JP7513877B2 - Notification control device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a notification control device and a program for controlling notifications in a vehicle.

In recent years, small, single-seater electric vehicles used to transport elderly people and others, known as senior cars and electric wheelchairs, have become popular.

Patent No. 4054899

In order to realize safer driving of this type of vehicle, technology to support driving is required. For example, at a railroad crossing, rails are laid across the passageway, and a gap is formed between the passageway and the rails along the rails. If a warning could be given to call attention to steering when a vehicle crosses a railroad crossing with such a road surface condition, safer driving could be realized.
In relation to travel at railroad crossings, Patent Document 1 discloses a train collision avoidance system that uses GPS vehicle position data and train at-grade railroad crossing data.

The present invention was made in consideration of this situation, and aims to provide support for driving when a vehicle crosses a railroad crossing.

The notification control device of the present invention is a notification control device that controls notifications in a vehicle, and comprises: position information acquisition means for acquiring position information regarding the position of the vehicle; steering angle acquisition means for acquiring the steering angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle; judgment means for judging whether or not the vehicle is at a railroad crossing based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means; and, when the judgment means judges that the vehicle is at a railroad crossing, control means for controlling to execute a notification in accordance with a rail angle, which is the angle between a railroad crossing baseline, which is a straight line parallel to the passage for crossing the railroad crossing, and the rail, and the steering angle of the steering wheel acquired by the steering angle acquisition means, wherein the control means calculates an index corresponding to the angle between the steering wheel and the rail using the rail angle and the steering angle of the steering wheel, and executes a notification based on the result of comparing the index with a predetermined threshold value .

The present invention provides support for driving when a vehicle crosses a railroad crossing, making driving safer.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a small electric vehicle. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a notification control device and its peripheral devices. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a notification control process performed by a notification control device. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining an overview of a railroad crossing. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining an overview of the railroad crossing and vehicles. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a vehicle angle θ _veh relative to a railroad crossing. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining an overview of the railroad crossing and vehicles. FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the steering angle and time for executing a notification. FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the steering angle for executing the notification and the traveling distance.

The notification control device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a notification control device that controls notifications in a vehicle, and includes a position information acquisition means for acquiring position information related to the position of the vehicle, a steering angle acquisition means for acquiring the steering angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle, a determination means for determining whether the vehicle is at a railroad crossing based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means, and a control means for controlling to execute a notification according to the steering angle of the steering wheel acquired by the steering angle acquisition means when the determination means determines that the vehicle is at a railroad crossing. As a result, when the vehicle is crossing a railroad crossing, a notification is issued to call attention to the steering, thereby supporting driving and achieving safer driving.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle to which the present invention can be applied, and in this embodiment, a small one-seater electric vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as a vehicle) 1 is shown. The vehicle 1 has a body frame (not shown) that serves as the framework of the vehicle body, and the body frame supports left and right front wheels 2 that are steered wheels and left and right rear wheels 3 that are drive wheels. The body frame is covered from above by a resin cover 4. The resin cover 4 is composed of a front body cover 5, a step floor 6, and a rear body cover 7.

The rear body cover 7 covers the left and right rear wheels 3 from the front, and is configured in a generally box-like shape at the rear of the vehicle body so as to protrude upward. Inside the rear body cover 7, components that drive the left and right rear wheels 3, such as an electric motor for driving the left and right rear wheels 3, a battery that supplies power to the electric motor, a gear unit that transmits motor output to the rear wheel axle, etc. are housed.
A seat 8 is provided on the upper side of the rear body cover 7 via a support bracket rising from the body frame. The seat 8 includes a seat cushion 9, a backrest 10 rising from the rear of the seat cushion 9, and left and right armrests 11 extending forward from midway along the rising portion of the backrest 10.

The front body cover 5 has a front fender portion that covers above the left and right front wheels 2, and is provided with a headlight 12 attached to the front. A handle post 13 is provided so as to rise obliquely upward and rearward from the center of the front part of the front body cover 5 in the vehicle width direction.
A steering shaft for steering the front wheels 2 is supported on the handle post 13, and a handle unit 14 is rotatably attached to the upper end of the steering shaft. The handle unit 14 includes a box-shaped operation box 15, and a handle lever 16 and an accelerator lever 17 that protrude outward from both the left and right sides of the operation box 15. The handle lever 16 is configured in a U-shape or a C-shape, and is operated by a rider to steer the vehicle. The rider operates the handle lever 16 to rotate the steering shaft and change the direction of the front wheels 2 connected to the steering shaft via a link or the like. In addition, by grasping the grip portion of the handle lever 16 and operating the accelerator lever 17, the electric motor generates a driving force and the vehicle runs.

