JP2012171485A - Headlamp control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headlamp control device capable of learning the timing suited to liking, and capable of reducing a burden of driving, when the turning-on/off timing of a headlamp is not suited to the liking of a driver, in the headlamp control device capable of learning the turning-on/off timing of the headlamp of a vehicle and capable of automatically controlling turning-on and turning-off of the headlamp.SOLUTION: The headlamp control device 1 includes a turning-on/off means 5a for turning on and turning off the headlamp 2, a control means 3 having a learning means 3b for learning and storing the turning-on/off timing of the headlamp 2 in an inside storage means 3a and controlling the turning-on/off of the headlamp 2, and a learning turning-on/off means 6 for learning the turning-on/off timing of the headlamp 2. When the learning turning-on/off means 6 is operated in a state of automatically turning on and turning off the headlamp 2, the control means 3 continues an automatic state after turning on or turning off the headlamp 2 in response to this operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a headlamp control apparatus that automatically controls lighting and extinguishing of a vehicle headlamp.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a headlight control device that automatically turns on and off a vehicle headlamp to reduce the burden of driving the vehicle is known (Patent Document 1). This headlamp control device includes a headlamp, a lighting / extinguishing means for turning on and off the headlamp by a manual (manual) operation, and a control means for controlling turning on and off of the headlamp. It is possible to switch the lighting and extinguishing of the headlamp to either a manual state performed by operating the lighting / extinguishing means or an automatic state automatically performed by the control means. The headlamp control device can be turned on or off by operating the lighting / extinguishing means when the timing of turning on or off in the automatic state is too early or too late.

JP-A-5-278518

  However, in the headlamp control device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the lighting / extinguishing means is operated in an automatic state, the automatic state is canceled and the state is switched to the manual state. When the headlamp is controlled again in the automatic state, it is necessary for the driver to operate a return button for returning to the automatic state. For this reason, if the lighting and extinguishing timings in the automatic state do not match the driver's preference, the lighting or turning off despite the automatic state for reducing the driving burden by omitting the operation effort In addition to turning off the light, it is necessary to operate the return button, which increases the driving burden.

  Therefore, the present invention can learn the timing of turning on and off the headlamp of the vehicle, and can automatically control the turning on and off of the headlamp. It is an object of the present invention to provide a headlamp control device that enables learning of the timing that suits the preference when the timing of lighting and extinguishing of the lighting does not suit the preference of the driver and that can reduce the driving burden. .

  The present invention relates to a headlamp, a lighting / extinguishing means for manually turning on and off the headlamp, a traveling environment detecting means for detecting a traveling environment, and a learning means for learning the timing of turning on and off the headlamp. Control means for controlling lighting and extinguishing of the headlamps according to the running environment detected by the running environment detecting means, and a manual state in which the lighting and extinguishing of the headlamps are performed manually by the lighting / extinguishing means. A vehicle headlight control device comprising switching means that can be switched to any one of automatic states automatically performed by a control means, wherein the front light is manually turned on in order to learn the timing of turning on and off the headlight. A learning lighting / extinguishing means for turning on and off the lighting and a storage means for storing information learned by the learning means. When in the automatic state, the learning means learns the timing of turning on and off the headlamp based on the traveling environment detected by the traveling environment detecting means when the learning light-off means is operated, and the control means In addition to the driving environment detected by the driving environment detection means, the headlamp is turned on and off according to the information stored in the storage means. According to the operation, after the headlamp is turned on or off, the automatic state is continued.

  According to the present invention, the learning light-off means for learning the timing of turning on or off the headlamp is provided separately from the light-off means operated in the manual state. In the automatic state, for example, when the lighting or turning off of the headlight does not suit the driver's preference, the driver operates the learning light-off means. . The headlamp can be turned on or off by the learning lighting / light-off means which is a means different from the lighting / light-off means operated in the manual state, and the operation of the lighting / light-off means and the switching means is not required. Also after this, the headlamp can be turned on or off under the control of the control means. For this reason, after turning on or off the headlamp, the burden of driving is reduced compared to the case where operation of the lighting / extinguishing means, switching means, or return switch is necessary to return to the automatic state. Can do.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the learning light-off means is configured so as to be in one of a lighted state and a lighted state when operated and to return to a state in which neither the lighted state nor the lighted state is turned off when the operation is completed. When the learning light-off means is configured to maintain the operated state after the operation to the learning light-off means, for example, after the learning light-off means is turned off, the learning light-off means is turned off. When the means is configured to maintain a light-off state, when the headlamp is turned on under the control of the control means, the state of the learning light-off means and the state of the headlight are inconsistent, and the driver Visibility is poor. On the other hand, after completing the operation of the learning light-off means, the learning light-off means is configured to return to a state in which neither the learning light-off means nor the light-off means. Even when the headlamp is turned on by the control of the control means, the state of the learning turn-off means is neither lighting nor extinguishing, so there is no contradiction between the visual state and the actual state. Visibility is improved.

  In the present invention, the learning light-off means is preferably disposed in the vicinity of the steering means for steering the vehicle. Thereby, when the driver is operating the steering means of the vehicle, the learning light-off means can be quickly operated. For this reason, the burden of driving | operation can further be reduced.

  In the present invention, the traveling environment is the illuminance outside the vehicle, the traveling speed of the vehicle, the amount of rainfall, and the traveling road information. The traveling environment detecting means includes an illuminance detecting means for detecting the illuminance and a speed for detecting the traveling speed. It is preferable to include a detection unit, a rainfall amount detection unit that detects a rainfall amount, and a travel road information detection unit that detects travel road information. According to this, as will be apparent from the description of the embodiment described later, the traveling state of the vehicle can be specified by each detection result of the traveling environment, and the headlamp can be controlled more appropriately.

  In the present invention, the storage unit can store a plurality of pieces of information learned by the learning unit, and the headlamp control device is a selection unit that selects one piece of information from the plurality of pieces of information stored in the storage unit. It is preferable that the control means controls the turning on and off of the headlamp according to the information selected by the selection means.

  According to this, for example, the timing of turning on and off the headlamp can be stored for each driver. Therefore, when the driver changes, the timing learned suitable for the changed driver can be controlled by selecting information learned by the changed driver by the selection means. As a result, even in a vehicle driven by a plurality of drivers, it is not necessary to learn each time the driver changes, and the burden on each driver can be reduced.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that a transmission / reception unit capable of transmitting / receiving information stored in the storage unit to / from another vehicle is provided, and the selection unit can select one piece of information obtained by the transmission / reception unit. According to this, when the driver drives a plurality of vehicles, the learned information can be used in common. Therefore, it is not necessary to learn each vehicle separately, and the convenience of the driver is improved.

