JP2009154736A - Optical axis adjusting device of vehicle headlamp - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical axis adjusting device of a vehicle headlamp for always holding the irradiation direction constant even in acceleration and deceleration of an automobile. <P>SOLUTION: This optical axis adjusting device 10 of the vehicle headlamp includes the vehicle headlamp 11 rockably supporting the optical axis in the vertical direction by a vehicle body front part of an automobile, a driving means 12 rocking the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp in the vertical direction, a vehicle height sensor 13 detecting the vehicle height of a vehicle body of the automobile, and a control part 14 driving and controlling the driving means so as to offset an inclination by arithmetically operating the inclination of the vehicle body of the automobile based on a detecting signal from the vehicle height sensor. The optical axis adjusting device 10 of the vehicle headlamp is constituted so that the control part drives and controls the driving means when an integral value of vehicle information is a specific value or more in starting or deceleration of the automobile, and performs special correction control for rocking the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp by a predetermined angle Δa or -Δb. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp that always keeps the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp constant in accordance with the posture of a vehicle body.

Conventionally, such an optical axis adjusting device for a vehicle headlamp is configured as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, for example.
That is, in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, an optical axis adjusting device 1 for a vehicle headlamp includes a vehicle headlamp 3 attached to a front portion of a vehicle body 2 of an automobile so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and the vehicle headlamp. An actuator 4 (see FIG. 11) for swinging the lamp 3 in the vertical direction, a vehicle height sensor 5 provided near the suspension of the vehicle body 2 of the automobile, and the actuator 4 based on a detection signal from the vehicle height sensor 5 And a control unit 6 (see FIG. 11) for driving control.

The vehicle headlamp 3 has a known configuration, for example, a configuration in which light from a light source is reflected by a reflector and irradiated with light L along the optical axis direction in a predetermined light distribution pattern.
The vehicle headlamp 3 is configured such that the light distribution pattern is adjusted in the vertical direction by swinging the whole or at least a part of the vehicle headlamp 3 in the vertical direction.
For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the vehicle headlamp 3 has an upper side 3a pivotally supported, and the lower side 3b moves back and forth so that it swings in the vertical direction.

  The actuator 4 has a known configuration, and as shown in FIG. 11, is configured to move the lower side 3b of the vehicle headlamp 3 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

The vehicle height sensor 5 is disposed in the vicinity of the suspensions 2a and 2b in front of and / or behind the vehicle body 2 of the automobile.
The vehicle height sensor 5 detects the height of the vehicle body 2 of the automobile.

As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 6 includes a CPU 6a, an interface I / F 6b, a signal processing unit 6c, and an output circuit 6d.
As a result, the CPU 6a of the control unit 6 calculates the inclination of the vehicle body 2 by computing the detection signal input from the vehicle height sensor 5 via the interface I / F 6b by the signal processing unit 6c. Correspondingly, a control signal for swinging the vehicle headlamp 3 in a direction to cancel this inclination is generated, and this output signal is sent to the actuator 4 from the output circuit 6d.

  According to the optical axis adjusting apparatus 1 for a vehicle headlamp having such a configuration, the control unit 6 calculates the inclination of the vehicle body 2 of the automobile based on the detection signal from the vehicle height sensor 5 and cancels the inclination. Thus, the actuator 4 is driven and controlled so that the vehicle headlamp 3 is always adjusted to have a constant irradiation direction.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, when the automobile is not accelerating or decelerating, the irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp is fixed, the swinging range of the irradiation light is limited, or the response speed of the driving means is set. An irradiation direction control device for a vehicular lamp that is controlled to be delayed is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-183387

However, in the vehicle headlamp optical axis adjusting apparatus 1 described above, the control unit 6 calculates the inclination of the vehicle body 2 based on the detection signal from the vehicle height sensor 5 and cancels the inclination. The actuator 4 is driven and controlled.
Accordingly, even when the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, if the detection signal of the vehicle height sensor 5 does not change, that is, if the vehicle body 2 of the vehicle does not tilt, the control unit 6 adjusts the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp 3. Absent.
More specifically, when the automobile is accelerated or decelerated, the vehicle body 2 of the automobile is tilted by the acceleration or deceleration. The vehicle height sensor 5 detects this inclination, and the control unit 6 adjusts the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp 3.
At that time, a certain delay time is generated after the vehicle is actually accelerated or decelerated until the vehicle body 2 is tilted and the control unit 6 adjusts the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp 3. It will be.

