JP2007106341A - Headlamp device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head lamp device capable of enhancing the visibility from other vehicles even when the brightness of the peripheral environment is changed. <P>SOLUTION: The illuminance in a vicinity of a vehicle is detected (102). When the detected illuminance is in a light adaptation area predetermined according to the human luminance sensitivity, the head lamp device is set in a light adaptation state, and each LED of an LED head lamp is driven so that the red color component is increased according to the number of light emission or the current value of each color LED corresponding the light adaptation state read from a map (106-110). When the detected illuminance is in a predetermined intermediate area, the head lamp device is set in an intermediate state, and each LED of the LED head lamp is driven so as to realize the standard color component according to the number of light emission or the current of each color LED corresponding to the intermediate state read from the map (106, 112, 114). When the detected illuminance is in a predetermined dark adaptation area, the head lamp device is set in a dark adaptation state, and each LED of the LED head lamp is driven so as to realize the standard color component according to the number of light emission or the current of each color LED corresponding to the dark adaptation state read from the map (106, 116, 118). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a headlamp device, and more particularly to a headlamp device that emits light to improve visibility in front of a vehicle.

  Generally, a headlight is provided in a vehicle, and forward visibility is ensured by irradiating light from the headlight to the front of the vehicle. Furthermore, the headlamp irradiates light in front of the vehicle in order to ensure visibility from other vehicles.

  In addition, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, forward visibility is reduced due to the occurrence of rain, fog, etc., so the color of light emitted from the headlamps is changed according to the external environment such as road surface reflectance and fog. It has been proposed to switch to white or yellow to improve the driver's forward visibility and visibility from other vehicles.

As other headlamp controls, a technique for improving visibility by changing the luminance of light emitted from the headlamp has been proposed.
JP-A-7-144777

  However, the human visual sensitivity varies depending on the brightness of the surroundings. For example, there is a difference in easy-to-see colors between a light-adapted state such as daytime and a dark-adapted state such as nighttime, and the visual sensitivity of the human eye changes from evening to night. Although the color of the light emitted from the headlamps is switched according to the external environment such as fog or fog, this point is not taken into consideration, so it is not possible to control the headlamps according to the state of the surrounding environment. It is enough.

  Also, depending on the area, when the surrounding environment is bright, such as during the day or in the midnight sun, the headlamps may be irradiated to ensure visibility from other vehicles. With the above-mentioned technology and the technology for improving the visibility by changing the brightness of the headlamp described above, the contrast between the ambient light and the light emitted from the headlamp is weakened when the direct sunlight is strong. There is a problem that visibility is lowered.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to improve visibility from other vehicles or the like even when the brightness of the surrounding environment changes.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention described in claim 1 includes a changing unit that changes a color of light emitted from a headlamp to the front of the vehicle, an illuminance detecting unit that detects the illuminance around the vehicle, and the illuminance detection. When the detection result of the means is in a predetermined low illuminance state, the change means is controlled so that the blue component light is larger than the red component light, and the detection result of the illuminance detection means is a predetermined high And a control means for controlling the changing means so that the red component light is larger than the blue component light in the illuminance state.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the changing means changes the color of light emitted from the headlamp to the front of the vehicle. The headlamp uses LEDs of a plurality of colors (for example, three primary colors of red, blue, and green) as a light source as in the invention described in claim 5, and the changing means determines the number of emitted LEDs of each color or By changing the current value or the like, it is possible to change the color of light emitted from the headlamp to the front of the vehicle. Or in the headlamp which applied the discharge lamp or the halogen lamp as a light source, you may make it change the color of the light irradiated to the vehicle front by using the filter etc. which can change a color.

