Mazda Motor Corporation

Tadayuki Niibe

Naoki Yamada

Tohru Yoshioka

Hiroki Uemura

Ayumu Doi

Tomohiko Adachi

Yasunori Yamamoto

Ken-ichi Okuda

Tetsuro Butsuen

Yoko Hoshino

Yusaku Takeda

Satoshi Morioka

Kazuhiro Takemura

Naotsugu Masuda

Kenichi Okuda

Yoshihisa Okamoto

A driving assistance device () includes: a somatic nervous system activity detector () detecting a somatic nervous system activity, which is a physical activity, of a driver in association with steering of a vehicle; an autonomic nervous system activity detector () detecting an autonomic nervous system activity, which is a mental activity, of the driver in association with the steering of the vehicle; a somatic nervous system activity controller (perception amount controller ()) which is operable to control the somatic nervous system activity; an autonomic nervous system activity controller (sound effect generator ()) which is operable to control the autonomic nervous system activity; and a psychosomatic state controller (balance controller ()). The psychosomatic state controller causes the somatic nervous system activity controller and the autonomic nervous system activity controller to operate such that the two activities shift to the same side with respect to increase and decrease.

Driving assistance device

A vehicle sound effect generation apparatus includes a running state detecting unit that detects a running state of a vehicle; a lateral input amount setting unit that sets, based on the running state detected by the running state detecting unit, a lateral input amount in which a physical amount relating to at least one of a movement of the vehicle in a width direction and a movement of the vehicle in a turning direction is a parameter; an adjustment wave sound selector that selects one or more integer-order adjustment wave sounds having an integer-order frequency component, based on the lateral input amount; and a sound effect generation unit that synthesizes a fundamental wave sound having a fundamental frequency component with the one or more integer-order adjustment wave sounds selected.

Sound effect generation device for vehicles

A vehicle control apparatus includes: a plurality of operation devices, a plurality of reaction applying devices, a plurality of driving devices, and control device. The control device is capable of controlling the plurality of reaction applying devices and the plurality of driving devices. When the occupant operates preceding operation devices and subsequently operates subsequent operation devices different from the preceding operation devices, the control device causes a reactive perception quantity that is perceived by the occupant when the occupant starts operating the subsequent operation devices to substantially match a reactive perception quantity that is perceived by the occupant when the occupant finishes operating the preceding operation devices.

Vehicle control apparatus capable of giving continuity to reactive perception quantities of cooperative operation perceived by occupant

A vehicle sound effect generation apparatus generates a sound effect of an engine based on a vibration sound database including a fundamental wave sound having a fundamental frequency component and a plurality of adjustment wave sounds having a frequency component other than the fundamental frequency component. The vehicle sound effect generation apparatus includes a running state detecting unit that detects a running state of a vehicle, a sound effect generation unit that synthesizes the fundamental wave sound with the adjustment wave sounds based on the running state of the vehicle, and a visual guidance direction setting unit that sets a visual guidance direction at which a vehicle occupant shoots a look. The sound effect generation unit causes output characteristics of a sound effect in the visual guidance direction to increase more than output characteristics of a sound effect in a direction other than the visual guidance direction.

A vehicle control apparatus includes: a plurality of operation devices receive operations from an occupant; a plurality of driving devices operate a vehicle with operation quantities applied to the plurality of operation devices; and a control device controls the plurality of driving devices. The control device includes: first and second operating characteristics; and correction device. When the occupant operates the second operation devices during execution of operation of the first operation devices, the correction device corrects the second operating characteristics such that the second operation force at the second response start point is equivalent to the first operation force of the first operation devices obtained when the operation of the second operation devices is started.

Vehicle control apparatus for controlling continuous cooperative operation of plurality of operation devices

A vehicle sound effect generation apparatus generates a sound effect of an engine based on a vibration sound database including a fundamental wave sound having a fundamental frequency component and a plurality of adjustment wave sounds having a frequency component other than the fundamental frequency component. The vehicle sound effect generation apparatus includes a running state detecting unit that detects a running state of a vehicle, a risk degree determining unit that is capable of determining a risk degree of the vehicle based on the running state detected by the running state detecting unit, and a sound effect generation unit that, when the risk degree determining unit determines a risk degree which is a predetermined value or more, synthesizes the fundamental wave sound with one or more discordant adjustment wave sounds having a discordant frequency component other than an integer-order frequency component and a half-order frequency component.

A vehicle sound effect generation apparatus includes a running state detecting unit that detects a running state of a vehicle; a lateral input amount setting unit that sets, based on the running state detected by the running state detecting unit, a lateral input amount in which a physical amount relating to at least one of a movement of the vehicle in a width direction and a movement of the vehicle in a turning direction is a parameter; an adjustment wave sound selector that selects one or more half-order adjustment wave sounds having a half-order frequency component, based on the lateral input amount; and a sound effect generation unit that synthesizes a fundamental wave sound having a fundamental frequency component with the one or more half-order adjustment wave sounds selected.

