JP2020192899A - Vehicular light control system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular light control system capable of controlling the brightness in a cabin of a vehicle regardless of day or night.SOLUTION: A vehicular light control system 1 comprises: an incident part 5 through which external light enters; a light control member 7 provided to the incident part 5; a light emitting part 9 provided in a cabin of a vehicle 3; and a control part 11. The control part 11 controls the transmissivity of the light control member 7 and controls the illuminance of the light emitting part 9. The vehicular light control system 1 comprises an information acquisition part 15 for acquiring information about predetermined objects in the cabin. The information acquisition part 15 is constituted of a sensor group consisted of various sensors which acquire information about the predetermined objects.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle dimming system.

A vehicle dimming system using a dimming member that is attached to a window to control the transmission of external light is known (see Patent Document 1). This vehicle dimming system includes a control mode selection unit that accepts selection of a control mode that is a control target of the dimming film, and a drive control unit that controls the transmittance of the dimming film. The drive control unit adjusts the transmittance of the light control film based on the control mode selected by the control mode selection unit.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-177193

However, the conventional vehicle dimming system has the following problems. That is, since this system is a system that only controls the transmittance of the dimming film, there is a problem that dimming can be performed only during the daytime sunshine hours.
Further, in this system, when the vehicle interior is too bright, the external light can be blocked to reduce the brightness of the vehicle interior, but when the vehicle interior is too dark, the brightness of the vehicle interior cannot be increased.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle dimming system capable of adjusting the indoor brightness of a vehicle day and night. The present invention can be realized as the following forms.

[1] A dimming system for vehicles.
The incident part where external light is incident and
The dimming member arranged in the incident part and
The light emitting part provided in the room of the vehicle and
A vehicle dimming system including a control unit that controls the transmittance of the dimming member and controls the illuminance of the light emitting unit.

According to the present disclosure, since the illuminance of the light emitting unit is controlled while controlling the transmittance of the dimming member, the brightness inside the vehicle can be adjusted day and night.

It is the schematic which looked at the vehicle 3 which mounted the dimming system 1 for a vehicle from the vertical upper side. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the dimming system 1 for a vehicle. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the dimming member 7. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the change of the transmittance of a light control member 7. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the irradiation range 27. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing procedure of the dimming system 1 for a vehicle.

Here, a desirable example of the present disclosure is shown.
[2] Further, an information acquisition unit for acquiring information on a predetermined object in the room is provided.
The vehicle adjustment according to [1], wherein the control unit adjusts the transmittance of the dimming member and adjusts the illuminance of the light emitting unit based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit. Optical system.
By doing so, the brightness can be adjusted based on the information of the predetermined object, so that more appropriate dimming can be performed.

[3] The control unit determines that the state of the predetermined object obtained from the information is caused by the brightness of the room being lower than a predetermined first threshold value. If so, the illuminance of the light emitting unit is controlled to be higher than the current state.
When it is determined that the state of the predetermined object obtained from the information is caused by the brightness of the room being higher than a predetermined second threshold value, the dimming member The vehicle dimming system according to [2], wherein the transmittance is controlled to be lower than the current level.
In this way, the brightness is controlled so that the state of the predetermined object becomes more desirable.

[4] Claim [2] or [4], wherein the information is at least one selected from the group consisting of the brightness of the predetermined object, the temperature of the predetermined object, the number of blinks, and the diameter of the pupil of the eye. The vehicle dimming system according to 3].
In this way, the brightness is controlled so that the brightness of the predetermined object, the temperature of the predetermined object, the number of blinks, and the diameter of the pupil of the eye are more desirable, so that the occupant can spend more comfortably. become.

[5] The predetermined object is a plurality of occupants.
The information acquisition unit acquires individual individual information of the plurality of occupants, and obtains individual information.
The control unit adjusts the transmittance of the dimming member and adjusts the illuminance of the light emitting unit so that the brightness of each predetermined area of the occupant becomes a predetermined illuminance [2]. The vehicle dimming system according to any one of [4].
In this way, the brightness can be optimized for each occupant.