Therefore, in the stop state shown in FIG. 12A, the irradiation light L from the vehicle headlamp 3 is irradiated in a predetermined light distribution pattern.
When the automobile starts, the vehicle body 2 of the automobile turns upward for a moment immediately after starting, as shown in FIG. At this time, the irradiation light L from the vehicle headlamp 3 similarly becomes upward as indicated by reference numeral L1, and becomes dazzling light with respect to the oncoming vehicle and the preceding vehicle.
In particular, when the automobile is stopped or at a vehicle speed close thereto, the vehicle body tends to be upward due to acceleration.
Thereafter, after a predetermined time has elapsed and the control unit 6 has adjusted the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp 3, the irradiation light L2 from the vehicle headlamp 3 is as shown in FIG. , Adjusted downward to form a predetermined light distribution pattern.

Subsequently, when the automobile travels, as shown in FIG. 13A, the irradiation light L from the vehicle headlamp 3 is irradiated in a predetermined light distribution pattern.
When the automobile decelerates, the vehicle body 2 of the automobile is turned downward for a moment immediately after the start of deceleration, as shown in FIG. At this time, the irradiation light L from the vehicle headlamp 3 is similarly turned downward as indicated by the symbol L3, and the light irradiation range approaches. Therefore, a predetermined light distribution pattern cannot be obtained, and the required forward visibility is impaired.
In particular, when the brake depression amount is large, the vehicle body tends to face downward due to deceleration.
Thereafter, after a predetermined time has elapsed and the control unit 6 has adjusted the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp 3, as shown in FIG. 13C, the irradiation light L4 from the vehicle headlamp 3 is , Adjusted upward to form a predetermined light distribution pattern.

On the other hand, in the vehicular lamp illumination direction control device according to Patent Document 1, excessive correction of the illumination direction of the lamp other than when the automobile is accelerated or decelerated is suppressed, for example, visibility during traveling on a rough road. To eliminate the dazzling light on oncoming vehicles.
Therefore, the correction is not performed in a state where the correction is not in time when the automobile is accelerated or decelerated, and the object, configuration, and effect are different from those of the present invention.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp that always maintains a constant irradiation direction even when an automobile is accelerated or decelerated.

According to the present invention, the object is to provide a vehicle headlamp that is supported at the front of a vehicle body so that the optical axis can swing in the vertical direction, and swing the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp in the vertical direction. Driving means;
A vehicle height sensor that detects the vehicle height of the vehicle body, and a control that calculates the inclination of the vehicle body based on the detection signal from the vehicle height sensor and drives and controls the drive means so as to cancel the inclination. An optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp, wherein when the vehicle starts or decelerates, when the integrated value of the vehicle information is a certain value or more, the drive means This is achieved by an optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp characterized in that it performs drive control and performs special correction control that swings the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp by a predetermined angle.

  The optical axis adjusting device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention is preferably configured such that, when the vehicle starts, when the integrated value of the vehicle information is a predetermined value or more and the vehicle speed is a predetermined value or less, the driving means To control the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp downward by a certain angle.

  In the vehicle headlamp optical axis adjusting device according to the present invention, preferably, the vehicle information is an accelerator opening degree or an acceleration in the front-rear direction.

  The optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention is preferably configured such that when the control unit decelerates the vehicle, the integrated value of the vehicle information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Is controlled to adjust the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp upward by a certain angle.

  In the vehicle headlamp optical axis adjusting apparatus according to the present invention, preferably, the vehicle information is a brake hydraulic pressure value or a longitudinal acceleration.

  In the vehicle headlamp optical axis adjusting device according to the present invention, preferably, the control unit adjusts the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp downward or upward by a certain angle during acceleration or deceleration by special correction control. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the special correction control is stopped and the state before adjustment is restored.

