Vehicle direction indicator

Abstract

To address the problem of a recent vehicle, that is, as an engine technology and popularity of electric automobiles accelerate quietness in a car, it is quiet in the car at a low-speed time or a stop time when wind noise and a tire traveling sound are limited, so that a driver feels that a machine sound or a buzzer sound of a direction indicator is relatively bothersome, pulls out the direction indicator immediately before right or left turning or at the same time of steering a wheel in order to shorten the bothersome time, and as a result, the driver often takes dangerous driving of forgetting to pull out the direction indicator due to too much attention to the wheel steering.SOLUTION: Within a speed of 30 Km / h from the stop state of a speed 0 Km / h where it is quiet in a car, the volume of a machine sound or a buzzer sound of a direction indicator is switched to a low-sound volume lower than a normal sound volume depending on a speed. A driver optionally sets a boundary speed between the normal sound volume and the low sound volume within the range of a speed of 30 Km / h from the stop state of a speed 0 Km / h. With the boundary speed set to A Km / h, it is the normal sound volume when a traveling speed is over A Km / h, and it is the low sound volume when the traveling speed is equal to or lower than A Km / h.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the volume of sound emitted by a vehicle's turn signal. [Background technology]

[0002] The vehicle's turn signal is activated by operating the lever in advance in the direction you intend to turn, and the indicators in front of and behind the vehicle This is an extremely important part for traffic safety, as it lights up the lamp attached to the vehicle, making other vehicles and people aware of the vehicle's movements.

[0003] When the lever is operated, the lamp is turned on and the driver is made aware of the A mechanical or buzzer sound is emitted at regular intervals.

[0004] In recent years, vehicle interiors have become quieter due to factors such as reduced engine volume, the spread of engine shut-off technology while driving or stopped, improved airtightness and sound insulation within the vehicle interior, and the spread of electric vehicles. The interior of a vehicle is particularly quiet when driving at low speeds or when stopped, where there is little wind noise or tire noise.

[0005] Because the interior of the vehicle has become quieter, the mechanical or buzzing sounds of the turn signals tend to be relatively louder. This can be annoying when turning right or left at an intersection, especially when driving at low speeds or stopping temporarily, as drivers have to listen to the mechanical or buzzing sounds for long periods of time. As a result, many drivers turn on the turn signals just before turning right or left or as they start to turn the steering wheel, and as a result, many drivers become distracted by turning the steering wheel and forget to turn on the turn signals.

[0006] Turning on a turn signal just before turning right or left, or forgetting to turn it on, is a serious traffic safety issue. For this reason, Japan's Road Traffic Act stipulates that a turn signal must be turned on 30 meters before the point where you are about to turn right or left.

[0007] The mechanical sounds or buzzer sounds are annoying, and drivers may delay turning on their turn signals just before turning left or right. If you do this, you can adjust the volume of the mechanical or buzzer sounds so that they are not annoying.

