JP2004314818A - Vehicle indication lamp lighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle indication lamp lighting device capable of being installed on a vehicle easily and performing lighting-up of indication lamps when the engine is started and the putting-off when engine is stopped automatically. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle indication lamp lighting device is equipped with a pair of terminals 12a and 12b connected with the positive and negative electrodes of a battery installed on the vehicle driven by the engine, a power supply unit connected with the terminals, sensing the start and stop of the engine from the current pulse generating condition of the battery, supplying the power from the battery when the engine is started, and stopping supplying the power when the engine is stopped, and indication lamps 13a and 13b connected with the power supply unit and furnished with a light emission element LED to emit light upon receiving the output power from the power supply unit 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for lighting a vehicle indicator light such as an automobile for safety.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, self-propelled vehicles such as passenger cars and trucks are equipped with headlights, small lamps, rear lamps, turn signals, brake lamps, fog lamps, and other lighting lamps, and control the turning on and off of each lamp. Switch is provided inside the vehicle.
[0003]
Each of these lamps is lit to indicate a certain function. The headlights, small lamps, and rear lamps are mainly used to improve the visibility of drivers around the vehicle at night, and to alert pedestrians and other vehicle drivers around the vehicle. belongs to. In recent years, turning on a headlight or the like even in the daytime has the effect of dramatically reducing traffic accidents. Therefore, daylighting of headlights (daylight) has been recommended for the purpose of preventing traffic accidents.
[0004]
However, in the daytime, the driver hardly feels the need to turn on the headlights, and the headlights, small lamps, and rear lamps are configured so that the driver operates the lighting switch and each lamp is turned on. In many cases, it was not actually turned on. In addition, even if the light is turned on, the user often forgets to turn it off when the vehicle is parked and stopped, causing a problem that the battery is wasted.
[0005]
Also, even at night, the headlights may not be turned on due to the carelessness of the driver, and if the vehicle is driven in this state, it is difficult for pedestrians and drivers of other vehicles to recognize the vehicle. Some things could lead to a big accident.
[0006]
Regarding this problem, there has been proposed an automatic illuminating device that automatically turns on and off a light of an automobile by detecting external brightness by an optical sensor (for example, see Patent Document 1). This device can prevent the user from forgetting to turn on the light in darkness such as at night, but has no effect on forgetting to turn on the daylight.
[0007]
Therefore, recently, an indicator light powered by a battery mounted on the vehicle, a start sensor for detecting the start of the engine of the vehicle, and a lighting operation of the indicator lamp upon receiving a start detection signal from the start sensor at the time of engine start. A vehicle display device including a relay unit that turns off an indicator light when the engine is stopped is commercially available. Thus, the indicator lamp can always be turned on when the engine is started and the vehicle is driven, regardless of whether the driver is day or night.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-29125 (paragraphs 0007 to 0008, FIG. 1)
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since this vehicle display device detects whether or not a current is flowing to the ignition power switch involved in starting the engine and senses the start of the engine, it is necessary to connect the battery to the ignition power switch and connect the battery to the ignition power switch. However, it was difficult for ordinary people to attach this device.
[0010]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems in the related art, and can be easily installed in a vehicle, and can automatically turn on an indicator light when the engine is started and turn off an indicator light when the engine is stopped. It is an object to provide a vehicle indicator lighting device.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The vehicle indicator light lighting device according to the invention of claim 1, which is provided to solve the above-described problem, includes a pair of terminals connected to a positive electrode and a negative electrode of a battery provided in a vehicle driven by an engine, and the terminal, A vehicle indicator light lighting device comprising: a power supply unit connected thereto; and an indicator light connected to the power supply unit and emitting light by receiving power supplied from the power supply unit, wherein the power supply unit is When the battery is generating a current pulse, power is supplied from the battery, and when the battery is not generating a current pulse, power supply from the battery is stopped.
