JP2009126212A - Illumination device of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illumination device of a vehicle equipped with a slide door which can not only secure convenience of a passenger getting in a car but also protect the passenger's privacy effectively. <P>SOLUTION: The illumination device built into the vehicle 1 equipped with the slide door 20 opening/closing an ingress-egress opening Hs formed at the side portion of a vehicle compartment, includes a plurality of lamps E1 to E8 illuminating areas inside and outside of the vehicle compartment around the entrance, and an illumination controller controlling lighting of the lamps. The plurality of lamps is provided with lower illuminators illuminating lower areas located below a beltline Lb of the vehicle such that a passenger's upper body is not illuminated, and vehicle-inside upper illuminators illuminating an upper-specified area in the vehicle compartment located above the beltline. The illumination controller prohibits illumination by the vehicle-inside upper illuminators and starts the illumination by the lower illuminators based on detection of the vehicle-stop operation, and starts illumination by the vehicle-inside upper illuminators, when it is determined that the passenger gets out of an illumination area of the vehicle-inside upper illuminators, based on detection of the egress-action of the passenger. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lighting device for a vehicle provided with a sliding door.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a door installed in a vehicle such as an automobile, a so-called sliding door that opens and closes while sliding in the front-rear direction substantially along the side of the vehicle body is generally well known. For example, a wagon type automobile or a so-called one-box car is known. It is widely used as a rear seat door. By installing such a sliding door in the passenger compartment side, a larger entrance / exit for the passenger compartment side can be secured, and the convenience for passengers getting on and off or loading / unloading luggage can be greatly enhanced.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a light emitting device that brightly illuminates the periphery of a slide door is provided in the slide door of an automobile equipped with such a slide door, and when the slide door is opened, A configuration is disclosed in which a pedestrian, a side car, or a driver of a rear car can easily recognize that the slide door is in an open state by illuminating the lower part or the rear part.

By the way, in recent years, not only lighting a required area such as a vehicle interior but also suitably controlling each illumination lamp individually or in conjunction with a lighting device for a vehicle interior equipped in a vehicle. It has been proposed to produce various effects by lighting (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2003-327041 A JP 2003-327042 A

  In recent years, it has become desirable to effectively protect the occupant's privacy with respect to the vehicle lighting device as the awareness of privacy protection increases. For example, in a parking lot that is not popular at night, when the vehicle is stopped and the occupant gets off, privacy protection of the occupant who gets off may be desired. In particular, if the occupant getting off the vehicle is a weak person such as a woman, an elderly person, or a child, it is preferable in terms of crime prevention that the person is not noticed. In particular, in the case of a vehicle equipped with the above-described sliding door, by opening the door, the entrance / exit is not obstructed by the door itself as in the case of a normal pivoting open / close door, and is almost completely seen from a wide range of surroundings. Therefore, it is strongly desired to consider the privacy protection of passengers.

  However, in the conventional vehicular lighting device, as seen in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the convenience and safety when the passenger gets out of the vehicle or the effect of lighting can be taken into consideration. The fact is that little attention is paid to privacy protection.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a lighting device that can not only ensure convenience when the passenger gets out of the vehicle, but also can effectively protect the privacy of the passenger, with respect to the lighting device of the vehicle provided with the sliding door. Is the basic purpose.

  For this reason, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application (the first invention) is equipped with a slide door that opens and closes the entrance / exit on the side of the passenger compartment, and is provided in a vehicle in which a seat is disposed in the vicinity of the entrance / exit. The lighting device includes: a stop operation detecting unit that detects at least a stop operation by a driver; and a dismounting operation detecting unit that detects a dismounting operation of an occupant from the entrance / exit. Is provided with a plurality of illumination units that illuminate the interior and exterior areas of the passenger compartment around the entrance and exit, and an illumination control unit that controls lighting of the plurality of illumination units, and the plurality of illumination units are occupants A lower illumination unit whose irradiation direction is limited so as to direct a region below the vehicle belt line so as not to illuminate the upper body of the vehicle, and an in-vehicle upper illumination unit that illuminates a predetermined range in the vehicle compartment above the belt line The lighting system The unit prohibits illumination by the upper illumination unit in the vehicle based on detection of the stop operation by the stop operation detection unit, starts illumination by the lower illumination unit, and detects the getting-off operation by the getting-off operation detection unit On the basis of the above, when it is detected that the occupant has gone out of the illumination range of the in-vehicle upper illumination unit, control means for starting illumination by the in-vehicle upper illumination unit is provided.

  An invention according to claim 2 of the present application (second invention) is characterized in that, in the first invention, the lower illumination section is provided below the belt line. is there.

  Further, in the invention according to claim 3 of the present application (third invention), in the first or second invention, the lower illumination section is directed to an irradiation direction so as to be directed to a region outside the vehicle below the belt line. A vehicle exterior lower illuminating section, and a vehicle interior lower illuminating section whose irradiation direction is limited so as to be directed to a region inside the vehicle compartment below the belt line, and the control means is based on the getting-off operation detecting means On the basis of detection of alighting operation, illumination by the lower interior illumination unit is started, and then illumination by the lower exterior illumination unit is started.

  Still further, an invention according to claim 4 of the present application (fourth invention) is the above-described third invention, wherein the vehicle lower illumination unit is a vehicle periphery illumination unit that illuminates a lower region outside the vehicle near the entrance. An outer handle illumination unit that illuminates the outer handle of the slide door, and the lower illumination unit in the vehicle illuminates the foot illumination unit that illuminates the passenger compartment floor in front of the seat and the inner handle of the slide door. And an inner handle illumination unit.

