JP4345421B2 - Vehicle lighting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular lighting device, and more particularly to a lighting device for an automotive headlamp.

When a discharge lamp is used as an automobile headlamp, the discharge lamp must be lit and restarted instantaneously. However, in the case of instantaneous lighting, a high voltage pulse is applied at the start to start discharge, and then rated immediately. It is necessary to start up rapidly by supplying a current about 6 times the current. In a conventional technique, for example, a discharge lamp lighting device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-232091, correction control is performed according to the tube voltage of the discharge lamp to suppress overshooting and undershooting of light. By means, the light start-up characteristics of the discharge lamp are secured. In addition, Patent Document 1 is a discharge lamp lighting device used in a vehicle with an indication of the lifetime of the LED, and has no light output assist effect.
JP-A-6-283280

  In the prior art, it is possible to control the light start-up according to the change in tube voltage. However, in order to ensure the light start-up characteristics necessary for use in an automotive headlamp, it is shown in FIG. As described above, it is necessary to supply high power of about 75 W to the discharge lamp when the light is turned on, leading to an increase in the size of the discharge lamp lighting device, and a decrease in the life of the discharge lamp due to excessive power injection.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle lighting device according to the present invention includes a lamp 1 to which a vehicle discharge lamp 2 is mounted, and a discharge lamp for starting and lighting the discharge lamp 2, as shown in FIG. The lighting device 3, the LED lamp 4 that can irradiate light within the irradiation range of the discharge lamp 2, and the light output of the discharge lamp 2 by the LED lamp 4 during the time when the light output of the discharge lamp lighting device 3 is insufficient. auxiliary Ri Do from the LED controller 5 for controlling the light output of the LED lamp 4 to perform, the discharge lamp lighting device 3, the discharge lamp 2 in the starting period 11, stably as shown in FIG. 15 The LED controller 5 is provided with a light rise control means for raising the light output of the discharge lamp 2 by increasing the input power as compared with the time of lighting, and the LED controller 5 stably lights the discharge lamp 2 as shown in FIG. Sometimes the LED lamp 4 emits light Controlled to increase, the discharge lamp lighting device 3 is a period in which the light output increases in the LED lamp 4 is controlled to reduce the power applied to the discharge lamp 2 as shown in FIG. 5 (a) It is characterized by this.

According to the present invention, in order to ensure the light start-up characteristics required for an automobile, the LED lamp assists the light start-up time that requires a large amount of power in the discharge lamp, and outputs from the discharge lamp lighting device. The power can be reduced, the discharge lamp lighting device can be downsized, the heat radiation design can be facilitated, and the current / voltage stress of the electronic components can be reduced. Also, the LED controller controls to increase the light output of the LED lamp when the discharge lamp is stably lit, and the discharge lamp lighting device decreases the input power to the discharge lamp during the period when the light output of the LED lamp increases. By controlling, the output of the discharge lamp at the time of stable lighting can be reduced, and the lifetime reduction of the discharge lamp can be suppressed.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of the basic configuration of a vehicle lighting device according to the present invention. The vehicle lighting device of the present invention includes a lamp 1 for obtaining predetermined light distribution characteristics, a discharge lamp 2 mounted on the lamp 1, a discharge lamp lighting device 3 for starting and lighting the discharge lamp 2, and a discharge lamp. The LED lamp 4 can irradiate light within the irradiation range 2 and the LED controller 5 that controls the LED lamp 4.

  The discharge lamp lighting device 3 includes, for example, a converter circuit that converts a DC voltage from a DC power source such as an in-vehicle battery, an inverter circuit that converts a DC voltage output from the converter circuit into an AC voltage, and a discharge lamp activation An igniter circuit for generating a high-pressure pulse for starting the discharge lamp, a tube voltage detection circuit for detecting the tube voltage of the discharge lamp, a tube current detection circuit for detecting the tube current of the discharge lamp, and the detected tube voltage and A control circuit is provided for optimally adjusting the output to the discharge lamp by controlling the converter circuit and the inverter circuit according to the tube current. The LED controller 5 also includes a control circuit that controls the output to the LED lamp 4 by controlling a DC voltage from a DC power source such as a vehicle-mounted battery.

  When a discharge lamp is used for an automobile headlamp, it is standardized by ECE regulation. The standard is 25% of the light quantity at the time of 1 second from the start of lighting and 80% light at the time of 4 seconds. It is standardized that it is necessary to output. As described in the prior art, a discharge lamp requires several seconds to output rated light, and in order to start up the light output in several seconds, a high power of about 75 W is discharged for several seconds from the start. Must be supplied to the light. On the other hand, as is generally known, LED lamps have the feature that they can output light instantaneously.

