JP5369738B2 - Auto light control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic light control device which prevents lights of a vehicle from being kept lighted unnecessarily and avoids the wasteful power consumption of a battery. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic light control device, which automatically switches on or off the lights of a vehicle according to illuminance around the vehicle, includes: a changeover means, which changes over the on/off of the lights; a sitting detection means, which detects that a driver sits on the driver's seat of the vehicle; an obstacle detection means, which detects an obstacle in front of the vehicle; and a control means, which controls the changeover means based on a detection result of the sitting detection means and the obstacle detection means. When a drive source is stopped for parking the vehicle in a state that the lights are switched on by the changeover means, the control means controls the changeover means so as to switch off the lights when the sitting of the driver is detected by the sitting detection means and if the presence of an obstacle in front of the vehicle is detected by the obstacle detection means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic light control device, and is particularly suitable for application to an automatic light control device that automatically turns off a light when a vehicle stops.

  In recent years, various devices have been proposed and implemented for driving assistance for vehicle drivers. For example, when a vehicle passes through a tunnel or the like, the headlight, which is a light, is automatically turned on if the vehicle enters the tunnel and the surrounding environment is darker than a predetermined value in terms of illuminance. One example is an auto light control device that turns off the headlight when the vehicle leaves the tunnel and the environment becomes brighter than a predetermined value in terms of illuminance.

  Here, as the lights, headlights, fog lights, small lamps and other headlights that illuminate the front of the vehicle, and lights behind the vehicle such as number lights and taillights that are turned on / off in conjunction with the small lamps are used. In general, these will be used appropriately according to the context. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  Here, a general auto light control device includes, for example, a light switch, an illuminance sensor, a control unit, and a light relay for driving light, and the control unit includes an engine, a motor, and the like that are driving sources. Are connected to an ignition switch for starting and stopping the vehicle and a door switch (so-called door courtesy) of the driver's seat.

  The light switch automatically switches the small lamp switch position for turning on the small lamp, tail lamp and number lamp, the headlight switch position for turning on the headlight, and turning on and off the small light and headlight. Auto switch position to set to perform and off position to turn off all lights, in addition to the normal light "ON" (lighted) and "OFF" (lights off) position "AUTO" It has been provided.

  In the illuminance sensor, in many cases, a photo diode is used as a detection element, and the illuminance brightness in the environment outside the vehicle (that is, around the vehicle) is obtained by housing the diode in a case and installing it on a dashboard, for example. Is supposed to be detected. Further, an optical filter and a sensitivity adjustment ring are attached to the case containing the photo diode, and the detection sensitivity is adjusted by adjusting the amount of incident light to the photo diode by the sensitivity adjustment ring.

  The control unit includes a comparator circuit and an automatic turn-off circuit. The comparator circuit includes a comparator circuit for detecting twilight and a comparator circuit for detecting nighttime, and each comparator circuit is connected to an illuminance detection sensor. The output of each comparator circuit is connected to the base of the switching transistor, and the collector terminal of each switching transistor connected to the comparator circuit is connected to the light relay.

  The emitter terminal of each switching transistor is grounded via the auto switch position of the light switch, and when the light switch is set to the auto switch position, the switching transistor is grounded and is activated, and the light relay is driven. It is like that.

  That is, when the surroundings become dark and the output of the illuminance sensor falls below a predetermined reference value (hereinafter referred to as a reference value) preset in the comparator circuit for twilight detection, the comparator circuit for twilight detection is small. The light relay for driving the light is activated to turn on the small light. Furthermore, when the surroundings become dark and the output of the illuminance sensor falls below the reference value set in the nighttime detection comparator circuit, the nighttime detection comparator circuit activates the headlight drive light relay to turn off the headlight. Light. Conversely, when the surroundings become bright and the detection output of the illuminance sensor exceeds the reference value for turning on the small light and the headlight, each comparator circuit stops the operation of the light relay and turns off.

  On the other hand, the automatic light-off circuit is a logic circuit using, for example, an RS flip-flop circuit, and a driver's seat door switch and an ignition switch are connected to the RS input of the RS flip-flop circuit, respectively. Also, the ~ Q output of the RS flip-flop circuit is connected to a power switching transistor that supplies power from the battery to the comparator circuit, and the power switching transistor is turned on and off according to a predetermined truth table. "

  That is, when the door is closed and the ignition switch is turned "ON", the R and S inputs of the RS flip-flop circuit are both "H", so that the -Q output is L and the power transistor is "ON" The power is supplied to the comparator circuit, and the light can be turned on automatically.

