JP3914410B2 - Luminous method for self-luminous gaze guidance device and self-luminous gaze guidance device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a light-emitting method and a self-luminous line-of-sight guidance apparatus that is installed around a road and has excellent visibility when a visibility disorder occurs, particularly when fog occurs.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The line-of-sight guidance device is more recognizable and more effective in prompting the user to guide the line of sight actively as a light-emitting type than the one with a retroreflector on the front to increase the visibility by reflected light. It can contribute to traffic safety. However, at night, when a phenomenon that causes visibility problems such as heavy rain, fog, or snowfall occurs, light from the light emitter is blocked by particles such as water droplets, fog, and snow particles, making it difficult to see the light emitted from the light emitting part. The function as a line-of-sight guidance device may be impaired. In particular, fog has many water vapor particles that are much smaller than water droplets or snow particles, and it causes irregular reflection when exposed to light rays, so it is difficult to improve visibility with the light from vehicle headlights and light emitters. It is.
[0003]
Therefore, by detecting the occurrence of visibility problems such as heavy rain, fog, and snowfall with a sensor and judging the surrounding situation, and adjusting the brightness of the light emitter based on that judgment, the effect of gaze guidance when visibility is poor Japanese Patent Application No. 11-237606 proposed by the present applicant has been proposed.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the method of adjusting the brightness of the luminous body when visibility is impaired, the brightness is compensated by improving the brightness during heavy rains and snowfalls by improving the brightness of light rays that are blocked by particles such as water droplets and snow particles. However, even if the brightness of the light-emitting part is improved when fog is generated, it is diffusely reflected by hitting the water vapor particles as described above, so that only the light-emitting part is illuminated, so that only a so-called light wall is formed from the light-emitting part. In many cases, it is impossible to transmit light to the road user through the fog, which cannot be improved in visibility.
[0005]
Therefore, the present invention is to provide a light emitting method and a self-luminous gaze guidance device for a self-luminous gaze guidance device that is excellent in visibility when a visibility disorder occurs, particularly when fog occurs.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a result of earnest research, the inventors have paid attention to the fact that the fog is thin near the surface of the earth when fog occurs, and the degree of loss of light transmission is small and applied to the light emission method of the line-of-sight guidance device having the light emitting part. The present invention has been completed.
[0007]
In other words, the self-light-emitting type that adjusts the light emission of the light-emitting unit by the light-emission adjusting means according to the surrounding conditions detected by the brightness sensor that distinguishes day and night and the weather detection sensor that detects the occurrence of visibility disturbance such as snowfall and fog The light-emitting method of the line-of-sight guidance device, wherein the light-emitting unit is a light emitter near the ground surface provided at a height of 0 to 30 cm from the ground surface, and a relatively high position provided at a height of 1 to 3 m from the ground surface. and a light emitter, when the weather detection sensor detects the occurrence of visibility impairment by fog, with the light emission adjusting means for instructing the light emission in the light emitting body provided near the earth table, the emitters of relatively high position It is characterized by not emitting light .
[0008]
By detecting fog with a weather detection sensor and emitting light near the surface where light transmission is not significantly impaired when the fog is detected, the light from the light emitting unit is lightly fogged even when fog occurs. Visibility can reach the road user and ensure visibility.
[0009]
The light emitted from the light emitting portion near the ground surface or near the ground surface may be emitted at the time of fog generation, or may be emitted at times other than the time of fog generation, and the light emission luminance may be increased from the time of fog generation. The light emitting section is not particularly limited, and may be a xenon tube, electroluminescence, or the like, but it is preferable to use a light emitting diode having a long life and high light directivity as a light source.
[0010]
The weather detection sensor is not particularly limited in its detection method, and may be one described in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-237606 by the present applicant, but is composed of an infrared light emitting unit, an infrared light receiving unit, and a signal processing unit. Infrared light is emitted from the infrared light emitting unit toward the fog, and the infrared light reflected by the snowfall and / or fog is received by the infrared light receiving unit, and the intensity of the infrared light received by the infrared light receiving unit by the signal processing unit is determined. What detects snowfall and / or fog on the basis of power consumption is small, the detector is also small, and is preferable when it is added to a road incidental facility.
[0011]
The light emission adjusting means according to the present invention includes a light emission luminance adjusting circuit for adjusting the luminance of the light emitting unit, a light emitting part adjusting circuit for adjusting a part for causing the light emitting part to emit light, and a light emission on / off circuit for turning on and off the light emission of the light emitting part. It may consist of. By providing a light emission luminance adjustment circuit in addition to the light emission site adjustment circuit, it is possible to adjust the light emission of the light emitter more finely in accordance with the degree of visibility failure.
[0012]
It is preferable that the light emitting unit emits light with a luminance equivalent to that when the weather detection sensor detects the occurrence of fog when the visibility is not impaired. Near the ground surface, the fog is thin and the degree of visibility hindrance is small, so if you increase the brightness too much, you will feel dazzled.In addition, even if you emit light with high brightness towards the fog, you can expect much improvement in visibility due to diffuse reflection Can not.
