JP3819665B2 - Twilight auxiliary light control device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a twilight auxiliary light control device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The vehicle is provided with a headlamp at the front part of the vehicle as a means for ensuring visibility during night driving. Conventionally, as a means for turning on / off the vehicle, manual control or the ambient illuminance around the vehicle is used. Various automatic on / off control devices that perform lighting control by detecting and detecting a decrease in illuminance have been devised.
[0003]
As for headlamps, when driving at night, the headlamps are turned on to ensure forward visibility.However, when driving at night when the ambient illumination is still bright, the driver is irradiated with the normal headlight intensity. I can't confirm. Also for pedestrians walking on sidewalks and roadside belts, for the same reason, it is impossible to notice the approach of the vehicle from behind by illuminating the headlights at night, so careful attention to the driver's front is important. It was a big burden.
[0004]
In view of this point, in recent years, a twilight auxiliary light that can give drivers a psychological sense of security by powerful road surface illumination at twilight, and can make pedestrians notice the approach of the vehicle early by tilting the optical axis toward the shoulder of the road. Has been proposed.
[0005]
Furthermore, when adapting the above-mentioned automatic lighting / extinguishing control device to the lighting / extinguishing control of a twilight lamp, the conventional automatic lighting / extinguishing control device is turned on when the illuminance threshold value becomes darker than that value, and becomes brighter than that value. The lighting upper limit illuminance and the lighting lower limit illuminance are set, and the lighting is turned on only when it is within the illuminance range between them. There is no control.
[0006]
Therefore, the idea to realize this control was to automatically turn on the twilight auxiliary lamp only when the ambient illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is within the lighting illuminance range. This control method turns off the auxiliary light.
[0007]
However, when such control is performed, when driving on a dark road at night and entering a tunnel with relatively bright lighting, if the ambient illuminance is within the lighting illuminance range, the twilight auxiliary light is disabled. There is a risk of relighting if necessary.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the proposed twilight auxiliary light control device has a problem that it may be lit even in a situation where it is not necessary to turn on the twilight auxiliary light according to the traveling state of the vehicle.
[0009]
The present invention has been made to solve such a technical problem, and when the vehicle enters the tunnel with the automatic turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary light, the illuminance in the tunnel is turned on. An object of the present invention is to provide a twilight auxiliary light control device that does not turn on the twilight auxiliary light even if the brightness is within the range.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  The dusk assist lamp control device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a dusk assist lamp that illuminates a predetermined direction in front of the road side, an illuminance sensor that detects external illuminance, and an external illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is a predetermined lighting upper limit illuminance. And a controller for performing automatic on / off control for turning on the auxiliary lighting for twilight when it is within the lighting illuminance range between the lighting lower limit illuminance and turning off the twilight auxiliary light when not within the lighting illuminance range. The controller has at least an illuminance at the time of a change from a state below the lighting lower limit illuminance to a state above the lighting lower limit illuminance.time ofThe change is above the specified valueRate of changeIn the case ofAs long as it does not return again below the lighting lower limit illuminance,The automatic turning on / off is not resumed.
[0012]
  Claim2The twilight auxiliary light control device according to the invention includes a twilight auxiliary light that illuminates a predetermined direction on the road side side, an illuminance sensor that detects external illuminance, and the external illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor includes predetermined lighting upper limit illuminance and lighting lower limit A controller for performing automatic on / off control for turning on the auxiliary light for twilight when it is within the lighting illuminance range between the illuminance and turning off the auxiliary light for twilight when not within the lighting illuminance range, Is at least when changing from a state above the lighting upper limit illuminance to a state below the lighting upper limit illuminance,If the time change of the illuminance is a change rate of a predetermined value or more, the automatic turn-off control is interrupted, and then, unless it returns to the lighting upper limit illuminance or moreThe automatic lighting on / off control is not resumed.
[0014]
  Claim3The twilight auxiliary light control device according to the invention includes a twilight auxiliary light that illuminates a predetermined direction on the road side side, an illuminance sensor that detects external illuminance, and the external illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor includes predetermined lighting upper limit illuminance and lighting lower limit A controller for performing automatic on / off control to turn on the twilight auxiliary light when it is in a lighting illuminance range between illuminance and to turn off the twilight auxiliary light when not within the lighting illuminance range, , By the automatic lighting control based on the ambient illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor,The time change of the illuminance does not become the rate of change of the predetermined value or more, and the ambient illuminance becomes less than the lighting upper limit illuminance.After lighting the twilight auxiliary light once, The time change of illuminance does not become the rate of change above the predetermined value, and the ambient illuminance is below the lighting lower limit illuminanceIf it is turned off, the automatic turning on / off control is interrupted and thenChange the ignition switch from off to onUnless the condition is satisfied, the automatic lighting on / off control is not resumed.
