JP2022152259A - vehicle lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp which alarms and notifies more effectively for person around a vehicle.SOLUTION: A cornering lamp 1 comprises an LED 2, and a control part 3 which controls light distribution of the LED 2. The control part 3 switches between a first light distribution pattern P1, which is a light distribution pattern of the cornering lamp 1, and a second light distribution pattern P2 obtained by removing a part of the first light distribution pattern. The control part 3 is so provided as to be capable of receiving an obstacle detection signal 22 which indicates that an obstacle such as a person 52 around a vehicle 51 is detected, and when receiving the obstacle detection signal 22, switch to the second light distribution pattern P2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp that illuminates the sides of a vehicle and warns/notifies people in the vicinity of the vehicle's passage.

Conventionally, cornering lamps were used to illuminate the road surface diagonally in front of the vehicle to ensure the driver's field of vision when turning left or right, or to draw figures and characters with road surface illumination to inform and warn people about the driving condition of the vehicle. Drawing lights have been proposed. For example, Patent Literature 1 proposes an invention of a cornering lamp that suppresses glare light in a space above a road surface obliquely in front of a vehicle. Patent Document 2 proposes an invention of a vehicle lamp control system that detects the facing direction of a driver and illuminates the facing direction.

JP 2009-48898 A JP 2009-120148 A

When vehicles pass through intersections or corners with poor visibility, there is a high risk of accidents at the intersection, and there is a demand to call attention not only to drivers but also to pedestrians and bicycles passing around the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp that can more effectively warn/notify people around a vehicle.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle lamp of the present invention includes a light source and control means for controlling light distribution of the light source, wherein the control means controls a first light distribution pattern which is a light distribution pattern of a cornering lamp. and a second light distribution pattern obtained by removing a part of the first light distribution pattern.

At this time, the control means can receive an obstacle detection signal indicating that an obstacle around the vehicle has been detected, and the control means, when receiving the obstacle detection signal, detects the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. You may comprise so that a light distribution pattern may be switched mutually.

Moreover, it is preferable that the control means increases the brightness of the light source when switching to the second light distribution pattern.

A movable shade for blocking at least part of the light emitted from the light source is provided, and the control means adjusts the posture of the movable shade to switch between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. can.

A plurality of light sources may be provided, and the light distribution switching means may switch between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern by lighting control of the plurality of light sources.

A vehicle lamp according to the present invention includes a light source and control means for controlling light distribution of the light source, wherein the control means projects light from the light source in both left and right directions of the vehicle.

At this time, the control means can receive a predetermined signal, the signal includes a face-shaking detection signal indicating that the driver has performed a motion of shaking the face, and the control means receives the face-shaking detection signal. Alternatively, the light from the light source may be projected in the left and right directions of the vehicle.

In addition, the signal includes a vehicle speed signal indicating vehicle speed, and the control means projects light from the light source in the left and right directions of the vehicle while receiving the vehicle speed signal indicating the vehicle's temporary stop state or slow-moving state. can also be configured to

According to the vehicle lamp of the present invention, by changing the light distribution pattern of the cornering lamp, it is possible to attract the attention of people in the turning direction. When the obstacle detection signal is used, the light distribution pattern is changed when a person around the vehicle is detected, so that the person can be warned and more effectively attracted attention.

Further, according to the vehicle lamp of the present invention, since the light of the road surface drawing lamp is projected onto the road surface on both sides of the vehicle, it is possible to notify and warn people on both sides of the vehicle. When the face-shaking detection signal is used, the trigger is the action of the driver looking left and right and waving his head to confirm safety. However, it can alert people around the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an illumination pattern of the cornering lamp of Example 1; It is a schematic diagram which shows the illumination range of a cornering lamp and a road marking lamp. It is an explanatory view explaining composition which forms a light distribution pattern using a movable shade. It is an explanatory view explaining composition which forms a light distribution pattern using LED arranged in the shape of a matrix. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure which forms a light distribution pattern using a movable reflector. FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram showing the operation of switching the light distribution pattern of the cornering lamp; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an illumination state of a road marking light of Example 2; FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram showing an operation of turning on a road marking light; FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram showing an operation of turning on a road marking light;

