JP2013112193A - Reporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reporting device capable of being retrofitted and mounted on a vehicle and reporting starting conditions of a vehicle system to an occupant.SOLUTION: In the reporting device 1 retrofitted and incorporated into a multiplex communication system of the vehicle and reporting starting conditions of a drive system of an electric vehicle or a drive system of a hybrid vehicle for controlling an electric motor and an engine to the occupant, the reporting device 1 includes a connection section 10 connected with the multiplex communication system, an output section 40 for reporting the starting conditions of the drive system to the occupant, and a control section 50 for acquiring information concerning starting of the drive system on the basis of signals transmitted by the multiplex communication system through the connection section 10 and controlling the output section 40 on the basis of the information.

Description

  The present invention can be retrofitted to a multiplex communication system of a vehicle, and a drive system for an electric vehicle or a drive system for a hybrid that controls an electric motor and an engine (hereinafter referred to as a hybrid system) is activated. The present invention relates to a notification device for informing a passenger of a state.

In recent years, vehicles equipped with a hybrid system that controls an electric motor and a gasoline engine have become widespread as vehicle drive systems.
In such a vehicle, after the hybrid system is activated, a state in which the gasoline engine is stopped occurs immediately after the vehicle is started or when the vehicle is stopped, for example. In this state, there is no engine sound or vibration, and it is difficult to tell if the system has started. Also, if you are out of the car, such as when loading or unloading your luggage when you come home, there will be no engine noise or exhaust gas, so you will not know at all if the system is finished. In order to inform the driver that the hybrid system of the vehicle is active, i.e. it can only be operated with an electric motor, even when no engine noise or vibration is occurring, an indicator on the meter device display, e.g. There may be provided a display means for displaying the mark and an output means for outputting a desired sound from the speaker when the hybrid system is activated. Hereinafter, the display means and the output means are collectively referred to as notification means.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an electric vehicle. In this electric vehicle, a startup sound flows from a speaker at the time of startup (paragraph [0004] of Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-252420 A

  Conventional informing means guides the driver of the vehicle and electric vehicle activation states equipped with the hybrid system to the driver, but if another informing means can be retrofitted to the vehicle, the recognition rate of the vehicle system activation state is further improved. I can expect that.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a notification device that can be retrofitted to a vehicle and guides the activation state of the vehicle system to a passenger.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is incorporated in a multiplex communication system of a vehicle in a retrofit, and a drive system for an electric vehicle or a drive system for a hybrid that controls an electric motor and an engine is activated. A notification device that informs the occupant of a connection unit connected to the multiplex communication system, an output unit that informs the occupant that the drive system is activated, and a signal transmitted from the connection unit through the multiplex communication system. And a control unit that acquires information related to the activation of the drive system based on the information and controls the output unit based on the information.

  According to the present invention, even if the notification effect for the start display of the drive system on the vehicle side alone is insufficient, it can be easily retrofitted, so the recognition rate of the start state of the drive system of the vehicle in the driver can be increased. Further improvement can be expected.

It is a block diagram of the alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle interior of the vehicle which assembled | attached the alerting device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram of a multiplex communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the illuminating device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded view of the illuminating device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view in alignment with the AA of FIG. 4 in the console which attached the illuminating device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of a control part concerning an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a notification device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the passenger compartment R of the vehicle 100 in which the notification device 1 is assembled. In FIG. 2, the notification device 1 is represented by a broken line.

  The notification device 1 notifies the occupant that the hybrid system that controls the electric motor and the gasoline engine is activated. For this reason, the alerting | reporting apparatus 1 is provided with the 1st connection part 10, the 2nd connection part 20, the 3rd connection part 30, the output part 40, the control part 50, and the switch part 60 as shown in a figure.

  The first connection unit 10 is connected to the multiplex communication system and sends a signal transmitted to the multiplex communication system to the control unit 50. Here, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the multiplex communication system 200 according to the present embodiment. In the multiplex communication system 200, ECUs (Electronic Control Units) as a plurality of electronic computing devices are connected via a bus 210.

