JP2005096550A - Head lamp control device and head lamp control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cope with enactments regarding brightness of a head lamp at an applied area without changing respective parts of the head lamp. <P>SOLUTION: The device is constituted such that the brightness of the head lamp 2 of the vehicle lighting-controlled is detected by a detection means, the brightness is varied by a brightness varying means of the head lamp 2 such that the brightness of the head lamp 2 becomes in a range PL of set brightness previously set and it also becomes within a range of brightness at intermediate lighting. The brightness is detected by a damage diagnosis device of an electric system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a headlamp control device and a headlamp control method for controlling lighting of a headlamp of a vehicle.

  In automobile vehicles, since the laws and regulations differ depending on the destination in Japan, North America, Europe, etc., it is common to change the parts for each destination in order to conform to the regulations of the destination after the vehicle is manufactured. Laws concerning lighting conditions of vehicle headlamps are also different for each country.

Here, as a regulation regarding the lighting state of the headlamp of the vehicle, there is known one that obligates the lighting of the headlamp even in the daytime in order to improve traffic safety. A vehicle exported to a country where this regulation exists is equipped with a forced lighting device that forcibly turns on the headlamp at daytime (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Since the brightness of the headlamps to be lit varies depending on the laws and regulations of each country, parts such as bulbs and harnesses of the headlamps are selected so that the brightness conforms to the regulations, and the vehicle is manufactured. doing.
JP 2001-347880 A

  However, when changing parts such as valves and harnesses for each destination as described above, there is a problem that the parts cannot be shared and the manufacturing cost increases. Furthermore, the brightness of the actual headlamps also varies due to errors in these components. That is, it is necessary to reduce the error of each component in order to ensure that the luminance is within the range stipulated by laws and regulations, and this also increases the manufacturing cost. Further, in the production line, a plurality of types of components are mixed depending on the destination, so that the component management is troublesome and there is a possibility that a mistake in attaching different components may occur.

  Here, by changing parts for each destination without changing the parts such as bulbs and harnesses of the headlamp, and adjusting the brightness according to the destination after the vehicle is assembled at the factory, There are also ways to deal with the laws of each country. However, the luminance adjustment using a valve, a harness, or the like cannot greatly change the luminance, and therefore cannot cope with the case where the luminance varies greatly depending on the destination.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make a headlamp capable of complying with the laws and regulations relating to the brightness of the headlamp at the destination without changing each component of the headlamp. A control device and a headlamp control method are provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the headlamp control device, the brightness detection means for detecting the brightness of the headlamp of the vehicle to be turned on, and the brightness detected by the brightness detection means. And a luminance changing means for changing the luminance of the headlamp so that the luminance of the headlamp falls within a preset luminance range set in advance.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the brightness of the headlamp detected by the brightness detecting means is not within the set brightness range when the headlamp is controlled to be turned on, the brightness changing means keeps the brightness within the set brightness range. The headlamp is controlled so that That is, the brightness of the headlamp is automatically controlled to comply with the regulations by adjusting the set luminance range to the regulations and the like regarding the headlamps at the destination of the vehicle.

  Accordingly, it is possible to comply with the laws and regulations relating to the luminance of the headlamp at the destination without changing each component of the headlamp for each destination when the vehicle is manufactured. As a result, the headlamp components can be shared regardless of the destination, and the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced. In addition, in the production line, the type of each component can be reduced to one as a general rule, which makes it extremely easy to manage components, and causes a mistake in attaching different types of components, such as when multiple types of components are mixed. There is no fear.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the headlamp control device according to the first aspect, forcibly lighting means for forcibly controlling the lighting of the headlamp at daytime is provided, and the luminance changing means is the forced lighting means. When the headlamp is controlled to be turned on, the luminance of the headlamp is changed so as to be within a set luminance range.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, when the headlamp is forcibly turned on in the daytime, the headlamp is controlled to be within the set luminance range. That is, for traffic safety, when the headlamp is forcibly turned on in the daytime, it can be surely adapted to the laws and regulations, which is extremely advantageous in practical use.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the headlamp control device according to the first or second aspect, the headlamp has a valve that is energized and the brightness detecting means is based on an operating state of the bulb. It is characterized by detecting luminance. Here, the “bulb” is a concept including an LED bulb.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the function of the first or second aspect, the luminance of the headlamp is detected based on the operation state of the bulb. It is constituted by a sensor or the like that detects an amount, a current value, or the like. That is, when actually measuring the luminance of the headlamp, it is necessary to use a device for detecting luminance outside the vehicle. However, for example, a simple configuration in which a sensor or the like is provided around the bulb can be used. A sensor or the like that constitutes a means can be mounted.