[0016]
  Claim4According to the present invention, in the twilight auxiliary light control device according to claim 3, the controller includes:SaidThe automatic lighting on / off control is interrupted, after which the illuminance sensor detects bright external illuminance exceeding the specified value.IfResuming the automatic light-off controlDoIt is what I did.
[0017]
【The invention's effect】
  According to the twilight auxiliary light control device of the invention of claim 1, when the controller turns on the twilight auxiliary light when the outside illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is within the predetermined lighting illuminance range, and is not within the lighting illuminance range. Automatic turn-off control is performed to turn off the twilight auxiliary lights. In addition, the controller will change the illuminance at least when it changes from a state below the lighting lower limit illuminance to a state above the lighting lower limit illuminance.time ofThe change is above the specified valueRate of changeIn the case ofAs long as it does not return again below the lighting lower limit illuminance,The automatic turning on / off is not resumed.
[0018]
  As a result, at night, the ambient illumination is low and the basic headlamp is lit, but the twilight auxiliary lamp is running with the automatic turn-off control turned off, the lighting is relatively bright, and the ambient illumination is dim. It is possible to prevent the twilight auxiliary light from being unnecessarily lit in a situation where the lighting condition is temporarily satisfied, such as when entering a tunnel within the lighting illuminance range of the auxiliary light.Also, at least when changing from a state below the lighting lower limit illuminance to a state above the lighting lower limit illuminance, if the change in illuminance is less than the predetermined value, the automatic turn-off control is interrupted, and then before the sudden change in illuminance Automatic lighting control will not be resumed unless it returns to below the lighting lower limit illuminance. As a result, the ambient light is low and the basic headlights are lit at night, but the twilight auxiliary lights are running off, and it seems that the outside light has entered the tunnel where the illumination is within the lighting illuminance range of the twilight auxiliary lights. In such a case, it is possible to prevent the twilight auxiliary light from turning on unnecessarily. And since such a situation that satisfies the lighting condition temporarily returns to the original state in a short time, it detects that it has returned to the original nighttime ambient illuminance and restarts the automatic turn-off control. The original control can be continued.
[0021]
  According to the twilight auxiliary light control device of the invention of claim 3, when the controller turns on the twilight auxiliary light when the outside illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is within the predetermined lighting illuminance range, and is not within the lighting illuminance range. Automatic turn-off control is performed to turn off the twilight auxiliary lights. In addition, the controllerThe time change of illuminance does not become the rate of change above the specified value, and the external illuminance is below the lighting upper limit illuminance.After lighting the twilight auxiliary light once, The time change of illuminance does not become the rate of change above the predetermined value, and the ambient illuminance is below the lighting lower limit illuminanceIf it is turned off, the automatic turning on / off control is interrupted and thenChange the ignition switch from off to onAs long as the condition is not satisfied, the automatic lighting on / off control is not resumed.
[0022]
  As a result, when driving in a state where the external illuminance is high in the daytime and the basic headlight and the twilight auxiliary light are turned off, and the outside illuminance enters the tunnel within the lighting illuminance range of the twilight auxiliary light, It is possible to prevent the twilight auxiliary lamp from being unnecessarily lit in a situation where the lighting conditions are temporarily satisfied.Even if the outside illumination is high in the daytime and the basic headlight and the twilight auxiliary light are turned off, and the outside illumination is within the lighting illuminance range of the twilight auxiliary light, the twilight auxiliary light It is possible to prevent unnecessarily lighting, and since the situation that satisfies the lighting conditions temporarily returns to the original state in a short time, it is detected that the ambient light intensity has returned to the original daytime external illumination. Since the automatic on / off control is resumed, the original control can be continued thereafter.
[0025]
  According to the twilight auxiliary light control device of the fifth aspect of the invention, the twilight auxiliary light is turned on when the outside illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is within the predetermined lighting illuminance range, and the twilight auxiliary light is controlled when the controller is not within the lighting illuminance range. Performs automatic on / off control to turn off the auxiliary light. In addition, the controller can automatically turn on and off based on the ambient illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor.The time change of the illuminance does not become the rate of change of the predetermined value or more, and the ambient illuminance becomes less than the lighting upper limit illuminance.After lighting the twilight auxiliary light once, The time change of illuminance does not become the rate of change above the predetermined value, and the ambient illuminance is below the lighting lower limit illuminanceIf it is turned off, the automatic turning on / off control is interrupted and thenChange the ignition switch from off to onUnless the condition is satisfied, the automatic lighting on / off control is not resumed.
