Vehicle approaching notification device

Abstract

To allow a user to accurately grasp a situation where multiple vehicles are approaching.SOLUTION: A vehicle approach notification device includes: a determination processor configured to perform a determination as to whether or not to change a currently set notification sound when it is determined that a surrounding vehicle is detected; a selection processor configured to select a notification sound in place of the currently set notification sound from multiple notification sounds when the determination processor determines to change the currently set notification sound in the determination; and a sound emission controller configured to perform sound emission control of the notification sound selected by the selection processor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of a vehicle approaching notification device that generates a notification sound to notify a target of notification, such as a pedestrian, of an approaching vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicles that run using a motor, such as HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles), P-HEVs (Plug-in HEVs), and EVs (Electric Vehicles), make little noise while running. Therefore, such vehicles are equipped with a device that emits an alarm to alert pedestrians and other objects of the approaching vehicle. It is desirable that the warning sound emitted by the device be a sound that is easy for the target to hear. For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a technology that reliably warns those around the vehicle of an approaching vehicle by varying the volume and frequency of the warning sound (alert sound) emitted by the vehicle in relation to surrounding sounds. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-171406 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when there are multiple vehicles approaching the target person, it is not necessarily the case that an appropriate warning sound is emitted (blowed) for each vehicle, and the target person may not be able to accurately grasp the situation.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to enable a subject to accurately grasp a situation in which multiple vehicles are approaching. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle approach notification device according to the present invention is configured to notify the user of a vehicle approach when it is determined that a nearby vehicle has been detected. No. 1 a determination processing unit that determines whether or not to change the notification sound; The first When it is determined that the notification sound should be changed The first a selection processing unit that selects a notification sound to replace the notification sound from a plurality of notification sounds; The second alarm sound a sound emission control unit that controls the sound emission of the The determination processing unit determines that the first notification sound should be changed when the detected surrounding vehicle is the same model as the host vehicle and the host vehicle has a newer vehicle serial number than the detected surrounding vehicle, and the same model is set as a model for which the same notification sound as the host vehicle is set, and the second notification sound is set as a backup notification sound. It is something. This makes it possible to appropriately determine situations where there are nearby vehicles and they may emit similar warning sounds. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to allow a target person such as a pedestrian to accurately understand a situation in which a plurality of vehicles are approaching. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed to emit a notification sound. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification sound change determination process. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between vehicle speed ranges and notification sounds in the second embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification sound change determination process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a change manner of the notification sound. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of a change in the notification sound. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third example of a change in the notification sound. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of a change in the notification sound. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fifth example of a change in the notification sound. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification sound change determination process according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <1. Configuration of vehicle approach notification device> The configuration of a vehicle approach notification device 1 provided in a vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0010] The vehicle 100 can be applied to various types of vehicles such as a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, an electric vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle, but in this example, the vehicle is a vehicle that runs using a motor.

[0011] The vehicle 100 includes a control unit 2, a storage unit 3, a communication unit 4, a sound emitting unit 5, and sensors 6. The control unit 2, the storage unit 3, and the sound emitting unit 5 constitute the vehicle approach notification device 1.

[0012] The control unit 2 is configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and is composed of, for example, one or more ECUs (Electronic Control Units). Each ECU is configured with a processor and a storage medium. The control unit 2 and storage unit 3 shown in Figure 1 collectively represent multiple arithmetic processing units and storage media provided in multiple ECUs.

[0013] The control unit 2 executes various processes for the vehicle 100. In particular, in this embodiment, the control unit 2 executes various processes to generate a notification sound (alert sound) for notifying (warning) pedestrians and the like around the vehicle 100 of the approach of the vehicle 100. To this end, the control unit 2 has functions as a determination processing unit 2a, a selection processing unit 2b, and a sound emission control unit 2c. Each of these units will be described later.

[0014] Here, the vehicle 100 as the subject vehicle may be referred to as the "subject vehicle 100A." Vehicles other than the subject vehicle 100A are referred to as "other vehicles." Objects (persons) that perceive the alert sound, such as pedestrians and cyclists around the subject vehicle 100A, are referred to as "notified objects."