  Therefore, the luminance detection means can be mounted on the vehicle so that the luminance can be automatically adjusted while the vehicle is running, and the luminance of the headlamp is always adjusted as long as the vehicle is used.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the headlamp control method, the luminance of the headlamp is preset based on the luminance detection step of detecting the luminance of the headlamp of the vehicle and the luminance detected by the luminance detection step. And a luminance changing step for changing the luminance of the headlamp so as to be within the set luminance range.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the lighting of the headlamp is controlled, if the luminance of the headlamp detected in the luminance detection step is not within the set luminance range, the luminance change step determines that the luminance is within the set luminance range. The headlamp is controlled so that That is, the brightness of the headlamp is automatically controlled to comply with the regulations by adjusting the set luminance range to the regulations and the like regarding the headlamps at the destination of the vehicle.

  Accordingly, it is possible to comply with the laws and regulations relating to the luminance of the headlamp at the destination without changing each component of the headlamp for each destination when the vehicle is manufactured. As a result, the headlamp components can be shared regardless of the destination, and the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced. In addition, in the production line, the type of each component can be reduced to one as a general rule, which makes it extremely easy to manage components, and causes a mistake in attaching different types of components, such as when multiple types of components are mixed. There is no fear.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the headlamp control method according to the fourth aspect, in the luminance detection step, the luminance of the headlamp is detected by a failure diagnosis device for a vehicle electrical system. Features.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the action of the fourth aspect, the brightness of the headlamp of the vehicle immediately after assembly is detected by using, for example, a fault diagnosis device for an electrical system provided in a manufacturing factory or the like. Can be adjusted. As a result, there is no need to provide a separate device or the like for headlamp brightness detection, and since the vehicle is shipped from the factory with the brightness adjusted, there is no need to adjust the brightness at the shipping destination. This is extremely advantageous.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to comply with the laws and regulations relating to the brightness of the headlamp at the destination without changing each component of the headlamp.

  1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a front external view of an automobile, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a headlamp and a headlamp control device, and FIG. 3 is a headlamp control method. It is process explanatory drawing of.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right headlamps 2 are provided at the front portion of the automobile vehicle 1. Each headlamp 2 includes a high beam lamp chamber 3, a low beam lamp chamber 4, a turn signal lamp chamber 5, and a clearance lamp chamber 6. The lamp chambers 3, 4, 5, 6 are provided with valves 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, respectively. When the valves 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a are energized and controlled, the lamp chambers 3, 4, 5, 6 are provided. 6 emits light.

  The high beam lamp chamber 3 and the low beam lamp chamber 4 illuminate the front of the vehicle at night, and play a role of calling attention to the front by lighting in the daytime. In the present embodiment, each headlamp 2 is forcibly controlled to be lit by the headlamp control device 100 at daytime.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the low beam lamp chamber 4 is provided with an illuminance sensor 4 b as a luminance detecting means for detecting the luminance of the headlamp 2. The illuminance sensor 4b detects the light quantity of the bulb 4a as the operating state of the bulb 4a. The illuminance sensor 4 b is connected to the headlamp control device 100 and transmits information related to the light amount to the headlamp control device 100.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the headlamp control device 100 includes a calculation unit 101 made up of, for example, a CPU and a storage unit 102 made up of, for example, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The headlamp control device 100 is connected to a vehicle ECU 200 that outputs a signal related to an operation state of a light operation unit or the like in the vehicle interior.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 102 has a normal control program 110 for controlling energization of the bulbs 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a of the lamp chambers 3, 4, 5, 6 based on this signal or the like. Remembered. That is, when the driver operates the light operation unit or the like according to the normal control program 110, the lamp chambers 3, 4, 5, 6 are turned on or blinking according to the driver's will.

