Vehicle communications device and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11840252-B2
Application number	US-201917439629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 25, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2019
Publication date	Dec 12, 2023
Grant date	Dec 12, 2023

Abstract

A dialog confirmation unit in a vehicle communication device calculates the deceleration of a vehicle on the basis of vehicle speeds, when the vehicle speed at an operation start time and the vehicle speed at a time when a certain time has elapsed since the operation start time have been obtained by a vehicle information acquisition unit. Next, the dialog confirmation unit calculates a change in distance on the basis of distances when a distance information acquisition unit has obtained the distance between the vehicle and an object in front at the operation start time and the distance at the time when a certain time has elapsed since the operation start time. Next, the dialog confirmation unit selects a dialog that corresponds to the deceleration and the change in distance, from among a plurality of dialogs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle communication device that outputs a voice based on vehicle information to an occupant of a vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle information acquiring section configured to acquire, as the vehicle information, a vehicle velocity of the vehicle and a brake pressure of a brake apparatus given at an operation start timing of the brake apparatus by the occupant;
a distance acquiring section configured to acquire a distance between the vehicle and an object in front of the vehicle;
a dialog storage section configured to store a plurality of lines of dialog voiced by a character;
an image storage section configured to store a plurality of images of the character corresponding to the plurality of lines of dialog;
a dialog selecting section configured, in order to avoid collision between the vehicle and the object in front of the vehicle, to select dialog corresponding to the vehicle information and the distance, from among the plurality of lines of dialog stored in the dialog storage section and to select an image corresponding to the vehicle information and the distance, from among the plurality of images stored in the image storage section; and
an output section configured to output the selected dialog as a voice to an inside of the vehicle and display the selected image in a screen, wherein
the dialog selecting section:
when the vehicle information acquiring section has acquired a vehicle velocity at the operation start timing and a vehicle velocity at a timing when a certain time has elapsed since the operation start timing, calculates a deceleration of the vehicle based on the vehicle velocity at the operation start timing and the vehicle velocity at the timing when the certain time has elapsed since the operation start timing;
when the distance acquiring section has acquired a distance between the vehicle and the object at the operation start timing and a distance between the vehicle and the object at the timing when the certain time has elapsed since the operation start timing, calculates a distance change amount of the distance between the vehicle and the object based on the distance at the operation start timing and the distance at the timing when the certain time has elapsed since the operation start timing;
selects dialog corresponding to the deceleration and the distance change amount, from among the plurality of lines of dialog, and selects an image corresponding to the deceleration and the distance change amount from among the plurality of images; and
if the brake pressure acquired by the vehicle information acquiring section is determined to be less than or equal to a threshold value, acquires the vehicle velocity from the vehicle information acquiring section and acquires the distance from the distance acquiring section.

2. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the dialog selecting section:
calculates a first time from the operation start timing to when the vehicle velocity becomes 0, using the deceleration;
calculates a second time from the operation start timing to when the distance between the vehicle and the object becomes 0, using the distance change amount; and
if the second time is less than or equal to the first time, selects dialog for alerting the occupant, from among the plurality of lines of dialog.

3. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an outside information acquiring section configured to acquire outside information indicating a situation outside the vehicle, wherein:
the dialog selecting section takes the outside information into consideration and selects dialog corresponding to the deceleration and the distance change amount, from among the plurality of lines of dialog.

4. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1 , wherein:
if the brake pressure exceeds the threshold value, the dialog selecting section selects dialog corresponding to the brake pressure, from among the plurality of lines of dialog.

5. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle communication device is a mobile device inside the vehicle; and
the output section is a speaker and a screen of the mobile device.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a vehicle communication device to function in a manner to output a voice based on vehicle information to an occupant of a vehicle, wherein:
the vehicle communication device comprises:
a vehicle information acquiring section configured to acquire, as the vehicle information, a vehicle velocity of the vehicle and a brake pressure of a brake apparatus given at an operation start timing of the brake apparatus by the occupant;
a distance acquiring section configured to acquire a distance between the vehicle and an object in front of the vehicle;
a dialog storage section configured to store a plurality of lines of dialog voiced by a character;
an image storage section configured to store a plurality of images of the character corresponding to the plurality of lines of dialog;
a dialog selecting section configured, in order to avoid collision between the vehicle and the object in front of the vehicle, to select dialog corresponding to the vehicle information and the distance, from among the plurality of lines of dialog stored in the dialog storage section and to select an image corresponding to the vehicle information and the distance, from among the plurality of images stored in the image storage section; and
an output section configured to output the selected dialog as a voice to an inside of the vehicle and display the selected image in a screen; and

the program causes the dialog selecting section to perform a process comprising:
when the vehicle information acquiring section has acquired a vehicle velocity at the operation start timing and a vehicle velocity at a timing when a certain time has elapsed since the operation start timing, calculating a deceleration of the vehicle based on the vehicle velocity at the operation start timing and the vehicle velocity at the timing when the certain time has elapsed since the operation start timing;
when the distance acquiring section has acquired a distance between the vehicle and the object at the operation start timing and a distance between the vehicle and the object at the timing when the certain time has elapsed since the operation start timing, calculating a distance change amount of the distance between the vehicle and the object based on the distance at the operation start timing and the distance at the timing when the certain time has elapsed since the operation start timing;
selecting dialog corresponding to the deceleration and the distance change amount, from among the plurality of lines of dialog, and selects an image corresponding to the deceleration and the distance change amount from among the plurality of images; and
if the brake pressure acquired by the vehicle information acquiring section is determined to be less than or equal to a threshold value, acquiring the vehicle velocity from the vehicle information acquiring section and acquiring the distance from the distance acquiring section.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd
• Dwango Co Ltd

Inventors

• Muramatsu Daisuke
• Hashimoto Koji
• INANO Takafumi
• MIYAZAKI Takuto
• KASHIMA Naomichi
• SHIOMI Tatsuro
• GYODA Naoshi

Classifications

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• B60K35/265

  Voice · CPC title

• B60K35/28

  characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver · CPC title

• B60W50/14 Primary

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title

• B60K35/00

  Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles · CPC title