JP2653252B2 - Vehicle discharge lamp lighting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting device for a discharge lamp used for a headlight of an automobile and the like, and more particularly to its maintenance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, incandescent lamps such as halogen bulbs have been used for automobile headlights. For incandescent lamps,
Since only the voltage of the battery is directly supplied, a lighting device is not particularly required, and there is no danger of electric shock or the like during maintenance.

On the other hand, recently, it has been proposed to use a discharge lamp such as a metal halide lamp as a headlight of an automobile as a light source with high luminous flux and high efficiency.

[0004]

However, a high starting voltage of several KV to several tens of KV is applied to this kind of discharge lamp at the time of starting, and when the starting fails, this high starting voltage is applied. It is applied repeatedly. For this reason, during maintenance such as lamp replacement, there is a risk that a personal injury due to electric shock may occur. As a solution to this, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 59-45898 discloses that a discharge lamp detector is constituted by a discharge lamp main body and its socket, and when the discharge lamp is detached from the socket, power is supplied by the discharge lamp detector. Turn off is shown. However, this conventional example requires a specially configured discharge lamp and socket for detecting the discharge lamp.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a discharge lamp lighting device for a vehicle which can prevent a personal injury due to electric shock without using a discharge lamp having a special configuration for detecting a discharge lamp and a socket. It is intended to provide.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a discharge lamp lighting device for a vehicle is configured as in the following (1). (1) A lighting circuit for supplying a starting high voltage and electric power to a discharge lamp, and a starting state is monitored, and when the starting is impossible, the driving of the lighting circuit is stopped and the stopped state is maintained until a predetermined vehicle signal is received. A discharge lamp lighting device for a vehicle, comprising a monitoring control device.

[0007]

According to the configuration of (1), when the lighting circuit becomes incapable of lighting, the operation is stopped, and the supervisory control device resets the lighting circuit to be operable when receiving a predetermined vehicle signal.

[0008]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a "lighting device for an automotive discharge lamp" according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 5 is a discharge lamp composed of a metal halide lamp constituting a headlight,
1 is a light switch for blinking the discharge lamp 5, 2 is an accessory position switch of an ignition switch, 3 is a monitoring control device for monitoring the ON / OFF of the light switch 1 and the accessory position switch 2 and the lamp current and controlling the lighting circuit 4. is there. Reference numeral 4 denotes a lighting circuit which includes an inverter 4-1 and an LC circuit 4-2 and supplies a high voltage and power for starting to the discharge lamp 5.

More specifically, the monitoring and control device 3
The inverter 4-1 is driven so that the output frequency of the inverter 4-1 continuously changes from the resonance frequency of the LC circuit 4-2 to a lower frequency (start mode), and the start state is monitored by the lamp current. If the start is successful, the operation mode is shifted to the lighting mode. If the start is unsuccessful, the start mode is executed a total of four times until the start is successful. Is stopped, regardless of whether the light switch 1 is on or off, and then when the accessory position switch 2 is turned on, the drive stop state of the inverter 4-1 is canceled (reset). The start mode is executed again after the light switch 1 is turned on.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are flow charts for explaining the operation of the monitoring control device 3. Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3,
The operation of this embodiment will be described. The monitoring control device 3 waits for the light switch 1 to be turned on (see S1), and executes the above-described start mode (S2). The LC circuit 4-2 generates a high voltage at the resonance frequency and applies it to the discharge lamp 5. The count number N of the counter is set to 1 (S3), and the starting state is monitored by the lamp current of the discharge lamp 5 (S4). If the starting is successful (S4 YES), the operation mode shifts to the lighting mode (S4).
5). In the lighting mode, the monitoring control device 3 drives the inverter 4-1 so that the output frequency of the inverter 4-1 becomes equal to or lower than the resonance frequency and the frequency at which the rated current flows to the discharge lamp 5 by the reactance of the LC circuit 4-2. I do. If the start fails in step 4 (S4 NO), it is determined whether or not the count number is 4 (S6). Now count N
Is 1 (S6 NO), the process returns to step 2, executes the start mode again, and increases the count number N by 1 (S3).
The starting state is monitored by the lamp current (S4). If the starting is successful (S4 YES), the lighting mode is executed (S4).
5) If the start fails (S4 NO), the count number N
Is determined to be 4 (S6). Now count N
Is 2 (S6 NO), and the process returns to step 2 to execute the start mode (S2).

In this way, if the start fails even if the start mode is executed a total of four times (S6 YES), it is determined that the start is impossible, and the drive of the inverter 4-1 is stopped (S7). Irrespective of the on / off state of the light switch 1.

When maintenance such as replacement of the discharge lamp 5 is completed and the accessory position switch 2 is turned on (S8Y)
ES), the monitoring control device 3 cancels (resets) the drive stop state of the inverter 4-1 and enables the operation of FIG. 2 (S9). Therefore, when the light switch 1 is turned on, the above-described operation of FIG. 2 is performed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent a personal injury due to electric shock at the time of maintenance without using a discharge lamp and a socket having a special configuration for detecting the discharge lamp, and to perform resetting. It is not necessary to use a special switch for.

In the embodiment, the reset signal is obtained by turning on the accessory position switch. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by turning on the light switch again or switching between high beam and low beam. The signal can be implemented as a reset signal. Further, instead of using the vehicle signal alone as described above, it is also possible to carry out resetting only when the accessory position switch-on signal and the light switch-on signal are detected at the same time. And reset can be performed reliably.

In addition, the monitoring of the starting state is performed not by the lamp current but by
It can also be implemented in a form performed by a lamp beam. Also, an appropriate type of circuit such as a leakage transformer type can be used for the lighting circuit.

As a modification of the present invention, it is conceivable to provide a prominent push-button reset switch.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Without using a specially configured discharge lamp and socket for detecting the discharge lamp, personal injury due to electric shock during maintenance can be prevented, and there is no need to use a special switch for resetting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the monitoring control device;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the monitoring control device;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Accessory position switch 3 Monitoring and control device 4 Lighting circuit 5 Discharge lamp

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyoshi Yamazaki 2-14-40, Ofuna, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Living System Research Institute (72) Inventor Satoshi Nagai 2-14, Ofuna, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 40 Mitsui Electric Co., Ltd., Living Systems Laboratory (72) Inventor Hiroyasu Private city 2-14-14, Ofuna, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture 2-14-40, Ofuna, Municipality Lifestyle Research Institute, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (56) References JP-A-2-197441 (JP, A) JP-A-4-129498 (JP, A) JP-A-3-153430 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A lighting circuit for supplying a high voltage and electric power for starting to a discharge lamp, a starting state is monitored, and when the starting is impossible, the driving of the lighting circuit is stopped, and the stopped state is changed until a predetermined vehicle signal is received. A discharge lamp lighting device for a vehicle, comprising: a monitoring control device for maintaining the discharge lamp.