Vehicle exterior information notification device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle external information notification device improved so as to report an object such as an obstacle outside a vehicle without allowing a display device to exert an adverse effect on expansion of an airbag in a vehicle with the airbag arranged between a front pillar body and a garnish.SOLUTION: A vehicle external information notification device for a vehicle with an airbag device 46 disposed between a front pillar body 32 and a garnish 36 covering the front pillar body on the side of a cabin 34 includes: a detection device 14 for detecting an object outside the vehicle, the existence of which should be reported; a display device 16 separately disposed forward and upward from a part 20E at which an airbag of the airbag device inflates and fixed to a surface on a cabin side of the garnish 36; and a control device 18 for lighting or blinking an LED lamp 60 of the display device by actuating the display device when the detection device detects the object outside the vehicle to be reported.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an outside information reporting device for a vehicle such as an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] Known examples of vehicle exterior information notification devices for automobiles and other vehicles include an exterior information notification device for a vehicle in which a display device is disposed at the base of a garnish that covers the front pillar body on the passenger compartment side, as described in the following Patent Document 1. When a detection device such as a radar device detects an obstacle outside the vehicle, this exterior information notification device activates a display device to indicate the presence of an obstacle outside the vehicle.

[0003] With this type of external information notification device, a detection device can detect an obstacle in the driver's blind spot, and when there is an obstacle in the blind spot, the driver can be notified of the presence of the obstacle and alerted to the driver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-049897 A Summary of the Invention

[0005] [Problem to be solved by the invention] In the vehicle exterior information notification device described in Patent Document 1, the display device is disposed at the base of the garnish that covers the front pillar body, and therefore the visibility of the display device is not as good as when the display device is located at a position close to the driver's eye height.

[0006] In a vehicle such as an automobile equipped with a curtain airbag device, the front end of the curtain airbag device is disposed between the front pillar body and a garnish that covers it on the passenger compartment side. When the airbag of the curtain airbag device is deployed, it presses the garnish toward the passenger compartment side and elastically deforms it, moving the rear and lower edge of the garnish away from the front pillar body, and deploys into the passenger compartment through a deployment section between them.

[0007] In the vehicle exterior information notification device described in the above Patent Document 1, the display device has a width that extends substantially over the entire width of the base part of the garnish that covers the front pillar body. Therefore, if the display device is installed at a position close to the driver's eye height in order to improve the visibility of the display device, there is a risk that the display device will adversely affect the deployment of the airbag.

[0008] The main objective of the present invention is to provide an improved outside vehicle information notification device in which an airbag is disposed between the front pillar body and the garnish, so as to alert the driver to objects such as obstacles outside the vehicle without the display device adversely affecting the deployment of the airbag.

[0009] [Means for solving the problems and effects of the invention] According to the present invention, an airbag device (46) is disposed between a front pillar body (32) and a garnish (36) that covers the front pillar body on the passenger compartment (34) side. The vehicle exterior information notification device includes a detection device that detects an object outside the vehicle, the presence of which should be notified, a display device (16) that is fixed to the surface of the garnish on the passenger compartment side and spaced apart from a portion where an airbag of an airbag device is deployed, and a control device (18) that operates the display device when the detection device detects the object outside the vehicle that should be notified. An outside information notification device (10) for a vehicle is provided.

[0010] A portion (20E) where the airbag of the airbag device (46) deploys extends along the longitudinal direction of the garnish between the rear and lower edge of the garnish (36) and the front pillar main body (32). The display device (16) is spaced forward and upward from the portion (20E) where the airbag deploys, extends along the longitudinal direction of the garnish, and includes a plurality of LED lamps (60) arranged along the longitudinal direction of the garnish, and is configured to notify the driver of the distance to an object located in an area that is a blind spot for the driver by turning the LED lamps on and off.