According to the above configuration, when the vehicle starts or decelerates, when the integrated value of the vehicle information immediately after starting or immediately after starting deceleration becomes equal to or greater than a certain value, the control unit temporarily changes the vehicle information. Instead, it is determined that the vehicle is starting or decelerating, and the driving means is driven and controlled to swing the vehicle headlamp, and the vehicle headlamp is swung by a predetermined angle.
As a result, even when the vehicle body tilts upward or downward when starting or decelerating, the vehicle headlamp is forced to a predetermined angle by detecting the start or deceleration of the vehicle before the vehicle body actually tilts. Only rocks. Therefore, the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp is temporarily prevented from being upward or downward when starting or decelerating, and can be held in a predetermined direction.
In this way, no illusion is given to the oncoming vehicle or the preceding vehicle when the vehicle starts or decelerates, and the forward visibility is not impaired.
In this case, the control unit swings the vehicle headlamp by a predetermined angle in the special correction control. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the swing angle, and special correction control can be performed at a higher speed.
Moreover, when the said control part controls based on the integrated value of vehicle information, the more accurate determination regarding vehicle information is attained, and acceleration or deceleration can be determined correctly. For this reason, control does not flutter by temporary fluctuation of vehicle information.

  When the vehicle starts, the vehicle information, preferably when the accelerator opening or the integrated value of the acceleration in the front-rear direction is equal to or greater than a certain value and the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value, drive control of the drive means, When the vehicle headlamp is adjusted downward by a certain angle, the vehicle headlamp is adjusted downward immediately after the start of the car body tilting upward, and the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp is the predetermined direction. Can be retained.

  When the vehicle is decelerating, the vehicle information, preferably the brake hydraulic pressure value or the integrated value of the longitudinal acceleration is not less than a certain value and the vehicle speed is not less than a predetermined value, the drive means is driven and controlled, When adjusting the vehicle headlamp upward by a certain angle, the vehicle headlamp is adjusted upward immediately after the start of deceleration when the vehicle body is inclined downward, and the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp is predetermined. Can be held in the direction.

  After the controller has adjusted the vehicle headlamp downward or upward by a certain angle during acceleration or deceleration by special correction control, the special correction control is interrupted after a lapse of a predetermined time, and the state before adjustment In the case of returning to, after the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp is adjusted to a predetermined direction by the drive control of the original control unit, the optical axis adjustment of the vehicle headlamp during acceleration or deceleration is terminated. . As a result, in addition to the normal optical axis adjustment of the vehicle headlamp, special optical axis adjustment of the vehicle headlamp during acceleration or deceleration is avoided, so that the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp is over-adjusted. There is nothing wrong.

  In this way, according to the present invention, the control unit drives and controls the driving means in response to the upward or downward inclination of the vehicle body immediately after the acceleration of the vehicle or immediately after the start of deceleration. Or swing it upward. As a result, even if the vehicle body is tilted upward or downward immediately after the vehicle is accelerated or decelerated, the optical axis and the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp can always be kept constant. Therefore, immediately after the acceleration of the automobile or immediately after the start of deceleration, the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp is directed upward so that no illusion light is given to the oncoming vehicle or the preceding vehicle, and the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp is There is no such thing that the front visibility is lost.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. As long as there is no description of the effect, it is not restricted to these aspects.

[Example 1]
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of an optical axis adjusting device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention.
In FIG. 1, an optical axis adjusting device 10 for a vehicle headlamp includes a vehicle headlamp 11 attached to a front portion of a vehicle body (not shown) of an automobile so that the optical axis can swing up and down, and the vehicle. Based on an actuator 12 that swings the optical axis of the headlamp 11 in the vertical direction, a vehicle height sensor 13 provided in the vicinity of the suspension of the vehicle body, a detection signal from the vehicle height sensor 13 and vehicle information of the vehicle. And a control unit 14 that drives and controls the actuator 12.

The vehicle headlamp 11 has a known configuration, for example, a configuration in which light from a light source is reflected by a reflector and irradiated with light in a predetermined light distribution pattern along the optical axis direction.
The vehicle headlamp 11 is configured such that the light distribution pattern is adjusted in the vertical direction by swinging the whole or at least a part of the vehicle headlamp 11 in the vertical direction.
For example, as shown in FIG. 1, in the vehicle headlamp 11, the upper side 11a is pivotally supported, and the lower side 11b moves back and forth. As a result, it swings in the vertical direction.

