JP3635800B2 - Headlamp operation circuit - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a headlamp operating circuit, and more particularly to a headlamp operating circuit of an automobile or the like provided with an upward beam headlamp and a downward beam headlamp.
[0001]
[Prior art]
FIG. 3 shows a conventionally known headlamp operating circuit, in which 1 is a relay, and a normally open contact 1a of the relay 1 is used for an upward beam between power terminals of a battery (not shown). The headlamp 2 is connected in series. The upward beam headlamp 2 is composed of a parallel circuit of left and right upward beam headlamps 2R and 2L.
[0002]
In addition to the relay 1, a relay 3 is further provided. A normally open contact 3a of the relay 3 is connected in series with the downward beam headlamp 2 between the power terminals of the battery, and the downward beam headlamp. 2 also comprises a parallel circuit of left and right downward beam headlamps 4R, 4L.
[0003]
Reference numeral 5 denotes a selection instruction switch which can instruct selection of “upward”, “downward”, and “passing”. When “upward” is selected, the switch is connected to the exciting coil 1b of the relay 1, and “downward” "Is selected and connected to the exciting coil 3b of the relay 3, and when" passing "is selected, it is connected to the exciting coil 1b in the same manner as" upward ".
[0004]
In this case, when “passing” is selected, the exciting coil 1b is connected between the power supply terminals of the battery and is excited, so that the normally open contact 1a of the relay 1 is closed and the headlamp 2 for the upward beam is turned on. Become.
[0005]
On the other hand, when “upward” or “downward” is selected in the selection instruction switch 5, whether the excitation coils 1 b and 3 b connected to each other are excited depending on the position of the lighting switch 6 that gives a lighting instruction, unlike when “passing” is selected. No or not will be decided.
[0006]
That is, the lighting switch 6 includes three lighting instruction positions of “OFF”, “tail lamp” (first-stage switch)), and “head lamp” (second-stage switch). Is connected to the selection instruction switch 5 when the lighting of the “head lamp” is instructed, and is grounded to the exciting coils 1b and 3b when “upward” or “downward” is selected in the selection instruction switch 5, respectively. A potential (negative voltage) can be applied, and thus the normally open contacts 1a and 3a are closed to turn on the headlamps 2 and 4, respectively.
[0007]
When the lighting switch 6 instructs to turn on the “tail lamp”, it is connected to the excitation coil 7 b of the relay 7 to excite the excitation coil 7 b, and the normally open contact 7 a is closed to connect the tail lamp 8 ( Or a clearance lamp, which is also composed of a parallel circuit of left and right lamps 8R and 8L) is lit.
[0008]
The operation of such a conventional headlamp operating circuit is summarized as shown in FIG.
[0009]
That is, when the lighting switch 6 instructs to turn on the second-stage “headlamp”, if the selection instruction switch 5 is selected to be “upward”, the exciting coil 1b is excited and the upward beam headlamp 2 is excited. When the “downward” selection instruction is given, the exciting coil 3b is excited and only the downward beam headlamp 4 is lit.
[0010]
When the selection instruction switch 5 is instructed to be “passing”, only the upward beam headlamp 2 is lit regardless of the lighting instruction position of the lighting switch 6.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the conventional headlamp operating circuit, the upward beam headlamp 2 and the downward beam headlamp 4 are switched and used. Therefore, each time the selection instruction switch 5 is selectively switched, the headlamps 2 and 2 are switched. Only one of the lamps 4 is turned on and repeats ON / OFF, and a halogen lamp or the like is conventionally used as a headlamp for performing such ON / OFF operation.
[0012]
On the other hand, the newly developed high-intensity discharge lamp (hereinafter abbreviated as HID lamp) is bright and has come to be used for automobile headlamps. In the case of this HID lamp, the power consumption is small. Since a high voltage is generated when the lamp is lit, repeating the ON / OFF operation has the characteristic of reducing the lamp life.
[0013]
Therefore, an expensive HID lamp is not suitable for a conventional headlamp operating circuit that repeatedly turns on and off as shown in FIG.
[0014]
A conventional technique for preventing the life of the HID lamp from being shortened is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-87846.
[0015]
That is, both the normal lamp and the HID lamp are turned on when the main lights up to the far front of the vehicle, and only the HID lamp is turned on when the dimmer lights up near the front of the vehicle. Is configured to light up.
[0016]
However, in the case of such a conventional technique, since the lighting time of the HID lamp is long, when such a circuit is applied to a vehicle using a normal halogen lamp or the like, the power consumption of the battery is reversed. There was a problem of getting bigger.
