Notification device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11518303-B2
Application number	US-202017038673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2020
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

A notification device includes: a notification-sound output portion provided in a vehicle and configured to output a notification sound toward the outside of the vehicle; a notification display portion provided in the vehicle and configured to output a notification display toward the outside of the vehicle; a notification controlling portion configured to control the notification sound of the notification-sound output portion and the notification display of the notification display portion; and a stop-state determination portion configured to determine whether the vehicle during the automatic driving enters a stop state or not. When the stop-state determination portion determines that the vehicle during the automatic driving enters the stop state, the notification controlling portion outputs a stop-time notification sound as the notification sound by the notification-sound output portion and outputs a stop-time notification display as the notification display by the notification display portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A notification device provided in a vehicle that travels by automatic driving and configured to perform notification to surroundings around the vehicle, the notification device comprising:
a notification-sound output portion provided in the vehicle and configured to output a notification sound toward an outside of the vehicle;
a notification display portion provided in the vehicle and configured to output a notification display toward the outside of the vehicle;
a notification controlling portion configured to control the notification sound of the notification-sound output portion and the notification display of the notification display portion; and
a deceleration-state determination portion configured to determine whether the vehicle during the automatic driving enters a deceleration state or not,
wherein, when the deceleration-state determination portion determines that the vehicle during the automatic driving enters the deceleration state, the notification controlling portion outputs both a deceleration-state notification sound which indicates that the vehicle is decelerating as the notification sound by the notification-sound output portion and a deceleration-state notification display which indicates that the vehicle is decelerating as the notification display by the notification display portion.

2. The notification device according to claim 1 , wherein the deceleration-state notification sound is an intermittent sound.

3. The notification device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the deceleration-state notification sound changes in volume or frequency as time elapses;
the deceleration-state notification display changes in luminance or chromaticity as time elapses; and
the notification controlling portion causes the change of the deceleration-state notification sound to correspond to the change of the deceleration-state notification display.

4. The notification device according to claim 3 , wherein:
the deceleration-state notification sound is an intermittent sound;
the deceleration-state notification display is a flashing display; and
the notification controlling portion causes a sound-production timing of the deceleration-state notification sound as the intermittent sound to correspond to a lighting timing of the deceleration-state notification display as the flashing display.

5. The notification device according to claim 1 , wherein the deceleration state is a state in which the vehicle decelerates.

6. A notification device provided in a vehicle that travels by automatic driving and configured to perform notification to surroundings around the vehicle, the notification device comprising:
a notification-sound output portion provided in the vehicle and configured to output a notification sound toward an outside of the vehicle;
a notification display portion provided in the vehicle and configured to output a notification display toward the outside of the vehicle;
a notification controlling portion configured to control the notification sound of the notification-sound output portion and the notification display of the notification display portion; and
a deceleration-state determination portion configured to determine whether the vehicle during the automatic driving enters a deceleration state or not,
wherein, when the deceleration-state determination portion determines that the vehicle during the automatic driving enters the deceleration state, the notification controlling portion outputs a deceleration-state notification sound as the notification sound by the notification-sound output portion and outputs a deceleration-state notification display as the notification display by the notification display portion, the deceleration-state notification sound is an intermittent sound,
wherein the deceleration state is a state in which the vehicle decelerates.

7. The notification device according to claim 6 , wherein:
the deceleration-state notification display is a flashing display; and
the notification controlling portion causes a sound-production timing of the deceleration-state notification sound as the intermittent sound to correspond to a lighting timing of the deceleration-state notification display as the flashing display.

8. The notification device according to claim 6 , wherein:
the deceleration-state notification sound changes in volume or frequency as time elapses;
the deceleration-state notification display changes in luminance or chromaticity as time elapses; and
the notification controlling portion causes the change of the deceleration-state notification sound to correspond to the change of the deceleration-state notification display.

9. The notification device according to claim 8 , wherein:
the deceleration-state notification display is a flashing display; and
the notification controlling portion causes a sound-production timing of the deceleration-state notification sound as the intermittent sound to correspond to a lighting timing of the deceleration-state notification display as the flashing display.

10. A notification device provided in a vehicle that travels by automatic driving and configured to perform notification to surroundings around the vehicle, the notification device comprising:
a notification-sound output portion provided in the vehicle and configured to output a notification sound toward an outside of the vehicle;
a notification display portion provided in the vehicle and configured to output a notification display toward the outside of the vehicle;
a notification controlling portion configured to control the notification sound of the notification-sound output portion and the notification display of the notification display portion; and
a deceleration-state determination portion configured to determine whether the vehicle during the automatic driving enters a deceleration state or not, wherein:
when the deceleration-state determination portion determines that the vehicle during the automatic driving enters the deceleration state, the notification controlling portion outputs a deceleration-state notification sound as the notification sound by the notification-sound output portion and outputs a deceleration-state notification display as the notification display by the notification display portion, the deceleration-state notification sound is an intermittent sound;
the deceleration-state notification sound changes in volume or frequency as time elapses;
the deceleration-state notification display changes in luminance or chromaticity as time elapses; and
the notification controlling portion causes the change of the deceleration-state notification sound to correspond to the change of the deceleration-state notification display.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Morimura Junichi
• Kuriyama Tomoyuki

Classifications

• B60Q5/006 Primary

  indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians · CPC title

• B60Q1/0035 Primary

  relative to the vehicle · CPC title

• B60Q5/005

  automatically actuated · CPC title

• B60Q1/18

  being additional front lights {(bracket mounted headlights B60Q1/0483)} · CPC title

• B60W40/10

  related to vehicle motion · CPC title