JP2006160244A - Headlight control device for vehicle and headlight controlling method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform a position initializing process of a headlight so as not influence the driving operation of a driver when loss of synchronism of a stepping motor to rotate the headlight is sensed. <P>SOLUTION: When loss of synchronism of a stepping motor to rotate a left swivel lamp 14 is sensed, an initializing process to set it 14 to the initial position is conducted by rotating the lamp 14 in the direction toward the vehicle center (CW direction) while a right swivel lamp 20 is rotating toward outside the vehicle (CW direction). Accordingly even in case the initializing process is conducted during the vehicle running, the driver's line of view is prevented from being guided away owing to the motion associated with the initializing process of the swivel lamp 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a headlamp of a vehicle.

  Conventionally, in the AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting System), which is a technology for controlling the direction of headlamp illumination according to the steering angle of an automobile, to make the steering steering angle correspond to the headlamp illumination angle. A technique for performing an initialization process for setting a headlamp to an initial position when a vehicle is started is known (see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a method of rotating a headlamp until it hits a stopper when the vehicle is started, and setting a position rotated by a predetermined angle in the opposite direction from the hit position as an initial position. Yes.

JP 2004-106770 A

  However, in the conventional apparatus, since the initialization process is performed only once at the time of starting the vehicle, if the stepping motor that rotates the headlamp is stepped out while the vehicle is running, the headlamp There is a problem that the angle cannot be controlled to a desired angle.

  The vehicle headlamp control device and the vehicle headlamp control method according to the present invention rotate the headlamp according to the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the vehicle is driven from the outside of the vehicle. An initialization process for setting the headlamp to a predetermined initial position is performed by rotationally driving in the center direction. In the vehicle headlamp control device and the vehicle headlamp control method, when a step out of one of the two stepping motors for rotating the left and right headlamps is detected, the stepping motor is removed. When the headlamp driven by the stepping motor whose tone is not detected is rotationally driven in the vehicle outer direction, initialization processing of the headlamp driven by the stepping motor whose step-out is detected is performed. It is characterized by that.

  According to the vehicle headlamp control device and the vehicle headlamp control method of the present invention, when stepping motor out-of-step is detected while the vehicle is running, the headlamp initialization process is performed. The initialization process can be performed while preventing the driver's line of sight from being guided.

-First embodiment-
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle headlamp control device according to a first embodiment. The vehicle headlamp control device according to the first embodiment includes an ignition switch 1, a steering angle sensor 2, a vehicle speed sensor 3, a headlamp switch 4, a lateral acceleration sensor 5, and a road information detection device 6. A yaw rate sensor 7, a controller 100, and swivel lamp actuators 10 and 16. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of swivel lamps (headlights) 14 and 20 controlled by the vehicle headlight control device according to the first embodiment.

  The steering angle sensor 2 detects the steering angle of the steering and outputs it to the controller 100. The headlight switch 4 is turned on when a headlight switch (not shown) provided near the steering is turned on by the driver. The lateral acceleration sensor 5 detects the lateral acceleration of the vehicle and outputs it to the controller 100. The road information detection device 6 is, for example, a car navigation device, detects the radius of curvature at a curve point on the road based on the map data, and outputs it to the controller 100. The yaw rate sensor 7 detects the yaw rate of the vehicle and outputs it to the controller 100.

  FIG. 3 shows a swivel lamp actuator 10 for rotating the swivel lamp 14 on the left side of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the left swivel lamp 14) and the swivel lamp 20 on the right side (hereinafter referred to as the right swivel lamp 20). It is a figure which shows the structure of the swivel lamp actuator 16 for making it rotationally drive. The swivel lamp actuator 10 includes a stepping motor 11, a gear mechanism 12, and a position sensor 13.

  The configuration of the swivel lamp actuator 10 and the configuration of the swivel lamp actuator 16 are the same. In FIG. 3, the reference numerals of the respective parts constituting the swivel lamp actuator 16 are shown in parentheses. That is, the swivel lamp actuator 16 includes a stepping motor 17, a gear mechanism 18, and a position sensor 19. Hereinafter, the configuration of the swivel lamp actuator 10 will be described.

  The rotation output shaft of the stepping motor 11 is configured to mesh with the gear mechanism 12, and the rotation speed of the stepping motor 11 is reduced and transmitted to the swivel lamp 14. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a movable range of the swivel lamps 14 and 20. When the stepping motor 11 rotates in the clockwise direction (hereinafter referred to as the CW direction), the left swivel lamp 14 connected to the rotation output shaft of the swivel lamp actuator 10 moves from the outer side of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle, that is, Rotate right. Conversely, when the stepping motor 11 rotates counterclockwise (hereinafter referred to as the CCW direction), the left swivel lamp 14 rotates outward from the center direction of the vehicle, that is, leftward.