  Therefore, in the above configuration, the discharge lamp 2 and the LED lamp 4 are used in combination with the power supply “ON” of the lighting device. FIG. 2 shows the operation of the present lighting device. The light output of the discharge lamp and the LED lamp is controlled as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and the light from the discharge lamp and the LED lamp as shown in FIG. The output “sum” is output. Therefore, the maximum power supply for starting up the light of the discharge lamp may be less than 75W.

According to the present invention, the LED lamp assists the start-up of light at the start, which is a disadvantage of the discharge lamp, so that the amount of light required at the start-up can be secured only by the discharge lamp. The power supply to the discharge lamp can be reduced, the discharge lamp lighting device can be downsized, the heat radiation design can be facilitated, and the current / voltage stress of the electronic components can be reduced .

(Prerequisite configuration 1)
FIG. 3 shows the operation of the first configuration . The basic configuration is the same as in FIG. 1, and the LED controller 5 performs dimming control of the LED lamp 4. In the above configuration, the LED controller 5 controls the light output from the LED lamp 4 by voltage / current control or changing the number of lighting. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the light output of the discharge lamp and the LED lamp is controlled, and the light of FIG. 3C is output from the illumination device. The maximum supply power for starting up the light of the discharge lamp may be less than 75W. Further, the LED lamp can be turned off when the discharge lamp is stably lit. In addition, since the light quantity of the LED lamp is controlled so as to gradually decrease from the start of lighting, safe driving can be performed by being able to turn off without giving the driver a sense of incongruity when the LED lamp is turned off .

(Assumption 2)
FIG. 4 shows the operation of configuration 2 as a premise . Although the basic configuration is the same as in FIG. 1, in this example , information on the lighting start time is sent from the discharge lamp lighting device to the LED controller, and the LED controller controls the lighting of the LED lamp by a time table set in advance from the information. To do.
In the above configuration, the light output of the LED lamp is set to 100% from the start of lighting to the time of 1 second, and the light output of the LED lamp is gradually reduced from the start of lighting where the light of the discharge lamp starts up to the time of 10 seconds.

The light output of the discharge lamp and the LED lamp is controlled as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, and the light shown in FIG. 4C is output from the illumination device. The maximum supply power for starting up the light of the discharge lamp may be less than 75W.
According to this example , only the time when the light from the discharge lamp is insufficient can be assisted by the LED lamp, and the light can be controlled without giving the driver a sense of incongruity and safe driving can be performed .

Example 1
FIG. 5 shows the operation of the first embodiment. The basic configuration is the same as that of FIG. 1, but in this embodiment, the detection values of the tube voltage detection circuit for detecting the discharge lamp tube voltage of the discharge lamp lighting device and the tube current detection circuit for detecting the discharge lamp tube current are LED. Input to the controller, the LED controller obtains information on the output power of the discharge lamp lighting device. Based on the output information, the LED controller controls the light output of the LED lamp. Thereby, at the time of stable lighting, the output of the discharge lamp is slightly lowered from the starting period, and the LED lamp is turned on so that the entire light quantity becomes substantially constant along with this.
According to the present embodiment, the output of the discharge lamp at the time of stable lighting can be reduced, and the life reduction of the discharge lamp can be suppressed .

(Prerequisite configuration 3)
FIG. 6 shows the operation of configuration 3 as a premise . This example is a comparative example with respect to Example 1 , and the LED lamp is lit so as to add light without reducing the output of the discharge lamp during stable lighting. In this way, by additionally lighting the LED lamp, the light amount can be increased by the LED lamp when the light amount is necessary at night, and safe driving can be performed .

(Assumption 4)
FIG. 7 shows the configuration of configuration 4 as a premise . The basic configuration is the same as that in FIG. 1, but in this example , a photodetector 6 for detecting ambient brightness is provided outside. The discharge lamp lighting device 3 applies a high voltage pulse to the discharge lamp 2 to start the discharge lamp 2, and a voltage / current supplied to the discharge lamp 2 by raising and lowering the DC voltage of the DC power source BT. A buck-boost converter 31 to be controlled, an inverter circuit 32 for supplying a low-frequency power to the discharge lamp by reversing the polarity of the DC voltage output from the buck-boost converter 31, and a tube for detecting the tube current of the discharge lamp 2 It comprises a current detector 34, a tube voltage detector 35 that detects the tube voltage of the discharge lamp, and a control circuit 36 that controls the buck-boost converter 31 and the inverter circuit 32.

