JP2024089126A - Automatic headlamp lighting device for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To perform auto light control that meets the needs of the driver while maintaining a normal auto light function. [Solution] An automatic headlamp on/off device for a vehicle includes an illuminance detection means 4 for detecting the illuminance around the vehicle, a lamp switch 3 having a lamp off position for manually turning off the headlamp 1, a forced on/off means 62 for automatically turning on the headlamp when the illuminance around the vehicle falls below a threshold for turning on the headlamp even if the lamp switch is in the lamp off position, and for automatically turning off the headlamp when the illuminance around the headlamp falls above a threshold for turning on the headlamp, which is higher than the threshold for turning on the headlamp, during the automatic on/off state, and a threshold setting means 64 for setting a first threshold for turning on the headlamp and a first threshold for turning off the headlamp when the current time is in a first time zone, and setting a second threshold for turning on the headlamp and a second threshold for turning off the headlamp when the current time is in a second time zone. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic vehicle headlamp lighting device that automatically turns on/off the vehicle's headlamps depending on the illuminance conditions outside the vehicle, even when the lamp switch is in the off position.

Vehicles equipped with an auto light function have been commercialized that automatically turns on/off the vehicle headlights depending on the illuminance outside the vehicle when the start of the vehicle engine is detected, even if the lamp switch is in the off position. For example, technology related to this is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2005-145115 A

The above-mentioned auto light function automatically turns on the headlamps if the illumination conditions outside the vehicle are met, even if the lamp switch is off. However, even if the illumination conditions outside the vehicle are the same, some drivers may want the lights to be turned off earlier at dawn and turned on earlier in the evening. This is thought to be because when it gets bright at dawn, even relatively low illumination feels bright, and when it gets dark in the evening, even relatively high illumination feels dim.

The present invention was devised to address these issues, and aims to provide an automatic vehicle headlamp lighting device that can perform auto light control in accordance with the driver's needs while maintaining the normal auto light function.

The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be realized in the following aspects or application examples.
The automatic headlamp lighting device for a vehicle according to this application example is an automatic headlamp lighting device for a vehicle that automatically switches at least the headlamp of a vehicle between on and off, and includes an illuminance detection means for detecting an ambient illuminance of the vehicle, a lamp switch having a lamp-off position for manually turning off the headlamp, and a headlamp control means for automatically turning on the headlamp even if the lamp switch is in the lamp-off position when the ambient illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means becomes equal to or lower than a threshold for turning on the headlamp while the vehicle is traveling, and a headlamp control means for automatically turning on the headlamp even if the lamp switch is in the lamp-off position, and a headlamp control means for automatically turning on the headlamp even if the ambient illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means becomes equal to or lower than a threshold for turning on the headlamp during the automatic lighting. the headlamp turning-on threshold is set to a first on threshold and the headlamp turning-off threshold is set to a first off threshold when the time determination means determines that the headlamp is in a predetermined first time zone, and the headlamp turning-on threshold is set to a first off threshold when the time determination means determines that the headlamp is in a predetermined second time zone, and the headlamp turning-on threshold is set to a second on threshold higher than the first on threshold and the headlamp turning-off threshold is set to a second off threshold higher than the first off threshold when the time determination means determines that the headlamp is in a predetermined second time zone.

According to this application example, in a first time period, a first turn-on threshold is set as the turn-on threshold and a first turn-off threshold is set as the turn-off threshold, while in a second time period, a second turn-on threshold higher than the first turn-on threshold is set as the turn-on threshold and a second turn-on threshold higher than the first turn-off threshold is set as the turn-off threshold. Therefore, for example, if a time period including dawn is defined as a first time period and a time period including evening is defined as a second time period, the headlamps will be automatically turned off early in the first time period (dawn) when the ambient illuminance is relatively low, and the headlamps will be automatically turned on early in the second time period (evening) when the ambient illuminance is relatively high.
This makes it possible to meet the needs of drivers who want their lights to be turned off earlier at dawn and turned on earlier in the evening while maintaining the normal automatic light function.