  When the stepping motor 17 rotates in the CW direction, the right swivel lamp 20 connected to the rotation output shaft of the swivel lamp actuator 16 rotates outward from the center direction of the vehicle, that is, in the right direction. Conversely, when the stepping motor 17 rotates in the CCW direction, the right swivel lamp 20 rotates from the outer side of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle, that is, leftward.

  The position sensor 13 is constituted by, for example, a hall sensor, and outputs a voltage value corresponding to the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 and the output voltage from the position sensor 13. As shown in FIG. 5, since the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 and the output voltage from the position sensor 13 are in a certain relationship, the left swivel lamp 14 is based on the voltage value output from the position sensor 13. Can be obtained.

  The stopper 15 is provided to restrict the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14. When the gear mechanism 12 or the left swivel lamp 14 is provided with a protrusion, and the gear mechanism 12 or the left swivel lamp 14 rotates to a certain angle, the protrusion and the stopper 15 interfere with each other, thereby restricting the rotation range of the left swivel lamp 14. The

  The controller 100 includes a microcomputer and its peripheral components, and includes a state transition determination unit 110, a target step number calculation unit 120, and a drive pulse generation unit 130 that are configured by a microcomputer software form. Details of processing performed by the state transition determination unit 110, the target step number calculation unit 120, and the drive pulse generation unit 130 will be described later. The controller 100 includes an ignition switch 1, a steering angle sensor 2, a vehicle speed sensor 3, a headlight switch 4, a lateral acceleration sensor 5, a road information detection device 6, a yaw rate sensor 7, and a control cycle (for example, 10 ms). The signals from the position sensors 13 and 19 are taken in and a rotation drive signal is output to the stepping motors 11 and 17.

  An initialization process method for setting the swivel lamps 14 and 20 to the initial position will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a method for performing initialization processing of the right swivel lamp 20 will be described. The controller 100 transmits a command signal for rotating the right swivel lamp 20 in the vehicle center direction (left direction) to the swivel lamp actuator 16. The swivel lamp actuator 16 that has received this signal rotates the right swivel lamp 20 in the left direction by driving the stepping motor 17 in the CCW direction.

  When the right swivel lamp 20 is rotated to the stopper abutting position where the stopper 21 exists, the controller 100 specifies the position of the stopper 21 and then commands to rotate the right swivel lamp 20 in the vehicle outer direction (right direction). A signal is transmitted to the swivel lamp actuator 16. Upon receiving this signal, the swivel lamp actuator 16 rotates the right swivel lamp 20 in the right direction by rotating the stepping motor 17 in the CW direction. At this time, based on the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 input from the position sensor 19, the controller 100 rotates the swivel lamp actuator 16 when the right swivel lamp 20 rotates by a predetermined angle (for example, 1 deg) from the stopper abutting position. Send a stop command signal to. As shown in FIG. 6, this predetermined angle is an angle between the straight traveling direction of the vehicle and the direction in which the stopper 21 exists. The swivel lamp actuator 16 that has received this signal stops the stepping motor 17. As a result, the right swivel lamp 20 stops at a position where the direction of the optical axis is parallel to the straight traveling direction of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the control origin position).

  The same applies to the method for initializing the left swivel lamp 14. That is, when the left swivel lamp 14 is rotated in the vehicle center direction (right direction) and abutted against the stopper 15, the left swivel lamp 14 is stopped at a position rotated by a predetermined angle (for example, 1 deg) in the opposite direction (left direction). As a result, the left swivel lamp 14 stops at the control origin position.

  In the vehicle headlamp control device according to the first embodiment, four states are distinguished according to the drive control states of the swivel lamps 14 and 20. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating state transitions of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 according to the output voltages from the position sensors 13 and 19. When the ignition switch 1 is turned on, the above-described initialization process of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 is started. In the initialization process, a state in which the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are driven in the direction of the stoppers 15 and 21 is referred to as a state 1 (state transition number 1).

  Subsequently, a state in which processing for determining the positions of the stoppers 15 and 21 is performed based on outputs from the position sensors 13 and 19 is referred to as a state 2 (state transition number 2). In the state 1 and the state 2, the process of rotating the swivel lamps 14 and 20 in the direction of the stoppers 15 and 21 is continuously performed. When the positions of the stoppers 15 and 21 are determined in the state 2, the state is changed to the state 3 (state transition number 3), and the process of driving the swivel lamps 14 and 20 by a predetermined angle in the opposite direction is performed. State 4 (state transition number 4) is a state during normal control, and when the headlamp switch 4 is turned on, the angles of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are set according to the outputs of the steering angle sensor 2 and the vehicle speed sensor 3. Control.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing contents when transitioning from state 1 to state 2. Hereinafter, the state transition of the left swivel lamp 14 will be described. When the ignition switch 1 is turned on, the controller 100 starts the initialization process of the swivel lamp 14 as described above. That is, the swivel lamp 14 is driven in the direction of the stopper 15.

