JP2007253806A - Headlight lighting control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headlight lighting control device which senses the speed of one's own vehicle, the other vehicle or a pedestrian around the one's own vehicle to control the lighting of a headlight. <P>SOLUTION: Signals from a vehicle speed detection means 3 and the other vehicle/pedestrian detection means 4 are input in a HID control unit 6A. When the HID control unit 6A determines that the vehicle speed is 0 km based on the signal input from the vehicle speed detection means 3, and determines that the other vehicle or the pedestrian is detected based on the signal input from the other vehicle/pedestrian detection means 4, an HID 2 is turned off. When the HID control unit determines that the vehicle speed is not 0 km based on the signal input from the vehicle speed detection means 3, the turned-off HID 2 is turned on again. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a headlight lighting control device that controls lighting of a headlight in response to a traveling speed of a vehicle and other vehicles or pedestrians around the vehicle.

As a conventional headlight lighting control device that automatically turns on or off the headlight in response to the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle, for example, there are the following conventional examples.
As a conventional example 1, this conventional example is provided with a detection contact as a detecting means in the speedometer so that the pointer in the speedometer comes into contact when the zero point is pointed, while the headlight and the power source are connected. When switch means is provided, the switch means is connected to the detection contact, the headlight is turned off when the pointer in the speedometer points to the zero point, and the pointer in the speedometer points to something other than the zero point By turning on the power between the headlight and the power source, it is possible to automatically turn off the lights when the vehicle stops and turn on when starting, thereby preventing forgetting to turn on when starting (for example, patents) Reference 1).

  As a conventional example 2, this conventional example is provided with a switch for turning on or off the headlight at two locations of an accelerator pedal and a speedometer, and when the vehicle stops, the switch on the accelerator pedal side is released when the foot is released from the accelerator pedal. Is turned off, and then the speedometer pointer becomes zero, the speedometer switch is turned off, the two switches are turned off, the headlights are turned off, and the accelerator pedal is depressed when starting. Thus, the two switch circuits are turned on, the headlights are turned on immediately before the vehicle moves forward, reducing power consumption, and helping to prevent accidents with pedestrians and oncoming vehicles (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-11-192858 JP 2001-233119 A

The conventional headlight lighting control device is configured as described above, and both the conventional example 1 (Patent Document 1) and the conventional example 2 (Patent Document 2) automatically turn off the headlight when the vehicle is stopped, and start the vehicle. Sometimes the headlights are automatically re-lit, which saves power when the vehicle is stopped, or reduces headlight light for pedestrians and oncoming vehicles, and forgets to turn on the headlights when starting the vehicle Try to prevent.
However, in the case of the conventional example 1 and part 2 in which the headlight is turned off only when the vehicle is stopped, for example, the headlamp is turned off even in a situation where there are no other vehicles or pedestrians around the stopped vehicle, For this reason, there has been a problem that inconveniences such as the driver being unable to look forward in the dark at night occur.
Further, in each of the conventional examples, in order to detect the vehicle speed and perform control for turning on or off the headlight, some modification is required on the vehicle side, resulting in a problem that the cost of the vehicle increases. .
Furthermore, in any of the above conventional examples, the function of automatically (turning on) or stopping (off) the control function for automatically turning on or off the headlight according to the vehicle speed cannot be selected. There is also a problem that it is not convenient for a user who wants to maintain a constantly lit state.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and detects the vehicle speed, detects the presence of other vehicles and pedestrians around the parked vehicle, and turns the headlight on the basis of these detection results. It is controlled to turn on or off, so that even if the parked vehicle is dark, the driver can look forward, while there are other vehicles and pedestrians around the parked vehicle Under other circumstances, other cars and pedestrians will be able to demonstrate anti-glare functions for headlights and reduce power consumption, and avoid such modifications for turning on / off the headlights as much as possible to increase costs. Headlight lighting control that enables the user to select a function that activates or deactivates the control of turning on or off the headlight, improving user convenience. And to obtain the location.