This technology allows auto light control to be tailored to the driver's needs while maintaining the normal auto light function.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an automatic vehicle headlamp lighting device according to an embodiment; 2 is a front view showing an example of a lamp switch of the vehicle headlamp automatic lighting device shown in FIG. 1. 2 is a diagram showing a headlamp lighting state during vehicle travel implemented according to the setting of a lamp switch by the vehicle headlamp automatic lighting device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a headlamp lighting state when the vehicle is stopped, which is implemented according to the setting of a lamp switch by the vehicle headlamp automatic lighting device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating headlamp lighting control by the vehicle headlamp automatic lighting device shown in FIG. 1 . 2A and 2B are diagrams showing an example of lighting control together with an example of a daily change in the ambient illuminance of the vehicle detected by the illuminance sensor of the vehicle headlamp automatic lighting device shown in FIG. 1, where FIG. 2A shows the situation in the morning and FIG. 2B shows the situation in the afternoon.

The following describes the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude the application of various modifications or techniques not explicitly stated in the embodiments. The configurations of the following embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. Furthermore, they can be selected or combined as necessary.

[1. Configuration]
As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic headlamp lighting device for a vehicle according to this embodiment includes a pair of left and right headlamps 1 and small lamps 2 that are equipped on a vehicle, a lamp switch 3 for manually operating the headlamps 1 etc., an illuminance sensor (illuminance detection means) 4 for detecting the illuminance around the vehicle, a clock 5 for measuring the current time, and a control device 6 for controlling the lighting of the headlamps 1 etc.

The lamp switch 3 is a rotary switch that protrudes from the side of the steering column and rotates an operating knob 30 as shown by arrow A, as shown in FIG. 2. From the bottom in FIG. 2, it has the following setting positions: ON position (indicated by a headlamp on mark) 31, small lamp ON position (small lamp ON position, indicated by a small lamp on mark) 32, OFF position (lamp off position) 33, and AUTO position 34. This lamp switch 3 outputs a signal to the control device 6 according to the set position.

When the lamp switch 3 is pushed forward while the headlamps 1 are on (for example, by being set to the ON position 31 or AUTO position 34), it outputs a signal to switch the headlamps 1 to high beam (headlamp for driving), and when it is pushed back from this position, it outputs a signal to switch the headlamps 1 to low beam (headlamp for passing).

The illuminance sensor 4 detects the illuminance around the vehicle, and may be, for example, a phototransistor or a photodiode. The illuminance sensor 4 is provided at a predetermined position inside the vehicle where it can receive external light through the windshield glass, such as the top of the instrument panel or on the rear dashboard. The illuminance sensor 4 outputs a signal indicating the detected illuminance (illuminance signal) to the control device 6.

The clock 5 keeps track of the current time, constantly transmitting the current time while keeping track, and has the function of receiving standard radio waves as necessary to calibrate the time. The clock 5 outputs the kept time to the control device 6.

The control device 6 is configured as an electronic control unit (ECU) including a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, an input/output interface, and the like.
The control device 6 has a light on/off instruction section 61 which, upon receiving a switch position signal output from the lamp switch 3, turns on or off the head lamps 1 and the small lamps 2 in response to the switch position signal.

The on/off instruction unit 61 turns on the headlamp 1 if the lamp switch 3 is set to the ON position 31. At this time, if a low beam signal is output from the lamp switch 3, the headlamp 1 is set to low beam. Also, if a high beam signal is output from the lamp switch 3, the headlamp 1 is set to high beam.

The light on/off instruction unit 61 turns on the small lamp 2 if the lamp switch 3 is set to the small lamp ON position 32 .
Furthermore, if the lamp switch 3 is set to the OFF position 33, the light on/off instruction unit 61 turns off (unlights) both the head lamp 1 and the small lamp 2.

Furthermore, if the lamp switch 3 is set to the AUTO position 33, the on/off instruction unit 61 controls the on/off of the headlamps 1 based on the illuminance signal output from the illuminance sensor 4. That is, if the illuminance E around the vehicle captured as the illuminance signal falls below a preset first reference illuminance, the headlamps 1 are turned on, and if, after the headlamps 1 are turned on, they are turned off when they reach or exceed a second reference illuminance that is slightly higher than the first reference illuminance. The levels of the reference values (first and second reference illuminance) for determining whether the headlamps 1 are automatically turned on in this case can be changed.

The reason why the second reference illuminance for turning off the lamp is set higher than the first reference illuminance for turning on the lamp is to provide a control hysteresis and stabilize the control.
In order to stabilize the control when the AUTO position 34 is set, the illuminance E around the vehicle may not be used as is, but a moving average Eav1 of the detected illuminance E (average value within a specified period of time) may be used.