In the vehicle 1 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 2, an alarm device 200 is installed. In this embodiment, the alarm device 200 is an alarm sound generating device that emits an alarm sound, but it may also be configured as, for example, a display device or a light-emitting device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a notification control device 100 that controls notifications using the notification device 200, a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal detection device 300, a steering angle sensor 400, and a storage device 500.

The GPS signal detection device 300 receives a GPS signal and outputs information such as latitude and longitude indicating the position of the vehicle 1 (hereinafter referred to as information based on the GPS signal) to the notification control device 100.

The steering angle sensor 400 detects the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 and outputs it to the notification control device 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 is the angle of the front wheels 2 with respect to the vehicle 1, and is the angle between a line C along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 in a plan view and the rotation direction of the front wheels 2. The steering angle α of the front wheels 2 is, for example, information such as "10° to the right" or "10° to the left" based on the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1.

A storage device 500 is also connected to the notification control device 100. The storage device 500 stores map data. Note that although the storage device 500 is illustrated as an external storage device, it may be an internal storage device of the notification control device 100.

The notification control device 100 includes a position information acquisition unit 101, a steering angle acquisition unit 102, a determination unit 103, and a control unit 104.

The position information acquisition unit 101 acquires position information regarding the position of the vehicle 1 based on information based on the GPS signal output from the GPS signal detection device 300 and map data stored in the storage device 500. This position information makes it possible to grasp the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

The steering angle acquisition unit 102 acquires the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 output from the steering angle sensor 400. Note that, although the steering angle sensor 400 is used in the above example, a sensor that detects the turning angle of the handle unit 14 may be used to acquire the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 based on the turning angle, and various sensors that detect values that can estimate/calculate the angle of the front wheels 2 relative to the vehicle 1 may be used.

The determination unit 103 determines whether the vehicle 1 is at a railroad crossing based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 101.

When the determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle 1 is at a railroad crossing, the control unit 104 controls to execute a notification according to the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 acquired by the steering angle acquisition unit 102. As will be described in detail below, the control unit 104 includes an index calculation unit 104a that calculates an index β according to the angle between the front wheels 2 and the rail, and a comparison unit 104b that compares the index β calculated by the index calculation unit 104a with a predetermined threshold value _βth .

The notification control device 100 thus configured is configured, for example, by a computer device equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and the functions of each of the units 101 to 104 are realized by the CPU executing a predetermined program stored, for example, in the ROM. For example, the notification control device 100 may be realized as part of the functions of a control unit mounted on the vehicle 1.

The notification control process performed by the notification control device 100 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG.
First, an overview of the notification control process performed by the notification control device 100 will be described with reference to Figs.
FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining an overview of a railroad crossing 600. In the railroad crossing 600 shown in FIG. 4, a railroad rail crosses a passage (road) extending in the vertical direction of the paper in the left-right direction. The railroad crossing 600 is a facility provided at a point where a railroad and a road cross at grade. There is a passage 601 that connects to the road and allows pedestrians and vehicles to cross the railroad crossing 600, and a pair of rails 602 is laid across the passage 601. In order to allow vehicles to pass through, the rail 602 is disposed in a groove of the passage 601. Therefore, in the portion of the passage 601 where the rail 602 passes, a gap 603 is formed along the rail 602 between the rail 602 and the passage 601 (the inner surface of the groove of the passage 601). The gap 603 is provided so that the flange of the wheel of the train can pass through the railroad crossing (passage 601), and generally has a width of about 70 mm.

As shown in Fig. 5, there is a crossing 600 in which rails 602 cross diagonally across a passage 601. In the crossing 600 shown in Fig. 5, the rails of the railway cross diagonally left and right across a passage (road) extending in the vertical direction of the page. In the example of Fig. 5, the rails 602 extend from the front left to the far right with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.
A straight line parallel to the direction in which the passage 601 extends (the crossing direction of the railroad crossing 600) is called a railroad crossing baseline 604. The railroad crossing baseline 604 can be said to be a straight line that serves as a reference when crossing the railroad crossing 600.

