JP2012153264A - Approach notification device - Google Patents

Abstract

An approach notification device capable of ensuring the safety of a pedestrian is provided.
An area determining unit determines whether an own vehicle position corresponds to an approach notification area where an approach should be notified. The time zone determination unit 24B determines whether or not the current time detected by the time information generation unit 16 corresponds to the approach notification time zone associated with the approach notification area. The control unit 24C activates the approach notification unit when a condition that the determination results of both the region determination unit 24A and the time zone determination unit 24B are positive is established.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an approach notification device mounted on a vehicle with low noise during traveling, such as an electric vehicle and a hybrid vehicle.

  Vehicles such as electric vehicles (EV) using a battery as a power source, hybrid vehicles (HV) using a combination of a battery and an engine as a power source are vehicles using an engine as a power source In comparison, there is a problem that noise during running is low, and a rider or a person who rides a bicycle (hereinafter referred to as “pedestrian or the like”) does not notice the approach of a vehicle such as EV or HV.

Therefore, in a vehicle with low noise during traveling such as EV and HV, it is performed to make a pedestrian or the like aware that the vehicle has approached.
As an approach notification trigger, various cases are conceivable, such as detecting the movement of a person photographed by a camera mounted on the vehicle to generate an approaching sound, or notifying when the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed. .

  Moreover, in patent document 1, the approach sound with respect to a pedestrian etc. is controlled by detecting whether the area | region of the present position vicinity of a vehicle is an area where a running sound is required.

JP 2005-253236 A

However, the above prior art has the following problems.
The necessity / unnecessity of the notification (running sound) varies depending on the time zone even in an area where the running sound is required. For example, in an area where there is a school or a cram school, the time of going to and from school corresponds to a time zone in which traveling sound is required, and the other time in class corresponds to a time zone in which driving sound is unnecessary.
Therefore, the above prior art cannot cope with the necessity / unnecessity of the traveling sound depending on the time zone. As a result, for example, although there is no need to generate a running sound, a situation in which a running sound is generated and the vehicle travels occurs, and a situation in which quietness such as EV and HV is unnecessarily impaired occurs.
This invention is made in order to improve this problem, Comprising: It aims at providing the approach alerting | reporting apparatus which can ensure the safety of a pedestrian by making it alert | report appropriately according to a time slot | zone. .

  In order to achieve the above object, an approach notification device according to the present invention includes an approach notification unit that notifies approach toward the outside of a vehicle, a host vehicle position detection unit that detects a host vehicle position of the vehicle, and the host vehicle. An area determination means for determining whether or not a position corresponds to an approach notification area where the approach should be notified, and a current time corresponds to an approach notification time zone associated with the approach notification area and to notify the approach A time zone determining means for determining whether or not the control means for operating the approach notification means when a condition that the determination results of both the area determining means and the time zone determining means are positive is established. It is characterized by that.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle position corresponds to the approach notification area and the current time corresponds to the approach notification time zone, the approach notification means is operated to the pedestrian. Since it is possible to accurately notify the approach of the vehicle, the safety of the pedestrian can be ensured. On the other hand, if the vehicle position does not correspond to the approach notification area or if the current time does not correspond to the approach notification time zone even if it corresponds, the approach notification means is not uselessly activated.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, after the vehicle position is detected, the approach notification area and the approach notification time zone can be easily determined based on the database. It will be advantageous.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the approach notification area and the approach notification time zone are determined based on the received determination information, the approach notification means can be accurately used even when the approach notification time zone is changed. It can be actuated and is more advantageous in ensuring the safety of pedestrians.
According to invention of Claim 4, even if it is a case where the present time does not correspond to an approach alerting | reporting time slot | zone, an approach alerting | reporting means can be operated correctly according to the condition in an approach alerting | reporting area, and a pedestrian is safe. It is more advantageous in securing
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the driver is warned that the vehicle is traveling on the pedestrian priority road, it is possible to prompt the detour of the pedestrian priority road and avoidance of the approach. It is more advantageous in enhancing the safety of pedestrians.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the approach alerting | reporting apparatus 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the information stored in the database. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a database 26. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the approach alerting | reporting apparatus 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the approach alerting | reporting apparatus 10 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the approach alerting | reporting apparatus 10 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the approach alerting | reporting apparatus 10 which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the approach alerting | reporting apparatus 10 which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an approach notification device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The approach notification device 10 is mounted on a vehicle, and includes a communication unit 12, a GPS receiver 14, a time information generation unit 16, an approach sound control unit 18, an amplifier 20, a speaker 22, an ECU 24, a database 26, and the like.
The communication unit 12 exchanges information with the outside through road-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the like.

