GB2514267A

GB2514267A - Smart Honking

Info

Publication number: GB2514267A
Application number: GB1408987.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ranjeet Vijayswamy; Srinivasan Ananthan; Ramkumar Velu
Original assignee: Daimler AG
Current assignee: Mercedes Benz Group AG
Priority date: 2014-05-21
Filing date: 2014-05-21
Publication date: 2014-11-19
Also published as: GB201408987D0

Abstract

A smart horn comprises a sensor 10 which receives a signal, a filter 12 which analyses the signal according to given properties and then provides a warning. The signal is embodied as any of a sound wave (another cars horn), a radio signal or a proximity sensor. The warning is preferably a visual warning 18 which may take the form of LEDs arranged in the steering column (figure 4) or within an instrument cluster. The received signal may indicate a movement towards the vehicle by an object. Also disclosed is a device by which upon a driver pressing a horn a proximity sensor determines if there is an object (i.e. a pedestrian) in proximity to the vehicle; if there is sounds the horn is sounded and if not then the radio transmitter is triggered. The purpose of the invention is to enable drivers (e.g. deaf, surrounded by loud music, out of sight of hazard) to be aware of other vehicles warning signals and to reduce noise pollution caused by car horns.

Description

Smart Honking The invention relates to a method to provide a warning signal by a vehicle depending on the circumstances around the vehicle.

From the DE 10 2009 028 476 Al it is known to use a proximity sensor to detect a living object in the front of a vehicle. A corresponding information signal is generated and transmitted to another vehicle. At the other vehicle the information signal is indicated to the driver of the other vehicle as a visual or acoustic warning.

Considering other circumstances with regard to traffic circulations, a car horn makes around 110 decibels of sound and any sound above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss.

The danger of hearing loss is related both to the power of the sound as well as the length of exposure. In developing countries it is very common for vehicles honking all the time due to traffic and indiscipline.

Another issue in automobiles is that during special driving conditions e.g. when the windows are closed or when an audio system is functioning the driver does not recognise a honking sound.

In many countries deaf people are allowed to drive, in this case the driver may not hear the honking sound of the rear vehicles properly. This leads to miscommunication between road users and many cause road accidents.

The object of the present invention is to warn road users in case of a problematic traffic situation.

This object is solved by a method having the features of patent claim 1 and a vehicle having the features of patent claim 7. Advantageous embodiments with expedient and non-trivial developments of the invention are indicated in the other patent claims.

According to the present invention the method provides a warning signal by a vehicle by converting a received signal by a sensor device of the vehicle into an electric signal, filtering the electric signal for given signal properties and providing the warning signal according to the filtered signal. Thus, the method to provide a warning signal can be provided in all vehicles like cars, buses or trucks. Furthermore it can reduce noise pollution, it does not irritate and it does not cause any health problems.

The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising a converter device to convert a received signal into an electric signal, a filter to filter the electric signal for given signal properties and a visual indication system to display a warning signal depending on the filtered signal.

The sensor device can be a proximity sensor and/or a microphone and/or a directional radio antenna and/or a directional radio receiver. A proximity sensor can detect objects, e.g. humans or animals, in front of or anywhere around a vehicle within the prescribed range. A directional radio antenna and a directional radio receiver can receive a unique defined radio frequency from which ever direction it is coming from. A microphone can detect an acoustic sound e.g. a honking sound and can convert this sound into an electric signal.

The received signal can be an acoustic signal, especially a honking sound, and/or a radio signal and/or the received signal can represent a movement towards the vehicle by an object. A radio signal can also be referred to as radio honking. In other words a radio signal is a signal with a unique defined radio frequency. The radio signal can be provided by a radio transmitter, which can be installed e.g. in a vehicle. The radio transmitter can transmit the radio signal or the radio honking signal to another vehicle in the front of or wherever the other vehicle is placed next to the vehicle.

An advantage of the method can be that the method can only be performed, if a driver presses the horn of the vehicle.

Another advantage is that, in case the received signal is an acoustic signal or a radio signal the warning signal can be a visual signal provided by a visual indication system, especially a LED arranged in a steering column or in an instrument cluster of the vehicle.