Explanatory drawing of the system containing the headlamp control apparatus of embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the combination switch of FIG. The block diagram containing the headlamp control apparatus of embodiment. The figure which shows the characteristic curve of the lighting-on / off threshold value at the time of an automatic state. The figure which shows correction | amendment of the lighting / extinguishing threshold value under each condition of (a) intersection, (b) tunnel, and (c) indoor parking lot. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the headlamp control performed by a control means. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the driver information setting of step ST1 of FIG. The flowchart which shows the process sequence which updates an external memory | storage means. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when an operation by a learning light-off means in step ST6 of FIG. 6 is performed.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the structure of the headlamp control apparatus 1 of embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. The headlamp control device 1 of this embodiment is a headlamp control device that controls a headlamp 2 mounted on a vehicle. The headlamp control device 1 includes a manual state in which the headlamp 2 is turned on and off by a driver's operation, and an automatic state in which the headlamp 2 is automatically turned on and off without being operated by the driver. It has two states. The headlamp control device 1 controls lighting and extinguishing of the headlamp 2 based on predetermined information (described later) in the automatic state.

  The vehicle includes a headlamp 2, a control unit 3, a steering unit 4, a combination switch 5, a learning lighting / extinguishing unit 6, a traveling environment detection unit 7, a car navigation system (hereinafter referred to as "car navigation"). 8.

  The headlamp 2 is a lamp that is lit to illuminate the front when the outside of the vehicle is dark, such as at night or in a tunnel, that is, when the illuminance outside the vehicle is low. The headlamp 2 can switch between two irradiation directions: a high beam for illuminating a distance and a low beam for illuminating a nearby area. The vehicle also includes a vehicle width lamp 21 in the vicinity of the headlamp 2. The vehicle width lamp 21 is a lamp that is lit for notifying the position of the vehicle while the vehicle is parked indoors.

  The control means 3 includes a CPU (central processing unit) that executes various arithmetic processes, and an internal storage means 3a composed of a ROM and a RAM that store various arithmetic programs, various tables, arithmetic results, and the like executed by the CPU. Prepare. The control means 3 receives various electric signals and outputs a control signal to the outside based on a calculation result or the like. Moreover, the control means 3 controls lighting and extinguishing of the headlamp 2 in the automatic state. The control unit 3 includes a learning unit 3b that performs learning so that the timing of turning on and off the headlamp 2 in the automatic state (hereinafter referred to as “lighting-off timing”) matches the driver's preference. The control means 3 stores the result learned by the learning means 3b in the internal storage means 3a.

  The steering means 4 is for steering the vehicle, and is installed as a so-called handle in the driver's seat. The driver rotates the steering means 4 when turning the vehicle, such as when the vehicle turns an intersection, and puts the steering means 4 in a non-rotating state when the vehicle goes straight.

  The combination switch 5 includes a turn-on / off means 5a for manually turning on and off the headlamp 2, and a wiper (not shown) for removing water droplets attached to the windshield (not shown) of the vehicle in the rain. Wiper actuating means 5b for performing the act. The combination switch 5 is disposed so as to be operable without causing any trouble in driving even when the driver is operating the steering means 4. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a lighting / extinguishing means 5 a is arranged on the right side of the outer periphery of the steering means 4, and a wiper operating means 5 b is arranged on the left side of the outer circumference of the steering means 4.

  The turning-on / off means 5a is constituted by a rotary switch as shown in FIG. 2, and this rotary switch has four contacts of AUTO, Lo, SMALL, and OFF. The headlamp control device 1 enters an automatic state when AUTO is selected by the lighting / light-off means 5a, and enters a manual state when Lo, SMALL, or OFF other than AUTO is selected. Since the automatic state and the manual state are switched depending on whether AUTO is selected by the lighting / light-off means 5a, in the present embodiment, the lighting / light-off means 5a corresponds to the “lighting / light-out means” in the present invention, and “switch” It also corresponds to “means”.

  The headlamp control device 1 turns on and off the headlamp 2 according to the operation of the lighting / extinguishing means 5a in the manual state. Specifically, the headlamp control device 1 turns on the headlamp 2 with a low beam and turns off the vehicle width lamp 21 when Lo is selected by the lighting / extinguishing means 2. The headlamp control device 1 turns off the headlamp 2 and turns on the vehicle width lamp 21 when SMALL is selected by the lighting / extinguishing means 5a. The headlamp control device 1 turns off the headlamp 2 and the vehicle width lamp 21 when OFF is selected by the lighting / extinguishing means 5a. Further, the lighting / light-out means 5a is configured to be able to push forward, and the headlamp control device 1 allows the headlamp 2 to move to the high beam when the lighting / light-out means 5a is pushed forward. And the vehicle width lamp 21 is turned off.

  The wiper actuating means 5b is constituted by a rotary switch as in the case of the lighting / light-out means 5a. This rotary switch has four contacts, OFF, INT, Lo, and Hi. The vehicle does not operate the wiper when OFF is selected by the wiper operating means 5b. Selection of OFF is suitable when the amount of rainfall is 0 (not raining) or close to 0. The vehicle intermittently operates the wiper when INT is selected by the wiper operating means 5b. In this case, since the wiper is repeatedly activated and stopped, the selection of INT is suitable when the rainfall is small.

  The vehicle normally operates the wiper when Lo is selected by the wiper operating means 5b. In this case, water droplets attached to the windshield can be removed more quickly than INT. Therefore, the selection of Lo is suitable when there is more rainfall than when INT is selected. The vehicle operates the wiper at a high speed when Hi is selected by the wiper operating means 5b. In this case, water droplets attached to the windshield can be removed more quickly than Lo. Therefore, the selection of Hi is suitable when there is more rainfall than when Lo is selected.

  The turning-on / off means 5a and the wiper actuating means 5b are configured to maintain a state where any one of the above-described contacts is selected even when the driver is not operating. For example, after the driver operates the turn-on / off means 5a and selects AUTO, the AUTO is selected even if the driver stops the operation of the turn-on / off means 5a. Then, the state in which AUTO is selected is maintained until the driver operates the lighting / extinguishing means 5a again to select other than AUTO.

