Voice warning roof lamp and voice warning device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a roof lamp capable of issuing a warning voice inside and outside a car.SOLUTION: A voice warning roof lamp 100 comprises: a body 10 having a flat bottom surface; a magnet 13 provided on a bottom surface of the body to protrude; a power plug 21 that is connected to the body through a cable and that receives an ignition interlocking power supply from a vehicle; a sensor 31 that is connected to the body through the cable and that detects an alighting movement of a driver of the vehicle; a rotary lamp 17 that is housed in the body and that operates by the ignition interlocking power supply fed through the power plug; a vibration speaker 16 housed in the body and connected to the magnet; and a controller 15 that is connected to the vibration speaker and the sensor and that receives the ignition interlocking power supply fed through the power plug and issues a warning voice from the vibration speaker when the sensor detects the alighting movement of the driver in a state where an ignition of the vehicle is on.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an audio warning roof lamp and an audio warning device for a vehicle, and more particularly to a device that is attached to the roof of a vehicle and issues an audio warning to the inside and outside of the vehicle in addition to an optical warning. [Background technology]

[0002] When patrolling the expressway, vehicles may need to be stopped to carry out work on the main line or within traffic restrictions. In such cases, the vehicle stopping procedures include putting the shift lever into park, applying the handbrake, turning the steering wheel, and choking the wheels. If these stopping procedures are not taken, in the worst case scenario, the vehicle may start moving on its own, which could lead to a serious accident.

[0003] When you are distracted by other things or in a hurry, you may forget to stop the vehicle. Therefore, there are devices on the market that prevent you from forgetting to stop the vehicle. The mechanism is that when it detects the opening or closing of the driver's door, it emits a sound from a speaker urging you to stop the vehicle. However, this device has not become widespread because it is complicated to install in the vehicle and is expensive.

[0004] The sound that prompts the driver to stop the vehicle can be emitted from the vehicle body other than from the speaker. For example, a transducer or actuator can be attached to the vehicle body to use the vehicle body as a vibration plate to emit the sound from the vehicle body (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Published Utility Model No. S59-22584 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2011 / 158434 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] It is desirable that the device for emitting an audio warning to prevent forgetting to stop the vehicle be easy to install on the vehicle, and that the procedure for turning on the device be included as part of the work procedure for daily road patrol work so that the driver does not forget to turn on the device. In this regard, a typical magnetic detachable roof light is easy to install on the vehicle, and since roof lights are always installed on the vehicle during road patrol, they are established as an existing work procedure. Therefore, it is desirable to add a function for emitting an audio warning to the existing roof light. In addition, since the driver may stop the vehicle and immediately get out of the vehicle, it is desirable that the audio warning be audible not only inside the vehicle but also outside the vehicle.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a roof light that can emit an audio warning sound both inside and outside the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audio warning roof light comprising: a main body having a flat bottom surface; a magnet protruding from the bottom surface of the main body; a power plug connected to the main body by a cable and receiving an ignition-linked power source from the vehicle; a sensor connected to the main body by a cable and detecting the driver of the vehicle getting out of the vehicle; a rotating light housed in the main body and operated by the ignition-linked power source supplied with power through the power plug; a vibration speaker housed in the main body and connected to the magnet; and a controller connected to the vibration speaker and the sensor, supplied with the ignition-linked power source through the power plug, and causing the vibration speaker to emit an audio warning when the sensor detects the driver getting out of the vehicle while the vehicle ignition is on. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, an audio warning function can be added to the roof lamp, and the roof of the vehicle can resonate as a vibrating plate to emit an audio warning both inside and outside the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an audio warning roof light according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an external view of the main body with the cover removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an external view of the main body with the rotating light removed. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic diagram showing vibration propagation in a vibration speaker; [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for comparing the diameters of a cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch and a power cable. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of a voice warning process according to an example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed explanations than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or duplicate explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the inventor provides the accompanying drawings and the following explanation so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the present invention, and does not intend to limit the subject matter described in the claims by them. In addition, the dimensions of each member depicted in the drawings, detailed shapes of details, etc. may differ from the actual ones.