  The control circuit 36 receives the output of the light detection device 6 that detects the ambient brightness, and outputs a command for controlling the light amount, and receives a command from the control means command unit G and receives a predetermined command. A target power setting unit WX that commands output power, and a target current setting that determines the command value of the lamp current to be supplied by dividing the target power set by the target power setting unit W by the voltage detected by the lamp voltage detection unit 35 The error is detected by comparing the lamp current command value set by the unit WX / Vla2 and the target current setting unit WX / Vla2 with the actually flowing lamp current detected by the lamp current detecting unit 34, and the buck-boost converter A lamp current error amplifier P2 that sends a signal to 31, a buck-boost converter drive unit P1 that receives the output and controls the switching width of the buck-boost converter 31, and an inverter circuit 32 and an inverter driving unit L1 for controlling the switching element. The inverter drive unit L1 includes a low frequency generation circuit for causing the inverter circuit 32 to perform a polarity inversion operation at a low frequency, and each switching element having a full bridge configuration or a half bridge configuration of the inverter circuit 32 by receiving the output of the low frequency generation circuit. And a drive circuit for driving.

  In the above configuration, the signal shown in FIG. 8A is input from the light detection device 6 to the discharge lamp lighting device 3, and the target power setting unit WX of the discharge lamp lighting device responds to the detected value by the target power setting unit WX of FIG. The target output power as shown in (b) is set as the steady-state output. Further, the LED controller 5 controls the LED lamp 4 so as to obtain a light output as shown in FIG. 8C in accordance with a detection value as shown in FIG.

According to this example , it is possible to perform output control in a steady state of the discharge lamp according to ambient brightness, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the life of the discharge lamp. Further, since the necessary light quantity is assisted by the LED lamp, safe driving can be performed .

(Assumption 5)
FIG. 9 shows the operation of configuration 5 as a premise . The basic configuration is the same as in FIG. 7, but in this example , a predetermined threshold value is supplied to the control means command unit G that receives an output of the light detection device 6 that detects ambient brightness and outputs a command for controlling the amount of light. It is characterized in that α is set and a command for daytime lighting and nighttime lighting is output as a binary signal. The control means command unit G determines that the ambient brightness is equal to or less than the threshold value α, and outputs a command signal “1” for lighting at night to the target power setting unit WX so as to perform normal output control. When the ambient brightness is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, it is determined that the daytime, and a command signal “0” for lighting in the daytime is output to the target power setting unit WX so as to perform output control with a lower output than usual. Operate.

  9A is input to the discharge lamp lighting device 3, and upon receiving this signal, the control means command unit G compares it with a preset threshold value α, and the result of the comparison determination. Accordingly, target output power as shown in FIG. 9B is set in the target power setting unit WX. The LED controller 5 receives the command signal from the control means command section G and controls the light output of the LED lamp 4 as shown in FIG. That is, the LED lamp 4 is turned on 100% during night lighting, and the LED lamp 4 is dimmed during day lighting.

According to this example , the output control of the discharge lamp at the normal time according to daytime and nighttime can be performed, and the lifetime reduction of the discharge lamp can be suppressed. In addition, during daytime lighting that does not require light, power consumption can be reduced, thus saving energy. Further, since the necessary light quantity is assisted by the LED lamp, safe driving can be performed .

(Assumption 6)
FIG. 10 shows the configuration of configuration 6 as a premise . The configuration of this example is substantially the same as the configuration 4 that is the premise of FIG. 7, except that this example includes an information storage unit IM that can store a signal detected by the light detection device 6. The ambient brightness is detected at the start of lighting, and a determination signal indicating whether it is daytime lighting or nighttime lighting is held in the information storage means IM. Thereby, the output at the time of starting and the steady state of the discharge lamp is controlled based on the determination signal held in the information storage means IM. That is, a discrimination signal for daytime lighting and nighttime lighting is input from the information storage means IM to the control means command unit G, and each target power is set based on the discrimination signal for daytime lighting and nighttime lighting in the target power setting unit WX. Control the output of the discharge lamp. For example, when it is determined that it is daytime, the target output power of Table 1 in FIG. 11 is set, and when it is determined that it is nighttime, it is set to the target output power of Table 2 of FIG.

According to this example , it is possible to perform output control at the start time and steady state of the discharge lamp according to the ambient brightness, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the life of the discharge lamp. In addition, power consumption can be reduced during daytime lighting that does not require a light amount, thus saving energy. Since the necessary amount of light is assisted by the LED lamp, safe driving is possible .

