JP4539575B2 - Vehicle headlamp control device and vehicle headlamp control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform initialization processing of a headlight without leading a driver's line of sight even when a stepping motor for rotating the headlight during travelling of the vehicle steps out. <P>SOLUTION: When step-out of the stepping motor for rotating and driving the headlight of the vehicle is detected, the initialization processing for setting the headlight at a predetermined initialization position which is driven by the stepping motor whose step-out is detected is performed when a shift position of the vehicle is located at a reverse position, and after predetermined time has passed since the shift position has been set at the reverse position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a headlamp of a vehicle.

  Conventionally, in the AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting System), which is a technology for controlling the direction of headlamp illumination according to the steering angle of an automobile, to make the steering steering angle correspond to the headlamp illumination angle. A technique for performing an initialization process for setting a headlamp to an initial position when a vehicle is started is known (see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a method of rotating a headlamp until it hits a stopper when the vehicle is started, and setting a position rotated by a predetermined angle in the opposite direction from the hit position as an initial position. Yes.

JP 2004-106770 A

  However, in the conventional apparatus, since the initialization process is performed only once at the time of starting the vehicle, if the stepping motor that rotates the headlamp is stepped out while the vehicle is running, the headlamp There is a problem that the angle cannot be controlled to a desired angle.

  The vehicle headlamp control device and the vehicle headlamp control method according to the present invention detect the stepping motor out of step for rotating the headlamp and detect the driver's intention to reverse the vehicle. An initialization process is performed in which a headlamp driven by a stepping motor whose tone is detected is set to a predetermined initial position.

  According to the vehicle headlamp control device and the vehicle headlamp control method of the present invention, the driver's line of sight is guided even when a stepping motor that rotates the headlamp is out of step while the vehicle is running. Therefore, the initialization process of the headlamp can be performed.

-First embodiment-
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle headlamp control device according to a first embodiment. The vehicle headlamp control device in the first embodiment includes an ignition switch 1, a steering angle sensor 2, a vehicle speed sensor 3, a headlamp switch 4, a shift position sensor 5, a controller 100, a swivel Lamp actuators 10 and 16. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of swivel lamps (headlights) 14 and 20 controlled by the vehicle headlight control device according to the first embodiment.

  The steering angle sensor 2 detects the steering angle of the steering and outputs it to the controller 100. The vehicle speed sensor 3 detects the speed of the vehicle and outputs it to the controller 100. The headlight switch 4 is turned on when a headlight switch (not shown) provided near the steering is turned on by the driver. The shift position sensor 5 detects a shift position (gear position).

  FIG. 3 shows a swivel lamp actuator 10 for rotating the swivel lamp 14 on the left side of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the left swivel lamp 14) and the swivel lamp 20 on the right side (hereinafter referred to as the right swivel lamp 20). It is a figure which shows the structure of the swivel lamp actuator 16 for making it rotationally drive. The swivel lamp actuator 10 includes a stepping motor 11, a gear mechanism 12, and a position sensor 13.

  The configuration of the swivel lamp actuator 10 and the configuration of the swivel lamp actuator 16 are the same. In FIG. 3, the reference numerals of the respective parts constituting the swivel lamp actuator 16 are shown in parentheses. That is, the swivel lamp actuator 16 includes a stepping motor 17, a gear mechanism 18, and a position sensor 19. Hereinafter, the configuration of the swivel lamp actuator 10 will be described.

  The rotation output shaft of the stepping motor 11 is configured to mesh with the gear mechanism 12, and the rotation speed of the stepping motor 11 is reduced and transmitted to the swivel lamp 14. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a movable range of the swivel lamps 14 and 20. When the stepping motor 11 rotates in the clockwise direction (hereinafter referred to as the CW direction), the left swivel lamp 14 connected to the rotation output shaft of the swivel lamp actuator 10 moves from the outer side of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle, that is, Rotate right. Conversely, when the stepping motor 11 rotates counterclockwise (hereinafter referred to as the CCW direction), the left swivel lamp 14 rotates outward from the center direction of the vehicle, that is, leftward.