The GPS receiver 14 detects the vehicle position by receiving radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites, and identifies the vehicle position on map information stored in the database 26 described later. Information is generated and supplied to the ECU 24.
In the present embodiment, the GPS receiver 14 constitutes own vehicle position detecting means for detecting the own vehicle position.

The time information generation unit 16 supplies time information indicating the current time to the ECU 24.
The time information includes time data including the year, month, and day, and day-of-week data.
In the present embodiment, the time information generating unit 16 is configured by a GPS receiver 14.
That is, the GPS receiver 14 has a function of generating time information based on radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites.
In addition, you may provide the apparatus which produces | generates time information by measuring the present time as the time information generation part 16 separately from the GPS receiver 14. FIG.

The approach sound control unit 18 generates an approach sound signal in accordance with a control signal supplied from the ECU 24 and supplies it to the amplifier 20.
The amplifier 20 amplifies the approaching sound signal and supplies it to the speaker 22.
The speaker 22 generates an approach sound by being driven by the amplified approach sound signal.
In the present embodiment, the approach sound control unit 18, the amplifier 20, and the speaker 22 constitute approach sound generation means (approach notification means).

The ECU 24 includes a CPU, a ROM that stores and stores a control program, a RAM as an operation area of the control program, an EEPROM that holds various data in a rewritable manner, an interface unit that interfaces with peripheral circuits, and the like. The
When the CPU executes the control program, the ECU 24 exchanges information via the communication unit 12, receives vehicle position information from the GPS receiver 14, and receives time information from the time information generation unit 16. Then, a control signal is given to the approaching sound control unit 18, and the database 26 is collated and updated.
The ECU 24 realizes an area determination unit 24A, a time zone determination unit 24B, and a control unit 24C, which will be described later, by the CPU executing the control program.

The database 26 is configured by associating map information, area information, approaching sound generation time zone information, and the like.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining information stored in the database 26, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of the database 26.
As shown in FIG. 2, the map information includes information for specifying a facility 30, a road 32, and the like. In FIG. 2, an A elementary school, a B park, and a C supermarket are illustrated as the facilities 30, and a road 32 provided in the vicinity of these facilities 30 is illustrated.

The area information is information that specifies the range of the approach notification area on the map information.
The approach notification area is, for example, an approach sound generation area where an approach sound should be generated. Specifically, it is the vicinity of facilities where pedestrians frequently enter and exit, such as kindergartens, nursery schools, various schools, school roads, study schools, sports facilities, and various commercial facilities. Therefore, the approaching sound generation area is an area where it is highly necessary to generate an approaching sound and notify the pedestrian of the approach of the vehicle.
In FIG. 2, the portions surrounded by the two-dot chain line indicate the approaching sound generation areas S1, S2, and S3, and the areas S1, S2, and S3 are specified by the area information D1, D2, and D3, respectively.
In this embodiment, the approach sound generation area S1, S2, S3 shows a rectangular shape including each facility 30, but how to define the approach sound generation area is arbitrary, The shape and area of the approaching sound generation area are not limited.

The approach notification time zone is, for example, an approach sound generation time zone in which an approach sound should be generated, and is determined in association with the approach sound generation areas S1, S2, and S3.
As shown in FIG. 3, the approach sound generation time zone is specified by the approach sound generation time zone information. In the present embodiment, the approach sound generation time zone information is specified by the start time point and the end time point of the time zone. ing. The item “facility included in the approaching area” described in the leftmost column of FIG. 3 is described in the explanation and may be omitted.

The approaching sound generation time zone varies depending on the facilities included in the approaching sound generation area. That is, since the approaching sound generation region S1 includes the A elementary school, the approaching sound generation time zone associated with the approaching sound generation region S1 is set in consideration of the time zone of the A elementary school going to and from school.
Since the approaching sound generation area S2 includes the park B, the approaching sound generation time zone associated with the approaching sound generation area S2 is set in consideration of the use time zone of the park B.
Since the approach sound generation area S3 includes the C supermarket, the approach sound generation time period associated with the approach sound generation area S3 is set in consideration of the business hours of the C super market.

