JP2001301525A - Lighting system with timer for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a retrofit easy-to-attach lighting system with a timer for an automobile. SOLUTION: This lighting system is composed so that when a door is opened and a door switch SW2 is turned ON, a room lamp 1 is lighted, electric current flows to a capacitor C of a timer circuit 5 through a contact point (a) of a relay circuit 6 and a connection line S conducted to the ground for charging the capacitor C, a transistor Q2 of the timer circuit 5 is turned ON and the relay circuit 6 switches from the contact point (a) to a contact point b, and a timer control circuit 7 connected to the contact point b is operated for maintaining a charged state of the capacitor C and stopping the timer, and when the door is closed and the door switch SW2 is turned OFF, electrical current flows to a power source through the connection line S, a contact point c, and the contact point b for maintaining a lighted state of the room lamp 1, the timer control circuit 7 is operated and its output transistor Q3 is turned OFF for starting a discharge of the capacitor C of the timer circuit 5, and the timer works after a predetermined time and the relay circuit 6 switches from the contact point b to the contact point (a) for turning out the room lamp 1. The room lamp 1 can be timer-operated without modifying an existing lighting system 30 and just by connecting three external connection lines.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting system for a vehicle, and more particularly to a lighting system with a timer for a vehicle, such as a room lamp, in which lighting is provided for a while even after a door is closed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A lighting device for a room lamp installed on a ceiling or the like in a room of an automobile includes a room lamp 1 and a room lamp changeover switch SW1 (OFF) as shown in a lighting device 30 of a circuit diagram shown in FIG. A switch that is always off, always on when ON, a switch that turns on / off in conjunction with opening and closing of the door with DOOR) and a door switch SW2 that is provided in the door opening and closing unit and that interlocks with opening and closing of the door are connected to a + power supply of the battery. (12 V or 24 V in general) and-power supply (ground) are generally connected in series. Normally, the changeover switch SW1 is set to DOOR,
The room lamp 1 is automatically turned on / off by opening and closing the door switch SW2.

[0003] In addition, some lighting devices with timers, which turn off the lighting for a while (several seconds to several tens of seconds) even after the door is closed, have already been applied to some luxury cars and the like. At night, if you get into the car and close the door, the room lamp will go out immediately, so it is often difficult to know the location of the engine key insertion slot etc. The device is a very user-friendly feature.

[0004] Further, for the same purpose, an engine key lamp for illuminating the position of the key insertion port of the engine starter or a door key lamp for illuminating the position of the door key insertion port may be lit for a while after the door is closed. This is a lighting device with a timer.

[0005] By the way, an illumination device with a timer, which is optionally installed to make the illumination of a room lamp without a timer of an existing automobile equipped with a timer, has already been devised.

FIG. 4 is an example of a circuit diagram of a lighting device with a timer of a room lamp which is attached as an option, that is, retrofitted to an automobile.

In this figure, a lighting device 20 with a timer is shown.
Performs timer operation using the discharge time of the capacitor C using two small relays RL1 and RL2.
That is, assuming that SW1 is in the DOOR, when the door is opened and the door switch SW2 is turned on, the relay coil L
1 and the relay RL1 is actuated (from contact a to b
Switch to contact), the capacitor C is charged and NP
The base current flows through the N transistor Q to turn on, the current flows through the relay coil L2, and the relay RL2 operates (a
(Switch from contact to contact b) Room lamp 1 is turned on. When the door is kept open, the above state is maintained, and the charged state of the capacitor C is also maintained. When the door is closed, the door switch SW2 is turned off, the relay RL1 returns to its original state (switches from the b-contact to the a-contact), and when the capacitor C is discharged, the transistor Q is kept on for a while and the capacitor C and the resistor R are turned off. Relay RL2 after several seconds to more than ten seconds determined by constant
Returns to the original state (switching from the b-contact to the a-contact), and the room lamp 1 is turned off.

