Alert apparatus for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11040656-B2
Application number	US-201916520993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2019
Priority date	Oct 9, 2018
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

Provided is an alert apparatus for a vehicle configured to: in a case where a connection state of a switch is an off state, determine whether or not there is an alert-target object based on vehicle peripheral information which has been acquired until an off time point at which the connection state of the switch is changed to the off state, the alert-target object being a moving object to be alerted when an occupant of the vehicle gets out of the vehicle; and configured to, when determining that there is the alert-target object, cause an alerting device to perform an alerting operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An alert apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
a power supply device mounted in the vehicle;
a switch, a connection state of the switch being changed from an off state to an on state when a driver of the vehicle drives the vehicle, and being changed from the on state to the off state when the driver stops driving the vehicle;
an information acquisition device connected to the power supply device via the switch, wherein the information acquisition device is supplied with electric power from the power supply device when the connection state of the switch is the on state, the information acquisition device being configured to acquire vehicle peripheral information including information on a moving object which is present at least behind the vehicle through use of the supplied electric power;
a memory that stores the vehicle peripheral information acquired while the connection state of the switch is the on state;
an alerting device configured to be supplied with the electric power from the power supply device regardless of whether the connection state of the switch is the on state or the off state, the alerting device being further configured to perform an alerting operation for alerting an occupant of the vehicle through use of the supplied electric power; and
a controller configured to be supplied with the electric power from the power supply device regardless of whether the connection state of the switch is the on state or the off state, the controller being programmed to:
during a period of time when the connection state of the switch is the off state, determine whether or not there is an alert-target object based on the vehicle peripheral information that was stored in the memory while the connection state of the switch was the on state, the alert-target object being a moving object to be alerted when the occupant gets out of the vehicle;
calculate a predicted time until the moving object reaches a predetermined area defined on the basis of the vehicle; and
determine that the moving object is the alert-target object based on the predicted time,
cause the alerting device to perform the alerting operation when (i) the connection state of the switch is the on state and (ii) the predicted time is equal to or shorter than a predetermined first time threshold; and
cause the alerting device to perform the alerting operation when (i) the connection state of the switch is the off state and (ii) the predicted time is equal to or shorter than a predetermined second time threshold, wherein the predetermined second time threshold is longer than the predetermined first time threshold.

2. An alert apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
a power supply device mounted in the vehicle;
a switch, a connection state of the switch being changed from an off state to an on state when a driver of the vehicle drives the vehicle, and being changed from the on state to the off state when the driver stops driving the vehicle;
an information acquisition device connected to the power supply device via the switch, wherein the information acquisition device is supplied with electric power from the power supply device when the connection state of the switch is the on state, the information acquisition device being configured to acquire vehicle peripheral information including information on a moving object which is present at least behind the vehicle through use of the supplied electric power;
a memory that stores the vehicle peripheral information acquired while the connection state of the switch is the on state;
an alerting device configured to be supplied with the electric power from the power supply device regardless of whether the connection state of the switch is the on state or the off state, the alerting device being further configured to perform an alerting operation for alerting an occupant of the vehicle through use of the supplied electric power, and
a controller configured to be supplied with the electric power from the power supply device regardless of whether the connection state of the switch is the on state or the off state, the controller being programmed to:
during a period of time when the connection state of the switch is the off state, determine whether or not there is an alert-target object based on the vehicle peripheral information that was stored in the memory while the connection state of the switch was the on state, the alert-target object being a moving object to be alerted when the occupant gets out of the vehicle;
calculate a relative distance between the moving object and a predetermined area defined on the basis of the vehicle; and
determine that the moving object is the alert-target object based on the relative distance,
cause the alerting device to perform the alerting operation when (i) the connection state of the switch is the on state and (ii) the relative distance is equal to or shorter than a predetermined first distance threshold; and
cause the alerting device to perform the alerting operation when (i) the connection state of the switch is the off state and (ii) the relative distance is equal to or shorter than a predetermined second distance threshold, wherein the predetermined second distance threshold is longer than the predetermined first distance threshold.

3. The alert apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the alert device includes a lighting device, a display device, and a sound production device,
wherein the controller is further programmed to:
when determining that there is the alert-target object in the case where the connection state of the switch is the on state, cause the alert device to perform a first alerting operation as the alerting operation; and
when determining that there is the alert-target object in the case where the connection state of the switch is the off state, cause the alert device to perform a second alerting operation as the alerting operation,

wherein the first alerting operation includes lighting of the lighting device, displaying on the display device, and sounding of the sound production device, and the second alerting operation includes lighting of the lighting device and displaying of the display device without sounding of the sound production device.

4. The alert apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the alert device includes a lighting device, a display device, and a sound production device,
wherein the controller is further programmed to:
when determining that there is the alert-target object in the case where the connection state of the switch is the on state, cause the alert device to perform a first alerting operation as the alerting operation; and
when determining that there is the alert-target object in the case where the connection state of the switch is the off state, cause the alert device to perform a second alerting operation as the alerting operation,

wherein the first alerting operation includes lighting of the lighting device, displaying on the display device, and sounding of the sound production device, and the second alerting operation includes lighting of the lighting device and displaying of the display device, without sounding of the sound production device.

5. An alert apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
a power supply device including a battery and an alternator, mounted in a vehicle, configured to supply electric power,
a switch, a connection state of the switch being changed from an off state to an on state when a driver of the vehicle drives the vehicle, and being changed from the on state to the off state when the driver stops driving the vehicle;
a vehicle peripheral sensor, including at least one of: a radar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a camera, connected to the power supply device via the switch and supplied with electric power from the power supply device when the connecti

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fukuta Junya

Classifications

• G08G1/166

  for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes · CPC title

• B60Q9/00 Primary

  Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} · CPC title

• B60R16/03

  for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} · CPC title

• G01S13/58

  Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems · CPC title

• B60Q9/008 Primary

  for anti-collision purposes · CPC title