The angle between the crossing baseline 604 and the rail 602 is called the rail angle θ _rail . The rail angle θ _rail is, for example, information such as "60° on the right side" and "120° on the left side." The rail angle θ _rail can be acquired using map data stored in the storage device 500. The rail angle θ _rail is legally set to be 45° or more, and when the vehicle 1 travels straight along the crossing baseline 604 through the passage 601, the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 easily pass through the gap 603, and no problem occurs in which the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 get stuck in the gap 603. However, for example, when the front wheels 2 are steered to avoid a pedestrian or an obstacle, the front wheels 2 approach a state parallel to the rail 602 (a state parallel to the direction in which the gap 603 extends) depending on the direction. In the example of FIG. 5, when the front wheels 2 are steered to the right, the front wheels 2 approach a state parallel to the rail 602, and depending on the position of the vehicle 1, etc., the front wheels 2 may get stuck in the gap 603.

Here, it would be good if the orientation of vehicle 1 could be accurately detected, but if this is difficult, it is possible to use the crossing baseline 604 as the orientation of vehicle 1. However, when vehicle 1 crosses the crossing 600, in reality, vehicle 1 rarely travels exactly parallel to crossing baseline 604. In other words, even if the occupant attempts to pass through the crossing straight along passage 601 (traveling parallel to crossing baseline 604), the orientation of vehicle 1 deviates from crossing baseline 604 due to the influence of unevenness in the road surface, rails 602, and gaps 603. In response to deviation from the direction of crossing baseline 604, the occupant operates handlebar lever 16 to change the direction of front wheels 2 and correct the orientation of vehicle 1.
This type of deviation from the direction of the crossing baseline 604 that occurs unintentionally by the vehicle occupant is called the crossing vehicle angle θ veh, and as shown in Fig. 6, the angle between the crossing baseline 604 and a line C along the fore-aft direction of the vehicle 1 is called the crossing vehicle angle θ _veh . The crossing vehicle angle θ _veh is, for example, "5° to the left and right", such as "5° to the right" or "5° to the left". The crossing vehicle angle θ _veh can be treated as a running deviation angle that is expected to normally occur when crossing the crossing 600, for example, and can be stored as a fixed value in the storage device 500, for example. In addition, if the running trajectory of the vehicle 1 is determined from information based on the GPS signal and the running deviation angle can be obtained with a certain degree of accuracy, this may be used as the crossing vehicle angle θ _veh .

7, like FIG. 5, shows a crossing 600 in which a rail 602 crosses an aisle 601 at an angle, and in order to make the angular relationship easier to understand, the crossing 600 and a vehicle 1 are shown overlapping each other.
An index β is calculated using the rail angle θ _rail , the steering angle α of the front wheels 2, and the vehicle angle relative to the crossing θ _veh as shown in equation (1).
β = θ _rail - θ _veh - α ... (1)

The index β represents the angle between the front wheel 2 and the rail 602, and the closer it is to 0°, the closer the front wheel 2 is to being parallel to the rail 602. Therefore, the index β is compared with a predetermined threshold value _βth , and when the index β becomes smaller than the predetermined threshold value _βth , a notification (e.g., generation of an alarm) is performed using the notification device 200. This notifies the occupant that the front wheel 2 is approaching a state where it is parallel to the rail 602, and makes it possible to urge the occupant to be careful about steering. The threshold value _βth can be determined by experiment, taking into consideration the size of the front wheel 2 (outer diameter dimension, width dimension, contact surface shape, etc.) and the road surface conditions.

When the vehicle angle θ _veh relative to the crossing is a fixed value, the maximum value obtained by investigating the running deviation angle is used, thereby making it possible to set the vehicle angle θ _veh relative to the crossing to be issued earlier.Also, by setting left and right vehicle angles θ veh relative to the crossing, and using the right vehicle angle θ _veh relative to the crossing when the front wheels 2 are steered to the right, and using the left vehicle angle θ veh relative to the crossing when the front wheels 2 are steered to the left, the vehicle angle θ _veh relative to the crossing to be issued earlier can be set.

