JP2949627B1 - Vehicle lighting control device - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically turning on lights in a vehicle according to the illuminance of the surrounding environment is provided so that the lights are not turned on unnecessarily when passing through a temporary dark place during daytime running. SOLUTION: A gradient of a change in a decrease in ambient illuminance Vf is also detected, and when the illuminance Vf is equal to or more than a predetermined magnitude, set illuminances V1 and V2 which are triggers for lighting lamps are respectively Δ
The delay time Td from when the set illuminance is detected to when the lamp is actually turned on is further extended by α, or is decreased by V1, ΔV2, or in addition to or instead of this.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a headlight, a sidelight, and the like.
The present invention relates to a control device for a vehicle-equipped lamp, and more particularly to an improvement in a device that automatically controls such a lamp according to the illuminance around the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is a device that automatically turns on a vehicle side light when the vehicle becomes dark in the evening, and automatically turns on a headlight when the vehicle becomes darker. Such a device also usually has an automatic light-off function. When the surroundings become brighter, such as at dawn, the headlight is first turned off,
It functions to turn off the side lights when it becomes brighter. Of course, the ambient illuminance is always monitored using an optical sensor such as a CDS, and when the illuminance reaches a predetermined level, if it changes from light to dark, the lights are turned on and vice versa. In this case, the light is turned off when it goes off.

[0003]

However, such devices are generally always powered up.
Originally, it is mainly used only at dusk and in the morning, and although the device is equipped with an on / off switch, it is troublesome for the user to operate the switch every time. Even so, if you always turn on the power, you can automatically turn on the headlights when entering a long tunnel even in the daytime and automatically turn off when you leave it, etc. Disappears,
It is both safe and convenient. However, in the conventional lighting / lighting / off device, the threshold value for determining whether to turn on / off is fixed to a certain value, and therefore, an unnatural operation may occur during traveling in the daytime.

[0004] For example, when passing under an overpass of a grade separation, when passing through a very short tunnel that does not require lighting, or when it is behind a slightly large building, it is set even if it is a short time If the ambient illuminance falls below the set lighting threshold, the headlight may be unnecessarily turned on, regardless of the vehicle width light. Also, if you just turn on the light, there is generally a slight delay from the detection of the set lighting illuminance threshold to the actual lighting of the lights, so lighting will start under such elevated Sometimes after the dark place. In this case, the oncoming vehicle may receive a passing operation whose meaning is unknown, which may be dangerous in terms of traffic safety. Further, an increase in the number of times the lamps are frequently turned on and off also shortens the lamp life with an inrush current every time, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if the lighting threshold is set very low, there is a disadvantage that the lighting is delayed in the evening.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has as its main object to solve this problem. First of all, particularly with regard to automatic lighting, malfunction or undesired operation during daytime running is suppressed as much as possible.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a control device that can properly control lights when necessary.

[0006] In addition, the present invention also discloses an advantageous configuration with respect to automatic light-off. Lighting out is less of a problem than lighting up. Even when passing through a temporary dark place in the daytime, if the light turns off as soon as it becomes bright, there is no danger. However, considering a slightly more convenient function, it is more convenient to leave the headlights on, for example, when traveling on a road where long tunnels are required to be turned on at short intervals. It also leads to extension of lamp life. A second object of the present invention is to meet such a demand.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the first object, the present invention first monitors the ambient illuminance, and is provided in a vehicle when the ambient illuminance decreases to a set illuminance. Among the lamps that are in use, the control device that automatically turns on a specific lamp monitors the slope of the change in the ambient illuminance from bright to dark, and monitors the slope of the change until the ambient illuminance falls below the set illuminance. A configuration is proposed in which when the size is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the set illuminance is changed to a darker value.

In this case, only one specific value may be determined for the gradient of the change in the ambient illuminance, but the change width for changing the set illuminance to a darker value in accordance with the magnitude of the gradient of the change. May be varied.

In the present invention, the inclination of the change of the ambient illuminance from light to dark is monitored, and if the inclination until the ambient illuminance falls below the set illuminance is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, the inclination is changed. There is also proposed a configuration in which a predetermined delay time is provided from when the set illuminance is reached to when the lamps are actually turned on.

