JP2023160071A - Vehicle lighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lighting device which enables a user to check a connection state of a number of light sources without complicating wiring.SOLUTION: A vehicle lighting device 10 mounted on a vehicle 1, includes: a control unit 13; and multiple light source units 12 which are beaded and connected to the control unit 13 and are operated according to commands transmitted from the control unit 13. The control unit 13 transmits a connection check command to the multiple light source units 12 during the start and checks the number of the light source units 12 normally connected based on a response command transmitted from the light source units 12 in response to the connection check command.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle lighting device.

2. Description of the Related Art Vehicle lighting devices are known that have a function of detecting a failure of a light source. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle display device including a detection circuit for detecting disconnection of the light source for each light source drive circuit.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-104818

However, the vehicle display device of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the wiring becomes more complicated as the number of light sources increases.

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle display device that can confirm the connection states of many light sources without complicating wiring.

In one aspect, the following solution is provided.
(1) A vehicle lighting device mounted on a vehicle, including a control unit, and a plurality of light source units that are connected to the control unit in a daisy chain and operate according to commands transmitted from the control unit; The control unit transmits a connection confirmation command to the plurality of light source units at startup, and determines whether the connection has been successfully established based on a response command sent from the light source units in response to the connection confirmation command. The method is characterized in that the number of the light source units is confirmed.
(2) In the configuration of (1) above, after confirming the number of normally connected light source units, the control unit controls a predetermined number of light source units that are confirmed to be normally connected. The method is characterized in that a lighting command for lighting the light source unit at a brightness is transmitted, and after transmitting the lighting command, at least one of a voltage value and a set brightness value of the light source unit is confirmed.
(3) In the configuration of (1) above, the plurality of light source units are divided into groups for each display area, and the connection order of the light source units to the control unit is determined for each group, and the order of connection of the light source units to the control unit is determined for each group. The group of display areas may be connected to the upstream side closer to the control unit.
(4) In the configuration of (1) above, the plurality of light source units are divided into groups for each display area, the connection order of the light source units to the control unit is determined for each group, and the control unit , only the group to which all the light source units belonging to which it has been confirmed to be normally connected is subject to normal operation control.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle display device that allows confirmation of the connection states of many light sources without complicating wiring.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the front part of the vehicle compartment viewed from the rear. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle lighting device. It is a figure showing the composition of a light source unit. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of failure diagnosis by the control unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle lighting device of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The vehicle lighting device of the present disclosure can be applied to lighting devices mounted on automobiles, motorcycles, agricultural machinery, construction machinery, ships, and the like. The present embodiment will be described using an example in which the vehicle lighting device is a first to fourth display device that displays required information based on various information acquired from the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, a head-up display device (not shown) that displays necessary information based on various information acquired from the vehicle 1 and a vehicle lighting device 10 ( 2) is installed.

The head-up display device is mounted in the instrument panel 2 of the vehicle 1. The head-up display device irradiates the windshield 3 of the vehicle 1 with display light that shows an image. A passenger of the vehicle 1 visually recognizes the reflected light of the display light irradiated onto the windshield 3 as a virtual image V.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle lighting device 10 constitutes first to fourth display devices 11A to 11D (display areas). For example, when a pedestrian or the like existing in a blind spot is detected, the first display device 11A dynamically displays the presence of the pedestrian. When the second display device 11B and the third display device 11C detect the movement of cars or people around the vehicle 1, the second display device 11B and the third display device 11C project display lights LB and LC on the windshield 3 according to the movement. The projection positions of the display lights LB and LC are, for example, near the left and right sides of the virtual image V, and a directional display centered on the virtual image V can be performed. The fourth display device 11D has, for example, a display area at the front end of the instrument panel 2 or at the lower end of the windshield 3 with a display width that spans substantially the entire width in the left and right direction. The fourth display device 11D uses this wide display area to display the behavior and status of the vehicle 1 by the movement of light.

The first to fourth display devices 11A to 11D each include a plurality of light source units 12. The plurality of light source units 12 are connected to one control section 13 in a daisy chain, and operate according to commands sent from the control section 13. Further, the plurality of light source units 12 are connected in parallel to one power supply section 14 and operate with power supplied from the power supply section 14 .

