JPH06201827A - Rear monitoring device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an alarm or a contact-prevention mechanism from being actuated easily even if there is no chance that a following vehicle comes into contact. CONSTITUTION:An ultrasonic radar 20, a driver's seat door switch 21, a rear seat door lock switch 22, a rear seat door handle switch 23, and a rear seat door lock knob switch 24 are connected to a CPU 25. When the door of a driver's seat is closed and it is judged that a following vehicle which is captured by radar is approaching own vehicle and there is a risk of contact, an alarm 26 is actuated if the lock of the rear seat door is released. Also, when the door handle is released, the alarm and a rear seat door lock device 27 are actuated. When the door at the driver's seat is opened by a driver which can check the rear, the alarm and the rear seat door lock device are not actuated even if the following vehicle is approaching the own vehicle, thus eliminating the need for an unneeded alarm and preventing passengers from being disturbed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rear monitoring system for a vehicle which prevents a following vehicle from coming into contact with a door opened when getting off the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional device of this type is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-200400. This is because when the own vehicle is stopped and a following vehicle approaches, the approach is detected by ultrasonic sonar, an alarm is issued when the door of the driver's seat is operated, and the door is locked to open the door. It is designed to eliminate the possibility that the following vehicle may come into contact with it.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional apparatus, since the detection accuracy of the ultrasonic sonar is not so good, the following vehicle may not always come into contact with the opened door. The occupants were bothered by issuing an alarm and locking the door. Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention provides a vehicle with improved contact possibility determination accuracy so that the alarm or the contact prevention mechanism does not operate unnecessarily even in the case where the following vehicle is not always in contact. An object of the present invention is to provide a rear monitoring device.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is, as shown in FIG. 1, the distance between the own vehicle and the following vehicle and the distance between the own vehicle and the following vehicle. When the relative speed is detected and the rear monitoring means 1 which outputs a first signal when the distance and the relative speed exceed predetermined values respectively, and when it is detected that the driver's door is closed A driver's seat door open / closed state determination means 2 for outputting a second signal, and a rear seat door operation state detection means 3 for outputting a third signal when it is detected that the rear seat door is operated,
The determination unit 4 outputs a command signal when the first, second and third signals are input, and the alarm generation unit 5 issues an alarm based on the command signal.

Further, in the invention described in claim 2, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, in place of the alarm generating means, there is a rear seat door locking means 6 for locking the rear seat door based on a command signal. And Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the rear seat door operation state detecting means is operated when the lock knob of the rear seat door is operated in the unlocking direction.
Rear door lock knob operation determination means 3 for outputting a signal of
A and rear-door-door-handle-operation determining means 3B that outputs a fifth signal when the handle of the rear-seat door is opened, and the determining means 4'has the first, second, and fourth signals. Outputs a first command signal when is input,
It is assumed that the second command signal is output when the second and fifth signals are input, the alarm generating means 5 issues an alarm based on the first or second command signal, and the rear seat door locking means. 6 locks the rear seat door based on the second command signal.

[0006]

According to the invention of claim 1, when there is a following vehicle approaching the host vehicle from behind and the driver's door is closed, the rear-seat occupant detects the door by the rear-seat door operation state detecting means. When it is detected that an operation necessary for opening is attempted, the alarm generation means issues an alarm. When the driver's seat door is open, it is assumed that the driver has opened the door after confirming that the following vehicle does not come into contact with the subject vehicle, and no alarm is issued.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the drive of the rear seat door lock means is controlled in the same manner instead of the alarm generation means. Further, according to the invention of claim 3, when there is a following vehicle approaching the host vehicle from the rear and the driver's door is closed, the alarm is issued when the lock knob of the rear door is operated in the unlocking direction. When an alarm is issued from the generating means and the handle of the rear seat door is opened, the rear door lock means is driven together with the alarm to lock the door.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic radar 20 is connected to the CPU 25. The ultrasonic radar 20 includes a transmission side including a drive signal generator 11, a driver 12, and an ultrasonic wave transmitter 13,
The ultrasonic wave receiver 14, the amplifier 15, and the band filter 16
And a receiving side including a detection circuit 17 and a comparator 18.

The drive signal generator 11 generates a signal for driving the ultrasonic wave transmitter 13 at a predetermined frequency, pulse width, and pulse interval in accordance with the drive timing signal W issued from the CPU 25. The driver 12 amplifies the signal generated by the drive signal generator 11 to a predetermined level and sends it to the ultrasonic wave transmitter 13. The ultrasonic transmitter 13
The signal emitted from the drive signal generator 11 and amplified by the driver 12 transmits ultrasonic waves to the rear of the vehicle.

The ultrasonic receiver 14 receives the reflected ultrasonic waves from the following vehicle and converts them into electric signals. Ultrasonic receiver 1
The electrical signal converted by 4 is amplified to a predetermined level by the amplifier 15, the excess noise is removed by the next band filter 16, and then detected by the detection circuit 17.
The comparator 18 has a predetermined threshold level set, compares the detected signal with the threshold level, and when the detected signal is at a level higher than that level, the CP
An H level following vehicle signal is sent to U25. Then, after the drive timing signal W is sent from the CPU 25, the time until the reflected signal is sent from the comparator 18 is counted by the CPU 25, and the distance to the following vehicle and the relative speed are calculated. .