  As shown in the figure, the ECU includes an airbag ECU 221 for controlling an airbag device, a meter ECU 222 for controlling display of instruments, an air conditioner ECU 223 for controlling an air conditioner, an HV ECU 224 for a hybrid system, and an engine for controlling a gasoline engine. An ECU 225 and the like are connected to the bus 210. Although not shown, the multiple communication system 200 is also provided with other ECUs.

  Each of these ECUs extracts necessary information from the transmission signal and controls the connected equipment. For example, the meter ECU 222 controls the display of the meter device so as to display the start state of the hybrid system based on a signal from the HV ECU 224 notifying that the hybrid system is starting. The activation status of the hybrid system is displayed as an indicator or a mark. The vehicle 100 is preliminarily provided with display means for driving system activation state and output means for outputting a beep sound when the driving system is activated, that is, notifying means. Each ECU determines whether the information is necessary based on an ID for identifying information included in the transmission signal. Such a multiplex communication system 200 is mounted on the vehicle 100 in advance, and the notification device 1 is incorporated into the existing multiplex communication system 200.

  In the present embodiment, the first connection unit 10 is connected to a vacant slot of a connector for connecting each ECU to the bus 210, for example, a vacant slot dedicated to reading from which a signal transmitted through a multiplex communication system can be taken out. In addition, the 2nd connection part 20 is connected to the battery for electric power feeding, and the 3rd connection part 30 is connected to earth | ground.

  The output unit 40 notifies the occupant that the hybrid system is activated. In the present embodiment, the output unit 40 is configured as a lighting device 40A that illuminates the base of the shift lever 110 (FIG. 2). 4 is a plan view of the illuminating device 40A, FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the illuminating device 40A, and FIG. 6 is taken along the line AA in FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view.

  The illumination device 40A includes a substrate 41, a plurality of light source devices 42, and a light guide plate 43. The substrate 41 has a rectangular outline in plan view, and has an opening 41 </ b> A penetrating in the central region of the surface. Since the shift lever 110 passes through the opening 41A, the size is selected so as to allow the shift lever 110 to move. Light source devices 42 are disposed at positions close to the four corners on the substrate 41. A light guide plate 43 is disposed so as to cover the substrate 41 between the light source device 42 and the opening 41A.

  Each light source device 42 includes, for example, LEDs of three colors. The light emission time and color of these LEDs are controlled by a control unit 50 described later. A connector in which wires from the control unit 50 are bundled is fixed to a square region S indicated by a broken line in FIG. Each connector connects the wire harness for the two light source devices 42 to the wiring on the substrate. That is, the connector is electrically connected to each light source device 42 via wiring (not shown) configured on the substrate.

  The light guide plate 43 is formed as a ring-shaped member having an opening 43A through which a central region passes. The size of the opening 43A of the light guide plate 43 is selected so as to allow the shift lever 110 to move because the shift lever 110 passes through, similarly to the opening 41A of the substrate 41. The inner edge forming the opening 43A is circular and has a contour in plan view. The light guide plate 43 has an outer edge partially protruding outward to form a convex portion 43B. Each convex portion 43B has a surface 43C facing the light source device 42, that is, a light incident surface. These convex portions 43B are provided at equal angular intervals around the center of the circular opening 43A, that is, every 90 degrees. Such a light guide plate 43 is made of, for example, a translucent resin material.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the lighting device 40 </ b> A is attached via the adhesive tape 48 on the upper surface member 121 of the console 120 (FIG. 2) where the shift lever 110 is disposed, and is further covered with the cover member 122. . At this time, a part of the light guide plate 43 protrudes from the cover member 122 to the shift lever 110 side. The protruding portion emits light and is visually recognized by the passenger. In FIG. 6, only a part of the upper surface member 121 and the cover member 122 of the console 120 are shown, and the display of the other components is omitted.