As shown in Fig. 4, when the rail angle θ _rail is 90°, the front wheels 2 will not become parallel to the rail 602 unless the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 becomes larger than normally assumed (i.e., unless the vehicle is steered more excessively than normally assumed). In the example of Fig. 5, when the rail angle θ _rail is, for example, "120° to the left" and the front wheels 2 are steered to the left, the front wheels 2 will not become parallel to the rail 602 unless the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 becomes larger than normally assumed (i.e., unless the vehicle is steered more excessively than normally assumed). Therefore, in such a situation, the notification function may not be used in order to eliminate unnecessary processing, and notification may be performed only when the rail angle θ _rail is within a predetermined range, for example, a range of 45° (angle specified by regulations) < θ _rail < 80°.

The same concept applies when the rail 602 extends from the front right to the rear left relative to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, which is the opposite of the example in Figure 5, and a description of this will be omitted here.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a notification control process by the notification control device 100. The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 is executed after the vehicle starts operating, for example, by turning on the main key.
In step S1, the location information acquisition unit 101 acquires location information regarding the location of the vehicle 1 based on information based on the GPS signal output from the GPS signal detection device 300 and map data stored in the storage device 500. This location information makes it possible to grasp the current location and traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

In step S2, the determination unit 103 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 is at the railroad crossing 600 based on the position information acquired in step S1. As an example of determining whether or not the vehicle 1 is at the railroad crossing 600, it is preferable to determine whether or not the vehicle 1 is in an area including a road connected to the passage 601, for example, in consideration of the time required to activate this function just before the railroad crossing 600. If the vehicle 1 is at the railroad crossing 600, the process proceeds to step S3. If the vehicle 1 is not at the railroad crossing 600, the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, if the notification device 200 is on, the control unit 104 turns off (stops) the notification, and returns to step S1.

In step S3, the control unit 104 acquires the rail angle θ _rail of the railroad crossing 600 that the vehicle 1 is about to cross, using the map data stored in the storage device 500. Note that the rail angle θ _rail once acquired may be stored in the storage device 500.

In step S4, the steering angle acquisition unit 102 acquires the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 output from the steering angle sensor 400.

In step S5, the index calculation unit 104a of the control unit 104 calculates an index β corresponding to the angle between the front wheel 2 and _the rail 602, as shown in equation (1), using the rail angle θ _rail obtained in step S3, the steering angle α of the front wheel 2 obtained in step S4, and the vehicle angle relative to the rail crossing θ veh.

In step S6, the comparison unit 104b of the control unit 104 compares the index β calculated in step S5 with a predetermined threshold _βth . If the index β is smaller than the predetermined threshold _βth , the process proceeds to step S7. If the index β is not smaller than the predetermined threshold _βth , the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, if the notification device 200 is on, the control unit 104 turns off (stops) the notification, and returns to step S1.

In step S7, the control unit 104 turns on the notification to inform the occupant that the front wheels 2 are approaching a state parallel to the rails 602, and to urge caution in steering. By receiving the notification, the occupant can stop further steering or return the handle unit 14.

In step S8, the notification control device 100 determines whether the vehicle operation has ended, for example, due to the main key being turned off. If the vehicle operation has ended, the process proceeds to step S9. If the vehicle operation has not ended, the process returns to step S1.

In step S9, if the alarm device 200 is on, the control unit 104 turns off (stops) the alarm and ends the processing of this flowchart.

In FIG. 3, for the sake of simplicity, the index β is compared with a predetermined threshold value _βth in step S6. However, it is preferable to provide hysteresis. In other words, the threshold value βth is made different between when the index β passes through the threshold value _βth and is in a direction smaller than the threshold value, and when the index _{β passes through the threshold value βth and} is in a direction larger than the threshold value after it becomes smaller than the threshold value _βth . In the example of FIG. 5, when the steering unit 14 is turned to the right in order to steer the front wheels 2 to the right, when the index β becomes smaller than the threshold value _βth1 , the process proceeds to step S7, and the notification device 200 is turned on to notify the occupant. On the other hand, when the steering unit 14 is turned back (to the left) because a notification was given when the steering unit 14 was turned to the right, when the index β becomes larger than the threshold value _βth2 (> _βth1 ), in other words, when the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 changes in a direction to return by a predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S11, and the notification is stopped. This makes it possible to prevent chattering and to stop the notification early when the handle unit 14 is returned. Note that the notification may be stopped immediately when it is detected that the driver has returned the handle unit 14, or the notification may be stopped on the condition that the return operation is performed by more than a predetermined angle or the angle of the front wheels 2 changes by more than a predetermined angle.

