JP6275969B2 - Lamp unit controller - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lamp unit control device that controls a lamp unit mounted on a vehicle, and more particularly to a lamp unit control device that controls a lamp unit in which a light emitting diode (LED) is employed as a light source.

  In a conventional vehicle, an incandescent light bulb is used as a light source for a lamp unit (sometimes referred to as a direction indicator) that is turned on when the vehicle turns right or left or in an emergency. Patent Document 1 describes a method for detecting disconnection of a lamp unit using an incandescent bulb.

  Further, in recent vehicles, lamp units employing LEDs as light sources are being put on the market. The lamp unit may be provided with a plurality of LEDs. Patent Document 2 describes a method for detecting disconnection of a lamp unit using LEDs.

JP-A-9-290682 JP 2013-95307 A

  The vehicular lamp described in Patent Document 2 is provided with a plurality of LEDs as light sources, and these LEDs are connected in series. The plurality of LEDs are all turned on when the drive voltage is supplied, and are turned off when the drive voltage is not supplied. In the light emitting element group to which a plurality of LEDs are connected in this way, when an abnormality such as disconnection occurs in any one of these LEDs, no current flows through the entire light emitting element group. As a result, the potential of the output terminal connected to the light emitting element group changes, and the disconnection is detected by the change of the potential.

  By the way, when employ | adopting as a vehicle the lamp unit provided with several LED, there exists a request | requirement of connecting several LED in parallel and wanting to blink each LED independently. As one method of blinking a plurality of LEDs independently, it is conceivable to blink a plurality of LEDs according to a certain blinking pattern. In this case, the disconnection detection process for a certain LED is executed when a voltage is supplied to the LED. However, depending on the blinking pattern, there is a concern that it takes time until the detection of the current values for all the LEDs is completed. If disconnection detection processing is prolonged for this reason, it will lead to a delay in the discovery of the LED in which the disconnection has occurred. In addition, the number of sampling times for measuring the current value increases, and the load on the disconnection detection circuit increases. This leads to an increase in the cost of the system that drives the LEDs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a simple configuration for disconnection generated in an LED when each of a plurality of LEDs used as a light source in a lamp unit is blinked independently. An object of the present invention is to provide a lamp unit control device that can detect and realize blinking of a lamp unit with higher performance.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a lamp unit control device according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to ( 22 ).
(1) a plurality of lamp units each having a plurality of LEDs;
A driving circuit for supplying a driving voltage for lighting the corresponding plurality of LEDs to each of the lamp units;
A plurality of lamp control circuits each controlling the brightness of each of the plurality of corresponding LEDs while the drive voltage is supplied to the corresponding lamp unit;
With
Each of the lamp control circuits is turned on based on a blinking pattern in which lighting and extinguishing of each of the plurality of LEDs corresponding to each time segment obtained by time-sharing while the drive voltage is input are determined. Each of the corresponding LEDs is controlled to blink so that the corresponding LEDs are turned on and at least one of the corresponding LEDs is turned on in at least one of the time segments.
Each of the lamp control circuits determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the corresponding lamp unit based on a voltage value supplied to the plurality of LEDs corresponding to the time segment in which all of the plurality of LEDs are lit.
A main control circuit for controlling the drive circuit to output a control signal to the drive circuit and supply the drive voltage when an external signal instructing to blink each of the lamp units is input;
When each of the lamp control circuits determines that there is an abnormality in the corresponding lamp unit, it turns off all the corresponding LEDs.
The main control circuit is a part of the current supplied from the drive circuit to the plurality of lamp control circuits, and the number of LEDs that are lit out of all the plurality of LEDs included in the plurality of lamp units. A proportional current is fed back as a sense current, and the presence or absence of an abnormality in the plurality of lamp units is determined based on the sense current.
about.
(2) A lamp unit control device configured as described in (1) above,
The lamp control circuit is assigned a time later than the first time segment in the time segment than the number of the LEDs lit in the first time segment in the time segment. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of the LEDs that are lit in two time segments is reduced.
about.
(3) A lamp unit control device having the configuration of (2) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit is configured such that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the time segment assigned first, and the LED located on one end side is located on the other end side as the time segment elapses. Control the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off.
about.
(4) A lamp unit control device configured as described in (2) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit turns on all of the plurality of LEDs in the first assigned time segment, and sequentially turns off the LED located in the center to the LEDs located on both ends as the time segment elapses. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs,
about.
(5) A lamp unit control device having the configuration of (2) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
In the lamp control circuit, all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the first assigned time segment, and are sequentially turned off from the LED located at each end to the LED located in the center as the time segment elapses. Controlling blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs,
about.
(6) A lamp unit control device configured as described in (2) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit turns on all of the plurality of LEDs in the first assigned time segment, and with the progress of the time segment, from the LED located at one end to the LED located in the center, and From the LED located in the center to the LED located on the other end side, the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so as to turn off sequentially.
about.
(7) A lamp unit control device configured as described in (1) above,
The lamp control circuit is assigned a time later than the first time segment in the time segment than the number of the LEDs lit in the first time segment in the time segment. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of the LEDs that are lit in two time segments increases.
about.
(8) A lamp unit control device configured as described in (7) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as the time segment elapses, and the plurality of LEDs in the last allocated time segment Control the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the
about.
(9) A lamp unit control device configured as described in (7) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located in the center to the LEDs located on both ends as the time segment elapses, and all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the last allocated time segment. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs,
about.
(10) A lamp unit control device configured as described in (7) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located at each end to the LED located in the center as the time segment elapses, and all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the last allocated time segment. Controlling blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs,
about.
(11) A lamp unit control device configured as described in (7) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit is lit in order from the LED located at one end to the LED located at the center and from the LED located at the center to the LED located at the other end as the time interval elapses. And controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the time segment assigned last.
about.
(12) A lamp unit control device configured as described in (1) above,
The lamp control circuit is assigned a time later than the first time segment in the time segment than the number of the LEDs lit in the first time segment in the time segment. After the plurality of LEDs are all lit by controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of the LEDs that are lit in two time segments increases, the second time in the time segment Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of LEDs that are lit in a third time segment assigned later in time than the segment is reduced.
about.
(13) The lamp unit control device having the configuration of (12) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the passage of the time segment, and the plurality of LEDs in the time segment allocated in the middle After all of the lights are turned on,
Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LED is sequentially turned off from the LED located on the other end side to the LED located on the one end side;
about.
(14) The lamp unit control device configured as described in (12) above,
In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the passage of the time segment, and the plurality of LEDs in the time segment allocated in the middle After all of the lights are turned on,
Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LED is sequentially turned off from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side;
about.
(15) The lamp unit control device according to any one of (3) to (6), (8) to (11), (13), or (14),
The lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the unlit LED sandwiched between the lit LEDs moves in a direction in which the plurality of LEDs are sequentially lit.
about.
(16) A lamp unit control device having any one of the constitutions (1) to (15),
The lamp control circuit controls blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the first allocated time segment and the last allocated time segment.
about.
(17) The lamp unit control device having any one of the constitutions (1) to (16),
As the time interval is assigned later in time, the time interval of the time interval is shorter.
about.
(18) The lamp unit control device having any one of the constitutions (1) to (16),
As the time interval is assigned later in time, the time interval is longer.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein
(19) The lamp unit control device according to any one of (1) to (18) above,
The lamp control circuit illuminates the LED that is not intended to be lit with the blinking pattern with a lower brightness than the LED that is intended to be lit with the blinking pattern.
about.
(20) The lamp unit control device having any one of the constitutions (1) to (18),
The lamp control circuit controls the brightness of the plurality of LEDs to be turned on to be different for each time segment.
about.
(21) The lamp unit control device having any one of the constitutions (1) to (18),
The lamp control circuit controls the brightness of the plurality of LEDs to be turned on to be different for each LED.
about.
( 22 ) The lamp unit control device having any one of the constitutions (1) to ( 21 ),
A main control circuit for controlling the drive circuit to output a control signal to the drive circuit and supply the drive voltage when an external signal designating the blinking pattern of the lamp unit is input;
The lamp control circuit identifies the designated blinking pattern based on the drive voltage, and controls blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs based on the blinking pattern.
about.