An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied as a cornering lamp or a road marking lamp as a vehicle lamp will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, "lighting" includes "blinking" unless otherwise specified. The vehicle lamp includes a lamp body and a translucent cover (not shown), and the light source is housed in a lamp chamber formed by the lamp body and the translucent cover. Also, the light source can be replaced with another light emitting element.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the cornering lamp 1 of Example 1 includes an LED 2 that is a light-emitting element and a controller 3 that controls the light distribution of the LED 2 . White light or amber light can be selected for the LED 2, but white light can be more preferably used. When white light is employed, the contrast between the illuminated area B1 and the non-illuminated area B2 can be made more conspicuous when the light is distributed according to the second light distribution pattern P2 described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lighting range A1 of the cornering lamp 1 is a range of 30° to 80° from the front of the vehicle to the side of the vehicle when the front of the vehicle is 0°. The light distribution pattern of the cornering lamp 1 includes a first light distribution pattern P1 (see FIG. 6A) that illuminates the illumination range A1 evenly, and a second light distribution pattern obtained by removing a part of the first light distribution pattern P1. P2 (see FIG. 6(b)) is included. As an example of the second light distribution pattern P2, there is a light distribution pattern in which the illuminated area B1 and the non-illuminated area B1 alternately appear in the illumination range A1.

The control unit 3 is provided so as to be able to receive an obstacle detection signal 22 from an obstacle sensor 21. When the obstacle detection signal 22 is received, the control unit 3 changes the first light distribution pattern P1 of the LED 2 to the second light distribution pattern P2. switch to Further, when switching the first light distribution pattern P1 to the second light distribution pattern P2, the control unit 3 increases the brightness of the LED2. By increasing the brightness of the LED 2, it is possible to make the contrast between the illuminated area B1 and the non-illuminated area B2 stand out more.

The obstacle sensor 21 is configured to detect an obstacle such as a person 52 around the vehicle and transmit an obstacle detection signal 22 . As the obstacle sensor 21, a camera, millimeter wave radar, LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), ultrasonic radar, or the like can be used. At this time, when a camera is employed as the obstacle sensor 21, the turning direction is illuminated by the LED 2, so the person 52 in the turning direction can be detected with higher accuracy. Although the obstacle sensor 21 is provided separately from the cornering lamp 1 in this embodiment, the obstacle sensor 21 can be mounted on the cornering lamp 1 as well.

Next, an example of a configuration for forming the second light distribution pattern P2 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cornering lamp 1 includes a reflector 4 having a concave reflecting surface 4a, a projection lens 5 for projecting the reflected light L' from the reflecting surface 4a to the outside of the lamp, and a portion of the reflected light L'. A movable shade (rotary shade 7) capable of shielding the The rotary shade 7 is rotatably provided around a rotating shaft 71 and has a plurality of shielding walls 72 erected on the rotating shaft 71 . The shielding walls 72 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft 71 with gaps 73 interposed therebetween.

Here, when the rotating shaft 71 of the rotary shade 7 rotates, the shielding wall 72 reciprocates between a position P1 where the light path of the reflected light L' is not blocked and a position P2 where the light path of the reflected light L' is blocked. When the shielding wall 72 is arranged at the position P1, a first light distribution pattern P1 is formed in which the entire illumination range Aw becomes the irradiation range B1. Thus, a second light distribution pattern P2 is formed in which the illuminated area B1 and the non-illuminated area B2 alternately appear in the illumination range A1. Thus, the controller 3 rotates the rotating shaft 71 to switch between the first light distribution pattern P1 and the second light distribution pattern P2.

As shown in FIG. 4, instead of the rotary shade 7, it is also possible to form the second light distribution pattern P2 using LEDs 2 arranged in a matrix. In this case, the second light distribution pattern P2 can be formed by turning off the LEDs 2 every predetermined number. In the example of FIG. 4, the LED2on that is lit and the LED2off that is extinguished are arranged alternately.