  The storage unit 102 stores a forced lighting program 111 for forcibly causing the low beam lamp chamber 4 of the headlamp 2 to emit light during the daytime for reasons of traffic safety. That is, in the present embodiment, the calculation unit 101 and the storage unit 102 form a forced lighting unit. The storage unit 102 stores a luminance change program 112 that changes the luminance of each headlamp 2 based on the luminance detected by the illuminance sensor 4b. That is, in the present embodiment, the calculation unit 101 and the storage unit 102 constitute a luminance changing unit. The luminance change program 112 is a program for changing the luminance of the headlamp 2 so that the set luminance range PL stored in advance in the storage unit 102 is set. This set luminance range PL is set so as to conform to the laws and regulations at the destination of the automobile vehicle 1.

  In the present embodiment, the headlamp control device 100 changes the light amount of the bulb 4a by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control. That is, the luminance of the headlamp 2 can be controlled to be within the set luminance range PL by changing the light amount of the bulb 4a by changing the duty ratio between 0% and 100%.

  A headlamp control method by the headlamp control apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to a process explanatory diagram shown in FIG.

  When the engine of the automobile vehicle 1 is started at daytime, the headlamp control device 100 forcibly controls the low beam lamp chamber 4 of the headlamp 2 (forced lighting process P1). When the lighting of the headlamp 2 is controlled, the luminance of the headlamp 2 is detected by the illuminance sensor 4b (luminance detection step P2). In the present embodiment, as described above, the luminance of the headlamp 2 is detected by detecting the light quantity of the bulb 4a by the illuminance sensor 4b.

  When the brightness of the headlamp 2 is detected in the brightness detection process P2, if this brightness is not within the set brightness range PL, the duty ratio in the PWM control of the bulb 4a is changed to set the brightness of the headlamp 2. The headlamp 2 is controlled so as to be within the luminance range PL (luminance changing step P3). In the present embodiment, since the set luminance range PL conforms to the laws and regulations related to the headlamp 2 at the destination of the automobile vehicle 1, the brightness of the headlamp 2 is automatically controlled to conform to the regulations. Here, if the headlamp 2 is controlled so as to approach the target luminance, variation in the luminance of the headlamp 2 for each vehicle can be reduced.

  As described above, in the headlamp control method of the headlamp control device 100 according to the present embodiment, the brightness of the headlamp 2 is automatically adjusted, so that each component of the headlamp 2 is changed for each destination when the vehicle is manufactured. Therefore, it is possible to comply with the laws and regulations relating to the brightness of the headlamp 2 at the destination. Thereby, the components of the headlamp 2 can be shared regardless of the destination, and the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced. In addition, in the production line, the type of each component can be reduced to one as a general rule, which makes it extremely easy to manage components, and causes a mistake in attaching different types of components, such as when multiple types of components are mixed. There is no fear.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the headlamp 2 is forcibly turned on in the daytime, the headlamp 2 is controlled to be within the set luminance range PL. That is, when the headlamp 2 is forcibly turned on in the daytime, it can surely conform to the regulations, which is extremely advantageous in practical use.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the luminance detecting means is configured by the illuminance sensor 4b that detects the light amount indicating the operation state of the valve 4a. Here, when the luminance of the headlamp 2 is actually measured, it is necessary to use a luminance detection device or the like outside the vehicle. According to this embodiment, the illuminance sensor 4b is easily provided around the bulb 4b. Therefore, the brightness detection means can be mounted on the automobile vehicle 1.

  Therefore, the brightness detection means can be mounted on the automobile vehicle 1 so that the brightness can be automatically adjusted while the vehicle is traveling, and the brightness of the headlamp 2 is always adjusted as long as the automobile vehicle 1 is used. It becomes.

  In the embodiment described above, the forced lighting program 111 for forcibly lighting the headlamp 2 at daytime is stored in the storage unit 102. However, this program 111 is not stored and the head The lighting of the lamp 2 may be based solely on the operation state of the light operation unit.