  The controller 50 controls the illumination device 40A as shown in Table 1 below based on the signal transmitted by the multiplex communication system 200. Specifically, in the notification device 1 according to the present embodiment, when the control unit 50 operates the lighting device 40A in the information mode, the following control (1) to (2-4) is performed according to the vehicle usage situation. When the illumination device 40A is operated in the illumination mode instead of such an information mode, the following control (3) that does not depend on the vehicle usage status is performed. Here, the vehicle usage status includes not only the activation state of the drive system of the vehicle 100 but also the traveling state.

Hereinafter, each control example for the lighting device 40A will be described in detail.

(1) When getting on and off When the driver gets on and off, that is, when the hybrid system is activated or terminated, the control unit 50 turns each light source device 42 in order, for example, clockwise in order to rotate light around the base of the shift lever 110 for a predetermined time. Control to emit light. The control unit 50 executes this light emission mode in response to detection of a “Ready” signal indicating the start of the hybrid system from the HV ECU 224.

(2) When traveling (2-1) When the vehicle is stopped With the vehicle 100 stopped, the control unit 50 controls each light source device 42 so that blue light blinks around the base of the shift lever 110. The control unit 50 executes this light emission mode in response to detection of a “Ready” signal from the HV ECU 224 and a vehicle speed 0 km / h signal from the meter ECU 222.

(2-2) During motor travel In a state where the vehicle 100 is traveling by driving an electric motor, the control unit 50 causes each light source device 42 to illuminate light blue light around the base of the shift lever 110. To control. The control unit 50 executes this light emission mode in response to detection of a “Ready” signal from the HV ECU 224 and a vehicle speed signal of 5 km / h from the meter ECU 222.

(2-3) When running at low speed engine (low speed rotation)
In a state where the vehicle 100 is running by driving the gasoline engine, the control unit 50 controls each light source device 42 so that the yellow light rotates and illuminates around the base portion of the shift lever 110. The control unit 50 is triggered by detection of a “Ready” signal from the HV ECU 224, an engine speed from the engine ECU 225, for example, a signal of 600 rpm or more, and a signal of 5 km / h or more from the meter ECU 222. Execute the flash mode.

(2-4) During high-speed engine travel (high-speed rotation)
In a state where the vehicle 100 is running while driving the gasoline engine, the control unit 50 controls each light source device 42 so that purple light rotates clockwise around the base of the shift lever 110 to illuminate the base. The control unit 50 includes a “Ready” signal from the HV ECU 224, a signal from the engine ECU 225, for example, a signal of 3000 rpm or more, and the meter ECU 222.
This light emission mode is executed in response to detection of a signal of 5 km / h or more from the vehicle.

(3) When Illumination Mode is Selected The control unit 50 changes the light source device 42 so that the light changes around the base of the shift lever 110, for example, the color that illuminates the shift lever 110 changes to any one of nine colors every predetermined time. To control. The control unit 50 executes this light emission mode when the illumination mode is selected.

In order to perform such control, the control unit 50 includes an input unit 51, a power supply unit 52, a processing unit 53, and an LED drive unit 54 as shown in FIG.
The input unit 51 is an interface for signals from the first connection unit 10 and the switch unit 60. The processing unit 53 analyzes the signal received via the input unit 51. Specifically, the processing unit 53 determines whether the mode of the lighting device 40A, that is, the information mode or the illumination mode is selected based on a signal from the switch unit 60 described later. Further, the processing unit 53 extracts a predetermined signal from the signal flowing through the multiplex communication system 200 based on its ID and drives the lighting device 40A according to the usage environment of the vehicle 100, that is, the above ( The control in any one of 1) to (3) is selected. Further, the processing unit 53 sends a desired signal to the LED driving unit 54 that controls the light source device 42 so that each light source device 42 performs a predetermined light emission operation according to the determined vehicle environment.