  The learning lighting / lighting means 6 is for learning the lighting / lighting timing of the headlamp 2 by the control means 3 in the automatic state, and includes a learning lighting switch 6a for lighting the headlamp 2. And a learning turn-off switch 6b for turning off the headlamp 2. Similar to the combination switch 5, the learning lighting / light-out means 6 is arranged so as to be operable without causing any trouble in driving even when the driver is operating the steering means 4. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a learning lighting switch 6 a is arranged on the right side of the inner periphery of the steering means 4, and a learning light-off switch 6 b is arranged on the left side of the inner periphery of the steering means 4. Yes.

  In addition, the learning lighting switch 6a and the learning light-off switch 6b are configured by push-type switches in which springs are incorporated so that the contacts are in a non-conductive state when not operated. Accordingly, the learning lighting switch 6a and the learning light-off switch 6b are turned on when the spring is pressed and the internal contact is in a conductive state (the switch is in an on state) when not pressed. Unlike the means 5a, the contact is made non-conductive (the switch is turned off) by the elastic force of the pressed spring. That is, the driver can turn off the learning lighting switch 6a or the learning light-off switch 6b without operating again after turning on the learning lighting switch 6a or the learning light-off switch 6b.

  When the learning lighting switch 6a and the learning light-off switch 6b are pressed and turned on, the electrical signal output to the control means 3 changes. The control means 3 detects that the learning lighting switch 6a and the learning light-off switch 6b are pressed by the change of the electric signal.

  As described above, the learning light-off means 6 is composed of a push-type switch with a built-in spring so that the contact is in a non-conductive state when not operated. It is configured such that when it is operated, it is either turned on or turned off, and when the operation is completed, it returns to a state that is neither turned on or turned off.

  The travel environment detection means 7 detects the travel environment of the vehicle, and outputs the detected travel environment to the control means 3 as an electrical signal. In the present embodiment, the driving environment includes “illuminance indicating brightness outside the vehicle”, “traveling speed of the vehicle”, “rainfall indicating the amount of rain”, and “traveling road information (status of the road on which the vehicle is traveling)” " The travel environment detection unit 7 includes an illuminance detection unit 7a configured by an illuminance sensor that detects illuminance, a speed detection unit 7b configured by a speed sensor that detects a travel speed, and a rainfall amount sensor that detects a rainfall amount. And a rainfall amount detecting means 7c.

  In this embodiment, in order to improve the accuracy of detecting the rainfall amount, the contact point (OFF, INT, Lo, Hi) selected by the wiper operation unit 5b is added to the rainfall amount detected by the rainfall amount detection unit 7c. Is detected. For example, when entering under a shield that temporarily shields rain (for example, under a tree or under an overhead bridge), the rainfall detected by the rainfall detector 7c decreases. For this reason, even if the amount of rainfall is reduced, it is determined that the amount of rainfall has not changed if there is no change in the selected state of the wiper operating means 5b.

  Further, when the wiper operating means 5b is changed from Hi to Lo, INT or OFF, changed from Lo to INT or OFF, or changed from INT to OFF as the rainfall decreases. Judge that the rainfall has decreased. In this embodiment, since the rainfall amount is determined by the contact point selected by the wiper operating means 5b in addition to the detection result of the rainfall detecting means 7c in this way, the wiper operating means 5b in addition to the rainfall detecting means 7c This corresponds to the rainfall detection means of the present invention.

  The traveling environment detection means 7 further includes a vehicle position detection means 7d configured by a GPS antenna that receives a signal from a GPS satellite of a global positioning system (GPS) that receives the position of the vehicle on the earth. And a steering angle detecting means 7e constituted by an angle sensor for detecting a steering angle according to the rotation of the steering means 4. The own vehicle position detecting means 7d and the steering angle detecting means 7e function as a part of the traveling environment detecting means as will be described later. When the vehicle position detection means 7d cannot receive a signal because it travels in a tunnel or indoors, the vehicle position detection means 7d outputs an electrical signal indicating that it cannot be received.

  The car navigation system 8 is disposed in the vicinity of the instrument panel 11 on which the instruments are arranged so that the driver can operate and visually recognize the information such as the traveling speed of the vehicle. The car navigation 8 receives the electric signal output from the own vehicle position detection means 7d, converts this electric signal into latitude and longitude information, and can acquire the own vehicle position (vehicle position). In addition, the car navigation 8 stores map information and road information therein, and collates the converted latitude / longitude information with the map information and road information, so that the display means 8a of the car navigation 8 has a surrounding area of the vehicle. You can display your vehicle location along with the map. The display means 8a is composed of a touch panel capable of touching the screen.

  In addition, the car navigation system 8 can detect the situation of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, that is, the traveling road information, from the map information and the road information according to the received signals of the own vehicle position detecting means 7d and the steering angle detecting means 7e. . In the present embodiment, the traveling road information includes “whether or not traveling at an intersection” (hereinafter, detecting this information is referred to as “intersection detection”), “whether or not traveling in front of a tunnel” ( Hereinafter, detecting this information is referred to as “detection before tunnel”), “whether or not traveling in the tunnel” (hereinafter, detecting this information is referred to as “detection in tunnel”), “after passing through the tunnel” And whether the distance to the tunnel ahead of the road that is currently traveling is short (hereinafter, this information is referred to as “next tunnel approach detection after tunnel”) and “indoor parking” Whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a parking lot ”(hereinafter, detecting this information is referred to as“ indoor parking lot detection ”).

  The map information of the car navigation 8 stores information in which the map is associated with the latitude and longitude, and a map of a point corresponding to the latitude and longitude can be acquired. The road information of the car navigation 8 stores information related to roads such as arterial roads, narrow streets, intersections, tunnels, and indoor parking lots, and latitude and longitude information. Information about roads can be acquired. For this reason, the car navigation system 8 knows where the vehicle is located on the map and what kind of road it is traveling according to the latitude and longitude. In addition, the car navigation system 8 detects what kind of road is ahead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling based on the latitude and longitude, the map information, and the road information. For example, it is detected that there is a tunnel ahead of the road that is currently running.

  Intersection detection is performed as follows. When the vehicle is located within the intersection from the latitude / longitude and the road information, the car navigation 8 turns the vehicle within the intersection when the steering angle is an angle at which it is estimated that the vehicle is turning. Detects when driving.