  When the stepping motor 17 rotates in the CW direction, the right swivel lamp 20 connected to the rotation output shaft of the swivel lamp actuator 16 rotates outward from the center direction of the vehicle, that is, in the right direction. Conversely, when the stepping motor 17 rotates in the CCW direction, the right swivel lamp 20 rotates from the outer side of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle, that is, leftward.

  The position sensor 13 is constituted by, for example, a hall sensor, and outputs a voltage value corresponding to the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 and the output voltage from the position sensor 13. As shown in FIG. 5, since the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 and the output voltage from the position sensor 13 are in a certain relationship, the left swivel lamp 14 is based on the voltage value output from the position sensor 13. Can be obtained.

  The stopper 15 is provided to restrict the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14. When the gear mechanism 12 or the left swivel lamp 14 is provided with a protrusion, and the gear mechanism 12 or the left swivel lamp 14 rotates to a certain angle, the protrusion and the stopper 15 interfere with each other, thereby restricting the rotation range of the left swivel lamp 14. The

  The controller 100 includes a microcomputer and its peripheral components, and includes a state transition determination unit 110, a target step number calculation unit 120, and a drive pulse generation unit 130 that are configured by a microcomputer software form. Details of processing performed by the state transition determination unit 110, the target step number calculation unit 120, and the drive pulse generation unit 130 will be described later. The controller 100 takes in signals from the ignition switch 1, the steering angle sensor 2, the vehicle speed sensor 3, the headlight switch 4, the shift position sensor 5, and the position sensors 13 and 19 every control cycle (for example, 10 ms). Then, a rotation drive signal is output to the stepping motors 11 and 17.

  An initialization process method for setting the swivel lamps 14 and 20 to the initial position will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a method for performing initialization processing of the right swivel lamp 20 will be described. The controller 100 transmits a command signal for rotating the right swivel lamp 20 in the vehicle center direction (left direction) to the swivel lamp actuator 16. The swivel lamp actuator 16 that has received this signal rotates the right swivel lamp 20 in the left direction by driving the stepping motor 17 in the CCW direction.

  When the right swivel lamp 20 is rotated to the stopper abutting position where the stopper 21 exists, the controller 100 specifies the position of the stopper 21 and then commands to rotate the right swivel lamp 20 in the vehicle outer direction (right direction). A signal is transmitted to the swivel lamp actuator 16. Upon receiving this signal, the swivel lamp actuator 16 rotates the right swivel lamp 20 in the right direction by rotating the stepping motor 17 in the CW direction. At this time, based on the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 input from the position sensor 19, the controller 100 rotates the swivel lamp actuator 16 when the right swivel lamp 20 rotates by a predetermined angle (for example, 1 deg) from the stopper abutting position. Send a stop command signal to. As shown in FIG. 6, this predetermined angle is an angle between the straight traveling direction of the vehicle and the direction in which the stopper 21 exists. The swivel lamp actuator 16 that has received this signal stops the stepping motor 17. As a result, the right swivel lamp 20 stops at a position where the direction of the optical axis is parallel to the straight traveling direction of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the control origin position).

  The same applies to the method for initializing the left swivel lamp 14. That is, when the left swivel lamp 14 is rotated in the vehicle center direction (right direction) and abutted against the stopper 15, the left swivel lamp 14 is stopped at a position rotated by a predetermined angle (for example, 1 deg) in the opposite direction (left direction). As a result, the left swivel lamp 14 stops at the control origin position.

  In the vehicle headlamp control device according to the first embodiment, four states are distinguished according to the drive control states of the swivel lamps 14 and 20. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating state transitions of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 according to the output voltages from the position sensors 13 and 19. When the ignition switch 1 is turned on, the above-described initialization process of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 is started. In the initialization process, a state in which the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are driven in the direction of the stoppers 15 and 21 is referred to as a state 1 (state transition number 1).