[0026]
  As a result, at night, the ambient illumination is low and the basic headlamp is lit, but the twilight auxiliary lamp is running with the automatic turn-off control turned off, the lighting is relatively bright, and the ambient illumination is dim. It is possible to prevent the twilight auxiliary light from being unnecessarily lit in a situation where the lighting condition is temporarily satisfied, such as when entering a tunnel within the lighting illuminance range of the auxiliary light.Also, at night, the ambient light is low and the basic headlights are lit, but the twilight auxiliary lights are turned off by automatic turn-off control. It is possible to prevent the twilight auxiliary lights from turning on unnecessarily when entering a tunnel that is within the illumination illuminance range. Also, after the ignition switch is turned off, it is turned on again to resume operation. In such a case, since the original automatic turn-off control can be automatically performed, the driver can drive without worrying about whether or not the automatic light-off control is interrupted.
[0029]
Claim4According to the twilight auxiliary light control device of the invention, the controller interrupts the automatic lighting on / off control, and then the illuminance sensor detects a bright external illuminance exceeding a predetermined value.IfResuming the automatic light-off controlDo.
[0030]
As a result, at night, the ambient illumination is low and the basic headlamp is lit, but the twilight auxiliary lamp is running with the automatic turn-off control turned off, the lighting is relatively bright, and the ambient illumination is dim. It is possible to prevent the twilight auxiliary light from turning on unnecessarily when entering a tunnel that is within the lighting illuminance range of the auxiliary light, and after that, the bright external illuminance that the external illuminance exceeds a predetermined value, that is, Since the automatic lighting on / off control is resumed when the illuminance is equal to the illuminance in the tunnel that is equal to or greater than the illuminance in the temporary tunnel, the driver can ensure an appropriate field of view without performing any special operation.
[0031]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a twilight auxiliary light control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the illuminance sensor 1 detects the brightness of the outside world around the vehicle, that is, the outside world illuminance, and outputs an analog voltage value corresponding to the illuminance. This voltage signal is input to the CPU 4 via the analog-digital converter (A / D) 3 in the control unit 2.
[0032]
The lighting switch 5 is an operation switch for turning on and off a basic headlight (ordinary headlamp: not shown) and other lights, and the automatic control (Auto) of the present invention is set in the switch. . The operation signal of the lighting switch 5 is input to the CPU 4 via the input / output device (I / O) 6 in the control unit 2.
[0033]
The configuration of the microcomputer 7 in the control unit 2 will be described. The built-in ROM 8, RAM 9, timer 10, A / D 3, and I / O 6 are mapped on the memory of the CPU 4 and are connected to each other via a data bus 11 and an address bus 12. The ROM 8 stores a program shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. The RAM 9 sequentially stores illuminance detection data of the illuminance sensor 1. The timer 10 performs time measurement described later. The A / D 3 converts the analog voltage output from the illuminance sensor 1 into digital data and stores it. The I / O 6 interfaces the CPU 4 with transistors for driving various loads and transistors for inputting various signals.
[0034]
The lamps controlled by the control unit 2 are mainly a basic headlamp (not shown) that secures a field of view and a twilight auxiliary lamp 22. The twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is driven by a twilight auxiliary lamp relay 23 which is turned on / off by the microcomputer 7 in the control unit 2.
[0035]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the basic headlamp 21 and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 are attached to the front portion of the vehicle C. And it has the following light distribution pattern. The basic headlamp 21 is a light distribution pattern A, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is a light distribution pattern B. For example, the lower part E of the pedestrian H walking on the roadside about 20 m ahead is spot-irradiated. The direction.
[0036]
Next, the automatic on / off control operation of the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 by the control unit 2 will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS.
[0037]
Steps 100 to 101: The timing of a certain time is measured, and the control is shifted to the main process.
[0038]
In step 100, the count of the built-in timer 10 is reset, and in step 101, the process waits until the count value of the timer 10 reaches a predetermined time.
[0039]
Steps 102 to 104: Calculate the ambient illuminance.
[0040]
In step 102, the previous instantaneous illuminance is buffered (I11_n-1) And the ambient instantaneous illuminance (I11) measured by the illuminance sensor 1 in step 103_n) And the time change amount of the external illuminance (I11 ← | I11)_n-I11_n-1|).
[0041]
Steps 105 to 109: The ambient illuminance is divided into three ranges according to the instantaneous illuminance.
[0042]
In step 105, it is determined whether the instantaneous illuminance is brighter than the twilight range (daytime illuminance). In step 106, it is determined whether the instantaneous illuminance is darker than the twilight range (whether it is night illuminance).