  By the way, as described above, the human visibility characteristic has a characteristic that blue is higher in sensitivity than red in a dark place and red is higher in sensitivity than blue in a bright place. Therefore, the illuminance detection means detects the vehicle illuminance, and the control means changes so that the blue component light is larger than the red component light when the detection result of the illuminance detection means is a predetermined low illuminance state. In addition to controlling the means, when the detection result of the illuminance detecting means is a predetermined high illuminance state, the changing means is controlled so that the red component light is larger than the blue component light. As a result, even if the brightness of the surrounding environment changes, the front of the vehicle is illuminated with light having a color that is highly visible to humans, so visibility from other vehicles and the like can be improved. Moreover, the visibility of the light irradiation object by a headlamp can also be improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a changing means for changing the color of light emitted from the headlamp to the front of the vehicle, a wavelength detecting means for detecting a wavelength component of the ambient light of the vehicle, and a detection result of the wavelength detecting means. Based on the above, the change means is controlled so that the color of the wavelength component corresponding to the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light is reduced, and the color of the wavelength component corresponding to other than the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light is increased. And a control means for controlling the changing means.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, the changing means changes the color of the light emitted from the headlamp to the front of the vehicle. The headlamp uses LEDs of a plurality of colors (for example, three primary colors of red, blue, and green) as a light source as in the invention described in claim 5, and the changing means determines the number of emitted LEDs of each color or By changing the current value or the like, it is possible to change the color of light emitted from the headlamp to the front of the vehicle. Or in the headlamp which applied the discharge lamp or the halogen lamp as a light source, you may make it change the color of the light irradiated to the vehicle front by using the filter etc. which can change a color.

  As described above, in the case where the headlamp is irradiated when the surrounding environment is bright to ensure visibility from other vehicles or the like, the contrast of the surrounding environment is weakened during direct sunlight. Therefore, the wavelength detection unit detects the wavelength component of the vehicle ambient light by the wavelength detection unit, and the control unit changes the color component corresponding to the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light based on the detection result of the wavelength detection unit. In addition to the control, the changing means is controlled so that the color components corresponding to other than the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light increase. As a result, even if the brightness of the surrounding environment changes, the front of the vehicle is illuminated with a large amount of light other than the color component corresponding to the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light, so that visibility from other vehicles and the like is improved. Can do.

  The invention according to claim 1 further includes wavelength detecting means for detecting the wavelength component of the ambient light of the vehicle as in the invention according to claim 3, and the control means is based on the detection result of the wavelength detecting means. Further, the changing unit is further controlled so that the color component corresponding to the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light is decreased, and the changing unit is further controlled so that the color component corresponding to other than the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light is increased. It may be.

  Further, the wavelength detecting means in claim 2 or claim 3 detects the wavelength component of the background light of the host vehicle as the wavelength component of the vehicle ambient light, as in the invention of claim 4, and The contrast with the light that irradiates the front can be increased, and visibility from other vehicles and the like can be improved.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that visibility from other vehicles can be improved even if the brightness of the surrounding environment changes.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic vehicle mounting position of the headlamp apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the headlamp device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided in the vicinity of the front end portion of the vehicle and irradiates light ahead of the vehicle, and the LED headlamp 12. And a control device 14 for controlling the color of light emitted from the light source.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the LED headlamp 12 includes one LED that emits R (red) color light, two LEDs that emit G (green) color light, and one LED that emits B (blue) color light. It comprises an LED light source 18 in which a plurality of LED groups 16 provided with the above are arranged. As shown in FIG. 2B, the LED group 16 may include a plurality of RGB colors (R × 9, G × 18, B × 9 in FIG. 2B). Alternatively, the state shown in FIG. 2B may be configured as one LED light source 18 instead of the LED group 16.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the headlamp device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The control device 14 includes a microcomputer in which a CPU 14A, a RAM 14B, a ROM 14C, and an I / O interface (I / O) 14D are connected to a bus 14E. In addition, a predetermined map 20 for changing the color of light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 is provided in the control device 14 and connected to the I / O 14D.

  An LED driver 22 to which the LED headlamp 12 is connected, an ignition switch 24, a light control switch 26, and an illuminance sensor 28 are connected to the I / O 14D.

  The LED driver 22 controls driving of each color LED of the LED headlamp 12. The LED driver 22 changes the color of light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 by selectively driving the LED in accordance with an instruction from the control device 14 or controlling a current value applied to the LED. It is possible.

  The ignition switch 24 issues a power supply instruction to the control device 14, and power is supplied to the control device 14 by operating the ignition switch 24. It should be noted that the ignition switch 24 may not be connected to the control device 14 and the power may be constantly supplied to the control device 14.

  The light control switch 26 is provided in the vicinity of a steering handle for steering the vehicle, and as a result of an occupant's operation, an instruction to turn on / off the LED headlamp 12 or switch the irradiation range (switch between high and low) is given to the control device 14. Output to.

  The illuminance sensor 28 is provided, for example, near the defroster of the instrument panel, detects the illuminance around the vehicle, and outputs the detection result to the control device 14.