  The headlight lighting control device according to the present invention includes a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a traveling speed of the vehicle, another vehicle / pedestrian detecting means for detecting another vehicle or a pedestrian within a preset range around the own vehicle, When it is determined that the vehicle speed is zero based on the signal from the vehicle speed detecting means, and when it is determined that another person or a pedestrian is detected based on the signal from the other vehicle / pedestrian detecting means, the headlight is turned off, and the vehicle speed is And a headlight control unit that controls the lighting of the headlight so that the headlight is turned off again when it is determined that the vehicle speed is no longer zero based on the signal from the detection means.

As described above, according to the present invention, the vehicle speed is detected, the presence of other vehicles and pedestrians around the stopped vehicle is detected, and the headlight control unit sets the vehicle speed to zero based on these detections. The headlight is turned off when it is determined that another person or a pedestrian has been detected within a preset range around the host vehicle, and the lighted headlight is turned off when it is determined that the vehicle speed is no longer zero. Since the headlights are controlled to be turned on again, when there are other vehicles or pedestrians around the parked vehicle, the headlights are turned off to prevent other vehicles and pedestrians from glare against the headlights. This is effective and reduces power consumption.In the situation where there are no other vehicles or pedestrians around the parked vehicle, the headlights are kept on and the area around the parked vehicle is dark. Even the driver can see well ahead.
In addition, since the headlight that has been turned off is turned on again when the vehicle speed is no longer zero, forgetting to turn on the headlight when the vehicle starts running is prevented.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a headlight lighting control apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, this headlight lighting control device includes a battery 1, a high-intensity discharge lamp (hereinafter referred to as "HID") 2, a vehicle speed detection means 3, another vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4, a function on / An off setting means 5 and a headlight control unit (hereinafter referred to as “HID control unit”) 6A.

In the above configuration, the battery 1 is a power source mounted on the vehicle, and supplies power to each part of the configuration of FIG.
HID2 is a high-intensity discharge lamp, which is a headlight on the front left and right of the vehicle.
The vehicle speed detection means 3 detects the traveling speed of the vehicle. For example, as this detection means, a vehicle speed pulse generator that generates a pulse signal for each unit travel distance according to the rotation of the tire of the vehicle is used. The vehicle speed of the traveling vehicle is detected from the generation state of the pulse signal.
The other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 detects other vehicles or pedestrians within a preset peripheral range centering on the own vehicle. For example, a corner sensor installed in the vehicle is used as the detection means. To do. Alternatively, use an infrared camera that can shoot at night.
The detection function of the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 can be set to actuated (on) or stopped (off) by an external communication signal Sa from the communication means (not shown).
Therefore, when the other vehicle / pedestrian detecting means 4 is set to ON by the external communication signal Sa, the function of detecting the other vehicle or pedestrian is activated.

The function on / off setting means 5 performs selection setting for operating or stopping the function of headlight lighting control of the present invention. When the function is set to on, the function of headlight lighting control of the present invention is activated. A signal is output, and when the function is set to off, a signal for stopping the function is output. The function ON / OFF setting signal is input to the function ON / OFF determination means 6c described later. The function on / off setting means 5 may be configured by providing a switch, for example, and the function on or function off may be set by this switch.
Also, an external signal Sb similar to the function ON / OFF setting signal output by the function ON / OFF setting means 5 is sent to the function ON / OFF determination means 6c by the communication means (not shown). Similarly to the function on / off setting means 5, the external signal Sb can be used to select and activate the headlight lighting control function of the present invention.

The HID control unit 6A controls the turning on / off of the headlight HID2. As shown in FIG. 1, the HID control unit 6A according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a vehicle speed zero (0) Km judging means 6a, an AND (logical product) gate 6b, a function on / off judging means 6c, and an HID extinction judging means. 6d, an inverter 6e, an HID relighting determination means 6f, and an HID driving means 6g.
In the above configuration, the vehicle speed zero (0) Km judging means 6a is, for example, when the vehicle speed detecting means 3 is constituted by a vehicle speed pulse generator, whether or not the vehicle speed is 0 km based on the generation state of the pulse signal by the vehicle speed pulse generator. When the vehicle speed is 0 km, a predetermined signal (for example, a high level (H) signal) is output to an AND gate 6b described later. The state of the vehicle speed of 0 km means a vehicle stopped state, and the state other than the vehicle speed of 0 km means a vehicle running state.

