Patent ID: 8212656

Claim:
A vehicle presence notification apparatus for reporting a presence of a vehicle to an outside of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic signal generation section that outputs an ultrasonic signal; a modulation section that uses the ultrasonic signal as a carrier wave and modulates the ultrasonic signal depending on an audible sound; a notice sound-use ultrasonic transducer device that generates a notice sound by emitting an ultrasonic wave in mid air based on the ultrasonic signal modulated by the modulation section; and a velocity sensor-use ultrasonic transducer device that functions as a vehicle velocity sensor by transmitting an ultrasonic wave to a road surface based on the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic generation section or the ultrasonic signal modulated by the modulation section, the velocity sensor-use ultrasonic transducer device being further configured to include at least a first ultrasonic transducer and a second ultrasonic transducer, both of which transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave, wherein: an arrangement position of the first ultrasonic transducer is anterior to an arrangement position of the second ultrasonic transducer in a forward-and-rearward direction of the vehicle; an ultrasonic wave transmitted towards downward of the vehicle by the first ultrasonic transducer is reflected on a road surface, and the reflected ultrasonic wave is received by the second ultrasonic transducer; an ultrasonic wave transmitted towards downward of the vehicle by the second ultrasonic transducer is reflected on a road surface, and the reflected ultrasonic wave is received by the first ultrasonic transducer; and a vehicle velocity of the vehicle is measured based on a first duration and a second duration, the first duration being defined as a duration from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted by the first ultrasonic transducer to when the ultrasonic wave, which is transmitted by the first ultrasonic transducer and then reflected on a road surface, is received by the second ultrasonic transducer, the second duration being defined as a duration from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted by the second ultrasonic transducer to when the ultrasonic wave, which is transmitted by the second ultrasonic transducer and then reflected on a road surface, is received by the first ultrasonic transducer.