JPH0737196A - Traffic signal warning system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a driver to confirm distinctly the lighting of a traffic signal device and the braking operation at another forward automobile by screen- display and warning sound. CONSTITUTION:At a transmitting part Tx, the information Sa of the change of the lamp lighting of red, blue and yellow of the traffic signal device 2 is transmitted by a weak radio wave Wa through a display signal generator 3, a transmitter 4 and a transmitting antenna 5 buried under a road opposed to the lighting surface of the traffic signal device 2. In an automobile M, the radio wave Wa is demodulated through a receiving antenna 7 and a receiver 8, and the lamp lighting state of red, blue and yellow of the traffic signal device 2 is screen-displayed, and simultaneously, the warning sound is sounded through a speaker 11, and further, the braking operation of another forward automobile is sounded by the warning sound. Besides, the braking operation of a brake Bk is transmitted by the weak radio wave Wb to a succeeding automobile equipped with a receiving part Rx similarly to the automobile M through a repeating transmitter 13 and a repeating antenna 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention displays on-screen display of lighting of a traffic signal and braking operation of another vehicle ahead.
Also, the present invention relates to a traffic signal warning system that emits a warning sound.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a traffic signal warning system for driving safety of an automobile is provided with a transmitting device which notifies the lighting state of a lamp of a traffic signal installed on a road such as an intersection by a weak radio wave. We are transmitting weak radio waves that are obtained by modulating the information on the red, blue, and yellow lamps of traffic signals.

This weak radio wave is received by a receiving device mounted on an automobile running near a traffic signal, and the received signal is demodulated to display changes in lighting of red, blue and yellow lamps of the traffic signal. At the same time, the warning sound is emitted by identifying the lighting of a specific color lamp. For example, when a yellow lamp is turned on, a weak alarm sound is emitted to issue an alarm, and when a red lamp is turned on next time, a strong alarm sound is emitted to issue an alarm. As a result, the oversight of the yellow and red lamps, which is caused by the driver looking away, is prevented through hearing.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional traffic signal warning system, when a large number of traffic signals are installed, such as at recent intersections, and a transmission device is provided for each of the large number of traffic signals, The receiving device of a moving vehicle may not be able to accurately identify changes in the lighting of red, blue, and yellow lamps of a traffic signal. That is, it is sufficient to receive only the radio waves from the transmitting device of the traffic signal facing the traveling vehicle and identify the change in the lighting of the red, blue, and yellow lamps. I received radio waves from the transmitter,
It is conceivable that the receiving device performs incorrect identification. In particular,
It is possible that a large number of traffic lights will be erroneously identified when red, blue, and yellow lamps are lit at different traffic lights to control traffic at intersections.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and displays the lighting of a traffic signal and the braking operation of another vehicle in front of the vehicle on a screen, and a warning sound is emitted, so that the driver can The purpose is to provide a traffic signal warning system that can be clearly confirmed.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the traffic signal warning system of the present invention transmits information indicating the lighting state of a traffic signal by radio waves from the road facing the lighting display surface of the traffic signal. A first transmitting means for transmitting and a radio wave from the transmitting means mounted on the vehicle and a radio wave from another vehicle in front are received to display a lighting state of a traffic signal and a braking operation in another vehicle in front. The reception display means and the second transmission means mounted on the vehicle and transmitting the lighting state of the traffic signal and the brake braking operation information of the vehicle received at the same frequency as the radio wave from the transmission means are provided.

In this structure, the first transmitting means includes a display signal generator that outputs an information signal indicating the lighting state of the traffic signal, a transmitter that outputs a high frequency signal modulated by the information signal, and a traffic signal. And a transmitting antenna that is buried in a road facing the lighting surface of the device and that radiates a radio frequency signal from a transmitter.

Further, the reception display means includes a transmission antenna, a reception antenna for outputting a reception signal which receives a radio wave indicating a braking operation from another vehicle in front, and a lighting state of a traffic signal by demodulating the reception signal. And a receiver that outputs a demodulation signal that identifies a braking operation in another vehicle in front, and a display signal reproduction that identifies the lighting of a specific lamp of a traffic signal and the braking operation in another vehicle in front from the demodulation signal. And the indicator that displays the specific lamp lighting color of the current traffic signal identified by the display signal regenerator on the screen, and the specific lamp lighting of the traffic signal identified by the display signal regenerator and from other vehicles in front. And a speaker that emits a warning sound of a braking operation.

Further, the second transmitting means is a relay antenna for radiating the braking operation and the lighting state of the lamp of the traffic signal in the vehicle equipped with the device to other succeeding vehicles by radio waves with directivity. And a relay transmitter for sending to the relay antenna a high frequency signal obtained by modulating the information on the braking operation in the automobile and the demodulated signal demodulated by the receiver.

[0010]

In the traffic signal warning system of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the information indicating the lighting state of the traffic signal is transmitted by radio waves from the road facing the lighting display surface of the traffic signal. The automobile receives the radio waves and the radio waves from other automobiles in front, displays the lighting state of the traffic signal and the braking operation of the other automobiles in front on the screen, and sounds an alarm sound. Further, the lighting state of the traffic signal and the received braking operation information are transmitted at the same frequency as the radio wave from the transmitting means.