  Detection before tunnel is as follows. The car navigation system 8 detects that the vehicle is traveling in the vicinity of the tunnel from the latitude and longitude and the road information, and gradually enters the tunnel based on the past latitude and longitude information (for example, latitude and longitude information from a few minutes before to the current time). If it is determined that the vehicle is approaching, it is detected that the vehicle is traveling in front of the tunnel.

  In-tunnel detection is as follows. As described above, the own vehicle position detecting means 7d outputs an electric signal indicating that “cannot be received” while traveling in the tunnel. In this case, the car navigation system 8 cannot acquire the latitude and longitude of the vehicle. For this reason, if the car navigation system 8 detects that the vehicle is traveling in front of the tunnel by detecting before the tunnel, and the latitude / longitude cannot be acquired after the latitude / longitude of the vehicle is located near the entrance of the tunnel, Detects that the vehicle is traveling in the tunnel.

  The next tunnel approach detection after passing through the tunnel is as follows. The own vehicle position detection means 7d outputs an electrical signal that the car navigation system 8 can convert into latitude and longitude when passing through the tunnel. For this reason, the car navigation system 8 can detect the latitude / longitude of the vehicle after detecting that the vehicle is traveling in the tunnel by detecting in the tunnel, and the vehicle exits from the tunnel from the latitude / longitude and road information. When the vehicle is located in the vicinity, it is detected that the vehicle has passed through the tunnel (hereinafter referred to as “detection after passing through the tunnel”). When the car navigation system 8 detects that there is a tunnel again from the latitude and longitude, map information, and road information, the distance to this tunnel is less than a predetermined distance. Is detected when the distance to the tunnel ahead of the currently running road is short (hereinafter referred to as “next tunnel approach detection”).

  The detection of approaching the next tunnel after passing through the tunnel is the distance from the tunnel that is after passing the tunnel and ahead of the currently running road when both the detection after passing the tunnel and the approaching approach to the next tunnel are detected. Is detected as short. Here, for the predetermined distance, the interval between turning on the headlamp 2 (immediately after passing through the tunnel) → turning off (during traveling between tunnels) → turning on (in the next tunnel) becomes short, and the brightness changes in a short time. The distance is set such that the driver is distracted and the possibility of disturbing driving becomes high. In addition, since the space | interval of lighting of the headlamp 2 and light extinction becomes short, so that traveling speed becomes high, you may set a predetermined distance short as the traveling speed detected by the speed detection means 7b becomes high.

  Indoor parking detection is performed as follows. Similar to the detection in the tunnel, the vehicle position detection means 7d outputs an electrical signal indicating that “cannot be received” while traveling indoors. For this reason, the car navigation system 8 has an indoor parking lot (a parking lot in a building, etc.) when the latitude and longitude cannot be obtained after the vehicle's own vehicle position is located near the indoor parking lot. Detect that you are driving.

  As described above, since the traveling road information can be detected by the own vehicle position detection means 7d, the steering angle detection means 7e, and the car navigation 8, the own vehicle position detection means 7d, the steering angle detection means 7e, and the car navigation 8 of the present embodiment This corresponds to “traveling road information detecting means” of the present invention.

  In addition, the car navigation 8 includes an interface to which a removable external storage unit 9 (for example, a USB memory or an SD card) can be connected as the transmission / reception unit 8b. The car navigation 8 can transmit and receive information between the internal storage unit 3a and the external storage unit 9 via the transmission / reception unit 8b in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 3. As a result, information can be shared with other vehicles.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the control of turning on and off the headlamp 2 by the control means 3 when the headlamp control device 1 having the above configuration is in the automatic state will be described.

  The control means 3 controls the headlamp 2 according to the driving environment (illuminance, driving speed, rainfall, and driving road information) detected by the driving environment detection means 7 and the driver information stored in the internal storage means 3a. Controls turning on and off. Here, the driver information is information for the control means 3 to control the lighting timing of the headlamp 2. The internal storage means 3a of this embodiment can store driver information of a plurality of drivers. Further, in order to handle a plurality of driver information, each driver information is given unique identification information for each driver so that the corresponding driver can be easily identified.

  Furthermore, the driver information stored in the internal storage means 3a can be stored in the external storage means 9. For this reason, after storing the learned driver information in the external storage means 9, the same driver information can be shared by a plurality of vehicles by storing the external storage means 9 in the storage means 3a of another vehicle. it can.

  The control means 3 has a lighting threshold value and a light extinction threshold value as driver information. Here, the lighting threshold refers to the headlamp 2 when the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means 7a (hereinafter referred to as “detected illuminance”) falls below a set threshold (when it becomes less than the threshold). It is a threshold value to turn on, and the extinguishing threshold value is a threshold value to turn off the headlamp 2 when the set threshold value is exceeded (when the value is larger than the threshold value). The control means 3 controls lighting and extinguishing of the headlamp 2 according to the lighting threshold value and the lighting threshold value. The turn-on threshold and the turn-off threshold (hereinafter referred to as “light-on / off threshold” when referring to these two thresholds) are set according to the driving environment.

  As the amount of rainfall increases, the outside of the vehicle becomes harder to see, so the headlamp 2 is lit with a higher illuminance (brighter) than usual so that it can be detected quickly whether there is an obstacle ahead of the vehicle. It is better to let them. Accordingly, when the rainfall amount is large, the lighting threshold value is set larger and the extinguishing threshold value is set larger than when the rainfall amount is small. Similarly, the higher the traveling speed, the more the headlight 2 is turned on in a state where the illuminance is higher (brighter) than usual so that it can be detected quickly whether there is an obstacle ahead of the vehicle. Is good. Therefore, when the traveling speed is high, the lighting threshold is set larger and the turn-off threshold is set larger than when the traveling speed is slow.

  FIG. 4 shows a characteristic curve of the turn-on / off threshold value set in this way. The vertical axis in FIG. 4 indicates the detected illuminance. In the horizontal axis of FIG. 4, the running speed for the lighting threshold is shown on the left side, and the running speed for the turn-off threshold is shown on the right side. In FIG. 4, the driving speed is divided into three driving speeds: a low speed, a high speed, and an intermediate speed between the low speed and the high speed (hereinafter referred to as “medium speed”). In either case, the traveling speed increases as you go to the right. The control means 3 assigns to one of three speed lines (vertical dotted line in FIG. 4) of low speed, medium speed, and high speed according to the traveling speed detected by the speed detection means 7a. In addition, although three speed lines are illustrated in FIG. 4, the number is not limited to this, and it is only necessary to prepare numbers that can appropriately set the lighting threshold value and the lighting threshold value.

