Out-of-vehicle notification device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11548441-B2
Application number	US-202017095046-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2020
Priority date	May 14, 2018
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

An out-of-vehicle notification device includes a traveling state detecting unit configured to detect a traveling state of the host vehicle, a first output unit configured to output a sound to an outside of the host vehicle, and a notification control unit configured to cause the first output unit to output a traveling notification sound indicating that the host vehicle is traveling when the host vehicle is traveling and to output a vehicle stoppage notification sound indicating that the host vehicle is stopped when the host vehicle is stopped. The traveling notification sound is a continuous sound continuously output. The vehicle stoppage notification sound is an intermittent sound intermittently output or a repetitive sound of which an intensity is repeatedly changed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A notification device which performs a notification to an outside of a host vehicle, comprising:
a traveling state detection unit configured to detect a traveling state of the host vehicle;
a first output unit configured to output a first sound to an outside of the host vehicle indicating that the host vehicle is in a stoppage mode when the host vehicle is in the stoppage mode based on the traveling state detected by the traveling state detection unit; and
a second output unit configured to output a second sound to an outside of the host vehicle indicating that a target person in a vicinity of the host vehicle is recognized when the host vehicle is in the stoppage mode based on the traveling state detected by the traveling state detection unit,
wherein the first sound is a first intermittent sound or a first repetitive sound of which an intensity is repeatedly increased and decreased.

2. The notification device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second sound is a second intermittent sound that is different from the first intermittent sound or a second repetitive sound that is different from the first repetitive sound.

3. The notification device according to claim 2 , wherein a first intermittent cycle of the first sound is different from a second intermittent cycle of the second sound.

4. The notification device according to claim 1 , wherein a scale of the second sound is changed while the second sound is being output.

5. The notification device according to claim 1 , wherein the second sound is output after the first sound is output.

6. A method of performing a notification to an outside of a host vehicle, the method comprising:
detecting a traveling state of the host vehicle by a traveling state detection unit;
outputting a first sound to an outside of the host vehicle indicating that the host vehicle is in a stoppage mode when the host vehicle is in the stoppage mode based on the traveling state detected by the traveling state detection unit; and
outputting a second sound to an outside of the host vehicle indicating that a target person in a vicinity of the host vehicle is recognized when the host vehicle is in the stoppage mode based on the traveling state detected by the traveling state detection unit,
wherein the first sound is a first intermittent sound or a first repetitive sound of which an intensity is repeatedly increased and decreased.

7. The method according to claim 6 ,
wherein the second sound is a second intermittent sound that is different from the first intermittent sound or a second repetitive sound that is different from the first repetitive sound.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
outputting the first sound at a first intermittent cycle, and
outputting the second sound at a second intermittent cycle that is different from the first intermittent cycle.

9. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising changing a scale of the second sound while outputting the second sound.

10. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising outputting the second sound after outputting the first sound.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Morimura Junichi
• Arakawa Seiji

Classifications

• G06V40/103

  Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition · CPC title

• B60Q5/008 Primary

  for signaling silent vehicles, e.g. for warning that a hybrid or electric vehicle is approaching · CPC title

• G06V20/56

  exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle · CPC title

• B60Q5/005 Primary

  automatically actuated · CPC title