JPH07119771B2 - Vehicle speed voicing device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device for uttering vehicle speed by voice.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, vehicle speed, which is the most important data for driving an automobile, is detected by a speed sensor and optically displayed by a speedometer in an instrument panel.

Alternatively, in addition to the speedometer in the instrument panel, a device for projecting the vehicle speed on the windshield has been developed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in all of the conventional techniques, the vehicle speed is optically displayed. Therefore, when the driver tries to know the vehicle speed, the forward gaze is interrupted. I had to move my line of sight to the speedometer inside the instrument panel. Further, even with the technique of projecting onto the windshield, there is a problem that when recognizing the vehicle speed, attention to the front disappears for a moment and the driving is neglected.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems by preventing the attention of the front from being lost when the driver recognizes the vehicle speed, thereby improving the safety of the vehicle.

[Means for Solving the Problems] As means for achieving the above object, the vehicle speed vocalization device of the first invention is provided on a steering wheel, and when operated in the thickness direction of the steering wheel, the horn of the vehicle is opened. A horn switch for ringing, a vehicle speed switch which is provided on the steering wheel, is arranged in the vicinity of the horn switch, and is turned on when operated in a direction opposite to the operation direction of the horn switch, and a vehicle speed. A vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed and a voicing means for uttering the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting means by voice when the vehicle speed switch is in the "on state".

A vehicle speed vocalization device according to a second aspect of the present invention is provided with a steering wheel, and an operation unit that is switch-operated by hand,
A horn switch for ringing a horn of the vehicle when the operating portion is operated in the thickness direction of the steering wheel,
When the operating portion is operated in the surface direction of the steering wheel, a vehicle speed switch that is turned on, vehicle speed detection means that detects the vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed switch is on, the vehicle speed detection is performed. The gist is to provide a voicing means for audibly uttering the vehicle speed detected by the means.

[Operation] In the vehicle speed vocalization device of the present invention, when the vehicle speed switch provided on the steering wheel is operated, the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means is changed by the vocalization means.
It is uttered as voice.

As a result, when the driver wants the vehicle speed,
It can be heard and recognized as voice.

Further, in the vehicle speed vocalization device of the first aspect of the invention, the vehicle speed switch is provided in the vicinity of the horn switch provided on the steering wheel. You can move your hands. Moreover, since the operation directions of the horn switch and the vehicle speed switch are opposite to each other, the operation of both switches is divided according to the operation direction.

As a result, the driver can identify each switch and operate it without error even if they are hardly aware of it. Therefore, when operating the vehicle speed switch and the horn switch, it is not necessary to move the line of sight to check the position of each switch, and it is possible to quickly push the switches in an emergency.

In the vehicle speed voicing device of the second invention, the horn sounds when the operating portion is operated in the thickness direction of the steering wheel, and the vehicle speed is uttered when the operating portion is operated in the surface direction of the steering wheel. The operation of the horn switch can be quickly groped by groping and without moving the hand.

As a result, the driver can identify each switch and operate it without error even if they are hardly aware of it. Therefore, when operating the vehicle speed switch and the horn switch, it is not necessary to move the line of sight to check the position of each switch, and it is possible to quickly push the switches in an emergency.

[Embodiment] A first embodiment of a vehicle speed vocalization device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The first embodiment corresponds to the first invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle speed vocalization device 1 of the present embodiment is provided around an instrument panel 3 of an automobile and a steering wheel 5 arranged in front of the instrument panel 3. Further, the instrument panel 3 is provided with a speedometer 9 for displaying the vehicle speed based on the rotation speed of the speedometer cable 7, and the steering wheel 5 is provided with four spiders 11, 12, Horn switches 21, 22, 23, and 24 are provided on the front surfaces 16 of 13 and 14, respectively. The spiders 11, 12, 13, 14 correspond to so-called spoke portions that connect the ring portion of the steering wheel 5 and the boss 40.