A vehicle sound effect generation apparatus includes a running state detecting unit that detects a running state of a vehicle, an adjustment wave sound selector that selects one or more adjustment wave sounds having a half-order frequency component or an integer-order frequency component, a sound effect generation unit that synthesizes a fundamental wave sound having a fundamental frequency component with the one or more adjustment wave sounds selected by the adjustment wave sound selector, and an inhibition condition determining unit that can determine a condition that correspondence between an amount of an operation performed by a vehicle occupant and a behavior of the vehicle is inhibited. When the inhibition condition determining unit determines the condition that the correspondence between the amount of the operation and the behavior of the vehicle is inhibited, the adjustment wave sound selector reduces the output characteristics of the adjustment wave sounds selected.

Vehicle sound effect generation apparatus

When information of an obstacle is not outputted from a radar device, a presumption device presumes at least a present value of a distance between a vehicle and the obstacle based on information in a memory part obtained until the time, and a contact-possibility judgment device judges a possibility of contact of the vehicle with the obstacle based on the information from the presumption device. A detection device is provided for detecting conditions at the time when the information of the obstacle is not outputted from the radar device, for example, a relation of relative position of the obstacle to the vehicle. Further, a restriction device is provided for restricting the presumption by the presumption device according to the relation of relative position. Thus, a possibility of contact of the vehicle with the obstacle running forward of the vehicle is appropriately judged and mis-operations of an alarm, an automatic braking and the like are prevented, while ensuring running safety.

Vehicle run safety apparatus

An obstacle detection system for an automotive vehicle detects obstacles ahead of the vehicle and finds the dynamic relativity between the vehicle and each of the obstacles. Based on the dynamic relativity, information relating to a danger level between the vehicle and each obstacle is operated on so as to make a danger judgement. A frequency, at which the operations on the information relating to danger level are made, is increasingly or decreasingly varied according to the danger levels of the obstacles.

Obstacle detection system for automotive vehicle

The vehicle is provided with a radar unit for detecting an obstacle existing ahead in the course of the running way along which the vehicle is running. When the radar unit detects a variation in its detectable region, such as a detectable distance or a detectable area range in left and right directions, from the detectable region to be detectable during ordinary running, a safety unit such as an alarm unit or an automatic brake unit is operated. A control logic for operating a collision-avoiding system for avoiding a collision with the obstacle existing ahead, such as an alarm unit or an automatic brake unit, is altered to a safe side on which safety in driving the vehicle is improved, when the detectable region is varied.

Running-safety system for an automotive vehicle

A method to determine a horizontal error of a radar device mounted on a vehicle along with the mounting error or imbalance in the diameters of wheels based on an echo signal from a reflector provided on a road. A vehicle's traveling locus is stored in advance as a reference locus obtained from the distance L between the vehicle and reflector and the direction .theta..sub.R. A traveling locus when the vehicle is actually traveling in a straight line where the steering handle is kept in a neutral position is compared with the previously stored reference locus. A horizontal error is obtained from the traveling locus on the coordinate axis .theta..sub.R and the shift from the reference locus.

Detection and calibration of horizontal error in a scanning type radar

An obstacle detection apparatus for a motor vehicle detects another vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle as an obstacle. The apparatus has a first unit, providing a course on which the vehicle is supposed to travel, a second unit, providing a reserve course located outside of the course, an obstacle detector detecting the other vehicle traveling in the course or the reserve course as an obstacle, and an obstacle detection continuation unit continuously detecting the other vehicle until a predetermined condition has been satisfied when the other vehicle moves from the course to the reserve course.

Obstacle detection system for motor vehicle

An obstacle sensing apparatus for vehicles is provided in which detection of obstacles is performed efficiently by predicting the traveling path of the vehicle appropriately when detection of obstacles by a radar unit is limited to a region along the traveling path. The apparatus is provided with a radar unit for transmitting radar waves ahead of the vehicle and sensing obstacles present ahead of the vehicle, a steering angle sensor for sensing the steering angle of the vehicle, and a yaw rate sensor for sensing the yaw rate produced by the vehicle. First traveling-path predicting device predicts a traveling path of the vehicle based upon the steering angle, and second traveling-path predicting device predicts a traveling path of the vehicle based upon the yaw rate. One of these traveling paths is selected in dependence upon the operating state of the vehicle and detection of articles by the radar unit is carried out within a limited region along the traveling path selected.

Obstacle sensing apparatus for vehicles

An automatic braking system for a motor vehicle includes a sensor for detecting a distance and a relative speed between the vehicle and an obstacle in front of the vehicle. A judging device for judging an alarm sounding region and a region in which the vehicle has a possibility of contact with the obstacle, based on the detected distance and the relative speed and an automatic brake for automatically braking respective wheels when the judging device judges the region in which the vehicle has a possibility of the contact with the obstacle are provided. The automatic brake incudes a vacuum type booster which has a first chamber to which negative pressure is introduced and a second chamber to which atmospheric pressure is introduced. The first chamber is connected to the down stream portion, from a throttle valve, in an intake path of an engine. The booster uses a pressure difference between the negative pressure and the atmospheric pressure. A device for increasing the negative pressure in the first chamber of the automatic brake prior to the operation of the automatic brake is also provided.

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Yawatahama, Japan

Tadayuki Niibe