[0015] As described above, vehicle 100 is a vehicle that runs using a motor. Therefore, while vehicle 100 is traveling at high speeds, it generates a certain amount of noise that allows pedestrians and the like to perceive the presence of vehicle 100 without seeing it, but while vehicle 100 is traveling at low speeds, it generates less noise and is therefore less perceivable to pedestrians and the like.

[0016] Therefore, when the speed of the vehicle 100 is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, the control unit 2 of the vehicle 100 emits a warning sound to notify the surrounding area of ​​the presence of the vehicle 100A. Here, the predetermined speed is, for example, 20 km / h.

[0017] The storage unit 3 stores programs, data, etc. used for processing by the control unit 2. In particular, in this embodiment, the storage unit 3 stores information, etc., about the notification sound to be emitted.

[0018] The communication unit 4 is capable of performing various types of communication, such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and road-to-vehicle communication. In particular, in this embodiment, the communication unit 4 acquires information for determining the alert sound to be emitted through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Specifically, as will be described later, the communication unit 4 is capable of acquiring the serial number, vehicle model information, or manufacturing date as appropriate through vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0019] The sound emitting unit 5 is configured by a speaker or the like, and emits the notification sound determined by the control unit 2.

[0020] The sensors 6 collectively refer to various sensors provided in the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is particularly provided with a vehicle speed sensor 6a, a recognition sensor 6b, and a microphone 6c.

[0021] The vehicle speed sensor 6a is a sensor that detects the traveling speed of the vehicle 100. For example, it can be realized by a sensor that detects the wheel speed.

[0022] The recognition sensor 6b is a sensor that detects an object located outside the vehicle 100. The recognition sensor 6b can be realized by, for example, an image sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, or a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).

[0023] The recognition sensor 6b can obtain sensing results as to whether or not there is another vehicle around the vehicle 100.

[0024] The microphone 6c is a sensor that collects sounds outside the vehicle 100. The collected sound signals are output to the control unit 2 after undergoing predetermined signal processing.

[0025] The determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 performs various determination processes. For example, the determination processing unit 2a determines whether to emit a warning sound. The determination processing unit 2a also determines whether to change the warning sound. The determination processing unit 2a also performs other determination processes, which will be described in detail later.

[0026] The selection processing unit 2b performs a process of selecting a notification sound based on the determination result of the determination processing unit 2a.

[0027] The sound emission control unit 2c realizes various sound emission controls by outputting a start command to the sound emission unit 5 to start sound emission, a stop command to stop sound emission, or a command to change the notification sound.

[0028] <2. Processing flow> The following describes the processing executed by each unit of the control unit 2. First, the flow of processing executed by the control unit 2 to emit a notification sound will be described with reference to FIG.

[0029] In step S101 of FIG. 2, the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines whether or not the condition for emitting the notification sound is met. The condition for emitting the notification sound is determined based on whether or not the host vehicle 100A is traveling at 20 km / h or less, as described above, for example.

[0030] When it is determined that the vehicle 100A is traveling at 20 km / h or less, the control unit 2 performs a notification sound change determination process. In this determination process, it is determined whether or not the currently set notification sound should be changed, and the notification sound is changed appropriately depending on the determination result. The notification sound should be changed when, for example, the notification sound of the vehicle 100A and the notification sound of the other vehicle are the same or similar.

[0031] After the notification sound change determination is completed, the sound emission control unit 2c of the control unit 2 emits the notification sound in step S103, and then the process returns to step S101.

[0032] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S101 that the sound emission condition is not met, for example, if the vehicle is stopped or if it is determined that the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100A is greater than 20 km / h, the sound emission control unit 2c of the control unit 2 performs processing to stop the emission of the alert sound in step S104. Note that if the emission of the alert sound has already been stopped, the stopped state is maintained.

[0033] The control unit 2 executes the series of processes shown in FIG. 2, so that the notification sound is emitted or stopped at appropriate timing depending on the speed of the host vehicle 100A.

[0034] Next, a specific example of the notification sound change determination process in step S102 will be described.

[0035] In the notification sound change determination process, first, in step S201, the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines whether or not another vehicle of the same model has been detected in the vicinity. When another vehicle of the same model is detected, there is a possibility that the notification sound will be the same, so it is desirable for one of the vehicles to change the notification sound.