On the back surface 26 of the spiders 11 to 14 on which the horn switches 21 to 24 are arranged on the front surface 16, the A- of the spider 12 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2 showing the cross section A, the vehicle speed switches 31 and 3 are respectively provided.
2,33,34 are provided. Also, as shown in FIG.
When the horn switches 21 to 24 are pushed in the direction of arrow YA, the contacts incorporated therein are turned "on", and the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 are built in by pushing in the direction of arrow YB which is the opposite arrow YA direction. Contact turns on.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 are connected by a conducting wire 38, and the conducting wire 38 is connected to a vehicle speed voice generation circuit 41 described later via a boss 40 of the steering wheel 5. There is.

A vehicle speed sensor 43 that outputs a vehicle speed panel signal that reflects the rotational speed of the vehicle is attached to the speedometer cable 7 that inputs rotational speed data that reflects the vehicle speed to the speedometer 9 of the instrument panel 3. The vehicle speed sensor 43 is connected to the vehicle speed voice generation circuit 41 by a conductor 48.

The vehicle speed voice generation circuit 41 for inputting the vehicle speed pulse signals output from the vehicle speed sensor 43 and the “on” and “off” states of the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 includes a well-known input interface 51, a storage unit 53, and a CP.
A U55, an output interface 57, and a common bus 59 are provided, and a voice synthesis LSI (63) that outputs the vehicle speed corresponding to the vehicle speed signal output from the output interface 57 to the speaker 61 as an electric signal of synthetic voice is provided. .

Next, the process sequentially executed by the vehicle speed voice generation circuit 41 will be described with reference to the flowchart of the vehicle speed utterance routine shown in FIG.

The vehicle speed utterance routine is repeatedly executed while the vehicle ignition key is "on" and the vehicle speed voice generation circuit 41 is powered on.

First, the vehicle speed switch 31 through the input interface 51
Input the "ON" and "OFF" states of 34, judge whether it is "ON" (step 100), and wait until it is "ON". When any of the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 is turned "on", the vehicle speed pulse signal from the vehicle speed sensor 43 is next input for 0.3 seconds via the input interface 51, and the input pulse number is adjusted (step 110).

Next, the vehicle speed is calculated based on the number of pulses of the vehicle speed pulse signal input in 0.3 seconds (step 120), and the calculated vehicle speed is output to the voice synthesis LSI (63) via the output interface 57 (step). 130).

According to the vehicle speed vocalization routine described above, the vehicle speed switch
When any one of 31 to 34 is turned on, the vehicle speed at that time is uttered as a voice from the speaker 61.

Therefore, the driver of the vehicle can hear the vehicle speed at that time by a synthesized voice when desired. As a result, the driver keeps his eyes on the front of the vehicle,
It has an extremely excellent effect of being able to drive and improving safety.

Further, since the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 for listening to the vehicle speed are provided on the rear surface 26 opposite to the front surface 16 on which the horn switches 21 to 24 are provided on the spiders 11 to 14, the switch positions can be visually checked. Without doing so, the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 can be pressed by mistake without fail. Therefore, since the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 are pressed, the confirmation in front is not neglected.

In addition, vehicle speed switches 31-34 and horn switches 21-
Since 24 is arranged so as to sandwich the spiders 11 to 14, it is possible to push the horn switches 21 to 24 with the thumb even when the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 are being pushed by the index finger. Therefore, even in an emergency, the horn switches 21 to 24 can be pressed immediately, and the safety is not lowered by pressing the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34.

Moreover, vehicle speed switches 31-34 and horn switches 21-24
Since the operating directions of the and are opposite, the operation of the vehicle speed switches 31-34 and the horn switch 21-
It can be performed by distinguishing between 24 operations. As a result,
The amount of consciousness transferred to the operation of the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 is reduced, and the driver can concentrate on driving, and the horn switches 21 to 24 and the vehicle speed switches 31 to 34 are not confused in an emergency.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment corresponds to the second invention.

The vehicle speed vocalization device 1 of the present embodiment enables the horn switch 72 and the vehicle speed switch 74 arranged on the spider 70 of the steering wheel 5 to be operated by the common operation unit 76.
The horn switch 72 is operated by pushing the operating portion 76 in the direction of the arrow YC, and the vehicle speed switch 74 is operated by pushing in the direction of the arrow YD.