As described above, when vehicle 1 crosses railroad crossing 600, a warning can be issued to warn the driver to be careful when steering to avoid the front wheels 2 getting stuck in gap 603, thereby supporting the driver and achieving safer driving.
In addition, when calculating the index β, the actual direction of the vehicle 1 is not detected, but rather the rail angle θ _rail , which is a fixed value for each crossing, the steering angle α of the front wheel 2, which is a detected value, and the vehicle angle relative to the crossing θ _veh , which is a fixed value, are used, thereby making it possible to facilitate the notification control processing.

Modifications will be described below.
In the embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is at the railroad crossing 600, the notification is executed according to the steering angle α of the front wheel 2. However, the notification may be executed before that, when the vehicle 1 enters the railroad crossing 600, regardless of the steering angle α of the front wheel 2. For example, left and right light-emitting devices are installed on the handle unit 14, and when the vehicle 1 enters the railroad crossing 600, the light-emitting device in the direction in which the front wheel 2 can approach a state parallel to the rail 602 (the right direction in the example of FIG. 5) may be turned on or flashed. This notifies the occupant that the vehicle 1 has entered the railroad crossing 600, and urges them to be careful about steering. In addition, if a sound is emitted when the vehicle 1 enters the railroad crossing 600, it is possible to attract the attention of people in the railroad crossing 600 and urge people in the vicinity to take action to avoid a collision with the vehicle 1. By people in the vicinity taking action to avoid a collision with the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 side has fewer opportunities to perform sudden or excessive steering to avoid a collision with people.
Then, as described in the embodiment, when the index β becomes smaller than the predetermined threshold value _βth , an alarm is issued to inform the occupant that the front wheels 2 are approaching a state parallel to the rail 602. The alarm issued at this time may be of a different type from the alarm issued when the vehicle 1 enters the railroad crossing 600. For example, if a sound is issued when the vehicle 1 enters the railroad crossing 600, the volume or type of the alarm sound issued when the index β becomes smaller than the predetermined threshold value _βth is changed.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 exceeds the steering angle α' (because of the relationship β< _βth , α>α' (=θ _rail - θ _veh - β _th )), an alert is issued to inform the occupant that the front wheels 2 are approaching a state parallel to the rail 602. However, even when the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 is relatively small and has not yet reached the steering angle α', an alert may be issued if certain conditions are satisfied, as described below.
Even when the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 is relatively small and has not yet reached the steering angle α', if the vehicle 1 continues to run at that steering angle α, the direction of the vehicle 1 itself will change. For example, in the case of steering the front wheels 2 to the right, even if the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 has not yet reached the steering angle α', if the vehicle 1 continues to run at that steering angle α, the vehicle 1 itself will turn to the right, and the left and right front wheels 2 and even the left and right rear wheels 3 may get stuck in the gap 603.
Therefore, as shown in the characteristic in FIG. 8, even when the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 has not reached the steering angle α', the notification is executed when the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 is maintained at a predetermined angle α ₁ (<α') or more for a predetermined time. For example, the notification is executed when the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 remains at the steering angle α ₁ for a predetermined time t _1. This makes it possible to inform the occupant that the front wheels 2 or the rear wheels 3 may get stuck in the gap 603 due to the change in the direction of the vehicle 1 itself, and to call attention to it. As shown in FIG. 8, it is preferable to set the characteristic such that the larger the steering angle α of the front wheels 2, the shorter the predetermined time. This is because the larger the steering angle α of the front wheels 2, the shorter the direction of the vehicle 1 itself changes.
9, instead of time t, the travel distance l of the vehicle 1 may be measured, and even when the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 has not reached the steering angle α', a warning may be given when the steering angle α of the front wheels 2 has remained at or above a predetermined angle _α2 (<α') for a predetermined distance. In this case, as with the duration t, the change in the direction of the vehicle 1 may be taken into consideration, and the occupants may be notified that the front wheels 2 or the rear wheels 3 may get stuck in the gap 603, to call their attention.