[0017]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a headlamp operating circuit that is a compromise between the conventional headlamp lighting method and the lighting method for HID lamps that has less ON / OFF repetition.
[0018]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a headlamp operating circuit according to the present invention comprises a first opening / closing means connected in series to an upward beam headlamp and a second opening / closing means connected in series to a downward beam headlamp. Selection instruction means connected to the first opening / closing means for instructing selection of one of the headlamps; lighting instruction means connected to the selection instruction means for instructing lighting of the headlamp; and the second opening / closing means Switching means for connecting to the selection instructing means or the lighting instructing means, and the second opening / closing means is instructed to turn on the headlamp by the lighting instructing means, and the switching means is on the lighting instructing means side. If switched, the downward beam headlamp is turned on, and when the second opening / closing means instructs the lighting of the headlamp by the lighting instruction means, the switching means is on the side of the selection instruction means. If it is switched and the selection instructing means instructs the selection of the headlamp for the downward beam, the headlamp for the downward beam is turned on, and the first opening / closing means turns on the headlamp by the lighting instruction means. And when the selection instruction means instructs the selection of the headlamp for the upward beam, the headlamp for the upward beam is turned on.
[0020]
The operation of the present invention will be described. When the switching means is switched to the selection instruction means in order to adopt the conventional headlamp lighting method, the lighting instruction means is the headlamp as in the conventional example shown in FIG. When the selection instruction means instructs to select the upward beam headlamp, the upward beam headlamp is lit by controlling the first opening / closing means on the condition that the lighting is instructed. When the instruction means instructs to select the downward beam headlamp, the second opening / closing means is controlled to turn on the downward beam headlamp.
[0021]
Thus, if both headlamps are ordinary halogen lamps or the like, both headlamps are repeatedly turned on and off by switching the selection instruction means, but power consumption can be suppressed without greatly affecting the lamp life.
[0022]
On the other hand, if the switching means is switched to the lighting instruction means in order to adopt a lighting method with few ON / OFF repetitions, the first opening / closing means for the upward beam headlamp is the same as the conventional lamp lighting method. The headlamp for the downward beam is controlled to be turned on by the selection instruction means, but for the downward beam headlamp, the second opening / closing means is controlled on the condition that the lighting instruction means instructs to turn on the headlamp. The headlamp will light up.
[0023]
Therefore, when an HID lamp is used for the downward beam headlamp, the switching means is switched to the lighting instruction means side so that the downward beam headlamp is always lit, and the upward instruction beam is emitted by the selection instruction means. By turning on / off only the head lamp for use, it is possible to reduce the adverse effect on the life when the HID lamp is used for the head beam for the downward beam.
[0024]
In the above headlamp operating circuit, the selection instruction means can instruct the selection of passing, and the upward beam headlamp can be turned on via the first opening / closing means at the time of the passing selection instruction. .
[0025]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a headlamp operating circuit according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a change-over switch 9 is provided as a switching means in addition to the conventional example shown in FIG. The switch 9 has a fixed contact 9a connected to the exciting coil 3b of the relay 3 as the second opening / closing means, and the movable contact 9b connected to the "downward" position in the selection instruction switch 5 as the selection instruction means. Furthermore, the movable side contact 9c is different in that it is connected to the position of the “head lamp” in the lighting switch 6 as the lighting instruction means (shown by a bold line), and the other configuration is the same as in FIG. The relay 1 constitutes first opening / closing means controlled by the selection instruction switch 5. As the opening / closing means, a semiconductor element or the like can be used in addition to the relay.
[0026]
FIG. 2 is a table showing an outline of the operation of the headlamp operating circuit according to the present invention. FIG. 2A shows that the changeover switch 9 is switched to the conventional lamp lighting system (1) side. FIG. 2B shows the operation outline when the changeover switch 9 is switched to the mode {circle around (2)} when the HID lamp is used.
[0027]
It should be noted that switching between methods {circle around (1)} and {circle around (2)} may be performed, for example, when an automobile is shipped from a factory.
[0028]
First, in the operation for the normal lamp shown in FIG. 3A, the selection instruction switch 5 is provided on the condition that the lighting switch 6 instructs to turn on the “head lamp” as in the conventional example shown in FIG. Is instructed to select “upward”, only the headlamp 2 is lit, and when “downward” is instructed to select, only the headlamp 4 is lit. When the selection instruction switch 5 selects “passing”, only the headlamp 2 is lit regardless of the state of the lighting switch 6.
[0029]
Therefore, when a normal halogen lamp or the like is used for the headlamps 2 and 4, the lamp is turned on / off, but the battery consumption can be reduced.