[0010] Further, more generally speaking, this configuration is as follows:
Monitoring the ambient illuminance, and detecting that the ambient illuminance has decreased to the set illuminance, a delay time Td equal to or greater than zero
This is a control device that automatically turns on a specific lamp among the lights installed in the vehicle, monitors the inclination of the change in the ambient illuminance from light to dark, and adjusts the ambient illuminance. If the inclination until the illumination falls below the set illuminance is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the lights are turned on after a delay time Td + α obtained by adding a significant non-zero delay time α to the above-described delay time Td. A device to change can be proposed.

Of course, in an actual apparatus, these different basic aspects of the present invention described above, that is, a configuration in which the set illuminance is changed in accordance with the gradient of the change in the ambient illuminance, and a delay time are provided ( Or change) can be applied together. This point is the same in the present invention relating to automatic light-off described later, and in the first place, not only one of the automatic lighting function or the automatic light-off function according to the present invention is mounted (although it may be so). Usually, it will be provided to the market as an automatic light-on / off device mounted together.

It should be noted that there may be two or more types of lamps controlled by such a device of the present invention, and the set illuminance for each lamp can be different. On top of that, for example, one is a vehicle width light, the other is a headlight,
The illuminance set for the side lights is a value brighter than the illuminance set for the headlights.If the ambient illumination is lower than the illuminance set for the side lights and brighter than the illuminance set for the headlights, the headlights are completely Instead of a simple lighting state, a dimmed lighting state such as a so-called town light can be used.

The present invention proposes a configuration in which the same concept as that of the above-mentioned automatic lighting is applied also to the above-mentioned second object, that is, automatic lighting. That is, in a control device that monitors the ambient environment illuminance and automatically turns off a specific lamp among the lights installed in the vehicle when the ambient environment illuminance exceeds the set illuminance, Monitors the slope of the change in illuminance from dark to bright, and changes the set illuminance to be turned off to a brighter value if the slope until the ambient illuminance exceeds the set illuminance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. We propose a configuration to do.

[0014] In this case as well, similar to the configuration relating to automatic lighting, it is possible to modify the change width itself for changing the set illuminance to a brighter value in accordance with the magnitude of the gradient of the change in the ambient illuminance. .

Further, also in the case of automatic turning off, if the inclination until the ambient environment illuminance exceeds the set illuminance is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, the time from when the set illuminance is reached until the lights are actually turned off is reached. A predetermined delay time can be provided, or more generally, a specific lamp is automatically turned off with a delay time Td of zero or more from the point of detecting that the ambient illuminance exceeds the set illuminance. When the inclination until the ambient illuminance exceeds the set illuminance is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, the delay time Td
Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the lamps are turned off after a delay time Td + β obtained by adding a non-zero significant delay time β.

Further, as described above, the delay time β for turning off the light may be varied according to the magnitude of the gradient of the change in illuminance, and there are two or more lights to be controlled, each having a different set illuminance. May be set.

The concept of the town light can be applied even when the lights are turned off. If the lights to be controlled are, for example, a vehicle width light and a headlight, the set illuminance for the vehicle width light is set to a value higher than the set illuminance for the headlight. If the ambient illuminance is higher than the illuminance set for the headlights and darker than the illuminance set for the vehicle width lights, the headlights are dimmed and the ambient illuminance is set for the vehicle width lights. When the illuminance is exceeded, it is possible to propose a configuration in which the headlight is turned off together with the vehicle width light.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 (A) shows an example of a vehicle equipment light control device constructed according to the present invention. Here, the lights to be controlled are a vehicle width light L2 and a headlight L1. The lighting and the extinguishing of these lights are both configured as devices for automatically controlling.

The device switch 13 is a switch that allows the user to select whether the device is operated or not. As described above, generally, this switch is always on, and the device switch 13 is mounted on the vehicle. Operating power is being supplied to the device. In addition, the manual switches S1 and S2 for manually turning on and off the vehicle width light L2 and the headlight L1 are usually always turned off when the apparatus is mounted. However, of course, when these switches are turned on, the corresponding lamp is lit by receiving power supply from the battery 11 irrespective of the command of the present apparatus.