[0043]
In step 107, the instantaneous illuminance is in the twilight range, so it is determined as “dusk”. In step 108, the instantaneous illuminance is in the night range, so it is determined as “night”. In step 109, the instantaneous illuminance is in the daytime range. Therefore, it is determined as “daytime”, and the illuminance variable is set for each.
[0044]
Steps 110 to 118: Control mask processing. Here, only control mask release determination is performed.
[0045]
In step 110, it is determined whether or not a control mask is applied. If not, the process proceeds to control processing in step 119 and thereafter.
[0046]
When the control mask is applied, it is determined whether the external illuminance when the control mask is applied is daytime in steps 111 and 112. When the external illuminance when the control mask is applied is daytime, the external illuminance is again set. Determine if it is noon. If it is noon again, the control mask is released in step 113.
[0047]
If the external illuminance when the control mask is applied is night, it is determined again whether the external illuminance is night (steps 114 and 115). If it is night again, the control mask is released in step 116.
[0048]
When the external illuminance when the control mask is applied is dusk, it is determined again whether the external illuminance is dusk. When the external illuminance is dusk, the control mask is released (steps 117 and 118).
[0049]
Steps 119 to 140: Control mask conditions are determined.
[0050]
It is determined whether or not the current ambient illuminance is determined to be twilight (step 119), and if it is determined to be twilight, it is determined whether or not the previous instantaneous illuminance is in the twilight range (step 120). If the previous instantaneous illuminance is also twilight, it is determined whether or not the present instantaneous illuminance is night (step 121). It is determined whether or not (step 122). If the time change amount I11 of the illuminance is larger than the specified value, the illuminance range (mask illuminance) when the control mask is set is set to twilight, the control mask is turned on, and the process proceeds to step 125 (steps 123 and 124).
[0051]
If both the current determination illuminance and the previous instantaneous illuminance are twilight, it is determined whether or not the current illuminance is noon (step 126). It is determined whether or not I11 is larger than the specified value (step 127). Here, when it is determined that the time change amount I11 of the illuminance is larger than the specified value, the illuminance range (mask illuminance) when the control mask is set is set to twilight, the control mask is turned ON, and the process proceeds to step 125 (step 128, 129).
[0052]
  If it is determined in step 119 that the current illuminance is not twilight, it is determined in step 130 whether the current illuminance is daytime. If the current illuminance is noon, determine if the previous instantaneous illuminance is in the daytime rangeDo(Step 131).
[0053]
If the current illuminance and the previous instantaneous illuminance are daytime, it is determined whether the current illuminance is in the twilight range (step 132). If the present illuminance is twilight, the time change amount I11 of the illuminance is larger than the specified value. Whether or not (step 133). If it is determined that the amount of time change in illuminance is greater than the specified value, the illuminance range when the control mask is set is set to noon, the control mask is turned on, and the process proceeds to step 125 (steps 134 and 135).
[0054]
If it is determined in step 119 that the current illuminance is not twilight and it is determined in step 130 that the current illuminance is not daytime, that is, if the current illuminance is determined to be night, in step 136 the previous instantaneous illuminance range. Determine if is at night. If it is determined that it is night, it is then determined whether or not the current illuminance range is dusk (step 137). If the instantaneous illuminance range this time is dusk, it means that the illuminance has changed from night to dusk. Therefore, it is determined in step 138 whether the illuminance time change amount I11 is larger than the specified value, and the illuminance time change amount I11. If is larger than the specified value, the illuminance at the time of masking is set to night, the control mask is turned on, and the routine proceeds to step 125 (steps 139 and 140).
[0055]
If it is determined in step 125 that the control mask is applied, the process returns to the beginning without controlling turning on / off, and if the control mask is not applied, the process proceeds to step 141 and subsequent steps.
[0056]
Steps 141-160: Determination of illuminance range. If this determination is executed several times in a certain illuminance range, the state transitions to that illuminance range. At the time of twilight determination, the twilight auxiliary light 22 is turned on.
[0057]
If the control mask ON / OFF determination in step 125 is OFF, the process proceeds to step 141 and subsequent steps. In step 141, it is determined whether the instantaneous illuminance is twilight. If it is determined that the instantaneous illuminance is twilight, in steps 142 to 144, the twilight time count is incremented, and the other time counts are reset. Then, in step 145, it is determined whether or not the twilight time count has reached or exceeded the specified value (that is, whether or not the twilight determination has been made a predetermined number of times continuously).