[0013]
In addition, the light emitting unit may have a small light diffusion angle when the weather detection sensor detects the occurrence of fog. By reducing the light diffusion angle, the range in which light rays are irregularly reflected is reduced, and visibility is improved.
[0014]
Moreover, the light-emitting method of the self-luminous gaze guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is a self-luminous type comprising a weather detection sensor, a light-emitting unit provided at least near the ground surface, and a light-emission adjusting means. The present invention is suitably applied to a line-of-sight guidance device.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the process of the self-luminous gaze guidance device according to the present invention. First, the brightness sensor 13 detects ambient brightness, and the day / night discrimination circuit 14 recognizes day and night. In addition, the weather sensor 11 provided as the weather detection sensor 1 and the snow / fog detection circuit 12 detect the presence and degree of surrounding snow and fog, and transmit the recognized information to the light emission adjusting means 2 together with day and night recognition. .
[0017]
Based on the recognition by the day / night discrimination circuit 14 and the snow / fog detection circuit 12, the light emission luminance adjustment circuit 21 determines and indicates the luminance of the light emitting unit 3, and then the light emission region adjustment circuit 22 is also the day / night discrimination circuit. 14 and the part of the light emitting unit 3 that emits light based on the recognition by the snowfall / fog detection circuit 12 are determined and instructed. Light emission on / off circuits 23a and 23b corresponding to the respective light emitters are provided for the light emitting unit 3 including the light emitter 31 at a relatively high position and the light emitter 32 near the ground surface. By turning on and off, the light emitter 31 at a relatively high position and the light emitter 32 near the ground surface are caused to emit light or be turned off.
[0018]
The light emitting body 31 at a relatively high position is preferably provided at a surface height slightly higher than the line of sight of the driver of the vehicle, and is preferably provided at a height of 1 to 3 m from the ground surface. Further, the light emitter 32 near the ground surface is preferably provided at a height of about 0 to 30 cm from the ground surface, and may be embedded in the road surface.
[0019]
In the present embodiment, the light emission site adjustment circuit 22 is provided separately from the light emission on / off circuits 23a and 23b. However, the light emission site adjustment circuit 22 and the light emission on / off circuit 23 serve as two light emitters 31 and 32, respectively. A circuit may be provided to turn the light emitting unit 3 on and off based on recognition by the day / night discrimination circuit 14 and the snowfall / fog detection circuit 12. Alternatively, the light emission brightness adjustment circuit 21 may be provided for each of the two light emitters, and the brightness of the two light emitters 31 and 32 may be separately indicated.
[0020]
Further, as a modification of the embodiment, the light emission adjusting means is further provided with a light diffusion angle indicating circuit, and the light emitter 32 near the ground surface is provided with a light diffusion angle adjusting means, so that the snowfall / fog detection circuit 12 detects a visibility failure due to fog. Sometimes, the light diffusion angle of the light emitting unit may be reduced. By reducing the light diffusion angle, the light is concentrated at a place necessary for visual recognition, the brightness of the light is increased, the visual recognition is facilitated, and irregular reflection in the surroundings can be reduced, thereby further improving the visibility.
[0021]
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the light emitting part and the light emission luminance of the light emitting part during the daytime and nighttime and the visibility trouble according to the present invention. In the normal daytime when visibility is not impaired, the light emitting unit does not need to emit light. However, it is necessary to emit light to improve visibility when visibility is disturbed due to snowfall in the daytime.In that case, since the ambient illuminance is high in the daytime, the light-emitting part shows a difference in contrast with the surroundings. In order to improve the visibility, it emits light with high luminance.
[0022]
In addition, when fog occurs in the daytime, the light emitting part at a high position is difficult to see the difference in contrast with the surroundings, and there is also irregular reflection due to water vapor particles, so it is difficult to visually recognize even if it emits light with high brightness. Does not emit light. The light emitting unit near the ground surface emits light because it is not affected by the visibility hindrance due to fog, but emits light with high luminance in order to provide a difference in contrast with the surroundings.
[0023]
At night, the line-of-sight guidance device cannot be seen due to darkness even in normal times, but visibility can be ensured by causing the light emitting portion to emit light. At the time when visibility is not impaired, high visibility is ensured by the difference in contrast with the surroundings in the dark, even if the luminance of the light emitting unit is low. In this figure, both the high position and near the ground surface are normally lit, but only one of them may be lit.
[0024]
At the time of snowfall, the light amount from the light emitting unit is blocked by the snow particles, so that the amount of light is reduced. Therefore, the light emitting unit emits light with high brightness in order to compensate for it. At the time of visibility hindrance due to fog, the light emitting part at a high position is hidden by the fog and thus does not emit light, and only the light emitting part near the ground surface emits light. In addition, the light emitting part near the ground surface is dazzled by the driver when the luminance is too high, so that the light emitting unit emits light with the same luminance as normal.
[0025]
FIG. 3 shows an outline of a road to which the present invention is applied and a self-luminous gaze guidance device provided on the side edge of the road. A curb E is provided on the edge of the curved road R. There is a sidewalk H across E, and a fence F is installed on the outer edge. On the curb E, an arrow light emitting plate 30a and a light emitting roadway 30b, which are self-luminous gaze guidance devices, are provided. In road curves, it is necessary to reliably guide the driver's line of sight, especially at night, and the light-emitting line-of-sight guidance device is suitably used in such a place.