  The AND gate 6b has a predetermined signal (for example, H signal) in which the signal from the vehicle speed zero (0) Km judging means 6a indicates a vehicle speed of 0 km (= vehicle stop), and the other vehicle / pedestrian detecting means 4 The predetermined signal is set only when the function is turned on by the external communication signal Sa and the signal from the other vehicle / pedestrian detecting means 4 is a predetermined signal (for example, H signal) indicating detection of another vehicle or a pedestrian. (For example, H signal) is output to the function on / off determination means 6c described later. This output signal is a signal indicating that HID2 is turned off. That is, the AND gate 6b is not a signal indicating the detection of another vehicle or a pedestrian even if the signal is a vehicle speed of 0 km, or if the signal indicating the detection of another vehicle or a pedestrian is not a signal of a vehicle speed of 0 km. A signal indicating that HID2 is turned off is not output.

The function on / off judging means 6c judges that the function is on when the signal from the function on / off setting means 5 or the external communication signal Sb is a signal representing the operation of the headlight lighting control function of the present invention. When the signal indicates a stop, it is determined that the function is off. Only when it is determined that the function is ON in this determination, the below-described HID extinction determining means 6d and the like operate properly, and the headlight lighting control function of the present invention operates. On the other hand, when it is determined that the function is off, the normal operation is performed regardless of the headlight lighting control function of the present invention.
Even if the external communication signal Sb is a function off signal, if the function on / off setting means 5 is set to function on, the function on / off determination means 6c determines that the function is on.

The HID extinction determining means 6d determines whether the signal sent from the AND gate 6b via the function on / off determining means 6c is a signal indicating the extinction of HID2. When the signal from the AND gate 6b indicates that the HID2 is turned off, it is determined that the HID2 is turned off, and a signal for turning off the HID2 is output to the HID driving means 6g described later.
The inverter 6e inverts the polarity of the signal output from the vehicle speed zero (0) Km determination means 6a.
The HID relighting determination means 6f determines whether the signal from the inverter 6e is a signal representing the relighting of HID2. When the signal from the inverter 6e is a signal representing the relighting of the HID2, the determination is made to relight the HID2 that has been turned off according to the determination by the HID extinction determining means 6d, and the HID driving means 6g described later is caused to relight the HID2. Output a signal.
The HID driving means 6g turns off HID2 when a signal for turning off HID2 is sent from the HID turn-off judging means 6d, and turns on HID2 again when a signal for turning on HID2 again is sent from the HID re-lighting judgment means 6f. .

The HID control unit 6A is configured as described above, but this “HID control unit” is usually an existing microcomputer that is conventionally used for controlling the lighting of the HID 2 and is composed of a microcomputer. The HID control unit 6A according to the first embodiment of the present invention newly connects the vehicle speed detection means 3, the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4, and the function on / off setting means 5 to the existing HID control unit. The external communication signals Sa and Sb for various settings are inputted and functions are added.
In other words, the function is added to the existing HID control unit and utilized, and is not newly provided. Thereby, an increase in cost is suppressed.

Next, the operation of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing HID2 lighting control processing by the HID control unit 6A. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 is set to function on by the external communication signal Sa, and the function on / off setting means 5 or the external communication signal Sb is set to function on. It is assumed that the function has been set and has been determined to be function ON by the function ON / OFF determination means 6c.
In the following description, it is assumed that the vehicle speed detection means 3 is composed of a vehicle speed pulse generator.
In FIG. 2, in step ST1, the HID control unit 6A turns on HID2 by the HID driving means 6g. Only when the lighting of HID2 in step ST1 is performed, the headlight lighting control function after step ST2 starts operation.

