JPH1031070A - Vehicle rear monitoring alarm device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a driver from feeling an uneasiness by flashing a LED by a reflected wave confirming and detecting means when a reflected wave can not be received although an ultrasonic sensor is normal to notify that monitoring of obstruction is normally performed, and changing the LED To emit light according to the distance after the obstruction is detected. SOLUTION: A reflected wave confirming and detecting means 3 detects whether the reflected wave from an obstruction of an ultrasonic wave transmitted from an ultrasonic sensor 1 is returned or not, and flashes one color of LED 6 when it is not returned. An abnormality detecting means 4 detects the state where the ultrasonic wave can not be normally transmitted and received because of the disconnection of the ultrasonic sensor 1, and inputs it to the reflected wave confirming and detecting means 3. The flashing of the LED 6 is performed when this abnormality is not detected. The LED 6 is flashed until an obstruction in the rear of a vehicle is detected, thereby notifying a driver that the monitoring is normally performed. After the obstruction is detected, the LED 6 is switched to change the emitted color to notify of the approaching degree to the obstruction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle rear monitoring alarm device (back sonar) for detecting an obstacle behind a vehicle when the vehicle moves backward and informing the driver of the obstacle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional vehicle rearward monitoring / warning apparatus (back sonar) is constituted by a circuit block as shown in FIG. 2 and uses an ultrasonic wave to determine the distance to an obstacle behind the vehicle when the vehicle is moved backward. The sounding method of the buzzer 8 is changed by the buzzer drive control means 7 in accordance with the distance to the obstacle detected by the sensor and, for example, a beep, a beep, a beep, or a continuous beep is given to the driver. It was to notify the degree of approach to obstacles.

[0003]

However, in a conventional vehicle rearward monitoring alarm system (back sonar), the buzzer sounding method is changed according to the distance to the obstacle to notify the driver of the approaching degree to the obstacle. Therefore, the sound was sometimes bothersome to the driver. Also,
In recent vehicles, when the shift lever is set to the reverse position, a buzzer sounds to notify the driver that the vehicle is backing and to warn the driver. The sound is mixed with the sound of a buzzer that informs the driver of the driver's approach to an obstacle, which makes it difficult for the driver to recognize it.

In order to solve such a problem, there has been proposed a vehicle rearward monitoring and alarming device as shown in FIG. 3, which changes the emission color of a display unit in accordance with the distance between the vehicle and an obstacle. However, in this type of vehicle rear monitoring and warning device, when the vehicle is moved backward, when there is no obstacle in the detection range of the ultrasonic sensor and the vehicle is not detecting the obstacle, for example, only green light is emitted, Until the driver continued to retreat and approached the obstacle and the emission color changed, the driver did not know whether the device was operating normally and was monitoring the obstacle, and during this time the driver was worried. .

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and has a transmitting / receiving ultrasonic sensor 1 for transmitting an ultrasonic wave and receiving a reflected wave from an obstacle. Connected to the ultrasonic sensor 1 to output a reflection time signal corresponding to the time from transmission of the ultrasonic wave to reception of the reflected wave by performing transmission driving of the ultrasonic sensor and shaping the amplified waveform of the received wave. When the circuit means 2 and the reflection time signal are input and the reflection time is shorter than a predetermined time,
A plurality of reflection time determination means 5 each having a different determination time for outputting an alarm signal, and a light emission which is connected to each of the plurality of reflection time determination means and whose lighting is controlled by an alarm signal output from the reflection time determination means. In a vehicle having a light emitting diode 6 of a different color, and a vehicle rear monitoring alarm device configured to change a light emitting color of a light emitting diode that emits light in accordance with a distance from an obstacle,