[0026]
Regardless of light-emitting type or non-light-emitting type, it is easy for the driver to see the line-of-sight guidance device because it is installed at a position slightly higher than the driver's line of sight. It is easier for the driver to visually recognize the light emitting part at a relatively high position like the plate 30a. The arrow light emitting plate 30a is composed of a light emitter 31 composed of a plurality of light emitting diodes, a plate 30a1 to which a light emitting unit is attached, and a column 30a2 that supports them.
[0027]
However, when fog is generated, the arrow light-emitting plate 30a is hidden by the fog and becomes difficult to see from the driver, and naturally, the light emitter 31 is also difficult to see. However, since the fog is thin near the ground surface, light is transmitted through the vicinity of the ground surface where the mist is thin by making the illuminant 32 of the light-emitting road fence 30b installed near the ground surface to be visible to the driver. The visibility can be ensured. The light-emitting roadway 30b may be provided directly on the side surface of the curb E or the surface of the road R as well as the upper part of the curb E as long as it is near the ground surface.
[0028]
FIG. 4 is a side view showing an embodiment according to the present invention, and in the vicinity of the road R on which the vehicle C travels, on the arrow illuminant 30a and the curb E, as shown in FIG. A light-emitting road fence 30b is installed at. In addition, a weather detection sensor 1 is provided in the vicinity of the road R, and in addition to the weather sensor 11, a brightness sensor 13 that is an illuminometer is provided together with the weather detection sensor. A snowfall / fog detection circuit 12 (not shown) and a day / night discrimination circuit 14 (not shown) are incorporated in the weather sensor 11 and the brightness sensor 13, respectively. Based on the information obtained by the weather sensor 11 and the brightness sensor 13, the light emitter 31 at a relatively high position provided on the arrow light emitter 30a and the light emitter 32 near the ground surface provided on the light emitting roadway 30b are As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, light emission and extinction are performed.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
By detecting fog with a weather detection sensor and emitting light near the surface where light transmission is not significantly impaired when the fog is detected, the light from the light emitting unit is lightly fogged even when fog occurs. Visibility can reach the road user and ensure visibility.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a process of operation of a self-luminous gaze guidance device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a table showing an embodiment of the light emitting part and the light emission luminance of the light emitting unit at daytime and nighttime and when visibility is impaired, according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing an embodiment according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Weather detection sensor 11 Weather sensor 12 Snowfall / fog detector 13 Brightness sensor 14 Day / night discrimination circuit 2 Light emission adjustment means 21 Light emission brightness adjustment circuit 22 Light emission part adjustment circuits 23a and 23b Light emission on / off circuit 3 Light emission part 31 Light emitting part 31 Luminous body 32 Luminous body 30a near the surface Arrow luminous body 30b Luminous road fence R Road E Curb H Sidewalk C Vehicle

Claims (6)

Self-luminous gaze guidance that adjusts the light emission of the light emitting part by the light emission adjusting means according to the surrounding situation detected by the brightness sensor that distinguishes day and night and the weather detection sensor that detects visibility failure such as snowfall and fog In the light emitting method of the apparatus, the light emitting part includes a light emitter near the ground surface provided at a height of 0 to 30 cm from the ground surface, and light emission at a relatively high position provided at a height of 1 to 3 m from the ground surface. and a body, when the weather detection sensor detects the occurrence of visibility impairment by fog, the light emission adjusting means instructs the light emission in the light emitting body provided near the ground table, not the light emitting element of a relatively high position emission method of self-luminous type eye induction apparatus, characterized in that the way.   The weather detection sensor includes an infrared light emitting unit, an infrared light receiving unit, and a signal processing unit. The infrared light is emitted from the infrared light emitting unit toward snow and / or fog, and the infrared light reflected by the snow and / or fog is reflected by the infrared light receiving unit. 2. The light emitting method for a self-luminous gaze guidance device according to claim 1, wherein snowfall and / or fog is detected based on the intensity of infrared light received by the infrared light receiving unit by the signal processing unit. .   The light emission adjusting means comprises a light emission luminance adjusting circuit for adjusting the luminance of the light emitting unit, a light emitting part adjusting circuit for adjusting a part for causing the light emitting part to emit light, and a light emission on / off circuit for turning on / off the light emission of the light emitting part. The light-emitting method of the self-luminous gaze guidance device according to claim 1 or 2.   The light-emitting method of the self-luminous gaze guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light-emitting section has a light diffusion angle that is small when the weather detection sensor detects the occurrence of fog.   5. The light emitting unit emits light with a luminance equivalent to that when the weather detection sensor detects the occurrence of fog with a luminance that is not when a visibility failure occurs. 6. Method of self-luminous gaze guidance device.   A self-luminous line-of-sight comprising a weather detection sensor, a light-emitting section, and a light-emission adjusting means, wherein the light-emitting section emits light by the light-emitting method of the self-luminous line-of-sight guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Guidance device.

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