Patent ID: 7933690
Filing Date: 2011-04-26
Classification: B60Q,B62J

Abstract:
1. A vehicle recognition allowing device operating in an environment to recognize the presence or the non-presence of a vehicle, the vehicle recognition allowing device comprising: a plurality of infrared ray markers; a detecting routine which detects traveling states of the vehicle; and a drive circuit which allows the infrared ray markers to emit light in response to at least one detection result of the detecting routine, wherein the plurality of infrared ray markers comprises three infrared ray markers arranged in a distributed manner at respective apex positions of an imaginary triangle as viewed from a front view of the vehicle, one of the three infrared ray markers being a marker for the righthand side of the vehicle, and one of the three infrared ray markers being a marker for the lefthand side of the vehicle, the drive circuit is configured to control the three infrared ray markers, such that (1) the three infrared ray markers during a traveling state of the vehicle emit light in a pattern that corresponds to the apex positions of the imaginary triangle formed by the arrangement of the three infrared ray markers, and (2) the three infrared ray markers emit light when the traveling state of the vehicle has changed, the traveling state is expressed by control of the drive circuit to change a light emitting pattern of one of the markers of the righthand side and the lefthand side of the vehicle relative to a light emitting pattern of the other marker of the righthand side and the lefthand side of the vehicle, the drive circuit changes at least one of a flickering cycle, a flickering phase, and a flickering duty ratio of the marker for the righthand side of the vehicle relative to the marker for the lefthand side of the vehicle in response to the at least one detecting result of the detecting routine, and the vehicle is a motorcycle that has a front cowl mounted on a front portion of the motorcycle, and the infrared ray marker for the lefthand side of the vehicle and the infrared ray marker for the righthand side of the vehicle are respectively arranged on a back surface of left and right side mirrors directed in a frontward direction of the motorcycle; and one of the infrared ray markers being a third infrared ray marker that is arranged at a position below the front cowl.