  The four rainfall lines a to d illustrated in FIG. 4 (the solid line that rises to the right in FIG. 4) are set according to the rainfall amount, and the lower side of FIG. 4 (rainfall line a). This is selected when the rainfall amount is small, and is selected when the rainfall amount is large as it becomes the upper side (rainfall line d) in FIG. According to the rainfall detected by the rainfall detection means 7c, it is assigned to one of the four rainfall lines a to d. In FIG. 4, four rainfall lines are illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a number that can appropriately set the lighting threshold value and the lighting threshold value may be prepared.

  The turn-on threshold and the turn-off threshold are set according to the amount of rainfall and the traveling speed. Specifically, the intersection of any of the four rainfall lines a to d corresponding to the rainfall amount and any one of the three speed lines of low speed, medium speed, and high speed corresponding to the traveling speed is the lighting threshold and Set as the turn-off threshold. For example, if the rainfall amount line d is selected when the rainfall amount is very high, and the high speed line is selected when the traveling speed is very high, the lighting threshold is X in FIG. Y. When the detected illuminance falls below the lighting threshold X, the control means 3 turns on the headlamp 2, and when the detected illuminance falls below the turn-off threshold Y, the control means 3 turns off the headlamp 2.

  The control means 3 corrects the lighting / extinguishing threshold set as described above according to the traveling road information detected by the traveling road information detecting means. Specifically, correction is made according to the detection results of “intersection detection”, “front tunnel detection”, “in-tunnel detection”, “next tunnel approach detection after passing through tunnel”, and “indoor parking lot detection”.

  The control means 3 is turned on when the headlamp 2 is turned off, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), when it is detected by the intersection detection that the vehicle is traveling in the intersection. And when the headlamp 2 is lit, it is not turned off. This is obscured by the driver of the surrounding vehicle traveling near the intersection feeling dazzled or suddenly dark when the headlight 2 of the vehicle traveling in the intersection is switched on or off. This is to hinder driving.

  Therefore, in this case, the control means 3 corrects the lighting threshold value to 0 or a negative value, and corrects the extinguishing threshold value to a value exceeding the maximum value that can be handled in the control program or the maximum value output as the output of the illuminance detection means 7a. To do. Thus, the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means 7a can be prevented from falling below the lighting threshold, and can be prevented from exceeding the extinguishing threshold, and the lighting and extinguishing of the headlamp 2 are not switched. When it is detected by the intersection detection that the vehicle is not traveling in the intersection, the lighting / extinguishing threshold value is not corrected for normal operation.

  When it is detected by the detection before the tunnel that the vehicle is traveling in front of the tunnel, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lighting on / off threshold is not corrected for normal operation. When the vehicle is traveling in the tunnel, the headlamp 2 needs to be turned on. Therefore, when it is detected by the detection in the tunnel that the vehicle is traveling in the tunnel, the headlamp 2 is corrected to be lit as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, in this case, the lighting threshold value is corrected to a maximum value that can be handled in the control program or a value that exceeds the maximum value that is output as the output of the illuminance detection means 7a, and the extinction threshold value is the maximum that can be handled in the control program in the same way as the lighting threshold value. The value or the value exceeding the maximum value output as the output of the illuminance detection means 7a is corrected. As a result, the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means 7a is always less than the lighting threshold, and can be prevented from exceeding the extinction threshold, and the headlamp 2 is always lit.

  When it is detected that the distance from the next tunnel approaching after the tunnel has passed through the tunnel and the tunnel ahead of the currently running road is short, as shown in FIG. It correct | amends so that lighting of the headlamp 2 may be continued. In this case, as in the case where it is detected by the detection in the tunnel that the vehicle is traveling in the tunnel, both the turn-on threshold and the turn-off threshold are output as the maximum value that can be handled in the control program or the output of the illuminance detection means 7a. The headlight 2 is always turned on by correcting to a value exceeding the maximum value. If it is detected by the next tunnel approach detection after the tunnel has passed through the tunnel and the distance to the tunnel ahead of the currently running road is long, as shown in FIG. The lighting on / off threshold is not corrected for normal operation.

  When it is detected that the vehicle is traveling in the indoor parking lot by the indoor parking lot detection, and when the running speed detected by the speed detecting means 7b is slower than the predetermined speed, it is shown in FIG. Thus, the headlamp 2 is turned off. For this reason, the lighting threshold value is corrected to 0 or a negative value, and the extinguishing threshold value is also corrected to 0 or a negative value similarly to the lighting threshold value. As a result, the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means 7a always exceeds the turn-off threshold, and can be prevented from falling below the turn-on threshold, and the headlamp 2 is always turned off. In this case, the control means 3 lights the vehicle width lamp 21.

  When it is detected by the indoor parking lot detection that the vehicle is traveling in the indoor parking lot, and when the running speed detected by the speed detecting means 7b is higher than a predetermined speed, it is shown in FIG. As described above, the lighting / extinguishing threshold value is not corrected to make the headlamp 2 operate normally. Here, the predetermined speed is set to a value that can determine “whether or not the vehicle is stopped” or “whether or not so-called slow driving” (for example, set to a value close to 0 or 0). .

  The control means 3 stores in the internal storage device 3a information on the relationship between the rainfall and traveling speed as shown in FIG. 4 and the threshold value for turning on and off, and the correction of the threshold value according to the traveling environment as shown in FIG. A reference is made when the headlamp 2 is controlled. As described above, the control unit 3 sets the turn-on / off threshold according to the traveling environment, and controls the turning on and off of the headlamp 2.

  Further, the learning means 3b of the control device 3 learns the turn-on / off threshold, that is, the turn-on / off timing according to the driver's preference. Default driver information is stored in the internal storage means 3 a of the control device 3. Here, the default driver information is driver information in which an average timing (which seems to be as close as possible to as many drivers as possible) is set regardless of the timing of a specific driver.

  However, since the illuminance outside the vehicle that the headlamp 2 wants to turn on differs depending on the driver's visual acuity and the like, the default driver information does not necessarily match the preferences of all drivers. Therefore, the control device 3 can learn the timing of turning on and off the headlamp 2 for each driver.

  The learning means 3b obtains three pieces of information on illuminance, rainfall, and traveling speed when the learning light-off means 6 is operated when the automatic state or the light-off means 5a is selected as OFF. The extinguishing threshold is updated to match this value. The detected illuminance when the learning lighting switch 6a is operated becomes a lighting threshold, and the detected illuminance when the learning light-off switch 6b is operated becomes a light-off threshold.