  Still further, in the invention according to claim 5 of the present application (fifth invention), in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the in-vehicle lower illumination portion extends in the vertical direction along the entrance / exit. It is characterized by having a pillar illumination part for illuminating the interior surface of the pillar.

  Still further, an invention according to claim 6 of the present application (sixth invention) is the fourth invention, wherein the vehicle peripheral illumination portion is provided outside the side sill extending in the vehicle body longitudinal direction at the left and right end portions of the vehicle body floor portion. It is characterized in that it is disposed in the vicinity of the vehicle outer side of the lower flange positioned at the lower inner side than the bulging portion toward the upper side and above the lower end of the lower flange.

  Furthermore, an invention according to claim 7 of the present invention (seventh invention) is the rear door that opens and closes the rear entrance of the vehicle interior side in any one of the first to sixth inventions. It is characterized by being.

According to the first invention of the present application, when the stop operation is detected by the stop operation detecting means, the illumination by the in-vehicle upper illumination unit that illuminates a predetermined range in the vehicle compartment above the belt line based on the detection. It is forbidden. And the illumination by the in-vehicle upper illumination unit is started until it is detected that the occupant has gone out of the illumination range of the in-vehicle upper illumination unit based on the detection of the alighting operation by the alighting operation detecting means. Absent. Accordingly, the upper body of the occupant is not illuminated by the lights when the vehicle is stopped and the occupant gets off, and the occupant's privacy can be effectively protected.
Further, when the stop operation is detected by the stop operation detecting means, the lower illumination in which the irradiation direction is restricted so as to direct the region below the belt line of the vehicle so as not to illuminate the upper body of the occupant based on the detection Illumination by the unit is started. Therefore, when the occupant gets off, the area below the belt line is illuminated, and the upper illumination unit starts lighting when it is detected that the occupant is out of the illumination range. The occupant can easily check his / her feet and the surrounding area, and does not feel inconvenient when getting off. That is, it is possible to effectively protect the occupant's privacy as described above while ensuring convenience when the occupant gets off the vehicle.

  In addition, according to the second invention of the present application, basically, the same operational effects as the first invention can be achieved. In particular, the lower illuminating unit is provided below the belt line by providing the lower illuminating unit (irradiation direction is limited so as to direct an area below the belt line of the vehicle so as not to illuminate the upper body of the occupant). Can more easily and reliably ensure that the upper body of the passenger is not illuminated. In other words, by setting the area where the lower illumination unit is disposed below the belt line, a high degree of freedom in layout of the lower illumination unit can be obtained within the area.

  Furthermore, according to the third invention of the present application, basically the same operational effects as those of the first or second invention can be obtained. In particular, when the getting-off action is detected by the getting-off action detecting means, illumination by the lower illuminating unit in the vehicle whose irradiation direction is restricted so as to be directed to a region in the passenger compartment below the belt line is started based on the detection. After that, illumination by the vehicle exterior lower illumination unit whose irradiation direction is limited so as to be directed to the region outside the vehicle below the belt line is started. In other words, in accordance with the order of the getting-off operation of the occupant getting off the vehicle, it is possible to sequentially illuminate the interior of the vehicle and the lower illumination unit outside the vehicle.

  Furthermore, according to the fourth invention of the present application, basically the same operational effects as the third invention can be obtained. In particular, when the passenger gets off the vehicle, the passenger compartment floor in front of the seat is illuminated by the foot illumination unit, the inner handle of the sliding door is illuminated by the inner handle illumination unit, and then the lower area outside the vehicle in the vicinity of the passenger entrance is illuminated by the vehicle peripheral illumination unit. The outer handle of the slide door can be illuminated by the outer handle illumination unit. In other words, after realizing the effect of “seeing off” by lighting, it is possible to easily check the foot area of the occupant to get off, and to operate the operation members (inner and outer door handles, etc.) when getting off It is possible to improve the visibility and improve convenience when getting off.

  Still further, according to the fifth invention of the present application, basically, the same function and effect as any of the first to fourth inventions can be achieved. In particular, the lower illuminating unit in the vehicle includes a pillar illuminating unit that illuminates the interior surface of the pillar extending in the vertical direction along the entrance and exit. The rider can get off easily and smoothly.

  Still further, according to the sixth invention of the present application, basically, the same operational effects as those of the fourth invention can be obtained. In particular, by disposing the vehicle peripheral illumination part in the vicinity of the vehicle outer side of the lower flange located at the inner lower side of the side sill extending outward in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the left and right side end parts of the vehicle body floor part, The vehicle periphery illumination unit can be protected from a rock from the vehicle center side while the vehicle is traveling, and the vehicle periphery illumination unit is disposed above the lower end of the lower flange, so that The vehicle surrounding illumination unit can be protected from sliding. In addition, since the lower flange is located on the lower inner side of the outward bulging portion of the side sill, the illumination light emitted from the vehicle peripheral illumination portion toward the lower area outside the vehicle near the entrance / exit is not Since it is blocked by the outward bulging portion, it is reliably prevented that the upper side of the belt line Lb is illuminated.