  Subsequently, a state in which processing for determining the positions of the stoppers 15 and 21 is performed based on outputs from the position sensors 13 and 19 is referred to as a state 2 (state transition number 2). In the state 1 and the state 2, the process of rotating the swivel lamps 14 and 20 in the direction of the stoppers 15 and 21 is continuously performed. When the positions of the stoppers 15 and 21 are determined in the state 2, the state is changed to the state 3 (state transition number 3), and the process of driving the swivel lamps 14 and 20 by a predetermined angle in the opposite direction is performed. State 4 (state transition number 4) is a state during normal control, and when the headlamp switch 4 is turned on, the angles of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are set according to the outputs of the steering angle sensor 2 and the vehicle speed sensor 3. Control.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing contents when transitioning from state 1 to state 2. Hereinafter, the state transition of the left swivel lamp 14 will be described, but the same applies to the state transition of the right swivel lamp 20. When the ignition switch 1 is turned on, the controller 100 starts the initialization process of the swivel lamp 14 as described above. That is, the swivel lamp 14 is driven in the direction of the stopper 15.

  The process started from step S10 is performed by the state transition determination unit 110 of the controller 100. When the ignition switch 1 is turned on, the state transition determination unit 110 starts the process of step S10. In step S10, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 detected by the position sensor 13 is less than a predetermined angle (for example, 1 deg). The angle detected by the position sensor 13 is positive in the vehicle outer direction (left direction) with reference to the vehicle straight direction. Similarly, the angle detected by the position sensor 19 is positive in the vehicle outward direction (right direction) with reference to the vehicle straight direction. If it is determined that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S20. In step S20, the value of “position sensor minimum value” used in the process described later is set to 1 deg, and the process returns to step S10.

  If it is determined in step S10 that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is less than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is smaller than the “position sensor minimum value”. If it is determined that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is smaller than the position sensor minimum value, the process proceeds to step S40. In step S40, the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is set to the value of “position sensor minimum value”, and the process returns to step S10.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S30 that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is equal to or greater than the “position sensor minimum value”, the process proceeds to step S50. In step S50, since it is considered that the left swivel lamp 14 has hit the stopper 15, the state of the left swivel lamp 13 is changed to state 2, and the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing contents when the state of the left swivel lamp 14 transitions from the state 2 to the state 3. When the process of step S50 in the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 8 is performed, the state transition determination unit 110 of the controller 100 starts the process of step S100. However, when the state of the left swivel lamp 14 transitions to the state 2, the controller 100 makes the driving speed of the stepping motor 11 slower than that in the state 1 (for example, from 1/2 to 1 of the driving speed in the state 1). / 10).

  In step S100, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is smaller than the “position sensor minimum value”. The position sensor minimum value is a value set in step S40 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 or a value set in step S110 described later. If it is determined that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is smaller than the “position sensor minimum value”, the process proceeds to step S110. In step S110, the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is set to the value of “position sensor minimum value”, and the process proceeds to step S120. In step S120, the counter value of the counter 110d provided in the state transition determination unit 110 is set to 0, and the process returns to step S100.

  If it is determined in step S100 that the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is equal to or greater than the “position sensor minimum value”, the process proceeds to step S130. In step S130, the counter value of the counter 110d is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to step S140. In step S140, it is determined whether or not the counter value of the counter 110d has reached 10. If it is determined that the counter value has not reached 10, the process returns to step S100.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S140 that the counter value of the counter 110d has reached 10, the process proceeds to step S150. In step S150, the state of the left swivel lamp 13 is set to state 3. That is, while the rotation angle detected by the position sensor 13 is decreasing, the detection angle is set to the “position sensor minimum value” value, and the detected angle does not fall below the “position sensor minimum value”. After 10 times, the state 2 changes to the state 3. In this case, the position of “position sensor minimum value” is specified as the position of the stopper 15. If the process of step S150 is performed, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 will be complete | finished.

