JP2008213618A - Fog lamp device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fog lamp device having a lighting control device of a rear fog lamp capable of reducing discomfort of a following vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: This fog lamp device has a lighting control device 21. A rear fog lamp 12, a rear laser radar 22, a temperature sensor 23, and an infrared sensor 24 are connected to the lighting control device 21. At the time of determining that there is fog according to detection results of the temperature sensor 23 and the infrared sensor 24, the lighting control device 21 automatically lights on the rear fog lamp 12 when a following vehicle detected by the rear laser radar 22 travels beyond a predetermined distance from its own vehicle, and bans the automatic lighting of the rear fog lamp 12 when the detected following vehicle travels within a predetermined distance from its own vehicle. Also, the lighting control device 21 lights off the rear fog lamp 12 under a lighting condition, provided that the following vehicle travels within a predetermined distance from its own vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fog lamp device, and more particularly to a fog lamp device including a rear fog lamp provided at the rear of a vehicle.

As this type of fog lamp device, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 below, a fog lamp is detected and the fog lamp is automatically turned on. Further, as described in, for example, Patent Document 2 below, there is also known one that detects fog more accurately by using a laser radar for measuring a distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle.
JP-A-6-97772 JP 11-115623 A

  The fog lamp devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 automatically turn on the front fog lamp provided in front of the vehicle. However, the conventional technology is also applied to the rear fog lamp provided in the rear of the vehicle. It can be turned on automatically. However, the rear fog lamp may give an uncomfortable feeling that the following vehicle is dazzling, and it has been desired to develop a lighting control technology for the rear fog lamp that can reduce the discomfort to the following vehicle.

  The subject of this invention is providing the fog lamp apparatus provided with the lighting control apparatus of the rear fog lamp which can reduce the discomfort to a following vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  A fog lamp device according to the present invention includes a rear fog lamp provided at the rear of a vehicle, a subsequent vehicle detection means for detecting a subsequent vehicle, and a subsequent vehicle detected by the subsequent vehicle detection means traveling within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle. And a lighting mode change control means for changing a lighting mode of the rear fog lamp in a lighting state on condition that the lighting is performed. In this case, the lighting mode change control means may be set, for example, to turn off the rear fog lamp that is in the lighting state. The rear fog lamp may have an optical axis that can be tilted downward, and the lighting mode change control means may be set to lower the optical axis of the rear fog lamp that is in a lighting state.

  In this fog lamp device, the lighting mode of the rear fog lamp in the lighting state is changed by the lighting mode change control unit on condition that the following vehicle detected by the following vehicle detection unit is traveling within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle. Is done. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the glare which a following vehicle senses by changing the lighting mode of a rear fog lamp.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the fog lamp device further includes a mist detecting means for detecting mist, a mist detected by the mist detecting means and a succeeding vehicle detected by the succeeding vehicle detecting means from the own vehicle. An automatic lighting means for automatically lighting the rear fog lamp when traveling outside the distance, and a subsequent vehicle in which fog is detected by the fog detecting means and detected by the subsequent vehicle detecting means is a predetermined distance from the own vehicle. It is also possible to provide automatic lighting prohibiting means for prohibiting automatic lighting of the rear fog lamp when traveling inside. According to this, it is possible to secure a rear view when the rear fog lamp is lit while considering that the following vehicle does not feel dazzling.

  In implementing the present invention, the rear fog lamp may be configured to be manually turned on / off by an operation switch. According to this, for example, because the following vehicle is traveling outside a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, even if the lighting state of the rear fog lamp is maintained, the driver's Since the rear fog lamp in the lighting state can be manually turned off by will, the usability of the fog lamp device can be improved.

  In implementing the present invention, the lighting mode of the rear fog lamp may be configured to be displayed on a display. According to this, since the driver can easily grasp the lighting state of the rear fog lamp, the usability of the fog lamp device can be further improved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a fog lamp device according to the present invention. The fog lamp device includes a pair of left and right front fog lamps 11 provided at the front of a vehicle and a pair of left and right front fog lamps provided at the rear of the vehicle. A rear fog lamp 12 is provided, and the fog lamps 11 and 12 are connected to a lighting control device 21.

  The lighting control device 21 includes a microcomputer including an interface unit, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a timer, a driving circuit, and the like as main components, and repeatedly executes the lighting control program shown in FIG. 2 every predetermined time after the ignition switch is turned on. To do. The lighting control device 21 functions as lighting mode change control means, automatic lighting means, and automatic lighting prohibiting means.

