JP2015071386A - Vehicular lighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular lighting device capable of improving the visibility of a footing area at the time of getting on and off a vehicle, and saving the electric power.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting device for lighting a footing area of a rider outside of a vehicle 300, comprises: lighting means 2 disposed in a pair of side mirrors 100 owned by the vehicle for lighting the footing area of a passenger by a predetermined light source 3 (or an LED 4) and an optical system 5; illuminance detection means 6 for detecting the illuminance outside of the vehicle; and control means 7 for controlling the lighting of the lighting means in the case where the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means is lower than a predetermined threshold value.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular illumination device, and more particularly to a vehicular illumination device that improves the visibility of a foot when getting on and off.

  Conventionally, a lamp is installed near the door to illuminate the road surface, and the driver keeps the lamp lit until the driver or other passenger gets on or off the vehicle to illuminate the road surface. There is known an illumination device for a vehicle in which the lamp is turned off.

  Various techniques related to a vehicle lighting device have been proposed.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, when a user with a key approaches a vehicle, a headlamp or the like is turned on. When the door opening / closing detection means detects that the door is opened, the door lamp is turned on, and then the inner lamp is turned on. When the sill irradiating part is turned on and the door opening / closing detecting means detects that the door is opened, the inner sill irradiating part is turned on, and then the door lamp is turned on and the door opening / closing detecting means is closed. A technique for lighting a headlamp or the like upon detection is disclosed.

JP 2011-105163 A

  However, in the conventional vehicle lighting device, the lighting at the feet is insufficient when the user gets on or off the vehicle at night.

  In particular, the door lamp is arranged on the indoor surface side of the door, and the door lamp lights up when the door is opened, but the door lamp alone cannot sufficiently illuminate the feet of the driver and passenger when getting on and off the vehicle, There was a problem that the visibility of the feet was not good.

  Moreover, although the structure which provided the illuminating device in the outside handle | steering-wheel of a vehicle door is also proposed, there also existed a problem that it was difficult to illuminate a foot enough.

  In addition, both conventional door lamps and outside handle illuminators are lit regardless of the illuminance outside the vehicle, so there is a problem that they are lit even when the feet are sufficiently bright such as during the daytime and consume unnecessary power. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular illumination device that can improve the visibility of the feet when getting on and off and can save power. .

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is a vehicular illumination device that illuminates the feet of a rider outside a vehicle, provided on a pair of side mirrors provided in the vehicle, and having a predetermined light source and Illumination means for irradiating light to the feet of the passenger by an optical system, illuminance detection means for detecting illuminance outside the vehicle, and when the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means is smaller than a predetermined threshold, And a control means for controlling to light up.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lighting device according to the first aspect, the vehicle has a vehicle-side wireless device and a portable device-side wireless device, and automatically locks and unlocks the door. A smart key system, and the control means detects the illumination means when the portable device-side wireless device is detected by the smart key system and the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means is smaller than a predetermined threshold. It is characterized by controlling to light up.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lighting device according to the first or second aspect, the light source is composed of RGB light-emitting diodes, and the light source serves as a light source for a direction indicator and a hazard lamp. The light emitting diode is configured to change the duty ratio so that white light is emitted when illuminating the feet of the rider, and orange light is emitted when functioning as the direction indicator or the hazard lamp. And a light emission color control means for controlling the light emission.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the illuminating device for vehicles which can improve the visibility of the step at the time of boarding and alighting, and can aim at power saving can be provided.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of the illuminating device for vehicles which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a partial perspective view which shows the example of the vehicle carrying the vehicle illuminating device which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the side mirror which comprises the illuminating device for vehicles which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structural example of the instrument panel applied to a vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the illumination drive process performed with the vehicle illuminating device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of the illuminating device for vehicles which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the illumination drive process performed with the vehicle illuminating device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a vehicle lighting device 1A according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicular illumination device 1A according to the present embodiment is provided on a pair of side mirrors 100 provided in a vehicle, and includes a light source 3 composed of RGB light emitting diodes (LEDs) 4, a lens, a reflecting mirror, and the like. Illumination means 2 for irradiating a passenger's feet with a light beam by an optical system 5 comprising: an illuminance detection means 6 comprising an illuminance sensor for detecting illuminance outside the vehicle; and the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means 6 And a control means 7 composed of a microcomputer or the like for controlling the lighting means 2 to light up when the lighting means 2 is turned on.