  In state 3, as described above, the left swivel lamp 14 is driven by a predetermined angle in the opposite direction (the vehicle outer direction). When the left swivel lamp 14 is driven by a predetermined angle in the opposite direction, the state 4 is changed.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing performed when the state of the left swivel lamp 14 becomes state 4. When the state of the left swivel lamp 14 transitions to state 4, the state transition determination unit 110 of the controller 100 starts the process of step S200. In step S200, the estimated angle value of the left swivel lamp 14 is calculated by the following equation (1).
Estimated angle of left swivel lamp = actual number of steps x (resolution / gear ratio) (1)
However, the actual number of steps is the number of steps of the stepping motor 11 output from the drive pulse generation unit 130 of the controller 100. The resolution is the resolution of the stepping motor 11, and the gear ratio is the gear ratio of the gear mechanism 12.

If the angle estimated value of the left swivel lamp 14 is calculated in step S200, the process proceeds to step S210. In step S210, it is determined whether the relationship of following Formula (2) is materialized.
｜ Left swivel lamp actual angle−Left swivel lamp angle estimated value |> Predetermined value (2)
Here, the actual angle of the left swivel lamp is an angle detected by the position sensor 13.

  If the absolute value of the difference between the actual angle of the left swivel lamp detected by the position sensor 13 and the estimated angle of the left swivel lamp calculated in step S200 is greater than a predetermined value, the stepping motor 11 has stepped out. Determination is made and the process proceeds to step S220. On the other hand, when the absolute value of the difference between the two is equal to or less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the stepping motor 11 has not stepped out and normal control is performed. That is, when the headlamp switch 4 is turned on, the rotation angle of the left swivel lamp 14 is controlled based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 2 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3. .

  In step S220, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the shift position detected by the shift position sensor 5 is at the reverse position and the shift position is set at the reverse position. It should be noted that the predetermined time is set in advance by experimentally determining the time for starting the rear of the vehicle by using a rearview mirror (not shown) or visual inspection after the driver sets the shift position to the reverse position.

  When a signal indicating that the shift position is set to the reverse position is input from the shift position sensor 5, the timer 110 e provided in the state transition determination unit 110 starts measuring time. Accordingly, in step S220, it is determined whether or not the time measured by the timer 110e has passed a predetermined time. If the determination in step S220 is affirmed, the value of the timer 110e is reset, and the process proceeds to step S240. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S230.

  In step S230, it is determined whether or not the headlamp switch 4 is turned off. When the driver performs an operation for turning off the headlamps 14 and 20 and determines that the headlamp switch 4 is turned off, the process proceeds to step S240, and it is determined that the headlamp switch 4 is turned on. Then, the process returns to step S200.

  In step S240, the state of the left swivel lamp 14 is changed to state 1. That is, an initialization process for setting the swivel lamp 14 to the initial position is performed.

That is, when a step out of the stepping motor 11 for rotating the left swivel lamp 14 occurs, if any one of the following two conditions (a) or (b) is satisfied: The left swivel lamp 14 is initialized.
(A) A predetermined time has elapsed with the shift position set to the reverse position. (B) The headlamp is turned off.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing that is performed when the state of the right swivel lamp 20 becomes state 4. When the state of the right swivel lamp 20 transitions to the state 4, the state transition determination unit 110 of the controller 100 starts the process of step S300. In step S300, the estimated angle value of the right swivel lamp 20 is calculated by the following equation (3).
Angle estimate of right swivel lamp = actual number of steps x (resolution / gear ratio) (3)
However, the actual number of steps is the number of steps of the stepping motor 17 output from the drive pulse generation unit 130 of the controller 100. The resolution is the resolution of the stepping motor 17, and the gear ratio is the gear ratio of the gear mechanism 18.

If the angle estimated value of the right swivel lamp 20 is calculated in step S300, the process proceeds to step S310. In step S310, it is determined whether the relationship of following Formula (4) is materialized.
| Right swivel lamp actual angle-right swivel lamp angle estimated value |> predetermined value (4)
Here, the actual angle of the right swivel lamp is an angle detected by the position sensor 19.