  By the way, the visibility characteristics for human colors vary depending on the ambient illuminance, and as shown in FIG. 4A, when the periphery is dark, the visibility of blue is higher than that of red, and when the periphery is bright, Red has a characteristic that sensitivity is higher than blue. That is, blue light is easier to see at night, and red light is easier to see at daytime.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the visibility characteristics for human colors are as follows: a darker area than the threshold value LL is a dark-adapted area; a brighter area than the threshold value LH is a bright-adapted area; The LH region is divided into three regions, the intermediate region, and the color of light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 is controlled in accordance with the ambient illuminance so that each region has a color with high human visibility.

  Specifically, based on the detection result of the illuminance sensor 28, the control device 14 indicates a solid line in FIG. 4B when the ambient illuminance is dark (in the dark adaptation state corresponding to the dark adaptation region) such as at night. As shown in the spectral intensity, the blue component light emitted from the LED headlamp increases (for example, the spectral intensity at a wavelength near 600 nm increases). When light emission is controlled and the ambient illuminance is bright during the daytime or the like (in the case of a bright adaptation state corresponding to the bright adaptation region), the light is emitted from the LED headlamp 12 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. The light intensity of each LED of the LED headlamp 12 is controlled so that the red component of the emitted light is increased (for example, the spectral intensity at a wavelength near 480 nm is increased), and the intermediate illuminance between nighttime and daytime such as dusk (Dark adaptation region and light order In the intermediate state corresponding to the intermediate region of the region, each LED of the LED headlamp 12 is set so that the red component and the blue component are substantially equal to each other as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 4B. The light emission is controlled. For example, in the intermediate state, the light emission of each color LED is controlled so that the ratio of the color of light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 is R: G: B = 1: 2: 1. The LED emission of each color is offset to the reference so that R: G: B = 2: 1: 1 in the light adaptation state and R: G: B = 1: 1: 2 in the dark adaptation state. To control. The light emission of each LED may be controlled by controlling the number of light emitting LEDs of each color, or the amount of light emission is controlled by controlling the current value applied to each color LED (for example, controlling the duty ratio). You may do it. Moreover, the spectral intensity of FIG. 4 (B) shows a relative value, and it may be controlled so that the total illuminance emitted from each LED headlamp 12 does not change, or may be controlled differently.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the map 20 stores a lookup table or the like in which the number or current value of each color LED that emits light corresponding to the detected illuminance is stored, so that light is emitted according to the detection result of the illuminance sensor 28. The number or current value of each color LED is read from the map 20 and driven. Specifically, when the detection result of the illuminance sensor 28 corresponds to the light adaptation region, the control device 14 reads the light emission number or current value of each color LED corresponding to the light adaptation state from the map 20 as the light adaptation state. In the case of corresponding to the dark adaptation region, the dark adaptation state is set as the dark adaptation state, and the light emission number or current value of each color LED corresponding to the dark adaptation state is read from the map 20, and in the case of corresponding to the intermediate region, the intermediate state is set to the intermediate state. The light emission number or current value of the corresponding LED of each color is read from the map 20, and the light emission of each LED of the LED headlamp 12 is controlled.

  Then, an example of the process performed by the control apparatus 14 of the headlamp apparatus 10 concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the control device 14 of the headlamp device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  When the light control switch 26 is operated by the occupant and the LED headlamp 12 is turned on, in step 100, the LED headlamp 12 is turned on in a standard state. That is, as in the spectral intensity indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4B, the LED driver 22 is driven so that the red component light and the blue component light have substantially the same intensity. Light.

  Next, at step 102, the ambient light Lx is measured and the routine proceeds to step 104. That is, the detection result is input to the control device 14 by detecting the illuminance around the vehicle by the illuminance sensor 28.

  In step 104, it is determined whether or not each color component of the LED headlamp 12 is to be changed. In this determination, the detected illuminance Lx of the illuminance sensor 28 is other than the illuminance M (M is between the illuminance LL and the illuminance LH corresponding to the intermediate state first, and then stored in step 120 described later) (Lx ≠ M). If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 106. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 120.

  In step 106, it is determined whether or not it is in a light adaptation state. In this determination, it is determined whether or not the detection result of the illuminance sensor 28 is the light adaptation region shown in FIG. 4A. If it is the light adaptation region, the determination is affirmed as a light adaptation state, and the process proceeds to step 108. In the case of the dark adaptation area, the determination is denied as the dark adaptation state and the process proceeds to step 112, and in the case of the intermediate area, the process proceeds to step 116 as the intermediate state.