An embodiment of the vehicle 3 including the vehicle dimming system 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a vehicle 3 equipped with a vehicle dimming system 1 as viewed from above vertically. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the vehicle dimming system 1.
The vehicle dimming system 1 includes an incident portion 5 on which external light is incident, a dimming member 7 arranged on the incident portion 5, a light emitting unit 9 provided in the room of the vehicle 3, and a control unit 11 (ECU (ECU). (Electronic Control Unit)) and. The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory (for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory)), and the like. The control unit 11 controls the transmittance of the dimming member 7 and controls the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9. The vehicle dimming system 1 includes an information acquisition unit 15 that acquires information on a predetermined object in the room. The control unit 11 is capable of communicating information with the information acquisition unit 15 by wire or wirelessly. The control unit 11 is capable of communicating information with the dimming member 7 and the light emitting unit 9 by wire or wirelessly.
Although not shown, an operation input unit such as an operation key or an operation button for receiving an operation from an occupant such as a driver can also be provided.

The vehicle 3 is provided with seats SS1, SS2, SS3, and SS4. Seat SS1 is the driver's seat. The passenger in seat SS1 is the driver of vehicle 3.
Specifically, the incident portion 5 on which the external light is incident includes the front seat side window 5A on the driver's seat side, the rear seat side window 5B on the driver's seat side, the front seat side window 5C on the passenger seat side, and the rear passenger seat side. The seat side window 5D, the front window 5E, and the rear window 5F. A roof window (not shown) may be provided as the incident portion 5.

The dimming member 7 is arranged on almost the entire surface of the front seat side window 5A, the rear seat side window 5B, the front seat side window 5C, the passenger seat side rear seat side window 5D, the front window 5E, and the rear window 5F, respectively. There is.
More specifically, an example as a transparent plate material constituting the front seat side window 5A, the rear seat side window 5B, the front seat side window 5C, the passenger seat side rear seat side window 5D, the front window 5E, and the rear window 5F. A dimming member 7 is attached to the glass plate, which is the same as the inside of the vehicle. The dimming member 7 may be attached from the outside of the vehicle, or may be sandwiched between the glass plates of the laminated glass of each window via an interlayer film.

As shown in FIG. 3, the light control member 7 has a light control film 25 arranged between the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 23, and is added between the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 23. An example is one in which the transmittance is changed by the applied voltage. For example, the dimming member 7 becomes transparent or has a high transmittance when applied as shown in the left figure of FIG. 4, and becomes opaque or has a low transmittance when not applied as shown in the right figure of FIG.
As the light control film 25, (1) a light control film 25 using an EC method (Electro chromatic), (2) a light control film 25 using a SPD method (Suspended Particule Device), and (3) a VA (Virtual Element) method. , TN (Twisted Nematic) type, IPS (In-Place-Switching) type liquid crystal light control film 25 is preferably exemplified.
The light control film 25 using the EC method has a structure in which a light control layer (electrolyte layer) is sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. Depending on the potential difference between the electrodes, the color of the light control layer changes between transparent and navy blue using the redox reaction.
The light control film 25 using the SPD method is usually colored in dark blue by using the orientation of fine particles, but changes to transparent when a voltage is applied and returns to the original dark blue when the voltage is turned off. , The shade can be adjusted by the voltage.
Further, the light control film 25 using the PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal) method may be used. The light control film 25 using the PDLC method has a network structure made of a special polymer formed in the liquid crystal layer, and the action of the polymer network induces an irregular arrangement of liquid crystal molecules to emit light. Scatter. Then, when the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in the electric field direction by applying a voltage, the light is not scattered and becomes a transparent state.