[0012]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the terminal is connected to the battery and the installation is completed only by disposing the indicator light at a desired position. Therefore, the indicator light is turned on when the engine is started and the indicator light is turned off when the engine is stopped. Anyone can easily install a vehicle indicator light lighting device that can perform the operation. In addition, since the battery is electrically connected to the engine, a pulse is generated in the current flowing to the battery when the engine is started. Therefore, when the current pulse from the battery is generated, the engine is started, and the current pulse is not generated. The time can be easily detected as the stop of the engine.
Note that the engine may be started when a current pulse having a constant cycle is continuously generated a predetermined number of times in order to distinguish it from current noise that sometimes occurs.
Here, the engine refers to an internal combustion engine type engine having a spark plug electrically connected to a battery such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine, or a hybrid type engine combining those motors and an electric engine. When the engine is started, wheels such as tires are rotated to drive the vehicle. Further, the indicator light may be any light emitting diode (LED) element, electroluminescence (EL), filament light bulb, fluorescent light, etc., as long as it emits light by electricity, and a plurality of indicator lights may be arranged in different places. Good. Further, the emission of the indicator light may be displayed as it is on the outside, or it may be used as a backlight for raising marks such as a disabled person mark, a beginner mark, and a dead leaf mark.
Alternatively, the pair of terminals may be configured as one plug terminal and inserted into a cigarette lighter socket in the vehicle.
[0013]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle indicator light lighting device according to the first aspect, wherein the indicator has at least one light emitting diode element.
[0014]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the light emitting element consumes a small amount of power, it is possible to reduce a load on a circuit through which a current flows in the vehicle indicator lamp lighting device due to the consumption of the battery. Further, since the light-emitting element is small, the device can be reduced in size, thickness, and weight.
In addition, if it is a high-brightness LED element, only one indicator light may be used, but an arrangement in which a plurality of LED elements are viewed from the outside to form a matrix, an arrangement representing a predetermined shape, or an arrangement for displaying characters may be used. .
[0015]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle indicator lamp lighting device according to the third aspect, wherein the power supply unit includes an optical sensor, and the power supply unit includes an optical sensor according to an increase in the amount of light received by the optical sensor. It is characterized in that the output power is increased and the output power is reduced as the light amount decreases.
[0016]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the brightness of the indicator lamp can be adjusted according to the brightness of the surrounding area. And it can be prevented from being too bright and dangerous.
Since the headlight is turned on when the light amount corresponds to nighttime, the output power from the power supply unit may be set to zero.
[0017]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle indicator light lighting device according to the third aspect, wherein the optical sensor is a Cds type photoconductive element.
[0018]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a light sensor having a poor response speed to a change in light amount can be used, so that the brightness of the indicator light changes rapidly without providing a special circuit when a vehicle enters or leaves a shadow. It is gradually decreased or increased without causing the indicator lamp to be consumed.
[0019]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle indicator light lighting device according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein the optical sensor is arranged so that external light can be detected at an arrangement position of the indicator light. It is characterized by being performed.
[0020]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the external brightness can be detected at the position where the indicator light emits, it is possible to accurately adjust the visibility of the indicator light according to the external brightness. Further, since the indicator light and the optical sensor are arranged at the same position, installation is easy.
It is preferable that the light emitted from the indicator lamp does not enter the light receiving portion of the optical sensor.
[0021]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle indicator lamp lighting device according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle indicator light lighting device according to the present invention.
The vehicle indicator light lighting device 10 includes a power supply unit 11, terminals 12a and 12b, indicator lights 13a and 13b on which a light emitting element LED is mounted, an optical sensor 14, and a manual light on / off terminal 15. The terminals 12a and 12b, the light emitting element LED, and the optical sensor 14 are connected to the power supply unit 11 by conducting wires, respectively.
[0022]
The power supply unit 11 includes an engine start detection circuit 11a, an LED lighting / off control circuit 11b, and an external brightness detection circuit 11c. Among them, the engine start detection circuit 11a is connected to the terminals 12a and 12b and the LED lighting / lighting control circuit 11c by a conductor so as to be able to receive signals and supply power. Further, the external brightness detection circuit 11b is connected to the optical sensor 14 and the LED lighting control circuit 11c so as to be able to receive signals. The LED lighting control circuit 11c is connected to a light emitting element LED mounted on each of the indicator lights 13a and 13b by a conducting wire so as to be able to supply power, and is connected to the manual lighting / extinguishing terminal 15 so as to be able to receive a signal.