[0036] Vehicle 100A acquires vehicle type information from other vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and can determine whether the other vehicles are the same vehicle type as vehicle 100A based on the vehicle type information.

[0037] Here, the other vehicle of the same model is referred to as "opponent vehicle 100B." If it is determined that the other vehicle 100B has been detected, the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines in step S202 whether the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 100B is equal to or less than a first threshold value. The first threshold value here is the above-mentioned predetermined speed, for example, 20 km / h. That is, the process of step S202 can be said to be a process of determining whether or not the other vehicle 100B is emitting a notification sound.

[0038] The vehicle speed information of the other vehicle 100B may be acquired through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or may be estimated based on sensing information obtained by various sensors such as an image sensor.

[0039] If it is determined that the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 100B is equal to or less than the first threshold value, the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines in step S203 whether the manufacturing date of the host vehicle 100A is newer than that of the other vehicle 100B.

[0040] The process of step S203 is a determination process for determining whether to change the notification sound for the subject vehicle 100A or the other vehicle 100B. This determination process may be performed by any method that can uniquely identify either the subject vehicle 100A or the other vehicle 100B, and is preferable because the vehicle 100 with a newer manufacturing date corresponds to only one of the subject vehicle 100A and the other vehicle 100B.

[0041] Information about the manufacturing date can be acquired, for example, through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. If the manufacturing dates are the same, the notification sound of the vehicle 100 with the newer manufacturing number is changed.

[0042] If it is determined that the manufacturing date of the host vehicle 100A is newer, the selection processing unit 2b of the control unit 2 performs processing to select the second notification sound, that is, processing to switch to the second notification sound, in step S204.

[0043] Here, the first notification sound is the notification sound that is set normally, and the second notification sound is the notification sound that is prepared as a backup. The second notification sound is switched and used as appropriate depending on the situation.

[0044] After the process of step S204, the control unit 2 completes the series of processes shown in Fig. 3 and returns to the process of Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the notification sound change process of Fig. 3 is executed multiple times at predetermined intervals. Therefore, the process of step S204 may be executed again after switching to the second notification sound. In this case, the process of step S204 is executed as a process to maintain the state in which the notification sound has been switched to the second notification sound.

[0045] If it is determined in step S201 that the same vehicle model has not been detected, there is no possibility that the notification sounds will be the same. This is because the notification sound of the host vehicle 100A is set in advance to be different from the notification sounds emitted by vehicles of different vehicle models. Therefore, in this case, the selection processing unit 2b of the control unit 2 performs processing to select the first notification sound in step S205. Note that if the notification sound previously selected was the second notification sound, processing to switch from the second notification sound to the first notification sound is performed in step S205.

[0046] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S202 that the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 100B is greater than the first threshold value, it is estimated that the other vehicle 100B is not emitting a warning sound, and therefore the selection processing unit 2b of the control unit 2 of the host vehicle 100A performs a process of selecting the first warning sound in step S205.

[0047] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S203 that the manufacturing date of the other vehicle 100B is newer than that of the host vehicle 100A, it is the other vehicle 100B that will change to the backup notification sound (second notification sound), and therefore the selection processing unit 2b of the control unit 2 of the host vehicle 100A performs a process of selecting the first notification sound in step S205.

[0048] By executing the processes shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vehicle approaching notification device 1 of the vehicle 100 can emit a notification sound that avoids emitting the same notification sound as that of other vehicles.

[0049] 3. Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the notification sound is changed based on the result of comparing the vehicle speed ranges of the subject vehicle 100A and the other vehicle 100B.

[0050] First, as a premise, the vehicle approaching notification device 1 of the vehicle 100 selects a notification sound according to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100A, as shown in Fig. 4. That is, in the vehicle approaching notification device 1, a first notification sound is selected when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100A is greater than 0 km / h and equal to or less than 10 km / h. Also, a second notification sound is selected when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100A is greater than 10 km / h and equal to or less than 20 km / h. Here, the second notification sound is louder than the first notification sound.

[0051] The speed range between 0 km / h and 10 km / h is called the "first speed range." The speed range between 10 km / h and 20 km / h is called the "second speed range."

