Notification device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11628766-B2
Application number	US-202117536729-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2021
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Apr 18, 2023
Grant date	Apr 18, 2023

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 method comprising:
determining whether a vehicle enters a start state during automatic driving; and
in response to determining that the vehicle enters the start state during the automatic driving, outputting a start-state notification sound and a start-state notification display toward an outside of the vehicle, wherein the start state is a state in which a speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined start threshold.

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

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein:
the start-state notification sound changes in volume or frequency as time elapses;
the start-state notification display changes in luminescence or chromaticity as time elapses; and
the change of the start-state notification sound corresponds to the change of the start-state notification display.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein:
the start-state notification display is a flashing display; and
a sound-production timing of the start-state notification sound as the intermittent sound corresponds to a lighting timing of the start-state notification display as the flashing display.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the start-state notification sound and the start-state notification display are output such that the start-state notification sound and the start-state notification display correspond to each other.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the vehicle enters a deceleration state during automatic driving; and
in response to determining that the vehicle enters the deceleration state during the automatic driving, outputting a deceleration-time notification sound.

7. 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 start-state determination portion configured to determine whether the vehicle during the automatic driving enters a start state or not,
wherein, when the start-state determination portion determines that the vehicle during the automatic driving enters the start state, the notification controlling portion outputs a start-state notification sound as the notification sound by the notification-sound output portion and outputs a start-state notification display as the notification display by the notification display portion, wherein the start state is a state in which a speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined start threshold.

8. The notification device according to claim 7 , wherein the start-state notification sound and the start-state notification display are output such that the start-state notification sound and the start-state notification display correspond to each other.

9. The notification device according to claim 7 , wherein:
the start-state notification sound changes in volume or frequency as time elapses;
the start-state notification display changes in luminescence or chromaticity as time elapses; and
the notification controlling portion causes the change of the start-state notification sound to correspond to the change of the start-state notification display.

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

11. The notification device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a deceleration-state determination portion configured to determine whether the vehicle enters a deceleration state during automatic driving; and
in response to the deceleration state-determination portion determining that the vehicle enters the deceleration state during the automatic driving, the notification sound outputting a deceleration-time notification sound as the notification sound.

12. A non-transitory storage medium provided in a vehicle that travels by automatic driving and configured to perform notification to surroundings around the vehicle, the storage medium 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 start-state determination portion configured to determine whether the vehicle during the automatic driving enters a start state or not,
wherein, when the start-state determination portion determines that the vehicle during the automatic driving enters the start state, the notification controlling portion outputs a start-state notification sound as the notification sound by the notification-sound output portion and outputs a start-state notification display as the notification display by the notification display portion, wherein the start state is a state in which a speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined start threshold.

13. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 12 , wherein the start-state notification sound and the start-state notification display are output such that the start-state notification sound and the start-state notification display correspond to each other.

14. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein:
the start-state notification sound is an intermittent sound;
the start-state notification display is a flashing display; and
the notification controlling portion causes a sound-production timing of the start-state notification sound as the intermittent sound to correspond to a lighting timing of the start-state notification display as the flashing display.

15. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 12 , wherein:
the start-state notification sound changes in volume or frequency as time elapses;
the start-state notification display changes in luminescence or chromaticity as time elapses; and
the notification controlling portion causes the change of the start-state notification sound to correspond to the change of the start-state notification display.

16. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a deceleration-state determination portion configured to determine whether the vehicle enters a deceleration state during automatic driving; and
in response to the deceleration state-determination portion determining that the vehicle enters the deceleration state during the automatic driving, the notification sound outputting a deceleration-time notification sound as the notification sound.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Morimura Junichi
• Kuriyama Tomoyuki

Classifications

• B60Q1/507

  specific to autonomous vehicles · CPC title

• B60Q1/547

  for issuing requests to other traffic participants; for confirming to other traffic participants they can proceed, e.g. they can overtake · CPC title

• B60Q1/5037

  the display content changing automatically, e.g. depending on traffic situation · CPC title

• B60Q1/543

  for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle (indicating taxis' state of hire or fare G07B13/045) · CPC title

• B60Q1/0035 Primary

  relative to the vehicle · CPC title