  Still further, according to the seventh invention of the present application, in particular, since the slide door is a rear door that opens and closes the rear entrance of the vehicle compartment side portion, the front door close to the instrument panel disposed at the vehicle front end portion. On the rear door side where the number of illuminations is smaller than that on the door side, basically the same operational effects as any of the first to sixth inventions can be achieved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a side surface of an automobile equipped with the illumination device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the interior of the automobile.
As shown in these drawings, the automobile 1 according to the present embodiment is of a so-called wagon type. In the vehicle interior, in order from the front side, a front (front row) seat 11, a second (second row) seat 12, and a rear (Last row) Three rows of sheets 13 are arranged. Further, a so-called slide door 20 that opens and closes while sliding in the front-rear direction substantially along the side of the vehicle body is provided as a door for the rear seat (second seat 12 and rear seat 13) on the side surface of the rear part of the passenger compartment of the automobile. ing. The slide door 20 covers the entrance / exit Hs on the side of the passenger compartment so as to be openable / closable. The entrance / exit Hs that is opened by moving the slide door 20 backward to open the side end of the second seat 12. Are located close to each other.

  The automobile 1 is equipped with an illuminating device having a large number of illumination lamps to illuminate a required area in the vehicle interior, a periphery of the entrance / exit Hs, a required area outside the vehicle interior such as a door knob. Hereinafter, the illumination lamp which comprises this illuminating device is demonstrated.

  In the present embodiment, a “lower illumination lamp” in which the irradiation direction is restricted so as to direct the area below the vehicle belt line Lb so as not to illuminate the upper body of the occupant, and the vehicle interior above the belt line Lb. And an “in-car upper illumination lamp” that illuminates a predetermined range. Further, the lower illumination lamp is directed to an “outside vehicle lower illumination lamp” whose irradiation direction is limited so as to be directed to a region outside the vehicle below the belt line Lb, and a region inside the vehicle compartment below the belt line Lb. It is divided into “lighting lamps in the car” whose irradiation direction is limited.

  The belt line Lb is an imaginary line that is set to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction substantially along the lower side immediately below the lower sides of the window portions W1 and W2 on the vehicle side portion, and is also called a waist line. . In general, the upper body of the occupant can be prevented from being illuminated by limiting the irradiation direction of the lamp so as to be directed to a region below the belt line Lb.

  The courtesy lamp E1 is a lamp that illuminates the lower area S1 outside the vehicle near the entrance / exit Hs of the slide door 20 as the vehicle peripheral illumination, and is provided as a kind of the above-mentioned “lower exterior illumination lamp”. The courtesy lamp E1 is attached to the outside of the lower end flange portion of the side sill 5 that extends in the front-rear direction at the left and right ends of the vehicle body floor portion 4, as will be described in detail later.

  The outer handle lamp E2 is a lamp that illuminates the outer handle 23 of the slide door 20 and the area S2 in the vicinity thereof, and is also provided as a kind of the above-mentioned “lower exterior illumination lamp”. As will be described in detail later, the outer handle lamp E2 is attached to the back side of the outer handle 23, and the outer handle 23 itself is illuminated by so-called indirect illumination.

  The foot lamp E3 is a lamp that illuminates the front region (that is, the foot region of the second seat 12) S3 of the second seat 12 of the passenger compartment floor portion 4, and is provided as a kind of the “in-vehicle lower illumination lamp”. As will be described in detail later, the foot lamp E3 is provided so as to be embedded in a slide lever located at the lower front end of the seat cushion 12c of the second seat 12.

  The intermediate pillar lamp E4 is positioned substantially diagonally to the side of the front seat 11 and obliquely in front of the second seat 12 and extends in the vertical direction substantially along the front edge of the entrance / exit Hs (so-called B pillar). A lamp that illuminates the vehicle interior surface area S4 and makes it easy to visually recognize the position of the intermediate pillar 6 constitutes one of the “in-vehicle lower illumination lamps”. As will be described in detail later, the intermediate pillar lamp E4 is disposed in a pillar concentrated illumination portion 50 provided in the interior trim of the intermediate pillar 6.

  The seat downlight lamp E5 is a lamp that illuminates the seating surface area S5 of the seat cushion 12c of the second seat 12 and makes it easy to visually recognize the seat position. The seat downlight lamp E5 also constitutes one of the “in-vehicle lower illumination lamps”. . As will be described in detail later, the seat downlight lamp E5 is also disposed in the pillar concentrated illumination unit 50.

  The console downlight lamp E6 is a lamp for illuminating the hand of an occupant seated on the second seat 12, and is irradiated toward a substantially central region S6 in the vehicle width direction in front of the second seat 12. This console downlight lamp E6 is a so-called spotlight lamp having relatively high directivity, and is provided with an adjustable irradiation direction in order to make it easier to visually recognize the hand of the passenger seated on the second seat 12. Yes. As will be described in detail later, the console downlight lamp E6 is attached to the vehicle interior ceiling portion 7 and constitutes one of “in-car upper illumination lamps”.

  As will be described in detail later, the room lamp E7 is a lamp that is attached to a substantially central portion of the vehicle interior ceiling portion 7 and illuminates the vehicle interior over a wide area. Yes.

  The inner handle lamp E8 is a lamp that illuminates the inner handle 25 of the slide door 20 and the area S8 in the vicinity thereof when the slide door 20 is closed, and makes the position of the inner handle 25 easily visible. It constitutes one of the “bottom lighting lamps”. As will be described in detail later, the inner handle lamp E8 is also disposed in the pillar concentrated illumination unit 50.