The information acquisition unit 15 is composed of a sensor group including various sensors that acquire information on a predetermined object. Examples of the predetermined object include an occupant and various members in the room. The information is not particularly limited, but preferably examples include the brightness of the predetermined object, the temperature of the predetermined object, the number of blinks, and the diameter of the pupil of the eye.
The sensor group includes a microphone 15A for recognizing voice, a camera 15B for acquiring image information in a room, and the like. The microphone 15A has a function of identifying and acquiring individual voices of each occupant. The camera 15B is configured to be capable of sensing the state of the object.

The control unit 11 performs calculations based on input data such as voice information acquired by the microphone 15A and image information acquired by the camera 15B to adjust the transmittance of the dimming member 7, and the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9. And control to adjust the irradiation range 27. The RAM (calculation area) is an area for storing temporary calculation data in the control unit 11.

The light emitting unit 9 is a light emitting unit including a light source capable of adjusting the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, and irradiation range 27 of the light emission, and is used for lighting the interior of a vehicle. The number of light emitting units 9 is not particularly limited and may be 1 or 2 or more.
The light emitting unit 9 can emit light of the following light colors in addition to visible light (for example, a wavelength of 380 nm to 750 nm). Examples of the light color include a light color belonging to a wavelength of 380 nm to 450 nm (purple), a light color belonging to a wavelength of 450 nm to 495 nm (blue), a light color belonging to a wavelength of 490 nm to 570 nm (green), and a light color belonging to a wavelength of 570 nm to 590 nm. Examples thereof include a color (yellow), a light color belonging to a wavelength of 590 nm to 620 nm (orange), and a light color belonging to a wavelength of 620 nm to 750 nm (red).

The illuminance of light emission adjusted by the light emitting unit 9 is a physical quantity representing the brightness of light illuminating the surface of an object and is represented by lux. For example, it is adjusted stepwise for each physical quantity in the range of relatively bright high illuminance (high lux) to dark low illuminance (low lux).
The color temperature of light emission adjusted by the light emitting unit 9 is a scale for expressing the color of light emitted by a light source by a quantitative numerical value, and is represented by K (Kelvin) of thermodynamic temperature. For example, it is adjusted from a relatively warm light bulb color to a warm white color, a white color, a neutral white color, a daylight color, and the like.
The contrast adjusted in the light emitting unit 9 is a light-dark ratio in lighting, and is adjusted stepwise for each numerical value, for example, from a high contrast in which the light and darkness is relatively clear to a low contrast in which the light and darkness is blurred.
The irradiation range 27 (irradiation area) adjusted by the light emitting unit 9 means a range in which light is irradiated by the light emitting unit 9 as shown in FIG. The irradiation range 27 is adjusted stepwise from a narrow area such as a spotlight to a wide area where light is distributed over a wide range. For example, the irradiation range 27 can be adjusted to be widened during meals. In addition, when reading, a spotlight that illuminates only the peripheral part of the book can be adopted.

As the light emitting unit 9, for example, an LED whose light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, and irradiation range 27 can be adjusted in a certain range can be used. Further, the light emitting unit 9 may be configured to include a plurality of light sources having different emission colors and driving means thereof. As a specific example, each light source can be an LED element whose emission colors are red, green, and blue, respectively. When a plurality of light sources having different emission colors are provided as the light emitting unit 9, the light color can be changed depending on the mixing ratio of each light source.