[0011] According to the above configuration, The portion of the airbag device where the airbag deploys extends along the longitudinal direction of the garnish between the rear and lower edge of the garnish and the front pillar body. The display device is located at the location where the airbag of the airbag device is deployed. Forward and upwardThe display device is spaced apart and fixed to the surface of the garnish facing the passenger compartment, so that it does not adversely affect the deployment of the airbag. When the detection device detects an object outside the vehicle that should be notified, the display device is activated by the control device to notify the driver of the presence of the object. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the display device is spaced forward and upward from the portion of the airbag device where the airbag is deployed and extends along the longitudinal direction of the garnish, so that the display device can be provided at a position that is highly visible to the driver, such as the vertical center of the front pillar. Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the display device includes a plurality of LED lamps arranged along the longitudinal direction of the garnish, and is configured to notify the driver of the distance to an object located in a blind spot by turning on and off the LED lamps. Therefore, by recognizing the turning on and off of the LED lamps, the driver can easily recognize not only the presence or absence of an object located in the blind spot, but also the distance to the object.

[0013] In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the reference numerals used in the following embodiments are added in parentheses to the configurations of the invention corresponding to the embodiments. However, each component of the present invention is not limited to the components of the embodiments corresponding to the reference numerals added in parentheses. Other objects, other features, and associated advantages of the present invention will be easily understood from the description of the embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle outside information reporting device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the front pillar taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing a display control routine of the display device in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a setting control routine for a voice command for terminating an operation in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] <Configuration> As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle exterior information notification device 10 according to the embodiment includes left and right detection devices 14, left and right display devices 16, and an electronic control device 18 that operates the display devices 16 when the detection devices detect an object to be notified. The left and right detection devices 14 detect objects (not shown) that should be notified about, respectively, diagonally forward on the left and right sides of the vehicle 12. The left and right display devices 16 display to the vehicle 12 that an object to be notified about exists diagonally forward on the left and right sides, respectively. The electronic control device 18 includes a microcomputer (not shown), which includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an interface (I / F), and the like. The "electronic control device" is abbreviated as "ECU."

[0017] In Fig. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a right-side front pillar, and reference numeral 22 denotes a windshield glass provided between the left and right front pillars and in front of and above an instrument panel 24. Reference numeral 26 denotes a right-side sub-front pillar, and reference numeral 28 denotes a front side glass provided between the front pillar 20 and the front pillar 26. As is well known, the front pillar 20 extends from a position laterally outward of the end of the instrument panel 24 to the roof 30, sloping gradually higher toward the rear.

[0018] 1, the left front pillar is not shown, but the left and right front pillars have the same configuration except that they are symmetrical with respect to each other, so only the right front pillar 20 will be described.

[0019] 2, the front pillar 20 includes a front pillar body 32 and a garnish 36 that covers the front pillar body 32 on the side of the vehicle interior 34. The front pillar body 32 includes an inner panel 38, an outer panel 40 located on the outer side of the inner panel, and a side outer panel 42 located on the outer side of the outer panel. The inner panel 38, the outer panel 40 and the side outer panel 42 are formed from pressed steel plates, and are connected together by spot welding at the locations where they come into contact with each other.

[0020] The garnish 36 is made of an elastically deformable resin, and as shown in Fig. 2, is substantially C-shaped and bulges toward the passenger compartment 34 when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The garnish 36 is spaced away from the front pillar body 32 toward the passenger compartment 34, and cooperates with the inner panel 38 to form an internal space 44. In the internal space 44, a front portion of a curtain airbag device 46, a wire harness 48, and a drain hose 50 are arranged.

[0021] The gap between the outer panel 40 and the windshield glass 22 is sealed by a seal member 52, and the gap between the outer panel 40 and the front side glass 28 is sealed by a seal member 54. The gap between the upper and front edge of the garnish 36 and the windshield glass 22 is sealed by a weather strip 56. A weather strip 58 is disposed between the lower and rear edge of the garnish 36 and the front pillar body 32, and between the front pillar body and the front side glass 28, and is fixed to the front pillar body. The seal members 52 and 54 are formed of a rubber-like elastic material, and the weather strips 56 and 58 are formed of resin.