The CPU 25 is further connected to a driver seat door switch 21, a rear seat door lock switch 22, a rear seat door handle switch 23, and a rear seat door lock knob switch 24, and signals from these switches are input to the CPU 25. . The driver's seat door switch 21 issues an ON / OFF signal in response to the opened / closed state of the driver's door, and constitutes the driver's door open / closed state determination means of the invention. The rear door lock switch 22 issues an ON / OFF signal in response to the locked or unlocked state of the rear door.

The rear-seat door handle switch 23 issues an on / off signal in response to whether the door handle is being operated to open the rear-seat door, and constitutes a rear-seat door handle operation determining means. The rear-seat door lock knob switch 24 issues an on / off signal corresponding to whether or not the rear-seat passenger operates the knob to unlock the door, and constitutes rear-seat door lock knob operation determination means. Rear seat door handle switch 2
3 and the rear seat door lock knob switch 24 also constitute rear seat door operation state detecting means. CPU25
Is an alarm device 26 based on the distance signal from the ultrasonic radar 20 and the on / off signals from the switches 21 to 24.
And the rear door lock device 27 is driven.

The flow of control in the above configuration is shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, in step 101, after the vehicle is stopped, an ultrasonic wave of a predetermined frequency is transmitted from the ultrasonic wave transmitter 13 in response to a command from the CPU 25 to the ultrasonic wave radar 20 to search the situation behind the vehicle. When there is a following vehicle, the ultrasonic waves are reflected by the following vehicle, and the reflected wave is received by the ultrasonic receiver 14. The received reflected ultrasonic signal passes through the amplifier 15, the bandpass filter 16, and the detection circuit 17, and then the comparator 1
8 and compared with a predetermined threshold level, and when the reflected signal level is higher than that level, the CPU 2
The following vehicle signal of H level is sent to the vehicle. At this time, of course, when there is no following vehicle, no reflected wave exists, so that no signal is received by the ultrasonic wave receiver 14.

In step 102, the CPU 25 determines, based on the output of the ultrasonic radar 20, whether or not there is a following vehicle that should be contacted.
That is, here, the time difference from the transmission of the ultrasonic wave to the reception of the ultrasonic wave is counted, and the distance to the following vehicle is calculated from the value. At the same time as the calculation of the distance to the following vehicle, the relative speed, that is, the approaching speed of the following vehicle is calculated from the difference between the distance L1 at the time of the previous detection and the distance L2 to the following vehicle detected this time by the following equation. d (L2-L1) / dt Then, from the two factors of the distance to the following vehicle and its approaching speed, it is determined whether or not the following vehicle may come into contact with the own vehicle. For example, here, it is assumed that this is possible under the condition that the distance to the following vehicle is within 15 m and the approaching speed is 10 km / h or more.

If there is a following vehicle that may come into contact with the vehicle, the process proceeds to step 103. In step 103, the open / closed state of the driver's seat door is checked based on the signal from the driver's seat door switch 21. When this is an ON signal and the driver's seat door is open, the rear passenger opens the rear door even if there is a following vehicle, assuming that the vehicle does not come into contact with the own vehicle. Even if the action is taken, the process moves to the next flow cycle without alarm or door lock operation. This is because when the driver's door is open, the driver, who is in a position to easily obtain information on the outside of the vehicle, such as the rear view mirror, opens it after confirming that the following vehicle does not touch his vehicle. Is. Even if there is no following vehicle in step 102, the process directly proceeds to the next flow cycle.

On the other hand, in step 103, when the signal from the driver's seat door switch 21 is off and the driver's seat door is closed, the routine proceeds to step 104, in which the rear door lock switch 22 detects the rear door based on the signal. The seat door is locked and unlocked. When the rear seat door is locked, the routine further proceeds to step 105, where it is checked by the signal from the rear seat lock knob switch 24 whether or not the rear seat passenger intends to perform the unlock operation. Here, when the passenger in the rear seat is about to release the lock, a drive signal is output from the CPU 25 to the alarm device 26 and an alarm is issued in step 106.

When it is determined in the previous step 104 that the rear seat door is unlocked, the routine proceeds to step 107, where the rear seat door opening operation is being performed by a signal from the rear seat door handle switch 23. Is checked. When the door handle is operated, the alarm device 26 is driven in step 108 to call attention to the rear seat occupant. And in step 109,
The actuator of the rear seat door lock device 27 is driven,
Locking the door prevents the rear door from opening.

In step 105 or 107,
When the passenger in the rear seat does not perform the unlocking operation or the opening operation of the rear door, there is no risk of the following vehicle coming into contact with the door. Therefore, the process proceeds to the next flow cycle without an alarm or door locking operation. The above flow is repeated, and an alarm is issued to the rear seat occupant or the door is further locked depending on the approaching state of the following vehicle, and the contact of the following vehicle with the door is prevented. Steps 101-102 are the rearward monitoring means of the invention, and steps 103-105,
107 constitutes a judgment means.