As described above, the approach sound generation time zone is appropriately set according to the use situation of the facilities included in the approach sound generation area, the business form, and the like.
For example, if the facility is a learning cram school, the approaching sound generation time zone is set based on the start time and end time. If the facility is a sports facility, the approaching sound generation time zone is set based on the start time and end time of the sports classroom.
That is, the database 26 associates the area information D1, D2, and D3 that specify the range of the approaching sound generation areas S1, S2, and S3 on the map information with the approaching sound generation time zone information that specifies the approaching sound generation time zone. It is to be added and stored.

Next, the area determination unit 24A, the time zone determination unit 24B, and the control unit 24C illustrated in FIG. 1 will be described.
The area determination unit 24A determines whether or not the vehicle position corresponds to an approach sound generation area where an approach sound should be generated. In the present embodiment, the region determination unit 24A determines whether or not the vehicle position corresponds to the approach sound generation region based on the database 26 from the vehicle position information detected by the GPS receiver 14.

  The time zone determination unit 24B determines whether or not the current time detected by the time information generation unit 16 corresponds to an approach sound generation time zone associated with an approach sound generation region. In the present embodiment, the time zone determination unit 24B, when the region determination unit 24A determines that the vehicle position corresponds to the approach sound generation region, the time zone determination unit 24B approaches based on the database 26 from the region information determined to be applicable. The sound generation time zone is specified, and it is determined whether or not the current time corresponds to the specified approach sound generation time zone.

  The control unit 24C generates an approaching sound from the approaching sound generating unit when a condition that both determination results of the area determining unit 24A and the time zone determining unit 24B are affirmative is satisfied.

Next, the operation of the approach notification device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, the ECU 24 acquires own vehicle position information from the GPS receiver 14 (step S10).
Next, the ECU 24 collates the acquired vehicle position information with the area information on the database 26 and determines whether or not the vehicle position information is in the area information (steps S12, S14: area determination means 24A).
If step S14 is affirmative, the ECU 24 acquires time information indicating the current time from the time information generation unit 16 (step S16).

Next, the ECU 24 collates the acquired time information with the approach sound generation time zone information on the database 26 to determine whether the time information corresponds to the approach sound generation time zone (steps S18 and S20: time zone determination). Means 24B).
If step S20 is positive, the ECU 24 supplies a control signal to the approach sound control unit 18 to drive the speaker 22 by the amplifier 20 to generate an approach sound (step S22), and returns to step S10.
If NO in step S14 or NO in step S20, the ECU 24 does not supply a control signal to the approaching sound control unit 18 so that no approaching sound is generated (step S24), and the process returns to step S10.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the vehicle position corresponds to the approaching sound generation region, and the current time corresponds to the approaching sound generation time zone associated with the corresponding approaching sound generation region. An approaching sound is generated when the condition is established.
Therefore, when the vehicle position corresponds to the approaching sound generation area and the current time corresponds to the approaching sound generation time zone, the approaching sound is generated to accurately generate the approaching sound for the pedestrian. Therefore, the safety of pedestrians can be ensured. In other words, the safety of the pedestrian can be ensured by operating the approach notification means to accurately notify the pedestrian of the approach of the vehicle.
On the other hand, when the approach notification means is an approach sound generation means, if the vehicle position does not correspond to the approach sound generation area, or if the current time does not correspond to the approach sound generation time zone even if it corresponds, it is useless. Since no approaching sound is generated in the vehicle, the quietness of the vehicle is not impaired. In other words, the approach notification means is not wastefully operated.
That is, it is possible to ensure the safety of a pedestrian without impairing silence by accurately generating an approaching sound according to the time zone.

Further, in the present embodiment, there is provided a database 26 that stores the area information for specifying the range of the approaching sound generation area on the map information and the approaching sound generation time zone information for specifying the approaching sound generation time zone in association with each other. Based on this database 26, it is determined whether or not the vehicle position corresponds to the approaching sound generation area, whether the approaching sound generation time zone is specified, and whether the current time corresponds to the specified approaching sound generation time zone Judged whether or not.
Therefore, after the vehicle position is detected, the approach sound generation region and the approach sound generation time zone can be easily determined based on the database 26, and the processing can be simplified.