According to the lamp unit control device having the above configuration (1) , it is possible to realize blinking of the lamp unit with higher performance when blinking each of the plurality of LEDs used as the light source in the lamp unit independently. .
Further, when each of the plurality of LEDs used as the light source in the lamp unit is caused to blink independently, it is possible to detect a disconnection generated in the LEDs with a simple configuration.
In addition, for example, even when the main control circuit provided in the meter controls lighting, the main control circuit can reliably detect an abnormality of the lamp unit that occurs due to the disconnection of the LED.
According to the lamp unit control device having the configurations (2) to (21), it is possible to realize blinking of the lamp unit with higher performance.
According to the lamp unit control device having the above configuration ( 22 ), for example, the main control circuit provided in the meter can accept selection of a desired blinking pattern from the user, and the lamp control circuit can control blinking of the LED by the blinking pattern. .

  According to the lamp unit control device of the present invention, when each of the plurality of LEDs used as the light source in the lamp unit is blinked independently, it is possible to detect a disconnection generated in the LEDs with a simple configuration.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through a mode for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a lamp unit control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lamp control circuit and the lamp unit in the lamp unit control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3A to 3F show the signals at points A to C, points La to Lj, and point F shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 when a lamp unit in which no abnormality has occurred blinks. It is a time chart which shows Hi or Lo. 4 (A) to 4 (F) show the signal Hi or point Hi at points A to C, La to Lj, and F shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 when the lamp unit in which an abnormality has occurred is extinguished. It is a time chart which shows Lo. 5A to 5F show points A to C and points La to Lj shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 when another lamp unit blinks when an abnormality occurs in a lamp unit. 4 is a time chart showing Hi or Lo of a signal at a point F. FIG. FIG. 6 is an example (type A-1) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 7 is an example (type A-2) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 8 is an example (type A-3) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 9 is an example (type A-4) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 10 is an example (type B-1) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 11 is an example (type B-2) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 12 is an example (type B-3) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 13 is an example (type B-4) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 14 is an example (type C-1) of blinking patterns when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 15 is an example (type C-2) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 16 is an example (type D-1) of blinking patterns when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 17 is an example (type D-2) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 18 is an example (type E-1) of blinking patterns when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 19 is an example (type F-1) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 20 is an example (type F-2) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 21 is an example (type G-1) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 22 is an example (type H-1) of blinking patterns when the lamp unit blinks normally. FIG. 23 is an example (type H-2) of a blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally.

  Specific embodiments relating to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  The lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention includes a meter 100 and a lighting control device 200. Schematically, the meter 100 is configured such that the operation lever is turned when the vehicle turns right or left, or the hazard button is pressed when notifying that the vehicle is in an emergency state. Is input, a control signal instructing to blink according to the external signal is output to the lighting control device 200. When the control signal is input from the meter 100, the lighting control device 200 blinks the right direction indicator lamp 220R and the left direction indicator lamp 220L provided on both sides of the vehicle. In FIG. 1, three lamp units 410, 420, and 430 (410 is located on the right front side, 420 right side, and 430 right rear side) are provided as the right direction indicator lamp 220R, and three lamp units are provided as the left direction indicator lamp 220L. The lamp units 440, 450, and 460 (440 is located on the left front side, 450 is located on the left side side, and 460 is located on the right rear side) are shown.

  First, the configuration of the meter 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The meter 100 includes a power supply circuit 110, an I / F 120, an I / F 130, and a main control circuit 150.

  The power supply circuit 110 is connected to a battery mounted on the vehicle, and power is supplied from the battery when the IGN is turned on, and supply of power from the battery is stopped when the IGN is turned off. The power supply circuit 110 transforms and applies the rated voltage of 12V supplied from the battery to the drive voltage (for example, 5V) of the main control circuit 150.

  The I / F 120 detects an external signal detected when the operation lever is turned when the vehicle turns right or left, or when the hazard button is pressed when notifying that the vehicle is in an emergency state. A hardware interface that converts the signal into a signal that can be recognized by the main control circuit 150 and outputs the signal to the main control circuit 150.

  The I / F 130 converts the control signal output from the main control circuit 150 into a signal that can be recognized by the lighting control device 200, outputs the signal to the lighting control device 200, and further outputs the signal output from the lighting control device 200. A hardware interface that converts the signal into a signal that can be recognized by the main control circuit 150 and outputs the signal to the main control circuit 150.

  The main control circuit 150 is a circuit board that controls the overall processing of the meter 100. In the embodiment of the present invention, the following three processes are executed as main processes controlled by the main control circuit 150. The first process is to turn on a control signal that commands blinking according to the external signal when an external signal is input, for example, by turning the operation lever or pressing a hazard button. This is a process of outputting to the apparatus 200. The second process is based on the disconnection of the power line for supplying the drive voltage to the right direction indicator lamp 220R and the left direction indicator lamp 220L based on the sense current Is output from the lighting control device 200 to the main control circuit 150. This is processing for determining the presence or absence. The third processing is performed when there is no abnormality in the right direction indicator lamp 220R or the left direction indicator lamp 220L and at least one lamp unit of the right direction indicator lamp 220R or at least one lamp unit of the left direction indicator lamp 220L. This is a process of outputting different control signals to the lighting control device 200 depending on whether there is an abnormality. These processes will be described in detail later.

  Next, the configuration of the lighting control device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. The lighting control device 200 includes a drive circuit 210, lamp control circuits 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360 and lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460.

  The drive circuit 210 includes a high side switch. In the drive circuit 210, MOS-FETs are provided between the voltage source Vcc and the right direction indicator lamp 220R and between the voltage source Vcc and the left direction indicator lamp 220L. When a control signal is input from the meter 100 to the gate, each MOS-FET energizes the voltage source Vcc and the lamp control circuits 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360 while the control signal is Hi. In this way, the drive voltage is supplied to the lamp control circuits 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360. Each MOS-FET has a drain connected to one end of a resistor. The other end of this resistor is connected to the meter 100. By this resistor, a sense current Is proportional to the lamp current IL that is supplied from the voltage source Vcc to the right direction indicator lamp 220R or the left direction indicator lamp 220L is fed back from the lighting controller 200 to the main control circuit 150. Thus, the main control circuit 150 of the meter 100 can acquire the sense current Is. The resistance value of the resistor is set such that the sense current Is is one thousandth of the lamp current IL.

  The lamp control circuits 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360 are circuits corresponding to the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460. Since the lamp control circuits 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, and 360 all have the same function, the lamp control circuit 310 will be described here with reference to FIG. The lamp control circuit 310 includes a power supply circuit 311, a switching circuit 312, ten MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j, and an AND circuit 314.

  The power supply circuit 311 is connected to the voltage source Vcc, and when the voltage source Vcc and the lamp control circuit 310 are energized, the rated voltage of 3.4 V supplied from the voltage source Vcc is used as the drive voltage (for example, 3 V) of the switching circuit 312. Transform and apply.