  The slide door 20 constitutes a rear door that opens and closes the rear entrance Hs of the passenger compartment side, and the front door 19 side close to the instrument panel 10 (see FIG. 2) disposed at the front end of the passenger compartment. Compared to the number of lights, the number of lights is considerably reduced.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the attachment structure of the courtesy lamp E1, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y3-Y3 of FIG.
As shown in this figure, the side sill 5 extended in the front-rear direction at the left and right end portions of the vehicle body floor portion 4 forms an outer panel 31 constituting the outer surface and an upper portion of the inwardly bulging portion. An inner panel 32 and an under panel 33 that forms the lower part of the inwardly bulging portion are provided. The lower portion of the outer panel 31 bulges outward, and a reinforcement (second reinforcement) 35 is disposed inside the outwardly bulging portion 31c. One reinforcement 34 is provided. The second reinforcement 35 has an upper end 35 a bonded to the inner surface of the middle part in the vertical direction of the outer panel 31 and a lower end 35 b bonded to the inner surface of the lower vertical wall 31 b located on the innermost side of the outer panel 31. . The first reinforcement 34 has an upper end 34 a joined to the outer surface of the outer vertical wall 32 a of the inner panel 32, and a lower end 34 b joined to the lower inner surface of the second reinforcement 35.

The inner vertical wall 32 b of the inner panel 32 is joined to the outer end 4 a of the floor panel 4. Further, a lower portion of a rail holding panel 36 having an inverted L-shaped cross section is joined to the upper end vertical wall 31a of the outer panel 31, and the slide door 20 (only an imaginary line in FIG. 3 is connected to the upper lower surface side of the rail holding panel 36. A rail 37 that slides the vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is fixed.
The outer end portion of the under panel 33 is bent downward to form a vertical wall 33a. The outer vertical wall 33a of the under panel 33, the lower end portion 35b of the second reinforcement 35, and the lower end vertical wall 31b of the outer panel 31 are joined in a stacked state, and a predetermined length is attached to the lower end portion of the side sill 5. A lower flange 5f is formed.

The courtesy lamp E1 is attached to the outside of the lower flange 5f by a predetermined dimension D from the lower end of the flange 5f. Therefore, even if there is a rock from the vehicle center side while the vehicle is running, the courtesy lamp E1 is reliably protected by the lower flange 5f. Further, since the courtesy lamp E1 is disposed above the lower end of the lower flange 5f (by a predetermined dimension D), the courtesy lamp E1 is also effectively protected from a bottom slide during traveling of the vehicle.
In addition, since the lower flange 5f is located inwardly lower than the outwardly protruding portion 31c of the side sill 5, it is irradiated from the courtesy lamp E1 toward the lower region S1 outside the vehicle near the entrance / exit Hs. The upper limit of the irradiation range of the illumination light (see the upper limit line Lc) is limited by being blocked by the outwardly protruding portion 31c of the side sill 5. Therefore, it is reliably prevented that the upper side of the belt line Lb is illuminated.

FIG. 4 is a view schematically showing the mounting structure of the outer handle lamp E2, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y4-Y4 of FIG.
As shown in this figure, the door outer panel 21 of the slide door 20 is formed with a recess 21c that is recessed inward (vehicle compartment side) corresponding to the handle portion 23g of the outer handle 23. By grasping the handle portion 23g and pulling the outer handle 23, the outer handle 23 is rotated outward by a predetermined angle (see the two-dot chain line display in FIG. 4), so that the sliding door 20 can be opened and closed. become.

The outer handle lamp E2 is attached to one end (the rear end in the present embodiment) on the back side of the handle portion 23g of the outer handle 23, and is also in the non-operating state of the outer handle (see the solid line display in FIG. 4). The space between the inner surface of the handle portion 23g and the surface of the recess 21c of the door outer panel 21 is accommodated without hindrance.
Illumination light from the outer handle lamp E2 is irradiated inward and reflected by the surface of the recess 21c of the door outer panel 21, and the outer handle 23 is illuminated by this reflected light. That is, the outer handle 23 itself is illuminated by so-called indirect illumination.

5 and 6 are diagrams schematically showing the mounting structure of the foot lamp E3. FIG. 5 is a side view of the lower portion of the second seat, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the second seat from an oblique front.
As shown in these drawings, a slide mechanism 41 for the seat 12 is disposed on the lower side of the seat cushion 12c of the second seat 12, and the slide mechanism 42 is arranged in the front-rear direction of the second seat 12. A slide lever 42 for locking / unlocking the sliding operation is provided.

  The slide lever 42 is formed in a substantially U shape in plan view, and a straight portion 42c at the center thereof is located in the front portion at the lower front end of the seat cushion 12c. The foot lamp E3 is provided on the front side of the straight portion 42c of the slide lever 42 so as to be preferably embedded in two places. And the front area | region (namely, foot area | region of the second seat 12) S3 of the second seat 12 of the compartment floor part 4 is illuminated.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams schematically showing the configuration of the pillar concentrated illumination unit, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the intermediate pillar and its surroundings from an oblique rear side, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an enlarged main part thereof. FIG.
As shown in these drawings, the intermediate pillar 6 is covered with a synthetic resin interior member 51 (pillar trim) on the vehicle interior side, and a space (trim) is formed between the pillar trim 51 and the intermediate pillar 6. Space) is formed. In the trim space, the intermediate pillar lamp E4, the seat downlight lamp E5, and the inner handle lamp E8 are accommodated. These lamps E4, E5 and E8 constitute a light emitting part of the pillar concentrated illumination part 50, and all of them are arranged below the belt line Lb.

  The pillar trim 51 is formed such that a portion corresponding to the pillar concentrated illumination portion 50 is slightly bulged toward the vehicle interior side, and slit portions 53 and 54 having a predetermined width are provided above and below the bulged portion 52. The intermediate pillar lamp E4 is disposed approximately in the vertical direction between the upper and lower slit portions 53 and 54, and irradiates the upper region S4 'and the lower region S4 of the pillar trim 51 through the slits 53 and 54.

