# US 10,311,734 B2 · Operation control apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,311,734 B2 - Document ID: US10311734B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/526,178 - Filed: 2015-01-09 - Published: 2017-12-07 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2015-01-09 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Inventors: Takahisa Aoyagi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10311734B2 ## CPC - G08G 1/16: Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08) - B60L 3/0015: {Prevention of collisions} - B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - B60L 2240/12: Speed - B60L 2250/10: by alarm - B60L 2250/16: by display - B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means} - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2554/00: Input parameters relating to objects - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT ## Abstract An operation control apparatus mounted in a vehicle includes a dangerous region determination section which sets a dangerous region in a vehicle travel direction from the vehicle in accordance with the travel speed of the vehicle, and when an obstacle is detected in the dangerous region, determines that it is dangerous to operate an in-car electrical component equipped in the vehicle; an operation detection section which detects that an operation of the in-car electrical component is done; and a dangerous operation recognition section which, when it is determined in the dangerous region determination section that an operation of the in-car electrical component is dangerous, and it is detected in the operation detection section that an operation of the in-car electrical component is done, recognizes a dangerous operation and outputs a signal for issuing an alarm. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An operation control apparatus, characterized by comprising: a dangerous region determination section which, when an obstacle is detected in a dangerous region which is set in a vehicle travel direction from a vehicle in accordance with the travel speed of the vehicle, determines that it is dangerous for a driver of the vehicle to operate an in-car electrical component equipped in the vehicle, and controls a display to display a visual indication that it is dangerous for the driver to operate the in-car electrical component; and a driver action detection section which detects an action of the driver attempting to operate the in-car electrical component; and a dangerous operation recognition section which: in response to the driver action detection section detecting that there is the action of the driver attempting to operate the in-car electrical component while the visual indication that it is dangerous for the driver to operate the in-car electrical component is displayed, controls a speaker to output an audio indication that the attempted operation of the in-car electrical component is prohibited, and outputs, to the in-ear electrical component, a signal for cancelling the attempted operation of the in-car electrical component; and while the visual indication that it is dangerous for the driver to operate the in-car electrical component is displayed, and it is determined that there is an action wherein a fellow passenger other than the driver attempts to operate the in-car electrical component, does not control the speaker to output the audio indication that the attempted operation of the in-car electrical component is prohibited. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The operation control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an obstacle detection section which, upon receiving a sensing result output from a sensing device which detects a situation around the vehicle, calculates the type of the obstacle and the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The operation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dangerous region determination section, upon receiving an output signal from a vehicle signal detection device which detects a travel condition of the vehicle, sets the dangerous region in the vehicle travel direction from the vehicle, and the dangerous region is set so as to be wide when the travel speed of the vehicle is high and narrow when the travel speed is low. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The operation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dangerous region set in the vehicle travel direction from the vehicle is set so as to correspond to the distance needed for the vehicle to stop. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The operation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dangerous region determination section determines a degree of danger in accordance with the positional relationship between the vehicle and the obstacle, and changes the expression of the visual indication displayed by the display or the audio indication output by the speaker. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The operation control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the speaker is mounted in the vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The operation control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the device is mounted in the vehicle.