  When the vehicle is stopped and the ignition switch is turned “OFF”, “L” is inputted to the S input of the RS flip-flop circuit, but the light relay driving transistor is “ON”. Therefore, “L” is input to the R input, and the ˜Q output of the RS flip-flop circuit is held in the “L” state and held in the automatic lighting state. At this time, when the door is opened, “H” is input to the R input of the RS flip-flop circuit, and the ˜Q output of the RS flip-flop circuit is inverted to become “H”. For this reason, the power transistor is turned “OFF”, the supply of power to the comparator circuit is stopped, and the light is automatically turned off to prevent the light from being kept on during parking.

  Now, in such an automatic light control device, in addition to the basic operation of turning on the light simply because the surroundings of the vehicle have become darker due to further evolution in recent years, and turning off the light because it has become brighter, When the vehicle is temporarily stopped, the headlights are automatically turned off, and when driving again, the headlights are turned on, reducing the burden caused by the driver turning on and off the lights, A device that prevents wear of the light switch due to the turning on / off operation has also been devised (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  Also, when the vehicle is stopped, the headlights are automatically turned off, while the headlights are not automatically turned off when the vehicle is stopped, such as waiting for a signal at an intersection or waiting for a right turn. There is also an apparatus that prohibits automatic light extinction (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  Furthermore, when the vehicle stops from behind at the place where the other vehicle is stopped in front of the host vehicle, the headlight is automatically turned off, and then the headlight is automatically turned off when starting (running) again. There is also known one that is turned on (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-40276 JP 11-278149 A JP-A-5-338486

  However, in any of these Patent Documents 1 to 3, when the vehicle is stopped and the engine as a drive source is stopped (that is, the ignition switch is “OFF”), the light is not turned off. However, there is an annoyance that requires manual operation by the driver such as opening the door of the driver's seat or switching the light switch to the off position.

  In other words, even if the auto light function is used, the lights are not automatically turned off by simply turning the engine key (ignition switch) to the “OFF” state, and then the driver opens the driver's door. There was still an inadequate problem with the complexity of having to take either action of getting off the vehicle or switching the light switch from “AUTO” to “OFF” before getting off the vehicle.

  For example, in an environment such as nighttime or underground where the autolight function operates, it is necessary to wait for a person or take a difficult action while driving the vehicle. There are objects (walls, iron nets, iron fences, other vehicles parked, etc.), and other vehicles or people do not approach the vehicle, or the vehicle exists when approaching When parking the vehicle temporarily with the vehicle stopped and the engine turned off (that is, with the ignition switch set to “OFF”) in a space where parking is easy to understand, such conventional (ie, patent document) In the auto light control device of 1 and 2), the light that is turned on by the auto light function is not turned off only by turning the ignition switch “OFF”. Between, much will remain light is lit. On the other hand, in the autolight function of Patent Document 3, in such a situation, the headlight (headlight) is turned off when the vehicle stops, but other tail lamps, number lights, etc. remain turned on. Therefore, since the light remains on with the engine turned off, the battery is wasted.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and auto light control that prevents the vehicle lights from continuing to be turned on unnecessarily and avoids unnecessary battery consumption. The main purpose is to provide a device.

One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is an automatic light control device for automatically turning on / off a light of the vehicle according to the illuminance around the vehicle. Switching means for switching off, seating detection means for detecting that a driver is seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle, obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle in front of the vehicle, and seating detection means, Control means for controlling the switching means based on the detection result with the obstacle detection means, the control means for parking the vehicle in a state where the light is lit by the switching means. when stopping the drive source, that the driver is seated by the seating detection means it is detected a predetermined time, and, there is an obstacle in front of the vehicle by the obstacle detecting means When it is detected the door, and to control said switching means so as to turn off the lights.

  Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, for example, it is performed while waiting for a person or driving a vehicle in an environment such as nighttime or underground where the light is turned on by the switching means, that is, the autolight function is activated. If you want to take a difficult action (specifically, call with mobile phone, send / receive e-mail, setting navigation device, etc.) After the drive source is stopped, the driver's seating state is detected, and there are obstacles (such as walls, iron nets, iron fences and other vehicles parked) in front of the vehicle. When it is detected, the light that is lit is turned off, so that it is possible to prevent the light from being turned on when the drive source is stopped but the light is not necessary, and the battery is wasted. The It is possible to avoid the Rukoto in advance.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle is parked, the driver's seating state is detected, but when the obstacle is not detected forward (does not exist), the vehicle is driven. Since the light remains lit even when the source is stopped, the presence of the vehicle can be appealed to other surrounding vehicles. Therefore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, an obstacle is present ahead, and there is no probability that another vehicle or a person approaches the vehicle. It also has the advantage of avoiding the danger that can occur when there is a high probability of approaching.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic light control device that can prevent a vehicle light from continuing to be turned on unnecessarily and avoid unnecessary battery consumption.