[0023]
The engine start detection circuit 11a detects a current pulse from the battery via the terminals 12a and 12b, detects the start of the engine from the state of generation of the current pulse, and controls a signal based on the detection result to turn on and off the LED. It has a function of sending to the circuit 11c. That is, it is only necessary to detect the case where the current pulse of a constant cycle is continuously detected a predetermined number of times as the start of the engine, and to transmit a detection signal to the LED lighting / lighting control circuit 11c.
[0024]
The external brightness detection circuit 11b has a function of transmitting a signal based on the electrical characteristics of the optical sensor 14 to the LED lighting / lighting control circuit 11c. For example, the characteristic in which the resistance value decreases as the amount of light received by the optical sensor 14 increases is monitored. If the resistance value is smaller than a certain reference value, the outside is in a bright state with a certain level of brightness or more, such as during daytime. To the LED on / off control circuit 11c, and sends a signal to the LED on / off control circuit 11c that, when the resistance value is larger than a certain reference value, indicates that the outside is in a dark state with a certain brightness or less such as at night. What should I do?
[0025]
The LED on / off control circuit 11c receives a predetermined signal from the engine start detection circuit 11a and emits electric power from the battery via the terminals 12a and 12b and the engine start detection circuit 11a to the light emission mounted on the indicator lights 13a and 13b. It has a function of turning on the indicator lamps 13a and 13b by outputting to the element LED and turning off the indicator lamps 13a and 13b by stopping the output of the power.
[0026]
For example, the LED on / off control circuit 11c may output the electric power from the battery via the terminals 12a and 12b and the engine start detection circuit 11a with the generation of the detection signal received from the engine start detection circuit 11a as the engine start state. . Further, the stop of the generation of the detection signal from the engine start detection circuit 11a may be set to the engine stop state, and the output of the electric power from the battery may be stopped.
[0027]
Further, the LED lighting / lighting control circuit 11c has a function of receiving a predetermined signal from the external brightness detection circuit 11b and adjusting the amount of power from the battery to be output to the light emitting element LED.
[0028]
For example, when the LED lighting control circuit 11c receives a signal from the external brightness detection circuit 11b indicating that the outside is in a bright state with a certain level of brightness or more, the supply power amount is set to a specified maximum value, and the light emitting element LED is set. Should be maximized (ON state). When receiving a signal from the external brightness detection circuit 11b indicating that the outside is in a dark state with a certain brightness or less, the supplied power amount is set to the specified minimum value or zero, and the brightness of the light emitting element LED is set to the minimum. (OFF state).
[0029]
Further, the LED lighting control circuit 11c may control the power supply so that the light emitting element LED blinks at a high speed. By adjusting the flashing interval, it is possible to make the light appear to flicker and emit light, which makes it easier for pedestrians and other drivers to recognize the light than the light that is lit continuously.
[0030]
One of the terminals 12a and 12b is electrically connected to a positive electrode of a battery mounted on a vehicle, and the other terminal is electrically connected to a negative electrode. The shapes of the terminals 12a and 12b may be any as long as they can be directly connected to the electrodes of the battery. Alternatively, the terminals 12a and 12b may be formed as a single plug terminal so that the terminals 12a and 12b can be inserted into a socket such as a cigar lighter in a vehicle connected to the battery.
[0031]
The indicator lights 13a and 13b have at least one light emitting element LED, and are turned on by the light emission of the light emitting element LED. In addition, if the light emitting element LED is mounted on the substrate, it can be easily mounted on a vehicle. Only one light emitting element LED may be used as the indicator light if it is a high luminance light emitting element. However, a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged on a substrate so as to form a linear shape or a grid (matrix) when viewed from the outside. You may. Alternatively, it may be arranged so as to display a predetermined shape or character. Further, the color of the display may be white, but may be blue, red, yellow, or a combination thereof to enhance the discriminability of the display lamps 13a and 13b. At this time, the color of the display may be the color of the light emitted from the light emitting element LED, or the light of the light emitting element LED may be transmitted through a color filter and displayed.