The light-on / off control circuit 10 is configured to satisfy the following functions by using a known existing electronic circuit construction technology. Here, first, here, the effect of the present invention is best exhibited. The automatic lighting operation of the lamps at the time of the drop will be described.

When the illuminance of the surrounding environment naturally decreases in the evening, the output signal from the CDS and an appropriate illuminance sensor 12 for detecting the illuminance of the surrounding environment gradually decreases. FIG. 1B1 schematically shows the inclination of the change in the ambient illuminance at this time.

However, when the ambient environment illuminance Vf decreases according to the gradual decrease curve, as shown at time t1, when the illuminance Vf reaches a predetermined first set illuminance V1, the lighting control circuit 10 turns on and off. First, a command is given to the switching circuit 15b to supply the battery power 11 to the vehicle width light L2, and this is turned on. Further, when the ambient environment illuminance Vf decreases and falls below the second set illuminance V2 lower than the first set illuminance V1 as shown at time t2, the control circuit 10 switches to the other switching circuit.
15a to turn on the headlight L1.

Here, the set illuminances V1 and V2 are set to the ambient illuminance.
In the period between the time when Vf falls and the time when the switching circuits 15a and 15b are activated and the corresponding lamps are actually turned on, FIG.
A delay time Td may be provided as shown in (C1). However,
This delay time Td is generalized as a time equal to or greater than zero.
That is, when Td = 0, there is substantially no delay. In the illustrated case, both the vehicle width light L2 and the headlight L1 are shown as if they have the same length of delay time Td, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be different from each other. .

However, in a short time, such as when passing under an overpass at an overpass in the daytime, when passing through an extremely short tunnel that does not require lighting, or when it is behind a slightly large building, etc. Even setting illuminance V1 or
When the ambient illuminance Vf is lower than V2, the lamp erroneously lights with the conventional configuration as described above. However, in the present invention, the control circuit 10 is configured to detect not only the absolute value of the ambient illuminance Vf but also the gradient of the change.

For example, when the vehicle passes through a dark place temporarily as described above, the illuminance of the ambient environment illuminance has a steep slope. Compared to FIG. 1 (B1), for example, as shown in FIG. 1 (B2),
The decrease curve of the ambient illuminance Vf becomes steep. In the present invention, a predetermined size is set in advance for this inclination,
When the inclination is larger than the predetermined magnitude, as a first configuration, the set illuminances V1 and V2 are set to ΔV1 and ΔV2, respectively, as shown at times t1 ′ and t2 ′ in FIG. 1 (B2). Lower. These ΔV1 and ΔV2 may have the same value or may be different from each other.

By doing so, it is possible to make it difficult to light the lamps L1 and L2 during such a temporary dark place passage. In other words, in a very short dark place, the vehicle passes through the dark place while the ambient illuminance Vf does not decrease to the set illuminance V1−ΔV1 that is reduced. Even though the width light L2 may light, the ambient light
While Vf does not decrease below the second reduced set illuminance V2−ΔV2, the vehicle can turn to the dark place, so the headlight
It is possible to create a state where it is not necessary to light up to L1.

Of course, if it is a dark place that is longer than a certain level, and if it passes through a dark place darker than the lowered second set illuminance V2 for a long time, it is safer to turn on even the headlight L1. Therefore, offsets ΔV1 and ΔV2 related to these set illuminances may be set from such a viewpoint.
In some cases, a set illuminance offset variable mechanism that can be operated by a user or by an operator for convenience of maintenance may be provided.

On the other hand, as mentioned earlier, FIG. 1 (C1)
As shown in the figure, if a delay time Td equal to or greater than zero is set between the detection of the ambient illuminance Vf falling below the set illuminance V1 or V2 and the actual lighting of the corresponding When the inclination of the change in the decrease in illuminance is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, as shown in FIG.
On the other hand, it is also a good idea to set the delay time Td 'by adding a significant time α that is not zero. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the risk of unexpectedly turning on the vehicle side light or further turning on the headlight when the vehicle passes through a temporary dark place. However, as described above, the increase amount α of the delay time related to the side light L2,
The increment α for the delay time for the headlight L1 may actually be set to different lengths.

Of course, the above-described configuration in which the offset values ΔV1 and ΔV2 for varying the set illuminance to a darker one are provided, and a significant non-zero delay time Td of zero or more (including zero) in a normal case is provided. The configuration in which the time α is added can be used alone, or both can be used together.