Therefore, the driver can clearly confirm the lighting of the traffic signal and the braking operation of the other vehicle in front by the screen display and the alarm sound.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a traffic signal warning system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration in an embodiment of a traffic signal warning system of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an arrangement state of the configuration shown in FIG. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, this traffic signal warning system identifies a lighting state of a traffic signal device by installing a transmission unit Tx that transmits the lighting information of the traffic signal by radio waves and a radio unit that is mounted on a vehicle and receives radio waves from the transmission unit Tx. In addition, it is roughly configured by a receiving unit Rx that displays a screen, notifies by an alarm sound, and relay-transmits the lighting state of the traffic signal.

The transmission unit Tx turns on the red, blue, and yellow lamps of the transmission device 1 installed at the intersection, and sends a traffic change signal 2 to the transmission device 1 through the cable, and a traffic signal device 2 for transmitting the information signal of the lighting change. A display signal generator 3 for converting the information Sa of the lighting change from the traffic signal 2 into a modulation signal Sb
And a transmitter 4 that outputs a high-frequency signal Sc modulated by a modulation signal Sb from a display signal generator 3 and a lighting surface of the traffic signal 2 that is opposite to the lighting surface and extends in the opposite direction to the road. It is embedded and radiates the high frequency signal Sc from the transmitter 4 as a weak radio wave Wa, and has a transmitting antenna 5 using a leaky coaxial cable or the like.

The receiving unit Rx is mounted on the automobile M, demodulates the received signal Se to identify the lighting state of the traffic signal 2, displays an alarm with a screen and sound, and relays the lighting state of the traffic signal. It has a device 6 and a receiving antenna 7 which is arranged in the front part of the automobile M and outputs a reception signal Se which receives the radio wave Wa from the transmitting antenna 5.

The reception device 6 demodulates the reception signal Se from the reception antenna 7, that is, the demodulation which identifies the red, blue, and yellow lamp lighting states of the traffic signal 2 and the braking operation in another vehicle ahead. From the receiver 8 that outputs the signal Sf and the demodulated signal Sf, the red, blue, and
And a display signal regenerator 9 for identifying the lighting of the yellow lamp. Further, the audio signal So from the display signal regenerator 9 displays the current red, blue, and yellow lamp lighting colors of the traffic signal 2 on the screen to show the driver, and the audio signal from the display signal regenerator 9 Traffic signal 2 by So
However, the speaker 11 emits a weak alarm sound when the yellow lamp is lit, and emits a strong alarm sound when the red lamp is lit.

Further, the receiving device 6 includes a relay antenna 12 for directionally radiating a radio wave Wb to the succeeding vehicle while operating the brake Bk in the vehicle M and lighting the red, blue and yellow lamps of the traffic signal 2. Operation information of the brake Bk in the car M and the demodulated signal S demodulated by the receiver 8
A brake braking detector 14 that has a relay transmitter 13 that sends a high-frequency signal that modulates f to the relay antenna 12, and that sends a brake braking detection signal Sd that detects a braking operation of the brake Bk to the relay transmitter 13. And have.

Next, the operation of the configuration of this embodiment will be described. In the transmitter Tx, the red traffic light 2
The information Sa of the blue and yellow lamp lighting changes is sent to the display signal generator 3 of the transmitter 1 installed at the intersection. The display signal generator 3 converts the information Sa into a modulated signal Sb and sends it to the transmitter 4. The transmitter 4 outputs a high frequency signal Sc obtained by modulating the modulation signal Sb from the display signal generator 3 to the transmitting antenna 5. The transmitting antenna 5 faces the lighting surface of the traffic signal 2 and extends in the direction opposite to the lighting surface and is embedded in the road, and radiates the high frequency signal Sc as a weak radio wave Wa from here. As a result, the service areas of the transmitting antennas in other traffic signals do not overlap with each other, and radio wave interference is eliminated.

The radio wave Wa is received by the receiving antenna 7 arranged in the front part of the automobile M running near the transmitting antenna 5. The reception signal Se from the reception antenna 7 is input to the receiver 8 in the reception device 6, where the reception signal Se is received.
Demodulate. That is, the demodulation signal Sf that identifies the lighting state of the red, blue, and yellow lamps of the traffic signal 2 is output.

The demodulated signal Sf is input to the display signal regenerator 9, where the red, blue and yellow lamps of the traffic signal 2 are identified. Then, the red, blue, and yellow lamp lighting colors of the current traffic signal 2 identified by the display signal regenerator 9,
For example, the yellow lamp lighting is color-displayed on the screen, and then the red lamp lighting is color-displayed on the screen to notify the driver.

At the same time, the traffic signal 2 from the display signal regenerator 9 sounds to the speaker 11 a weak alarm sound when the yellow lamp is lit, and an audio signal So that sounds a strong alarm sound when the red lamp is lit. And informs the driver. In this case, the driver performs the braking operation of the brake Bk of the automobile M while being aware of the lighting of the yellow lamp and the lighting of the red lamp.