[0058]
If it is determined in step 145 that there have been continuous specified value times, the illuminance determination is set to twilight, the twilight count is fixed to the upper limit (specified value), and the process proceeds to step 161 (steps 146 and 147). ).
[0059]
If it is determined in step 141 that the instantaneous illuminance is not twilight, it is determined in step 148 whether the instantaneous illuminance is daytime. If the instantaneous illuminance is determined to be noon, the daytime time count is incremented and the other time counts are reset in steps 149 to 151. In step 152, it is determined whether or not the daytime time count is equal to or greater than a specified value.
[0060]
If it is determined in step 152 that the continuous specified value has been determined, the illuminance determination is set to noon, the day count is fixed to the upper limit (specified value), and the process proceeds to step 161 (steps 153 and 154). ).
[0061]
If the instantaneous illuminance is finally determined to be night (if branching to NO in step 141 and branching to NO in step 148), the night time count is incremented in steps 155 to 157 and other time counts are reset. To do. In step 158, it is determined whether or not the night time count has exceeded a specified value.
[0062]
If it is determined in step 158 that the continuous specified value has been determined, the illuminance determination is set to night, the night count is fixed to the upper limit (specified value), and the process proceeds to step 161 (steps 159 and 160). ).
[0063]
Steps 161 to 164: Turn on / off processing of the twilight auxiliary light (lighting control if the lighting switch is in the automatic position and twilight is determined).
[0064]
In step 161, it is determined whether the current illuminance determination is twilight. If it is twilight, it is determined in step 162 whether the lighting switch 5 is in the automatic position (Auto). The auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on. However, even if the illuminance determination is twilight, if the lighting switch 5 is not Auto, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off (step 164).
[0065]
With reference to the timing chart of FIG. 9, it will be described how the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is controlled to be turned on and off in a specific driving situation by the above control logic. <a>: The twilight range of the ambient illuminance continues for a certain time, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on.
[0066]
It is assumed that the lighting switch 5 is set to Auto at timing t0. Then, at timing t1, the illuminance shifts from the bright daytime illuminance to the twilight range illuminance (lighting range in the illuminance graph), and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on when a certain time from t1 to t1 ′ elapses.
[0067]
<B>: The night range of the ambient illuminance continues for a certain time, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off.
[0068]
When the ambient illuminance shifts from twilight to the night range (lower extinction range in the illuminance graph) at timing t2, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off when a certain time of t2 → t2 ′ elapses.
[0069]
<C>: A control mask is applied.
[0070]
When driving into a tunnel with bright illuminance during night driving, the ambient illuminance again transitions to the twilight range at timing t3, but since this transition is abrupt at timing t3 ', a control mask is applied and twilight assistance The lamp 22 is not relighted.
[0071]
After that, when the vehicle passes through the tunnel at a timing t4 and exits on a dark road at night and the external illumination returns to the night range, the control mask is turned off.
[0072]
<D>: The ambient illuminance transitions to the twilight range, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on again.
[0073]
When the ambient illuminance transitions from the night range to the twilight range at dawn at the timing t5 as in the driving before dawn, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on again after a certain time from t5 to t5 ′.
[0074]
<E>: The ambient illuminance transitions to the daytime range, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off.
[0075]
When the ambient illuminance becomes brighter at timing t6 and transitions from the twilight range to the daytime range at timing t6, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off when a certain time from t6 to t6 ′ elapses.
[0076]
<F>: Control mask.
[0077]
When driving with the lighting switch 5 set to Auto before dusk or at dawn, and entering the tunnel at the timing t7, the external illumination changes from the daytime range to the twilight range. Therefore, the control mask is applied at timing t7 ′, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is not turned on.
[0078]
After that, when the vehicle exits the tunnel at timing t8, the ambient illuminance returns to the daytime range again, so that the control mask is released.
[0079]
<G>: The twilight range of the ambient illuminance continues for a certain time, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on again.
[0080]
After the control mask is released at timing t8, when the ambient illuminance transitions to the twilight range again at timing t9, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on again at timing t9 ′ after a certain period of time.
[0081]
When the lighting switch 5 is turned off at timing 10, the automatic turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is canceled and turned off.
[0082]
Thus, in the twilight auxiliary light control device of the first embodiment, even when the outside illuminance falls within the lighting illuminance range, it is compared with the time change of the outside illuminance when transitioning from normal daytime brightness to twilight. When the actual time change of the illuminance exceeds a specified value, the turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is masked so that the automatic lighting control of the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is not performed. When entering the tunnel, it is possible to avoid unnecessary lighting of the twilight auxiliary light.