[0022] The weatherstrip 58 is attached to the lower and rear edges of the inner panel 38 and the outer panel 40, and the inner surface of the lip portion 58L protruding toward the garnish 36 abuts against the outer surface of the edge of the garnish 36. When an airbag (not shown in the figure) of the curtain airbag device 46 deploys, the garnish 36 is pressed toward the passenger compartment 34 by the airbag, and the lower and rear edges of the garnish 36 elastically deform the lip portion 58L and move toward the passenger compartment 34. Therefore, the garnish 36 elastically deforms as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 1, and the airbag moves toward the passenger compartment 34 through the deployment portion 20E between the lower and rear edges of the garnish 36 and the lip portion 58L to deploy.

[0023] The display device 16 is fixed to the surface of the garnish on the passenger compartment 34 side so as to form a strip extending close to and along the upper and front edge of the garnish 36. Thus, the display device 16 is spaced above and forward of the unfolding portion 20E. The display device 16 of the embodiment includes a plurality of LED lamps 60 arranged in a line along its longitudinal direction. The operation of the display device 16, i.e., the lighting, blinking and extinguishing of the plurality of LED lamps 60, is controlled by the ECU 18, as will be described in detail later.

[0024] The left and right detection devices 14 are, for example, ultrasonic sensors or radar sensors provided at the left and right corners of the front end of the vehicle 12, and are configured to detect the presence or absence of an object located in the left and right diagonally forward areas of the vehicle 12 that are blind spots for the driver, and the distance to the object. The detection device 14 may be configured to detect the size of the object in addition to the presence or absence of the object and the distance to the object. The object may be both a moving object such as another vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian, and a stationary object (obstacle) such as a fence, post, or utility pole. In FIG. 1, 70 indicates a door mirror provided on a front door 72, and the detection device 14 may be provided on the door mirror 70.

[0025] The left and right detectors 14 are connected to the ECU 18, and the detection results of the detectors 14, i.e., signals indicating the presence or absence of an object to be notified and the distance to the object, are input to the ECU 18. The distance to the object (and the size of the object) may be determined by the ECU 18 based on the signals from the detectors 14.

[0026] A setting device 62, a microphone 64, and a speaker 66 are connected to the ECU 18, and the vehicle exterior information alert device 10 operates when a switch (not shown) of the setting device 62 is turned on. As will be described later, the microphone 64 converts voice commands from an occupant of the vehicle 12 into electrical signals and inputs the electrical signals to the ECU 18. Note that, although the setting device 62 is electrically connected to the ECU 18 in the embodiment, it may be wirelessly connected to the ECU 18 so as to transmit and receive signals by ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, radio waves, etc. The speaker 66 may be a speaker of an audio device not shown in the figure.

[0027] The ECU 18 controls the operation of the display device 16, as will be described in detail later with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. When the ECU 18 receives a signal indicating the presence of an object such as an obstacle from the detection device 14, it operates the display device 16 in an operation mode set by the occupant operating the setting device 62. The setting device 62 is capable of setting the following modes as the operation mode. When the setting device 62 is not operated, the operation mode is set to the standard mode.

[0028] (1) Standard mode When an object is present and the distance to the object is equal to or greater than the reference value, all of the LED lamps 60 are turned on. In contrast, when the distance to the object is less than the reference value, all of the LED lamps 60 are turned on. Note that the reference value may be a positive constant, but may also be variably set according to the rate at which the distance to the object decreases so that the reference value increases as the rate at which the distance to the object decreases increases.

[0029] Therefore, the driver can recognize that an object exists but the distance to the object is equal to or greater than a reference value by the lighting of the LED lamps 60, and can recognize that the distance to the object is less than the reference value by the blinking of the LED lamps 60. The color of the light emitted by the LED lamps 60 may be one color, such as red or yellow. When no object exists, all the LED lamps 60 are turned off.

[0030] (2) Size notification mode When the detection device 14 detects the size of the object or the ECU 18 judges the size of the object, the number of lit and blinking LED lamps 60 increases as the size of the object increases. Other points are the same as the standard mode. Therefore, the driver can recognize the presence or absence of an object and the distance to the object by the lighting and blinking of the LED lamps 60, and can also recognize the general size of the object by the number of lit or blinking LED lamps 60.