[0012] <Embodiment> 1 is a schematic diagram of an audio warning roof light according to one embodiment of the present invention. The audio warning roof light 100 according to this embodiment is a device that can be attached to and detached from the roof of a vehicle, and is attached to the roof of the vehicle to emit a light warning using a rotating light and emit an audio warning inside and outside the vehicle under a specified condition. Generally, the audio warning roof light 100 includes a main body 10, a power cable 20 extending from the main body 10 and a power plug 21 connected to the end of the power cable 20, and a cable 30 extending from the main body 10 and a sensor 31 connected to the end of the cable 30.

[0013] The main body 10 has a generally egg-shaped shape in a plan view, a resin case 11 with a flat bottom and an open top, and a dome-shaped translucent resin cover 12 that covers the top opening of the case 11. As an example, the main body 10 has a total length of approximately 183 mm, a total width of approximately 142 mm, and a total height of approximately 161 mm, of which the total height of the case 11 is approximately 37 mm and the total height of the cover 12 is approximately 124 mm.

[0014] Magnets 13 are bolted to three locations on the bottom surface of main body 10 (more specifically, case 11). Magnet 13 has a flat cylindrical shape with a diameter of approximately 32 mm, and is provided so as to protrude from the bottom surface of main body 10 by approximately 5 mm.

[0015] 2 is a bottom view of the main body 10. The magnets 13 are arranged at the apex positions of an isosceles triangle (particularly an acute isosceles triangle), with two magnets 13 near the edge of the bulging portion of the approximately egg shape on the bottom surface of the main body 10 and one magnet near the edge of the pointed portion at the tip. In general roof lights of approximately the same size as the audio warning roof light 100, a relatively large magnet with a diameter of about 80 mm is provided on the main body so that the main body can be fixed to the roof of the vehicle by the magnetic force of the magnet. In contrast, in this embodiment, a magnet 13 with a smaller diameter is used, so that in order to compensate for the decrease in magnetic force, a neodymium magnet is used for the magnet 13 to increase the magnetic force per magnet (the magnetic force per magnet is approximately 200 N or more), and the number of magnets is set to three so that the main body 10 can be fixed to the roof of the vehicle by a sufficiently strong magnetic force.

[0016] The bottom surface of the main body 10 (more specifically, the case 11) has a hole 14 of an appropriate size, through which the power cable 20 and the cable 30 are pulled out.

[0017] Returning to FIG. 1, the power plug 21 is connected to an ignition-linked power source of the vehicle. The ignition-linked power source is a power source that is linked to the state of the vehicle's ignition, and is supplied with power when the ignition is on and is cut off when the ignition is off. For example, the power plug 21 is a cigarette plug, and by inserting the cigarette plug into the cigarette lighter socket of the vehicle, 12V or 24V power can be obtained from the vehicle. The power supplied from the cigarette lighter socket is linked to the vehicle's ignition, and is supplied with power when the ignition is on and is cut off when the ignition is off. The ignition-linked power source received by the power plug 21 becomes the operating power source for various electrical components housed in the main body 10.

[0018] The main body 10 contains a controller, a vibration speaker, and a revolving light. Fig. 3 is an external view of the main body 10 with the cover 12 removed. Fig. 4 is an external view of the main body 10 with the revolving light further removed. The controller 15 and vibration speaker 16 are contained in the case 11 and secured with screws. Furthermore, a revolving light 17 is placed so as to cover the controller 15, and secured to the case 11 with a bolt.

[0019] The controller 15 is a rectangular control board on which various electronic components such as a voltage regulator, an amplifier, a memory, and a microcomputer are mounted, and is disposed in a relatively wide area in the center of the case 11, which is generally egg-shaped in plan view. The controller 15 is connected to the vibration speaker 16 and the sensor 31, and operates on an ignition-linked power source supplied through a power plug 21, and causes the vibration speaker 16 to emit a voice warning. The voice warning is, for example, a voice that prompts the driver to take measures to stop the vehicle, and data on several types of voice patterns is stored in a memory (not shown) of the controller 15. The controller 15 appropriately reads out the voice data from the memory and causes the reproduced sound to be emitted from the vibration speaker 16. The detailed operation of the controller 15 will be described later.

[0020] Note that an internal power supply may be provided in the controller 15 so that it can operate even when the ignition is off. For example, a supercapacitor can be used as the internal power supply. A supercapacitor has the advantage that it has a low risk of heat generation or fire and does not require maintenance for replacement. By charging the internal power supply with an ignition-linked power supply, the controller 15 can continue to operate with the internal power supply for a while even when the ignition is turned off.