[0052] Based on this, the flow of the notification sound change determination process shown in Fig. 5 will be described. Note that the same processes as those in Fig. 3 are given the same step numbers, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0053] In step S201, the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines whether or not the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 has detected another vehicle of the same model (other vehicle 100B) in the vicinity.

[0054] If it is determined that the other vehicle 100B has been detected, the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines in step S211 whether the other vehicle 100B is in the same vehicle speed zone as the host vehicle 100A. The vehicle speed zone here refers to the first vehicle speed zone and the second vehicle speed zone shown in Fig. 4, and a state in which the host vehicle 100A is traveling at 15 km / h and the other vehicle 100B is traveling at 17 km / h is said to be traveling in the same vehicle speed zone.

[0055] When the host vehicle 100A and the other vehicle 100B are traveling in the same vehicle speed zone, the notification sound is the same, so it is necessary to change the notification sound of one of them.

[0056] In step S203, the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines whether the manufacturing date (or serial number) of the host vehicle 100A is newer than that of the other vehicle 100B. If it is determined that the host vehicle 100A is newer, the selection processing unit 2b of the control unit 2 switches to the third notification sound in step S212.

[0057] On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in any of steps S201, S211, and S203 ("No" in the figure), the selection processing unit 2b of the control unit 2 switches to the first notification sound or the second notification sound in step S213.

[0058] Here, whether to switch to the first notification sound or the second notification sound is determined according to the speed of the host vehicle 100A (see FIG. 4).

[0059] In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which the vehicle approach notification device 1 of the vehicle 100 is capable of emitting the first notification sound and the second notification sound, but it may also be capable of emitting the third notification sound, as in the second embodiment.

[0060] For example, when the vehicle 100 is traveling in a first vehicle speed range, a first notification sound is emitted, and when the vehicle 100 is traveling in a second vehicle speed range, a second notification sound is emitted (see FIG. 4).

[0061] In addition, when it is considered that an opposing vehicle 100B of the same model as the host vehicle 100A is nearby and the opposing vehicle 100B is emitting a warning sound, the vehicle 100 with the newer serial number of the host vehicle 100A or the opposing vehicle 100B may switch to a third warning sound that is different from the first and second warning sounds. That is, the processing of step S212 in Fig. 5 may be executed instead of the processing of step S204 in Fig. 3.

[0062] This allows the control unit 2 of the vehicle 100 to emit a notification sound that is different from that of other vehicles present nearby, without determining which vehicle speed zone the other vehicle 100B belongs to.

[0063] 4. Third Embodiment In the third embodiment, unlike the first and second embodiments, it is not determined whether the other vehicle is the same model as the host vehicle 100A.

[0064] Specifically, it determines whether the characteristics of the warning sound emitted by the vehicle 100A are similar to the characteristics of the warning sound emitted by other vehicles, and if it determines that they are similar, it changes the warning sound and emits it.

[0065] In order to make a similarity determination, the storage unit 3 of the vehicle approach notification device 1 stores the characteristics of the notification sound emitted by the vehicle 100A (frequencies with high sound pressure levels and their sound pressure levels). The judgment processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines whether the alert sounds are similar by comparing the information resulting from analyzing the characteristics of the acoustic signal acquired from the microphone 6c with the characteristics of the stored alert sounds.

[0066] There are several possible methods for determining whether the alert sounds are similar, but this can be achieved, for example, by determining whether the frequencies with high sound pressure levels are similar. If the difference between the frequencies with high sound pressure levels is less than a predetermined value, the alert sounds are determined to be similar. Note that if there are multiple frequencies with high sound pressure levels, the alert sounds may be determined to be similar if both frequencies match or are close to each other.

[0067] The notification sound may be changed by partially modifying an existing notification sound. Here are some examples:

[0068] The first example is shown in Fig. 6. In the graph in the figure, the regulation values ​​for each frequency in the first vehicle speed band are indicated by square marks, and the regulation values ​​for each frequency in the second vehicle speed band are indicated by triangle marks. The thresholds are defined as sound pressure levels that must be exceeded at two frequencies, and different warning sounds can be emitted by adjusting the frequencies that exceed the thresholds.