  The actuator 12 has a known configuration, and is configured to move the lower side 11b of the vehicle headlamp 11 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

The vehicle height sensor 13 is disposed in the vicinity of the suspension in front of and / or behind the vehicle body of the automobile.
The vehicle height sensor 13 detects the height of the vehicle body of the automobile.

The control unit 14 includes a CPU 14a, an interface I / F 14b, a signal processing unit 14c, and an output circuit 14d.
As a result, the CPU 14a of the control unit 14 computes the detection signal input from the vehicle height sensor 13 via the interface I / F 14b and the vehicle information of the vehicle by the signal processing unit 14c to thereby calculate the inclination of the vehicle body. In response to this inclination, a control signal for swinging the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp 11 in a direction to cancel the inclination is generated, and this output signal is sent to the actuator 12 from the output circuit 14d. It is like that.
The vehicle information of the automobile includes vehicle speed, accelerator opening, brake hydraulic pressure value, and the like.

Here, the control unit 14 performs normal control similar to the control unit 6 shown in FIG. 11 and special control described below.
In the normal control, the control unit 14 calculates the inclination of the vehicle body by calculating the detection signal input from the vehicle height sensor 13 via the interface I / F 14b by the signal processing unit 14c, and copes with this inclination. Then, a control signal for swinging the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp 11 in a direction to cancel this inclination is generated, and this output signal is sent to the actuator 13 from the output circuit 14d.

In the special control, the control unit 14 uses the signal processing unit 14c to process the vehicle information of the automobile input through the interface I / F 14b.
At that time, the control unit 14 determines whether to start acceleration or deceleration of the automobile based on the vehicle information only when the operation flag Fa is off, and turns on the operation flag for a predetermined time to A control signal for swinging the lamp 11 downward or upward by a predetermined angle is generated, and this output signal is sent to the actuator 13 from the output circuit 14d.

Specifically, when the automobile is accelerated, the control unit 14 uses the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening as the vehicle information.
The control unit 14 determines that the accelerator is on based on the accelerator opening input via the interface I / F 14b, and integrates the accelerator opening.
The integration of the accelerator opening is performed every predetermined time, for example, every 50 milliseconds, more specifically, every time the operation in the flowchart of FIG. 3 described later is repeated.

  Only when the operation flag Fa is off, the control unit 14 is only during the predetermined time T0 when the integrated value is equal to or higher than the predetermined value D and the vehicle speed for the previous one second is equal to or lower than the predetermined value Va. The operation flag Fa is turned on, a control signal for swinging the vehicle headlamp 11 downward by a predetermined angle Δa is generated, and this output signal is sent from the output circuit 14 d to the actuator 13.

On the other hand, when the vehicle is decelerated, the control unit 14 uses the vehicle speed, the brake hydraulic pressure value, and the brake signal as vehicle signals.
The control unit 14 determines brake-on based on the brake signal input via the interface I / F 14b, and integrates the brake hydraulic pressure value. The control unit 14 may determine whether the brake is on based on a change in the brake hydraulic pressure value.
The integration of the brake hydraulic pressure value is performed every predetermined time, for example, every 50 milliseconds, more specifically, every time the operation in the flowchart of FIG.

  Only when the operation flag Fa is off, the control unit 14 operates only for a certain period of time when the integrated value is equal to or higher than the predetermined value E and the vehicle speed for the previous one second is equal to or higher than the predetermined value Vb. The flag Fa is turned on, a control signal for swinging the vehicle headlamp 11 upward by a predetermined angle Δb is generated, and this output signal is sent from the output circuit 14 d to the actuator 13.

  It should be noted that the CPU 14a of the control unit 14 detects the average vehicle speed V for the previous one second from the vehicle information in the vehicle information, and the average vehicle speed V is less than or equal to the vehicle speed Va (for example, 5 km / h) close to the stop state. It is determined that the vehicle is in a starting state, and when the average vehicle speed V is Vb (for example, 20 km / h) or more, it is determined that the vehicle is in a traveling state.