  When a driving voltage is applied from the power supply circuit 311, the switching circuit 312 switches on / off of each of the MOS-FETs 313 a,... 313 i, 313 j in a preset order (flashing pattern) while the driving voltage is Hi. . By switching on and off the MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j by the switching circuit 312, among the plurality of LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j of the lamp unit 410, the corresponding MOS-FETs 313a,. A drive voltage is supplied to the one that is turned on. Thus, the LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j that emit light are selectively switched. The on / off switching of the MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j by the switching circuit 312 will be described later.

  In the AND circuit 314, the drains of the MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j are connected as inputs, and the output is connected to the switching circuit 312. The AND circuit 314 outputs Hi to the switching circuit 312 when all the MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j are turned on and the drive voltage is supplied to all the LEDs 411a,.

  Each of the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460 has ten LEDs. Since the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460 all have the same function, the lamp unit 410 will be described here with reference to FIG.

  In the lamp unit 410, ten LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j are connected in parallel. Each of the LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j is energized from the lamp control circuit 310, more specifically, the switching circuit 312 switches on the corresponding MOS-FETs 313a,. Lights for the period. In FIG. 2, ten LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j are described as being connected in parallel, but the number of LEDs connected in parallel is not limited to ten. In addition, FIG. 2 illustrates a form in which one LED is provided per row, but a form in which a plurality of LEDs are provided per row may be employed. For example, three LEDs of red, blue and green may be connected in series per row.

[Flashing control of lamp unit in which no abnormality has occurred]
Here, regarding the blinking control of the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460 by the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention described above, refer to FIG. I will explain. Here, the case where the operation lever turns clockwise when the vehicle turns right will be described. The time chart of FIG. 3A shows Hi and Lo at a point A between the I / F 120 and the main control circuit 150 where an external signal to the main control circuit 150 is transmitted. The time chart in FIG. 3B shows Hi and Lo at a point B between the main control circuit 150 and the I / F 130 where the control signal to the lighting control device 200 is transmitted. The time chart of FIG. 3C shows Hi and Lo at a point C between the main control circuit 150 and the I / F 130 where the sense current Is is transmitted to the main control circuit 150. The time chart of FIG. 3 (D) shows to the gates of the MOS-FETs 313a, 313b, 313c, 313d, and 313e, which are located between the switching circuit 312 and the MOS-FETs 313a, 313b, 313c, 313d, and 313e, respectively. Hi and Lo at points La, Lb, Lc, Ld, and Le at which control signals are transmitted are shown. The time chart of FIG. 3 (E) shows the switching to the gates of the MOS-FETs 313f, 313g, 313h, 313i, and 313j located between the switching circuit 312 and the MOS-FETs 313f, 313g, 313h, 313i, and 313j. Hi and Lo at points Lf, Lg, Lh, Li, and Lj where control signals are transmitted are shown. FIG. 3F shows Hi and Lo at a point F between the AND circuit 314 and the switching circuit 312 where the signal to the switching circuit 312 is transmitted.

  When the vehicle turns right, the driver turns the control lever clockwise. At this time, an external signal is input to the main control circuit 150 from the switch that has detected the turning of the operating lever until the operating lever turns from the neutral position to the neutral position again (FIG. 3A). )reference.).

  When the above-described external signal is input, the main control circuit 150 outputs a control signal instructing the right direction indicator lamp 220R to blink normally to the lighting control device 200. In addition, the form which outputs the control signal which instruct | indicates abnormal blink to the lighting control apparatus 200 is demonstrated later. The control signal output from the main control circuit 150 and instructing normal blinking is a signal in which Hi and Lo are alternately repeated at the same interval (350 ms), and the cycle thereof is 700 ms (FIG. 3B). reference.).

  When the control signal is input to the MOS-FET of the drive circuit 210, the lamp control circuits 310, 320, and 330 are energized from the voltage source Vcc while the control signal is Hi. Along with the energization from the voltage source Vcc to the lamp control circuits 310, 320, 330, the sense current Is is input to the main control circuit 150 (see FIG. 3C). The waveform of the control signal output from the main control circuit 150 to the lighting control device 200 and the waveform of the sense current Is input to the main control circuit 150 substantially coincide with the timings of Hi and Lo.

  The main control circuit 150 measures the value of the sense current Is at least during the entire lighting period (period from the time t1 to the time t2 of the section, details will be described later), for example, at a sampling period of 10 ms. When the sense current Is measured a total of 10 times during the entire lighting period falls below the threshold voltage for 3 consecutive times, the main control circuit 150 determines that the three lamp units 410, 420, 430 of the right direction indicator lamp 220R or the left side It is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the three lamp units 440, 450, and 460 of the direction indicating lamp 220L.

  The lamp control circuit 310 is applied with a drive voltage at the timing of Hi and Lo shown in FIG. At this time, the switching circuit 312 switches on / off of each of the MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j in a preset order (flashing pattern) in a section where the driving voltage of Hi is applied. As an example, the switching circuit 312 is on from the time t1 to the time t2 of the section start point, on from the time t2 to the time t3, and from the time t3 to the end point of the section among the sections to which the driving voltage of Hi is applied. Each of the MOS-FETs 313a, 313b, 313c, 313d, and 313e is switched in a blinking pattern that is turned off during t4 (see FIG. 3D). On the other hand, the switching circuit 312 is on from the time t1 to the time t2 of the section start point, off from the time t2 to the time t3, and from the time t3 to the end point t4 of the section among the sections to which the driving voltage of Hi is applied. Each of the MOS-FETs 313f, 313g, 313h, 313i, and 313j is switched according to a blinking pattern in which the period is on (see FIG. 3E).

  As shown in FIG. 3D and FIG. 3E, by switching on / off the MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j, the lamp unit 410 has 10 LEDs 411a,. Lights up according to the above blinking pattern. In FIG. 3D and FIG. 3E, the section where the ten LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j are lit is hatched. The LEDs 411a, 411b, 411c, 411d, and 411e and the LEDs 411f, 411g, 411h, 411i, and 411j are both turned on from the time t1 to the time t2, and from the time t2 to the time t3 and from the time t3 to the end of the time It can be seen that during t4, one is on and the other is off. A section in which all the LEDs are lit from time t1 to time t2 of the section start point may be referred to as a full lighting period. In the embodiment of the present invention, this total lighting period is set as 110 ms.

  All the LEDs of the lamp unit can be set at the same time by appropriately setting the flashing timing of the ten LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j between time t2 and time t3 and from time t3 to t4 at the end of the section. It is possible to realize blinking of the lamp unit with higher performance than the blinking pattern of turning on and off. It should be noted that another form of the blinking pattern in which the switching circuit 312 is turned on / off in the section in which the Hi driving voltage is applied (from time t1 to time t4) will be described in detail later.

  The AND circuit 314 outputs Hi to the switching circuit 312 when all the MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j are turned on and the drive voltage is supplied to all the LEDs 411a,. When each of the MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j is switched on and off as described above and all the ten LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j are normally lit, the AND circuit 314 Hi is output to the switching circuit 312 between time t2 and time t2. On the other hand, when a disconnection occurs in at least one of the ten LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j, the AND circuit 314 outputs Lo to the switching circuit 312 between time t1 and time t2 of the section start point.

  The switching circuit 312 is a power line for supplying a driving voltage to the LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j depending on the presence / absence of Hi from the AND circuit 314, which is input between time t1 and time t2, which is a predetermined section. Determine if there is a break. In this way, it is determined whether or not the lamp unit 410 is abnormal.