  A rear laser radar 22, a humidity sensor 23, an infrared sensor 24, an operation switch 25 and an indicator 26 are connected to the lighting control device 21. The rear laser radar 22 (following vehicle detection means) is provided behind the vehicle, detects an inter-vehicle distance L with respect to the following vehicle, and outputs the detected distance L to the lighting control device 21. The humidity sensor 23 detects the humidity outside the vehicle and outputs it to the lighting control device 21. The infrared sensor 24 includes an infrared LED as a light emitting element and a photodiode as a light receiving element, and outputs a reflected light amount from water droplet particles in the fog to the lighting control device 21. The humidity sensor 23 and the infrared sensor 24 function as fog detecting means.

  The operation switch 25 includes various switches such as a front fog lamp switch 25a and a rear fog lamp switch 25b that can manually turn on and off the front fog lamp 11 and the rear fog lamp 12 respectively. The indicator 26 (display device) is incorporated in a combination meter (not shown), and notifies the driver of the lighting state of the front fog lamp 11 or the rear fog lamp 12 by lighting.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. When the driver operates the ignition key to turn on the ignition switch, the lighting control device 21 repeatedly executes the lighting control program of FIG. 2 every predetermined short time.

  The lighting control program is started in step S10. In step S11, the distance L between the following vehicle detected by the rear laser radar 22, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 23, and the infrared sensor 24 are used. Input the detected amount of reflected light. Next, in step S12, it is determined whether or not fog is generated. Specifically, it is determined whether the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 23 and the amount of reflected light detected by the infrared sensor 24 are each equal to or greater than a set value. If any one is less than the set value, it is determined that there is no fog. Each set value is set in consideration of the fog density that affects the field of view during driving.

  First, a case where the visibility is deteriorated due to the generation of fog will be described. In this case, it determines with "Yes" in step S12, and progresses to step S13. In step S13, it is determined whether the inter-vehicle distance L with the following vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined inter-vehicle distance Lo. Here, the inter-vehicle distance Lo is set in consideration of the degree of glare felt by the following vehicle when the rear fog lamp 12 is in the lighting state. If the inter-vehicle distance L is less than or equal to the inter-vehicle distance Lo (determined as “Yes” in step S13), only the front fog lamp 11 is lit in step S14, and the lighting state of the front fog lamp 11 is indicated in the indicator 26 in step S15. Is lit on. After step S15, the lighting control program is terminated in step S23.

  Next, a case where the field of view is deteriorated due to generation of fog but the following vehicle is traveling outside the range of the inter-vehicle distance Lo will be described. In this case, it determines with "No" in step S13, and performs the process after step S16.

  In step S16, both fog lamps 11 and 12 are turned on, and in step S17, the lighting state of both fog lamps 11 and 12 is displayed on the indicator 26. In step S18, the following vehicle is monitored, that is, the inter-vehicle distance L with the subsequent vehicle at the present time is input, and in step S19, it is determined whether the inter-vehicle distance L is equal to or less than the inter-vehicle distance Lo. If the following vehicle is still traveling outside the inter-vehicle distance Lo, “No” is determined in step S19, and execution of the lighting control program is terminated in step S23.

  On the other hand, when the following vehicle approaches and the inter-vehicle distance L becomes equal to or smaller than the inter-vehicle distance Lo, “Yes” is determined in step S19, and the processes after step S20 are executed. In step S20, the rear fog lamp 12 is turned off. In step S21, the indicator 26 is turned off so as to indicate the turn-off state of the rear fog lamp 12. After step S21, the lighting control program is terminated in step S23.

  Next, a case where no fog is generated but the rear fog lamp 12 is manually turned on by the rear fog lamp switch 25b will be described. In this case, “No” is determined in step S12, and “Yes” is determined in step S22, and the processes after step S18 are executed. Then, when the following vehicle approaches and the inter-vehicle distance L becomes equal to or smaller than the inter-vehicle distance Lo, the processing after step S19 is executed as described above.

  If no fog is generated and the rear fog lamp switch 25b is not turned on, it is determined as “No” in steps S12 and S22, and the execution of the lighting control program is terminated in step S23. To do.