The vehicle headlamp optical axis adjusting apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, and operates as follows.
That is, the control unit 14 detects the detection signal input from the vehicle height sensor 13 via the interface I / F 14b in the same manner as the optical axis adjustment device 1 of the conventional vehicle headlamp shown in FIGS. Is calculated by the signal processing unit 14c to calculate the inclination of the vehicle body.

As a result, the control unit 14 generates a control signal for swinging the vehicle headlamp 11 in a direction that cancels the inclination in response to the inclination, and outputs the output signal from the output circuit 14d to the actuator 13. To send.
In this case, the control unit 14 turns on the operation flag Fa when performing such normal control. When the normal control is finished, the operation flag Fa is turned off.

Next, the special control when starting from a state where the automobile is stopped will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the control unit 14 first determines in step ST1 whether or not the accelerator is on based on the accelerator opening in the vehicle information.
If the accelerator is not on, the control unit 14 determines that acceleration is not being performed and ends the process.

If the accelerator is on, the control unit 14 integrates the accelerator opening as shown in FIG. 2A in step ST2.
As shown in FIG. 4, the accelerator opening is integrated by setting the accelerator opening to Acc in step ST21 and setting (Sum_acc + Acc−Acc before 10 times) to new Sum_acc in step ST22. Processing is performed.
Thereby, the accelerator opening for the last 10 times is integrated, and the calculation processing load of the control unit 14 is reduced. In addition, a more accurate and stable start state can be detected.

Subsequently, when the operation flag Fa is off (normal control is not performed) in step ST3, the control unit 14 determines whether or not the integrated value Sum_acc is greater than or equal to a predetermined value D in step ST4. judge.
When the operation flag Fa is on in step ST3, it is determined that the normal control is being performed, and the control unit 14 ends the process.
In step ST4, if the integrated value Sum_acc is less than the predetermined value D, it is determined that the vehicle body of the automobile is not facing upward to be corrected, and the control unit 14 ends the process.

Next, when the integrated value Sum_acc is greater than or equal to the predetermined value D in step ST4, the control unit 14 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V for the previous one second is Va (for example, 5 km / h) or less. To do.
Va is set, for example, when the brake pedal is removed, and the automobile may start at a low speed due to so-called creep. For this reason, it is considered that the vehicle cannot be determined to start when the vehicle speed V> 0.

When the vehicle speed V exceeds Va, the control unit 14 determines that the vehicle is not in a starting state and ends the process.
When the vehicle speed V is equal to or lower than Va, the control unit 14 determines that the vehicle is in a starting state, and determines whether or not the elapsed time T from the start of the special process has passed the predetermined time T0 in step ST6.

Here, when the elapsed time T has not passed the predetermined time T0, the control unit 14 turns on the operation flag Fa in step ST7, and in step ST8, the light of the vehicle headlamp 11 is turned on. A control signal is generated with the target angle Tag in the irradiation direction as (Tag_b + Δa), and is sent to the actuator 12 from the output circuit 14d.
Thereby, the actuator 12 adjusts the target angle of the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp 11 downward by Δa.
After that, the control unit 14 returns to step ST1 and repeats the above processing every predetermined time t, for example, every 50 milliseconds.

On the other hand, when the elapsed time T has passed the predetermined time T0 in step ST6, the control unit 14 turns off the operation flag Fa in step ST9, and in step ST10. Then, the target angle Tag in the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp 11 is returned to Tag_b to generate a control signal, which is sent from the output circuit 14d to the actuator 12.
Thereby, the actuator 12 interrupts downward adjustment of the target angle in the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp 11 and returns it to the original target angle Tag_b.