In the light emitting unit 9, the driving means of the light source sets each light source based on the light emission control signal sent from the control unit 11 to instruct the light source of the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, and irradiation range 27 of the light emission. Can be configured to drive. The drive method is not particularly limited, and for example, a PWM (pulse width modulation) method can be adopted. When a PWM signal is used, the drive power of each light source can be controlled by its frequency and duty ratio. The driving means is provided with a function of correcting the power supply to each light source so that a desired light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, and irradiation range 27 can be obtained according to the type, structure, characteristics, etc. of the light source used. Is possible.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the vehicle dimming system 1. This operation program is stored in the ROM in the control unit 11 and executed by the CPU.
When it is determined that the voice input from the microphone 15A is an activation instruction of the vehicle dimming system 1 (step S1: YES), the vehicle dimming system 1 is activated.
The control unit 11 adjusts the transmittance of the dimming member 7 and adjusts the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9 based on the information acquired by the camera 15B.
Specifically, the transmittance of the dimming member 7 and the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9 are adjusted as follows. First, the control unit 11 provides information such as the temperature of the occupant's face, the brightness of the occupant's face, the number of blinks of the occupant's eyes, and the diameter of the pupil of the occupant's eyes acquired by the camera 15B (hereinafter, "predetermined information"). From (also referred to as)), it is determined whether or not the brightness of the room is lower than the predetermined first threshold value (lower limit value) (step S2).
When the control unit 11 determines from the predetermined information that the brightness of the room is lower than the first threshold value (step S2: YES), the control unit 11 performs the process 1 of increasing the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9 to be higher than the current state (step S2: YES). S3). It should be noted that turning the light emitting unit 9 from the off state to the on state means that the illuminance rises from 0, and is therefore included in "process 1 for increasing the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9 from the current state".
On the other hand, when it is determined from the predetermined information that the indoor brightness is equal to or higher than the first threshold value (step S2: NO), the control unit 11 determines from the predetermined information that the indoor brightness is the predetermined second threshold value (upper limit value). ) It is determined whether or not it is higher (step S4). When the control unit 11 determines from the predetermined information that the brightness of the room is higher than the second threshold value (step S4: YES), the control unit 11 performs the process 2 of lowering the transmittance of the dimming member 7 from the current state. (Step S5).
The magnitude relationship between the first threshold value and the second threshold value is <first threshold value <second threshold value. The first threshold value and the second threshold value may be arbitrarily set by the occupant.

When a plurality of occupants are on board, the camera 15B acquires individual individual information of the plurality of occupants, and the control unit 11 sets the brightness of each predetermined area of the occupants to a predetermined illuminance. In addition, the transmittance of the dimming member 7 may be adjusted, and the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9 may be adjusted. For such adjustment, for example, the transmittance of the front seat side window 5A, the rear seat side window 5B, the front seat side window 5C, the passenger seat side rear seat side window 5D, the front window 5E, and the rear window 5F are individually adjusted. This can be achieved by adjusting and installing a plurality of light emitting units 9 and individually adjusting the illuminance of each light emitting unit 9. Here, the individual predetermined areas of the occupants are, for example, the face, hands, feet, and the like.

As described above, since the vehicle dimming system 1 controls the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9 while controlling the transmittance of the dimming member 7, the indoor brightness of the vehicle 3 can be adjusted day and night.
Further, since the brightness of the vehicle dimming system 1 is adjusted based on the information of the occupant, more appropriate dimming can be performed.
Further, the control unit 11 emits light when it is determined that the occupant's state is caused by the darkness of the room, which is lower than the predetermined first threshold value. The illuminance of 9 is controlled to be higher than the current state. For example, even if the room is too dark and the occupant tries to perform the desired behavior such as eating or reading, the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9 becomes higher than the current state when the visibility is poor and it is difficult for the occupant to act, so that the occupant is comfortable. You will be able to act.
On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that the occupant's condition is caused by the brightness of the room being higher than the predetermined second threshold value and being too bright, the light control member 7 The transmittance of the light is controlled to be lower than the current level. For example, when the room is too bright and the occupant blinks frequently, or when the outside light is too strong and the occupant's temperature is high, the transmittance of the dimming member 7 is lower than the current state. The occupants will be able to spend their time comfortably.
These parameters are more desirable when the information is at least one selected from the group consisting of the brightness of the predetermined object, the temperature of the predetermined object, the number of blinks, and the diameter of the pupil of the eye. Since the brightness can be controlled, the occupants can spend more comfortably.
When a plurality of occupants are on board, the camera 15B acquires individual individual information of the plurality of occupants, and the control unit 11 sets the brightness of each predetermined area of the occupants to a predetermined illuminance. When adjusting the transmittance of the dimming member 7 and adjusting the illuminance of the light emitting unit 9, the brightness can be optimized for each occupant.