The visual indication system can also be a cluster of LED. The LED or the cluster of LED can be placed in the vehicle anywhere in the visible range of the driver of the vehicle. The advantage of a visible signal is that even deaf drivers can make out if someone is radio honking or sends a warning signal. Another advantage is, that drivers, who listen to loud music or when the windows of the vehicle are closed, still can recognise a visual signal if someone is sound honking or trying to signalise a dangerous situation by sending out a warning signal e.g. an acoustic or a radio signal.

A further advantage can be that in case the received signal represents a movement of an object towards the vehicle the warning signal can be a radio signal and/or an acoustic signal, especially a honking sound, which can be signalised by the vehicle. The advantage of providing a radio signal is, that the speed of radio in air is around 300 million mis, where as the speed of sound through air is about 340 mis. Therefore the communication is much faster. Furthermore it reduces noise pollution.

Preferred embodiments and advantages of the method to provide a warning signal by a vehicle are also valid for the vehicle.

Further advantages, features, and details of the invention derive from the following description of a preferred embodiment as well as from the drawings. The features and feature combinations previously mentioned in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned in the following description of the figures and/or shown in the figures alone can be employed not only in the respective indicated combination but also in any combination or taken alone without leaving the scope of the invention.

The drawings show: Fig. 1 a schematic flow diagram demonstrating the individual steps of the method; Fig. 2 a schematic illustration of a vehicle with a sensor device and the method to provide a warning signal; Fig. 3 a schematic illustration of the visual signal by a visual indication system; and Fig. 4 a schematic illustration of the visual signal by a visual indication system placed on a steering wheel of a car.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic flow diagram demonstrating the individual steps of the method.

The method to provide a warning signal by a vehicle starts by converting a received signal by a sensor device (10) of the vehicle into an electric signal. The sensor device (10) can be a proximity sensor and/or a microphone and/or a directional radio antenna and/or a directional radio receiver. A proximity sensor can detect objects, e.g. humans or animals, in front of a vehicle within the prescribed range. A directional radio antenna and a directional radio receiver can receive a unique defined radio frequency from which ever direction it is coming from. A microphone can detect an acoustic sound e.g. a honking sound and can convert this sound into an electric signal.

For given signal properties the received signal can then be filtered by a filter (12). The received signal can be an acoustic signal, especially a honking sound, and/or a radio signal and/or the received signal can be represented as a movement towards the vehicle by an object. The radio signal can be produced by a radio transmitter. The radio transmitter can transmit a radio honking signal of a unique frequency to another vehicle in the front of the vehicle or anywhere it is placed next to the vehicle. The filter (12), e.g. a band pass filter, allows only desired signals and rejects other unwanted signals. For instance, sound waves sensed by a microphone may have some unwanted sound waves, these can be removed by the bypass filter circuit which allows the signals only with frequencies between 300 and 450 Hz. This frequency range is a typical horn signal fundamental frequency.

The filtered signal is then amplified by an amplifier (14). An amplifier (14) or an amplification system can increase the signal strength of the filtered signal, as the filtered signal strength may not be enough to activate the visual indication system (18) or other control systems. As shown in Fig. 1 both the filter (12) and the amplifier (14) are supplied with electric power by a power source (16). The power source (16) can be either sourced from a vehicle battery or a separate battery setup can be installed to meet the power needs.

According to the filtered signal a warning signal is provided. In case the received signal is an acoustic signal or a radio signal the warning signal can be a visual signal provided by a visual indication system (18) in the vehicle. In case the received signal represents a movement of an object towards the vehicle the warning signal can be a radio signal and or an acoustic signal, especially a honking sound, which is signalised or emitted by the vehicle. The radio signal can be provided by a radio transmitter. The radio transmitter can transmit the radio signal of a unique frequency to the vehicle in the front, only if the proximity sensor does not detect any living beings in the front. The acoustic signal can be provided by a horn (20). The horn (20) can produce a proper normal sound only if any living being is detected in the front of the vehicle.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a vehicle with a sensor device and the method to provide a warning signal. As shown in Fig. 2 a first vehicle (24) receives a received signal, in this case an acoustic signal like a honking sound, which is produced by a second vehicle (26). The produced sound is sensed by a sensor device (10) e.g. a microphone of the first vehicle (24) and is converted into an electric signal. Unwanted sound waves are removed by a filter e.g. a band pass filter circuit which allows signals only with frequencies between 300 to 450 Hz, which are produced by typical horns, to pass the filter. These electric signals are then amplified and displayed to the driver as a visual indication signal via a visual indication system (18).