In the first embodiment, the approach sound generation time zone has been described as being the same for each day of the week. However, the usage status of facilities included in the approach sound generation area may vary depending on the day of the week.
For example, if the facility can be used only on weekdays from Monday to Friday and the facility is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, only the approach sound generation time zone information corresponding to Monday to Friday may be set in the database 26.
In this case, if the day of the week data included in the time information is Monday to Friday, the ECU 24 uses the approach sound generation time zone information. If the day of the week data included in the time information is Saturday or Sunday, the ECU 24 determines that it is not necessary to generate an approaching sound because there is no approaching sound generation time zone information.

Alternatively, when the facility usage time varies depending on the day of the week, a plurality of approach sound generation time zone information corresponding to the day of the week may be set in the database 26.
In this case, the ECU 24 may use a plurality of approach sound generation time zone information based on the day of the week data included in the time information.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following embodiment, the same parts and members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simply performed.
In the first embodiment, the case where approaching sound generation time zone information is stored in the database 26 in advance has been described.
In contrast, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, instead of using the database 26, determination information received from the information transmission source 40 by the communication unit 12 (first communication means) is used.
The determination information is information in which the area information for specifying the range of the approaching sound generation area on the map information is associated with the approaching sound generation time zone information for specifying the approaching sound generation time zone, and is stored in the database 26. It is the same as the information.
The information transmission source 40 updates the determination information as needed, and is configured to transmit the latest determination information.
Transmission of the determination information from the information transmission source 40 to the communication unit 12 is performed using various conventionally known communications such as road-to-vehicle communication.

The area determination unit 24A determines whether or not the own vehicle position corresponds to the approaching sound generation area based on the determination information from the own vehicle position information.
When the area determination unit 24A determines that the vehicle position corresponds to the approaching sound generation area, the time zone determination unit 24B specifies the approaching sound generation time period based on the determination information from the area information determined to be applicable. Then, it is determined whether or not the current time corresponds to the specified approach sound generation time zone.
The control unit 24C generates an approaching sound from the approaching sound generating unit when a condition that both determination results of the area determining unit 24A and the time zone determining unit 24B are affirmative is satisfied.

Next, the operation of the approach notification device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The ECU 24 receives the determination information transmitted from the information transmission source 40 at any time and stores it in the EEPROM or the like (step S30).
The ECU 24 acquires the vehicle position information from the GPS receiver 14 (step S32).
Next, the ECU 24 compares the acquired own vehicle position information with the area information on the determination information to determine whether the own vehicle position information is in the area information (steps S34, S36: area determination means 24A).
If step S36 is affirmative, the ECU 24 acquires time information indicating the current time from the time information generator 16 (step S38).

Next, the ECU 24 compares the acquired time information with the approach sound generation time zone information on the determination information to determine whether the time information corresponds to the approach sound generation time zone (steps S40 and S42: time zone determination). Means 24B).
If step S42 is positive, the ECU 24 supplies a control signal to the approach sound control unit 18 to drive the speaker 22 by the amplifier 20 to generate an approach sound (step S44), and returns to step S30.
In the case of negative in step S36 or negative in step S42, the ECU 24 does not supply a control signal to the approach sound control unit 18 so that no approach sound is generated (step S46), and the process returns to step S30.

As described above, also in the second embodiment, the vehicle position corresponds to the approaching sound generation region, and the current time corresponds to the approaching sound generation time zone associated with the corresponding approaching sound generation region. An approaching sound is generated when the condition is established.
Therefore, as in the first embodiment, it is of course possible to ensure the safety of the pedestrian without sacrificing quietness by accurately generating an approaching sound according to the time zone. Because the approach sound generation area and the approach sound generation time zone are determined based on the information, the approach sound can be generated accurately even when the approach sound generation time zone is changed, and pedestrian safety It is more advantageous in securing

