# US 11,440,472 B2 · Notification device

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- Number: US 11,440,472 B2
- Document ID: US11440472B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/038,390
- Filed: 2020-09-30
- Published: 2021-02-11
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-27
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Junichi Morimura; Tomoyuki Kuriyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440472B2

## CPC

- B60Q 5/006: {indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians}
- B60Q 1/18: being additional front lights {(bracket mounted headlights B60Q1/0483)}
- B60Q 1/525: {automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data}
- B60W 40/10: related to vehicle motion
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- 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

A notification device includes: a notification-sound output portion provided in a vehicle and configured to output a notification sound toward the outside of the vehicle; a notification display portion provided in the vehicle and configured to output a notification display toward the outside of the vehicle; a notification controlling portion configured to control the notification sound of the notification-sound output portion and the notification display of the notification display portion; and a stop-state determination portion configured to determine whether the vehicle during the automatic driving enters a stop state or not. When the stop-state determination portion determines that the vehicle during the automatic driving enters the stop state, the notification controlling portion outputs a stop-time notification sound as the notification sound by the notification-sound output portion and outputs a stop-time notification display as the notification display by the notification display portion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
determining whether a vehicle enters a stop state during automatic driving; and
in response to determining that the vehicle enters the stop state during automatic driving, outputting a stop-state notification sound and a stop-state notification display toward an outside of the vehicle, the stop-state notification sound being an intermittent sound.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
changing the stop-state notification sound in volume or frequency as time elapses; and
changing the stop-state notification display in luminance or chromaticity as time elapses,
wherein the change of the stop-state notification sound corresponds to the change of the stop-state notification display.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein:
the stop-state notification display is a flashing display; and
a sound-production timing of the stop-state notification sound as the intermittent sound corresponds to a lighting timing of the stop-state notification display as the flashing display.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
determining whether the vehicle is in a deceleration state during the automatic driving; and
in response to determining that the vehicle is in the deceleration state during the automatic driving, outputting a deceleration-time notification sound toward the outside of the vehicle.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the stop state is detected in response to a speed of the vehicle being below a predetermined stop threshold.