  The process started from step S10 is performed by the state transition determination unit 110 of the controller 100. When the ignition switch 1 is turned on, the state transition determination unit 110 starts the process of step S10. In step S10, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 detected by the position sensor 13 is less than a predetermined angle (for example, 1 deg). The angle detected by the position sensor 13 is positive in the vehicle outer direction (left direction) with reference to the vehicle straight direction. If it is determined that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S20. In step S20, the value of “position sensor minimum value” used in the process described later is set to 1 deg, and the process returns to step S10.

  If it is determined in step S10 that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is less than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is smaller than the “position sensor minimum value”. If it is determined that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is smaller than the position sensor minimum value, the process proceeds to step S40. In step S40, the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is set to the value of “position sensor minimum value”, and the process returns to step S10.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S30 that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is equal to or greater than the “position sensor minimum value”, the process proceeds to step S50. In step S50, since it is considered that the left swivel lamp 14 has hit the stopper 15, the state of the left swivel lamp 13 is changed to state 2, and the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing contents when the state of the left swivel lamp 14 transitions from the state 2 to the state 3. When the process of step S50 in the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 8 is performed, the state transition determination unit 110 of the controller 100 starts the process of step S100. However, when the state of the left swivel lamp 14 transitions to the state 2, the controller 100 makes the driving speed of the stepping motor 11 slower than that in the state 1 (for example, from 1/2 to 1 of the driving speed in the state 1). / 10).

  In step S100, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is smaller than the “position sensor minimum value”. The position sensor minimum value is a value set in step S40 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 or a value set in step S110 described later. If it is determined that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is smaller than the “position sensor minimum value”, the process proceeds to step S110. In step S110, the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is set to the value of “position sensor minimum value”, and the process proceeds to step S120. In step S120, the counter value of the counter 110d provided in the state transition determination unit 110 is set to 0, and the process returns to step S100.

  If it is determined in step S100 that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is equal to or greater than the “position sensor minimum value”, the process proceeds to step S130. In step S130, the counter value of the counter 110d is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to step S140. In step S140, it is determined whether or not the counter value of the counter 110d has reached 10. If it is determined that the counter value has not reached 10, the process returns to step S100.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S140 that the counter value of the counter 110d has reached 10, the process proceeds to step S150. In step S150, the state of the left swivel lamp 13 is set to state 3. That is, while the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is decreasing, the detection angle is set to the “position sensor minimum value” value, and the detected angle does not fall below the “position sensor minimum value”. After 10 times, the state 2 changes to the state 3. In this case, the position of “position sensor minimum value” is specified as the position of the stopper 15. If the process of step S150 is performed, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 will be complete | finished.

  In state 3, as described above, the left swivel lamp 14 is driven by a predetermined angle in the opposite direction (the vehicle outer direction). When the left swivel lamp 14 is driven by a predetermined angle in the opposite direction, the state 4 is changed.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing performed when the state of the left swivel lamp 14 becomes state 4. When the state of the left swivel lamp 14 transitions to state 4, the state transition determination unit 110 of the controller 100 starts the process of step S200. In step S200, the estimated angle value of the left swivel lamp 14 is calculated by the following equation (1).
Estimated angle of left swivel lamp = actual number of steps x (resolution / gear ratio) (1)
However, the actual number of steps is the number of steps of the stepping motor 11 output from the drive pulse generation unit 130 of the controller 100. The resolution is the resolution of the stepping motor 11, and the gear ratio is the gear ratio of the gear mechanism 12.

If the angle estimated value of the left swivel lamp 14 is calculated in step S200, the process proceeds to step S210. In step S210, it is determined whether the relationship of following Formula (2) is materialized.
｜ Left swivel lamp actual angle−Left swivel lamp angle estimated value |> Predetermined value (2)
Here, the actual angle of the left swivel lamp is an angle detected by the position sensor 13.

  If the absolute value of the difference between the actual angle of the left swivel lamp detected by the position sensor 13 and the estimated angle of the left swivel lamp calculated in step S200 is greater than a predetermined value, the stepping motor 11 has stepped out. Determination is made and the process proceeds to step S220. On the other hand, when the absolute value of the difference between the two is equal to or less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the stepping motor 11 has not stepped out and normal control is performed. That is, when the headlamp switch 4 is turned on, the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 is controlled based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 2 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3. .

  In step S220, it is determined whether the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 detected by the position sensor 19 is larger than a predetermined threshold angle. The angle detected by the position sensor 19 is positive in the vehicle outward direction (right direction) with reference to the vehicle straight direction. The threshold angle is set to a value larger than the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 detected by the position sensor 13. If it is determined that the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 is larger than the predetermined threshold angle, the process proceeds to step S250, and if it is determined that the rotation angle is equal to or smaller than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S230.

  In step S230, it is determined whether the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration sensor 5 is greater than a predetermined acceleration. However, the value of the lateral acceleration used in this determination is positive for the acceleration in the vehicle left direction. If it is determined that the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is greater than the predetermined acceleration, the process proceeds to step S250, and if it is determined that the vehicle is below the predetermined acceleration, the process proceeds to step S240. In step S240, it is determined whether the vehicle yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor 7 is greater than a predetermined value. However, here, the value of the yaw rate when the vehicle turns right is a positive value. If it is determined that the yaw rate of the vehicle is greater than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S250. If it is determined that the vehicle yaw rate is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S250, the state of the left swivel lamp 14 is changed to state 1. That is, an initialization process for setting the swivel lamp 14 to the initial position is performed.