  In step 108, the color component increase amount (or decrease amount) may be determined, and the process proceeds to step 110. That is, the light emission number or current value of each color LED corresponding to the light adaptation state is read from the map 20.

  In step 110, the LED driver 22 increases the red component (or decreases the blue component) by the LED driver 22 in accordance with the light emission number or the current value of each color LED corresponding to the light adaptation state read from the map 20. Each LED of the illumination lamp 12 is driven, and the process proceeds to Step 120.

  In step 112, the standard component amount of the color component is determined, and the process proceeds to step 114. That is, the number of light emission or current value of each color LED corresponding to the intermediate state is read from the map 20.

  In step 114, each LED of the LED headlamp 12 is driven by the LED driver 22 so as to obtain a standard color component amount according to the number of light emission or current value of each color LED corresponding to the intermediate state read from the map 20. The process proceeds to step 120.

  In step 116, an increase amount (or decrease amount) of the color component is determined, and the process proceeds to step 118. That is, the light emission number or current value of each color LED corresponding to the dark adaptation state is read from the map 20.

  In step 118, the LED driver 22 increases the blue component (or decreases the red component) by the LED driver 22 in accordance with the light emission number or current value of each color LED corresponding to the dark adaptation state read from the map 20. Each LED of the illumination lamp 12 is driven, and the process proceeds to Step 120.

  In step 120, the ambient light Lx detected in step 102 is stored as M, and the process proceeds to step 122.

  In step 122, it is determined whether or not the light control switch 26 has been turned off by the occupant. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 102 and the above processing is repeated. finish.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the visibility characteristic for human colors is in the light adaptation region, the blue component light is more sensitive than the red component light, and in the dark adaptation region, the red component light is used. Because the sensitivity is higher than the blue component light, the lighting control is performed so that the blue component light is larger than the red component light when the ambient illuminance is in the dark adaptation region, and the blue component light is used in the light adaptation region. By controlling the lighting so that the red component light is increased, the front of the vehicle is illuminated with light with high human visibility even if the brightness of the surrounding environment changes. The visibility of the host vehicle from the vehicle can be improved. Moreover, the visibility of the light irradiation target of the LED headlamp 12 can also be improved.
[Second Embodiment]
Then, the headlamp apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic vehicle mounting position of the headlamp apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated.

  In the first embodiment, the ambient illuminance is detected, and when the ambient illuminance is dark, the LEDs of the LED headlamp 12 are controlled to emit light so that the blue component light is larger than the red component light. However, in the second embodiment, the background light of the host vehicle is detected and the light emission of each color LED of the LED headlamp 12 is controlled based on the peak wavelength of the background light.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the headlamp device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is provided in the vicinity of the front end portion of the vehicle, as in the first embodiment, and an LED headlamp 12 that irradiates light in front of the vehicle. And a control device 14 for controlling the color of light emitted from the LED headlamp 12.

  A spectroscopic sensor 30 that detects the peak wavelength of the background light of the host vehicle behind the vehicle is provided near the rear end of the vehicle.

  In addition, since the LED headlamp 12 can have the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a headlamp apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated.

  As in the first embodiment, the control device 14 includes a microcomputer in which a CPU 14A, a RAM 14B, a ROM 14C, and an I / O interface (I / O) 14D are connected to a bus 14E. In addition, a predetermined map 20 for changing the color of light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 is provided in the control device 14 and connected to the I / O 14D.

  An LED driver 22 to which the LED headlamp 12 is connected, an ignition switch 24, a light control switch 26, an illuminance sensor 28, and a spectral sensor 30 are connected to the I / O 14D. In addition, although this embodiment demonstrates as a structure including the lighting control of the LED headlamp 12 in 1st Embodiment, when not including 1st Embodiment, it is good also as a structure which abbreviate | omitted 28 in the illumination intensity sensor. .

  The LED driver 22 controls driving of each color LED of the LED headlamp 12. The LED driver 22 changes the color of light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 by selectively driving the LED in accordance with an instruction from the control device 14 or controlling a current value applied to the LED. It is possible.

  The ignition switch 24 issues a power supply instruction to the control device 14, and power is supplied to the control device 14 by operating the ignition switch 24. It should be noted that the ignition switch 24 may not be connected to the control device 14 and the power may be constantly supplied to the control device 14.