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described.
For example, the time zone when pedestrians walk is significantly different from the usual, such as when the time of school departure changes suddenly due to school events, or events such as athletic events are held. In such a case, it is difficult to accurately generate the approaching sound.
Therefore, in the third embodiment, in addition to the configurations of the first and second embodiments, the approaching sound is forcibly generated by the communication unit 12 (second communication means) using, for example, wireless communication. The approach sound generation command information for instructing to perform the operation is received. Such approach sound generation command information is transmitted from, for example, a transmitter provided in a facility.
The ECU 24 (control means 24C) prioritizes the determination result as to whether or not the current time corresponds to the approach sound generation time zone when it is determined that the vehicle position corresponds to the approach sound generation area. An approach sound is generated based on the received approach sound generation command information.
If the above-mentioned area information (information specifying the range of the approaching sound generation area) is added (added) to the approaching sound generation command information, the area where the approaching sound is to be generated at an event or event is temporarily or When it occurs permanently, the ECU 24 can change the approaching sound generation area or make a new setting.

According to the third embodiment, it is a matter of course that the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be achieved, even if the current time does not correspond to the approaching sound generation time zone. An approaching sound can be accurately generated according to the situation in the approaching sound generation area, which is more advantageous for ensuring the safety of pedestrians.
In addition, when 3rd Embodiment is applied to 2nd Embodiment, the communication part 12 may be used in common and a different communication part may be used.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.
In the first to third embodiments, an area including a facility such as a school is exemplified as an approaching sound generation area, but the approaching sound generation area is walked at a specific time zone such as a school road or Silver Road. It may be a pedestrian priority road where a person's traffic is prioritized.
Although it is possible to make pedestrians safe by generating an approaching sound when the vehicle travels on a pedestrian priority road, it is preferable to bypass the pedestrian priority road and avoid entry if possible. Therefore, it is conceivable that when the vehicle travels on a pedestrian priority road, the driver is encouraged to avoid detouring and entering the pedestrian priority road.
Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the driver is warned that the vehicle is traveling on a pedestrian priority road. The warning method may be a buzzer sound, sound, display, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 7, an alarm control unit 50, an amplifier 52, and an indoor speaker 54 are newly provided, and a pedestrian priority road determination unit 24 </ b> D is added to the ECU 24.
The alarm control unit 50 generates an alarm sound signal according to a control signal supplied from the ECU 24 and supplies the alarm sound signal to the amplifier 54.
The amplifier 54 amplifies the alarm sound signal and supplies it to the indoor speaker 54.
The indoor speaker 54 generates an alarm sound indoors by being driven by the amplified alarm sound signal.
In the present embodiment, the alarm control unit 50, the amplifier 52, and the indoor speaker 54 constitute alarm means for issuing an alarm to the driver of the vehicle.

The pedestrian priority road determination means 24D determines whether or not the vehicle position corresponds to a pedestrian priority road in the approaching sound generation area.
In the present embodiment, the database 26 stores area information, approaching sound generation time zone information, and pedestrian priority roads in association with each other. The pedestrian priority road determination unit 24D determines whether or not the vehicle position corresponds to a pedestrian priority road in the approaching sound generation area based on the database 26 from the vehicle position.
The control unit 24C generates an approaching sound in addition to generating an approaching sound from the approaching sound generating unit when a condition that both determination results of the area determining unit 24A and the time zone determining unit 24B are positive is established. When the condition that the determination result of the pedestrian priority road determination unit 24D is affirmative is established, an alarm sound is generated from the indoor speaker 54 indoors.

Next, the operation of the approach notification device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the same processes as those in the flowchart of FIG. 4 are denoted by the same step numbers and description thereof is omitted.
In step S22, if the control means 24C generates an approaching sound from the speaker 22, the ECU 24 determines whether or not the vehicle position corresponds to a pedestrian priority road (step 50: pedestrian priority road determination means). 24D).
If affirmative in step S50, the ECU 24 supplies a control signal to the alarm control unit 50 to drive the speaker 54 by the amplifier 52 to generate an alarm sound (step S52), and returns to step S10.
In the case of negative in step S50, the ECU 24 does not generate a warning sound by not supplying a control signal to the warning control unit 50 (step S54), and returns to step S10.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, it is needless to say that the same effect as that of the first embodiment is achieved, and the vehicle travels on the pedestrian priority road with respect to the driver. Therefore, the detour of the pedestrian priority road and the avoidance of the approach can be urged, which is more advantageous for improving the safety of the pedestrian.
Further, in the fourth embodiment, the case has been described in which the area information, the approaching sound generation time zone information, and the pedestrian priority road are stored in the database 26 in association with each other. Similarly, the communication unit 12 may receive the determination information in which the area information, the approaching sound generation time zone information, and the pedestrian priority road are associated with each other from the information transmission source.