  If the absolute value of the difference between the actual angle of the right swivel lamp detected by the position sensor 19 and the estimated angle of the right swivel lamp calculated in step S300 is greater than a predetermined value, the stepping motor 17 has stepped out. Determination is made and the process proceeds to step S320. On the other hand, when the absolute value of the difference between the two is equal to or less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the stepping motor 17 has not stepped out and normal control is performed. That is, when the headlamp switch 4 is turned on, the rotation angle of the right swivel lamp 20 is controlled based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 2 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3. To do.

  In step S320, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the shift position detected by the shift position sensor 5 is at the reverse position and the shift position is set at the reverse position. When a signal indicating that the shift position is set to the reverse position is input from the shift position sensor 5, the timer 110 e provided in the state transition determination unit 110 starts measuring time. Accordingly, in step S320, it is determined whether or not the time measured by the timer 110e has passed a predetermined time. If the determination in step S320 is affirmed, the value of the timer 110e is reset, and the process proceeds to step S340. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S330.

  In step S330, it is determined whether or not the headlamp switch 4 is turned off. When the driver performs an operation for turning off the headlamps 14 and 20 and determines that the headlamp switch 4 is turned off, the process proceeds to step S340, where it is determined that the headlamp switch 4 is turned on. Then, the process returns to step S300.

  In step S340, the state of the right swivel lamp 20 is changed to state 1. That is, an initialization process for setting the right swivel lamp 20 to the initial position is performed. That is, even when step out of the stepping motor 17 for rotating the right swivel lamp 20 occurs, if any one of the two conditions (a) or (b) is satisfied, The right swivel lamp 20 is initialized.

The target step number calculation unit 120 of the controller 100 takes in the state transition number output from the state transition determination unit 110, the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 2, and the vehicle speed signal detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3. The target number of steps of the stepping motors 11 and 17 is calculated. However, the target step number calculation unit 120 does not calculate the target step number when the state transition number is 1 to 3, but calculates the target step number when the state transition number is 4. Specifically, first, the optimum swivel angle for the driver is determined according to the steering angle and the vehicle speed, and the target step number is calculated from the following equation (5).
Target step number = target swivel angle / (resolution / gear ratio) (5)
However, the resolution is the resolution of the stepping motors 11 and 17, and the gear ratio is the gear ratio of the gear mechanisms 12 and 18.

  The drive pulse generation unit 130 of the controller 100 drives the drive pulses of the stepping motors 11 and 17 based on the state transition number output from the state transition determination unit 110 and the target step number calculated by the target step number calculation unit 120. Is generated.

  When the state transition number is 1, an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 11 is driven in the CW direction, and an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 17 is driven in the CCW direction. The output pulse at this time is a high frequency (for example, 400 PPS [PPS: Pulse per Second]).

  When the state transition number is 2, an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 11 is driven in the CW direction, and an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 17 is driven in the CCW direction. However, the output pulse at this time is set to a low frequency (for example, 20 PPS) so that the driving speed of the stepping motors 11 and 17 is slower than the driving speed in the state 1.

  When the state transition number is 3, an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 11 is driven in the CCW direction, and an output pulse is generated so that the stepping motor 17 is driven in the CW direction. The output pulse at this time is a high frequency (for example, 400 PPS).

When the state transition number is 4, an output pulse is generated by comparing the target step number with the current actual step number. The output pulse of the stepping motor 11 is generated as follows.
Target step number> Current actual step number: Output pulse is generated so as to drive in the CCW direction.Target step number <Current actual step number: Output pulse is generated so as to be driven in the CW direction. The output pulse is generated as follows.
・ Target step number> Current actual step number: Generate output pulse to drive in CW direction ・ Target step number <Current actual step number: Generate output pulse to drive in CCW direction