[0008]

The lighting device with a timer for a car can be used with any circuit as long as it is incorporated as an electrical component in the manufacture of the car from the beginning, such as a luxury car. 3 and FIG. 4, the wiring of the door switch SW2 and the changeover switch SW1 in the existing lighting device 30 is cut / changed at the time of installation, as is apparent from a comparison of the circuit diagrams of FIGS. And the installation work is extremely troublesome.
Of course, it is needless to say that it is more difficult and difficult for a general user to make the operation on his own.

Therefore, not only ordinary users but also dealers are required to provide a timer-equipped lighting system for a vehicle which can be easily retrofitted to an existing vehicle and can be changed from a normal lighting system to a timer-equipped lighting system as an option. Because

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a timer for a vehicle which can be easily mounted by tap connection of three wires without changing an existing room lamp lighting device even after installation. An apparatus is provided.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides: (1) two power supply lines and one connection line connected to the room lamp side of a door switch interlocking with opening and closing of a door. A timer circuit including a transistor that operates as a timer using a discharge time of a capacitor, as an external connection line that connects the three to the existing room lamp lighting device;
A relay circuit in which the connection to the common contact (c contact) is switched to a contact / b contact when the transistor of the timer circuit is turned on / off by using the connection line as a common contact (c contact); A timer control circuit that operates by switching to a contact b of the relay circuit when charged, and controls the timer circuit so as to maintain a charged state of a capacitor of the timer circuit until the relay circuit switches to an a contact thereafter; And a lighting device with a timer for an automobile. (2) Also, when the door is opened and the door switch is turned on, the room lamp is turned on, and a current flows through the capacitor of the timer circuit through the connection line connected to the power supply line and the a-contact of the relay circuit to be charged and the timer circuit is charged. Is turned on, the relay circuit switches from the a contact to the b contact, and the timer control circuit connected to the b contact operates to turn on its output transistor, thereby holding the charged state of the capacitor of the timer circuit. Then, when the door is closed and the door switch is turned off, the room lamp is kept lit by a current flowing through the power supply through the common contact (c contact) and the b contact of the connection line and the relay circuit, and the timer control circuit operates. When the output transistor is turned off, the discharge of the capacitor of the timer circuit starts, and a predetermined time The lighting device with a timer according to the above (1), characterized in that the timer circuit operates later and the relay circuit switches from the b-contact to the a-contact to turn off the room lamp. (3) In particular, in the lighting device with a timer for a vehicle according to the above (2), the timer circuit is inserted between a Zener diode (ZD) connected between ± power supplies and a base-emitter of the PNP transistor (Q1). A resistor (R1) and a capacitor (C), and an emitter-grounded NPN transistor (Q2) having a base connected to the collector of the PNP transistor (Q1), and the relay circuit comprises the NPN transistor (Q2). The relay coil (L) connected to the collector and the connection line (S) have a common contact (c contact), and the a contact is the negative side of the capacitor (C) of the timer circuit and the output transistor (Q3) of the timer control circuit. The b contact is connected to a power supply via a diode (D3, D4) and a resistor (R4). Timer is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier (OP) of the control circuit, to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier (OP) of the timer control circuit resistor voltage of the Zener diode (ZD) (R2)
And a comparison voltage determined by the resistance (R3), and the output terminal is connected to the base side of the output transistor (Q3). The output line of the output transistor (Q3) is connected to the capacitor (C) of the timer circuit. A lighting device with a timer for a vehicle, characterized in that it is connected via a resistor (R0) and a diode (D1) to the negative side of the device and has a circuit configuration for holding the charge of the capacitor (C) when turned on.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a lighting device with a timer for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described by taking the above-mentioned room lamp as an example. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a state in which a lighting device with a timer according to the present invention is attached to an existing lighting device.