It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the auto light control apparatus in one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the light control process at the time of parking specifically.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, a detailed description of a well-known method, a well-known procedure, a well-known architecture, a well-known circuit configuration, etc. (hereinafter, “well-known matter”) in the auto light control device is omitted. It is for the sake of brevity and does not intentionally exclude all or part of these known matters. Such known matters are known to those skilled in the art at the time of filing of the present invention, and are naturally included in the following description.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of an auto light control device according to the present invention. In the present invention, the lights include headlights, fog lamps, small lamps (vehicle width lamps) and other headlamps that illuminate the front of the vehicle, and number lights and tail lamps that are turned on / off in conjunction with the small lamps. In general, the rear lights of the vehicle are included, but these will be properly used depending on the context. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  In FIG. 1, an auto light control device 1 is composed of a microcomputer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). It is comprehensively controlled by a vehicle body ECU 2 (Electronic Control Unit) that also functions as a control means for controlling turning off. The vehicle body ECU 2 is turned off when it is “bright”, turned on when it is “dark”, according to solar radiation information from a solar radiation sensor (not shown) that outputs a voltage signal according to light and darkness in the environment around the vehicle. As shown in the figure, it has an auto light function that controls switching on / off of lights such as small lights, tail lamps, number lights, and headlights.

  The vehicle body ECU 2 controls a clearance sonar (not shown) that detects an obstacle ahead of the vehicle to detect an obstacle in front of the vehicle, and a starter in an engine, a motor, or the like as a drive source. ("ON") ・ Ignition for performing stop ("OFF"), by the ignition detection unit 4 that detects "ON" / "OFF" of the ignition, and door courtesy that also functions as a door open / close sensor Door courtesy detection unit 5 for detecting the opening and closing of the door, light switch detection unit 6 for detecting the position of the light switch, and D as a seating detection means for detecting the seating state of the driver in the driver's seat (D seat) A seat / seat detector 7 is connected.

  In addition to this, the vehicle body ECU 2 is also connected to a light control unit 8 as switching means for switching on / off of the light of the vehicle, and based on the detection results of the D-seat seating detection unit 7 and the clearance sonar ECU 3 The light control unit 8 is controlled so as to switch off.

  In addition to this, the vehicle body ECU 2 includes, as elements for configuring control means for switching on / off of the vehicle light, whether or not there is an obstacle in front of the vehicle based on the obstacle detection information by the clearance sensor ECU 3. Obstacle detection function for determining engine, driving source state determination function for determining engine driving state from ignition detection information by ignition detection unit 4, and door opening / closing for determining opening / closing state of door of driver's seat based on detection information of door courtesy detection unit 5 A determination function, a light switch position determination function for determining the position of the light switch based on the light switch information by the light switch detection unit 6, and a seating determination function for determining the seating state in the driver's seat based on the seating information of the D seat / seat detection unit 7. Is provided.

  Here, in the present embodiment, for example, in the environment where the light control unit 8 is turned on, for example, at night or in an underground environment where the auto light function is activated, while waiting for a person or driving the vehicle. Light switching control processing by the auto light function when parking the vehicle due to various circumstances such as taking mobile phone calls, sending and receiving e-mails, setting navigation devices, etc. (Hereinafter, this is referred to as parking light control processing).

  Specifically, when the vehicle stops in this parking light control process (that is, when it is detected that the vehicle speed has become “0”), the vehicle body ECU 2 performs the parking light control process shown in FIG. When the ignition detection unit 4 detects that the ignition switch is turned “OFF” (step SP2 is Y), whether or not the seating switch of the driver seat is “ON” for a certain period of time, that is, the driver Judge whether to remain in the car.

  Then, when a positive result is obtained from the detection result of the D-seat seating detection unit 7, that is, when it is detected that the driver is still seated in the vehicle (step SP3 is Y), the clearance sonar ECU 3 next moves the vehicle forward. It is determined whether or not there are obstacles that prevent the vehicle from moving forward, such as vehicles, walls, iron nets, and iron fences.