As such a light source unit 12, for example, an ISELED (registered trademark) LED unit can be used. As shown in FIG. 3, this LED unit is equipped with multiple color LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) 121R, 121G, and 121B, and an LED controller 122 that drives and controls these LEDs 121R, 121G, and 121B. . Unlike individual LEDs, this type of LED unit is commercialized after being calibrated, so it is possible to suppress variations in color and brightness. Further, this type of LED unit includes a temperature sensor (thermistor), and can suppress variations in color and brightness due to temperature changes through correction processing using a temperature coefficient.

Commands for operating the light source unit 12 include a lighting command, a connection confirmation command, a voltage confirmation command, an error confirmation command, a set brightness value confirmation command, and the like.

The lighting command is a command for lighting the specified light source unit 12 in a specified color. The lighting command includes information specifying the gradation of the LEDs 121R, 121G, and 121B of each color, and information specifying the light source unit 12 to be lit. For example, the gradations of the LEDs 121R, 121G, and 121B of each color are specified in 256 levels. Further, the light source unit 12 to be turned on is specified by a numerical value indicating the number from the control unit 13.

The connection confirmation command is a command for confirming to the control unit 13 that the light source unit 12 is properly connected. When the light source unit 12 receives a connection confirmation command from the control unit 13 or the light source unit 12 adjacent to the upstream side (control unit 13 side), the light source unit 12 transmits the connection confirmation command to the light source unit 12 adjacent to the downstream side. When the connection confirmation command can be successfully transmitted to the light source unit 12 adjacent to the downstream side, the connection confirmation command is sequentially transmitted to the light source unit 12 on the downstream side. On the other hand, if the connection confirmation command to the light source unit 12 adjacent to the downstream side fails, or if there is no light source unit 12 adjacent to the downstream side, a connection confirmation response command is sent to the control unit 13. That is, only the last successfully connected light source unit 12 transmits a connection confirmation response command to the control unit 13. Since the connection confirmation response command includes information for identifying the last light source unit 12 (a numerical value indicating the number from the control unit 13), the number of normally connected light source units 12 is determined by the control unit 13. It becomes possible to understand from the side.

The voltage confirmation command is a command for confirming voltage values at various parts of the light source unit 12. Upon receiving the voltage confirmation command from the control unit 13, the light source unit 12 determines whether the voltage values at various locations such as each LED voltage value, regulator voltage value, and ground voltage value are within the normal range, and converts the determination result into a voltage. It is transmitted to the control unit 13 as an acknowledgment command.

The error confirmation command is a command for confirming various errors (failures) in the light source unit 12. Upon receiving the error confirmation command from the control section 13, the light source unit 12 performs various error determinations and transmits the determination results to the control section 13 as an error confirmation response command.

The set brightness value confirmation command is a command for checking whether various set brightness values (PWM values) of the light source unit 12 are normal. Upon receiving the set brightness value confirmation command from the control unit 13, the light source unit 12 determines whether the various set brightness values are within the normal range, and transmits the determination results to the control unit 13 as a set brightness value confirmation response command. do.

When activated in response to an ON operation of the ignition switch of the vehicle 1, the control unit 13 transmits a command to the plurality of light source units 12 and causes the plurality of light source units 12 to operate. This operation includes a fault diagnosis operation executed at startup and a normal operation (display operation) executed thereafter. The failure diagnosis operation, which is the main part of the present disclosure, will be described below.

The control unit 13 transmits a connection confirmation command to the plurality of light source units 12 at startup, and identifies normally connected light source units based on a connection confirmation response command sent from the light source units 12 in response to the connection confirmation command. Check the number 12. Specifically, only the last light source unit 12 that has been successfully connected sends a connection confirmation response command to the control unit 13, so based on the information that specifies the last light source unit 12, it is determined whether the connection has been normally made or not. The number of light source units 12 present can be grasped on the control section 13 side. Further, the control unit 13 can determine whether all the light source units 12 are properly connected by storing in advance the actual number of connected light source units 12 and comparing it with the connection confirmation result. According to such connection confirmation processing, it is possible to confirm the connection states of many light source units 12 without complicating the wiring.