Incidentally, the on/off instruction unit 61 is provided with a forced lighting unit (forced lighting means) 62 that forcibly turns on the headlamp 1 under predetermined conditions even if the lamp switch 3 is in the OFF position (lamp off position) 33 as described above.

When the vehicle is traveling, the forced illumination unit 62 automatically turns on the headlamps 1 even if the lamp switch 3 is in the lamp-off position 33 when the illuminance (ambient illuminance) E detected by the illuminance sensor 4 falls below the illumination threshold Eon (mainly at night), and automatically turns off the headlamps 1 when the illuminance E during this automatic illumination period reaches or exceeds the extinguishing threshold Eoff, which is higher than the illumination threshold Eon (mainly during the day).

The reason why the extinguishing threshold Eoff is set higher than the turning-on threshold Eon is to provide control hysteresis to stabilize the control. In this case, in order to stabilize the control, the moving average Eav2 of the detected illuminance E may be used instead of using the illuminance E around the vehicle as is. Note that the turning-on threshold Eon and the turning-off threshold Eoff are the same as the first and second reference illuminances described above, but are set separately from the first and second reference illuminances.

Now, the auto light function by the forced lighting unit 62 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. In Figures 3 and 4, nighttime corresponds to the period from when the illuminance E becomes equal to or lower than the lighting threshold Eon until the illuminance E becomes equal to or higher than the extinguishing threshold Eoff, and daytime corresponds to the period from when the illuminance E becomes equal to or higher than the extinguishing threshold Eoff until the illuminance E becomes equal to or lower than the lighting threshold Eon.

Figure 3 shows the auto light function while the vehicle is running. As shown in the figure, while the vehicle is running, even if the lamp switch 3 is in the OFF position 33 or the small ON position 32 (i.e., no matter what position the lamp switch 3 is set to), the headlamp 1 is automatically turned on from when the illuminance E falls below the lighting threshold Eon until the illuminance E reaches or exceeds the extinguishing threshold Eoff (mainly at night). In this case, the lighting mode of the headlamp 1 is assumed to be low beam, but it can also be switched to high beam.

On the other hand, from the time when the illuminance E becomes equal to or greater than the threshold Eoff for turning off the lights until the illuminance E becomes equal to or less than the threshold Eon for turning on the lights (mainly during the daytime), the automatic light function by the forced lighting unit 62 while the vehicle is running does not actually operate (the headlamp 1 does not light up), and the headlamp 1 lights up only when the lamp switch 3 is in the ON position 31.

Figure 4 shows the auto light function when the vehicle is stopped (parking brake applied), and as shown in the figure, the auto light function by the forced lighting unit 62 does not operate when the vehicle is stopped. Therefore, when the lamp switch 3 is in the OFF position 33 or the small ON position 32, the head lamps 1 do not light up either at night or during the day. Also, when the lamp switch 3 is in the ON position 33, the head lamps 1 light up either at night or during the day. When the lamp switch 3 is in the AUTO position 34, the head lamps 1 light up at night depending on the illuminance E, and the head lamps 1 are turned off (not lit) during the day.

A characteristic feature of this device is that the turn-on threshold value Eon and the turn-off threshold value Eoff used by the forced turn-on unit 62 to determine turn-on and turn-off are changed depending on the time period.
In other words, the light on/off instruction unit 61 of the control device 6, as shown in FIG. 1, further includes a time judgment unit (time judgment means) 63 which judges the current time from the output information of the clock 5, and a threshold setting unit (threshold setting means) 64 which sets the light on threshold value Eon and the light off threshold value Eoff based on the judgment of the time judgment unit 63.

The time determination unit 63 determines whether the current time is in the first time zone or the second time zone. In other words, the 24 hours of a day are divided into two time zones in advance: a first time zone including dawn and a second time zone including evening. The time determination unit 63 determines whether the current time is in the first time zone or the second time zone from the output information of the clock 5. In this embodiment, the first time zone is from 2:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and the second time zone is from 3:00 PM to 2:00 AM.

When the time determination unit 63 determines that the current time is within a preset first time zone, the threshold setting unit 64 sets the first turn-on threshold Eon1 as the turn-on threshold Eon, and sets the first turn-off threshold Eoff1 as the turn-off threshold Eoff. When the time determination unit 63 determines that the current time is within a preset second time zone, the threshold setting unit 64 sets the second turn-on threshold Eon2 higher than the first turn-on threshold Eon1 as the turn-on threshold Eon, and sets the second turn-off threshold Eoff2 higher than the first turn-off threshold Eoff1 as the turn-off threshold Eoff.