In FIG. 1, it is assumed that the changeover switch SW1 of the room lamp 1 of the vehicle in the existing room lamp lighting device 30 is set to DOOR so that the opening / closing of the door and the turning on / off are linked. Next, the configuration of the lighting device with a timer 10 for a vehicle according to the present invention is as follows.
And 9 and the door switch SW that is linked to the opening and closing of the door
The three connection lines S connected to the point A on the side of the room lamp 2 are used as external connection lines connected to the lighting device 30. The transistor Q2 is operated by a timer using the discharge time of the capacitor C. A relay circuit 6 in which the connection between the timer circuit 5 and the c-contact of the common contact is switched to a-contact / b-contact when the transistor Q2 of the timer circuit 5 is turned on / off by using the connection line S as the c-contact of the common contact.
Once the capacitor C of the timer circuit 5 is charged, the relay circuit 6 is operated by switching to the contact b, and thereafter the charged state of the capacitor C is held until the relay circuit 6 is switched to the contact a. And a timer control circuit 7 for controlling the timer circuit 5 as described above.

Next, the operation of the lighting device 10 with a timer for an automobile will be briefly described.
When W2 is turned on, the room lamp 1 is turned on, and the connection line S and the relay circuit 6 that are electrically connected to the power supply line (ground).
The current flows from the + power supply side to the capacitor C of the timer circuit 5 through the a contact of the timer circuit 5 and is charged. At the same time, the transistor Q2 of the timer circuit 5 is turned on and the current flows to the relay coil L of the relay circuit 6 so that the relay is connected from the a contact The switching operation is performed to the contact b, the timer control circuit 7 connected to the contact b is operated, and the output transistor Q3 is turned on, so that the charged state of the capacitor C of the timer circuit 5 is maintained, the door is closed, and the door switch is closed. Turns off and room lamp 1
A current flows from the connection line S to the power supply side through the c-contact and the b-contact of the relay circuit 6 so that the lighting state is maintained, and the timer control circuit 7 operates to turn off the output transistor Q3, thereby the timer circuit 5 Discharge of the capacitor C starts, and after a predetermined time, the transistor Q2
Is OFF, that is, the timer operates to cause the relay circuit 6 to switch from the b-contact to the a-contact to turn off the room lamp 1.

FIG. 2 shows a more specific circuit example of the illumination device 10 with a timer for an automobile.

The main circuit elements include a timer circuit 5
Are a zener diode (ZD) connected between a 12V power supply and providing a constant voltage power supply 11V, a resistor R1 and a capacitor C inserted between the base and the emitter of the PNP transistor Q1, and a collector side of the PNP transistor Q1. A grounded emitter NPN transistor Q2 connected to the base, and the relay circuit 6 includes a relay coil L connected to the collector of the NPN transistor Q2.
The connection line S is a common contact c contact, the a contact is connected to the negative side of the capacitor C of the timer circuit 5 and the emitter of the output PNP transistor Q3 of the timer control circuit 7, and the b contact is connected through diodes D3 and D4. Connected to the power supply (ground) and to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP of the timer control circuit 7 via the resistor R4.
A non-inverting input terminal + is supplied with a comparison voltage determined by dividing the voltage of the Zener diode ZD by a resistor R2 and a resistor R3.
3 is connected to the base side, and the output line of the emitter of the output transistor Q3 is connected to the minus side of the capacitor C of the timer circuit via a resistor R0 and a diode D1. Configuration.

The circuit operation of FIG. 2 will be described in detail. When the door is closed, the door switch SW2 is turned off,
The contact of the relay circuit 6 is an a contact. Transistor Q
1, Q2 and Q3 are in the OFF state, and the room lamp 1 is off.