  The process when the lamp unit control device according to the embodiment of the present invention normally blinks the lamp unit has been described. According to the lamp unit control apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs in the entire lighting period even when a lamp unit having a plurality of LEDs as light sources flashes. With the configuration in which the disconnection detection process is performed in such a limited period, the number of times of sampling for measuring the value of the current supplied to the LED can be suppressed, and the load on the lamp control circuit can be reduced. As a result, the lamp control circuit can have a simple configuration, and thus the cost of the system for driving the LEDs can be reduced.

[Control of turning off the lamp unit in which an error occurred]
Next, processing of the lamp unit control device according to the embodiment of the present invention when the switching circuit 312 determines that the lamp unit 410 has an abnormality will be described. When the main control circuit 150 compares the numerical value of the sense current Is with a threshold value, the meter 100 is configured so that all three lamp units 410, 420, and 430 of the right direction indicator lamp 220R are normally driven, or of the three It is determined whether some of the abnormalities have occurred. The same applies to the left direction indicator lamp 220L. For example, when a disconnection occurs in any one of the LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j of the lamp unit 410, the value of the sense current Is is strictly reduced because no current flows through the LED in which the disconnection occurs. Should be. If the change in the value of the sense current Is can be detected, the main control circuit 150 can determine an abnormality that has occurred in the three lamp units 410, 420, and 430 of the right direction indicator lamp 220R.

  However, the influence of the disconnection of one LED on the sense current Is is insignificant. Therefore, even if the switching circuit 312 can determine that the lamp unit 410 has an abnormality, the main control circuit 150 may not be able to determine the abnormality that has occurred in the three lamp units 410, 420, and 430 of the right direction indicator lamp 220R. is there. When the abnormality cannot be generated, the main control circuit 150 cannot switch the lamp units 410, 420, and 430 to abnormal blinking. As a result, the vehicle may be operated using the lamp unit in which an abnormality has occurred.

  Based on such circumstances, when the switching circuit 312 determines that the lamp unit 410 has an abnormality, it executes the following process. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, a disconnection occurs in the LED 411j of the lamp unit 410 in the third period after the control signal instructing the right direction indicator lamp 220R to blink normally is output to the lighting control device 200. Assume the case. The processing in the first cycle and the second cycle is as described with reference to FIG.

  The AND circuit 314 outputs Lo to the switching circuit 312 from time t1 to time t2 of the section start point in the third cycle (see FIG. 4F). The switching circuit 312 determines that there is an abnormality in the lamp unit 410 when the signal from the AND circuit 314 is Lo from time t1 to time t2 at the section start point.

  Then, the switching circuit 312 switches off all the MOS-FETs 313a,... 313i, 313j after time t2 in the third cycle (see FIGS. 4D and 4E). Thus, the ten LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j are turned off. At this time, the lamp unit 410 is not energized with the lamp current IL.

  In this case, the sense current Is has a smaller value than before the ten LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j are turned off (FIG. 4C). The change in the sense current Is when the ten LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j are extinguished is within a range that can be detected by the main control circuit 150 of the meter 100. The main control circuit 150 detects that the sense current Is is lower than the threshold voltage during the entire lighting period in the fourth cycle, and determines an abnormality that has occurred in the three lamp units 410, 420, and 430 of the right direction indicator lamp 220R.

  In the foregoing, the processing when an abnormality has occurred in the LED of the lamp unit by the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention has been described. According to the lamp unit control apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention, even when the meter 100 controls the lighting control apparatus 200, the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, The meter 100 can reliably detect the abnormality 460. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operation of the vehicle using the lamp unit in which the abnormality has occurred without detecting the abnormality of the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460.

  Further, if the configuration is such that the abnormality of the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460 is notified to the meter 100 as a result as in the embodiment of the present invention, the design change on the meter 100 side is not involved. For this reason, the lighting control apparatus 200 of the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an existing meter. Therefore, it can be said that the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention is highly versatile.

[When an error occurs in one lamp unit, blinking control of another lamp unit in which no error has occurred]
Next, a process after the main control circuit 150 of the meter 100 determines that an abnormality has occurred in any of the three lamp units 410, 420, and 430 of the right direction indicator lamp 220R as described above will be described. For example, when an abnormality has occurred in the lamp unit 410, even if an external signal is input from the switch that detected the turning of the operation lever, the lamp unit 410 has all the LEDs 411a,... 411i, 411j as shown in FIG. Is turned off. On the other hand, the lamp unit 420 and the lamp unit 430 in which no abnormality has occurred blinks abnormally when an external signal is input from the switch that detects the turning of the operation lever. Abnormal blinking of the lamp unit may be referred to as “high flasher”. In the following, processing when the lamp unit 420 and the lamp unit 430 are abnormally blinked will be described. In the following, the process when the lamp unit 420 blinks abnormally will be described. In this description, the lamp control circuit 310 and the lamp unit 410 are replaced with the lamp control circuit 320 and the lamp unit 420, and FIG. I want.

  When the main control circuit 150 of the meter 100 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the three lamp units 410, 420, and 430 of the right direction indicator lamp 220R, an external signal is received from the switch that detected the turning of the operation lever. When input, a control signal instructing abnormal blinking of the right direction indicator lamp 220R is output to the lighting control device 200. The control signal output from the main control circuit 150 and instructing abnormal blinking is a signal that is alternately repeated with Hi of 110 ms and Lo of 200 ms, and the cycle is 310 ms (see FIG. 5B). . The cycle of the control signal instructing to blink abnormally is shorter than the cycle of the control signal instructing to blink normally (700 ms). Therefore, the lamp unit that blinks abnormally has a shorter blinking period than the lamp unit that blinks normally, and an environment is formed in which the presence of the lamp unit in which the abnormality has occurred is easily noticed by the driver.

  When the control signal is input to the MOS-FET of the drive circuit 210, the lamp control circuits 310, 320, and 330 are energized from the voltage source Vcc while the control signal is Hi. Along with the energization from the voltage source Vcc to the lamp control circuits 310, 320, 330, the sense current Is is input to the main control circuit 150 (see FIG. 5C). The waveform of the control signal output from the main control circuit 150 to the lighting control device 200, the waveform of the sense current Is input to the main control circuit 150, and the timings of Hi and Lo substantially coincide.

  A driving voltage is applied to the lamp control circuit 320 at the timings Hi and Lo shown in FIG. Here, the period from the section start point time t1 to which the Hi driving voltage is applied to the section end point time t2 corresponds to the entire lighting period. For this reason, the switching circuit 322 switches each of the MOS-FETs 323a,... 323i, 323j on from the time t1 at the start of the section to which the driving voltage of Hi is applied to the time t2 at the end of the section (FIG. 5D). And FIG. 5 (E)). In FIG. 5D and FIG. 5E, the section in which the ten LEDs 421a,... 421i, 421j are lit is hatched. Since application of the driving voltage of Hi ends at time t2, the MOS-FETs 323a,... 323i have a pattern between time t2 and time t3 and between time t3 and time t4 shown in FIG. 323j is not switched on / off.

  The AND circuit 314 outputs Hi to the switching circuit 322 when all the MOS-FETs 323a,... 323i, 323j are turned on and the drive voltage is supplied to all the LEDs 421a,. When each of the MOS-FETs 323a,... 323i, 323j is switched on and off as described above and all the ten LEDs 421a,... 421i, 421j are normally lit, the AND circuit 324 determines the time t1 at the section start point. Hi is output to the switching circuit 322 during the time t2. On the other hand, when a disconnection occurs in at least one of the ten LEDs 421a,... 421i, 421j, the AND circuit 324 outputs Lo to the switching circuit 322 between the time t1 and the time t2 of the section start point.