[0083]
In the above embodiment, the lighting switch 5 is automatically turned on / off when the lighting switch 5 is set to Auto. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When retrofitted to the lamp control system, the twilight lamp control system may be configured to enter the automatic control operation at the ON position of the lighting switch of the headlamp control system. In this case, the ON / OFF signal is used as the condition for starting and releasing control, not the Auto position of the lighting switch. The same applies to the second embodiment described below.
[0084]
Next, a twilight auxiliary light control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The feature of the second embodiment is that when the twilight auxiliary lamp is turned on once by the automatic turning-on / off control based on the ambient illumination, the automatic turning-off control is interrupted, and then the ignition switch is turned off− As long as it is not turned on, the automatic lighting on / off control is not resumed. In the configuration of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10, elements that are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
[0085]
In the twilight auxiliary light control device according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the ignition unit 1 is newly ignited together with the external illumination measurement signal of the illumination sensor 1 and the ON / OFF signal of the lighting switch 5 to the control unit 2. An ON / OFF signal for the switch 24 is input. The attachment position of the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 and the light distribution pattern are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are shown in FIGS.
[0086]
Next, the automatic lighting on / off control operation of the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 by the control unit 2 in the twilight auxiliary lamp control apparatus of the second embodiment will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS.
[0087]
Steps 200 to 201: The timing of a certain time is measured, and control is transferred to the main process.
[0088]
In step 200, the count of the built-in timer 10 is reset, and in step 201, the process waits until the count value of the timer 10 reaches a predetermined time.
[0089]
Steps 202 to 205: The input (IGNSW) of the ignition switch 24 is stored and determined.
[0090]
In step 202, the previous IGN flag is stored in the buffer, and in step 203, the current IGNSW is determined. If the IGNSW is ON in step 203, the IGN flag is turned ON. If the IGNSW is OFF in step 205, the IGN flag is turned OFF.
[0091]
Step 206: Read the measured value of the ambient illuminance from the illuminance sensor 1.
[0092]
Steps 207 to 211: The ambient illuminance is divided into three ranges according to the instantaneous illuminance.
[0093]
In step 207, it is determined whether the instantaneous illuminance is brighter than the twilight range (whether it is daytime illuminance). In step 208, it is determined whether the instantaneous illuminance is darker than the twilight range (whether it is night illuminance).
[0094]
In step 209, since the instantaneous illuminance is in the twilight range, it is determined as “dusk”. In step 210, since the instantaneous illuminance is in the night range, it is determined as “night”. In step 211, the instantaneous illuminance is in the daytime range. Therefore, it is determined as “daytime”, and the illuminance variable is set for each.
[0095]
Steps 212 to 220: Control mask release processing.
[0096]
In step 212, it is determined whether or not the control mask is applied. If not, the process proceeds to the control processing after step 221.
[0097]
If the control mask is applied, it is determined in step 213 whether or not the instantaneous illuminance has reached the control mask release level, and if it has reached the control mask release level, the mask release count is incremented by 1 in step 214 (that is, relighting is performed). +1 the counter). However, if it is determined in step 213 that the control mask release level has not been reached, the step 215 mask release count is reset.
[0098]
If the relighting counter is incremented by 1 in step 214, it is determined in step 216 whether the mask release count is larger than the specified value. If it is larger than the specified value, the control mask flag is turned off in step 217.
[0099]
In step 218, it is determined whether the IGNSW is currently ON. If IGNSW is ON, it is determined in step 219 whether or not the previously detected IGNSW is OFF. If IGNSW has changed from OFF to ON from the previous time, the control mask flag is turned OFF in step 220, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 lighting control can be performed. If the current IGNSW is OFF in step 218, the process returns to the beginning of the control routine and repeats.
[0100]
Steps 221 to 242: Determination of illuminance range. If this determination is executed several times in a certain illuminance range, the state transitions to that illuminance range. At the time of twilight determination, the twilight auxiliary light 22 is turned on.
[0101]
If the control mask ON / OFF determination in step 212 is OFF, the process proceeds to step 221 and subsequent steps. In step 221, it is determined whether the instantaneous illuminance is twilight. If the instantaneous illuminance is determined to be twilight, the time count of twilight is incremented and other time counts are reset in steps 222 to 224. In step 225, it is determined whether or not the twilight time count has reached or exceeded the specified value (that is, whether or not the twilight determination has been made a specified number of times in succession).
[0102]
If it is determined in step 225 that there have been continuous predetermined value times, the illuminance determination is set to twilight, the twilight count is fixed to the upper limit (specified value), and the process proceeds to step 243 (steps 226 and 227). ).