There is no particular limitation on the number of indicator lights that the vehicle indicator light lighting device 10 has, provided that it is a required number from one or more than two so that pedestrians and other drivers can easily see. Good.
[0032]
The light-emitting element LED may be any element that emits light when supplied with electric power, such as an LED element, electroluminescence (EL), a filament light bulb, and a fluorescent light. However, the power consumption is reduced, the device is made smaller, thinner, and lighter. It is preferable to use an LED element from the viewpoint of realization.
[0033]
The optical sensor 14 may be any light-receiving element whose electrical characteristics change according to the amount of light, but is preferably a Cds-type photoconductive element rather than a photodiode such as a silicon photodiode or a gallium arsenide photodiode. . Since the light sensor has a poor response speed to changes in light intensity, the brightness of the indicator light can be gradually reduced or increased without a sudden change without providing a special circuit when the vehicle enters or leaves the shadow. This can prevent the indicator lamp from being worn.
The manual lighting / extinguishing terminal 15 is a terminal provided for the driver to manually turn on / off the indicator lamp.
[0034]
The vehicle indicator light lighting device 10 having the above configuration may have a circuit configuration as shown in FIG. 2, for example.
In FIG. 2, an engine start detection circuit 11a is an amplifier circuit that amplifies a current pulse generated between the positive electrode (+) and the negative electrode (-) of the battery BATT at the time of engine start, and controls the LED lighting / lighting control circuit 11c. Set to ON. Since no current pulse is generated when the engine is stopped, the LED lighting control circuit 11c is turned off.
The external brightness detection circuit 11b is an amplifier circuit. If the light reception amount of the optical sensor 14 is the brightness corresponding to daytime, the LED lighting control circuit 11c is turned ON, and the light reception amount of the optical sensor 14 is the brightness corresponding to nighttime. If so, the LED lighting control circuit 11c is turned off.
The 5V power supply circuit 16 is a power supply for driving the engine start detection circuit 11a, the external brightness detection circuit 11b, and the LED lighting / off control circuit 11c.
[0035]
Next, FIG. 3 shows a configuration example in which the vehicle indicator light lighting device 10 according to the present invention is incorporated in a vehicle. The mounting of the vehicle indicator light lighting device 10 is only for mounting the indicator lights 13a and 13b outside the vehicle and connecting the terminals 12a and 12b to the battery. Note that the indicator lights 13a and 13b of the vehicle indicator light lighting device 10 can be attached to any place outside the vehicle, but the pedestrian or another driver needs to recognize the presence and position of the vehicle. It is preferable to attach to each of the front part and the rear part. Alternatively, it may be mounted on the side of a vehicle, a rear mirror, around a driver's seat, around a brake lamp, or the like.
[0036]
For example, at the front portion of the vehicle 100, the indicator lights 13a and 13b may be respectively mounted between the headlights 101 and the turn signals 102 on both left and right sides of the vehicle 100 (FIG. 3A). At this time, it is preferable that the optical sensor 14 is mounted together with the LED element on the substrate constituting the indicator light 13a. Thus, since the indicator light 13a and the optical sensor 14 are arranged at the same position, installation is easy. Further, since the external brightness can be detected at the position where the indicator light 13a is turned on, the visibility of the indicator lights 13a and 13b can be accurately adjusted according to the external brightness.
[0037]
Further, in the rear portion of the vehicle 100, the indicator lights 13a and 13b may be attached to the lower portions of the rear lamps 103 on the left and right sides of the vehicle 100, respectively (FIG. 3B).
[0038]
The operation content of the vehicle indicator light lighting device 10 attached to the vehicle 100 as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, at the same time when the engine of the vehicle 100 is started, the engine start detection circuit 11a detects the start of the engine and transmits a detection signal. In response to the detection detection signal, the LED lighting control circuit 11b outputs power from the battery to the LED element, and the light emitting element LED emits light. While the engine is running, the indicator lamps 13a and 13b are automatically turned on.