In addition, after confirming the number of normally connected light source units 12, the control unit 13 lights up the light source units 12 at a predetermined brightness for the light source units 12 that are confirmed to be normally connected. Send commands. Thereafter, the control unit 13 sequentially transmits a voltage confirmation command, a set brightness value confirmation command, and an error confirmation command to the light source unit 12 that has transmitted the lighting command. Then, the control unit 13 checks the voltage value, set brightness value, and error of the light source unit 12 based on the voltage check response command, set brightness value check response command, and error check response command sent back from the light source unit 12 in sequence. This makes it possible for the control unit 13 to check not only the connection state of each light source unit 12, but also the voltage value abnormality, set brightness value abnormality, various errors, etc. of each light source unit 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of light source units 12 are divided into groups for each display device 11A to 11D (display area), and the connection order of the light source units 12 to the control unit 13 is determined for each group. There is. After the connection is confirmed, the control unit 13 controls only the group to which all the light source units 12 to which it belongs is confirmed to be connected normally, and excludes other groups from the control target of the normal operation. , the light remains off. Thereby, only the normally operable display devices 11A to 11D can be operated, and erroneous display by the other display devices 11A to 11D can be prevented.

As described above, when connecting the light source units 12 to the control unit 13 in units of groups of display devices 11A to 11D, the more important the group of display devices 11A to 11D is, the closer to the upstream side the control unit 13 is connected. This is desirable. High importance means, for example, that the importance (or urgency) of the information displayed by the display device is high. Specifically, the display device 11A is warning information regarding blind spots that cannot be visually recognized by the driver, and has the highest degree of importance. Next, the display device 11B and the display device 11C provide warning information regarding locations that are visible to the driver, and have the second highest importance after the display device 11A. The display device 11D has the lowest importance among the display devices 11A to 11D. In this way, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the highly important display devices 11A to 11D will be unable to display due to poor communication due to disconnection of the communication line or the like.

Next, the overall flow of failure diagnosis by the control unit 13 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the ignition switch of the vehicle 1 is turned ON (S101), the control unit 13 transmits a connection confirmation command to the connected light source unit 12, and confirms that the light source unit 12 is connected normally. The number is confirmed (S102). Next, the control unit 13 determines whether the number of normally connected light source units 12 matches the actual number of connected light source units 12 stored in advance (S103), and if the determination result is YES If the answer is NO, the process advances to step S117.

When the control section 13 proceeds to step S104, the control section 13 sets a variable x indicating the number of the light source unit 12 to 1, and sets a variable N indicating the number of times of failure diagnosis to 1. , proceed to step S105. In step S105, the control unit 13 transmits a lighting command to turn on the x-th light source unit 12 in white, and then sequentially executes steps S106 to S108. In step S106, the control unit 13 transmits a voltage check command to the x-th light source unit 12 that is lit in white, and checks whether the voltage values at various parts of the x-th light source unit 12 are normal. Further, in step S107, the control unit 13 transmits an error confirmation command to the x-th light source unit 12 that is lit in white, and confirms whether or not there is an error in the x-th light source unit 12. Further, in step S108, the control unit 13 transmits a set brightness value confirmation command to the x-th light source unit 12 that is lit in white, and checks whether the set brightness value of the x-th light source unit 12 is normal. .

After that, the control unit 13 determines whether the variable N has reached a predetermined number (for example, 5) (S109), and if the result of this determination is NO, the control unit 13 increments the variable N (S110) and then steps Repeat S105 to S108. Further, when the control unit 13 determines that the variable N has reached the predetermined number, it determines whether the variable x has reached the number of normally connected light source units 12 (S111). If the result of this determination is NO, the control unit 13 increments the variable x (S112), and then repeats steps S105 to S109. If the control unit 13 determines that the variable x has reached the number of normally connected light source units 12, the process proceeds to step S113. Note that the reason why the failure diagnosis is repeated N times for the same light source unit 12 is to prevent incorrect failure diagnosis from being performed due to an accidental communication error.