  For this reason, the control means 3 has a rainfall line (for example, any one of a to d) allocated according to the rainfall and a speed line (for example, low speed, medium speed, high speed) allocated according to the traveling speed. The lighting / extinguishing threshold is updated so that the intersection with any one) becomes the detected illuminance. At this time, the control means 3 updates the lighting threshold when the learning lighting switch 6a is operated, and updates the lighting threshold when the learning light-off switch 6b is operated. As a result, the lighting threshold and the extinguishing threshold become a driving environment in which the driver feels that the driver wants to turn on and off, so that the timing of turning on and off the headlamp 2 of the control means 3 can be learned to suit the driver's preference. .

  In this embodiment, the turn-on / off threshold is updated so as to match the travel environment when the learning light-off means 6 is operated, but an average of past operations may be taken. For example, when the learning lighting switch 6a is operated, the average of the illuminance of the past three operations of the learning lighting switch 6a in which the rainfall amount line corresponding to the rainfall amount and the speed line corresponding to the traveling speed are the same. And the intersection of the rainfall amount line and the speed line may be updated so as to have this average illuminance.

  Next, control of the headlamp 2 by the headlamp control apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for controlling the headlamp 2 executed by the control means 3 of the present embodiment. This flowchart is started when the vehicle engine is started. The control means 3 sets driver information in the first step ST1.

  With reference to FIG. 7, the detailed process of this step ST1 is demonstrated. Step ST101 determines whether to select driver information. In detail, the control means 3 displays a message for confirming to the driver whether or not to select the driver information on the car navigation system 8 and displays virtual buttons indicating “select” and “not select”. The information is displayed on the means 8a to prompt the driver to touch any button. If the driver touches the “select” button, the determination result in step ST101 is YES. If the driver touches the “do not select” button, the determination result in step ST101. Becomes NO.

  When it is determined in step ST101 that the driver information is not selected (the determination result in step ST101 is NO), the process proceeds to step ST102, and the default driver information stored in advance in the internal storage unit 3a is in an automatic state. Set as driver information for occasional use.

  When it is determined in step ST101 that the driver information is selected (the determination result in step ST101 is YES), the process proceeds to step ST103, and it is determined whether or not the external storage unit 9 is connected to the transmission / reception unit 8b. When the external storage means 9 is connected (the determination result of step ST103 is YES), the process proceeds to step ST104, and it is determined whether or not the driver information stored in the internal storage means 3a needs to be updated. This compares the driver information stored in the internal storage means 3a with the driver information stored in the external storage means 9, and if the two pieces of driver information are different, the driver information It is determined that updating is necessary, and when two pieces of driver information are the same, it is determined that updating of driver information is unnecessary.

  When it is determined in step ST104 that the driver information needs to be updated (the determination result in step ST104 is YES), the process proceeds to step ST105, and the driver information stored in the internal storage unit 3a is stored in the external storage unit 9. The driver information stored in is updated.

  When the process of step ST105 is completed, when the external storage means 9 is not connected at step ST103 (the determination result at step ST103 is NO), and when it is determined at step ST104 that the driver information does not need to be updated (The determination result in step ST104 is NO), the process proceeds to step ST106. In step ST106, one driver information is selected from the plurality of driver information stored in the internal storage means 3a. At this time, the control means 3 outputs a control signal to the car navigation system 8 so that a list of a plurality of stored driver information is displayed on the display means 8a.

  At this time, a virtual button for creating new driver information is also displayed for a new driver to drive. When this button is selected, the default driver information is copied as new driver information. When one of a plurality of pieces of driver information is selected, or when a virtual button for newly creating driver information is selected, the selection of driver information is completed. The processing of this step ST106 is the selection means 8c provided in the car navigation 8, and corresponds to the selection means of the present invention.

  Next, the process proceeds to step ST107, and it is determined whether or not the driver information selected in step ST106, that is, the turn-on / off timing, is edited so as to be closer to the driver's preference. That is, by editing, it can be set to be close to the driver's preference to some extent without operating the learning light extinguishing means 6 during driving. At this time, the control means 3 displays on the display means 8a virtual buttons on which "edit" and "do not edit" are displayed on the display means 8a, and prompts the driver to touch any button. When the driver touches the “edit” button, the determination result of this step ST107 is YES, and when the driver touches the “do not edit” button, the determination result of this step ST107. Becomes NO.

  If it is determined in step ST107 that editing is to be performed (the determination result in step ST107 is YES), the process proceeds to step ST108 and prompts the user to input an on / off timing. At this time, the control means 3 outputs a control signal to the display means 8a so as to display the lighting threshold value and the extinction threshold value for each intersection of each rainfall amount line and each speed line. The driver confirms this display and changes the lighting threshold value and the extinguishing threshold value to suit his / her preference. At this time, the value of “predetermined distance” used in the next tunnel approach detection may be changed.

  Next, it progresses to step ST109, and according to the content input by step ST108, the content of the driver information selected by step ST106 is updated, and it memorize | stores in the internal memory means 3a.

  When the process of step ST109 is completed, or when it is determined not to edit in step ST107 (the determination result of step ST107 is NO), the process proceeds to step ST110, and the external storage means 9 is updated.

  Details of step ST110 will be described with reference to FIG. In step ST201, it is determined whether or not the external storage means 9 is connected to the transmission / reception means 8b as in step ST103 of FIG. If it is determined in step ST201 that the connection is established (the determination result in step ST201 is YES), the process proceeds to step ST202, where the currently selected driver information, that is, the driver information selected in step ST106 is displayed. Write to the external storage means 9. At this time, if there is driver information in the external storage means 9 having the same identification information as the identification information given to the currently selected driver information, the driver information is updated. To write as the correct driver information.

  When it is determined in step ST201 that it is not connected (NO in step ST201), or when the process in step ST202 ends, the process in FIG. 8 ends and the process returns to the original process.

  Next, returning to FIG. 7, the process proceeds to step ST111, where the currently selected driver information, that is, the driver information selected in step ST106, is set as the driver information used in the automatic state.

  When the process of step ST102 or step ST111 ends, the process of FIG. 7 ends and the process returns to the original process.

  Next, returning to FIG. 6, the process proceeds to step ST <b> 2, and it is determined whether or not the automatic state is set. As described above, this is determined to be an automatic state when the turn-off / light-off means 5a selects AUTO, and is determined not to be an automatic state (manual state) when the light-off / light-off means 5a selects other than AUTO. To do.