Above the bulging portion 52, an assist grip 57 that is gripped when the passenger gets on and off is provided, and the irradiation direction of the illumination light passing through the upper slit 53 is set so as to be directed to the assist grip 57. The illumination light also illuminates the seat belt anchor 58 for the front seat 11 and the seat belt tongue 59 in the stored state.
Although the illumination light passing through the upper slit 53 is directed upward from the belt line Lb, it illuminates the upper region S4 ′ along the pillar trim 51, and illuminates the upper body of the occupant. Absent.

  On the other hand, the illumination light passing through the lower slit 54 irradiates the lower region S4 of the pillar trim 51, and is a vehicle of the intermediate pillar 6 that extends in the vertical direction along the entrance / exit Hs and forms a part of the outline of the entrance / exit Hs. The interior surface can be illuminated to improve the visibility, and the passenger can get off the vehicle easily and smoothly. Further, the illumination light passing through the upper slit 53 can achieve the same function and effect on the upper region S4 'of the pillar trim 51.

  In addition, a lower opening 55 having a predetermined diameter is formed at a relatively lower rear side of the bulging portion 52, and the seat downlight lamp E5 is obliquely above and below the lower opening 55 in the trim space. Has been placed. Illumination light from the seat downlight lamp E5 is irradiated obliquely downward and downward through the lower opening 55, and is set so as to be directed to the seating surface region S5 of the seat cushion 12c of the second seat 12. By illuminating the seating area S5 in this way, the occupant can easily see the seat position.

Further, an upper opening 56 having a predetermined diameter is formed on the relatively upper rear side of the bulging portion 52, and the inner handle lamp E8 is disposed on the side of the upper opening 56 in the trim space. Yes. Illumination light from the inner handle lamp E8 is irradiated through the upper opening 56 toward the rear substantially horizontal direction.
An inner handle 25 for opening and closing the slide door 20 from the vehicle interior side is positioned immediately after the bulging portion 52 of the pillar trim 51, and illumination light from the inner handle lamp E8 is directed to the inner handle 25. The irradiation direction is set to When the slide door 20 is closed, the inner handle 25 of the slide door 20 and the area S8 in the vicinity thereof are illuminated so that the occupant can easily see the position of the inner handle 25 and perform a dismounting operation. The convenience is enhanced.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of a modified example of the pillar concentrated illumination part, similarly to FIG.
In this modification, only one light source E4 ′ is disposed in the trim space, and illumination light is irradiated from the light source E4 ′ through the upper and lower slits 53, 54 and the upper and lower openings 56, 55. The positional relationship between the upper and lower slits 53 and 54 and the upper and lower openings 56 and 55 and the light source E4 ′ is suitably set according to the respective required irradiation directions. In this case, efficient illumination can be performed with one light source E4 ′. Moreover, the structure of the pillar concentration illumination part 50 'can be simplified. As the light source E4 ′, for example, a light source E4 for an intermediate pillar lamp may be used as it is.

The upper and lower slits 53 and 54 and the upper and lower openings 56 and 55 may be covered with a transparent body or semi-transparent body such as glass. In this case, entry of dust or the like into the trim space can be prevented, and the internal light sources E4, E5, E8, E4 ′ can be effectively protected.
Further, the above-described pillar concentrated illumination portions 50 and 50 ′ are not only the intermediate pillar 6 but also the rear pillar 9 (so-called C pillar: FIG. 2 and FIG. 10) extending in the vertical direction substantially along the rear edge of the entrance / exit Hs. Also, the pillar concentrated illumination part 50 ″ may be provided. In this case, the inner handle lamp E8 and the upper opening 56 of the pillar trim 51 are not necessary.

  As is apparent from the above description, the courtesy lamp E1 and the outer handle lamp E2 which are lower illumination lamps whose irradiation directions are restricted so as to direct the area below the belt line Lb of the vehicle so as not to illuminate the upper body of the occupant. , Foot lamp E3, intermediate pillar lamp E4, seat downlight lamp E5, and inner handle lamp E8 are all disposed below the belt line Lb. Accordingly, it can be more easily and reliably ensured that the lower illumination lamps E1 to E5 and E8 do not illuminate the upper body of the occupant. In other words, by setting the area where the lower illumination lamps E1 to E5 and E8 are disposed below the belt line Lb, the degree of freedom in the layout of the lower illumination lamps E1 to E5 and E8 is increased within the area. .

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view of the automobile schematically showing the mounting structure of the console downlight lamp E6 and the room lamp E7.
A console downlight lamp E6 that illuminates the hand of the occupant seated on the second seat 12 is disposed on the ceiling part 7 of the passenger compartment, and is disposed in the substantially central part in the vehicle width direction and in the middle pillar 6 in the front-rear direction. It is attached to a position substantially corresponding to the position, and is irradiated toward a substantially central region S6 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) in the vehicle width direction in front of the second seat 12. As described above, this console downlight lamp E6 is a so-called spotlight lamp having a relatively high directivity, and its irradiation direction is adjusted in order to make it easier to visually recognize the hand of the passenger seated on the second seat 12. It is provided as possible.
The room lamp E7 is attached to a substantially central portion of the vehicle interior ceiling 7 slightly behind the console downlight lamp E6, and illuminates the vehicle interior over a wide area.

Next, the lighting system of the automobile 1 will be described.
FIG. 11 is a block configuration diagram for explaining an outline of the configuration of the illumination system according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the automobile 1 is provided with a control unit CU composed mainly of a microcomputer, for example, as a control device that can control the present lighting system. Each of the lamps E1 to E8 is connected to the control unit CU so as to be able to exchange signals. In addition to the lamps E1 to E8, the following devices and sensors are connected to the control unit CU so as to be able to exchange signals.