That is, when a step out of the stepping motor 11 for rotating the left swivel lamp 14 occurs, if any one of the following three conditions (a) to (c) is satisfied: The left swivel lamp 14 is initialized.
(A) The rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 is larger than a predetermined angle. (B) The lateral acceleration of the vehicle when the acceleration in the left direction of the vehicle is positive is larger than the predetermined acceleration. (C) The yaw rate value when turning right The vehicle yaw rate is greater than the predetermined value when

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing that is performed when the state of the right swivel lamp 20 becomes state 4. When the state of the right swivel lamp 20 transitions to the state 4, the state transition determination unit 110 of the controller 100 starts the process of step S300. In step S300, the estimated angle value of the right swivel lamp 20 is calculated by the following equation (3).
Angle estimate of right swivel lamp = actual number of steps x (resolution / gear ratio) (3)
However, the actual number of steps is the number of steps of the stepping motor 17 output from the drive pulse generation unit 130 of the controller 100. The resolution is the resolution of the stepping motor 17, and the gear ratio is the gear ratio of the gear mechanism 18.

If the angle estimated value of the right swivel lamp 20 is calculated in step S300, the process proceeds to step S310. In step S310, it is determined whether the relationship of following Formula (4) is materialized.
| Right swivel lamp actual angle-right swivel lamp angle estimated value |> predetermined value (4)
Here, the actual angle of the right swivel lamp is an angle detected by the position sensor 19. The threshold angle is set to a value larger than the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 detected by the position sensor 19.

  If the absolute value of the difference between the actual angle of the right swivel lamp detected by the position sensor 19 and the estimated angle of the right swivel lamp calculated in step S300 is greater than a predetermined value, the stepping motor 17 has stepped out. Determination is made and the process proceeds to step S320. On the other hand, when the absolute value of the difference between the two is equal to or less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the stepping motor 17 has not stepped out and normal control is performed. That is, when the headlamp switch 4 is turned on, the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 is controlled based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 2 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3. To do.

  In step S320, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 detected by the position sensor 13 is larger than a predetermined threshold angle. If it is determined that the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 is greater than the predetermined threshold angle, the process proceeds to step S350, and if it is determined that it is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold angle, the process proceeds to step S330.

  In step S330, it is determined whether the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration sensor 5 is greater than a predetermined acceleration. However, the lateral acceleration value used in this determination is positive in the vehicle rightward direction. If it is determined that the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is greater than the predetermined acceleration, the process proceeds to step S350, and if it is determined that the vehicle is below the predetermined acceleration, the process proceeds to step S340. In step S340, it is determined whether the vehicle yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor 7 is greater than a predetermined value. However, here, the value of the yaw rate when the vehicle turns left is a positive value. If it is determined that the yaw rate of the vehicle is greater than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S350. If it is determined that the vehicle is less than the predetermined value, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

That is, when a step out of the stepping motor 17 for rotating the right swivel lamp 20 occurs, if any one of the following three conditions (d) to (f) is satisfied: The right swivel lamp 20 is initialized.
(D) The rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 is larger than a predetermined angle. (E) The lateral acceleration of the vehicle when the acceleration in the right direction of the vehicle is positive is larger than the predetermined acceleration. (F) The value of the yaw rate at the left turn. The vehicle yaw rate when positive is greater than the specified value

The target step number calculation unit 120 of the controller 100 takes in the state transition number output from the state transition determination unit 110, the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 2, and the vehicle speed signal detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3. The target number of steps of the stepping motors 11 and 17 is calculated. However, the target step number calculation unit 120 does not calculate the target step number when the state transition number is 1 to 3, but calculates the target step number when the state transition number is 4. Specifically, first, a target swivel angle optimum for the driver is determined according to the steering angle and the vehicle speed, and the target step number is calculated from the following equation (5).
Target step number = target swivel angle / (resolution / gear ratio) (5)
However, the resolution is the resolution of the stepping motors 11 and 17, and the gear ratio is the gear ratio of the gear mechanisms 12 and 18.

  The drive pulse generation unit 130 of the controller 100 drives the drive pulses of the stepping motors 11 and 17 based on the state transition number output from the state transition determination unit 110 and the target step number calculated by the target step number calculation unit 120. Is generated.

  When the state transition number is 1, an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 11 is driven in the CW direction, and an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 17 is driven in the CCW direction. The output pulse at this time is a high frequency (for example, 400 PPS [PPS: Pulse per Second]).

  When the state transition number is 2, an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 11 is driven in the CW direction, and an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 17 is driven in the CCW direction. However, the output pulse at this time is set to a low frequency (for example, 20 PPS) so that the driving speed of the stepping motors 11 and 17 is slower than the driving speed in the state 1.