  Further, the RGB LEDs 4 constituting the light source 3 are configured to serve as a light source for a direction indicator and a hazard lamp, and the white light is emitted when the duty ratio of the LED 4 is changed to illuminate the feet of the passenger. When functioning as a direction indicator or a hazard lamp, a light emission color control means 8 is provided for controlling to emit orange.

  The emission color control means 8 is connected to a hazard switch 9 for turning on a hazard lamp and a turn signal switch 10 for operating a direction indicator.

  FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing a configuration example of a vehicle 300 equipped with the vehicle lighting device 1A according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a vehicle lighting device 1 </ b> A having the function shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a pair of side mirrors 100 provided on the left and right sides in the vicinity of the door 301 of the vehicle 300.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of light sources 3 and optical systems 5 constituting the illuminating means 2 of the vehicle lighting device 1 </ b> A according to the present embodiment are arranged on the outer side portion of the casing 101 constituting the side mirror 100. (Three on the top in FIG. 3) are arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ground near the door 301 can be illuminated by the irradiation area 500 by driving the vehicle lighting device 1 </ b> A. At this time, the light beam that illuminates the irradiation area 500 is converted into white light by the control of the LED 4 by the emission color control means 8.

  In addition, by adjusting the optical system 5 including a lens, a reflecting mirror, and the like, the irradiation area 500 can be set within a range that can sufficiently illuminate the feet when the passenger gets on and off the vehicle. In addition, when the vehicle 300 is a 4-door vehicle, it can be set as the irradiation range illuminated to the ground near the rear door.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an instrument panel 200 applied to the vehicle 300.

  On the upper surface of the instrument panel 200, illuminance detection means 6 composed of an illuminance sensor is provided. As a result, the illuminance detection means 6 detects the illuminance of the light beam entering the vehicle through the front window, and when the detected illuminance is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the illumination means 2 can be controlled to be lit. it can.

  Therefore, the vehicle lighting device 1A can be driven only when the outside of the vehicle is dark enough to illuminate the feet of the passenger when getting on or off the vehicle, and power saving can be achieved.

  A hazard switch 9 is disposed on the front side of the instrument panel 200. When the hazard switch 9 is operated, the illumination means 2 of the left and right side mirrors 100 are driven simultaneously, and blinking is repeated at regular intervals. At this time, the irradiated light is changed to orange light by the control of the LED 4 by the emission color control means 8.

  A turn signal switch 10 is disposed in the vicinity of the steering on the front side of the instrument panel 200. When the turn signal switch 10 is operated, the illumination means 2 of the left or right side mirror 100 is driven according to the operated direction, and blinking is repeated at a constant interval. At this time, the irradiated light is changed to orange light by the control of the LED 4 by the emission color control means 8.

  An existing technique can be used as a control method for color adjustment by changing the duty ratio of the RGB LEDs 4.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the process procedure of the illumination drive process performed with the vehicle lighting device 1A according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, in step S10, the process proceeds from step S10 where the door is locked to step S11, and it is determined whether the door is unlocked. If “No”, the process waits, and if “Yes”, the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S <b> 12, it is determined whether or not the detected illuminance is equal to or less than a preset threshold based on the illuminance detection result by the illuminance detection means 6 configured by the illuminance sensor. If it is “No”, the illumination means 2 of the side mirror 100 is turned off in step S15, and the process is terminated, assuming that it is not yet dark enough to illuminate the feet.

  On the other hand, in the case of “Yes”, the process proceeds to step S13, where the illumination means 2 is lit with white light to perform illumination of the feet.

  In step S14, it is determined whether or not the door has been opened. If “No”, the lighting unit 2 is kept on, and if “Yes”, the process proceeds to step S15, and the lighting unit 2 is turned off. The process is terminated.

  As described above, the vehicle lighting device 1A can be controlled to be driven only when the outside of the vehicle becomes dark enough to illuminate the feet of the rider when getting on or off the vehicle. It is possible to improve the visibility of the feet and save power.

(Second Embodiment)
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the vehicular illumination apparatus 1B according to the present embodiment.