[0103]
If it is determined in step 221 that the instantaneous illuminance is not twilight, it is determined in step 228 whether the instantaneous illuminance is daytime. If the instantaneous illuminance is determined to be noon, the daytime time count is incremented and the other time counts are reset in steps 229 to 231. Then, in step 232, it is determined whether or not the daytime time count has exceeded a specified value.
[0104]
If it is determined in step 232 that the continuous specified value has been determined, the illuminance determination is set to noon, the day count is fixed to the upper limit (specified value), and the process proceeds to step 243 (steps 233 and 234). ).
[0105]
If the instantaneous illuminance is finally determined to be night (if branching to NO in step 221 and branching to NO also in step 228), the night time count is incremented in steps 235 to 237 and other time counts are reset. To do. Then, in step 238, it is determined whether or not the night time count has exceeded a specified value.
[0106]
If it is determined in step 238 that the continuous prescribed value has been determined, it is determined in subsequent step 239 whether the current illuminance is twilight. Turn on the mask flag. However, if there is no state transition, the flag of the control mask is not changed (branch to NO in step 239).
[0107]
Subsequently, in step 241, the illuminance determination is set to night, the night count is fixed to the upper limit (specified value), and the process proceeds to step 243 (steps 241 and 242).
[0108]
Steps 243 to 246: Turn on / off processing of the twilight auxiliary light (lighting control when the lighting switch is in the automatic position (Auto) and twilight is determined).
[0109]
In step 243, it is determined whether the current illuminance determination is twilight. If it is twilight, it is determined in step 244 whether the lighting switch 5 is in the automatic position (Auto). The auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on. However, even if the illuminance determination is twilight, if the lighting switch 5 is not Auto, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off (step 246).
[0110]
With reference to the timing chart of FIG. 15, it will be described how the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is controlled to be turned on and off in a specific driving situation by the above control logic. <a>: The twilight range of the ambient illuminance continues for a certain time, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on.
[0111]
It is assumed that the lighting switch 5 is set to Auto at timing t0. Then, at timing t1, the illuminance shifts from the bright daytime illuminance to the twilight range illuminance (lighting range in the illuminance graph), and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on when a certain time from t1 to t1 ′ elapses.
[0112]
<B>: The ambient illuminance returns to the daytime range, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off.
[0113]
At time t2, the ambient illuminance returns to the daytime range again, and the twilight assist lamp 22 is turned off when a predetermined time of t2 → t2 ′ elapses.
[0114]
<C>: The twilight range of the ambient illuminance continues for a certain time, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on again.
[0115]
At timing t4, the ambient illuminance changes from the illuminance in the daytime range to the illuminance in the twilight range, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on again when a certain time from t4 to t4 ′ elapses.
[0116]
<D>: The night range of the ambient illuminance continues for a certain time, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off.
[0117]
When the ambient illuminance transitions from twilight to the night range (lower extinction range in the illuminance graph) at timing t5, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is extinguished when a fixed time of t5 → t5 ′ elapses.
[0118]
Then, after this time, a control mask is set for the determination of twilight → night, and unless the IGNSW is turned off again, the automatic turn-on / off control for the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is invalidated.
[0119]
<E>: Although the ambient illuminance shifts to the twilight range, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is not lit again because the control mask is applied.
[0120]
When the ambient illuminance changes from the night range to the twilight range at timing t6, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is lit again after a certain time from t6 to t6 ′. In this embodiment, a control mask is applied. Therefore, the relighting control is disabled and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is not relighted. As a result, when driving at night and entering a relatively bright tunnel from a dark road, the twilight auxiliary light 22 is unnecessarily lit even if the external illumination increases from the night range to the twilight range. There is nothing. At timing t7, the ambient illuminance is darkened again in the night range through the tunnel.
[0121]
<F>: The control mask is released, and the automatic turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp is resumed.
[0122]
Considering the case where the driver finishes the drive once, stops the vehicle and reaches the day when it comes to the day, and goes out again before dusk on that day, before the IGNSW is turned off and before going to the drive on the day to come, at timing t8 IGNSW is turned on. As a result, the control mask of the previous day is released, and the automatic lighting on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is resumed.
[0123]
Therefore, if the ambient illuminance transitions from the daytime range to the twilight range at timing t9, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned on after a predetermined time of t9 → t9 ′.
[0124]
<G>: The ambient illuminance continues for a certain time in the night range, and the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off.
[0125]
When the ambient illuminance transitions from the twilight range to the night range at timing t10, the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is turned off at timing t10 ′ after a certain period of time. At this time, the control mask is applied again.
[0126]
If the lighting switch 5 is always removed from the Auto position, the automatic turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 is canceled at that timing and turned off.