(Prerequisite configuration 7)
FIG. 12 shows the configuration of configuration 7 as a premise . The configuration of this example is substantially the same as the configuration 6 which is the premise of FIG. 10, except that the example includes a means RS for resetting the information storage means IM and a timer TJ for counting time. For example, the signal detected by the light detection device 6 and a timer signal are calculated, and when the change of the light detection signal within a predetermined time becomes larger than a predetermined value, the reset means RS resets the storage of the information storage means IM The information storage means IM again acquires and stores ambient brightness information, and optimally controls the output at start-up or the steady-state output. At that time, light output assistance is performed by the LED lamp.
According to this example , optimum output control can be performed even during daytime tunnel traveling, and safe traveling can be performed .

(Prerequisite configuration 8)
The basic configuration of the prerequisite configuration 8 is substantially the same as that in FIG. 7 except that the internal configuration of the control means command unit G is the configuration shown in FIG. As a beam raising means, a signal detected by the light detection device 6 is input to the calculation unit 7 and the maximum power corresponding to the detection signal is calculated. The calculation result is input to the target power setting unit WX, and the light beam start-up output control at the start is performed. As the calculation contents of the calculation unit 7, a means for changing the output linearly with respect to the input as shown in FIG. 14 can be considered. In addition, according to the change of the maximum electric power command of a discharge lamp, light output assistance is performed by an LED lamp.
According to this example , it is possible to perform the light flux rising output control at the start of the discharge lamp according to the ambient brightness, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the life of the discharge lamp .

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a lighting device for a headlight of an automobile. It can also be used for daytime and nighttime lighting of motorcycles.

It is a figure which shows the basic structural example of the illuminating device for vehicles of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of basic operation | movement of the illuminating device for vehicles of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the structure 1 used as the premise of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the structure 2 used as the premise of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of Example 1 of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the structure 3 used as the premise of this invention. It is a block circuit diagram which shows the structure of the structure 4 used as the premise of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the structure 4 used as the premise of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the structure 5 used as the premise of this invention. It is a block circuit diagram which shows the structure of the structure 6 used as the premise of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the structure 6 used as the premise of this invention. It is a block circuit diagram which shows the structure of the structure 7 used as the premise of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the structure 8 used as the premise of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the structure 8 used as the premise of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lamp 2 Discharge lamp 3 Discharge lamp lighting device 4 LED lamp 5 LED controller

Claims (8)

A lamp mounted with a discharge lamp for a vehicle, a discharge lamp lighting device for starting and lighting the discharge lamp, an LED lamp capable of irradiating light within an irradiation range of the discharge lamp, and at least the discharge lamp lighting device Ri Do from the LED controller for controlling the light output of the LED lamp to perform the optical power assist of the discharge lamp by the LED lamp to the time the light output is insufficient, the discharge lamp lighting apparatus, the starting of the discharge lamp During the period, it is provided with light start-up control means for raising the light output of the discharge lamp by increasing the input power compared to when it is stably lit, and the LED controller controls the light output of the LED lamp when the discharge lamp is stably lit. controlled to increase, especially to control so that the above discharge lamp lighting apparatus in the period in which the light output of the LED lamp is increased to lower the power applied to the discharge lamp Vehicle lighting device according to. In Claim 1, the discharge lamp lighting device and the LED controller are provided with means for transmitting and receiving signals to each other, and the LED controller according to the time from the start of lighting of the discharge lamp according to the preset time table, A vehicular lighting device that controls light output. 2. The vehicular illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the LED controller has a function of performing dimming control on the LED lamp in accordance with a light output of the discharge lamp. 4. The light detection device according to claim 3, further comprising a light detection device for detecting ambient brightness, wherein the light start-up control means of the discharge lamp lighting device emits light according to the ambient brightness based on the signal detected by the light detection device. vehicle lighting apparatus characterized by that controls the light output of the discharge lamp to require minimal rise of the light output of the lamp. 5. The day / night discrimination means for discriminating day / night based on the signal detected by the light detection device according to claim 4, wherein the light start-up control means of the discharge lamp lighting device is output from the day / night discrimination means. vehicle lighting apparatus characterized by that controls the light output of the discharge lamp to require minimal rise of the optical output of the discharge lamp in accordance with the discrimination result of the day-night. 6. The information storage means for storing the discrimination result of the day / night discrimination means according to claim 5, wherein the light start-up control means of the discharge lamp lighting device starts up the light output of the discharge lamp according to the output of the information storage means. vehicle lighting apparatus characterized by that controls the light output of the discharge lamp to require minimum. 7. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the light start-up control means performs control to make the maximum value of the target output power variable. 7. The vehicular lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the light start-up control means performs control to make the set value of the maximum power input time variable.

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