As shown in FIG. 5, instead of the rotary shade 7, it is also possible to employ a rotary reflector 6 as a movable reflector. When the rotating reflector 6 is used, the light L emitted from the LED 2 is projected through the reflecting surface 6a of the rotating reflector 6 so as to scan in the horizontal direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second light distribution pattern P2 can be formed by turning on and off the LED 2 at a predetermined cycle. A MEMS mirror or a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) can be used as the movable reflector.

Next, the operation of the cornering lamp 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6A, while the controller 3 does not receive the obstacle detection signal 22, the controller 3 controls the LED 2 to distribute light in the first light distribution pattern P1. As shown in FIG. 6B, the obstacle sensor 21 sends an obstacle detection signal 22 to the controller 3 when detecting the person 52 in the illumination range A1. Upon receiving the obstacle detection signal 22, the control unit 3 switches the LED 2 so as to distribute light according to the second light distribution pattern P2.

According to the cornering lamp 1 configured as described above, when an obstacle is detected, the first light distribution pattern P1 is partially cut off to switch to the second light distribution pattern P2. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively attract attention.

As shown in FIG. 7, the road marking light 11 of the second embodiment includes an LED 12 that is a light emitting element and a control unit 13 that controls light distribution of the LED 12 . The road surface drawing light 11 can project characters and figures on the road surface, and notify/warn of the movement of the vehicle 51 to the other party passing around the vehicle 51 .

The road marking lights 11 are attached to both sides of the vehicle 51 , and each road marking light 11 has an LED 12 . The control unit 13 projects the light L from the LEDs 12 in the left and right directions of the vehicle by turning on the LEDs 12 of the road marking lights 11 on the left and right sides at the same time. The illumination range A2 (see FIG. 2) of the road surface drawing lamp 11 is a range of 30° to 60° from the front of the vehicle to the side of the vehicle when the front of the vehicle is 0°.

The control unit 13 is provided so as to be capable of receiving a face-shake detection signal 24 from a face-shake sensor 23, and projects the light L from the LED 12 in both left and right directions of the vehicle when the face-shake detection signal 24 is received. Here, "shaking" refers to the action of the driver looking left and right for safety confirmation. Specifically, the state in which the driver 52 faces the front is assumed to be 0°, and the driver 52 faces alternately to the left and right by 30° or more.

The face-shaking sensor 23 is configured to detect that the driver 52 has performed a face-shaking motion and transmit a face-shaking detection signal 24 to the control unit 13 . A camera or the like can be used as the face-shaking sensor 23 . In this embodiment, the face-shaking sensor 23 and the vehicle speed sensor 25 are provided separately from the road marking light 11 , but these sensors can be mounted on the road marking light 11 .

Further, the control unit 13 is provided so as to be able to receive a vehicle speed signal 26 from a vehicle speed sensor 25. While receiving the vehicle speed signal 26 indicating that the vehicle is in a temporary stop state or a slow-moving state, the control unit 13 emits light L from the LED 12 to the vehicle. projection in both left and right directions.

The vehicle speed sensor 25 is configured to transmit a vehicle speed signal 26 indicating the vehicle speed to the controller 13 . It is also possible to determine the temporary stop state S1 or the slow state S2 (see FIG. 9) based on the vehicle speed and transmit the determination result as a signal. It should be noted that it is also possible to configure the controller 13 to determine the temporary stop state S1 and the slow-moving state S2.

Here, the controller 13 may be configured to receive an intersection detection signal indicating that an intersection has been detected based on navigation information or sensor information. If the road marking lights 11 are turned on based only on the vehicle speed signal 26, they are turned on and off repeatedly each time the vehicle stops or slows down, which may be annoying. Therefore, even in the temporary stop state S1 or the slow-moving state S2, it is possible to turn on the light only in a really necessary scene by controlling the light not to turn on while the intersection detection signal is not received.

Along with the intersection detection signal, a cue detection signal (not shown) indicating that the vehicle 51 has cueed to the intersection is received, and based on the cue detection signal, projection of the road surface drawing light 11 is terminated. You can Here, "cue" refers to a two-stage stop in which the vehicle temporarily stops in front of a crosswalk or the like, and after entering an intersection while driving slowly, stops again for safety confirmation. When the vehicle 51 is headed, the person 52 around the vehicle 51 can directly confirm the appearance of the vehicle 51, so that the road marking light 11 can be turned off.