  In step ST2, the vehicle speed zero (0) Km judging means 6a of the HID control unit 6A judges whether or not the vehicle speed is 0 km based on the generation state of the pulse signal from the vehicle speed detecting means 3 constituted by the vehicle speed pulse generator. If the vehicle speed is not 0 km (step ST2-No), the vehicle is running in this case, so the HID2 of step ST1 is kept on. If the vehicle speed is 0 km (step ST2-Yes), the vehicle stops in this case Therefore, a predetermined signal (for example, a high level (H) signal) is output to the AND circuit 6b, and the process proceeds to step ST3.

In step ST3, the HID control unit 6A determines whether or not another vehicle or pedestrian has been detected based on the signal input from the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 to the AND gate 6b. When a predetermined signal (for example, H signal) indicating detection of a car or a pedestrian, it is determined that another vehicle or pedestrian has been detected (step ST3-Yes), and this signal is not a signal indicating detection of another vehicle or pedestrian. Sometimes it is determined that no other vehicle or pedestrian is detected (step ST3-No). In this determination, when it is determined that no other vehicle or pedestrian is detected (step ST3-No), the lighting of HID2 in step ST1 is maintained. As a result, even when the vehicle stops (step ST2-Yes), when no other vehicle or pedestrian is detected, the lighting of HID2 in step ST1 is maintained. For example, the driver can stay in the darkness at night. You can see the front well.
On the other hand, when it is determined that another vehicle or a pedestrian has been detected (step ST3-Yes), a signal indicating that the HID2 is turned off is output from the AND gate 6b, and the process proceeds to step ST4.

In step ST4, the HID extinction judging means 6d of the HID control unit 6A judges that the signal sent from the AND gate 6b via the function on / off judging means 6c is a signal indicating the extinction of HID2, and sends it to the HID driving means 6g. In contrast, HID2 is turned off. Thus, HID2 is turned off when the two conditions of vehicle stop and detection of other vehicles or pedestrians are satisfied.
In step ST5, the vehicle speed zero (0) Km determination means 6a of the HID control unit 6A monitors whether or not a vehicle speed pulse is input from the vehicle speed detection means 3, and if the vehicle speed pulse is not input, the vehicle speed is 0 km (= stop). Judgment is made (step ST5-No). In this case, the HID control unit 6A maintains the HID2 extinguished by the HID extinction determining means 6d in step ST4.

On the other hand, when even a slight vehicle speed pulse is input, the vehicle speed zero (0) Km determination means 6a determines that the vehicle speed is not 0 km (step ST5-Yes). In this case, it means that the vehicle has started running (started) from a stopped state, and a signal indicating this vehicle running start is sent to the inverter 6e, and the process proceeds to step ST6.
In step ST6, the HID relighting determination means 6f of the HID control unit 6A determines that the signal indicating the vehicle running start input from the vehicle speed zero (0) Km determination means 6a via the inverter 6e is a signal for relighting HID2. Then, HID2 which has been turned off with respect to the HID driving means 6g is turned on again. As a result, when the vehicle starts running from the stopped state, HID2 is turned on.

  As described above, the operation described above is based on the premise that the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 is set to function-on by the external communication signal Sa. On the other hand, when the function of the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 is set to off by the external communication signal Sa, a predetermined signal (for example, H) indicating the detection of the other vehicle or pedestrian is combined with the setting of the function off. The other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 may output the same signal to the AND gate 6b. Thus, when the vehicle speed zero (0) Km determination means 6a outputs a predetermined signal (for example, H signal) indicating the vehicle speed 0 Km to the AND gate 6b, the AND gate 6b is opened. Accordingly, HID2 is turned off in step ST4 described above only according to the determination of the vehicle speed zero (0) Km determining means 6a. When the vehicle stops, HID2 is turned off regardless of the presence of other vehicles or pedestrians.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, signals are input to the HID control unit 6A from the vehicle speed detection means 3 and the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4, respectively. The HID control unit 6A When the vehicle speed is determined to be 0 km based on the signal input from 3 and it is determined that another person or pedestrian has been detected based on the signal input from the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4, the HID 2 is turned off and the vehicle speed detection means 3 When it is determined that the vehicle speed is no longer 0 km based on the input signal, the HID2 that has been turned off is turned on again. Therefore, when other vehicles or pedestrians are detected around the parked vehicle, The anti-glare effect on headlights and pedestrians is reduced, and power consumption is reduced to detect other vehicles and pedestrians around the parked vehicle. When no is maintained lights of HID2, driver even stopped the vehicle around the dark can be seen well ahead.
Further, since the HID 2 that has been turned off is turned on again when the vehicle speed is no longer 0 km, forgetting to turn on the headlight when the vehicle starts traveling is prevented. Thus, for example, when waiting for a signal at an intersection at night when there are other vehicles in the vicinity, the HID2 that was manually operated to turn off or re-light is turned off automatically when the vehicle is stopped, It will be automatically turned on, and convenience can be improved.