The above examples are for illustration purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Although the present invention has been described with reference to typical embodiments, the wording used in the description and illustration of the present invention is understood to be descriptive and exemplary rather than limiting wording. As described in detail here, modifications can be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the scope or nature of the invention in that form. Although specific structures, materials and examples have been referred to herein in detail of the invention, it is not intended to limit the invention to the disclosures herein, but rather the invention is claimed in the accompanying claims. It shall cover all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses within the scope.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments detailed above, and various modifications or modifications can be made within the scope of the claims of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, a vehicle (automobile) is illustrated as a vehicle 3, but in addition, as a train or amusement vehicle as a ground vehicle 3, an airplane or helicopter as a flight vehicle, or a marine or underwater vehicle. The vehicle dimming system 1 can also be applied to a vehicle 3 such as a ship or a submersible.
(2) In the above embodiment, an example in which the information acquisition unit 15 composed of the sensor group is arranged on the ceiling surface of the vehicle 3 is shown, but the installation location of the information acquisition unit 15 is not particularly limited. It is also possible to arrange a plurality of sensors separately at different locations.
(3) In the above embodiment, an example in which the light emitting unit 9 is arranged on the ceiling surface of the vehicle 3 is shown, but the installation location of the light emitting unit 9 is not particularly limited.
(4) In the above embodiment, two light emitting units 9 are shown, but the number of light emitting units 9 can be changed as appropriate.
(5) In the above embodiment, the predetermined object is an example of an occupant, but the predetermined object can be changed as appropriate. For example, the predetermined object may be an indoor part such as a seat or a floor.
(6) In the above embodiment, the vehicle dimming system 1 is activated by the voice input from the microphone 15A, but the activation method of the vehicle dimming system 1 is not particularly limited. For example, the vehicle dimming system 1 may be activated by the occupant operating an operation unit such as a switch.

1 ... Vehicle dimming system 3 ... Vehicle 5 ... Incident part 5A ... Front seat side window 5B ... Rear seat side window 5C ... Front seat side window 5D ... Rear seat side window 5E ... Front window 5F ... Rear window 7 ... Dimming Member 9 ... Light emitting unit 11 ... Control unit 15 ... Information acquisition unit 15A ... Mike 15B ... Camera 21 ... First electrode 23 ... Second electrode 25 ... Dimming film 27 ... Irradiation range SS1 ... Seat SS2 ... Seat SS3 ... Seat SS4 ... seat

Claims (5)

A dimming system for vehicles
The incident part where external light is incident and
The dimming member arranged in the incident part and
The light emitting part provided in the room of the vehicle and
A vehicle dimming system including a control unit that controls the transmittance of the dimming member and controls the illuminance of the light emitting unit. Further, an information acquisition unit for acquiring information on a predetermined object in the room is provided.
The vehicle adjustment according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts the transmittance of the dimming member and adjusts the illuminance of the light emitting unit based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit. Optical system. When the control unit determines that the state of the predetermined object obtained from the information is caused by the brightness of the room being lower than a predetermined first threshold value. The illuminance of the light emitting unit is controlled to be higher than the current level.
When it is determined that the state of the predetermined object obtained from the information is caused by the brightness of the room being higher than a predetermined second threshold value, the dimming member The vehicle dimming system according to claim 2, wherein the transmittance is controlled to be lower than the current level. The vehicle according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the information is at least one selected from the group consisting of the brightness of the predetermined object, the temperature of the predetermined object, the number of blinks, and the diameter of the pupil of the eye. Dimming system. The predetermined object is a plurality of occupants.
The information acquisition unit acquires individual individual information of the plurality of occupants, and obtains individual information.
2. The control unit adjusts the transmittance of the dimming member and adjusts the illuminance of the light emitting unit so that the brightness of each predetermined area of the occupant becomes a predetermined illuminance. The vehicle dimming system according to any one of Items to 4.

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