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the timing for performing the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 and the change in the angle of the left swivel lamp 14 when the stepping motor 11 on the left side has stepped out. When the left stepping motor 11 steps out at the timing of FIG. 12 (a), the left swivel lamp 14 is initialized at the timing (b) when a predetermined time elapses with the shift position set to the reverse position. Start processing. That is, when the driver is gazing at the rear of the vehicle, an initialization process for rotating the left swivel lamp 14 in the right direction is performed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver's line of sight from being guided by the movement of the left swivel lamp 14 that is performing the initialization process, thereby affecting the driving of the driver.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the timing for performing the initialization process for the right swivel lamp 20 and the change in the angle of the right swivel lamp 20 when the stepping motor 17 on the right side has stepped out. When the stepping motor 17 on the right side is stepped out at the timing shown in FIG. 13A, the right swivel lamp 20 is initialized at the timing (b) when a predetermined time elapses with the shift position set to the reverse position. Start processing. That is, when the driver is gazing at the rear of the vehicle, an initialization process for rotating the right swivel lamp 20 leftward is performed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver's line of sight from being guided by the movement of the right swivel lamp 20 that is performing the initialization process and affecting the driving of the driver.

  FIG. 14 shows the change in the angle of the right swivel lamp 20 when the right swivel lamp 20 is initialized based on the on / off state of the headlamp switch 4 when the right stepping motor 17 is stepped out. FIG. When the stepping motor 17 steps out at the timing shown in FIG. 14 (a), the initialization process for the right swivel lamp 20 is started at the timing (b) when the headlamp switch 4 is turned off. By performing the initialization process when the headlamp is turned off, it is possible to prevent the driver's line of sight from being guided by the movement of the right swivel lamp 20 performing the initialization process and affecting the driving of the driver. Can do.

  In addition, although FIG. 14 demonstrated the case where the initialization process of the right swivel lamp 20 was performed, it is the same also when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp 14 is performed.

  According to the vehicle headlamp control apparatus in the first embodiment, when the stepping motors 11 and 17 for rotating the vehicle headlamps 14 and 20 are detected, the vehicle shift position is reversed. When a predetermined time elapses after the shift position is set to the reverse position and the shift position is set to the reverse position, an initialization process is performed to set the headlamp driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out is detected to the predetermined initial position. . Thereby, even when the stepping motor that rotates the headlamp is out of step while the vehicle is traveling, the initialization process of the headlamp can be performed. In addition, the headlamp initialization process is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the shift position is set to the reverse position, that is, when the driver is gazing at the rear of the vehicle. It is possible to prevent the driver's line of sight from being guided by the rotation operation.

  Further, according to the vehicle headlamp control device in the first embodiment, when the stepping motors 11 and 17 for rotating the vehicle headlamps 14 and 20 are detected, the headlamp 14 is detected. , 20 is turned off, an initialization process is performed to set the headlamp driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out has been detected to a predetermined initial position. Thereby, even when the stepping motor that rotates the headlamp is out of step while the vehicle is traveling, the initialization process of the headlamp can be performed. In addition, since the headlamp initialization process is performed when the headlamps 14 and 20 are off, it is possible to prevent the driver's line of sight from being guided by the rotation operation of the headlamp during the initialization process. Can do.

-Second Embodiment-
In the vehicular headlamp control apparatus according to the first embodiment, when the stepping motors 11 and 17 for driving the headlamps 14 and 20 to rotate are detected, the shift position is set to the reverse position. When a predetermined time elapses in the state where the headlamps 14 and 20 are turned off, the initialization processing of the headlamps driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out is detected is performed. In the vehicle headlamp control apparatus according to the second embodiment, when the stepping motors 11 and 17 are detected to be out of step, the shift position is set to the reverse position and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, or When the headlamps 14 and 20 are turned off, initialization processing of the headlamps driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out is detected is performed.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle headlamp control device according to the second embodiment. The vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 is input to the state transition determination unit 110a of the controller 100a.

  The processing that is performed when the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are in the states 1 to 3 is the same as that in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following, processing contents performed when the swivel lamps 14 and 20 are in the state 4 will be described.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing performed when the state of the left swivel lamp 14 becomes state 4 in the vehicle headlamp control apparatus according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 16, steps that perform the same processes as those in the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  When the state of the left swivel lamp 14 transitions to state 4, the state transition determination unit 110a of the controller 100a starts the process of step S200. The processing in step S200 and step S210 is the same as the processing in step S200 and step S210 in the flowchart shown in FIG. If the determination in step S210 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S400.