[0031] (3) Decoration mode The decoration mode can be set when the LED lamp 60 can change the color of the light emitted. The display device 16 decorates by functioning as a decorative device through light emission during normal operation when the detection device 14 has not detected an object to be notified. The color, illuminance, and lighting state of the LED lamp 60 during normal operation and notification may be, for example, as shown in Table 1 below. [Table 1]

[0032] As will be described in detail later with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 3, when the ECU 18 receives a voice end command via the microphone 64 in a situation where the LED lamps 60 are on or flashing, the ECU 18 turns off all the LED lamps 60. The end command may be, for example, "confirmed," "confirmed OK," "turn off," etc., and the end command can be customized as will be described in detail later with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 5.

[0033] <Display Control Routine> Next, a control routine for the display device 16 in the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. The control according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 3 is repeatedly executed by the CPU of the ECU 18 at predetermined time intervals when a display switch (not shown) of the setting device 62 is on. In particular, steps S60 to S140 are executed for the right display device 16, for example, and then executed for the left display device 16. In the following description, the control of the display device 16 according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 3 will be simply referred to as "display control".

[0034] First, in step S10, the CPU determines whether or not the flag Foc is 1, that is, whether or not the command control by the voice command is normal. If the CPU determines yes, the display control proceeds to step S60, and if the CPU determines no, the display control proceeds to step S20. The flag Foc is initialized to 0 prior to step S10 when the control according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 starts.

[0035] In step S20, the CPU prompts the driver to utter a voice command for confirming the operation by outputting a voice such as "Test, say test" from the speaker 66.

[0036] In step S30, the CPU determines whether or not a voice command for confirming an operation, such as "test, test," has been input via the microphone 64. If the CPU determines in the negative, it returns the display control to step S20, and if the CPU determines in the positive, it advances the display control to step S40.

[0037] In step S40, the CPU determines whether the voice command for confirming the operation has been normally recognized. If the CPU determines that the voice command has not been recognized, the CPU returns the display control to step S20. If the CPU determines that the voice command has not been recognized, the CPU sets a flag Foc to 1 in step S50.

[0038] In step S60, the CPU determines whether or not a preset voice command for terminating operation, such as "turn off," has been input via the microphone 64. If the CPU determines yes, it advances display control to step S90, and if the CPU determines no, it advances display control to step S70.

[0039] In step S70, the CPU reads from the detection device 14 the detection result, that is, a signal indicating whether or not an object to be notified has been detected.

[0040] In step S80, the CPU determines whether or not the detection device 14 has detected an object to be notified, i.e., whether or not an object that may be an obstacle is present diagonally ahead. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it advances the display control to step S100, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it advances the display control to step S90.

[0041] In step S90, if the display device 16 is operating, that is, if the LED lamp 60 is on or blinking, the CPU turns off the LED lamp and temporarily ends the display control.

[0042] In step S100, the CPU determines whether or not the operation mode of the display device 16 is the standard mode. If the CPU determines that the display device 16 is in the standard mode, the CPU advances the display control to step S120. If the CPU determines that the display device 16 is in the standard mode, the CPU controls the display device 16 to operate in the standard mode in step S110.

[0043] In step S120, the CPU determines whether the operation mode of the display device 16 is the size notification mode. If the CPU determines yes, the CPU operates the display device 16 in the size notification mode in step S130. In contrast, if the CPU determines no, the CPU operates the display device 16 in the decoration mode in step S140.

[0044] <Setting control routine for voice command to end operation> Next, a setting control routine for a voice command for terminating an operation in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 4. The control according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 4 is repeatedly executed by the CPU of the ECU 18 at predetermined time intervals when a voice command setting switch (not shown) of the setting device 62 is on, and ends when the setting switch is turned off. In the following description, the setting control according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 4 will be simply referred to as "setting control".