  When an occupant such as a driver operates the switch unit 60, either the information mode or the illumination mode is selected.

  The 1st connection part 10, the 2nd connection part 20, the 3rd connection part 30, the output part 40, the control part 50, and the switch part 60 are each connected via the wire harness H, as shown in FIG. .

  The notification device 1 configured as described above is retrofitted to a vehicle provided in advance with notification means for displaying a state in which the hybrid system is activated with a meter device. As an assembling procedure, for example, the control unit 50 is disposed on the back side of the instrument panel 130 (FIG. 2), the switch unit 60 is disposed so as to appear on the front side of the instrument panel, that is, in the vehicle compartment, and the lighting device 40A is further installed. Arranged around the base of the shift lever 110. Then, on the back side of the instrument panel 130, the first connection unit 10 is connected to the existing multiplex communication system 200, the second connection unit 20 is connected to the battery, and the third connection unit 30 is connected to the ground, so that the attachment to the vehicle 100 can be performed. Complete. Of course, the assembly order is not limited to this.

  According to the notification device 1 according to the present embodiment, since it can be retrofitted to the vehicle 100 provided with notification means in advance, it can be expected that the recognition rate of the activation state of the drive system of the vehicle 100 in the driver is further improved.

Next, a modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
A. 1st modification Although the alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on a 1st modification differs in the structure of an output part with respect to the alerting apparatus 1 which concerns on the above-mentioned embodiment, other structures are the same.
The output unit of the first modified example includes a display instead of the above-described lighting device 40A. This display is installed beside the display of a car navigation system, for example, and guides the occupant by text when the hybrid system is activated. The display may display a combination of patterns and colors instead of characters.

B. Second Modification The notification device according to the second modification is different in the configuration of the output unit from the notification device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, but the other configurations are the same.
The output unit of the second modification is configured by a speaker instead of the above-described lighting device 40A and the display. For example, the speaker guides the occupant with a voice when the hybrid system is activated. The speaker may play a melody instead of the voice.

C. Third Modification The notification device according to the third modification is different in the configuration of the output unit from the notification device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, but the other configurations are the same.
The output unit of the third modification is configured by a combination of the above-described lighting device 40A, a display, and a speaker. For example, it is configured using at least any two of a lighting device, a display, and a speaker.

As described above, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.
In the above description, the hybrid system vehicle 100 has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to an electric vehicle that runs only with an electric motor. In this case, the activation state of the drive system for the electric vehicle can be determined by inputting a predetermined signal from the multiplex communication system already installed in the vehicle, and the activation state of the drive system can be notified to the occupant by the output unit.

  In addition, the output unit is not limited to the lighting device, the display, and the speaker, and a device that can be recognized by the passenger using the five senses can be used as the output unit in the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Notification apparatus 10 1st connection part 20 2nd connection part 30 3rd connection part 40 Output part 40A Lighting device 41 Board | substrate 41A Board | substrate opening 42 Light source device 43 Light guide plate 43A Light guide plate opening 43B Light guide plate convex part 43C Light guide plate Light incident surface 50 control unit 51 input unit 52 power supply unit 53 processing unit 54 LED drive unit 60 switch unit 100 vehicle 110 shift lever 120 console 122 cover 200 multiplex communication system 210 bus 221 to 225 ECU

Claims (3)

An informing device that is incorporated in a multiplex communication system for a vehicle and is informed to the occupant that a drive system for an electric vehicle or a drive system for a hybrid that controls an electric motor and an engine is activated,
A connection unit connected to the multiplex communication system;
An output unit that informs the occupant that the drive system has been activated;
A control unit that obtains information related to the activation of the drive system based on a signal transmitted from the connection unit in the multiplex communication system and controls the output unit based on the information. A feature of the notification device.   The notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one-way communication is performed only by receiving a signal from the multiplex communication system.   The notification device according to claim 1, wherein the connection unit can be connected to an empty slot of a connector of the multiplex communication system.