Next, when the door is opened, the door switch SW
2 is ON and power is supplied to room lamp 1 (+ 12V)
Then, a current flows to the ground through the changeover switch SW1 and the door switch SW2, and the light is turned on. At the same time, the connection line S tap-connected to the point A on the room lamp side of the door switch SW2 becomes the ground potential (0 V), and the relay circuit 6
, The capacitor C of the timer circuit 5 is charged, and a base current flows through the PNP transistor Q1, turning on Q1 and turning on the transistor Q2. Then, a current flows through the coil L of the relay circuit 6 to operate the relay, and the connection of the contact c is switched from the contact a to the contact b.
Then, the non-inverting input terminal + of the operational amplifier OP becomes 0 V through the connection line S, and the operational amplifier OP functions as a differential amplifier circuit, and its output becomes low level. Then, the output PNP transistor Q3 turns on, and the capacitor C
, A voltage is applied to both ends of the PNP transistor, and a charge holding state is established, the base current of the PNP transistor Q1 continues to flow, Q1 and Q2 are maintained in the ON state, current continues to flow through the coil L, and the relay circuit 6 is maintained at the contact b You. In other words, the start of the timer circuit 5 is stopped.

Next, when the door is closed, the door switch SW
2 is turned off, and the room lamp 1 is connected from the connection line S to the c contact, the b contact, and the diodes D3 and D of the relay circuit 6.
A current flows to the ground through the route passing through No. 4 to maintain lighting (however, since the forward voltage of the diodes D3 and D4 has a voltage drop of about 0.6 V × 2, the illuminance is slightly reduced). When the contact b is set to 1.2 V, 1.2 V is input to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier OP, and the output of the operational amplifier OP changes from low level to high level. Then, the output PNP transistor Q3 of the timer control circuit 7 is turned off, the capacitor C starts discharging (the timer starts), and the capacitor C has a time constant determined by a combination of the capacitance (for example, 22 μF) of the capacitor C and the resistor R1 (for example, 68 KΩ). Voltage gradually decreases, and after a while, the transistors Q1 and Q2 are turned off. That is,
The timer operates, the relay circuit 6 is activated, and the connection of the contact c returns from the contact b to the contact a. Then, the current route of the room lamp 1 through the contact b of the connection line S is cut off and the room lamp 1 is turned off.

As described above, the lighting device 10 with a timer for a vehicle according to the present invention has two external power supply lines 8, 9 as three external connection lines and a door switch SW2 on the room lamp side of the door switch SW2 interlocking with the opening and closing of the door. It has only one connection line S connected to the point A, and can be mounted, for example, by simply tap-connecting the three external connection lines without changing the lighting device 30 of the existing room lamp 1. Has excellent advantages. In other words, the timer control circuit 7 keeps the charged state of the capacitor C of the timer circuit 5 and stops the start of the timer when the door is opened.
That the lighting device with a timer for a vehicle 1
There is a circuit configuration characteristic of 0.

At the point A in the actual car when the door switch SW2 is turned on, the voltage does not become 0V but becomes about 0.5V due to a voltage drop due to wiring routing, and the forward voltage of the diodes D3 and D4. In order to ensure the operation of the operational amplifier OP in consideration of this, it is necessary to appropriately set a comparison voltage determined by dividing the resistor R2 and the resistor R3. For example, in the present embodiment, the comparison voltage is set to 1.18 V with R2 = 68 KΩ and R3 = 8.2 KΩ. Further, it is appropriate to set a timer for approximately 8 seconds from the time when the door is closed to the time when the room lamp 1 is turned off. In this embodiment, the capacity of the capacitor C is 22 μF and the resistance R1 is 68 KΩ. Further, the resistance R5 in FIG. 2 was 1 MΩ, and the resistance R6 was 22 KΩ. In addition, the lighting device with a timer 10 for a vehicle is not limited to the room lamp 1 and can be simultaneously applied to, for example, a footlight for illuminating the foot of a door of a door or a key light for illuminating a key insertion port of an engine starter. Needless to say. In addition to the bulb, an LED may be used as the illuminating lamp in that case, and the LED may be connected in series with the resistor between the point A of the relay circuit 6 and the + power supply. Also,
The room lamp 1 has a power of about 10 W, and a diode D3 so that it can be used up to a power of about 25 W obtained by adding 5 W × 2 and a key light 5 W as foot lights for left and right doors.
It is preferable to use one having an allowable current of about 3 A.