[0045] First, in step S210, the CPU outputs a message from the speaker 66 asking, "Is the end command OK to erase?" and prompts the user to answer, "Please answer yes or no." Incidentally, "erase" is the first standard command for voice commands to terminate an operation.

[0046] In step S220, the CPU waits for a predetermined time, and then determines whether the driver's answer input via microphone 64 is "Yes." If the CPU determines that the answer is "Yes," the CPU advances setting control to step S240, and if the CPU determines that the answer is "Yes," the CPU sets the voice command for terminating the operation to "Turn off" in step S230.

[0047] In step S240, the CPU outputs a message from the speaker 66 asking, "Is the end command OK to confirm?" and prompts the user to answer, "Please answer yes or no." Note that "OK to confirm" is the second standard voice command for terminating an operation.

[0048] In step S250, the CPU waits for a predetermined time, and then determines whether the driver's answer input via microphone 64 is "Yes." If the CPU determines no, the setting control proceeds to step S270, and if the CPU determines yes, the CPU sets the voice command for terminating the operation to "Confirmation OK" in step S260.

[0049] In step S270, the CPU outputs from the speaker 66 a suggestion, "Is the end command OK to confirm?" and prompts the user to answer, "Please answer yes or no." Incidentally, "OK" is the third standard command for voice commands for terminating an operation.

[0050] In step S280, the CPU waits for a predetermined time, and then determines whether the driver's answer input via microphone 64 is "Yes." If the CPU determines no, the setting control proceeds to step S300, and if the CPU determines yes, the CPU sets the voice command for terminating operation to "Confirmed" in step S290, and terminates the setting control.

[0051] In step S300, the CPU prompts the driver to utter a voice command to end the desired operation by outputting a voice from the speaker 66, such as "Please say the voice command to end the desired operation."

[0052] In step S310, the CPU waits for a predetermined time, and then determines whether or not a voice command for terminating the operation, such as "Got it," has been input via the microphone 64. If the CPU determines that the command is not true, it returns the setting control to step S300, and if the CPU determines that the command is true, it advances the setting control to step S320.

[0053] In step S320, the CPU determines whether the voice command for terminating operation has been properly recognized. If the CPU determines negative, the CPU returns the setting control to step S300. In contrast, if the CPU determines positive, the CPU sets the voice command for terminating operation to the recognized voice command in step S330, outputs a voice from the speaker 66 saying, for example, "The end command has been set to (the recognized command)," and terminates the setting control.

[0054] As can be seen from the above explanation, according to the embodiment, when an object such as an obstacle is detected by the detection device 14 (steps S70, S80), the display device 16 is activated (steps S110, S130, S140), so that the driver can be notified of the presence of the object.

[0055] The display device 16 is fixed to the surface of the garnish 36 on the passenger compartment 34 side in the vicinity of the upper and front edge of the garnish 36, and is spaced above and forward of the deployment portion 20E of the curtain airbag device 46. Therefore, the display device 16 does not adversely affect the deployment of the airbag of the curtain airbag device 46.

[0056] Particularly, in the embodiment, the display device 16 is in the form of a strip extending close to and along the upper and front edges of the garnish 36. The portion close to the upper and front edges of the garnish 36 is subjected to a small amount of elastic deformation when the airbag of the curtain airbag device 46 is deployed, so the display device 16 is not damaged when the airbag is deployed. Even if the curtain airbag device 46 is replaced after deployment, the vehicle exterior information notification device 10 can be used continuously without replacing the display device 16.

[0057] In the embodiment, the display device 16 is disposed at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the garnish 36 on the side of the front pillar body 32 of the front pillar 20 facing the passenger compartment 34. Therefore, the visibility of the display device can be improved compared to the case where the display device is disposed at the base of the front pillar, as in the vehicle exterior information notification device described in the above-mentioned prior art document 1.