According to this embodiment, the rear of the vehicle is monitored by using the ultrasonic radar, and the open / closed state of the driver's seat is checked by the driver's seat door switch so that the host vehicle is approaching and its distance. While this is warned when it is judged from the approach speed that there is a possibility of contacting the own vehicle, the driver is If the vehicle is open after confirming that it does not touch the vehicle, no alarm is issued. As a result, the alarm is not issued unnecessarily even when there is no possibility that the following vehicle may come into contact with the driver and other passengers.

When the alarm is issued, the rear door lock switch, the rear door handle switch, and the rear door lock knob switch are used to separate the actions depending on the door lock state. Only the warning is issued and the door is locked when the door is opened, so that an appropriate prevention effect can be obtained according to the degree of proximity to the occurrence of contact. Compared with the conventional device, only simple switches need to be added, and the accuracy of determining the possibility of contact can be improved at low cost.

In the above embodiment, the ultrasonic radar is used to detect the distance to the following vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the distance meter using laser light or radio waves is used. Alternatively, instead of transmitting a pulse signal, a continuous wave can be used as a transmission signal and the approaching speed of the following vehicle can be detected directly from the Doppler reflected wave, so that the following vehicle can contact the own vehicle. It may be determined whether there is a property. Further, the distance may be measured using a CCD camera or the like.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to the rear monitoring means, the driver's seat door open / closed state determination means and the rear seat door operation state detection means are provided, and the following vehicle approaching the host vehicle from behind is provided. Only when the driver's seat is present and the driver's door is closed, the warning is given when the passenger in the rear seat attempts to open the door. If there is no possibility of contact with the passenger, there is an effect that unnecessary alarms and door locks are not unnecessarily carried out and an occupant is not bothered.

Further, in order to detect the operation state of the rear seat door, a rear seat door lock knob operation determining means and a rear seat door handle operation determining means are provided, and the rear seat door locking knob is in the unlocking direction. When a door is operated, the alarm is issued, and when the handle of the rear door is about to be opened, the door is locked together with the alarm. Therefore, there is an advantage that appropriate contact prevention is performed according to the degree of importance of the operation result.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control flow in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Rear Monitoring Means 2 Driver Door Open / Closed State Determining Means 3 Rear Seat Door Operation State Detecting Means 3A Rear Seat Door Lock Knob Actuation Determining Means 3B Door Handle Operation Determining Means 4, 4'Determining Means 5 Alarm Generating Means 6 Rear Seat Doors Locking means 11 Drive signal generator 12 Driver 13 Ultrasonic wave transmitter 14 Ultrasonic wave receiver 15 Amplifier 16 Band filter 17 Detection circuit 18 Comparator 20 Ultrasonic radar 21 Driver's door switch 22 Rear door lock switch 23 Rear door Handle switch 24 Rear door lock knob switch 25 CPU 26 Alarm 27 Rear door lock device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A first distance is detected when the distance between the own vehicle and the following vehicle and the relative speed between the own vehicle and the following vehicle are detected, and the distance and the relative speed exceed respective predetermined values. A rear monitoring means that outputs a signal, a driver door open / closed state determination means that outputs a second signal when it is detected that the driver's door is closed, and a rear door operation is detected A rear seat door operation state detecting means for outputting a third signal, a judging means for outputting a command signal when the first, second and third signals are input, and an alarm based on the command signal. A rear monitoring device for a vehicle, comprising: an alarm generating means for issuing the alarm. 2. When the distance between the own vehicle and the following vehicle and the relative speed between the own vehicle and the following vehicle are detected, and the distance and the relative speed exceed respective predetermined values, the first A rear monitoring means that outputs a signal, a driver door open / closed state determination means that outputs a second signal when it is detected that the driver's door is closed, and a rear door operation is detected A rear seat door operation state detecting means for outputting a third signal, a judging means for outputting a command signal when the first, second and third signals are input, and a rear seat based on the command signal A rear monitoring device for a vehicle, comprising: a rear seat door locking means for locking a door. 3. A distance between the own vehicle and the following vehicle and a relative speed between the own vehicle and the following vehicle are detected, and when the distance and the relative speed exceed respective predetermined values, the first A rear monitoring means that outputs a signal, a driver door open / closed state determination means that outputs a second signal when it is detected that the driver door is closed, and a lock knob of the rear door is operated in the unlocking direction. And a rear seat door handle knob operation determining means for outputting a fourth signal when operated, a rear seat door handle operation determining means for outputting a fifth signal when the handle of the rear seat door is opened, and Determination of outputting a first command signal when the first, second and fourth signals are input and outputting a second command signal when the first, second and fifth signals are input Means and a warning based on the first or second command signal. A rear monitoring device for a vehicle, comprising: an alarm generating means for issuing a report and a rear seat door locking means for locking the rear seat door based on the second command signal.