[0022]

The lighting device with a timer according to the present invention cuts the wiring of the lighting device of the existing room light.
It is only necessary to connect three external connection lines without any change, and there is an excellent effect that it can be easily attached even after installation.

[0023]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a state where a lighting device with a timer for a vehicle according to the present invention is attached to an existing lighting device.

FIG. 2 is a specific example of a circuit diagram of a lighting device with a timer for an automobile according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a conventional room lamp lighting device.

FIG. 4 is an example of a circuit diagram of a lighting device with a timer of a room lamp which is attached to an automobile as a conventional option as a retrofit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Room lamp 5 Timer circuit 6 Relay circuit 7 Timer control circuit 8 + Power supply line 9-Power supply (ground) line 10, 20 Lighting device with timer for car 30 Lighting device for room lamp SW1 Changeover switch SW2 Door switch S Connection line C Capacitor Q, Q1, Q2, Q3 Transistor D1, D3, D4 Diode ZD Zener diode OP Operational amplifier L Relay coil

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An external connection line for connecting two power supply lines and three connection lines, one of which is connected to a room lamp side of a door switch that is linked to opening and closing of a door, to an existing room lamp lighting device. A timer circuit including a transistor that operates by using a discharge time of a capacitor, and a connection between the connection line and a common contact (c contact) when the transistor of the timer circuit is turned on / off by using the connection line as a common contact (c contact). Is switched to a contact / b contact, and the timer circuit is operated by switching to the b contact of the relay circuit once the capacitor of the timer circuit is charged, and thereafter the timer circuit is switched until the relay circuit is switched to the a contact. And a timer control circuit for controlling the timer circuit so as to maintain the charge state of the capacitor. Use a timer with a lighting device. 2. When the door is opened and the door switch is turned on, the room lamp is turned on, and a current flows through the capacitor of the timer circuit through the connection line connected to the power supply line and the a contact of the relay circuit to be charged and the timer circuit is charged. Is turned on, the relay circuit switches from the a contact to the b contact, and the timer control circuit connected to the b contact operates to turn on its output transistor, thereby holding the charged state of the capacitor of the timer circuit. Then, when the door is closed and the door switch is turned off, the room lamp is kept lit by a current flowing through the power supply through the common contact (c contact) and the b contact of the connection line and the relay circuit, and the timer control circuit operates. When the output transistor is turned off, the discharge of the capacitor of the timer circuit starts, and a predetermined time 2. The lighting device with a timer according to claim 1, wherein the timer circuit is operated later, and the relay circuit switches from the b-contact to the a-contact to turn off the room lamp. 3. The lighting device with a timer according to claim 2, wherein the timer circuit is inserted between a Zener diode (ZD) connected between ± power supplies and a base-emitter of the PNP transistor (Q1). Resistance (R
1), a capacitor (C), and a common emitter NPN transistor (Q2) having a base connected to the collector of the PNP transistor (Q1), and a relay circuit connected to the collector of the NPN transistor (Q2). The relay coil (L) and the connection line (S) are used as a common contact (c contact), and the a contact is connected to the negative side of the capacitor (C) of the timer circuit and the emitter of the output transistor (Q3) of the timer control circuit. The contact b is connected to a negative power supply via diodes (D3, D4) and an operational amplifier (O) of a timer control circuit via a resistor (R4).
P) is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the timer control circuit, and the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier (OP) of the timer control circuit divides the voltage of the zener diode (ZD) by a resistor (R2) and a resistor (R3). The output terminal is connected to the base side of the output transistor (Q3), and the output line of the output transistor (Q3) is connected to the negative side of the capacitor (C) of the timer circuit with a resistor (R0). A lighting device with a timer for a vehicle, which is connected via a diode (D1) and has a circuit configuration for holding the charge of a capacitor (C) when turned on.