[0021] The revolving light 17 is a relatively large, roughly cylindrical member that protrudes upward from the top opening of the case 11. The cover 12 is dome-shaped in order to cover the entire revolving light 17. The revolving light 17 is powered by ignition-linked power supplied through a power plug 21, and as an example, lights up in blue light with a maximum luminous intensity of 255 cd.

[0022] The vibration speaker 16 is a generally cylindrical metal member with a diameter of about 50 mm and a height of about 30 mm, and is disposed at the pointed tip of the case 11, which is generally egg-shaped in plan view, and is connected to the magnet 13 located directly below. Example specifications for the vibration speaker 16 include a usable frequency of 60 to 20 KHz, an impedance of 4 Ω, and a maximum allowable input of 25 W.

[0023] The vibration speaker 16 does not have a diaphragm that resonates acoustically, but instead produces sound by applying vibrations to the surface that the bottom of the speaker body touches, causing it to resonate. Therefore, to ensure a high volume of the vibration speaker 16, it is necessary to efficiently transmit the vibrations of the vibration speaker 16 to the vehicle body, and in particular to the roof to which the body 10 is attached.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the vibration propagation of the vibration speaker 16. The vibration speaker 16 is connected to the magnet 13 located directly below it, so the vibration of the vibration speaker 16 propagates directly to the magnet 13. The magnet 13 is in close contact with the roof of the vehicle with a strong magnetic force, so the vibration of the vibration speaker 16 propagates to the roof via the magnet 13, and the roof resonates to produce a loud sound inside and outside the vehicle. This is also the reason why the magnet 13 is intentionally smaller in diameter than magnets used in general roof lights. That is, since the surface of the magnet 13 is flat while the surface of the roof is gently curved, if the magnet 13 has a large diameter, the adhesion with the roof surface is poor and the vibration propagation efficiency of the vibration speaker 16 is reduced, whereas if the magnet 13 has a small diameter, the adhesion with the roof surface is good and the vibration of the vibration speaker 16 can be efficiently propagated to the roof.

[0025] When the audio warning roof light 100 was attached to the roof of a vehicle and the volume of the output sound was measured with a sound level meter, it was 80 to 88 dB inside the vehicle and 80 to 87 dB outside the vehicle. Considering that the noise level under an elevated road is 76 to 80 dB, it can be said that the audio warning roof light 100 can emit an audio warning with a sufficiently loud volume both inside and outside the vehicle.

[0026] Returning to FIG. 1, the sensor 31 detects the driver's dismounting action of the vehicle. A pressure-sensitive switch that is activated by the application of pressure can be used as the sensor 31. A pad-type pressure-sensitive switch can be used as the sensor 31. The pad-type pressure-sensitive switch is always in a non-conductive state, and when pressure is applied, the contacts come into contact with each other and become conductive. Therefore, by installing the pad-type pressure-sensitive switch on the seat surface or backrest surface of the driver's seat of the vehicle like a seat cushion, the switch becomes conductive when the driver sits in the driver's seat, and becomes non-conductive when the driver leaves the seat. In this way, by using the pad-type pressure-sensitive switch, it is possible to detect whether the driver is seated in the driver's seat, and it is possible to detect the driver's dismounting action from the presence or absence of the seat.

[0027] Alternatively, a cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch can be used as the sensor 31. The cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch is a flexible cable having contacts made of conductive rubber inside, and normally the conductive rubber contacts are not in contact with each other and are therefore not conductive. However, when the cable is bent or crushed, the conductive rubber contacts come into contact with each other and are conductive. By installing such a cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch across the inside and outside of the vehicle on the driver's door of the vehicle, when the driver closes the driver's door, the cable is pinched and crushed by the door, making the switch conductive, and when the door is opened, the crushed cable returns to its original state and makes the switch non-conductive. In this way, by using the cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch, it is possible to detect the opening and closing of the driver's door, and from the opening and closing of the door, it is possible to detect the driver's action of getting off the vehicle.