So one way of applying the method to provide a warning signal can be that if a vehicle is producing sound horn, the sound waves can be sensed by a microphone and unwanted sound waves are removed by the band pass filter circuit which allows the signals only with frequencies between 300 to 450 Hz, which are produced by typical horns. These electric signals are then amplified and are displayed to the driver as a visual indication signal that someone is honking.

Another way of applying the method described above can be that the method is only activated by a driver pressing the horn of a vehicle. So, for instance, when a person, e.g. a driver of a vehicle, tries to honk by pressing the horn button, it activates the proximity sensor which detects if there is an object like a human being or an animal in front within the range, if yes it triggers the sound horn. If the proximity sensor does not detect anything then it triggers the radio transmitter which produces a radio signal of a particular standard frequency. So the warning signal, in this case the radio signal, is transmitted to the other vehicle if the proximity sensor does not detect the living object in the front of the vehicle. This radio signal is received by the directional antennas mounted on another vehicle if it is located within the range and is displayed to the driver in the form of light flashing or flickering of a LED or a LED cluster placed on the steering column (28) or in the instrument cluster (30), so that the driver understands that someone is honking from a particular direction. In addition, in the other vehicle a volume of an audio system is lowered or muted, especially by an auxiliary control system (22), in response to receiving the warning signal e.g. the radio signal.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic illustration of the visual signal by a visual indication system (18).

For instance, if the sensor device receives a received signal, e.g. a radio signal and/or an acoustic signal, coming from a vehicle which is positioned behind the vehicle then the LED on the bottom is illuminated, whereas the left LED would be illuminated if the received signal came from a vehicle positioned on the left side of the vehicle. Fig. 4 schematically illustrates where the visual indication system (18) can be placed e.g. on a steering wheel (28) in the car. The visual indication system (18) as shown in Fig. 3 can be a LED or a cluster of LED arranged, each for representing the direction where the received signal e.g. a honking sound is coming from, which flickers or flashes the light.

The visual indication system indicates the driver about the vehicle, which is generating the warning signal. The visual indication system (18) can be a simple LED in the steering column (28), in this case it has the shape of an arrow, or in the instrument cluster (30). If required this signal can also be used to lower the column of the audio system e.g. by another auxiliary control system (22) like a relay for activating and/or deactivating the audio system in the car.

Providing soundless horn in which no sound is emitted to alert the driver ahead, instead radio signals can be used while honking. This radio signals are detected and indicated to the driver in the form of light. The proposed system detects the rear vehicles horn sound and activates the visual indication system or controls the audio volume control and alerts the driver ahead by visual indication.

List of reference signs sensor device 12 filter 14 amplifier 16 power source 18 visual indication system horn 22 auxiliary control system 24 first vehicle 26 second vehicle 28 steering column instrument cluster

Claims

Claims A method to provide a warning signal by a vehicle by: a) converting a received signal by a sensor device (10) of the vehicle into an electric signal; b) filtering the electric signal, for given signal properties; c) providing the warning signal according to the filtered signal.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the sensor device (10) comprises a proximity sensor and/or a microphone and/or a directional radio antenna and/or a directional radio receiver.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the received signal comprises an acoustic signal, especially a honking sound, and/or a radio signal and/or represents a movement towards the vehicle by an object.
4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the steps a) to c) are activated by a driver pressing the horn (20) of the vehicle.
5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that according to step c) in case the received signal is an acoustic signal or a radio signal the warning signal is a visual signal provided by a visual indication system (18), especially a LED arranged in a steering column (28) or in an instrument cluster (30) of the vehicle.
6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that according to step c) in case the received signal represents a movement of an object towards the vehicle the warning signal is a radio signal and/or an acoustic signal, especially a honking sound, which is signalised by the vehicle.
7. A vehicle comprising: a) a converter device to convert a received signal into an electric signal; b) a filter (12) to filter the electric signal for given signal properties; and c) a visual indication system (18) to display a warning signal depending on the filtered signal.