The second on threshold Eon2 and the second off threshold Eoff2 for the second time period, which includes the evening, are set to values higher than the first on threshold Eon1 and the first off threshold Eoff1 for the first time period, which includes dawn. Therefore, when the illuminance E decreases in the evening, the headlamp 1 is turned on at a stage when the illuminance E is higher than at dawn (i.e., at an earlier stage), and conversely, when the illuminance E increases at dawn, the headlamp 1 is turned off at a stage when the illuminance E is lower than in the evening (i.e., at an earlier stage).

This is in response to the needs of drivers. For drivers whose eyes have become accustomed to the brightness of the day, as the illuminance decreases in the evening, it becomes difficult to see when the illuminance E is not decreasing much (illuminance E is high), so it is preferable to turn on the headlamp 1 at this stage. On the other hand, for drivers whose eyes have become accustomed to the darkness of the night, as the illuminance increases at dawn, it becomes easier to see when the illuminance E is not increasing much (illuminance E is low), so it is preferable to turn off the headlamp 1 at this stage.

[2. Actions and Effects]
The vehicle headlamp automatic lighting device according to this embodiment is configured as described above, and controls the lighting of the headlamp 1, for example, as shown in the flow chart of Fig. 5. The flow of Fig. 5 starts when the vehicle's key switch (not shown) is set to on, is repeatedly executed at a preset cycle, and ends when the key switch is turned off. Also, flag F during the flow is 0 when the headlamp is off (not lit), and 1 when the headlamp is lit.

First, the forced lighting unit 62 of the lighting/extinguishing instruction unit 61 of the control device 6 obtains the current time from the clock 5 and obtains the current illuminance E around the vehicle from the illuminance sensor 4 (step S10). Next, it is determined whether the current time is within the first time zone (step S20). If the current time is within the first time zone, the process proceeds to step S30, where the first lighting threshold Eon1 is set as the lighting threshold Eon and the first extinguishing threshold Eoff1 is set as the extinguishing threshold Eoff. On the other hand, if the current time is not within the first time zone, the current time is within the second time zone, and the process proceeds from step S20 to step S40, where the second lighting threshold Eon2 is set as the lighting threshold Eon and the second extinguishing threshold Eoff2 is set as the extinguishing threshold Eoff.

Next, it is determined whether flag F is 0 (step S50). If flag F is 0, proceed to step S60 to determine whether the current illuminance E is equal to or less than the illumination threshold Eon (first illumination threshold Eon1 or second illumination threshold Eon2). If the current illuminance E is equal to or less than the illumination threshold Eon, the headlamp 1 is turned on (step S70), flag F is changed to 1 (step S80), and the process returns. On the other hand, if the current illuminance E is not equal to or less than the illumination threshold Eon, the process returns.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S50 that flag F is not 0, flag F is 1, and the process proceeds to step S90 to determine whether the current illuminance E is equal to or greater than the extinguishing threshold Eoff (first extinguishing threshold Eoff1 or second extinguishing threshold Eoff2). If the current illuminance E is equal to or greater than the extinguishing threshold Eoff, headlamp 1 is turned off (step S100), flag F is changed to 0 (step S110), and the process returns. On the other hand, if the current illuminance E is not equal to or greater than the extinguishing threshold Eoff, the process returns.

In this way, the turn-on threshold Eon and the turn-off threshold Eoff are switched depending on the time period, and the second turn-on threshold Eon2 and the second turn-off threshold Eoff2 for the second time period, which includes the evening, are set to values higher than the first turn-on threshold Eon1 and the first turn-off threshold Eoff1 for the first time period, which includes dawn, so that the turn-on control of the headlamp 1 meets the needs of the driver.

In other words, when the illuminance decreases in the evening, it becomes difficult for the driver to see when the illuminance E is not decreasing much (when the illuminance E is high), but at this time, the headlamp 1 is turned on when the illuminance E is relatively high, so that the driver's needs are met.
On the other hand, as the dawn illuminance increases, it becomes easier for the driver to see when the illuminance E is not rising much (when the illuminance E is low), so it becomes unnecessary to turn on the headlamp 1. However, at this time, the headlamp 1 is turned off when the illuminance E is relatively low, thereby meeting the driver's needs.