In step S113, the control unit 13 determines whether or not there is a light source unit 12 exhibiting an abnormality. If the determination result is YES, the control unit 13 sequentially sends a lighting command to the corresponding light source units 12 to turn on the corresponding light source units 12. They are made to blink in order (S114). Thereby, the user can recognize the light source unit 12 that shows an abnormality. If the control unit 13 determines in step S113 that there is no light source unit 12 exhibiting an abnormality, it ends the failure diagnosis (S115) and starts normal operation (S116).

Note that the lighting color when blinking the light source unit 12 indicating an abnormality is preferably white. The reason for this is that if any one of the LEDs 121R, 121G, 121B is turned on, if there is a malfunction in that LED 121R, 121G, 121B, it will not turn on and the occurrence of an abnormality cannot be reported. On the other hand, in the case of white lighting, it is necessary to light up three LEDs 121R, 121G, and 121B, so even if there is a problem with any of the LEDs 121R, 121G, and 121B, the occurrence of an abnormality will be notified with a lighting color other than white. It becomes possible to do so.

On the other hand, if the determination result in step S103 is NO and the process proceeds to step S117, the control unit 13 executes the same processes as steps S104 to S113 in steps S117 to S126. Thereafter, the control unit 13 selects the light source units 12 of the display devices 11A to 11D to be operated normally based on the number of normally connected light source units 12 and the number of light source units 12 of each of the display devices 11A to 11D. Determine (S127). For example, it is assumed that the number of light source units 12 of the first display device 11A connected to the most upstream side with respect to the control unit 13 is A. Further, the number of light source units 12 of the second display device 11B connected next is assumed to be B. Further, the number of light source units 12 of the third display device 11C that is connected next is C. Further, the number of light source units 12 of the fourth display device 11D connected next is assumed to be D. In this case, if the number of normally connected light source units 12 is less than A (S128), the control unit 13 disables the light source units 12 of all display devices 11A to 11D in normal operation after the failure diagnosis is completed. The light is turned on (S129). Further, if the number of normally connected light source units 12 is A or more and less than (A+B) (S130), the control unit 13 controls the light source unit of the first display device 11A in the normal operation after the failure diagnosis is completed. 12 is turned on (S131). Further, if the number of normally connected light source units 12 is (A+B) or more and less than (A+B+C) (S132), the control unit 13 controls the first display device 11A and The light source unit 12 of the second display device 11B is turned on (S133). Further, if the number of normally connected light source units 12 is (A+B+C) or more and less than (A+B+C+D) (S134), the control unit 13 displays the first to third displays in the normal operation after the failure diagnosis is completed. The light source units 12 of the devices 11A to 11C are turned on (S135).

Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims. It is also possible to combine all or a plurality of the components of the embodiments described above.

1 Vehicle 2 Instrument panel 3 Windshield 10 Vehicle lighting device 11A First display device 11B Second display device 11C Third display device 11D Fourth display device 12 Light source unit 121R, 121G, 121B LED
122 LED controller 13 Control section 14 Power supply section

Claims (4)

A vehicle lighting device mounted on a vehicle,
a control unit;
a plurality of light source units that are connected to the control unit in a daisy chain and operate according to commands transmitted from the control unit,
The control unit transmits a connection confirmation command to the plurality of light source units at startup, and determines whether the light source units are normally connected based on a response command sent from the light source units in response to the connection confirmation command. Vehicle lighting system to check the number of. After confirming the number of normally connected light source units, the control unit issues a lighting command to light the light source units at a predetermined brightness to the light source units that are confirmed to be normally connected. The vehicular lighting device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a voltage value and a set brightness value of the light source unit is confirmed after transmitting the lighting command. The plurality of light source units are divided into groups for each display area,
The connection order of the light source units to the control unit is determined for each group,
The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the group of display areas with higher importance is connected upstream closer to the control unit. The plurality of light source units are divided into groups for each display area,
The connection order of the light source units to the control unit is determined for each group,
The vehicular lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls only the group to which all of the light source units to which it belongs are confirmed to be normally connected, in normal operation.

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