  In step S400, it is determined whether or not the shift position detected by the shift position sensor 5 is in the reverse position and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed. The predetermined vehicle speed is set in advance by experimentally determining a vehicle speed that is considered to be confirmed by the driver using the rearview mirror (not shown) or visual inspection when the vehicle is moving backward.

  If the determination in step S400 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S240, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S230. Steps S230 and S240 are the same as steps S230 and S240 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a change in the angle of the left swivel lamp 14 when the left swivel lamp 14 is initialized based on the shift position and the vehicle speed when the left stepping motor 11 steps out. . When the left stepping motor 11 steps out at the timing shown in FIG. 17A, the left swivel lamp 14 is set at the timing (b) when the shift position is set to the reverse position and the vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed. Start the initialization process. That is, when the driver is gazing at the rear of the vehicle, an initialization process for rotating the left swivel lamp 14 in the right direction is performed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver's line of sight from being guided by the movement of the left swivel lamp 14 that is performing the initialization process, thereby affecting the driving of the driver. The same applies to the case where the right stepping motor 17 is stepped out and the right swivel lamp 20 is initialized.

  According to the vehicle headlamp control apparatus in the second embodiment, when the stepping motors 11 and 17 for rotating the vehicle headlamps 14 and 20 are detected, the shift position of the vehicle is reversed. When the vehicle is in the position and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, an initialization process is performed to set the headlamp driven by the stepping motor in which the step-out has been detected to a predetermined initial position. Thereby, even when the stepping motor that rotates the headlamp is out of step while the vehicle is traveling, the initialization process of the headlamp can be performed. Also, when the shift position is set to the reverse position and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, that is, when the driver is gazing at the rear of the vehicle, the headlamp initialization process is performed. It is possible to prevent the driver's line of sight from being guided by the rotating operation of the headlamp.

  The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above. For example, in the state of state transition number 1 when performing the initialization process, when the rotation angle of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 performing the initialization process decreases and the swivel lamps 14 and 20 approach the stoppers 15 and 21. The rotational speed of the swivel lamps 14 and 20 can be reduced. According to this method, since the amount of rebound when swivel lamps 14 and 20 hit stoppers 15 and 21 can be reduced, the accuracy of stopping swivel lamps 14 and 20 at the control origin position can be improved. .

  In the first embodiment, when stepping motor step-out is detected, swivel lamp initialization processing is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed with the shift position set to the reverse position. If the shift position is set to the reverse position without performing the above measurement, the swivel lamp initialization process may be performed. That is, when stepping motor step-out is detected, if the driver's intention to reverse the vehicle is detected, if the headlamp initialization process is performed, the headlamp initialization process is performed without guiding the driver's line of sight. It can be carried out.

  Further, when the stepping motor step-out is detected, the swivel lamp initialization process may be performed when the shift position is in the reverse position and the headlamp is turned off. According to this method, the gaze guidance of the driver can be more reliably prevented when performing the initialization process of the headlamp.

  The correspondence between the constituent elements of the claims and the constituent elements of the first and second embodiments is as follows. That is, the controller 100 is a step-out detecting means, the shift position sensor 5 is a vehicle reverse intention detecting means and a shift position detecting means, the timer 110e is a time measuring means, and the controller 100 and the swivel lamp actuators 10 and 16 are initialization processing means. The vehicle speed sensor 3 constitutes vehicle speed detection means, and the controller 100 and the headlight switch 4 constitute extinction detection means. In addition, the above description is an example to the last, and when interpreting invention, it is not limited to the correspondence of the component of said embodiment and the component of this invention at all.