  As is apparent from the above description, in this embodiment, when it is determined that there is fog in the process of step S12, when the succeeding vehicle is traveling outside the range of the inter-vehicle distance Lo from the own vehicle, step S13 is performed. , S16, the rear fog lamp 12 is automatically turned on. On the other hand, when the following vehicle is traveling within the range Lo between the host vehicle and the vehicle, only the front fog lamp 11 is automatically turned on by the processing of steps S13 and S14, and the automatic lighting of the rear fog lamp 12 is prohibited. Thereby, the rear view can be secured when the rear fog lamp 12 is lit while considering that the following vehicle does not feel dazzling.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the rear fog lamp 12 that is turned on by the determination that there is fog is provided on the condition that the inter-vehicle distance L with the following vehicle is within the inter-vehicle distance Lo. Turned off by processing. Further, the rear fog lamp 12 that is manually turned on by the rear fog lamp switch 25b is turned off by the processing of steps S22, S18, S19, and S20 on condition that the inter-vehicle distance L with the following vehicle is within the inter-vehicle distance Lo. . Thereby, it is possible to prevent the following vehicle from feeling dazzling regardless of the presence or absence of fog.

  In the present embodiment, the rear fog lamp 12 is configured to be manually turned on / off by the rear fog lamp switch 25b. Thus, since the inter-vehicle distance L with the following vehicle is outside the inter-vehicle distance Lo, even if it is determined “No” in step S19 and the lighting state of the rear fog lamp 12 is maintained, Since the rear fog lamp 12 in the lighting state can be manually turned off according to the driving environment according to the driver's will, the usability of the fog lamp device can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the lighting mode of the rear fog lamp 12 is configured to be displayed on the indicator 26 by the processes of steps S17 and S21. As a result, the driver can easily grasp the lighting mode of the rear fog lamp 12, so that the usability of the fog lamp device can be further improved.

(Modified embodiment)
In the above embodiment, when it is determined “Yes” in step S19 in FIG. 2, the rear fog lamp 12 is turned off in step S20. Instead, for example, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. Furthermore, when it is determined “Yes” in step S19 using an optical axis tilt actuator 27 (for example, a motor drive mechanism) that can tilt the optical axis of the lamp downward as is well known in the configuration of the headlamp, As shown in FIG. 3, the optical axis of the rear fog lamp 12 may be lowered in step S20 ′, and the indicator 26 may be turned on and displayed in step S21 ′ so as to indicate the downward lighting state of the rear fog lamp 12.

  Also in this modified embodiment, it is possible to prevent the following vehicle from being dazzled as in the above embodiment.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment and the like, the fog is detected using the humidity sensor 23 and the infrared sensor 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inter-vehicle distance is not detected by, for example, the rear laser radar 22 or a separately provided front laser radar. It may be determined that fog is present when the time continues for a predetermined time.

  In the above-described embodiment and the like, the rear fog lamp 12 is turned off by the process of step S20 of FIG. 2 or the optical axis of the rear fog lamp 12 is lowered by the process of step S20 ′ of FIG. Thus, for example, it is possible to perform control so that the illumination intensity of the rear fog lamp 12 becomes dark.

The block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the fog lamp apparatus by this invention. The flowchart which shows the lighting control program performed by the lighting control apparatus of FIG. The flowchart which shows a part of lighting control program which concerns on modification embodiment of this invention and is performed by the lighting control apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

11 front fog lamp 12 rear fog lamp 21 lighting control device (lighting mode change control means, automatic lighting means, automatic lighting prohibiting means)
22 Rear laser radar (following vehicle detection means)
23 Humidity sensor (mist detection means)
24 Infrared sensor (mist detection means)
25 Operation switch 25b Rear fog lamp switch 26 Indicator (indicator)
27 Optical axis tilt actuator

Claims (6)

A rear fog lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle;
Subsequent vehicle detection means for detecting the subsequent vehicle;
A lighting mode change control unit that changes a lighting mode of the rear fog lamp in a lighting state on condition that the following vehicle detected by the following vehicle detection unit is traveling within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle. A fog lamp device characterized by that.   2. The fog lamp device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting mode change control unit is set to turn off the rear fog lamp in a lighting state.   The optical axis of the rear fog lamp is tiltable downward, and the lighting mode change control means is set to lower the optical axis of the rear fog lamp in a lighting state. Fog lamp device.   The fog lamp device further includes fog detection means for detecting fog, and when the fog is detected by the fog detection means and the subsequent vehicle detected by the subsequent vehicle detection means travels outside a predetermined distance from the own vehicle. Automatic lighting means for automatically turning on the rear fog lamp, and when the fog is detected by the fog detecting means and the following vehicle detected by the following vehicle detecting means is traveling within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle. The fog lamp device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising automatic lighting prohibiting means for prohibiting automatic lighting of the rear fog lamp.   The fog lamp device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rear fog lamp is configured to be manually turned on and off by an operation switch.   The fog lamp device according to claim 1, wherein a lighting mode of the rear fog lamp is configured to be displayed on a display.

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