Vehicle Alert Apparatus Ignition-Off Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle alert systems cannot notify occupants of approaching moving objects when the ignition switch is in the off state, as the vehicle peripheral sensors are not powered and unable to detect objects in the surroundings.
Innovation Solution
An alert apparatus that includes a power supply device, a switch, an information acquisition device, an alerting device, and a controller, where the alerting device and controller receive power regardless of the ignition switch state, allowing them to alert occupants based on previously acquired vehicle peripheral information when the switch is off, and adjust alert thresholds and operations based on predicted time and distance to minimize annoyance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the vehicle peripheral sensor is connected via the ignition switch, then power consumption is reduced when the vehicle is stopped, but the sensor cannot detect moving objects when the ignition switch is off
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two independent power supply paths: one through the ignition switch for the information acquisition device, and another direct path from the power supply device for the alerting device and controller. This segmentation allows the alert function to operate independently of the ignition state while the sensor operates only when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The alerting device and controller are kept in a ready state by providing them with continuous power supply regardless of ignition switch position. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the information acquisition device detects a moving object, the alert system can immediately respond without delay caused by power state changes.
2Reliability
If the alerting device operates continuously regardless of ignition state, then occupant safety is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the previously acquired vehicle peripheral information stored in the controller to determine whether alerting is necessary, rather than requiring continuous real-time detection. This self-service approach allows the alerting device to operate selectively based on stored data, reducing energy consumption while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial detection (using stored peripheral information) rather than continuous full detection, which is sufficient for the alert function. This partial action approach reduces power consumption while still providing necessary safety notifications when occupants are about to exit the vehicle.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an alert apparatus for a vehicle configured to: in a case where a connection state of a switch is an off state, determine whether or not there is an alert-target object based on vehicle peripheral information which has been acquired until an off time point at which the connection state of the switch is changed to the off state, the alert-target object being a moving object to be alerted when an occupant of the vehicle gets out of the vehicle; and configured to, when determining that there is the alert-target object, cause an alerting device to perform an alerting operation.