Further, since the HID control unit 6A is configured to set the operation or stop of the headlight extinction or relighting control function by the external communication signal Sb or the function on / off setting means 5, for example, the user can set HID2 during night driving. If it is desired to maintain a constantly lit state, it can be easily realized by setting this control function to OFF by using the external communication signal Sb or the function ON / OFF setting means 5, and other vehicles and pedestrians are detected around the stopped vehicle. Even at times, HID2 can be turned on.
Further, the HID control unit 6A configured by a microcomputer is obtained by adding a vehicle speed detection function, another vehicle / pedestrian detection function, and the like to the existing HID control unit, and is not newly provided. Thereby, an increase in cost can be suppressed.
Further, as the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4, a cost increase can be suppressed by diverting a corner sensor installed in the vehicle.

  In addition, since the operation / stop of the detection function of the other vehicle / pedestrian by the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 is set by the external communication signal Sa, the detection function is stopped (turned off) by the external communication signal Sa. Sometimes, the vehicle is stopped by setting the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 to output the same signal as a predetermined signal (for example, H signal) indicating the detection of the other vehicle or the pedestrian to the AND gate 6b. Sometimes it is possible to turn off the HID 2 regardless of the presence of other vehicles or pedestrians.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a headlight lighting control apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The configuration of FIG. 3 is different from the configuration of FIG. 1 (Embodiment 1) in that a timer unit 6h is provided in the internal configuration of the HID control unit 6B, and time setting means 7 is associated with the timer unit 6h. This is the point. Others are the same as in FIG. Therefore, the description of the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 is omitted.
In FIG. 3, when the vehicle speed zero (0) Km determination means 6a determines that the vehicle speed is 0 km, the timer section 6h counts the elapsed time in the state where the vehicle speed is 0 km.
The time setting means 7 presets the elapsed time counted by the timer unit 6h, and is constituted by a circuit using a time setting variable resistor (VR), for example. This elapsed time can also be set by an external communication signal Sc by a communication means (not shown). That is, the time setting for the timer unit 6h can be performed by either the time setting means 7 or the external communication signal Sc.

The purpose of providing the timer unit 6h and the like is as follows.
In the configuration of FIG. 1 (Embodiment 1), as described in FIG. 2, when the vehicle speed is determined to be 0 km (step ST2-Yes) and another vehicle or a pedestrian is detected (step ST3-Yes). Then, HID2 was turned off (step ST4). In other words, when the vehicle stops and another vehicle or the like is detected, HID2 is immediately turned off, and there is almost no time difference between the determination of the vehicle stopping and the HID2 being turned off. As described above, it is expected that the form in which the HID 2 is turned off immediately after the vehicle stops will give the user a sense of discomfort. In order to prevent this uncomfortable feeling, when the vehicle stops, the HID 2 may be turned off after a certain time has elapsed.
As described above, the purpose of providing the timer unit 6h and the like is to turn off the HID 2 after a certain time has elapsed after the vehicle stops.

Next, the operation of FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing HID2 lighting control processing by the HID control unit 6B. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, as in FIG. 2, the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 is set to function on by the external communication signal Sa, and the function on / off setting means 5 or external It is assumed that the function is set to ON by the communication signal Sb and that the function is ON by the function ON / OFF determining means 6c.
The vehicle speed detection means 3 is also constituted by a vehicle speed pulse generator, as in FIG.
Further, in FIG. 4, among steps ST11 to ST17, other steps ST (11 to 13 and 15 to 17) excluding step ST14 are the same control processing as in FIG. Therefore, description of step ST of the same process as FIG. 2 is omitted, and step ST14 and the process related to this step will be mainly described.