  If it is determined in step ST2 that the vehicle is in the automatic state (the determination result in step ST2 is YES), the process proceeds to step ST3, and each travel environment detected by the travel environment detection unit 7 input to the control unit 3 at this time is detected. (Illuminance, travel speed, rainfall and travel road information) are acquired. Specifically, the control unit 3 acquires the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection unit 7a, acquires the travel speed detected by the speed detection unit 7b, and the rainfall amount and wiper operation detected by the rainfall amount detection unit 7c. Detecting (acquiring) the amount of rainfall as described above from the state of the contacts (OFF, INT, Lo and Hi) selected by the means 5b, and detecting the own vehicle position and steering angle detected by the own vehicle position detecting means 7d Based on the steering angle detected by the means 7e, the traveling road information detected by the car navigation system 8 is acquired as described above.

  Next, it progresses to step ST4 and the lighting and extinction of the headlamp 2 are controlled according to the driving | running | working environment acquired by step ST3, and the present driver | operator information. In this control, as described above, the characteristic curve as shown in FIG. 4 and the correction as shown in FIG. 5 are performed.

  Next, the process proceeds to step ST5, where it is determined whether or not an operation by the learning light-off means 6 has been performed. When the learning lighting switch 6a or the learning light-off switch 6b is operated, it is determined that the operation by the learning light-off means 6 is performed. When the learning light-off switch 6b is not operated, the learning light-off means 6 is operated. Judge that it is not.

  If it is determined in step ST5 that it is not operated (NO in step ST5), the process returns to step ST2. If it is determined in step ST5 that it is operated (YES in step ST5), the process proceeds to step ST6.

  In step ST6, the process when the operation by the learning light-off means 6 is performed is executed. With reference to FIG. 9, the detailed process of this step ST6 is demonstrated.

  In step ST301, the headlamp 2 is turned on and off according to the operation. Specifically, the headlamp 2 is turned on when the learning lighting switch 6a is operated, and the headlamp 2 is turned off when the learning light-off switch 6b is operated.

  Next, it progresses to step ST302 and the driving environment at this time is detected. This process is the same as step ST3 in FIG.

  Next, it progresses to step ST303 and learns the lighting timing of the headlamp 2 based on the driving | running | working environment acquired by step ST302. As described above, the learning is performed by updating the turn-on / off threshold according to the traveling environment when the learning light-off means is operated. The process of this step ST303 corresponds to the process of the learning means 3b of the present invention.

  When the learning in step ST303 ends, the process proceeds to step ST304, and the driver information stored in the internal storage means 3a is updated to the information learned in step ST303. At this time, the driver information to be updated is the driver information selected in step ST106 of FIG. When the process of step ST304 ends, the process of FIG. 9 ends and the process returns to the original process (step ST6 of FIG. 6).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step ST2 that it is not in the automatic state (the determination result in step ST2 is NO), the process proceeds to step ST7, where it is determined whether or not the lighting / extinguishing means 5a has selected OFF. If it is determined in step ST7 that OFF is selected (the determination result in step ST7 is YES), the process proceeds to step ST8, and whether or not the learning lighting / extinguishing means 6 is operated as in step ST5. Determine. If it is determined in step ST7 that OFF is not selected (NO in step ST7), the process proceeds to step ST9.

  Step ST9 controls the headlamp 2 and the width lamp 21 in accordance with the state selected by the lighting / extinguishing means 5a. When the determination result of step ST2 and step ST7 is NO, that is, when the contact point selected by the lighting / extinguishing means 5a is neither AUTO nor OFF, the process of step ST9 is executed. For this reason, when performing the process of this step ST9, the lighting / extinguishing means 5a has selected Lo or SMALL. When the lighting / light-out means 5a selects Lo, the headlamp 2 is lit with a low beam, and when the lighting / light-out means 5a selects SMALL, the vehicle width lamp 21 is lit.

  When the light-off means 5a selects Lo or SMALL, it is highly possible that the driver is intentionally operating so that the headlight 2 or the width lamp 21 is not turned off, such as when the outside of the vehicle is dark. . In this case, the operation of the learning light extinguishing means 6 is disabled in order to prevent the learning light extinguishing means 6 from being operated by an erroneous operation or the like, and the headlamp 2 from being turned off unintentionally. For this reason, after the process of step ST9 is complete | finished, determination like step ST5 and ST8 is not performed but it returns to step ST2. As a result, the headlight 2 is turned on and off by the learning light-off means 6 only when the light-off means 5a selects AUTO or OFF.

  When the process of step ST6 described above ends (when the process of FIG. 9 ends), the process proceeds to step ST10 to determine whether or not the vehicle is stopped. Here, “the vehicle is stopped” means that the engine of the vehicle is stopped. If the vehicle is not stopped, the process returns to step ST2, and if the vehicle is stopped, the process proceeds to step ST11. In step ST11, the update process of the external storage unit 9 is executed in the same manner as the process of step ST110 of FIG. 7 (process of FIG. 8). When the process of step ST11 ends, this control process ends.

  As described above, in the headlamp control device 1 of the present embodiment, the learning lighting / extinguishing means 6 is constituted by a push-type switch in which a spring is incorporated so that the contact is in a non-conductive state when not operated. is doing. In addition to this configuration, even when the learning lighting / extinguishing means 6 is operated in step ST5 or ST8, the control means 3 turns on and off the headlamp 2 and turns on and off according to the operation. If it is in the automatic state after learning the timing (the determination result in step ST2 is YES), in addition to the driving environment detected by the driving environment detection means 7, the driver information (in the internal storage means 3a) ( The lighting and extinguishing of the headlamp 2 are controlled according to the timing of lighting and extinguishing (step ST4).

  Accordingly, after the learning lighting / extinguishing means 6 is operated, the lighting / extinguishing means 5a, the learning lighting / extinguishing means 6, the return switch, etc. are not operated, so that the lighting and extinguishing of the headlamp 2 are controlled automatically. Return. Thereby, when the timing of turning on and off the headlamp in the automatic state does not match the driver's preference, it is possible to learn the timing that suits the preference and to reduce the driving burden.