The braking operation in this case is detected by the brake braking detector 14, and the brake braking detection signal Sd is sent to the relay transmitter 13. In the relay transmitter 13, the high frequency signal modulated by the brake braking detection signal Sd and the demodulation signal Sf is transmitted from the relay antenna 12 to the following vehicle as a weak radio wave Wb. The brake braking detection signal Sd is set so as to be different from the frequency of the warning sound when the yellow traffic lights and the red traffic lights of the traffic signal 2 are lit so that the driver can easily discriminate them.

In this case, the following vehicle is also equipped with the receiving unit Rx having the same structure as the automobile M, and receives the weak radio wave Wb from the relay antenna 12 and processes it similarly. That is, the red, blue, and yellow lamp lighting colors of the traffic signal 2,
For example, the yellow lamp lighting is displayed on the screen, and then the red lamp lighting is displayed on the screen to notify the driver. At the same time, a weak alarm sound is emitted when the yellow lamp is lit, and a strong alarm sound is emitted when the red lamp is lit to notify the driver. Further, the brake Bk braking operation on the vehicle M in front is notified by an alarm sound having a frequency different from the alarm sound, and the braking operation of the brake Bk on the vehicle M in front is recognized.

In this case, the relay antenna 12 transmits a weak radio wave Wb with a directivity having a beam pattern in the following vehicle direction. Further, since the transmitting antenna 5 uses an embedded leaky coaxial cable or the like and transmits a weak radio wave Wa to the vehicle M facing the traffic signal 2,
Interference with radio waves Wa and Wb having the same frequency is prevented.

In this way, by mounting the receiving unit Rx on the vehicle, the lighting of the traffic signal 2 is displayed on the screen, and the alarm sound is emitted, and the brake Bk braking operation is performed on the other vehicles in front. The alarm sounds.
Therefore, unlike the case where a transmitting device is provided for each of a large number of traffic signals described above, the radio service areas do not overlap and receive radio waves from the transmitting device of the adjacent traffic signal. This eliminates erroneous identification by the driver and contributes to the prevention of traffic accidents.

[0025]

As described above, the traffic signal warning system of the present invention provides information indicating the lighting state of the traffic signal,
Radio waves are transmitted from the road opposite to the lighting display surface of the traffic signal, and the automobile receives the radio waves and the radio waves from other vehicles in front, and the lighting state of the traffic signal and the braking operation in the other vehicles in front. Is displayed on the screen and a warning sound is emitted. Further, the lighting state of the traffic signal and the received braking operation information are transmitted at the same frequency as the radio wave from the transmitting means.

This has the effect that the driver can clearly confirm the lighting of the traffic signal and the braking operation of the other vehicle in front with a screen display and an alarm sound.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a traffic signal warning system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an arrangement state of the configuration shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 transmitter 2 traffic signal 3 display signal generator 4 transmitter 5 transmitting antenna 6 receiving device 7 receiving antenna 8 receiver 9 display signal regenerator 10 display 11 speaker 12 relay antenna 13 relay transmitter 14 brake braking detection vessel

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first transmitting means for transmitting information indicating a lighting state of a traffic signal from a road opposite to a lighting display surface of the traffic signal by radio waves, and a radio wave from the transmitting means mounted on an automobile and a forward direction. Reception display means for receiving radio waves from another vehicle and displaying the lighting state of the traffic signal and the braking operation of the other vehicle ahead, and the lighting state of the traffic signal received by being mounted on the vehicle. And a second transmitting means for transmitting the brake braking operation information of the vehicle at the same frequency as the radio wave from the transmitting means, the traffic signal warning system. 2. The first transmitting means includes a display signal generator for outputting an information signal indicating a lighting state of the traffic signal, a transmitter for outputting a high frequency signal modulated by the information signal, and lighting of the traffic signal. The traffic signal alarm system according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmitting antenna that is buried in a road facing the surface and emits a radio frequency signal from the transmitter. 3. The reception display means includes a transmission antenna, a reception antenna that outputs a reception signal that receives a radio wave indicating a braking operation from another vehicle in front, and a demodulation of the reception signal to detect a traffic signal. A receiver that outputs a demodulation signal that identifies the lighting state and the braking operation of another vehicle in front, and a specific lamp lighting of the traffic signal and the braking operation of another vehicle in front are identified from the demodulation signal. Display signal regenerator, a display that displays a specific lamp lighting color of the current traffic signal identified by the display signal regenerator on the screen, and a specific lamp lighting of the traffic signal identified by the display signal regenerator and the front 2. A traffic signal warning system according to claim 1, further comprising: a speaker that emits a warning sound of a brake braking operation from another vehicle. 4. The second transmission means is a relay for radiating the braking / braking operation of a vehicle equipped with the device and the lighting state of a lamp of a traffic signal to another vehicle with a directivity by radio waves. The antenna, and a relay transmitter for sending to the relay antenna a high-frequency signal obtained by modulating the information on the braking operation in the automobile and the demodulated signal demodulated by the receiver, The relay transmitter according to claim 1, Traffic signal warning system.