  The light control switch 26 is provided in the vicinity of a steering handle for steering the vehicle, and as a result of an occupant's operation, an instruction to turn on / off the LED headlamp 12 or switch the irradiation range (switch between high and low) is given to the control device 14. Output to.

  The illuminance sensor 28 is provided, for example, near the defroster of the instrument panel, detects the illuminance around the vehicle, and outputs the detection result to the control device 14.

  The spectroscopic sensor 30 is provided near the rear window glass, for example, and detects the peak wavelength of the background light of the host vehicle and outputs the detection result to the control device 14.

  By the way, when the illuminance around the vehicle is strong (for example, in the case of a western day or the like), if there is no color difference between the background light of the host vehicle and the light emitted from the LED headlamp 12, the background light and the LED headlamp. Therefore, the visibility of the host vehicle from other vehicles or the like is reduced.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, it is determined that there is an influence on the visibility when the illuminance around the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Lz. Then, the peak wavelength of the background light is detected, and the color component corresponding to the peak wavelength in the background light having the spectral intensity indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 8B is represented as the spectral intensity indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8B. The spectral intensity of the color component corresponding to other than the peak wavelength of the background light is increased to control the color of the light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 to change. The light emission of each LED may be controlled by controlling the number of light emitting LEDs of each color, or the amount of light emission is controlled by controlling the current value applied to each color LED (for example, controlling the duty ratio). You may do it. In addition, the spectral intensity indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 8B indicates the spectral characteristics when the LED headlamp 12 is turned on in the standard state, and the spectral intensity indicated by the dotted line indicates the spectral characteristics of the background light in the case of the West. The spectral intensity shown by the solid line shows the case where the color of the light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 is changed with respect to the background light in the case of the western day, and is shown as a relative value.

  Specifically, when the detection result of the illuminance sensor 28 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Lz, the control device 14 measures the peak wavelength of the background light with the spectroscopic sensor 30 and, for example, has a strong yellow component (desert or west). In the case of the day, etc., control is performed such that the red component light corresponding to the peak wavelength of the background light of the LED headlamp 12 is weakened and the blue wavelength component light corresponding to other than the peak wavelength of the background light is strengthened.

  That is, in this embodiment, light is emitted so that the color component corresponding to the peak wavelength of the background light is reduced and the color of the light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 is changed in the direction of increasing the other color components. By storing the number or current value of each color LED in the map 20 in a predetermined lookup table corresponding to each spectral intensity of the background light, according to the detection result of the spectroscopic sensor 28, each color LED that emits light. The number or current value is read from the map 20 and driven.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the darker area is darker than the illuminance threshold LL, the brighter area is brighter than the illuminance threshold LH, and the intermediate state is between the threshold LL and the threshold LH. The LED headlamp 12 is changed so that the color of the light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 is changed according to the ambient illuminance so that the color of each region is high in human visibility. Is to control.

  Then, an example of the process performed by the control apparatus 14 of the headlamp apparatus concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the control device 14 of the headlamp apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

When the light control switch 26 is operated by the occupant and the LED headlamp 12 is turned on, in step 200, the LED headlamp 12 is turned on in a standard state. That is, as shown in the spectral intensity indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 8B, the LED driver 22 is driven so that the red component light and the blue component light have substantially the same intensity. Light.

  Next, at step 202, the ambient light Lx is measured and the routine proceeds to step 204. That is, the detection result is input to the control device 14 by detecting the illuminance around the vehicle by the illuminance sensor 28.

  In step 204, it is determined whether or not to change each color component of the LED headlamp 12. In this determination, it is determined whether or not the detected illuminance Lx of the illuminance sensor 28 is larger than the threshold Lz. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 206. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 222.

  In step 206, the background light Ly is measured and the routine proceeds to step 208. In the present embodiment, the measurement result is input to the control device 14 by measuring the spectral characteristic Ry by the spectral sensor 30.

  In step 208, it is determined whether or not to change each color component of the LED headlamp 12. In this determination, it is determined whether or not the detection result Ry of the spectroscopic sensor 30 is the peak wavelength Q (Q is a predetermined value at first, and then stored in step 216 described later), and the determination is affirmed. If YES in step 210, the flow advances to step 210. If negative, the flow advances to step 218.

  In step 210, the amount of each color component is determined and the process proceeds to step 212. That is, the number or current value of each color LED that emits light, which is determined corresponding to the peak wavelength of the background light, is read from the map 20.

