacle. , a rear warning system for a running vehicle, characterized in that it is provided with a switch means that can selectively switch between a batch display mode in which only nothing is displayed and a detailed display mode in which the direction and distance of detected obstacles are displayed. system.