In the embodiment, the position information is acquired based on the information based on the GPS signal and the map data to determine whether the vehicle 1 is at a railroad crossing, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a camera may be mounted on the vehicle 1, and the position information may be acquired based on an image captured by the camera to determine whether the vehicle 1 is at a railroad crossing. In addition, the rail angle θ _rail is acquired using map data, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a camera may be mounted on the vehicle 1, and the rail angle θ _rail may be acquired based on an image captured by the camera. Furthermore, for example, a camera may be mounted on the vehicle 1, and the current angle and positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the rail 602 may be directly monitored based on an image captured by the camera, to alert the occupant.

When multiple sets of rails 602 are laid side by side on the passage 601 of the crossing 600, the rail angle θ _rail at the position of the vehicle 1 may be obtained, or the minimum value of the rail angle θ _rail in the multiple sets of rails 602 may be adopted. Similarly, when the passage 601 is wide and the rail angle θ _rail varies depending on the position, the rail angle θ _rail at the position of the vehicle 1 may be obtained, or the minimum value of the rail angle θ _rail may be adopted.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, each embodiment merely shows a specific example of the implementation of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to each embodiment. Various modifications of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these modifications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, a four-wheeled small electric vehicle for one person has been described as a vehicle to which the present invention can be applied, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be, for example, a three-wheeled vehicle or a vehicle that can accommodate multiple people.
The present invention can also be realized by supplying software (programs) to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and having the computer of the system or device read and execute the programs.

100: Notification control device, 101: Position information acquisition unit, 102: Steering angle acquisition unit, 103: Determination unit, 104: Control unit, 104a: Index calculation unit, 104b: Comparison unit, 200: Notification device, 300: GPS signal detection device, 400: Steering angle sensor, 500: Storage device

Claims (9)

A notification control device for controlling notifications in a vehicle,
a position information acquisition means for acquiring position information relating to a position of the vehicle;
A steering angle acquisition means for acquiring a steering angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle;
a determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is at a railroad crossing based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means;
a control means for controlling, when the determination means determines that the vehicle is at a railroad crossing, to execute a notification in accordance with a rail angle, which is an angle between a railroad crossing baseline, which is a straight line parallel to a passage for crossing the railroad crossing, and a rail, and a steering angle of the steering wheel acquired by the steering angle acquisition means ;
The control means calculates an index corresponding to the angle between the steering wheel and the rail using the rail angle and the steering angle of the steering wheel, and issues an alert based on the result of comparing the index with a predetermined threshold value . The notification control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the location information acquisition means acquires the location information based on information based on a GPS signal and map data. 3. The notification control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means calculates the index by further using a vehicle angle relative to the crossing, which is an angle between the crossing baseline and a center line of the vehicle. 4. The notification control device according to claim 3 , wherein the vehicle angle with respect to the railroad crossing is a fixed value. 5. The notification control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means executes notification only when the rail angle is within a predetermined range. The notification control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the control means executes a notification in response to the steering angle of the steering wheel being continued for a predetermined time or a predetermined traveling distance at a second steering angle or greater that is smaller than the first steering angle, even when the steering angle has not reached a first steering angle at which a notification is executed. 7. The notification control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control means stops the notification when the steering angle of the steered wheels is changed by a predetermined angle in a return direction after the notification is executed. The notification control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the vehicle is a small one-seater electric vehicle. A program for controlling a notification in a vehicle,
a position information acquisition means for acquiring position information relating to a position of the vehicle;
A steering angle acquisition means for acquiring a steering angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle;
a determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is at a railroad crossing based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means;
a computer is caused to function as a control means for controlling, when the determination means has determined that the vehicle is at a railroad crossing, to execute a notification in accordance with a rail angle, which is an angle between a railroad crossing baseline, which is a straight line parallel to a passage for crossing the railroad crossing, and the rail, and the steering angle of the steering wheel acquired by the steering angle acquisition means ;
The control means calculates an index corresponding to the angle between the steering wheel and the rail using the rail angle and the steering angle of the steering wheel, and issues an alert based on the result of comparing the index with a predetermined threshold value.

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