  The switching circuit 322 is a power line for supplying a driving voltage to the LEDs 421a,..., 421i, 421j depending on the presence / absence of Hi from the AND circuit 324, which is input between time t1 and time t2, which is a predetermined section. Determine if there is a break. In this way, it is determined whether or not the lamp unit 420 is abnormal. When the switching circuit 322 determines that there is an abnormality in the lamp unit 420, after the time t2, all the MOS-FETs 323a,... 323i, 323j are switched off.

  The main control circuit 150 measures the value of the sense current Is in a full lighting period (period from the section start point time t1 to the section end point time t2), for example, at a sampling period of 10 ms. The main control circuit 150 determines that there is an abnormality in the three lamp units 410, 420, and 430 of the right direction indicator lamp 220R when the sense current Is measured ten times in total during the lighting period falls below the threshold voltage for three consecutive times. Determine that it occurred. In this case, the threshold voltage is lower than that when the lamp unit is normally blinking.

  The process when the lamp unit control device according to the embodiment of the present invention abnormally blinks the lamp unit has been described above. In the lamp unit control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, even when a lamp unit in which no abnormality has occurred is abnormally blinked, it is determined whether there is an abnormality in the lamp unit during the entire lighting period. This is because, when the lamp unit blinks, whether the blinking lamp unit is blinking normally or abnormally, whether or not the blinking lamp unit is abnormal is determined between time t1 and time t2. Means. For this reason, the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention can use the common lighting control device 200 when the lamp unit blinks normally and when it blinks abnormally. For this reason, the circuit configuration of the lamp control circuits 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360 is not particularly complicated.

[Summary of disconnection detection processing]
The lamp unit control device according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. According to the lamp unit control apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs in the entire lighting period even when a lamp unit having a plurality of LEDs as light sources flashes. With the configuration in which the disconnection detection process is performed in such a limited period, the number of times of sampling for measuring the value of the current supplied to the LED can be suppressed, and the load on the lamp control circuit can be reduced. As a result, the lamp control circuit can have a simple configuration, and thus the cost of the system for driving the LEDs can be reduced.

  Further, according to the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention, even when the lighting control device 200 is controlled by the meter 100, the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, which are generated along with the disconnection of the LED, The meter 100 can reliably detect the abnormality of 450 and 460. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operation of the vehicle using the lamp unit in which the abnormality has occurred without detecting the abnormality of the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460.

  Further, if the configuration is such that the abnormality of the lamp units 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460 is notified to the meter 100 as a result as in the embodiment of the present invention, the design change on the meter 100 side is not involved. For this reason, the lighting control apparatus 200 of the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an existing meter. Therefore, it can be said that the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention is highly versatile.

  In addition, according to the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention, the common lighting control device 200 can be used when the lamp unit blinks normally and when blinking abnormally. For this reason, the circuit configuration of the lamp control circuits 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360 is not particularly complicated.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the entire lighting period is assigned between the time t1 and the time t2 of the section start point in the section in which the driving voltage of Hi is applied to the lamp control circuit. Thus, by assigning the full lighting period to the head of the section, it is possible to realize blinking of the lamp unit with higher performance in the period after the full lighting period. Further, when an abnormality of the lamp unit is detected during the entire lighting period, the lamp unit can be switched to abnormal blinking immediately after the entire lighting period. However, the present invention is not limited to the case where the entire lighting period is assigned to the head of the section. The total lighting period may be assigned to any part of the above section.

[Specific example of blinking pattern in which the lamp unit blinks normally]
In the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit, time segments T1, T2,..., T10 (time segment T1 is the head, time segment) while the drive voltage for normally blinking the lamp unit is input (350 ms). Each time (T10 is located at the tail), a blinking pattern that sets on / off of the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) is set. Hereinafter, some examples of the blinking pattern when the lamp unit blinks normally, which is realized by the on / off control by the switching circuit, will be described. In addition, the blinking patterns shown in FIGS. 6 to 23 are described with the horizontal direction as the time progression direction and the vertical direction as the arrangement direction in which the LEDs are arranged. Further, in the blinking patterns shown in FIGS. 6 to 23, the time sections where the LEDs are lit are hatched, and the time sections where the LEDs are not lit are blank.

<Flashing pattern A: The number of lighted LEDs gradually decreases>
Here, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is allocated later in time than the first time segment in the time segment than the number of LEDs that are lit in the first time segment in the time segment. A mode in which the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that the number of LEDs that are lit in the second time segment is reduced will be described.

<Type A-1>
In the type A-1, all LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T1, T2, and T3 as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T4 to time segment T10 decreases. From time segment T4 to time segment T10, LEDs (La, Lb) are extinguished in time segment T4, LED (Lc) is further extinguished in time segment T5, and LED (Ld) is further extinguished in time segment T6. The LED (Le) is further turned off at time section T7, the LED (Lf) is further turned off at time section T8, the LED (Lg) is further turned off at time section T9, and the LED (Lh) is further turned off at time section T10. To do. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as time passes. In type A-1, time sections T1, T2, and T3 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T1, T2, and T3.

<Type A-2>
In the type A-2, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T1, T2, and T3 as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T4 to time segment T10 decreases. From time segment T4 to time segment T10, LEDs (Le, Lf) are extinguished in time segments T4 and T5, LEDs (Ld, Lg) are further extinguished in time segments T6 and T7, and LEDs in time segments T8 and T9. (Lc, Lh) is further turned off, and LED (Lb, Li) is further turned off in time segment T10. Thus, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located at the center to the LEDs located at both ends as time passes. In type A-2, time sections T1, T2, and T3 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T1, T2, and T3.

<Type A-3>
In the type A-3, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T1, T2, and T3 as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T4 to time segment T10 decreases. From time segment T4 to time segment T10, LEDs (La, Lj) are extinguished in time segments T4 and T5, LEDs (Lb, Li) are further extinguished in time segments T6 and T7, and LEDs in time segments T8 and T9. (Lc, Lh) is further turned off, and the LEDs (Ld, Lg) are further turned off in time segment T10. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located at each end to the LED located at the center with the passage of time. In type A-3, time sections T1, T2, and T3 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T1, T2, and T3.

<Type A-4>
In type A-4, like the blinking pattern shown in FIG. 9, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are lit in the time sections T1, T2, and T3. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T4 to time segment T10 decreases. From time segment T4 to time segment T10, LEDs (La, Lf) are extinguished in time segments T4 and T5, LEDs (Lb, Lg) are further extinguished in time segments T6 and T7, and LEDs in time segments T8 and T9. (Lc, Lh) is further extinguished, and LED (Ld, Li) is further extinguished in time segment T10. Thus, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is turned off in order from the LED located at one end to the LED located at the center and from the LED located at the center to the LED located at the other end with the passage of time. Thus, in the type A-4 that controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs, the time sections T1, T2, and T3 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T1, T2, and T3.

<Flashing pattern B: The number of lighted LEDs gradually increases>
Here, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is allocated later in time than the first time segment in the time segment than the number of LEDs that are lit in the first time segment in the time segment. A mode in which the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that the number of LEDs that are lit in the second time segment is increased will be described.

<Type B-1>
In the type B-1, the number of LEDs that are lit from the time segment T1 to the time segment T7 increases as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T8, T9, and T10. From time segment T1 to time segment T7, LEDs (La, Lb) are lit in time segment T1, LED (Lc) is further lit in time segment T2, and LED (Ld) is further lit in time segment T3, LED (Le) is further lit in time segment T4, LED (Lf) is further lit in time segment T5, LED (Lg) is further lit in time segment T6, and LED (Lh) is further lit in time segment T7. To do. Then, the LEDs (Li, Lj) are further turned on in the time sections T8, T9, T10. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is turned on sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the lapse of the time segment, and the plurality of LEDs in the last allocated time segment. The blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that all are lit. In type B-1, time sections T8, T9, and T10 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T8, T9, and T10.