[0127]
In this way, in the twilight auxiliary light control device of the second embodiment, when the twilight auxiliary light 22 is automatically turned on and then automatically turned off due to the transition of the ambient illuminance to the night range, As long as there is no operation to turn on the ignition switch after it has been turned off, the automatic turn-off control is disabled, so the dusk auxiliary light 22 lights up unnecessarily when entering a tunnel during night driving. Can be prevented.
[0128]
In the above embodiment, the lighting switch 5 is automatically turned on / off when the lighting switch 5 is set to Auto. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When retrofitted to the lamp control system, the twilight lamp control system may be configured to enter the automatic control operation at the ON position of the lighting switch of the headlamp control system. In this case, not the Auto position of the lighting switch but ON / OFF is a condition for starting control and releasing control.
[0129]
Further, in the case of the second embodiment, the automatic lighting on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 cannot be resumed unless the ignition switch 24 is turned OFF → ON. After setting the re-lighting trigger illuminance and controlling the twilight auxiliary lamp 22 to be turned on / off once by the transition of the external illuminance, the external illuminance does not become brighter than the re-lighting trigger point (i.e., the daylight day will pass) A similar effect can be obtained by making it impossible to release the control mask (if not).
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an installation state of a basic headlamp and a twilight auxiliary lamp in the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a light distribution pattern of a basic headlamp and a twilight auxiliary lamp in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a first step of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a second step of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a third step of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the fourth step of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a fifth step of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a timing chart of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a circuit block diagram showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the first step of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a second step of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the third step of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the fourth step of the turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a timing chart of turning on / off control of the twilight auxiliary lamp according to the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Illuminance sensor
2 Control unit
3 Analog / digital converter (A / D)
4 CPU
5 Lighting switch
6 Input / output devices (I / O)
7 Microcomputer
8 ROM
9 RAM
10 Timer
21 Headlight
22 Dusk light
23 Dusk Auxiliary Light Relay
24 Ignition switch

Claims (4)

A twilight auxiliary light that illuminates a predetermined direction in front of the roadside,
An illuminance sensor for detecting the ambient illuminance;
When the outside illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is within a lighting illuminance range between a predetermined lighting upper limit illuminance and a lighting lower limit illuminance, the twilight auxiliary light is turned on, and when it is not within the lighting illuminance range, the twilight With a controller that performs automatic on / off control to turn off the auxiliary light,
Said controller when a change in the lighting lower illuminance or more states at least the lighting lower illuminance following conditions, when the time change of illuminance is a predetermined value or more rate of change to interrupt the automatic point off control, then, the lighting The twilight auxiliary light control device is characterized in that the automatic lighting on / off is not resumed unless it returns to below the lower limit illuminance again . A twilight auxiliary light that illuminates a predetermined direction in front of the roadside,
An illuminance sensor for detecting the ambient illuminance;
When the outside illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is within a lighting illuminance range between a predetermined lighting upper limit illuminance and a lighting lower limit illuminance, the twilight auxiliary light is turned on, and when it is not within the lighting illuminance range, the twilight With a controller that performs automatic on / off control to turn off the auxiliary light,
The controller interrupts automatic lighting-off control when the time change of illuminance is a change rate equal to or greater than a predetermined value when changing from a state of at least the lighting upper limit illuminance to a state of lower than the lighting upper limit illuminance , and then the lighting The twilight auxiliary light control device is characterized in that the automatic lighting on / off control is not resumed unless it returns to the upper limit illuminance or higher again . A twilight auxiliary light that illuminates a predetermined direction in front of the roadside,
An illuminance sensor for detecting the ambient illuminance;
The twilight auxiliary light is turned on when the ambient light intensity detected by the illuminance sensor is within a lighting illuminance range between a predetermined lighting upper limit illuminance and a lighting lower limit illuminance, and when it is not within the lighting illuminance range, the twilight assistance With a controller that performs automatic light-off control to turn off the light,
The controller controls the automatic on / off control based on the ambient illumination detected by the illumination sensor, so that the ambient illumination does not become a change rate of a predetermined value or more and the ambient illumination becomes equal to or less than the lighting upper limit illumination. After the auxiliary light is turned on once, if the ambient light illuminance falls below the lighting lower limit illuminance and the time change of illuminance does not change over the predetermined value , the automatic turn-off control is interrupted. Then, unless the condition for changing the ignition switch from the off state to the on state is satisfied thereafter, the automatic lighting on / off control is not resumed. Wherein the controller interrupts the automatic point off control, then the illuminance sensor according to claim 3, characterized in that to resume the automatic point off control when it detects a bright ambient illumination exceeds a predetermined value Twilight auxiliary light control device.

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