Here, the control by the forced lighting unit 62 will be described with reference to the time chart in FIG. 6. The time chart in FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a change in illuminance over the course of a day, with specific values of the first lighting threshold Eon1 and the first turning-off threshold Eoff1, as well as the second lighting threshold Eon2 and the second turning-off threshold Eoff2. Note that FIG. 6(a) shows the situation in the morning, and FIG. 6(b) shows the situation in the afternoon.

The light-on threshold Eon and the light-off threshold Eoff are within the specified range of 1000 to 7000 lx (lx: lux). As shown in FIG. 6, in this example, the first light-on threshold Eon1 is set to 1500 lx, the first light-off threshold Eoff1 is set to 2000 lx, the second light-on threshold Eon2 is set to 3000 lx, and the second light-off threshold Eoff2 is set to 3500 lx.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), from midnight until just after 4:00 a.m., the illuminance E is extremely low. At 2:00 a.m. during this time, the time zone switches from the second time zone to the first time zone. From around 5:00 a.m., the illuminance E rises as dawn approaches. If the first turn-on threshold Eon1 is set to 1500 lx, then at time t1 (around 5:30 a.m.), the illuminance E rises to the first turn-off threshold Eoff1 of 2000 lx, and the headlamp 1 is switched from on to off. This meets the driver's needs as it can be switched off relatively quickly.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the illuminance E is extremely high from 12:00 to 16:00 in the afternoon. During this time, at 15:00 (3:00 pm), the time zone switches from the first time zone to the second time zone. From about 17:00, the illuminance E starts to decrease, and the sun sets at about 18:30. If the second lighting threshold Eon2 is set to 3000 lx, the illuminance E will decrease to the second lighting threshold Eon2 of 3000 lx at time t2 (about before 18:00) before sunset, and the headlamp 1 will be switched from off to on. This meets the needs of drivers as it can be switched on relatively early.

In addition, the first time period during which headlamps 1 will not turn on unless illuminance E becomes relatively low is set up until 3 p.m. (3 p.m.), so headlamps 1 are less likely to turn on automatically in the shade during the day. This meets the needs of drivers who find it annoying when headlamps 1 turn on automatically every time they enter the shade during the day.

[3. Other]
Although the embodiment has been described above, this embodiment is merely an example, and the vehicle headlamp automatic lighting device of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.
For example, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 , a cut switch 7 may be added that disables the control by the forced lighting unit 62 under specified conditions, such as the illuminance E being within a predetermined range of 1000 to 7000 lx, so that the driver can manually operate the cut switch 7 to disable the control by the forced lighting unit 62.

The time zone divisions may be configured to be changeable according to the season, the area in which the vehicle is traveling, etc. In this case, the change may be made automatically based on the seasonal information at that time or the area information in which the vehicle is traveling.

1 Headlamp 2 Small lamp 3 Lamp switch 4 Illuminance sensor (illuminance detection means)
5 Clock 6 Control device 7 Cut switch 30 Operation knob 31 ON position 32 Small lamp ON position (small lamp ON position)
33 OFF position (lamp off position)
34 AUTO position 35 Reference mark 62 Forced lighting section (forced lighting means)
63 Time determination unit (time determination means)
64 Threshold setting unit (threshold setting means)

Claims (1)

An automatic headlamp lighting device for a vehicle that automatically switches at least the headlamp of the vehicle between on and off, comprising:
an illumination detection means for detecting an ambient illumination of the vehicle;
a lamp switch having a lamp off position for manually turning off the headlamps;
a forced lighting means for automatically turning on the headlamps when the ambient illuminance detected by the illuminance detection means becomes equal to or lower than a lighting threshold while the vehicle is traveling, even if the lamp switch is in the lamp-off position, and for automatically turning off the headlamps when the ambient illuminance becomes equal to or higher than a lighting threshold, the lighting threshold, during the automatic lighting state;
A time determination means for determining a current time;
and threshold setting means for, when the time determination means determines that the time is within a predetermined first time zone, setting a first turning-on threshold as the turning-on threshold and setting a first turning-off threshold as the turning-off threshold, and for, when the time determination means determines that the time is within a predetermined second time zone, setting a second turning-on threshold higher than the first turning-on threshold as the turning-on threshold and setting a second turning-off threshold higher than the first turning-off threshold as the turning-off threshold.

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