  The door lock actuator 27 is an actuator that automatically locks (locks) / unlocks (unlocks) the door lock of the slide door 20, and is usually described before and after the opening / closing operation of the slide door 20 is performed. The door switch 63 is driven by a switch operation. The door opening / closing actuator 28 is an actuator that automatically opens and closes the slide door 20, and is driven by a switch operation of a door opening / closing switch (not shown).

  The second seat seating sensor 61 is a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an occupant seated on the second seat 12. The door position sensor 62 is a sensor that detects the open / closed state based on the position and opening of the slide door 12. The door switch 63 is a switch that turns on / off the door lock actuator 27 and automatically locks / unlocks the door lock of the slide door 20. The outer handle operation sensor 64 and the inner handle operation sensor 65 are sensors that detect the manual operation of the outer handle 23 and the inner handle 25 of the slide door 20, respectively.

  The door opening / closing switch (SW) operation sensor 66 operates the door opening / closing actuator 28 without manually operating the outer handle 23 and the inner handle 25, and automatically opens and closes the sliding door 20. This is a sensor that detects this when there is an operation (not shown). This door opening / closing switch is provided, for example, in a remote controller (so-called remote controller) provided in the vicinity of the driver's seat or detachably in the driver's seat.

  The parking brake sensor 67 is a sensor that detects when a parking brake (not shown) is operated, and the gear range sensor 68 is a sensor that detects the gear range of the transmission. The speed sensor 69 is a sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the automobile 1. Whether or not the vehicle is stopped can be detected based on the detection results of the parking brake sensor 67, the gear range sensor 68, and the speed sensor 69.

The keyless antenna 70 is an antenna that receives a control signal from a keyless terminal 71 of a so-called keyless entry system. By operating the keyless terminal 71, the door lock actuator 27 and the door opening / closing actuator 28 are driven to automatically open and close the slide door 20. In the case of operating, the door operation can be detected from the reception signal of the keyless antenna 70.
The door lock sensor 72 is a sensor that detects a locked (locked) / unlocked (unlocked) state of the door lock of the slide door 20.

The control unit CU includes various detection units (detection circuits) related to the control of the lighting system.
The occupant detection unit 81 detects an occupant seated on the second seat 12 provided in the vicinity of the entrance Hs formed when the slide door 20 is opened, and the second seat Detection is performed based on an input signal from the seating sensor 61.
The door open / closed state detection unit 82 detects the open / closed state of the slide door 20 and detects based on an input signal from the door position sensor 62.
The door operation detection unit 83 detects when the slide door 20 is opened and closed. The door operation detection unit 83 detects the opening / closing operation of the slide door 20, and includes an outer handle operation sensor 64, an inner handle operation sensor 65, a door opening / closing SW operation sensor 66, a keyless antenna 70, and a door. Detection is performed based on an input signal from the lock sensor 72.
The stop detection unit 84 detects when the vehicle is stopped, and the detection is performed based on input signals from the parking brake sensor 67, the gear range sensor 68, and the speed sensor 69.

Further, the control unit CU drives the door lock actuator 27 and the door opening / closing actuator 28 based on input signals from the door opening / closing SW operation sensor 66 and the keyless antenna 70 in addition to the above-described detection units 81 to 84. A door drive mechanism controller 85 that automatically opens and closes the slide door 20 is provided. Both the door drive mechanism control unit 85 and the detection units 81 to 84 are connected to the illumination control unit 80 so as to be able to exchange signals.
The illumination controller 80 controls lighting of the lamps E1 to E8 based on input signals from the door drive mechanism controller 85 and the detectors 81 to 84.

  An example of the control of the illumination system configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this control example, the passenger in the rear seat (second seat 12 in this control example) opens the slide door 20 by his own manual operation, gets off the vehicle, and then closes the slide door 20 by manual operation. An example of control performed mainly by the illumination control unit 80 of the control unit CU is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 12, first, when a stop operation of the vehicle is detected (step # 1), it is determined in step # 2 whether or not there is a passenger in the rear seat (second seat 12). A system that controls the room lamp E7 to be lit when the vehicle stops is generally well known. However, in this embodiment, the room lamp does not stop until a predetermined timing even if the vehicle is stopped. It is set so that E7 is not lit.

The stop operation in step # 1 is detected by the stop detection unit 84, and the speed detected by the speed sensor 69 (vehicle speed sensor) is 0 (zero: zero) km / hr, in addition to the parking brake sensor 67. By detecting that the braking operation of the parking brake (not shown) is detected by the vehicle and / or the gear range sensor 68 detects that the gear range of the transmission (not shown) is shifted to the parking range. It is detected that the stop operation has been performed. The said stop detection part 84 is corresponded to the "stop operation detection means" described in the claim of this application.
The presence / absence of an occupant on the second seat 12 in step # 2 is detected by the occupant detection unit 81 based on an input signal from the second seat seating sensor 61.

  When there is no passenger on the second seat 12 (step # 2: NO), the control returns to the normal control. On the other hand, when there is an occupant on the second seat 12 (step # 2: YES), illumination by the console downlight lamp E6 and the room lamp E7 is prohibited in step # 3. That is, the console downlight lamp E6 and the room lamp E7 are prohibited from being turned on. If they are turned on at that time, they are immediately turned off, and the subsequent lighting is prohibited. This prevents the upper body of the occupant from being illuminated by illumination light from above by the console downlight lamp E6 and the room lamp E7 when the vehicle is stopped.