[0069] The dashed line graph (without marker) in Fig. 6 shows the sound pressure level versus frequency for the first notification sound selected in the first vehicle speed range. The solid line graph (without marker) in Fig. 6 shows the sound pressure level versus frequency for the third notification sound selected in the first vehicle speed range. The notification sound selected in the second vehicle speed range is not shown in the figure.

[0070] In the first example shown in Figure 6, a different alert sound (third alert sound) is generated by shifting both peak frequencies to the lower frequency side, thereby making it possible to generate a third alert sound that is significantly different from the first alert sound.

[0071] In addition to this, a different third alert sound may be generated by shifting both of the two peak frequencies toward the higher frequency side, or the third alert sound may be generated by shifting each of the two peak frequencies in different and distant directions.

[0072] The second example shown in FIG. 7 generates a different warning sound by forming a third peak frequency between two peak frequencies.

[0073] In the third example shown in FIG. 8, the higher frequency peak of the two peak frequencies is shifted further to the higher frequency side to generate a different notification sound.

[0074] In the fourth example shown in FIG. 9, the lower peak of the two peak frequencies is shifted further to the lower frequency side to generate a different notification sound.

[0075] In the fifth example shown in FIG. 10, a different notification sound is generated by forming a third peak frequency on the lower frequency side of the two peak frequencies. Furthermore, compared to the high-frequency range, the masking effect has the characteristic of having a narrower masking range in the low-frequency range. As shown in Figure 10, by forming a third peak frequency on the low-frequency side, it is possible to make the masking effect less likely to occur. This is also preferable for elderly pedestrians, as they are more likely to be able to hear sounds in the low-frequency range more easily.

[0076] In both examples, the third notification sound is generated by changing a part of the first notification sound, which is preferable because it allows different notification sounds to be generated easily.

[0077] The flow of the notification sound change determination process will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Note that the same steps as those in Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 are given the same step numbers, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0078] In step S221, the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines whether or not another vehicle has been detected. The other vehicle here may or may not be the same model as the host vehicle 100A.

[0079] Next, in step S222, the determination processing unit 2a of the control unit 2 determines whether or not a similar notification sound has been detected. This determination is made based on the output signal from the microphone 6c.

[0080] If it is determined that a similar notification sound has been detected, the selection processing unit 2b of the control unit 2 switches to the third notification sound in step S212.

[0081] On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in either step S221 or S222 ("No" in the drawing), the selection processing unit 2b of the control unit 2 switches to the first notification sound or the second notification sound in step S213.

[0082] Whether to switch to the first or second notification sound is determined according to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100A (see FIG. 4), and the state returns to emitting the original notification sound.

[0083] <5. Variations> In the above example, the notification sound is changed for the vehicle 100 with the newer manufacturing date (or serial number), but the notification sound may also be changed for the older vehicle 100. Alternatively, the vehicle 100 to be changed may be determined in inter-vehicle communication.

[0084] The timing of switching the notification sound may be determined according to an output image from a camera capturing an image of the outside of the vehicle 100. In this case, the timing of switching may be determined according to the traveling direction of the other vehicle and the distance from the vehicle 100A. Specifically, the timing for switching the warning sound, or whether or not to switch the warning sound, may be determined depending on whether another vehicle is approaching the vehicle 100A from the front, whether another vehicle is following the vehicle 100A from behind, or whether another vehicle is traveling in the same direction in front of the vehicle 100A.

[0085] For example, in a situation where another vehicle is approaching vehicle 100A from the front, if the relative speed is high, switching the warning sound early can make pedestrians and others aware of the presence of multiple vehicles early, thereby contributing to improved safety.

[0086] In addition, if another vehicle is traveling in the same direction as vehicle 100A, switching the warning sound early can make pedestrians and others aware of the presence of multiple vehicles early, thereby contributing to improved safety.

[0087] <6. Summary> As described above, the vehicle approach notification device 1 includes a determination processing unit 2a that determines whether or not to change the currently set notification sound when it is determined that a nearby vehicle (another vehicle such as the opposing vehicle 100B) has been detected, a selection processing unit 2b that selects from a plurality of notification sounds a notification sound to replace the currently set notification sound when the determination processing unit 2a determines that the notification sound should be changed, and a sound emission control unit 2c that controls the emission of the notification sound selected by the selection processing unit 2b. This makes it possible to appropriately determine situations where there are nearby vehicles and they may emit similar warning sounds. Therefore, in a situation where multiple vehicles are approaching a pedestrian or other object to be reported, or where multiple vehicles are approaching the object to be reported successively from the same direction, it becomes possible for the object to be reported to clearly recognize that there are multiple vehicles, which contributes to improved safety.