Next, the operation of the road marking light 11 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the driver 54 approaches an intersection with poor visibility and shakes his head left and right to confirm safety, the shake sensor 23 transmits a shake detection signal 24 to the control unit 13. . The control unit 13 that has received the head-shake detection signal 24 turns on the left and right road surface drawing lights 11 at the same time, and projects the light L from the LEDs 12 in the left and right directions of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 8(b).

As shown in FIG. 9(a), when the control unit 3 determines the temporary stop state S1 or the slow-moving state S2 based on the vehicle speed signal 26, the left and right road surface drawing lights 11 are turned on simultaneously, and the light L from the LEDs 12 is turned on. is projected to the left and right sides of the vehicle. Then, when the stop state S1 or the slow-moving state S2 is temporarily canceled, the road marking lights 11 on both the left and right sides are extinguished at the same time.

According to the road surface drawing light 11 configured as described above, the light of the LED 12 is projected not only in the turning direction of the vehicle 51 but also on both sides of the vehicle 51. , and a vehicle such as a bicycle 53 can be alerted. In addition, since the trigger is not the direction indicator but the safety confirmation action of the driver 54, there is also an effect that the attention of the person 52 and the bicycle 53 around the vehicle 51 can be aroused even on a road with poor visibility on which no right or left turn is made. be.

Further, when the vehicle speed signal 26 such as the vehicle's temporary stop state S1 or slow-moving state S2 is used, the road marking light 11 is turned on at the timing of cueing, and the road marking light 11 is turned off at the timing of returning to normal driving. Therefore, there is an effect that the road surface is drawn in conjunction with the safety confirmation by the driver 54, and the normal driving can be smoothly resumed as soon as the safety confirmation is completed.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. It is also possible to implement by appropriately changing the shape and configuration of .

1 cornering lamp 2 LED (cornering lamp)
3 Control unit (cornering lamp)
4 reflector (a: reflecting surface)
5 projection lens 6 rotating reflector (a: reflecting surface)
7 rotary shade 11 road drawing light 12 LED (road drawing light)
13 Control unit (road surface drawing light)
21 Obstacle sensor 22 Obstacle detection signal 23 Face shake sensor 24 Face shake detection signal 25 Vehicle speed sensor 26 Vehicle speed signal 71 Rotating shaft 72 Shielding wall 73 Gap P1 First light distribution pattern P2 Second light distribution pattern L Light A1, 2 Illumination Range B1 Irradiation area B2 Non-irradiation area

Claims (8)

A light source and control means for controlling light distribution of the light source,
The vehicle lamp, wherein the control means alternately switches between a first light distribution pattern that is a light distribution pattern of a cornering lamp and a second light distribution pattern obtained by cutting a part of the first light distribution pattern. The control means is capable of receiving an obstacle detection signal indicating that an obstacle around the vehicle has been detected,
2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the control means switches between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern when receiving the obstacle detection signal. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the control means increases the brightness of the light source when switching to the second light distribution pattern. comprising a movable shade that blocks at least part of the light emitted from the light source;
The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means adjusts the attitude of the movable shade to switch between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. comprising a plurality of said light sources,
The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light distribution switching means switches between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern by lighting control of the plurality of light sources. comprising a light source and control means for controlling light distribution of the light source,
The vehicle lamp, wherein the control means projects the light from the light source in both left and right directions of the vehicle. The control means is capable of receiving a predetermined signal,
the signal includes a face-shaking detection signal indicating that the driver has performed a face-shaking motion;
7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, wherein the control means projects the light from the light source in both left and right directions of the vehicle when the head shake detection signal is received. the signal includes a vehicle speed signal indicative of vehicle speed;
8. The vehicular lamp according to claim 6, wherein the control means projects light from the light source in both left and right directions of the vehicle while receiving a vehicle speed signal indicating that the vehicle is in a temporary stop state or a slow-moving state.

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