  When the state transition number is 3, an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 11 is driven in the CCW direction, and an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 17 is driven in the CW direction. The output pulse at this time is a high frequency (for example, 400 PPS).

When the state transition number is 4, an output pulse is generated by comparing the target step number with the current actual step number. The output pulse of the stepping motor 11 is generated as follows.
Target step number> Current actual step number: Output pulse is generated so as to drive in the CCW direction.Target step number <Current actual step number: Output pulse is generated so as to be driven in the CW direction. The output pulse is generated as follows.
・ Target step number> Current actual step number: Generate output pulse to drive in CW direction ・ Target step number <Current actual step number: Generate output pulse to drive in CCW direction

  FIG. 12 shows the angle change of the left swivel lamp 14 when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 is performed based on the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 when the stepping motor 11 on the left side occurs. FIG. When the left stepping motor 11 steps out at the timing of FIG. 12A, the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 is started at the timing (b) when the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 exceeds a predetermined angle. To do. That is, when the vehicle is turning right and the driver's line of sight is gazing in the right direction, an initialization process for rotating the left swivel lamp 14 in the right direction is performed.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a change in the angle of the left swivel lamp 14 when the left swivel lamp 14 is initialized based on the lateral acceleration of the vehicle when the left stepping motor 11 is stepped out. is there. When the left stepping motor 11 steps out at the timing shown in FIG. 13A, the left swivel lamp 14 is turned on at the timing (b) when the lateral acceleration of the vehicle (the acceleration in the vehicle leftward direction is positive) exceeds a predetermined acceleration. Start the initialization process. That is, when the vehicle is turning right and the driver's line of sight is gazing in the right direction, an initialization process for rotating the left swivel lamp 14 in the right direction is performed.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a change in the angle of the left swivel lamp 14 when the left swivel lamp 14 is initialized based on the yaw rate of the vehicle when the left stepping motor 11 steps out. . When the stepping motor 11 on the left side is stepped out at the timing of FIG. 14A, the left swivel lamp is driven at the timing (b) when the yaw rate of the vehicle (the value of the yaw rate when turning right is positive) exceeds a predetermined value. 14 initialization processing is started. That is, when the vehicle is turning right and the driver's line of sight is gazing in the right direction, an initialization process for rotating the left swivel lamp 14 in the right direction is performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, when the stepping motor 11 on the left side has stepped out, initialization processing of the left swivel lamp 14 is performed when the vehicle is turning right. Thus, for example, when the left swivel lamp 14 is initialized when the vehicle turns left, the driver's line of sight is induced in the movement of the left swivel lamp 14, which affects the driving of the driver. Can be prevented.

  Also, when the stepping motor 17 on the right side has stepped out, initialization processing for rotating the right swivel lamp 20 leftward when the vehicle is turning left and the driver's line of sight is gazing leftward. I do. Also in this case, for example, when the right swivel lamp 20 is initialized during a right turn, the driver's line of sight is guided to the movement of the right swivel lamp 20, which affects the driving of the driver. Can be prevented.

  According to the vehicle headlamp control device in the first embodiment, one of the stepping motor 11 that rotates the left swivel lamp 14 and the stepping motor 17 that rotates the right swivel lamp 20 rotates. When the step out motor is detected, when the swivel lamp driven by the stepping motor on which no step out has been detected is driven to rotate outward in the vehicle, it is driven by the stepping motor in which the step out has been detected. Performs swivel lamp initialization processing. As a result, the rotation direction of the swivel lamp to be driven during the initialization process is removed when the initialization process for setting the swivel lamp to the predetermined initial position is performed by rotating the swivel lamp from the vehicle outer direction toward the vehicle center direction. The direction in which the swivel lamp driven by the stepping motor whose tone is not detected is rotationally driven can be matched. That is, even when the swivel lamp initialization process is performed while the vehicle is traveling, it is possible to prevent the driver's line of sight from being guided by the rotation of the swivel lamp accompanying the initialization process. Further, by matching the direction of the swivel lamp driven during the initialization process with the turning direction of the vehicle, there is no risk of dazzling the oncoming vehicle.

  Further, in the vehicle headlamp control device according to the first embodiment, the swivel lamp driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out is not detected during the initialization process of the swivel lamp accompanying the step-out of the stepping motor. When the rotation angle exceeds a predetermined angle, the initialization process is started. At this time, by setting the size of the predetermined angle to be larger than the rotation angle of the swivel lamp that performs the initialization process, when the swivel lamp that does not perform the initialization process returns to the position in the vehicle straight running direction, the predetermined angle is removed. It is possible to complete the initialization process of the swivel lamp on the side where the key is detected. That is, it is possible to shift to normal control without causing the left and right swivel lamps to move discontinuously.

-Second Embodiment-
In the vehicular headlamp control apparatus according to the first embodiment, the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are stopped by the stopper 15 at a constant rotational speed in the state of the state transition number 1 when the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are initialized. , 21 direction. In the vehicular headlamp control apparatus according to the second embodiment, the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are swung in accordance with the positions of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 in the state of the state transition number 1 when the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are initialized. Change the rotation speed.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle headlamp control device according to the second embodiment. The vehicle headlamp control device in the second embodiment is different from the vehicle headlamp control device in the first embodiment in a drive pulse generation unit 130A of the controller 100A. The drive pulse generation unit 130A includes the state transition number output from the state transition determination unit 110, the target step number calculated by the target step number calculation unit 120, and the swivel lamps 14 and 20 detected by the position sensors 13 and 19. Based on the rotation angle, drive pulses for the stepping motors 11 and 17 are generated.

  FIG. 16 shows the relationship between the rotation angle of swivel lamps 14 and 20 and the drive pulses generated by drive pulse generator 130A in the state of state transition number 1 when the initialization process of swivel lamps 14 and 20 is performed. FIG. For example, when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 is performed, if the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 is larger than a predetermined rotation speed change angle (for example, 0 deg), the number of drive pulses output from the drive pulse generator 130A When the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined rotation speed change angle, the number of output pulses is 20 PPS. Similarly, when the initialization process of the right swivel lamp 20 is performed, when the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 is larger than a predetermined rotation speed change angle, the number of output pulses is set to 400 PPS, and the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 is predetermined. When the rotation speed change angle is equal to or less than the output speed, the number of output pulses is set to 20 PPS.

  That is, when the rotation angle of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 performing the initialization process becomes small and the swivel lamps 14 and 20 approach the stoppers 15 and 21, the rotation speed of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 is reduced. Thereby, since the rebound amount when the swivel lamps 14 and 20 hit the stoppers 15 and 21 can be reduced, it is possible to improve the accuracy of stopping the swivel lamps 14 and 20 at the control origin position. Further, since the number of output pulses is set to 400 PPS at a position where the rotation angle of the swivel lamp is larger than the rotation speed change angle, the initialization process can be completed quickly.

  FIG. 17 shows the angle change of the left swivel lamp 14 when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 is performed based on the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 when the left stepping motor 11 steps out. FIG. When the stepping motor 11 on the left side is stepped out at the timing of FIG. 17 (a), the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 is started at the timing (b) when the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 exceeds a predetermined angle. To do. At this time, as described above, when the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined rotation speed change angle (for example, 0 deg), the rotation speed of the left swivel lamp 14 is decreased.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a change in the angle of the left swivel lamp 14 when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 is performed based on the lateral acceleration of the vehicle when the left stepping motor 11 steps out. is there. When the left stepping motor 11 steps out at the timing shown in FIG. 18 (a), the left swivel lamp 14 is turned on at the timing (b) when the lateral acceleration of the vehicle (acceleration in the left direction of the vehicle is positive) exceeds the predetermined acceleration. Start the initialization process. At this time, as described above, when the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined rotation speed change angle (for example, 0 deg), the rotation speed of the left swivel lamp 14 is decreased.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a change in the angle of the left swivel lamp 14 when the left swivel lamp 14 is initialized based on the yaw rate of the vehicle when the left stepping motor 11 steps out. . When the stepping motor 11 on the left side is stepped out at the timing of FIG. 19A, the left swivel lamp is at the timing (b) when the yaw rate of the vehicle (the value of the yaw rate when turning right is positive) exceeds a predetermined value. 14 initialization processing is started. At this time, as described above, when the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined rotation speed change angle (for example, 0 deg), the rotation speed of the left swivel lamp 14 is decreased.

  According to the vehicle headlamp control device in the second embodiment, when the swivel lamp initialization process is performed, if the swivel lamp rotation angle is equal to or smaller than the predetermined rotation speed change angle, the swivel lamp rotation speed is determined. Therefore, the amount of rebound when the swivel lamps 14 and 20 come into contact with the stoppers 15 and 21 can be reduced, and the accuracy of stopping the swivel lamps 14 and 20 at the control origin position can be improved. Also, when the rotation angle of the swivel lamp is higher than the predetermined rotation speed change angle, the swivel lamp is rotated at the normal rotation speed, so that even when a step-out occurs at a position where the rotation speed is high, the initialization process is completed quickly. be able to.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, when the left stepping motor 11 is stepped out, the timing for performing the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 is set such that the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 is a predetermined angle or more and the acceleration in the left direction of the vehicle is positive. It is assumed that any one of the three conditions, that is, the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is greater than or equal to the predetermined acceleration and the yaw rate of the vehicle (a positive value when turning right) is greater than or equal to the predetermined value. However, the initialization process may be performed according to the shape of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. For example, when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 is performed, when the road being run is curved in the right direction and the curvature radius of the curve detected by the road information detection device 6 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value. Initialization processing can also be performed. Also in this case, the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 can be performed while the right swivel lamp 20 is rotationally driven in the right direction.

  In the vehicle headlamp control device in each of the above-described embodiments, the control angle of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 is determined according to the vehicle speed and the steering angle. Therefore, the timing for performing the swivel lamp initialization process while the vehicle is traveling can be determined based on the vehicle speed and the steering angle.

  In the first embodiment, during the swivel lamp initialization process, the initialization process is started when the rotation angle of the swivel lamp driven by the stepping motor whose step-out is not detected exceeds a predetermined angle. Explained. At this time, the example in which the magnitude of the predetermined angle is set to an angle larger than the rotation angle of the swivel lamp that performs the initialization process has been described. For example, the predetermined rotation angle of the swivel lamp that performs the initialization process is set in advance. If the angle is equal to or smaller than the angle, the initialization process may be started, and if the angle is larger than the predetermined angle, the initialization process may not be started. However, in these controls, when the swivel lamp that is not subjected to the initialization process returns to the position in the straight line direction of the vehicle, the initialization process of the swivel lamp on the side where the step-out has been detected may be completed. Since it is for obtaining the effect that it is possible, if such an effect is not required, there is no need to ask the magnitude relationship between the size of the predetermined angle and the rotation angle of the swivel lamp that performs the initialization process. .

  In the vehicle headlamp control device according to the second embodiment, when the rotation angle of swivel lamps 14 and 20 is equal to or less than a predetermined rotation speed change angle, the number of drive pulses output from drive pulse generator 130A is increased from 400 PPS to 20 PPS. Changed to However, as the rotation angle of the swivel lamp becomes smaller, the number of output pulses may be gradually reduced. The method of decreasing the number of output pulses may be a non-continuous method in which the number of output pulses is gradually reduced in steps, or a continuous method. In these cases, the rotation speed decreases as the rotation angle of the swivel lamps 14, 20 decreases, and the rotation speed increases as the rotation angle of the swivel lamps 14, 20 increases. FIG. 20 shows an example of the relationship between the rotation angle and the number of output pulses when the number of drive pulses output from the drive pulse generation unit 130A is continuously reduced as the rotation angle of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 decreases. FIG.

  When the step-out of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 occurs in the outward direction of the vehicle, that is, when the actual angles of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 detected by the position sensors 13 and 19 are larger than the rotation angle command value, It is also possible to increase the rotation speed during the conversion process. The process of increasing the rotation speed may be performed for a predetermined time, for example. When the step-out of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 occurs in the outer direction of the vehicle, there is a possibility that the oncoming vehicle may be dazzled. Therefore, the swivel lamps 14 and 20 when performing the initialization process By increasing the rotation speed, it is possible to eliminate the dazzling state more quickly.

  The correspondence between the constituent elements of the claims and the constituent elements of the first and second embodiments is as follows. That is, the controller 100 constitutes step-out detection means and control means, the position sensors 13 and 19 constitute angle detection means, the lateral acceleration sensor 5 constitutes lateral acceleration detection means, and the yaw rate sensor 7 constitutes yaw rate detection means. In addition, the above description is an example to the last, and when interpreting invention, it is not limited to the correspondence of the component of said embodiment and the component of this invention at all.

The figure which shows the structure of the vehicle headlamp control apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the swivel lamp controlled by the vehicle headlamp control apparatus in 1st Embodiment. Diagram showing the configuration of the swivel lamp actuator Diagram showing the movable range of the swivel lamp The figure which shows an example of the relationship between the rotation angle of a left swivel lamp, and the output voltage from a position sensor. The figure for demonstrating the method of the initialization process which sets a swivel lamp to an initial position The figure which shows the state transition of the swivel lamp according to the output voltage from a position sensor The flowchart which shows the processing content when the state of a left swivel lamp changes from state 1 to state 2 The flowchart which shows the processing content at the time of the state of a left swivel lamp changing from the state 2 to the state 3 The flowchart which shows the processing content performed when the state of a left swivel lamp will be in state 4 The flowchart which shows the processing content performed when the state of a right swivel lamp will be in state 4 The figure which shows the angle change of the left swivel lamp when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp is performed based on the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp when the left stepping motor steps out The figure which shows the angle change of the left swivel lamp when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp is performed based on the lateral acceleration of the vehicle when the left stepping motor steps out The figure which shows the angle change of the left swivel lamp when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp is performed based on the yaw rate of the vehicle when the left stepping motor steps out The figure which shows the structure of the vehicle headlamp control apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the relationship between the rotation angle of a swivel lamp, and the drive pulse produced | generated in a drive pulse production | generation part, when performing the initialization process of a swivel lamp In the second embodiment, when the left stepping motor steps out, the left swivel lamp angle change when the left swivel lamp initialization process is performed based on the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp. Illustration The figure which shows the angle change of the left swivel lamp when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp is performed based on the lateral acceleration of the vehicle when the left stepping motor steps out in the second embodiment. The figure which shows the angle change of the left swivel lamp when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp is performed based on the yaw rate of the vehicle when the left stepping motor steps out in the second embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the relationship between a rotation angle and the number of output pulses in case the number of drive pulses output from a drive pulse production | generation part is decreased continuously as the rotation angle of a swivel lamp becomes small.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ignition switch, 2 ... Steering angle sensor, 3 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 4 ... Headlight switch, 5 ... Lateral acceleration sensor, 6 ... Road information detection means, 7 ... Yaw rate sensor, 10, 16 ... Swivel lamp actuator, 11 , 17 ... stepping motor, 12, 18 ... gear mechanism, 13, 19 ... position sensor, 14, 20 ... swivel lamp, 15, 21 ... stopper, 100 ... controller, 110 ... state transition determination unit, 120 ... target step number calculation , 130... Drive pulse generator

Claims (13)

A device for rotating the headlamp according to the traveling direction of the vehicle, wherein the headlamp is moved to a predetermined initial position by rotating the headlamp from the outside of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle. In the vehicle headlamp control device that performs initialization processing to be set,
A step-out detection means for detecting a step-out of the first stepping motor for rotating the left headlamp, and a second stepping motor for driving the right headlamp;
When the step-out detecting means detects the step-out of either one of the first and second stepping motors, the step-out detecting means is not driven by the stepping motor that has not detected the step-out. Control means for performing initialization processing of the headlamp driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out is detected when the headlamp is rotationally driven in the vehicle outer direction. Light control device. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 1,
Lateral acceleration detection means for detecting the lateral acceleration of the vehicle,
The control means is driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out is detected when the lateral acceleration in the direction of the headlamp driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out has been detected exceeds a predetermined acceleration with respect to the center of the vehicle. The vehicle headlamp control device is characterized by performing initialization processing for the headlamp to be performed. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 1 or 2,
It further comprises a yaw rate detection means for detecting the yaw rate of the vehicle,
The control means has a yaw rate when the value of the yaw rate when the vehicle is turning in the direction of a headlamp driven by a stepping motor in which step-out has not been detected is positive with respect to the center of the vehicle. A vehicle headlamp control device that performs initialization processing of a headlamp driven by a stepping motor in which the step-out is detected when a predetermined value is exceeded. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Road information detection means for detecting the curvature radius of the road,
The control means is configured such that the road on which the vehicle is traveling curves in the direction of a headlamp driven by a stepping motor in which step-out is not detected with reference to the center of the vehicle, and the curvature of the curve A vehicular headlamp control apparatus that performs initialization processing of a headlamp driven by a stepping motor in which the step-out is detected when a radius is equal to or less than a predetermined radius of curvature. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An angle detection means for detecting the rotation angle of the headlamp;
The control means is driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out is detected when the rotation angle of the headlamp driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out is not detected by the angle detection means exceeds a predetermined angle. The vehicle headlamp control device is characterized by performing initialization processing for the headlamp to be performed. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 5,
The vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is set to be larger than a rotation angle of a headlamp that has been driven by the stepping motor in which step-out is detected by the step-out detection means. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An angle detection means for detecting the rotation angle of the headlamp;
The control means slows down the rotation speed of the headlamp performing the initialization process when the rotation angle of the headlamp performing the initialization process is equal to or less than a predetermined rotation speed change angle. Vehicle headlamp control device. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 5 or 6,
The control means slows down the rotation speed of the headlamp performing the initialization process when the rotation angle of the headlamp performing the initialization process is equal to or less than a predetermined rotation speed change angle. Vehicle headlamp control device. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An angle detection means for detecting the rotation angle of the headlamp;
The vehicular headlamp control device is characterized in that the control means slows down the rotation speed of the headlamp performing the initialization process as the rotation angle of the headlamp performing the initialization process decreases. . In the vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 5 or 6,
The vehicular headlamp control device is characterized in that the control means slows down the rotation speed of the headlamp performing the initialization process as the rotation angle of the headlamp performing the initialization process decreases. . In the vehicle headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An angle detection means for detecting the rotation angle of the headlamp;
The control means, when the rotation angle of the headlamp driven by the stepping motor whose step-out is detected by the step-out detection means is larger than the rotation angle command value, the rotation speed of the headlamp during the initialization process A vehicle headlamp control device characterized by speeding up the operation. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to any one of claims 5 to 10,
The control means, when the rotation angle of the headlamp driven by the stepping motor whose step-out is detected by the step-out detection means is larger than the rotation angle command value, the rotation speed of the headlamp during the initialization process A vehicle headlamp control device characterized by speeding up the operation. The headlamp is driven to rotate in accordance with the traveling direction of the vehicle. The headlamp is rotated from the outer side of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle to bring the headlamp to a predetermined initial position. In the vehicle headlamp control method for performing initialization processing to be set,
When a step out of one of the first stepping motor for rotating the left headlamp and the second stepping motor for rotating the right headlamp is detected. The initialization of the headlamp driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out is detected when the headlamp driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out has not been detected is driven to rotate outward in the vehicle. The vehicle headlamp control method characterized by performing a process.

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