  In the above embodiment, the illuminance sensor 4b that detects the light quantity of the bulb 4a of the headlamp 2 detects the luminance based on the operating state of the bulb 4a. However, for example, heat is generated near the bulb 4b. A sensor for detecting the amount or a sensor for detecting the current value of the valve 4a may be provided to detect the operation state of the valve 4a. Furthermore, the luminance of the headlamp 2 may be directly detected regardless of the operating state of the bulb 4a, and other specific details such as the detailed structure can be changed as appropriate. is there.

  FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a headlamp and a headlamp control device.

As shown in FIG. 4, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the illuminance sensor 4b is not provided, the failure diagnosis device 300 is connected to the headlamp control device 100, and the like. Yes.
Here, the failure diagnosis apparatus 300 is provided in a manufacturing factory or the like, and is used for inspection of an electric system of the automobile vehicle 1 that has been assembled. That is, all the automobile vehicles 1 shipped from the factory are connected to the failure diagnosis apparatus 300.

  In the headlamp control method of this embodiment, the luminance of the headlamp 2 is adjusted in the same process as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the failure diagnosis device 300 forcibly controls lighting of the low beam lamp chamber 4 of the headlamp 2 (forced lighting process P1). Thereafter, the failure diagnosis device 300 detects the luminance of the headlamp 2 (luminance detection step P2). Then, similarly to the first embodiment, the headlamp control device 100 changes the duty ratio in the PWM control of the bulb 4a to control the headlamp 2 so that the luminance of the headlamp 2 is within the set luminance range PL. (Luminance changing step P3). In this way, with the brightness of the headlamp 2 adjusted, the failure diagnosis apparatus 300 is removed and the automobile vehicle 1 is shipped.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the brightness of the headlamp 2 of the automobile vehicle 1 immediately after assembly can be detected and adjusted using the electrical system failure diagnosis apparatus 300 provided in the factory. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a separate device or the like for detecting the brightness of the headlamp 2, and since the vehicle is shipped from the factory with the brightness adjusted, it is not necessary to perform brightness adjustment or the like at the shipping destination. This is extremely advantageous in practical use.

  In the second embodiment, the device for detecting the brightness of the headlamp 2 using the failure diagnosis device 300 provided in the vehicle manufacturing factory is shown. However, the failure diagnosis installed in a store or a maintenance shop is shown. The brightness of the headlamp 2 may be detected by an apparatus. In this case, it is possible to cope with a change in luminance of the headlamp 2 after the use of the automobile vehicle 1 is started.

1 is a front external view of an automobile vehicle showing a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of a headlamp and a headlamp control apparatus. It is process explanatory drawing of a headlamp control method. It is a block diagram of a headlamp and a headlamp control apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automobile vehicle 2 Headlamp 4 Low beam lamp chamber 4a Bulb 4b Illuminance sensor 100 Headlamp control device 101 Arithmetic unit 102 Storage unit 111 Forced lighting program 112 Luminance change program 300 Fault diagnosis device PL Setting luminance range P1 Forced lighting process P2 Luminance detection process P3 Brightness change process

Claims (5)

Brightness detection means for detecting the brightness of the headlamp of the vehicle to be lit,
Luminance changing means for changing the luminance of the headlamp based on the luminance detected by the luminance detecting means so that the luminance of the headlamp falls within a preset luminance range set in advance. A headlamp control device. Forcibly lighting means for forcibly lighting the headlamp at daytime,
2. The head according to claim 1, wherein the luminance changing unit changes the luminance of the headlamp so that the luminance is within a set luminance range when the lighting of the headlamp is controlled by the forced lighting unit. Lamp control device. The headlamp has a bulb that is energized and controlled.
The headlamp control device according to claim 1, wherein the luminance detection unit detects luminance based on an operating state of the bulb. A brightness detection step for detecting the brightness of the headlamp of the vehicle;
A luminance changing step of changing the luminance of the headlamp so that the luminance of the headlamp falls within a preset luminance range set based on the luminance detected by the luminance detection step. A characteristic headlamp control method.   5. The headlamp control method according to claim 4, wherein in the brightness detection step, the brightness of the headlamp is detected by a failure diagnosis device for an electrical system of a vehicle.

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