The technical concept of the present invention can be applied to an automatic light-off function. This corresponds to FIG.
It would be obvious if you read the explanations for (B) and (C) in reverse, but when the natural illuminance rises in the morning, first turn off the headlights when a certain set illuminance is reached, and then turn on the side lights when the brightness becomes even brighter. There is already a device that has the function of turning off. Also in this embodiment, basically, application to an automatic lighting / light-out device for lamps having this function is considered.

However, in the case of turning off the light, in principle, there are few cases where such a problem occurs. But, for example, during the day,
When traveling on a road where a long tunnel is continuous with a slight gap, enter a long dark place such as a tunnel and turn on the lights that were automatically turned on. It is sometimes desirable to go into a location because it is not unnatural in operation and may extend the life of the lamp. However, with the conventional configuration, the lamp is frequently turned on and off.

In such a case, by applying the technical idea of the present invention relating to lighting, turning on / off the light in reverse, monitoring the inclination of the change of the ambient illuminance from dark to bright, and monitoring the ambient illuminance to the set illuminance. If the slope up to Vf (which may be substantially the same as or different from the set illuminance for lighting) is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the set illuminance to be turned off may be changed to a brighter value. Further, the change width at this time may be changed according to the inclination of the change in the illuminance.

In addition to or instead of this, the concept of changing the delay time described with reference to FIG. 1C is applied, and the inclination until the ambient illuminance exceeds the set illuminance becomes a predetermined value. If the size is greater than or equal to the size, generally, a specific lamp is automatically turned off with a delay time Td of zero or more from a time point when the ambient environment illuminance exceeds the set illuminance. Device, the delay time Td,
Delay time T obtained by adding non-zero significant delay time β
It is possible to incorporate a configuration in which the lamps are turned off after d '= Td + β. When such a configuration is applied to two or more lights, such as a vehicle side light and a headlight, the delay time β for each of them may be the same or different. Actually, it is more appropriate to increase the delay time for turning off the light. This is because the daytime illuminance does not change so much, and it is considered that there is no effect unless a large offset value is provided for the set illuminance. On the other hand, the delay time until the light is turned off when the illuminance changes suddenly can be set to a considerably long time, and the light will be turned off soon. Of course, as described above, this time may be varied according to the magnitude of the gradient of the change in illuminance, or may be made variable by a user operation.

While the main embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the switching circuits 15a and 15b may have an electromechanical configuration including a relay, or may be a switching circuit using a semiconductor device.

When the lighting is not lower than the first set illuminance V1 and is not lower than the second set illuminance V2, only the vehicle width light is lit in the illustrated configuration. It may be a dimmed lighting state called `` town light '', and conversely, for extinguishing, if the illuminance exceeds the setting of the headlight, the headlight will be changed from the complete lighting state to the dimmed lighting state, and furthermore When the ambient illuminance becomes brighter than the setting illuminance for the side lights,
The headlight may be turned off. Further, in the first place, the present invention may be applied only to lighting and to lighting only.

[0036]

According to the present invention, when automatically turning on the lights of the vehicle equipment in accordance with the ambient illuminance, the lights are turned on when the lights do not need to be turned on, such as when passing through a temporary dark place during daytime driving. It is possible to enhance the function of preventing the power from being turned off, or, when the present invention is applied to the automatic light-off, it is possible to provide a device that does not do so when the user does not want to repeatedly turn on and off frequently. In addition to increasing the value, favorable results are also obtained in terms of traffic safety.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a device configuration and operation in a preferred embodiment of a vehicle lamp control device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Control circuit for turning off the lights 11 Battery mounted on the vehicle 12 Illumination sensor 13 Device switch 15 Manual switch for turning on and off lights

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-5-147469 (JP, A) JP-A-62-253542 (JP, A) JP-A-48-29134 (JP, A) JP-A-60-1985 203542 (JP, A) JP-A-3-7634 (JP, A) JP-A-4-368238 (JP, A) JP-A-7-111193 (JP, A) JP-A-7-291025 (JP, A) JP-A-6-135281 (JP, A) JP-A-58-25242 (JP, U) JP-A-5-46571 (JP, U) JP-A-58-15551 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B60Q 1/00-1/24