HID2 is turned on by the HID driving means 6g, and the headlight lighting control function according to the second embodiment starts to operate (step ST11). Thereafter, the vehicle speed is judged to be 0 km by the vehicle speed zero (0) Km judging means 6a. (Step ST12—Yes), and further, when it is determined that the HID control unit 6B has detected another vehicle or a pedestrian based on a signal input from the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 to the AND circuit 6b ′ (step ST12). (ST13-Yes), the HID control unit 6B sets the timer unit 6h and starts time counting.
As described above, the timer unit 6h is preset in time by the time setting means 7 or the external communication signal Sc. The timer 6h counts up when the preset fixed time (time) is counted, and the time until the timer is set up from the timer set is the elapsed time of the vehicle speed of 0 km. In addition, when the time is up, the timer unit 6h outputs a predetermined signal (for example, an H signal) indicating that the state of the vehicle speed of 0 km has elapsed for a predetermined time to the AND circuit 6b ′.

In step ST14, the HID control unit 6B determines whether or not the vehicle speed of 0 km has passed a predetermined time based on the time count of the timer unit 6h.
In this determination, when it is determined that the vehicle speed of 0 km does not elapse for a certain period of time (step ST14-No), the lighting of HID2 in step ST11 is maintained. As a result, even when the vehicle stops and another vehicle or pedestrian is detected, the HID 2 is kept on without being immediately turned off before a certain period of time has elapsed, and the driver is prevented from feeling uncomfortable. The
On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle speed of 0 km has passed for a certain period of time (step ST14-Yes), a predetermined signal (for example, H signal) indicating that this certain period of time has elapsed is output from the timer unit 6h. Is output.

Here, the number of signals input to the AND circuit 6b ′ is different from that of the AND circuit 6b of FIG. 1. In the AND circuit 6b of FIG. 1, the vehicle speed zero (0) Km determination means 6a and the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 While two systems of signals are input, the AND circuit 6b ′ receives three systems of signals in which a timer unit 6h is added to these two systems. When the signals from these three systems satisfy the predetermined condition, that is, the signal indicating the vehicle speed of 0 km, the signal indicating the detection of another vehicle or a pedestrian, and the state of the vehicle speed of 0 km have elapsed for a certain period of time. The AND circuit 6b 'outputs a signal indicating HID2 extinguishing to the HID extinction judging means 6d via the function on / off judging means 6c.
Next, in step ST15, the HID extinction determining means 6d of the HID control unit 6B causes the HID driving means 6g to extinguish HID2 based on the signal sent from the AND circuit 6b 'via the function on / off determining means 6c.
As described above, even when the vehicle stops and another vehicle or a pedestrian is detected, the HID 2 is turned off after a lapse of a certain time, and the nature that does not give the user a sense of incongruity is a turn-off operation.
The description of subsequent steps ST16 and ST17 is omitted according to the above.

  The operation described above is based on the premise that the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 is set to function on by the external communication signal Sa, as in the case of the first embodiment. On the other hand, when the other vehicle / pedestrian detecting means 4 is set to function off by the external communication signal Sa, in the second embodiment as well as the first embodiment, The other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 may output the same signal as a predetermined signal (for example, H signal) indicating detection of a car or a pedestrian to the AND gate 6b ′. As a result, the vehicle speed zero (0) Km determination means 6a outputs a predetermined signal (for example, H signal) indicating the vehicle speed 0Km to the AND gate 6b ', and the predetermined signal indicating that the timer unit 6h has passed a predetermined time. When (for example, H signal) is output to the AND circuit 6b ', the AND gate 6b' is opened. Accordingly, the turning off of HID2 in step ST15 follows the judgment of the vehicle speed zero (0) Km judgment means 6a and the counting of the elapsed time by the timer unit 6h, and when the vehicle has stopped and a certain time has passed since the vehicle stopped, Or HID2 will turn off regardless of the presence of a pedestrian.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the HID control unit 6B includes the timer unit 6h that counts the elapsed time in the state where the vehicle speed is 0 km, and detects other persons or pedestrians at the vehicle speed of 0 km. Furthermore, since the headlight is turned off when the timer unit 6h counts a preset elapsed time, the vehicle is stopped and another vehicle or a pedestrian is detected. However, HID2 is turned off after a certain period of time, and nature can be turned off without giving a sense of incongruity to the user.