The figure which shows the structure of the vehicle headlamp control apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the swivel lamp controlled by the vehicle headlamp control apparatus in 1st Embodiment. Diagram showing the configuration of the swivel lamp actuator Diagram showing the movable range of the swivel lamp The figure which shows an example of the relationship between the rotation angle of a left swivel lamp, and the output voltage from a position sensor. The figure for demonstrating the method of the initialization process which sets a swivel lamp to an initial position The figure which shows the state transition of the swivel lamp according to the output voltage from a position sensor The flowchart which shows the processing content when the state of a left swivel lamp changes from state 1 to state 2 The flowchart which shows the processing content when the state of a left swivel lamp changes from the state 2 to the state 3 The flowchart which shows the processing content performed when the state of a left swivel lamp will be in state 4 The flowchart which shows the processing content performed when the state of a right swivel lamp will be in state 4 The figure which shows the timing which performs the initialization process of the left swivel lamp, and the angle change of the left swivel lamp when the stepping motor on the left side occurs The figure which shows the timing which performs initialization processing of the right swivel lamp, and the angle change of the right swivel lamp when the stepping motor on the right side has stepped out The figure which shows the angle change of the right swivel lamp at the time of performing the initialization process of a right swivel lamp based on ON / OFF of a headlamp switch when the stepping motor of a right side step out occurs The figure which shows the structure of the vehicle headlamp control apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the processing content performed when the state of a left swivel lamp will be in the state 4 in the vehicle headlamp control apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the angle change of the left swivel lamp when the initialization process of the left swivel lamp is performed based on the shift position and the vehicle speed when the stepping motor on the left side occurs.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ignition switch, 2 ... Steering angle sensor, 3 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 4 ... Headlight switch, 5 ... Shift position sensor, 10, 16 ... Swivel lamp actuator, 11, 17 ... Stepping motor, 12, 18 ... Gear mechanism , 13, 19 ... position sensor, 14, 20 ... swivel lamp, 15, 21 ... stopper, 100 ... controller, 110 ... state transition determination unit, 110d ... counter, 110e ... timer, 120 ... target step number calculation unit, 130 ... Drive pulse generator

Claims (6)

In the vehicle headlamp control device for rotating the headlamp according to the traveling direction of the vehicle,
A step-out detection means for detecting step-out of a stepping motor for rotating and driving a vehicle headlamp;
Vehicle reverse intention detection means for detecting the driver's intention to reverse the vehicle;
When the step-out detection means detects the step-out of the stepping motor, and the vehicle reverse intention detection means detects the driver's intention to reverse the vehicle, the step-out motor is driven by the step-out motor detected. An automotive headlamp control device comprising: initialization processing means for performing initialization processing for setting the headlamp to be set at a predetermined initial position. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 1,
It further comprises shift position detecting means for detecting the shift position of the vehicle,
The vehicle backward intention detection means determines that the driver has an intention to reverse the vehicle when the shift position detected by the shift position detection means is a reverse position. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 2,
It further comprises a time measuring means for measuring time,
When the step-out detection unit detects the stepping motor step-out, the initialization processing unit detects that the shift position detected by the shift position detection unit is in the reverse position, and the shift position is in the reverse position. The vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 1, wherein the initialization process is performed when a predetermined time elapses after the time set by the time measuring means is set. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 2,
Vehicle speed detection means for detecting the speed of the vehicle;
When the step-out detection unit detects the stepping motor step-out, the initialization processing unit detects that the shift position detected by the shift position detection unit is in the reverse position and is detected by the vehicle speed detection unit. The vehicle headlamp control device, wherein the initialization process is performed when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed. In the vehicle headlamp control device according to claim 2,
It further comprises an extinguishing detection means for detecting that the headlamp is extinguished,
When the stepping motor step-out is detected by the step-out detection unit, the initialization processing unit has a shift position detected by the shift position detection unit in a reverse position, and the light extinction detection unit A vehicular headlamp control device that performs the initialization process when it is detected that the headlamp is turned off. In the vehicle headlamp control method for rotating the headlamp according to the traveling direction of the vehicle,
When stepping motor out-of-step for rotating the vehicle headlamp is detected, when the driver's intention to reverse the vehicle is detected, the headlamp driven by the stepping motor in which step-out is detected is A vehicle headlamp control method characterized by performing an initialization process for setting the position.

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