  Subsequently, the inner handle lamp E8 is turned on at step # 4. As a result, the in-handle 25 is illuminated so that the in-handle 25 is easy to visually recognize, and convenience when the occupant gets off the vehicle is improved. In this case, since the illumination light is emitted in a substantially horizontal direction from the inner handle lamp E8 positioned below the belt line Lb, the upper body of the occupant is not illuminated.

Next, in step # 5, it is determined whether or not the occupant of the second seat 12 has started the dismounting operation. The start of the getting-off operation is detected by the door operation detection unit 83 based on an input signal from the inner handle operation sensor 65. The door operation detection unit 83 corresponds to “alighting operation detection means” described in the claims of the present application.
When the inner handle 25 is not opened and the occupant's dismounting operation is not started (step # 5: NO), the inner handle lamp E8 is extinguished (step # 15). That is, if the opening operation of the inner handle 25 is not detected within a predetermined time counted by a timer (not shown) and the predetermined time has elapsed, it can be considered that the occupant is not willing to get off, The inner handle lamp E8 is turned off, and then the normal control is resumed.

  On the other hand, when the inner handle 25 is operated and the start of the passenger's dismounting operation is detected (step # 5: YES), the foot lamp E3, the intermediate pillar lamp E4, the seat downlight lamp E5 are turned on in step # 6. Then, in step # 7, the courtesy lamp E1 and the outer handle lamp E2 are lit.

  As described above, when the start of the passenger's dismounting operation is detected, an inner lower illumination lamp that is an in-car lower illumination lamp whose irradiation direction is restricted so as to be directed to a region in the passenger compartment below the belt line Lb based on the detection. After the illumination by the handle lamp E8, the foot lamp E3, the intermediate pillar lamp E4, the seat downlight lamp E5 is started, the lower illumination outside the vehicle in which the irradiation direction is limited to be directed to the area outside the vehicle below the belt line Lb. Illumination by the courtesy lamp E1 and the outer handle lamp E2 which are lamps is started. That is, according to the order of the getting-off operation of the occupant getting off the vehicle, illumination by the lower illumination lamps inside and outside the vehicle can be performed in order, and an effect of creating a so-called “see-off feeling” when the occupant gets off can be obtained.

  In particular, when the passenger gets off, the inner handle 25 of the slide door 20 is illuminated by the inner handle lamp E8, the interior floor 4 in front of the second seat 12 is illuminated by the foot lamp E3, and then the courtesy lamp E1 near the entrance / exit Hs. The lower region outside the vehicle is illuminated, and the outer handle 23 of the slide door 20 is illuminated by the outer handle lamp E2. That is, after realizing the effect of “seeing off” by lighting, it is possible to easily check the foot area of the passenger to get off, and to operate the operation members (inner and outer door handles 25, 23, etc.) and the convenience when getting off can be improved.

  In the above control example, the intermediate pillar lamp E4 and the seat downlight lamp E5 are turned on together with the foot lamp E3 after the occupant's dismounting operation is started (step # 5). Instead of this, it may be turned on together with the inner handle lamp E8 before detection of the start of the passenger's dismounting operation.

After step # 7 has been executed, it is determined in step # 8 whether the occupant's dismounting operation for the second seat 12 has been completed. Completion of the getting-off operation is detected by the door operation detection unit 83 based on an input signal from the outer handle operation sensor 64.
If the outer handle 23 is not closed and the occupant's dismounting operation is not completed even after a predetermined time has elapsed (step # 7: NO), it is considered that some abnormality has occurred. E1 to E5 perform a blinking operation and are notified to the surroundings, and then return to normal control. Further, even when the closing operation of the outer handle 23 is detected, when the door open / close state detection unit 82 does not detect the closed state of the slide door 20 for a certain period or longer based on the input signal from the door position sensor 62, Since the door 20 is considered to be in a so-called half-door state in which the door 20 is not completely closed, in this case, the inner handle lamp E8 may be blinked in addition to the lamps E1 to E5 to issue a warning to the occupant.

  On the other hand, when the outer handle 23 is operated and it is detected that the occupant has exited the vehicle (step # 8: YES), first, in step # 9, the intermediate pillar lamp E4, the seat downlight lamp E5, the inner handle lamp E8. Afterglow is turned off, and then the footlamp E3, the outer handle lamp E2, and the courtesy lamp E1 are turned off in sequence (step # 10 to step # 12). The turn-off sequence is set in order from the vehicle interior as in the case of lighting, and is set so as to obtain a staging effect that appeals to the surroundings a smart feeling when getting off and moving away from the vehicle. The effect of rendering can be further enhanced by setting the lamps E1 to E5 and E8 to extinguish afterglow.

  After the turn-off of the courtesy lamp E1 in step # 12, in other words, after the occupant gets out of the vehicle and goes out of the illumination range of the interior upper illumination lamps E6 and E7, the console downlight lamp E6 is obtained in step # 13. The room lamp E7 is turned on, and the timer is turned on at the same time. At this timing, both lamps E6 and E7 are turned on to illuminate the seating surface and the floor surface of the second seat 12, thereby alerting the occupant about things left behind in the vehicle. When the timer set time elapses, the timer is turned off, and accordingly, the console downlight lamp E6 and the room lamp E7 are turned off (step # 14).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the stop state of the vehicle is detected, the vehicle interior upper illumination light that illuminates a predetermined range in the vehicle compartment above the belt line Lb based on the detection. Illumination by the console downlight lamp E6 and the room lamp E7 is prohibited. The lighting by the console downlight lamp E6 and the room lamp E7 is not started until the passenger gets out of the lighting area and goes out of the lighting range. Accordingly, the upper body of the occupant is not illuminated by the lights when the vehicle is stopped and the occupant gets off, and the occupant's privacy can be effectively protected.