[0028] The audio warning roof light 100 is used by installing the main body 10 on the roof outside the vehicle and connecting the power plug 21 to the cigarette lighter socket inside the vehicle, so the power cable 20 is necessarily installed across the driver's door from inside to outside the vehicle. This means that the power cable 20 may be repeatedly pinched in the driver's door and may be broken or damaged. When a cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch is used as the sensor 31, the power cable 20 can be protected by tying the power cable 20 and the cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch together with vinyl tape, a cable tie, a wire harness, or the like and installing them from inside to outside the driver's door.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for comparing the diameters of the cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch and the power cable 20. As described above, normally, the conductive rubber contacts of the cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch (sensor 31) are not in contact, and the cable diameter is about 7 mm. When the cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch is pinched and crushed by the door, the conductive rubber contacts come into contact with each other and become conductive, but the thickness of the switch does not become 4 mm or less even when it is crushed to the maximum extent because of the conductive rubber contacts. Therefore, as shown in the figure, by making the diameter of the power cable 20 smaller, for example 2.7 mm, and bundling it with the cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch, even if the bundling is pinched by the door, the power cable 20 is protected by the deformed switch and is not pinched by the door. This makes it possible to avoid breakage and damage to the power cable 20.

[0030] Next, the voice warning process by the controller 15 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the voice warning process according to an example. As a preliminary step, the main body 10 is attached to the roof of the vehicle, and the power plug 21 is inserted into the cigarette lighter socket of the vehicle. When the ignition is turned on, the controller 15 starts up (S1). Then, if the sensor 31 does not detect the driver getting off the vehicle (NO in S2), the controller 15 starts monitoring the driver getting off the vehicle (S3). Specifically, when the sensor 31 is a pad-type pressure-sensitive switch, the controller 15 starts monitoring the driver getting off the vehicle when it detects that the driver is seated in the driver's seat, or when the sensor 31 is a cable-type pressure-sensitive switch, the controller 15 starts monitoring the driver getting off the vehicle when it detects that the driver's door is closed.

[0031] During disembarkation monitoring, if the sensor 31 detects the driver disembarking (YES in S4), the controller 15 randomly selects one of the attention-calling sound patterns 1 to 5, plays it, and outputs it from the vibration speaker 16 (S5), and returns to step S2. Specifically, if the sensor 31 is a pad-type pressure-sensitive switch, the controller 15 will emit a warning sound when it detects that the driver has left the driver's seat, or if the sensor 31 is a cable-type pressure-sensitive switch, the controller 15 will emit a warning sound when it detects that the driver's door has been opened. Sound patterns 1 to 5 are, for example, as follows: Pattern 1: "Parking, handbrake, and steering OK?" Pattern 2: "Is parking OK? Is the handbrake OK? Is the steering OK? Is the wheel chock OK?" Pattern 3: "Is parking better? Is the handbrake better? Is steering better?" Pattern 4: "Are you able to park, engage the handbrake, and steer?" Pattern 5: "Do you have to park? Do you have to use the handbrake? Don't forget to chock the wheels and park the car."

[0032] If the ignition is turned off (S6) without detecting the driver's exiting behavior during exit monitoring (NO in S4), the controller 15 reproduces another sound pattern 6 and outputs it from the vibration speaker 16 (S7). The sound pattern 6 is, for example, as follows: Pattern 6: "Thank you for driving. Park, brake, and stop. Be safe."

[0033] Note that step S7 is premised on the fact that the controller 15 has an internal power supply and operates on the internal power supply even when the ignition is off. Also, if the controller 15 has an internal power supply, when the ignition is turned off while the audio pattern is being output in step S5, the controller 15 may output the audio pattern to the end.

[0034] <<Variations>> The warning sound emitted by the audio warning roof light 100 is not limited to the above-mentioned sound patterns. The warning sound may also include an alarm sound, a melody, or a combination of sound patterns other than sound. The volume may be adjustable in several steps. However, it is preferable that the sound cannot be muted. This is to prevent the driver from muting the sound without permission, since the audio warning function would be disabled if the sound were muted.

[0035] Since the magnetic force of the neodymium magnet is strong, a magnetic sheet may be attached to the surface of the magnet 13 to prevent the roof from being scratched. Also, it is preferable to provide three small magnets 13 so as to support the main body 10 at three points, but the number and size of the magnets can be changed as appropriate.

[0036] In cases where a fixed rotating light is already installed on the roof of the vehicle and a voice warning function is sufficient without a rotating light, the rotating light 17 may be omitted from the voice warning roof light 100 and it may be configured as a voice warning device for a vehicle.