  In addition, about the structure similar to 1 A of vehicle illuminating devices which concern on 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The vehicle lighting device 1B according to the present embodiment is different from the vehicle lighting device 1A according to the first embodiment in that a smart key system 11 is provided.

  Here, the smart key system includes the vehicle-side wireless device 11a mounted on the vehicle 300 and the portable device-side wireless device 12a mounted on the smart key 12, and automatically locks and unlocks the door 301. System.

  Then, the control means 7 illuminates when the mobile device side wireless device 12a mounted on the smart key 12 is detected by the smart key system 11 and the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means 6 is smaller than a predetermined threshold. Control is performed so that the means 2 is lit.

  Thereby, it is possible to control the vehicle illumination device 1 </ b> A to be driven according to the illuminance outside the vehicle and the proximity of a passenger such as a driver carrying the smart key 12.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7, the process procedure of the illumination drive process performed with the vehicle illuminating device 1B which concerns on this Embodiment is demonstrated.

  First, in step S20, the vehicle 300 is shifted from the door-locked state to step S21, and the smart key 12 (portable device-side wireless device 12a) is not detected (for example, outdoors) by the vehicle-side wireless device 11a. Control goes to step S22.

  In step S22, the smart key 12 (portable device-side wireless device 12a) is detected by the vehicle-side wireless device 11a, and the process proceeds to step S23.

  In step S23, it is determined whether or not the smart key 12 (the portable device-side radio apparatus 12a) has approached a predetermined distance. If “No”, the process waits, and if “Yes”, the process proceeds to step S24.

  In step S <b> 24, it is determined whether or not the detected illuminance is equal to or less than a preset threshold based on the illuminance detection result by the illuminance detection means 6 configured by the illuminance sensor. If it is “No”, the illumination means 2 of the side mirror 100 is turned off in step S27, and the process ends, assuming that it is not so dark that the foot illumination is still necessary.

  On the other hand, in the case of “Yes”, the process proceeds to step S25, where the illumination means 2 is turned on with white light to perform illumination of the feet.

  In step S26, it is determined whether or not the door is opened and the smart key 12 (the portable device-side wireless device 12a) is in the vehicle. If “No”, the lighting means 2 is kept on. In the case of “Yes”, the process proceeds to step S27, the illumination unit 2 is turned off, and the process is terminated.

  Thus, when the outside of the vehicle becomes so dark that it is necessary to illuminate the feet of the rider when getting on or off the vehicle, the door is opened and the smart key 12 is in the vehicle. It can be controlled so as to be driven, and the visibility of the feet when getting on and off the vehicle can be improved, and power saving and user convenience can be improved.

  The load control device of the present invention has been described based on the illustrated embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of each unit is replaced with an arbitrary configuration having the same function. Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B ... Lighting apparatus for vehicles 2 ... Illuminating means 3 ... Light source 4 ... LED
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... Optical system 6 ... Illuminance detection means 7 ... Control means 8 ... Emission color control means 9 ... Hazard switch 10 ... Turn signal switch 11 ... Smart key system 11a ... Vehicle side radio | wireless apparatus 12 ... Smart key 12a ... Portable machine side radio equipment DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Side mirror 101 ... Case 200 ... Instrument panel 300 ... Vehicle 301 ... Door 500 ... Irradiation area

Claims (3)

An illumination device for a vehicle that illuminates a passenger's feet outside the vehicle,
Illuminating means provided on a pair of side mirrors provided in the vehicle, and irradiating light to the feet of the rider with a predetermined light source and optical system;
Illuminance detection means for detecting illuminance outside the vehicle;
A vehicle lighting device comprising: a control unit that controls to turn on the lighting unit when the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection unit is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. The vehicle includes a smart key system that has a vehicle-side wireless device and a portable device-side wireless device to automatically lock and unlock a door,
The control means includes
When the portable device-side wireless device is detected by the smart key system and the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the illumination means is controlled to be lit. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1. The light source is composed of RGB light emitting diodes, and the light source is configured to serve as both a direction indicator and a hazard lamp.
By changing the duty ratio of the light emitting diode, control is performed so that white light is emitted when illuminating the feet of the passenger, and orange light is emitted when functioning as the direction indicator or the hazard lamp. The vehicle illumination device according to claim 1, further comprising an emission color control unit.

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