That is, the vehicle speed vocalization device 1 according to the second embodiment includes the operation unit.
By pressing 76 in the direction of arrow YC. The vehicle horn can be sounded, and the current vehicle speed can be heard by synthesizing the voice by pressing the operating portion 76 in the direction of the arrow YD, which has a different operation direction from the arrow YC by 90 °.

As a result, similarly to the first embodiment, the vehicle speed can be heard by voice when desired, so that there is an excellent effect that the safety is improved.

Moreover, since the operation unit 76 is shared, the number of parts can be reduced.

Moreover, since the operating portion 76 is shared and the horn switch 72 and the vehicle speed switch 74 are pushed differently depending on the operating direction, the operability is improved.

Further, when the operation portion 76 is operated in the direction of the arrow YD with a force of a predetermined value or more, both the vehicle speed switch 74 and the horn switch 72 are configured to be “on”. Therefore,
If an emergency occurs while the vehicle speed switch 74 is being pressed, even if the operating portion 76 is pressed in the direction in which the horn switch 72 is pressed and the vehicle speed switch 74 is operated (arrow YD) The unconscious power of in can make the horn ring.

That is, it has excellent safety.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the examples, and various embodiments can be carried out without changing the gist of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, the vehicle speed switch is of the push button type, but is not limited to this. For example, the movement of the finger is detected by a change in resistance due to contact, or is detected without contact, and the "ON" state is detected. It may also output an "off" signal.

[Advantages of the Invention] The vehicle speed voicing device of the first aspect of the present invention allows the hand to be swiftly and swiftly moved between the vehicle speed switch and the horn switch. Can be done at

As a result, the driver can identify each switch and operate it without error even if they are hardly aware of it. Therefore, when the vehicle speed switch and the horn switch are operated, it is not necessary to move the line of sight to check the position of each switch, and it is possible to quickly separate the switches without error even in an emergency.

The vehicle speed voicing device of the second aspect of the present invention can distinguish the operation of the vehicle speed switch and the horn switch from each other by a common operation unit promptly and with almost no awareness, and can be operated without error. Therefore, when the vehicle speed switch and the horn switch are operated, it is not necessary to move the line of sight to check the position of each switch, and it is possible to quickly separate the switches without error even in an emergency.

As a result, according to the present invention, the driver does not need to move the line of sight to the speedometer, and the horn switch and the vehicle speed switch are hardly noticed even in an emergency situation. In addition, since it can be carried out promptly, there is an extremely excellent effect that the safety of the vehicle is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle speed vocalization apparatus of a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the vehicle speed vocalization routine, and FIG. 4 is a second embodiment. It is a block diagram of the vehicle speed switch. 1 …… Vehicle speed voicing device 3 …… Instrument panel 5 …… Steering wheel 7 …… Speedometer cable 11 ～ 14 …… Spider 21 ～ 24 …… Horn switch 31 ～ 34 …… Vehicle speed switch 41 …… Vehicle speed voice utterance Circuit 43 ... Vehicle speed sensor

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A horn switch provided on a steering wheel for ringing a horn of a vehicle when operated in a thickness direction of the steering wheel; and a horn switch provided on the steering wheel and arranged in the vicinity of the horn switch, A vehicle speed switch that is turned on when operated in a direction opposite to the operation direction of the horn switch, vehicle speed detection means for detecting the vehicle speed, and vehicle speed detection means when the vehicle speed switch is in the on state. A vehicle speed vocalization device comprising a vocalization means for vocalizing the vehicle speed detected by the voice. 2. An operating section provided on a steering wheel, which is switch-operated by hand, a horn switch for ringing a horn of a vehicle when the operating section is operated in a thickness direction of the steering wheel, and the operating section. A vehicle speed switch that is turned on when operated in the plane direction of the steering wheel, vehicle speed detection means for detecting the vehicle speed, and the vehicle speed detection means when the vehicle speed switch is in the on state. A vehicle speed voicing device comprising a voicing means for uttering the vehicle speed by voice.