  In step 212, the LED headlamp 12 causes the LED driver 22 to lower the wavelength corresponding to the peak wavelength of the background light and raise the other part according to the number of emitted LEDs or the current value of each color LED read from the map 20. Each color LED is driven, and the process proceeds to step 214.

  In step 214, the ambient light Lx detected in step 202 is stored as M and the process proceeds to step 216, and the spectral characteristic Ry of the background light measured in step 206 is stored as Q and the process proceeds to step 220.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 208 is negative, the peak wavelength of the background light and the spectral characteristics of the LED headlamp 12 are different, so the process proceeds to step 218, the current LED control is maintained, and the process proceeds to step 220. Transition.

  In step 220, it is determined whether or not the light control switch 26 has been turned off by the occupant. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 202 and the above processing is repeated, and the determination in step 220 is affirmed. A series of processing ends.

  If the determination in step 204 is negative, that is, if there is no need to change the color component of the LED headlamp 12, the process proceeds to step 222 to perform another color component control and a series of processing. Exit. As another color component control, for example, the control of the first embodiment can be applied.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the illumination around the vehicle is strong and the visibility from other vehicles or the like is reduced, the color component corresponding to the peak wavelength of the background light is reduced, and the other color components are reduced. By changing the color of the light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 so as to increase, the front of the vehicle is illuminated with light other than the color component corresponding to the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light, and the background light and the LED headlight are illuminated. Since contrast with the color of light emitted from the lamp 12 can be ensured, visibility from other vehicles and the like can be improved.

  In addition, since the contrast between the background light and the color of the light emitted from the LED headlamp 12 can be ensured, there is no need for lighting with high brightness, and the lamp life can be improved. It is also possible to save power.

  In each of the above embodiments, an example in which an LED is used as a light source as a headlamp has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a vehicle using a filter by applying a light source such as a discharge lamp or a halogen lamp. You may make it change the color of the light irradiated front.

  Moreover, the presence or absence of execution of control of the LED headlamps in each of the above embodiments may be switched by the light control switch 26.

It is a figure which shows the outline vehicle mounting position of the headlamp apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of LED arrangement | sequence of each color of the LED headlamp in the headlamp apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the headlamp apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a graph showing human visual sensitivity characteristics, and (B) is a spectral intensity of light emitted from an LED headlamp in each of a dark adaptation state, a standard state, and a light adaptation state. It is a graph which shows a characteristic. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process performed with the control apparatus of the headlamp apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the general vehicle mounting position of the headlamp apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the headlamp apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a graph showing human visibility characteristics, (B) is the spectral characteristics of the western sun, the spectral characteristics of the light emitted from the LED headlamp in the standard state, and the LED headlamp of the western date and time It is a graph which shows the spectral characteristic of the light irradiated from. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process performed with the control apparatus of the headlamp apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Headlamp apparatus 12 LED headlamp 14 Control apparatus 16 LED group 18 LED light source 20 Map 22 LED driver 28 Illuminance sensor 30 Spectroscopic sensor

Claims (5)

Changing means for changing the color of the light emitted from the headlight to the front of the vehicle;
Illuminance detection means for detecting illuminance around the vehicle;
When the detection result of the illuminance detection means is a predetermined low illuminance state, the change means is controlled so that the blue component light is larger than the red component light, and the detection result of the illuminance detection means is Control means for controlling the changing means so that the red component light is larger than the blue component light in the case of the determined high illuminance state;
Headlight device with Changing means for changing the color of the light emitted from the headlight to the front of the vehicle;
Wavelength detecting means for detecting a wavelength component of vehicle ambient light;
Based on the detection result of the wavelength detection means, the change means is controlled so that the color component corresponding to the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light is reduced, and there are many color components corresponding to other than the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light. Control means for controlling the changing means,
Headlight device with   Wavelength detection means for detecting a wavelength component of vehicle ambient light is further provided, and the control means is configured to change the color component corresponding to the peak wavelength of vehicle ambient light based on the detection result of the wavelength detection means. The headlamp device according to claim 1, wherein the change means is further controlled so as to further control the color component corresponding to other than the peak wavelength of the vehicle ambient light.   The headlamp device according to claim 2, wherein the wavelength detection unit detects a wavelength component of background light of the host vehicle as a wavelength component of vehicle ambient light.   The headlamp uses a plurality of color LEDs as a light source, and the changing means changes the number of light emission or drive current value of each color LED of the light source. The headlamp device described in 1.

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