In addition, since the elapsed time in the vehicle speed zero state counted by the timer unit 6h can be set by the external communication signal Sc by the communication means or the time setting means 7, this elapsed time can be arbitrarily set, and the user feels uncomfortable. Nature with no light can be set to turn off.
Similarly to the HID control unit 6A of the first embodiment, the HID control unit 6B configured by the microcomputer has an elapsed time of the vehicle speed detection function, the other vehicle / pedestrian detection function, and the vehicle speed zero state to the existing HID control unit. The timer function for counting is added and utilized, and is not newly provided. Thereby, an increase in cost can be suppressed.
In addition, the configuration of the headlight lighting control device according to the second embodiment is obtained by adding a timer function by the timer unit 6h to the headlight lighting control device according to the first embodiment. This is the same as the headlight lighting control device. Therefore, the headlight lighting control apparatus according to the second embodiment can also enjoy the effects described in the first embodiment.

  In addition, since the operation / stop of the detection function of the other vehicle / pedestrian by the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means 4 is set by the external communication signal Sa, the detection function is stopped (turned off) by the external communication signal Sa. Sometimes, the vehicle stops when the other vehicle / pedestrian detecting means 4 is set to output the same signal as a predetermined signal (for example, H signal) indicating detection of the other vehicle or pedestrian to the AND gate 6b '. In addition, the HID 2 can be turned off regardless of the presence of another vehicle or a pedestrian when a certain time has elapsed since the vehicle stopped.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the headlight lighting control apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the HID lighting control by the HID control unit of the headlight lighting control apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the headlight lighting control apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the HID lighting control by the HID control unit of the headlight lighting control apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1 battery, 2 high-intensity discharge lamp (HID), 3 vehicle speed detection means, 4 other vehicle / pedestrian detection means, 5 function on / off setting means, 6A, 6B HID control unit, 6a vehicle speed zero (0) Km judgment means 6b, 6b ′ AND gate, 6c function on / off judging means, 6d HID extinction judging means, 6e inverter, 6f HID relighting judging means, 6g HID driving means, 6h timer section, 7 hour setting means, Sa, Sb, Sc External communication signal.

Claims (5)

Vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle;
Other vehicle / pedestrian detection means for detecting other vehicles or pedestrians within a preset range around the host vehicle;
A signal is input from each of the vehicle speed detection means and the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means, a vehicle speed is determined to be zero based on a signal input from the vehicle speed detection means, and a signal input from the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means The headlight is turned off when it is determined that another person or pedestrian has been detected based on the above, and the turned off headlight is turned on again when it is determined that the vehicle speed is no longer zero based on the signal input from the vehicle speed detecting means. A headlight lighting control device including a headlight control unit that controls lighting of the headlight.   The headlight control unit is provided with a timer unit that counts the elapsed time in a state where the vehicle speed is zero, determines that the vehicle speed is zero based on the signal input from the vehicle speed detection means, and uses the signal input from the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means. 2. The headlight lighting according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that another person or a pedestrian has been detected based on the detected time, and the headlight is turned off when the timer unit counts a preset time. Control device.   3. The headlight lighting control device according to claim 2, wherein the elapsed time of the vehicle speed zero state counted by the timer unit is set by an external communication signal by the communication means or by a time setting means.   3. The operation or stop of the headlight extinction or relighting control function by the headlight control unit is set by an external communication signal by the communication means or a function on / off setting means. Headlight lighting control device.   The headlight lighting control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an operation or a stop of a detection function of another vehicle or a pedestrian by the other vehicle / pedestrian detection means is set by an external communication signal by the communication means. .

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