<Type B-2>
In the type B-2, the number of LEDs that are lit from the time segment T1 to the time segment T7 increases as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T8, T9, and T10. From the time segment T1 to the time segment T7, the LEDs (Le, Lf) are lit in the time segment T1, the LEDs (Ld, Lg) are further lit in the time segments T2, T3, and the LED (Lc) in the time segments T4, T5. , Lh) are further lit, and LEDs (Lb, Li) are further lit in time segments T6 and T7. Then, the LEDs (La, Lj) are further lit in the time sections T8, T9, T10. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is turned on sequentially from the LED located at the center to the LEDs located on both ends with the lapse of time division, and all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the last assigned time division. The flashing of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled. In type B-2, time sections T8, T9, and T10 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T8, T9, and T10.

<Type B-3>
In type B-3, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T1 to time segment T7 increases as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T8, T9, and T10. From the time segment T1 to the time segment T7, the LEDs (La, Lj) are lit in the time segment T1, the LEDs (Lb, Li) are further lit in the time segments T2, T3, and the LEDs (Lc) in the time segments T4, T5. , Lh) are further lit, and LEDs (Ld, Lg) are further lit in time segments T6 and T7. Then, the LEDs (Le, Lf) are further turned on in the time sections T8, T9, T10. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is turned on sequentially from the LED located at each end to the LED located at the center with the passage of the time section, and all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the last assigned time section. The blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled. In type B-3, time segments T8, T9, and T10 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T8, T9, and T10.

<Type B-4>
In the type B-4, as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. 13, the number of LEDs that are lit from the time segment T1 to the time segment T7 increases. Thereafter, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T8, T9, and T10. From the time segment T1 to the time segment T7, the LEDs (La, Lf) are lit in the time segment T1, the LEDs (Lb, Lg) are further lit in the time segments T2, T3, and the LEDs (Lc) in the time segments T4, T5. , Lh) is further lit, and LEDs (Ld, Li) are further lit in time segments T6 and T7. Then, the LEDs (Le, Lj) are further turned on in the time sections T8, T9, T10. Thus, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is lit in order from the LED located at one end to the LED located at the center, and from the LED located at the center to the LED located at the other end with the passage of time. The blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the last allocated time segment. In type B-4, time sections T8, T9, and T10 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T8, T9, and T10.

<Flashing pattern C: The number of lighted LEDs gradually increases and then decreases>
Here, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is allocated later in time than the first time segment in the time segment than the number of LEDs that are lit in the first time segment in the time segment. After all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on by controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of LEDs that are turned on in the second time section is increased, the time of the second time section is longer than the second time section. A description will be given of a mode in which the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that the number of LEDs that are turned on in the third time interval assigned later is reduced.

<Type C-1>
In the type C-1, as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. 14, the number of LEDs that are lit from the time segment T1 to the time segment T4 increases, and all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj in the time segments T5 and T6). ) Lights up. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T7 to time segment T10 decreases. From time segment T1 to time segment T4, LEDs (La, Lb) are lit in time segment T1, LEDs (Lc, Ld) are further lit in time segment T2, and LEDs (Le, Lf) are lit in time segment T3. Further, the LED (Lg, Lh) is further lit in the time section T4. Then, the LEDs (Li, Lj) are further turned on in the time sections T5 and T6, and as a result, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on. Thereafter, from time segment T7 to time segment T10, LEDs (Li, Lj) are extinguished in time segment T7, LEDs (Lg, Lh) are further extinguished in time segment T8, and LEDs (Le, Lf) in time segment T9. ) Are further turned off, and the LEDs (Lc, Ld) are further turned off in the time section T10. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is turned on sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the passage of the time section, and a plurality of LEDs in the time section allocated in the middle. After all the lights are turned on, the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located on the other end side to the LED located on the one end side as the time interval elapses. In type C-1, time divisions T5 and T6 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T5 and T6. The type C-1 has a shorter total lighting period than the types A-1 to A-4 and the types B-1 to B-4, but the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of disconnection of the LED by the switching circuit. There is no effect.

<Type C-2>
In the type C-2, as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. 15, the number of LEDs that are lit from the time segment T1 to the time segment T4 increases, and all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj in the time segments T5 and T6). ) Lights up. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T7 to time segment T10 decreases. From time segment T1 to time segment T4, LEDs (La, Lb) are lit in time segment T1, LEDs (Lc, Ld) are further lit in time segment T2, and LEDs (Le, Lf) are lit in time segment T3. Further, the LED (Lg, Lh) is further lit in the time section T4. Then, the LEDs (Li, Lj) are further turned on in the time sections T5 and T6, and as a result, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on. Thereafter, from time segment T7 to time segment T10, LEDs (La, Lb) are turned off in time segment T7, LEDs (Lc, Ld) are further turned off in time segment T8, and LEDs (Le, Lf) in time segment T9. ) Are further turned off, and the LEDs (Lg, Lh) are further turned off in time segment T10. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is turned on sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the passage of the time section, and a plurality of LEDs in the time section allocated in the middle. After all the lights are turned on, the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the passage of time. In type C-2, time sections T5 and T6 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T5 and T6. The type C-2 has a shorter total lighting period than the types A-1 to A-4 and the types B-1 to B-4, but the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of disconnection of the LED by the switching circuit. There is no effect.

<Flashing pattern D: The dark spot moves>
Here, a mode will be described in which the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the extinguished LED sandwiched between the lit LEDs moves in a direction in which the plurality of LEDs are sequentially lit.

<Type D-1>
In the type D-1, all LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are lit in the time sections T1 and T2 as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T4 to time segment T10 decreases. From time segment T3 to time segment T7, LED (La) is turned off in time segment T3, LED (La) is turned on in time segment T4, LED (Lb) is turned off, and LED (Lb) is turned off in time segment T5. Is turned on, the LEDs (La, Lc) are turned off, the LED (Lc) is turned on in the time section T6, the LEDs (Lb, Ld) are turned off, and the LED (Ld) is turned on in the time section T7. Lc, Le) is turned off, LED (Le) is turned on and LED (Ld, Lf) is turned off in time section T8, LED (Lf) is turned on and LED (Le, Lg) is turned off in time section T9. Then, the LED (Lg) is turned on and the LEDs (Lf, Lh) are turned off in the time section T10. As a result, the extinguished LED (that is, the dark spot) sandwiched between the lit LEDs is visually recognized as if moving toward the LED (Lj). Thus, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the extinguished LED sandwiched between the lit LEDs moves in a direction in which the plurality of LEDs are sequentially lit. In type D-1, time sections T1 and T2 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in the time sections T1 and T2. The type D-1 has a shorter total lighting period than the types A-1 to A-4 and the types B-1 to B-4, but the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of disconnection of the LED by the switching circuit. There is no effect.