In this way, the special control at the time of acceleration of the vehicle, that is, at the time of starting is completed. Note that the target angle Tag_b can be determined by a known method, for example, depending on the passenger's boarding state, luggage loading state, or traveling state in the vehicle. .
When the automobile starts from the stop state of the automobile 15 shown in FIG. 5A by the special control described above, the vehicle height sensor 13 detects the inclination of the vehicle body, and the control section 14 detects from the vehicle height sensor 13. Based on the signal, until the vehicle headlamp 11 is adjusted downward by the normal control, as shown in FIG. 5B, the optical axis (light irradiation direction) of the vehicle headlamp 11 is interrupted to the normal control. Is forced downward by Δa.
As a result, the upward state of the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp 11 that cannot be corrected in time under normal control is eliminated, and light La downward by Δa is emitted in a predetermined light distribution pattern. It is possible to prevent the vehicle and the preceding vehicle from giving illusion light.

Next, the special control when the vehicle is decelerated from the traveling state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the control unit 14 first determines in step ST11 whether or not the brake is on based on the brake signal in the vehicle information.
When the brake is not on, the control unit 14 determines that the deceleration is not performed and ends the process.

When the brake is on, the control unit 14 integrates the brake hydraulic pressure value as shown in FIG. 6A in step ST12.
As shown in FIG. 8, the brake oil pressure value is integrated by setting the brake oil pressure value to Brk in step ST31 and setting (Sum_brk + Brk−10 times Brk) to a new Sum_brk in step ST32. Processing is performed.
As a result, the most recent 10 brake hydraulic pressure values are integrated, and the calculation processing load of the control unit 14 is reduced. In addition, a more accurate and stable braking state can be detected.
The brake hydraulic pressure value may be accumulated even while the brake is off. However, since the brake hydraulic pressure value is zero or almost zero during the brake off, the brake hydraulic pressure value is preferably not calculated during the brake off in order to improve the efficiency of the entire calculation process.

Subsequently, when the operation flag Fb is OFF in step ST13, the control unit 14 determines whether or not the integrated value Sum_brk is equal to or greater than a predetermined value E in step ST14.
When the operation flag Fb is on in step ST3, it is determined that the normal control is being performed, and the control unit 14 ends the process.
In step ST14, when the integrated value Sum_brk is less than the predetermined value E, it is determined that the vehicle body is not facing downward enough to be corrected, and the control unit 14 ends the process.

Next, when the integrated value Sum_brk is greater than or equal to the predetermined value E in step ST14, the control unit 14 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V for the previous one second is greater than or equal to Vb (for example, 20 km / h). To do.
The reason why Vb is used is that it is considered that special control is unnecessary at a constant speed Vb or less.

When the vehicle speed V is less than Vb, the control unit 14 determines that the vehicle is not in a decelerating state and ends the process.
When the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than Vb, the control unit 14 determines that the vehicle is decelerating, and determines whether or not the elapsed time T from the start of the special process has passed the predetermined time T1 in step ST16.

Here, when the elapsed time T has not passed the predetermined time T1, the control unit 14 turns on the operation flag Fb in step ST17, and in step ST18, the light of the vehicle headlamp 11 is turned on. A control signal is generated with the target angle Tag in the irradiation direction as (Tag_b−Δb), and is sent to the actuator 12 from the output circuit 14d. Thereby, the actuator 12 adjusts the target angle of the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp 11 upward by Δb.
After that, the control unit 14 returns to step ST11 and repeats the above processing every predetermined time t, for example, every 50 milliseconds.

On the other hand, if the elapsed time T has passed the predetermined time T1 in step ST16, the control unit 14 turns off the operation flag Fb in step ST19, and in step ST20. Then, the target angle Tag in the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp 11 is returned to Tag_b to generate a control signal, which is sent from the output circuit 14d to the actuator 12.
Thereby, the actuator 12 interrupts downward adjustment of the target angle in the light irradiation direction of the vehicle headlamp 11 and returns it to the original target angle Tag_b.

In this way, the special control at the time of deceleration of the vehicle is completed. When the vehicle decelerates from the traveling state of the vehicle 15 shown in FIG. Until the control unit 14 adjusts the vehicle headlamp 11 downward by the normal control based on the detection signal from the vehicle height sensor 13, the normal control is performed as shown in FIG. It interrupts and the optical axis (light irradiation direction) of the vehicle headlamp 11 is forced upward by Δb.
As a result, the downward direction of the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp 11 that cannot be corrected in time under normal control is eliminated, and upward light Lb by Δb is emitted in a predetermined light distribution pattern. Visibility can be ensured.