  In the present embodiment, the learning lighting switch 6 a of the learning lighting / light-off means 6 is arranged on the right side of the inner periphery of the steering means 4, and the learning lighting / light-off means 6 is located on the left side of the inner periphery of the steering means 4. A learning off switch 6b is arranged. That is, in the present embodiment, the learning light-off means 6 is disposed in the vicinity of the steering means 4. For this reason, when the driver is operating the steering means 4, the learning turn-off / light-off means 6 can be quickly operated, so that the driving burden can be further reduced.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the timing of lighting and extinction of a plurality of drivers can be stored in the internal storage means 3a. That is, a plurality of pieces of information learned by the learning unit 3b can be stored in the internal storage unit 3a. For this reason, when the driver changes, when the timing of lighting and extinguishing of the changed driver has already been learned, the learned information is selected by the selection means 8c, whereby the preference of the changed driver is selected. The headlamp 2 can be turned on and off at this timing. As a result, even in a vehicle driven by a plurality of drivers, it is not necessary to learn each time the driver changes, and the burden on each driver can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the car navigation 8 is provided with an interface to which a removable external storage means 9 (for example, a USB memory or an SD card) can be connected as the transmission / reception means 8b. The car navigation 8 can transmit and receive information between the internal storage unit 3a and the external storage unit 9 via the transmission / reception unit 8b in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 3, and can share information with other vehicles. Thereby, when the driver drives a plurality of vehicles, the learned information can be used in common. Therefore, it is not necessary to learn each vehicle separately, and the convenience of the driver is improved.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the rainfall amount detecting means is constituted by the rainfall amount detecting means 7c and the wiper operating means 5b configured by the rainfall amount sensor, but is not limited thereto. For example, the rainfall amount may be detected only by the detection result of the rainfall amount sensor without taking into account the change of the contact point selected by the wiper operating means 5b.

  Further, for reasons such as suppressing the selling price, in a vehicle not equipped with a rainfall sensor, the rainfall may be detected only by the contact point selected by the wiper operating means 5b. In this case, in the example of FIG. 4, the rainfall amount line d is selected when the wiper operating means 5b selects Hi, and the rainfall amount line d is selected when the wiper operating means 5b selects Lo. When the wiper operating means 5b selects INT, the rainfall amount line d is selected, and when the wiper operating means 5b selects OFF, the rainfall amount line d is selected. As described above, even if the rainfall amount detecting means is configured to detect the rainfall amount, the lighting / extinguishing threshold according to the rainfall amount can be appropriately set.

  In the present embodiment, the car navigation 8 includes the transmission / reception unit 8b. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the instrument panel 11 may include the transmission / reception unit 8b as an interface for connecting the external storage unit 9. In this case, the instrument panel 11 may also include a selection unit.

  In the present embodiment, the external storage means 9 is constituted by a removable storage medium such as a USB memory or an SD card, for example, and the car navigation 8 is provided with an interface to which this storage medium can be connected. Instead of such a configuration, the external storage means is configured with a storage medium of a server accessible via a communication line such as a mobile phone, and the transmission / reception means communicates with this server to acquire information via the communication line. You may comprise with possible receivers.

  In the present embodiment, the control means 3 turns on the vehicle width lamp 21 when it is detected that the vehicle is traveling in an indoor parking lot from the traveling environment, together with the control of the headlamp 2. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the headlamp 2 and the vehicle width lamp 21 are generally distinguished from each other, but the lamp including the vehicle width lamp 21 is used as the headlamp 2.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Headlamp control apparatus, 2 ... Headlamp, 3 ... Control means, 3a ... Internal storage means (memory | storage means), 3b ... Learning means, 4 ... Steering means, 5a ... Light-off means, 5b ... Wiper operating means (Rainfall detection means), 6 ... learning light-off means, 6a ... learning light switch (learning light-off means), 6b ... learning light-off switch (learning light-off means), 7 ... traveling environment detection means ( Travel environment detection means), 7a ... illuminance detection means (illuminance detection means, travel environment detection means), 7b ... speed detection means (speed detection means, travel environment detection means), 7c ... rainfall amount detection means (rainfall amount detection means, Traveling environment detection means), 7d ... own vehicle position detection means (travel road information detection means, travel environment detection means), 7e ... steering angle detection means (travel road information detection means, travel environment detection means), 8 ... car navigation (travel Road information detection means, driving environment Knowledge means), 8a ... display means, 8b ... transceiver unit, 8c ... selection unit, 9 ... external storage unit (storage means).

Claims (6)

A headlight; a lighting / extinguishing means for manually turning on and off the headlamp; a traveling environment detecting means for detecting a traveling environment; and a learning means for learning the timing of turning on and off the headlamp. And a control means for controlling lighting and extinguishing of the headlamp according to the running environment detected by the running environment detecting means, and manual operation in which the lighting and extinguishing means are manually turned on and off. A vehicle headlamp control device comprising a switching means switchable between a state and an automatic state automatically performed by the control means,
A learning on / off means for manually turning on and off the headlamp to learn the timing of turning on and off the headlamp, and storage means for storing information learned by the learning means,
When in the automatic state, the learning means learns the timing of turning on and off the headlamp based on the traveling environment detected by the traveling environment detecting means when the learning light-off means is operated. And
The control means controls lighting and extinguishing of the headlamp according to information stored in the storage means in addition to the running environment detected by the running environment detection means, and the learning lighting / extinguishing means is operated. In such a case, the headlamp control device is characterized in that the automatic state is continued after the headlamp is turned on or off according to the operation.   2. The headlamp control device according to claim 1, wherein the learning lighting / extinguishing means is turned on or off when operated, and turned on and off when the operation is completed. A headlamp control device configured to return to a state that is neither of them.   The headlamp control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the learning lighting / light-out means is disposed in the vicinity of a steering means for steering the vehicle. In the headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The traveling environment is the illuminance outside the vehicle, the traveling speed of the vehicle, the rainfall, and the traveling road information.
The travel environment detection means comprises: illuminance detection means for detecting the illuminance; speed detection means for detecting the travel speed; rainfall amount detection means for detecting the rainfall amount; and travel road information for detecting the travel road information. A headlamp control device comprising a detecting means. In the headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The storage means can store a plurality of information learned by the learning means,
The headlamp control device includes a selection unit that selects one information among a plurality of pieces of information stored in the storage unit,
The said control means controls lighting and extinction of the said headlamp according to the information selected by the said selection means, The headlamp control apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the headlamp control device according to claim 5,
Comprising transmission / reception means capable of transmitting / receiving information stored in the storage means to / from another vehicle;
2. The headlamp control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection means can select one piece of information obtained by the transmission / reception means.

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