[0039]
Next, when the vehicle 100 is traveling and enters a dark place such as a tunnel, the amount of light received by the optical sensor 14 is reduced, and the external brightness detection circuit 11b determines that the outside is dark and has a certain brightness or less such as at night. A signal indicating the state is transmitted to the LED ON / OFF control circuit 11c. The LED lighting control circuit 11c that has received the signal sets the amount of power supplied to the light emitting element LED to a specified minimum value, minimizes the luminance of the light emitting element LED, and prevents the light emitting element LED from being too bright and dangerous.
[0040]
Furthermore, when the vehicle 100 goes from a dark place to a bright place such as a tunnel, the amount of light received by the optical sensor 14 increases, and the external brightness detection circuit 11b outputs a signal indicating that the outside is in a bright state with a certain level of brightness or more. Is transmitted to the LED lighting control circuit 11c. The LED lighting control circuit 11c that has received the signal sets the amount of power supplied to the light emitting element LED to a specified maximum value, sets the luminance of the light emitting element LED to the maximum, and improves the visibility of the indicator lamps 13a and 13b in a bright place. I do.
[0041]
Next, at the same time when the engine of the vehicle 100 is stopped, the engine start detection circuit 11a detects the stop of the engine and stops transmitting the detection signal. As a result, the LED on / off control circuit 11b stops the power output from the battery, the light emitting element stops emitting light, and the indicator lights 13a and 13b are turned off.
[0042]
In the above description, the daylight of the vehicle is assumed. However, the lights of the indicator lamps 13a and 13b are used as backlights to raise marks such as a mark for a disabled person, a beginner mark, and a dead leaf mark, and other vehicle driving is performed. It is good also as a means to inform a person of his / her vehicle.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, anyone can easily install a vehicle indicator light lighting device that can automatically turn on the indicator light when the engine is started and turn off the indicator light when the engine is stopped. In addition, when the current pulse from the battery is generated, it can be easily detected as the start of the engine.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the consumption of the battery and the load on the circuit through which the current flows in the vehicle indicator lighting device. Further, the size, thickness, and weight of the device can be reduced.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve the visibility as high-luminance light emission during bright daytime, and to suppress the brightness during dusk or darkness at night to prevent dazzling and danger.
According to the invention of claim 4, when a vehicle enters or leaves a shadow, the brightness of the indicator light is gradually reduced or increased without a sudden change without providing a special circuit. In addition, wear of the indicator lamp can be prevented.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the visibility of the indicator lamp can be accurately adjusted according to the external brightness.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle indicator light lighting device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an engine start detection circuit in the vehicle indicator light lighting device according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle indicator light lighting device according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 vehicle lighting device, 11 power supply unit, 11a engine start detection circuit, 11b external brightness detection circuit, 11c LED lighting control circuit, 12a, 12b terminal, 13a, 13b LED board, Reference numeral 14: light sensor, 15: manual lighting / extinguishing terminal, 16: 5V power supply circuit, 100: vehicle, 101: headlight, 102: turn signal, 103: rear lamp, BATT: battery, LED: light emitting element

Claims (5)

A pair of terminals connected to a positive electrode and a negative electrode of a battery provided in the vehicle driven by the engine, respectively;
A power supply unit connected to each of the terminals,
A vehicle indicator light lighting device comprising: an indicator light connected to the power supply unit and emitting light by receiving power supplied from the power supply unit,
The power supply unit supplies power from the battery when the battery is generating a current pulse, and stops power supply from the battery when the battery is not generating a current pulse.
A vehicle indicator light lighting device, characterized in that: The vehicle indicator lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the indicator includes at least one light emitting diode element. 2. The vehicle display according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit includes an optical sensor, and increases an output power as the amount of light received by the optical sensor increases, and decreases an output power as the amount of light decreases. 3. Lighting device. The vehicle indicator light lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the optical sensor is a Cds-type photoconductive element. The vehicle indicator light lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the optical sensor is arranged so as to be able to detect external light at the position where the indicator light is arranged.

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