[0088] The judgment processing unit 2a of the vehicle approach notification device 1 may determine whether to change the currently set notification sound when a detected nearby vehicle (another vehicle such as the other vehicle 100B) is of the same model as the vehicle 100A. This makes it possible to make the other vehicle and the own vehicle 100A emit different warning sounds in a situation where the other vehicle (opponent vehicle 100B) is the exact same model as the own vehicle 100A and may emit the exact same warning sound, thereby improving safety.

[0089] The judgment processing unit 2a of the vehicle approach notification device 1 may determine to change the currently set notification sound if it determines that the notification sound emitted from a detected nearby vehicle (another vehicle such as the other vehicle 100B) is similar to the currently set notification sound. This makes it possible to make the other vehicle and the own vehicle 100A emit different warning sounds in a situation where similar warning sounds are emitted even though the other vehicle and the own vehicle 100A are of different models, thereby improving safety.

[0090] The judgment processing unit 2a of the vehicle approach notification device 1 may determine whether to change the currently set notification sound when it detects that a detected nearby vehicle (another vehicle such as the other vehicle 100B) and the vehicle 100A are approaching the object to be notified from the same direction. When the vehicle 100A and another vehicle are traveling in the same direction, there is a high possibility that both vehicles will approach the object to be notified from the same direction. In this case, the object to be notified is likely to be mistaken for a single approaching vehicle. In such a situation, by emitting different notification sounds from the other vehicle and the vehicle 100A, it is possible to make it easier to recognize that there are two approaching vehicles, which contributes to improving safety.

[0091] When determining whether to change the notification sound, the judgment processing unit 2a of the vehicle approach notification device 1 may determine to change the currently set notification sound if the manufacturing number of the vehicle 100A is newer than that of the detected surrounding vehicle (other vehicle such as the other vehicle 100B). In a situation where both nearby vehicles and the subject vehicle 100A should emit a warning sound, if similar warning sounds are emitted from both vehicles, it is important to determine which vehicle changes its warning sound. For example, if both vehicles change their warning sounds, the changed warning sounds will be similar, which may continue to cause the subject of the warning to misunderstand the situation. According to this configuration, the vehicle for which the notification sound is to be changed can be clearly and easily identified, making it possible to reliably change the notification sound without significantly increasing the processing load.

[0092] The various examples described above can be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1. Vehicle approach notification device 2a Judgment processing unit 2b Selection processing section 2c Sound emission control section 100 vehicles 100A Vehicle 100B Opponent vehicle (surrounding vehicle)

Claims

1. a determination processing unit that determines whether to change the currently set first notification sound when it is determined that a nearby vehicle has been detected; a selection processing unit that selects a notification sound to replace the first notification sound from a plurality of notification sounds when the determination processing unit determines in the determination that the first notification sound should be changed; a sound emission control unit that controls emission of a second notification sound, which is the notification sound selected by the selection processing unit, The determination processing unit determining that the first notification sound should be changed when the detected surrounding vehicle is the same model as the host vehicle and the host vehicle has a newer vehicle serial number than the detected surrounding vehicle; The vehicle model is a vehicle model that has the same notification sound as the vehicle's own vehicle, The second warning sound is a backup warning sound. Vehicle approach notification device.

2. When the determination processing unit determines that the notification sound emitted from the detected nearby vehicle is similar to the first notification sound being set, the determination processing unit determines that the first notification sound being set should be changed. The vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1.

3. The determination processing unit determines whether to change the first notification sound that is being set when the detected nearby vehicle and the host vehicle are traveling in the same direction.

3. The vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1.

4. The selection processing unit changes the first notification sound being set when the determination processing unit determines that the host vehicle and the detected surrounding vehicle are in the same vehicle speed range. The vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1.

5. The timing of changing the first notification sound during the setting is set to be earlier when the host vehicle and the detected surrounding vehicle are traveling in the same direction than when they are not traveling in the same direction. The vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1.

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