  At this time, if it is detected from the detection result of the clearance sonar ECU 3 that the obstacle exists in front of the vehicle (step SP4 is Y), the light of the vehicle is subsequently switched off via the light control unit 8. Switching control is performed to turn off the vehicle light (step SP5), and the parking light control process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the ignition detection unit 4 does not detect the “OFF” state of the ignition switch (step SP2 is N) in the parking light control process, the vehicle body ECU 2 determines that the “OFF” state of the ignition switch is detected. Repeat this routine.

  In addition, the vehicle body ECU 2 determines whether or not the position of the light switch is “OFF” when the seating switch of the driver seat does not detect “ON” for a certain period of time (step SP3 is N). To do. Here, when it is determined from the detection result of the light switch detection unit 6 that the light switch is in the “OFF” position (Y in step SP6), the vehicle body ECU 2 performs the light switching control by the normal light switch. Then, switching control is performed via the light control unit 8 so as to switch off the vehicle light, the vehicle light is turned off (step SP5), and the parking light control process is terminated.

  At this time, if it is determined from the detection result of the light switch detection unit 6 that the light switch is in the “AUTO” position (N at step SP6), the vehicle body ECU 2 subsequently determines whether the door of the driver's seat has been opened. Determine whether. When the door courtesy detection unit 5 detects that the door of the driver's seat has been opened (Y in step SP7), the vehicle light is switched off as in the case of the light switching control by the normal auto light function. Switching control is performed via the light control unit 8, the vehicle light is turned off (step SP5), and the parking light control process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the door courtesy detection unit 5 does not detect that the driver's seat door has been opened (N at step SP7), the vehicle body ECU 2 turns on the vehicle light in the same manner as the light switching control by the normal autolight function. Then, the vehicle light is continuously turned on (step SP8), and the parking light control process is terminated.

  As described above, according to the automatic light control device 1 of the present invention, the driver after the engine (drive source) of the vehicle is stopped along with parking as described above by the parking light control process. When the seating state of the vehicle is detected and it is detected that an obstacle (a wall, iron net, iron fence, or other vehicle is parked) is present in front of the vehicle, the above is lit. The light can be turned off.

  Accordingly, in the auto light control device 1, it is possible to prevent the light from being lit while the engine is stopped, even though the light is not necessary, and to prevent the battery from being wasted. Can do.

  Further, according to the autolight control device 1, when the vehicle is parked, the driver's seating state is detected, but when the obstacle is not detected forward (does not exist), the engine of the vehicle Since the light remains lit even when is stopped, it is possible to appeal the presence of the vehicle to other surrounding vehicles.

  Therefore, in the auto light control device 1, there is no obstacle ahead and there are other vehicles, people, etc., compared to a case where there is an obstacle ahead and there is a low probability that other vehicles, people, etc. will approach. It also has the advantage of avoiding the danger that can occur when there is a high probability of approaching.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize the auto light control device 1 that can prevent the vehicle light from continuing to be turned on unnecessarily and avoid unnecessary battery consumption.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. And substitutions can be added.

  For example, in the above-described embodiments, the case where the engine is applied as the vehicle drive source has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the main point is that the vehicle is a source that drives the vehicle. Various drive sources such as motors can be widely applied.

  The present invention can be used in the automobile manufacturing industry, the automobile parts manufacturing industry, and the like. The appearance, weight, size, running performance, etc. of the vehicle to be mounted are not limited.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Auto light control apparatus 2 ... Vehicle body ECU (control means)
3 ... Crisona ECU (obstacle detection means)
4 ... Ignition detection part 5 ... Door courtesy detection part 6 ... Light switch detection part 7 ... D seat seating detection part (sitting detection means)
8: Light controller (switching means)

Claims (1)

An automatic light control device for automatically turning on / off the light of the vehicle according to the illuminance around the vehicle,
Switching means for switching on / off of the light; and
Seating detection means for detecting that a driver is seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle;
Obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle in front of the vehicle;
Control means for controlling the switching means based on detection results of the seating detection means and the obstacle detection means,
Wherein, in a state where the light by the switching means you are turned on, when the vehicle stops driving source for the parking, that the driver is seated by the seating detection unit fixed Auto-light control characterized by controlling the switching means to turn off the light when time is detected and the obstacle detection means detects that an obstacle is present in front of the vehicle apparatus.

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