<Type D-2>
In the type D-2, as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. 17, the number of LEDs that are lit from the time segment T1 to the time segment T7 increases. Thereafter, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T9 and T10. From the time segment T1 to the time segment T7, the LEDs (La, Lb, Ld) are turned on in the time segment T1, the LEDs (Ld) are turned off in the time segment T2, and the LEDs (Lc, Le) are further lit. In section T3, LED (Le) is turned off and LEDs (Ld, Lf) are further turned on. In time section T4, LED (Lf) is turned off and LEDs (Le, Lg) are further turned on. In time section T5, LEDs are turned on. (Lg) is turned off and the LEDs (Lf, Lh) are further turned on, the LED (Lh) is turned off in the time section T6, the LEDs (Lg, Li) are further turned on, and the LED (Li) is turned on in the time section T7. The LED (Lh, Lj) is further turned off and the LED (Lj) is turned off and the LED (Li) is further turned on at time segment T8. Then, the LED (Lj) is further lit in time sections T9 and T10. As a result, the extinguished LED (that is, the dark spot) sandwiched between the lit LEDs is visually recognized as if moving toward the LED (Lj). Thus, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the extinguished LED sandwiched between the lit LEDs moves in a direction in which the plurality of LEDs are sequentially lit. In type D-2, time sections T9 and T10 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T9 and T10. The type D-1 has a shorter total lighting period than the types A-1 to A-4 and the types B-1 to B-4, but the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of disconnection of the LED by the switching circuit. There is no effect.

<Flashing pattern E: All lighting periods are two>
Here, a description will be given of a mode in which the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the first assigned time section and the last assigned time section. .

<Type E-1>
In the type E-1, all LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are lit in the time sections T1 and T2 as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, after the number of LEDs that are turned on in the time section T3 is reduced, the number of LEDs that are turned on from the time section T4 to the time section T8 is increased. Thereafter, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on again in the time sections T9 and T10. From the time segment T3 to the time segment T8, the LEDs (Le, Lf, Lg, Lh, Li, Lj) are turned off in the time segment T3, and the LEDs (La, Lb, Lc, Ld) are kept on. The LED (Le) is further lit at T4, the LED (Lf) is further lit at time segment T5, the LED (Lg) is further lit at time segment T6, and the LED (Lh) is further lit at time segment T7, In time section T8, the LED (Li) is further turned on. Then, the LED (Lj) is further lit in time sections T9 and T10. Thus, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the first allocated time segment and the last allocated time segment. In type E-1, time sections T1 and T2 and time sections T9 and T10 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T1 and T2 and time segments T9 and T10. By providing the entire lighting period in two sections, the frequency of disconnection detection processing increases. As a result, the lamp unit control device according to the embodiment of the present invention can detect the disconnection generated in the LED earlier. It should be noted that the period during which the full lighting period is provided is not limited to the beginning and end of the time segment.

<Flashing pattern F: The interval of each time division is not uniform>
Here, a mode in which a blinking pattern in which the intervals between the time sections are not uniform is set in the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit will be described. Note that the blinking pattern in which the intervals between the time segments are not uniform can be applied to all the blinking patterns A to E described above.

<Type F-1>
In the type F-1, as the blinking pattern shown in FIG. 19 is assigned later in time from the time section T2 to the time section T8, the time interval is shorter. Thus, in the blinking pattern in which the time interval is determined, the number of LEDs that are lit from the time segment T1 to the time segment T7 increases. Thereafter, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T8, T9, and T10. From time segment T1 to time segment T7, LEDs (La, Lb, Lc) are lit in time segments T1, T2, LED (Ld) is further lit in time segment T3, and LED (Le) is in time segment T4. Further, the LED (Lf) is further lit in the time section T5, the LED (Lg) is further lit in the time section T6, and the LED (Lh) is further lit in the time section T7. Then, the LEDs (Li, Lj) are further turned on in the time sections T8, T9, T10. Does the interval between each time segment gradually decrease from time segment T2 to time segment T8, so that the lighting that expands toward the LED (Lj) increases in speed as the LED (Lj) expands? Can give an impression. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is turned on sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the lapse of the time segment, and the plurality of LEDs in the last allocated time segment. The blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that all are lit.

<Type F-2>
In the type F-2, as the blinking pattern shown in FIG. 20, the time interval that is assigned later in time from the time segment T1 to the time segment T7 is longer. Thus, in the blinking pattern in which the time interval is determined, the number of LEDs that are lit from the time segment T1 to the time segment T8 increases. Thereafter, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T9 and T10. From time segment T1 to time segment T8, LEDs (La, Lb) are lit in time segment T1, LED (Lc) is further lit in time segment T2, and LED (Ld) is further lit in time segment T3, The LED (Le) is further lit in time segment T4, the LED (Lf) is further lit in time segment T5, the LED (Lg) is further lit in time segment T6, and the LED (Lh) is lit in time segments T7 and T8. It lights up further. Then, the LEDs (Li, Lj) are further turned on in the time sections T9 and T10. Does the interval between the time segments gradually increase from the time segment T1 to the time segment T7, so that the lighting that expands the range toward the LED (Lj) becomes slower as the LED (Lj) approaches Can give an impression. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit is turned on sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the lapse of the time segment, and the plurality of LEDs in the last allocated time segment. The blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that all are lit.

<Flashing pattern G: All LEDs are turned on in all time segments>
In the flashing pattern A to the flashing pattern F, all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in a part of the time section, and one of the plurality of LEDs is selectively turned on in the other part of the time section. As another form, all the plurality of LEDs are turned on in all time segments, that is, all the plurality of LEDs are turned on while the drive voltage for normally blinking the lamp unit is input (350 ms). Also good. In this case, the entire lighting period (350 ms) corresponds to the entire lighting period. For this reason, the frequency of disconnection detection processing increases. Therefore, the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention can detect the disconnection generated in the LED earlier.

  However, in this case, if all of the plurality of LEDs are simply lit with the same luminance, lighting by the lamp unit is lacking in stage performance. Therefore, in the blinking pattern G, a mode in which the luminance of the LED to be lit changes in multiple stages will be described. Note that the blinking pattern in which the brightness of the LED to be lit changes in multiple stages can be applied to all of the blinking patterns A to F described above.

<Type G-1>
In the type G-1, all LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are lit in the time sections T1, T2, and T3 as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from the time segment T4 to the time segment T10 decreases, but at this time, the LEDs that are not intended to be lit in the blink pattern are less than the LEDs that are intended to be lit in the blink pattern. Lights with low brightness. From the time section T4 to the time section T10, the brightness of the LEDs (La, Lb) is reduced in the time section T4, and the brightness of the LED (Lc) is further decreased in the time section T5. In the section T6, the LED (Ld) is further reduced in brightness, in the time section T7, the LED (Le) is further decreased in brightness, and in the time section T8, the LED (Lf) is further decreased in brightness. In the time section T9, the LED (Lg) is further reduced in brightness, and in the time section T10, the LED (Lh) is further decreased in brightness. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit blinks each of the plurality of LEDs so that the luminance is gradually reduced from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as time passes. Control. In the type G-1, time sections T1 to T10 correspond to the full lighting period. Between time segments T1 to T10, the presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected.

  In order to reduce the brightness of the LEDs that are not targeted for lighting in the blinking pattern, the switching circuit may make the duty ratio in the corresponding time segment smaller than the duty ratio of the LEDs that are targeted for lighting in the blinking pattern. That's fine.

<Flashing pattern H: Lighting the LED by controlling the brightness>
Here, a description will be given of a mode in which the luminance of an LED that is to be lit in a lighting pattern is controlled to light the LED. Note that the blinking pattern in which the intervals of the time segments are not uniform can be applied to all the blinking patterns A to G described above.