Claims (14)

(57) [Claims] 1. A control device for monitoring an ambient environment illuminance and automatically turning on a specific lamp among the lamps mounted on a vehicle when the ambient environment illuminance decreases to a set illuminance, Monitoring the inclination of the change of the ambient illuminance from light to dark; and when the inclination until the ambient illuminance falls below the set illuminance is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, the set illuminance is increased. Changing the value to a dark value; 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a change width of changing the set illuminance to a darker value is varied according to a magnitude of a change gradient of the ambient illuminance. apparatus. 3. A control device for monitoring ambient illuminance and automatically turning on a specific lamp among the lamps mounted on a vehicle when the ambient illuminance decreases to a set illuminance. Monitoring the inclination of the change of the ambient illuminance from light to dark, and if the inclination until the ambient illuminance falls below the set illuminance is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, the set illuminance is reached. A predetermined delay time is provided until the lamps are actually turned on. 4. When the ambient illuminance is monitored and it is detected that the ambient illuminance has decreased to the set illuminance, the lamps installed in the vehicle are provided with a delay time Td of zero or more, A control device for automatically turning on a specific lamp; monitoring a gradient of a change from the bright to dark of the ambient environment illuminance, wherein the gradient is constant until the ambient environment illuminance falls below the set illuminance. If not, the delay time
A lighting control device for a vehicle, wherein the lighting is turned on after a delay time Td + α obtained by further adding a significant non-zero delay time α to Td. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the delay time α is set according to a magnitude of a gradient of a change in the ambient illuminance.
The device; 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the lights to be controlled are two or more types,
The above-mentioned set illuminance for each lamp is different from each other; 7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the lights to be controlled are of two or more types,
One of the side lights and another one of the headlights; the set illuminance for the side lights is a value brighter than the set illuminance for the headlights; The apparatus is characterized in that the headlight is dimmed when the illuminance is lower than or equal to the illuminance set for the vehicle side light and lower than the illuminance set for the headlight. 8. A control device for monitoring ambient illuminance and automatically turning off a specific lamp among the lamps mounted on the vehicle when the ambient illuminance exceeds a set illuminance; The gradient of the change of the ambient illuminance from dark to bright is monitored. If the gradient until the ambient illuminance exceeds the set illuminance is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, the set illuminance is brighter. A lighting control device for a vehicle. 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a change width of changing the set illuminance to a brighter value is varied according to a magnitude of a gradient of the change in the ambient illuminance. apparatus. 10. A control device for monitoring ambient illuminance and automatically turning off a specific lamp among the lamps mounted on a vehicle when the ambient illuminance exceeds a set illuminance; The inclination of the change of the ambient illuminance from dark to bright is monitored, and if the inclination until the ambient illuminance exceeds the set illuminance is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, the set illuminance is reached. Providing a predetermined delay time until the lights are actually turned off; a lights control device for a vehicle. 11. Surrounding environment illuminance is monitored, and after detecting that the surrounding environment illuminance has exceeded a set illuminance, a specific one of lights installed in the vehicle with a delay time Td of zero or more is specified. A control device for automatically turning off the lights of the above; monitoring the inclination of the change of the ambient illuminance from dark to bright, and the inclination until the ambient illuminance exceeds the set illuminance is a predetermined magnitude. If not, the delay time
A lighting control device for a vehicle, wherein the lighting is turned off after a delay time Td + β obtained by adding a significant delay time β that is not zero to Td. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the delay time β is varied in accordance with the magnitude of the gradient of the change in the ambient illuminance. 13. The apparatus according to claim 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12, wherein there are two or more types of the lights to be controlled, and the set illuminances for the respective lights are different from each other. Characteristic device. 14. The apparatus according to claim 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, wherein there are two or more types of the lights to be controlled, one of which is a vehicle sidelight, and the other is a headlight. The set illuminance for the side light is a value brighter than the set illuminance for the headlight; and the ambient illuminance is greater than or equal to the set illuminance for the headlight, and If the illuminance is darker than the set illuminance, the headlight is dimmed, and if the ambient illuminance exceeds the set illuminance related to the width light, the headlamp together with the width light is used. Turning off the light;