[0058] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the distance to the object to be notified is notified by the lighting and blinking of the LED lamps 60 of the display device 16, so the driver can judge the distance to the object based on whether the LED lamps 60 are lit or blinking. In particular, when the size of the object is notified by the number of lit and blinking LED lamps 60, the driver can roughly judge the size of the object.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the display device 16 can be operated in three operation modes set by the occupant operating the setting device 62. Thus, the occupant can select and use the operation mode of the display device 16 according to his / her preference. In particular, in the decoration mode, the display device 16 can function as a decoration device by emitting light during normal times when the detection device 14 has not detected an object to be notified, thereby decorating the interior 34.

[0060] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the driver can end the operation of the display device 16 by uttering a voice command to end the operation, without operating the setting device 62. Therefore, compared to a case in which the operation of the display device 16 cannot be ended without operating the setting device 62, the driver can end the operation of the display device 16 without feeling bothered by the operation, and can concentrate on driving.

[0061] In particular, according to the embodiment, in steps S10 to S50, confirmation of the operation of the control by the voice command is performed at the start of the control of the display device 16. This reduces the risk that the operation of the display device 16 cannot be terminated even if the driver utters a voice command to terminate the operation.

[0062] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, a voice command for terminating the operation of the display device 16 can be selected and set by controlling the setting of the voice command for terminating the operation of the display device 16 (steps S210 to S230 in FIG. 4). Thus, the driver can terminate the operation of the display device 16 by uttering the voice command set according to his / her preference.

[0063] Although the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0064] For example, in the above embodiment, the display device 16 can be operated in three operation modes by the occupant operating the setting device 62. The three operation modes are the standard mode, the size notification mode, and the decoration mode, but any of these may be omitted, and other operation modes may be added. Also, the operation mode of the display device 16 may be selected and set by a voice command. Furthermore, the operation mode of the display device 16 may be fixedly set to any of the three operation modes.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the driver can select and set a voice command for terminating the operation. "Turn off," "Confirmation OK," and "Confirmed" are the first to third standard voice commands for terminating the operation, and the driver can also set a desired voice command for terminating the operation. However, the standard commands do not have to be in this order and are not limited to these, and setting of the desired voice command for terminating the operation may be omitted.

[0066] Furthermore, although in the embodiment described above, the display device 16 is in the form of a strip extending close to and along the upper and front edge of the garnish 36, it may be in other shapes, and an auxiliary display device may be provided in addition to the display device 16, as shown by the reference numeral 74 in FIG. 1.

[0067] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when control of the display device 16 is started, the operation of the control by the voice command is checked, and the voice command for terminating the operation of the display device 16 can be selected and set by setting control of the voice command for terminating the operation. However, at least one of the operation check of the control by the voice command and the setting control of the voice command for terminating the operation may be omitted. Furthermore, the voice command may be registered (enrolled) with respect to the driver's voice. When the driver's voice is registered, it is possible to reduce the risk of inappropriate control of the voice command in response to a voice other than that of the driver. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10...exterior information notification device, 12...vehicle, 14...detection device, 16...display device, 18...electronic control unit (ECU), 20...front pillar, 32...front pillar body, 36...garnish, 46...curtain airbag device, 60...LED lamp, 62...setting device, 64...microphone, 66...speaker

Claims

[Claim 1] An outside information notification device for a vehicle in which an airbag device is disposed between a front pillar body and a garnish covering the front pillar body on the passenger compartment side, the outside information notification device for a vehicle including: a detection device that detects an object outside the vehicle whose presence should be notified; a display device that is fixed to the surface of the garnish on the passenger compartment side and spaced apart from a portion where an airbag of the airbag device deploys; and a control device that operates the display device when the detection device detects an object outside the vehicle that should be notified, The portion where the airbag of the airbag device deploys extends along the longitudinal direction of the garnish between the rear and lower edge of the garnish and the front pillar body, and the display device is spaced forward and upward from the portion where the airbag deploys, extends along the longitudinal direction of the garnish, and includes a plurality of LED lamps arranged along the longitudinal direction of the garnish, and is an exterior information notification device configured to notify the driver of the distance to an object located in an area that is a blind spot for the driver by turning the LED lamps on and off.

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