[0037] A pad-type pressure-sensitive switch and a cable-type pressure-sensitive switch may be used in combination as the sensor 31. In this case, the detection of the driver's getting-off action by the sensor 31 may be based on either an AND condition or an OR condition of those switches.

[0038] The controller 15 may be miniaturized and integrated with, for example, the power plug 21, instead of being housed in the main body 10. In that case, the power cable 20 is used as a cable connecting the controller 15 and the vibration speaker 16 in the power plug 21.

[0039] As described above, the embodiment has been described as an example of the technology of the present invention. For this purpose, the attached drawings and detailed description have been provided. Therefore, among the components described in the attached drawings and detailed description, not only components essential for solving the problem but also components that are not essential for solving the problem in order to illustrate the above technology may be included. Therefore, just because those non-essential components are described in the attached drawings or detailed description, it should not be immediately recognized that those non-essential components are essential. In addition, since the above-mentioned embodiment is intended to illustrate the technology of the present invention, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 100 Audio warning roof light 10 Main unit 13. Magnet 15 Controller 16 Vibration Speaker 17 Rotating Light 20 Power Cable 21 Power plug 31 Sensors (pad-type or cable-type pressure-sensitive switches)

Claims

1. A body having a flat bottom surface; A magnet protruding from a bottom surface of the main body; a power plug connected to the main body by a cable and configured to receive an ignition-linked power source from the vehicle; A sensor connected to the main body by a cable and configured to detect a driver's exit from the vehicle; a rotating light that is housed in the main body and is operated by the ignition-linked power supply that is supplied with power through the power plug; a vibration speaker housed in the body and connected to the magnet; a controller connected to the vibration speaker and the sensor, powered by the ignition-linked power source through the power plug, and configured to output a warning sound from the vibration speaker when the sensor detects an exit action of the driver while the ignition of the vehicle is on; Roof light with audio warning.

2. The magnets are provided at three vertices of a triangle on the bottom surface of the main body, The vibration speaker is connected to one of the magnets.

2. An audible warning roof light according to claim 1.

3. The sensor includes a cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch that is installed on the driver's door of the vehicle so as to extend across the inside and outside of the vehicle and detects whether or not an object is pinched by the door.

3. An audible warning roof lamp as claimed in claim 2.

4. a power cable connected to the power plug and the cable-shaped pressure sensitive switch are bound together; The diameter of the power cable is smaller than the thickness of the cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch when it is crushed by being pinched by the door.

4. An audible warning roof lamp as claimed in claim 3.

5. The sensor includes a cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch that is installed on the driver's door of the vehicle so as to extend across the inside and outside of the vehicle and detects whether or not an object is pinched by the door.

2. An audible warning roof light according to claim 1.

6. a power cable connected to the power plug and the cable-shaped pressure sensitive switch are bound together; The diameter of the power cable is smaller than the thickness of the cable-shaped pressure-sensitive switch when it is crushed by being pinched by the door.

6. An audible warning roof lamp as claimed in claim 5.

7. The sensor includes a pad-shaped pressure-sensitive switch that is installed in the driver's seat of the vehicle and detects whether or not the driver is seated in the driver's seat.

7. An audible warning roof lamp according to any one of the preceding claims.

8. The controller has an internal power supply that is charged by the ignition-linked power supply, and the output of the warning sound is continued using the internal power supply even if the ignition of the vehicle is turned off while the warning sound is being output from the vibration speaker.

7. An audible warning roof lamp according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. The controller outputs a warning sound that differs between when the sensor detects an abnormality while the ignition of the vehicle is on and when the sensor detects an abnormality while the ignition of the vehicle is off.

9. An audible warning roof lamp as claimed in claim 8.

10. A body having a flat bottom surface; A magnet protruding from a bottom surface of the main body; a power plug connected to the main body by a cable and configured to receive an ignition-linked power source from the vehicle; A sensor connected to the main body by a cable and configured to detect a driver's exit from the vehicle; a vibration speaker housed in the body and connected to the magnet; a controller connected to the vibration speaker and the sensor, powered by the ignition-linked power source through the power plug, and configured to output a warning sound from the vibration speaker when the sensor detects an exit action of the driver while the ignition of the vehicle is on; A voice warning device for a vehicle.

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