In addition, the approach sound generation request | requirement which encourages generation | occurrence | production of an approach sound with respect to the communication part of the existing approach sound generator mounted in the other vehicle which adjoins from the communication part 12 of the approach alerting | reporting apparatus 10 which concerns on this invention by vehicle-to-vehicle communication. While transmitting the information, an existing approach sound generation device of another vehicle may generate an approach sound based on the received approach sound generation request information.
In this case, the ECU 24 of the approach notification device 10 causes the communication unit 12 to transmit approach sound generation request information to another vehicle when the condition that the process of generating the approach sound is executed.
In this way, if there is one vehicle equipped with the approach notification device 10 according to the present invention, an approaching sound can be accurately generated according to the time zone even in a nearby vehicle, and quietness is impaired. It is possible to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the case where an approach alerting | reporting means alert | reports an approach toward the exterior of a vehicle by generating an approach sound was demonstrated.
However, it is only necessary to notify the pedestrian of the approach of the vehicle by operating the approach notification means, and the form of notification is not limited to sound. For example, the receiver may be notified by light or wave, and the receiver is operated by transmitting a notification signal notifying the approach of the vehicle from the approach notification means to the pedestrian carrying the receiver. The pedestrian may be informed of the approach by actuating.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Approach sound notification apparatus, 12 ... Communication part (1st, 2nd communication means), 14 ... GPS receiver, 16 ... Time information generation part, 18 ... Approaching sound control part, 20 ... Amplifier, 22... Speaker, 24... ECU, 24 A... Regional determination means, 24 B... Time zone determination means, 24 C. Control means, 24 D. Pedestrian priority road determination means, 26. ... Facility, 32 ... Road, 40 ... Information source, 50 ... Alarm control section, 52 ... Amplifier, 54 ... Indoor speaker, S1, S2, S3 ... Approaching sound generation area (access notification area), D1, D2, D3 …… Regional information.

Claims (5)

An approach notifying means for notifying the approach of the vehicle toward the outside of the vehicle;
Vehicle position detection means for detecting the vehicle position of the vehicle;
An area determination means for determining whether the vehicle position corresponds to an approach notification area where the approach should be notified;
Time zone determination means for determining whether the current time corresponds to an approach notification time zone associated with the approach notification area and to notify the approach; and
Control means for operating the approach notification means when a condition that the determination results of both the area determination means and the time zone determination means are positive is established;
An approach notification device comprising: Further comprising a database for storing the area information for specifying the range of the approach notification area on map information and the approach notification time zone information for specifying the approach notification time zone in association with each other;
The vehicle position detection means generates vehicle position information for identifying the vehicle position on the map information by detecting the vehicle position,
The area determination means determines whether the vehicle position corresponds to the approach notification area based on the database from the vehicle position information;
The time zone determination means, when the area determination means determines that the vehicle position corresponds to the approach notification area, the access notification time zone based on the database from the area information determined to be applicable. Determining whether the current time corresponds to the specified approach notification time zone,
The approach notification device according to claim 1. First communication means for receiving determination information in which area information for specifying a range of the approach notification area on map information and approach notification time zone information for specifying the approach notification time zone are associated;
The area determination means determines whether the vehicle position corresponds to the approach notification area based on the determination information from the vehicle position information;
The time zone determination means, when the area determination means determines that the vehicle position corresponds to the approach notification area, the approach notification time based on the determination information from the area information determined to be applicable. Specify a band, and determine whether the current time corresponds to the specified approach notification time zone,
The approach notification device according to claim 1. Further comprising second communication means for receiving approach notification command information for instructing to forcibly generate the approach notification;
The control unit operates the approach notification unit based on the approach notification command information received by the communication unit, in preference to the determination result of the time zone determination unit.
The approach notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the approach notification device is characterized in that: Pedestrian priority road determination means for determining whether the vehicle position corresponds to a pedestrian priority road in the approach notification area;
Warning means for issuing a warning to the driver of the vehicle,
The control means activates the alarm means when a condition that the determination result of the pedestrian priority road determination means is affirmative in a state where the approach notification means is activated,
The approach notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that

Images