  Further, when the stop state of the vehicle is detected, based on the detection, the lower illumination lamp E1 whose irradiation direction is limited so as to be directed to a region below the belt line Lb of the vehicle so as not to illuminate the upper body of the occupant. Illumination by ~ E5 and E8 is started. Therefore, when the occupant gets off, the area below the belt line Lb is illuminated, so that the occupant can easily check his / her feet and the vicinity thereof and does not feel inconvenience when getting off. In other words, it is possible to effectively protect the occupant's privacy as described above while ensuring convenience when the occupant gets off the vehicle.

  The present invention relates to a lighting device for a vehicle having a sliding door, which not only ensures convenience when the occupant gets out of the vehicle, but also achieves protection of the occupant's privacy. It can be used effectively as a lighting device equipped.

It is a side view which shows roughly the side of the motor vehicle equipped with the illuminating device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows schematically the vehicle interior of the said motor vehicle. It is a figure which shows roughly the attachment structure of a courtesy lamp, and is sectional drawing along the Y3-Y3 line | wire of FIG. It is a figure which shows the attachment structure of an outer handle lamp roughly, and is sectional drawing which followed the Y4-Y4 line | wire of FIG. It is a side view of the lower part of a second seat for showing roughly the attachment structure of a foot lamp. It is a perspective view from diagonally forward of the lower part of a second seat for showing the attachment structure of the foot lamp roughly. It is a perspective view from the diagonally rear of the intermediate pillar and its periphery for showing the structure of a pillar concentrated illumination part roughly. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the principal part of FIG. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the principal part about the modification of a pillar concentration illumination part similarly to FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the automobile schematically showing a mounting structure of a console downlight lamp and a room lamp. It is a block block diagram for demonstrating the outline of a structure of the illumination system with which the said motor vehicle was equipped. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of control of the said illumination system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automobile 4 Car compartment floor part 5 Side sill 5f Lower flange (side sill) 6 Intermediate pillar 12 Second seat 20 Slide door 23 Outer handle 25 Inner handle 31c (Side sill) bulging part 50 Pillar concentrated illumination part 80 Illumination control part 83 Door Operation detection unit 84 Stop detection unit CU control unit E1 Courtesy lamp E2 Outer handle lamp E3 Foot lamp E4 Intermediate pillar lamp E5 Seat downlight lamp E6 Console downlight lamp E7 Room lamp E8 Inner handle lamp Hs Entrance / exit Lb Belt line S1 Illumination area by courtesy lamp S2 Illumination area by outer handle lamp S3 Illumination area by foot lamp S4 Illumination area by intermediate pillar lamp S5 Seat downlight Area illuminated by the illumination area S8 inner handle lamps by the illumination region S6 console downlight lamp according flop

Claims (7)

A lighting device provided in a vehicle including a sliding door that opens and closes an entrance / exit of a passenger compartment side, and a seat disposed near the entrance / exit,
The vehicle includes at least a stop operation detecting means for detecting a stop operation by a driver, and a dismounting operation detecting means for detecting a dismounting operation of an occupant from the entrance / exit.
The illumination device includes a plurality of illumination units that illuminate a vehicle interior and a region outside the vehicle compartment around the entrance and exit, and an illumination control unit that controls lighting of the plurality of illumination units,
The plurality of illuminating units include a lower illuminating unit in which an irradiation direction is restricted so as to direct an area below the belt line of the vehicle so as not to illuminate the upper body of the occupant, and a predetermined interior of the vehicle compartment above the belt line. With a car interior lighting part that illuminates the range,
The illumination control unit prohibits illumination by the upper illumination unit in the vehicle based on detection of a stop operation by the stop operation detection unit, starts illumination by the lower illumination unit, and gets off by the getting-off operation detection unit When it is detected that the occupant has gone out of the illumination range of the in-vehicle upper illumination unit based on the detection of the operation, the control unit is configured to start illumination by the in-vehicle upper illumination unit.
An illumination device for a vehicle.   The vehicle illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the lower illumination unit is provided below the belt line. The lower illumination unit has an irradiation direction restricted so as to direct an area outside the vehicle below the belt line, and an irradiation direction directed toward an area inside the vehicle compartment below the belt line. With a limited interior lower lighting part,
The control means starts lighting by the vehicle interior lower illumination unit after starting illumination by the vehicle interior lower illumination unit based on detection of the vehicle exit operation by the vehicle exit operation detection unit,
The lighting device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, The lower exterior illumination unit includes a vehicle surrounding illumination unit that illuminates a lower area outside the vehicle near the entrance and exit, and an outer handle illumination unit that illuminates the outer handle of the slide door,
The vehicle interior lower illumination unit is a foot illumination unit that illuminates a passenger compartment floor in front of the seat;
An inner handle illumination unit that illuminates the inner handle of the sliding door;
The vehicle lighting device according to claim 3.   The said lower part illumination part in a vehicle is equipped with the pillar illumination part which illuminates the vehicle interior surface of the pillar extended in the up-down direction along the entrance / exit, The one in any one of Claim 1 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vehicle lighting device.   The vehicle surrounding illumination unit is located near the vehicle outer side of a lower flange located at a lower inner side than an outwardly bulging portion of a side sill extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the left and right end portions of the vehicle body floor portion, and the lower flange The vehicle lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle lighting device is disposed above a lower end of the vehicle.   The lighting device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sliding door is a rear door that opens and closes a rear entrance of a passenger compartment.

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