  In the embodiment described above, the accelerator position and the brake hydraulic pressure value are used as the vehicle information in order to detect when the vehicle is accelerating and decelerating. It is also possible to use a detection signal from an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of the motor.

The vehicle headlamp optical axis adjusting device 10 according to the present invention is configured to adjust the optical axis of a vehicle headlamp such as a headlamp. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an auxiliary headlamp such as a foglanf is used. It is possible to apply the present invention to a vehicle headlamp including
Further, the optical axis adjusting device 10 for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention can be incorporated into a suspension control system.

  In this way, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an extremely excellent vehicle headlamp optical axis adjustment device that always maintains the irradiation direction constant even when the vehicle is accelerated or decelerated. Become.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the optical-axis adjustment apparatus of the vehicle headlamp by this invention. 2 is a graph showing integration of accelerator opening and (B) a graph showing control amount of the vehicle headlamp in the optical axis adjustment device for the vehicle headlamp of FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the control action at the time of acceleration in the optical axis adjustment apparatus of the vehicle headlamp of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the integrating | accumulating operation | movement of the accelerator opening in the optical axis adjustment apparatus of the vehicle headlamp of FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing (A) a state where an automobile is stopped and (B) an optical axis adjustment state by special control at the time of starting in the optical axis adjustment device for the vehicle headlamp of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a graph showing (A) integration of brake hydraulic pressure values and (B) a control amount of a vehicle headlamp in the optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the control action at the time of deceleration in the optical axis adjustment apparatus of the vehicle headlamp of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the integrating | accumulating operation | movement of the brake hydraulic pressure value in the optical axis adjustment apparatus of the vehicle headlamp of FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing (A) a running state of an automobile and (B) an optical axis adjustment state by special control during deceleration in the optical axis adjustment device for the vehicle headlamp of FIG. 1. It is the schematic which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the optical axis adjustment apparatus of the conventional vehicle headlamp. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the optical axis adjustment apparatus of the vehicle headlamp of FIG. It is the schematic which shows the optical axis adjustment state at the time of the (A) stop state by the optical axis adjustment apparatus of the vehicle headlamp of FIG. 10, (B) immediately after start, and (C) start after a fixed time passage. It is the schematic which shows the optical axis adjustment state at the time of the (A) driving state by the optical axis adjustment apparatus of the vehicle headlamp of FIG. 10, (B) immediately after the start of deceleration, and (C) deceleration after a fixed time passage, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Optical axis adjustment apparatus of vehicle headlamp 11 Vehicle headlamp 12 Actuator (drive means)
13 Vehicle height sensor 14 Control unit

Claims (6)

A vehicle headlamp supported at the front of the vehicle body so that the optical axis can swing in the vertical direction;
Drive means for vertically swinging the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp;
A vehicle height sensor for detecting the vehicle height of the vehicle body;
A controller that calculates the inclination of the vehicle body based on the detection signal from the vehicle height sensor and drives and controls the driving means so as to cancel the inclination;
An optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp, comprising:
When the vehicle starts or decelerates, when the integrated value of the vehicle information is equal to or greater than a certain value, the control unit controls the driving means to swing the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp by a predetermined angle. An optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp, wherein correction control is performed.   When the vehicle starts, when the integrated value of the vehicle information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the control unit controls driving of the drive unit so that the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp is set to a predetermined angle. The optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis adjustment device is adjusted downward.   The optical axis adjusting device for a vehicle headlamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle information is an accelerator opening degree or an acceleration in the front-rear direction.   When the vehicle is decelerated, when the integrated value of the vehicle information is equal to or greater than a certain value and the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the control unit controls the driving means to set the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp to a certain angle. The optical axis adjusting device for a vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis adjusting device is adjusted upward.   5. The optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle information is a brake hydraulic pressure value or a longitudinal acceleration.   The above control unit adjusts the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp downward or upward by a certain angle during acceleration or deceleration by special correction control, and then cancels the special correction control after a lapse of a predetermined time. The optical axis adjustment device for a vehicle headlamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the optical axis adjustment device is returned to a previous state.

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