[0030]
On the other hand, when the change-over switch 9 shown in FIG. 2B is switched to the (2) side, the selection instruction switch 5 is set to "" on the condition that the lighting switch 6 is in the "headlamp" position. If it is “upward”, the exciting coil 1 b of the relay 1 is excited to turn on the headlamp 2 for the upward beam, and the exciting coil 3 b of the relay 3 is grounded from the lighting switch 6 through the changeover switch 9. When the exciting coil 3b is excited, the downward beam headlamp 4 is also turned on simultaneously.
[0031]
Further, when the selection instruction switch 5 is selected as “downward”, the exciting coil 1b of the relay 1 is not excited, so only the exciting coil 3b of the relay 3 is excited and only the downward beam headlamp 4 is lit. .
[0032]
Further, when the selection instruction switch 5 is selected as “passing”, the exciting coil 1b is excited and the upward beam headlamp 2 is lit as in the conventional example of FIG. 3, but at the same time, the exciting coil 3b is also excited. Thus, the downward beam headlamp 4 is also turned on.
[0033]
When the lighting switch 6 is instructed to the “OFF” or “tail lamp” position, the lighting switch 6 is disconnected from the changeover switch 9 and the selection instruction switch 5, so that power is applied to the exciting coils 3 b and 1 b. Instead, only the exciting coil 7b of the relay 7 is excited and the tail lamp (or clearance lamp) 8 is lit.
[0034]
However, when the selection instruction switch 5 is selected as “passing”, the exciting coil 1b is excited and only the head beam 2 for the upward beam is turned on as a headlamp.
[0035]
In this way, as shown in FIG. 2 (2), the downward beam headlamp 4 is lit continuously as long as the lighting switch 6 is set to the "headlamp" position. When the HID lamp is used for 4, the head lamp 4 as the HID lamp is not frequently turned ON / OFF even when the selection instruction switch 5 is frequently switched, and the reduction of the life can be suppressed.
[0036]
In the above embodiment, the case where an HID lamp is used as the downward beam headlamp 4 has been described. However, since the upward beam headlamp 2 is turned ON / OFF as shown in FIG. It is not preferred to use
[0037]
In addition to switching between methods {circle around (1)} and {circle around (2)} using the changeover switch as described above, the connection may be changed over the wiring at the time of shipment without using the changeover switch.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the headlamp operating circuit of the present invention, the opening / closing means connected in series to the downward beam headlamp selects the upward / downward beam headlamp or the selection instruction means for instructing the selection. A switching means connected to any one of the lighting instruction means for instructing lighting of the headlamp is provided. In the case of a lamp lighting method similar to the conventional one, the selection instruction means is connected to the opening / closing means, and the HID lamp is used. Since the lighting instruction means is connected to the opening / closing means, when the HID lamp is used for the head beam for the downward beam, the HID lamp is not frequently turned on / off to prevent the life from being shortened. When the HID lamp is not used for the headlamp, the power consumption is reduced although the ON / OFF operation is repeated. It is possible to utilize the advantages of a system using a conventional method and HID lamps that can Rukoto optimally.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a headlamp operating circuit according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the headlamp operating circuit according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional headlamp operating circuit.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,3,7 relay (open / close means)
1a, 3a, 7a Normally open contacts 1b, 3b, 7b Excitation coils 2, 2R, 2L Upward beam headlamps 4, 4R, 4L Downward beam headlamps 5 Selection instruction switch (selection instruction means)
6 Lighting switch (lighting instruction means)
8,8R, 8L Tail lamp (clearance lamp)
9 Changeover switch (switching means)
In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (2)

The first opening / closing means connected in series to the upward beam headlamp, the second opening / closing means connected in series to the downward beam headlamp, and one headlamp connected to the first opening / closing means is selected. A selection instruction means for instructing, a lighting instruction means connected to the selection instruction means for instructing lighting of the headlamp, and a switching means for connecting the second opening / closing means to the selection instruction means or the lighting instruction means. The second opening / closing means turns on the headlamp for the downward beam when the lighting instruction means instructs to turn on the headlamp and the switching means is switched to the lighting instruction means. The switching means is switched to the selection instruction means when the lighting instruction means instructs to turn on the headlamp, and the selection instruction means is the downward beam head. The first beam is instructed to turn on the headlamp by the lighting instructing means, and the selection instructing means instructed to turn on the headlight for the upward beam. A headlamp operating circuit that lights up the headlamp for the upward beam if the selection of the lamp is instructed. 2. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the selection instructing means is capable of instructing selection of passing, and the upward beam headlamp is turned on through the first opening / closing means when the passing selection is instructed. Working circuit.

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