<Type H-1>
In the type H-1, all LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are lit in the time sections T1, T2, and T3 as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T4 to time segment T10 decreases. At this time, the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are lit at the brightness set for each LED. In the blinking pattern shown in FIG. 22, the brightness Bn of each LED (La, Lb... Lj) (where n is a, b... J), Ba = Bb <Bc = Bd <Be = Bf <Bg = Bh <Bi = Bj. In this way, all LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time segments T1, T2, and T3 by the LEDs whose luminance is controlled for each LED, and the time interval from the time segment T4 to the time segment T10 is the time. The LED (La, Lb) is turned off at time T4, the LED (Lc) is further turned off at time T5, the LED (Ld) is further turned off at time T6, and the LED (Le) is further turned off at time T7. Then, the LED (Lf) is further turned off in the time section T8, the LED (Lg) is further turned off in the time section T9, and the LED (Lh) is further turned off in the time section T10. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as time passes. In type H-1, time sections T1, T2, and T3 correspond to the full lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T1, T2, and T3.

<Type H-2>
In the type H-2, all the LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are turned on in the time sections T1, T2, and T3 as in the blinking pattern shown in FIG. Thereafter, the number of LEDs that are lit from time segment T4 to time segment T10 decreases. At this time, the LEDs (La, Lb,... Lj) are lit at the brightness set for each time segment. In the blinking pattern shown in FIG. 23, the luminance Bn per LED in each time segment (T1, T2,... T10) (where n is 1, 2,..., 10), B1 = B2 <B3 = B4 < Control is performed so that B5 = B6 <B7 = B8 <B9 = B10. In this way, all LEDs (La, Lb... Lj) are lit in the time sections T1, T2, and T3 by the LEDs whose luminance is controlled for each time section. The LED (La, Lb) is turned off at time T4, the LED (Lc) is further turned off at time T5, the LED (Ld) is further turned off at time T6, and the LED (Le) is further turned off at time T7. Then, the LED (Lf) is further turned off in the time section T8, the LED (Lg) is further turned off in the time section T9, and the LED (Lh) is further turned off in the time section T10. In this way, the switching circuit of the lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as time passes. In the type H-2, the time sections T1, T2, and T3 correspond to the entire lighting period. The presence or absence of disconnection of a plurality of LEDs is detected in time segments T1, T2, and T3.

  In the types H-1 and H-2 described above, the point that the luminance of the LED is appropriately adjusted has been described. If this configuration is applied, not only the brightness but also the chromaticity can be adjusted. In order to realize this configuration, one LED mounted on the lamp unit includes at least two of an element that emits red light, an element that emits green light, and an element that emits blue light. The duty ratio of the driving voltage applied to each element may be controlled. Thereby, it is possible to control the chromaticity of the LED to be turned on according to the blinking pattern.

  The blink pattern in which the lamp unit blinks normally has been described above.

[Setting of blinking pattern to lamp control circuit]
As described in detail in [Specific examples of blinking patterns in which the lamp unit normally blinks], various blinking patterns can be considered. It is preferable that the meter 100 accepts selection of a desired blinking pattern from the user, and the lighting control device 200 can control the blinking of the LED with the blinking pattern. In this item, a configuration for realizing this processing will be described.

  In the lighting control device 200, the lamp control circuit includes a blinking pattern A to a blinking pattern H described in “Specific examples of blinking patterns in which the lamp unit normally blinks” in a ROM (Read Only Memory) provided in the lamp control circuit. Is recorded. The lamp control circuit includes an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory). The EEPROM can read any one of the flashing pattern data recorded in the ROM and write it to itself. The lamp control circuit controls on / off of each MOS-FET by referring to data on the blinking pattern written in the EEPROM by the switching circuit.

  When the meter 100 designates a specific blink pattern from among the blink patterns recorded in the ROM of the lamp control circuit, the following processing is executed. The main control circuit 150 of the meter 100 uses a control signal instructing normal blinking as a signal in which Hi and Lo are alternately repeated at the same interval (350 ms), and a control signal instructing abnormal blinking is 110 ms. , Lo are output as signals that are alternately repeated at 200 ms, respectively. In addition to this, control signals having other pulse waveforms can be output. Further, the main control circuit 150 records this pulse waveform in association with the blinking pattern recorded in the ROM of the lamp control circuit. The main control circuit 150 outputs to the drive circuit 210 a pulse waveform corresponding to a blinking pattern that causes the lamp unit to blink when the lamp control circuit blinks normally. For example, when the event causing the normal blinking is a turning operation of the operation lever when the vehicle turns right or left, the main control circuit 150 outputs a pulse waveform corresponding to the turning operation of the operation lever to the drive circuit. Then, the drive circuit 210 supplies a drive voltage to the lamp control circuit based on Hi and Lo of the pulse waveform.

  On the other hand, the lamp control circuit monitors the waveform of the drive voltage for a predetermined period from the fall of the drive voltage. The lamp control circuit determines whether the waveform of the drive voltage being monitored matches and does not match the pulse waveform associated with the blinking pattern recorded in the ROM of the lamp control circuit. Identify the voltage waveform (including the pulse waveform above). When the lamp control circuit detects the waveform of the matching pulse signal, the lamp control circuit reads the blinking pattern corresponding to the waveform from the ROM and writes it to the EEPROM. Here, the lamp control circuit specifies a blinking pattern corresponding to the warning lighting based on the pulse signal, and writes the blinking pattern in the EEPROM.

  In this way, an arbitrary blinking pattern designated by the main control circuit 150 of the meter 100 is written into the EEPROM of the lamp control circuit. Then, the switching circuit controls on / off of each MOS-FET with reference to the data regarding the blinking pattern written in the EEPROM.

  As described above, according to the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention, the meter 100 receives selection of a desired blinking pattern from the user, and the lighting control device 200 can control blinking of the LED by the blinking pattern. Moreover, no design change is required on the meter 100 side in order to realize this configuration. For this reason, the lighting control apparatus 200 of the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an existing meter. Therefore, it can be said that the lamp unit control device of the embodiment of the present invention is highly versatile.

  Further, in [Setting of blinking pattern to lamp control circuit], an example in which the blinking pattern is set based on the turning operation of the operation lever in order to notify the direction in which the vehicle turns left and right has been described as an example. The operation that causes the normal blinking here is not limited to the turning operation of the operation lever. For example, pressing of a hazard button for blinking a warning, operation for requesting blinking of a lamp for answering back, or operation for requesting blinking of an ESS (emergency stop signal) may be performed. If the pulse waveform corresponding to these operations is recorded in the main control circuit 150 and the blinking pattern corresponding to the pulse waveform is recorded in the lamp control circuit, respectively, the blinking pattern corresponding to warning blinking, answerback or ESS The lamp unit will blink. Thus, the lamp unit control device according to the embodiment of the present invention can realize blinking of the lamp unit with higher performance.

Here, the features of the embodiment of the lamp unit control device according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [24], respectively.
[1] A lamp unit (410) having a plurality of LEDs;
A drive circuit (210) for supplying a drive voltage for lighting the plurality of LEDs to the lamp unit (410);
A lamp control circuit (310) for controlling the brightness of each of the plurality of LEDs while the drive voltage is supplied to the lamp unit (410);
With
The lamp control circuit (310) is configured to determine whether the LED to be lit is on or off based on a blinking pattern in which lighting and extinguishing of each of the plurality of LEDs is determined for each time segment obtained by time-division while the drive voltage is input Controlling blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so as to be switched and all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in at least one of the time segments;
A lamp unit control device.
[2] The lamp control circuit (310) is more temporal than the first time segment of the time segment, rather than the number of LEDs that are lit in the first time segment of the time segment. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of the LEDs that are turned on in the second time interval assigned to
The lamp unit control device according to [1], wherein
[3] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction,
In the lamp control circuit (310), all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the first assigned time segment, and from the LED located on one end side to the other end side as the time segment elapses. