JP2007026767A - Lighting system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighting system for a vehicle having an LED lamp suppressing snow sticking at low cost. <P>SOLUTION: In the lighting system for a vehicle including a pair of head lamps 1 having LED lamps 1a to emit light, and fog lamps 2 generating heat with luminescence, the fog lamps 2 are provided to emit light to warm luminescent areas 5a of the LED lamps as lens portions through which the LED lamp light from the head lamps 1 passes to emit light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an illumination device for a vehicle using a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as LED) lamp as a light source.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it is known that an LED lamp is used as a light source in a vehicle lighting device such as a vehicle headlamp or a rear combination lamp.

  Although this LED lamp is excellent in energy saving, there is a problem that when the snow adheres to the lamp cover that covers the front surface of the vehicular lighting device, the snow is difficult to melt because the amount of heat generation is small.

Therefore, in a vehicle lighting device having an LED lamp, in order to suppress such snow accretion, there is known one provided with a heat exchanger that transmits waste heat of the LED lamp substrate to the lamp cover ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-296212 A

  However, in the above-described conventional technology, there is a problem in that it is necessary to add a heat exchanger such as a heat ray in the apparatus, which increases the cost.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to suppress snowfall at a low cost in a vehicle lighting device having an LED lamp.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the second light-emitting unit that emits light with heat generation emits light so as to warm the LED lamp light-emitting range, which is a lens part through which the lamp light of the outer lens passes and emits light. It is the illuminating device for vehicles characterized by being provided in the most.

  In the present invention, when the second light emitting unit emits light, the LED lamp light emitting range is warmed by the light emission, and snowfall to this range is suppressed.

  Thus, in order to suppress snow accretion by light emission of the 2nd light emission part provided in the vehicle illuminating device, it manufactures cheaply compared with adding a heat exchanger etc. separate from both light emission parts. be able to.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The vehicle lighting device of this embodiment includes a first light emitting part (1) that emits light by an LED lamp (1a), a housing (4) that supports the first light emitting part (1) so as to surround the first light emitting part (1), A vehicle provided with an outer lens (5) that covers the vehicle exterior side of the housing (4), and a second light emitting part (2) that is provided in the vicinity of the first light emitting part (1) and emits light as it generates heat. The second light-emitting unit (2) emits light so as to warm the LED lamp light-emitting range (5a), which is a lens part through which the lamp light of the outer lens (5) passes and emits light. It is the lighting device for vehicles characterized by being provided.

  A vehicle lighting apparatus A according to Example 1 of the best mode of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described.

  First, the configuration will be described.

  The vehicle illumination device A according to the first embodiment is applied to a headlamp that is provided at a front end portion of an automobile M (see FIGS. 3 and 4) and illuminates the front of the vehicle, and is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As described above, the headlamp 1 as the first light emitting unit, the fog lamp 2 as the second light emitting unit, the housing 4 that supports the headlamp 1 and the fog lamp 2 on the vehicle body 3, and the outside of the housing 4 are covered. And an outer lens 5.

  The vehicle lighting device A according to the first embodiment is provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle, but only those provided on the left side of the vehicle are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In both figures, the arrow OUT indicates the vehicle outward direction in the vehicle width direction, the arrow IN indicates the vehicle center direction in the vehicle width direction, and the arrow UP indicates the vehicle upward direction.

  The headlamp 1 is disposed closer to the vehicle outward direction of the housing 4 and includes four LEDs (light emitting diodes) 1a, 1a, 1a, 1a. As shown in FIG. 2, two LEDs 1a arranged in parallel on the left and right are arranged in two upper and lower stages.

  Further, dotted arrows H and H in FIG. 1 indicate a passing range of light (including direct irradiation and reflection) irradiated from the headlamp 1. In the outer lens 5, a range in which the light irradiated from the headlamp 1 (light in the passing ranges H and H) is projected is an LED lamp emission range 5a. The LED lamp emission range 5a serves as a lens function of the headlamp 1, and the light from the headlamp 1 is applied to the headlamp irradiation range 1A shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fog lamp 2 is provided adjacent to a position near the center of the vehicle of the headlamp 1 in the housing 4, and emits light with heat energy generated by energizing a filament such as a halogen bulb or an incandescent bulb. A bulb 2a and a parabolic reflector 2b that reflects the light of the bulb 2a are provided.

  In the fog lamp 2, the fog lamp irradiation range 2A, which is the irradiation range of the light that has passed through the outer lens 5, illuminates the front side and left and right side ranges of the head lamp irradiation range 1A as shown in FIGS. Is set to

  Further, the fog lamp 2 has a fog lamp main optical axis (a straight line passing through the center of the bulb in the direction in which the light reflected by the reflector paraboloid is irradiated with the bulb 2a as a focal point) based on the installation direction of the bulb 2a and the shape of the reflector 2b. Is set to pass through the LED lamp emission range 5a. In particular, in the first embodiment, the fog lamp main optical axis 20 is set so as to pass through the intersection of the extension line 1b at the center of the optical axis and the outer lens 5 of the four LEDs 1a arranged at the lower stage on the vehicle center side. Has been.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, based on the installation direction of the bulb 2a and the shape of the reflector 2b, the passing range of light emitted from the fog lamp 2 is set to occupy 50% or more of the LED lamp emission range 5a. Yes.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

  In the vehicular illumination device A according to the first embodiment, when the fog lamp 2 is turned on, the light emitted from the fog lamp 2 passes through the LED lamp emission range 5 a in the outer lens 5. Since the fog lamp 2 includes a bulb 2a that is turned on when heat is applied to a filament (not shown), the LED lamp emission range 5a is warmed by the radiant heat.

  Therefore, when the snow falls, the fog lamp 2 is turned on to warm the LED lamp emission range 5a, so that the snowfall on the LED lamp emission range 5a can be suppressed and the irradiation performance of the headlamp 1 can be ensured.

  In particular, in Example 1, the passage range of the light emitted from the fog lamp 2 occupies 50% or more of the LED lamp light emission range 5a, and therefore, snowfall is particularly suppressed in this 50% or more range.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the fog lamp main optical axis 20 is disposed at the intersection of the extension line 1b of the center of the optical axis of the LED 1a disposed near the center of the vehicle and the outer lens 5, so that strong radiation heat is generated at this portion. Given this, even higher snow accretion suppression performance is obtained, and the irradiation performance of the LED 1a located at the rear of the vehicle in this region can be particularly secured.

  In addition, since the forward visibility deteriorates during snowfall, there are many opportunities for the driver to turn on the fog lamp 2. Thus, lighting of the fog lamp 2 due to snowfall reduces the amount of snow on the headlamp 1 portion. It is done. That is, it is possible to suppress the snowfall without performing an operation especially in consideration of the snowfall suppression, and the usability is excellent.

  Further, since the LED 1a is provided with a resistance for current control on the substrate 1c provided on the rear side of the vehicle, the LED 1a generates heat in the rear space 1d that is behind the LED 1a when energized. For this reason, when the ambient temperature is low, such as during snowfall, a temperature difference may occur between the front space 1e and the rear space 1d in front of the vehicle of the LED 1a, and the outer lens 5 may be clouded. With respect to this problem, in the first embodiment, as described above, the lighting of the fog lamp 2 warms not only the LED lamp emission range 5a but also the front space 1e. Therefore, the temperature difference between the front space 1e and the rear space 1d is reduced, and the occurrence of fogging in the outer lens 5 can be suppressed.

  As described above, in the vehicle lighting device according to the first embodiment, the snow accumulation suppression of the headlamp 1 and the fogging suppression of the outer lens 5 are performed by the lighting heat of the fog lamp 2 provided adjacent to the headlamp 1, and thus heat generation. It is not necessary to add new parts such as members and heat exchangers, and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, as described above, no additional parts are required, and the above-described snow accretion suppression and fogging suppression are not based on the modeling of the outer lens 5, so that the outer lens 5 is not limited in modeling and has a high degree of design freedom. Is obtained.

  Next, a vehicle lighting apparatus B according to Example 2 of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 will be described. In the description of the vehicular lighting apparatus B according to the second embodiment, the same or equivalent parts as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will focus on the parts different from the first embodiment.

  The vehicle lighting device B of Example 2 of this embodiment is an example in which a clearance lamp 6 is used as the second light emitting unit.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle lighting device B of the second embodiment is provided with a clearance lamp 6 in addition to the headlamp 1 and the fog lamp 2.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the clearance lamp 6 is adjacent to the center of the vehicle above the headlamp 1, and is disposed in front of the headlamp 1 as shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the arrow FR indicates the front of the vehicle.

  The clearance lamp 6 includes a bulb 6a that emits light with thermal energy generated by energizing a filament (not shown), and a parabolic reflector 6b that reflects light from the bulb 6a.

  Further, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the installation position of the reflector 6b is arranged in front of the vehicle with respect to the headlamp 1, and is arranged closer to the LED lamp emission range 5a than the headlamp 1. Has been.

  In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the clearance lamp 6 is reflected on the reflector paraboloid with the clearance lamp main optical axis (the bulb 6a as a focal point) based on the installation direction of the bulb 6a and the shape of the reflector 6b. The straight line 60 passing through the bulb center in the direction of the irradiated light) 60 passes through the LED lamp emission range 5a and is an extension line of the center of the optical axis of the LED 1a disposed on the vehicle center side and the vehicle upper side. It is set to pass through the intersection of 1b and the outer lens 5.

  Further, even in the second embodiment, the passage range of the light irradiated from the clearance lamp 6 is set to occupy 50% or more of the LED lamp emission range 5a.

  Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.

  When the clearance lamp 6 is turned on, the clearance lamp 6 is close to the LED lamp emission range 5a and the main optical axis 60 passes through the LED lamp emission range 5a. The LED lamp emission range 5a can be warmed.

  Therefore, by turning on the clearance lamp 6 during snowfall, it is possible to prevent snow from reaching the LED lamp emission range 5a and to secure the irradiation performance of the headlamp. Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the temperature difference between the front and rear of the LED 1a can be reduced to suppress the occurrence of fogging in the outer lens 5.

  Furthermore, the switch for operating the headlamp 1 and the clearance lamp 6 is generally configured so that the clearance lamp 6 is also lit when the headlamp 1 is lit.

  Therefore, when the headlamp 1 is turned on, the snow accumulation is always suppressed by the lighting heat of the clearance lamp 6, and the driver does not need to turn on the clearance lamp 6 with the intention of suppressing the snow accumulation. Excellent.

  Further, similar to the first embodiment, the above-described effect is performed by the lighting heat of the clearance lamp 6 provided adjacent to the headlamp 1, so that it can be achieved without newly adding a heat generating member or a heat exchanger. Costs can be reduced, and further, since there are no additional parts as described above, there is no modeling restriction on the outer lens 5 and the like, and a high degree of design freedom is obtained.

  Regarding the light emission of the clearance lamp 6, as shown in FIG. 5, the brightness (for example, 125 cd) of the upper light intensity restriction line s1 upward with respect to the horizontal line h and the brightness of the lower light intensity restriction line s2 downward with respect to the horizontal line h. There are laws and regulations that limit it to less than half (for example, 250 cd). Therefore, even when the clearance lamp main optical axis 60 is directed downward in the vehicle as in the second embodiment, even if the light quantity of the clearance lamp 6 is set to a large light quantity that can obtain the necessary lighting heat, this legal regulation is satisfied. be able to.

  Next, a vehicle lighting device according to Example 3 of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The lighting device for a vehicle according to the third embodiment of the present embodiment is an example in which the bulb shown in the first embodiment or the bulb shown in the second embodiment is automatically turned on during snowfall.

  The control unit 7 shown in FIG. 7 is connected with a snowfall detecting means 71 and a lighting operation switch 72 on the input side, and switches on and off of the valve 73 that is one of the valves 2a and 6a on the output side. A lighting output unit 74 composed of a driver, a relay switch, or the like is connected.

  In addition, the snowfall detection means 71, for example, uses the outside air temperature information detected by the outside air temperature sensor (for example, below the temperature at which snowfall is possible, such as 3 degrees Celsius or less) and the image information of the raindrop sensor or the camera to the windshield. Judgment can be made by combining water adhesion, raindrops or snow collision with the vehicle body, and detection of rainfall and snowfall from the vehicle front image.

  The lighting operation switch 72 is a switch that is provided in the vicinity of a driver's seat (not shown) and manually operates to turn on and off the bulb 73.

  Further, the lighting output unit 74 is interposed in the middle of a circuit connecting the on-vehicle battery bat and the valve 73.

  The control unit 7 performs automatic lighting control that automatically turns on the bulb 73 during snowfall to prevent snow from reaching the LED lamp emission range 5a. FIG. 8 shows the flow of this automatic lighting control. It is a flowchart to show.

  The automatic lighting control is started when the engine is started in step S1, and in the next step S2, it is determined whether or not snow has been detected, the process proceeds to step S3 when snow is detected, and the process proceeds to step S9 when no snow is detected.

  In step S3, it is determined whether or not the lighting operation switch 72 has been turned ON. If the ON operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S10. If the ON operation has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S4.

  In step S4, the counter of the timer built in the control unit 7 is reset, in the next step S5, the timer count is added, and in the subsequent step S6, the valve 73 is turned on. The bulb 73 is turned on by switching the lighting output unit 74 to the lighting side.

  In the next step S7, it is determined whether or not the timer counter has reached a preset limit value L. If the limit value L is reached, the process proceeds to step S8 and the valve 73 is turned off. On the other hand, when the limiter value L is not reached in step S7, the process returns to step S5, and S5 to S7 are repeated until the limiter value L is reached.

  In step S9, it is determined whether or not the lighting operation switch 72 is turned on. If the lighting operation switch 72 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S10 to turn on the bulb 73, while the lighting operation switch 72 is turned on. If not, the valve 73 is turned off. The bulb 73 is turned off by switching the lighting output unit 74 to the off side.

  Note that the limiter value L determined in step S7 is set to a length of time during which the snowfall in the LED lamp light emission range 5a can be sufficiently melted by turning on the bulb 73.

  Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described.

  When the lighting operation switch 72 is not turned ON at the time of snowfall, the flow of the steps S2, S3, S4, S5, and S6 is followed by the valve 73 (this valve 73 is the valve 2a, 6a) is automatically turned on. Further, after this lighting, until the timer counter reaches the limiter value L, the flow of steps S6 → S7 → S5 → S6 is repeated, and the lighting state of the valve 73 is maintained. Thereby, the LED lamp light emission range 5a is warmed and snowfall is prevented.

  When the timer counter reaches the limiter value L, the flow of steps S7 → S8 is followed, and the valve 73 is once turned off. After that, when the snow continues and the lighting operation of the valve 73 is not performed manually, the above-described processing is executed again, and the valve 73 is turned on until the counter reaches the limiter value L. The lighting of the bulb 73 is repeated.

  Further, when the lighting operation switch 72 is manually turned on while the above operation is being repeated, the valve 73 is turned on in the flow of steps S2 → S3 → S10.

  On the other hand, when it is not snowing, the flow goes from step S2 to S9. Based on whether or not the lighting operation switch 72 is turned on, the valve 73 is turned on by steps S9 to S10 when the turning operation is performed. When the ON operation is not performed, the valve 73 is turned off by steps S9 → S11.

  As described above, in the vehicular lighting device according to the third embodiment, even when the driver does not manually turn on the bulb 73, the bulb 73 is automatically turned on during snowfall. Snowfall in the LED lamp emission range 5a is prevented. Therefore, it is excellent in operability.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention and Examples 1 to 3 have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and Examples 1 to 3. Design changes that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention.

  In other words, the second light emitting section is not limited to the fog lamp 2 and the clearance lamp 6 shown in the first to third embodiments. As the second light emitting unit, for example, a daytime running lamp called a daytime running lamp that is always lit during the daytime, a passing lamp, an illumination lamp, or an infrared lamp for night vision is used as the second light emitting unit. You can also.

  Moreover, in Example 1 thru | or Example 3, the fog lamp 2 and the clearance lamp | ramp 6 were shown as a 2nd light emission part, and either was made to illuminate and illuminate the LED lamp light emission range 5a. However, a plurality of both lamps 2 and 6 or the other lamps described above may be provided as the second light emitting unit, and the plurality of second light emitting units may simultaneously illuminate the LED lamp light emission range 5a. Alternatively, according to the outside air temperature, one of the second light emitting units emits light up to a predetermined low temperature, and at a temperature lower than that, the plurality of second light emitting units emit light and the LED lamp light emitting range 5a. You may make it warm.

  Moreover, in Example 1 thru | or Example 3, when providing the 2nd light emission part (2,6) so that the LED lamp light emission range 5a may be warmed by the light emission, the main optical axes 20 and 60 of a 2nd light emission part are set. Although an example directed to pass through the LED lamp emission range 5a has been shown, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, if the second light emitting unit (2, 6) can warm the LED lamp emission range 5a with the irradiated light, for example, the main optical axes 20, 60 are passing outside the LED lamp emission range 5a. May be. In this case, the main optical axes 20 and 60 may pass through the front side of the LED lamp emission range 5a, or conversely, pass through the rear side of the vehicle.

  Further, if the second light emitting unit (2, 6) can warm the LED lamp emission range 5a, the irradiation light may be configured not to pass through the LED lamp emission range 5a. For example, the second light emitting unit may be brought close to or in contact with the outer lens 5 at a position near the LED lamp light emitting range 5a of the outer lens 5 so that the lighting heat is transmitted through the outer lens 5 to warm the LED lamp light emitting range 5a. Good.

  In the first to third embodiments, an example in which the main optical axes 20 and 60 are made to coincide with the main optical axes 20 and 60 when the center lines of the bulbs 2a and 6a pass through the LED lamp emission range 5a is shown. However, the main optical axes 20 and 60 may be oriented based on the shapes of the reflectors 2b and 6b with the center lines of the bulbs 2a and 6a directed in a different direction from the main optical axes 20 and 60.

  In the first embodiment, the fog lamp main optical axis 20 is set to pass through the intersection of the extension line 1b at the center of the optical axis and the outer lens 5 of the four LEDs 1a arranged at the lower stage on the vehicle center side. . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fog lamp main optical axis 20 is set so as to pass through the vicinity of this intersection point in plan view, while in the side view, it is intermediate between the optical axis centers of the upper and lower LED lamps 1a and 1a. May be set to pass.

  In the first to third embodiments, the headlamp 1 is shown as the first light emitting unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a brake lamp / clearance lamp, The present invention can also be applied to a rear combination lamp in which lamps are arranged in a lump. As an example, the first light emitting unit may be a brake lamp, the second light emitting unit may be a clearance lamp, and the clearance lamp may be used to illuminate the light emission range of the brake lamp LED lamp.

It is sectional drawing which shows the illuminating device A for vehicles of Example 1 of embodiment of this invention, and shows the state cut by the S1-S1 line | wire of FIG. It is a front view which shows the illuminating device A for vehicles of Example 1 of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the irradiation range with the headlamp and fog lamp of the illuminating device A for vehicles of Example 1 of embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the irradiation range with the headlamp and fog lamp of the illuminating device A for vehicles of Example 1 of embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the illuminating device B for vehicles of Example 2 of embodiment of this invention, and shows the state cut by the S5-S5 line | wire of FIG. It is a front view which shows the illuminating device B for vehicles of Example 2 of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the illuminating device for vehicles of Example 3 of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control flow of the automatic lighting control in the illuminating device for vehicles of Example 3 of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Headlamp (first light emitting part)
1a LED lamp 2 fog lamp (second light emitting part)
2a Bulb 2b Reflector 5 Outer lens 5a LED lamp emission range 6 Clearance lamp (second light emitting part)
6a Valve 6b Reflector 7 Control unit (control means)
20 fog lamp main optical axis 60 clearance lamp main optical axis 71 snowfall detecting means 72 lighting operation switch A vehicle illumination device B of the first embodiment vehicle illumination device of the second embodiment

Claims (6)

A first light emitting unit that emits light by an LED lamp;
A housing that supports the first light-emitting portion so as to surround the first light-emitting portion;
An outer lens covering the outside of the housing,
A second light-emitting part that is provided in the vicinity of the first light-emitting part and emits light as it generates heat;
A vehicle lighting device comprising:
The vehicular lighting device, wherein the second light emitting unit is provided so as to warm an LED lamp light emission range which is a lens portion that emits light when the lamp light of the outer lens passes and emits light.   The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the second light emitting unit is provided so that irradiation light passes through the LED lamp emission range. The first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit have a common outer lens,
The second light emitting unit is provided adjacent to the first light emitting unit, and includes a bulb lamp that emits light by heat generated by energization,
3. The vehicular illumination device according to claim 2, wherein a main optical axis generated by the bulb lamp of the second light emitting unit is directed so as to pass an LED lamp light emission range of the outer lens.   4. The vehicular illumination device according to claim 3, wherein the main optical axis is arranged so as to pass near the intersection of the optical axis of the LED lamp and the outer lens.   5. The vehicular illumination device according to claim 3, wherein the second light emitting unit is arranged closer to the outer lens than the first light emitting unit with respect to the LED lamp light emitting range. Snowfall judging means for judging snowfall,
A lighting operation switch for switching on and off of the second light emitting unit by manual operation;
Control means for controlling lighting and extinction of the second light emitting unit,
The control means executes automatic lighting control for automatically lighting the second light emitting means when the lighting operation switch is not turned on at the time of snowfall judgment. Item 6. The vehicle lighting device according to any one of Item 5.

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