A reflected wave confirmation detecting means connected to the ultrasonic sensor 1 for detecting whether or not the reflected wave returns, and outputting an output signal to the reflection time determining means 5 when the reflected wave does not return. 3 and an abnormality detecting means 4 which is also connected to the ultrasonic sensor 1 and detects an abnormality of the ultrasonic sensor whose output is inputted to the reflected wave confirmation detecting means 3. When a reflected wave cannot be received even though the LED is normal, one or more color LEDs of the light emitting diode are turned on or off by a signal output from the reflected wave confirmation detecting means 3. A rear-vehicle monitoring and warning device that normally monitors obstacles by blinking a light emitting diode until an ultrasonic sensor detects an obstacle behind the vehicle. To the driver, and after detecting an obstacle, by changing the light emitting diode that emits light according to the distance, to obtain a vehicle rear monitoring alarm device that enables the driver to retreat the vehicle with peace of mind. The purpose is.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle rear monitoring and alarming device according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes an ultrasonic sensor which is attached to the rear of the vehicle, emits ultrasonic waves toward the rear of the vehicle, and controls obstacles. , Which is a transmission / reception sensor that receives a reflected wave from the device, is connected to the circuit means 2, and the circuit means 2 drives the transmission of the ultrasonic sensor 1 and forms an amplified waveform of the received wave, and transmits the ultrasonic wave. And outputs a reflection time signal corresponding to the time until the reflected wave is received.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a reflected wave confirmation detecting means, which detects whether or not the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 1 from the obstacle returns, and when the reflected wave does not return. The light emitting diode of one color or a plurality of colors of the light emitting diode 6 is turned on and off, and in this embodiment, the light emitting diode of green is turned on and off. Reference numeral 4 denotes an abnormality detecting means, which normally transmits ultrasonic waves due to disconnection or freezing of the ultrasonic sensor, attachment of foreign matter, and the like.
The state in which reception is not possible is detected by the waveform.
The output of the abnormality detecting means is input to the reflected wave confirmation detecting means 3, and the light emitting diode 6 is turned on and off when the abnormality detecting means does not detect the abnormality of the ultrasonic sensor. Reference numeral 5 denotes a reflection time determination means, which is composed of a plurality of pieces each having a different determination time for outputting an alarm signal as compared with the reflection time signal. Reference numeral 6 denotes a light emitting diode whose lighting is controlled by an alarm signal output from the reflected wave confirmation detecting means 3. The vehicle rear monitoring and alerting device of the present invention is configured as described above, and blinks the light emitting diode until the ultrasonic sensor detects an obstacle behind the vehicle to confirm that the obstacle is normally monitored. Notifying the driver, detecting the obstacle, and then changing the emission color by switching the light emitting diode that emits light according to the distance, notifies the driver of the normal monitoring operation of the device and notifies the driver of the obstacle. It functions to notify the degree of approach of the vehicle.

[0009]

As described above, the vehicle rear monitoring and alarming device of the present invention normally monitors an obstacle by blinking a light emitting diode until the ultrasonic sensor detects the obstacle behind the vehicle. After detecting the obstacle, the driver changes the light emission color by switching the light emitting diode according to the distance to notify the driver of the normal monitoring operation of the device and to notify the driver of the obstacle. It functions to notify the degree of approach to an object. As in the past, the buzzer sounding method is changed according to the distance to the obstacle, and the driver is not notified of the approaching degree to the obstacle, so that the sound is not bothersome to the driver, and in recent vehicles, Even if the buzzer sounds to alert the people around the vehicle when the shift lever is set to the reverse position, the sound of the buzzer and obstacles of the vehicle rear monitoring and alarm system (back sonar) There was no longer a problem that the driver would not be able to distinguish the sound because it was mixed with the sound of a buzzer indicating that the driver was approaching.

[0010] Further, by flashing the light emitting diode until an obstacle is detected, the driver is informed that the obstacle is being monitored normally. Therefore, the degree of approach to an obstacle can be clearly notified without causing the driver to feel troublesome and uneasy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a vehicle rear monitoring alarm device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of a conventional rear obstacle detection device using a buzzer.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of a conventional rear obstacle detection device based on emission colors of light emitting diodes.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic sensor 2 Circuit means 3 Reflection wave confirmation detection means 4 Abnormality detection means 5 Reflection time determination means 6 Light emitting diode 7 Buzzer drive control means 8 Buzzer

Claims (1)

[Claims] An ultrasonic sensor for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave and receiving a reflected wave from an obstacle, which is connected to the ultrasonic sensor for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave and for shaping an amplified waveform of a received wave. Circuit means 2 for outputting a reflection time signal corresponding to the time from transmitting the ultrasonic wave to receiving the reflected wave, and an alarm when the reflection time signal is input and the reflection time is shorter than a predetermined time. The decision time to output the signal is
It has a plurality of different reflection time determining means 5 and a plurality of light emitting diodes 6 respectively connected to the plurality of reflection time determining means and having different emission colors, each of which is controlled to emit light by an alarm signal output from the reflection time determining means. Then, in the vehicle rear monitoring alarm device configured to change the emission color of the light emitting diode that emits light in accordance with the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, whether the reflected wave is returned by being connected to the ultrasonic sensor 1 The reflected wave confirmation detecting means 3 which outputs an output signal to the reflection time determination means 5 when the reflected wave is not returned after detecting whether or not the reflected wave is detected. By providing an abnormality detecting means 4 for detecting an abnormality of the ultrasonic sensor inputted to the detecting means 3, even though the ultrasonic sensor 1 is normal, When the reflected wave cannot be received, the reflected wave confirmation detecting means 3
A one-color or plural-color light emitting diode of the light emitting diode is turned on or off alternately by a signal output from the vehicle.