[0008] However, while the reduced volume is not bothersome when driving at low speeds or when stopped temporarily, as the speed increases and engine noise, wind noise, and tire noise increase, the reduced volume mechanical noise or buzzer sound becomes inaudible and the driver cannot recognize it, which can lead to the driver mistaking it for forgetting to operate the device or forgetting to return it to its original position, which is dangerous. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Jitsuzen Showa 57-204640 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The problem to be solved is that the mechanical sound or buzzer sound of the vehicle's turn signal is heard at low speeds. Or, when the vehicle is stopped and the interior is quiet, a low volume that is not bothersome is best. On the other hand, when the speed increases and other sounds become louder, a normal volume is best to ensure the driver can hear the sound. The challenge is that these two volume levels cannot be achieved at the same time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention is characterized in that the mechanical sound or buzzer sound for the driver to hear in the direction indicator of a vehicle can be changed between normal volume and a low volume lower than normal volume depending on the speed set within a range from a stopped state of 0 km / h, where the interior of the vehicle is quiet, to a speed of 30 km / h or less.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, the speed at which a driver feels a mechanical or buzzer sound is annoying, below 30 km / h, depends on the volume of surrounding sounds and the driver's personal perception. Regarding the volume of surrounding sounds, differences exist depending on the characteristics of the vehicle, such as the airtightness and sound insulation of the vehicle interior, engine noise, wind noise, and tire noise. Depending on the driver's personal perception, some drivers may find mechanical or buzzer sounds annoying even when the surrounding sounds are loud, while others may not. Some drivers may also be concerned about difficulty in hearing. Taking all of these factors into consideration, the speed setting value that sets the boundary between normal volume and lower low volume is variable within a range from 0 km / h (stopped) to 30 km / h or less, and is set arbitrarily in advance by the driver. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] In this invention, when the aforementioned speed setting value is set to a certain speed, the volume of the mechanical sound or buzzer sound of the turn signal is lower than normal when the speed is below that speed, so that the driver does not feel annoyed even if he or she hears the mechanical sound or buzzer sound for a long time at an intersection, etc., and the driver will comply with the law stipulated in Japan's Road Traffic Act, which requires that the turn signal be turned on 30 meters before the place where the driver is about to turn right or left, and will turn on the turn signal, which will make the driver more visible to other vehicles and people, and contribute to traffic safety.

[0014] Furthermore, when the vehicle exceeds the aforementioned speed limit and surrounding noises, such as engine noise, wind noise, and tire noise, become louder, the mechanical or buzzer sound of the turn signal will be emitted at a normal volume so that the driver can hear it and no operational problems will occur. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a conventional direction indicator and that of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The block diagram of FIG. 1 will now be described. [Example]

[0017] Conventional vehicle turn signals only have the left column of the block diagram in Figure 1, and the driver can turn the car left or right. To turn, operate the turn signal lever 1 to the left or right, and at the same time, hear a mechanical sound or The buzzer sound generator 2 emits a normal volume at regular intervals and lights up the left lamp 3 or the right lamp 4.

[0018] In contrast, in the present application, the right column of the block diagram in FIG. 1 is added. In the right column, the current speed is constantly detected from the vehicle 5 by the speed signal detection device 6. First, the driver uses the speed setting variable device 7 to set a speed A K m / h that determines the boundary between normal volume and a lower volume for the volume of the mechanical sound or buzzer sound of the turn signal within the range from 0 km / h (stopped state) to 30 km / h or less. For example, if speed A is set to 20 km / h, the mechanical sound or buzzer sound will be normal volume at speeds above 20 km / h, and will be a lower volume than normal volume at speeds below 20 km / h. In the present application, when the driver operates the turn signal lever 1 left or right to turn the car right or left, the current speed constantly detected by the speed signal detection device 6 from the vehicle 5 is changed to the speed previously set by the speed setting variable device 7. If the speed exceeds AKm / h, a normal volume of mechanical sound or buzzer sound is emitted by the mechanical sound or buzzer sound generator 2, and if the speed is below AKm / h, a lower volume than the normal volume is emitted. At the same time, the left lamp 3 or the right lamp 4 is turned on. [Explanation of symbols]

[0019] 1: Turn signal lever 2: Mechanical or buzzer sound generator 3: Left lamp 4: Right lamp 5: Vehicle 6: Speed ​​signal detector 7: Variable speed setting device

Claims

1. The volume of the mechanical sound or buzzer sound of the vehicle's turn signal is changed according to the vehicle speed.

2. The types of volume mentioned in the previous section are normal volume and a lower volume called low volume.

3. The vehicle speed at which the volume is changed as described above is within the range from a stopped state of 0 km / h to a speed of 30 km / h or less.

4. The vehicle speed setting used to determine the boundary between normal volume and low volume in the previous paragraph is variable and can be set in advance by the driver at their discretion within the range from 0 km / h (stopped) to 30 km / h or less.

5. The relationship between the normal volume and low volume in the previous paragraph and the arbitrarily set vehicle speed is set at the set speed AKm / If the volume is 1000kJ / h, the volume will be normal when the vehicle is traveling at a speed exceeding AKm / h, and low when the vehicle is traveling at a speed below AKm / h.

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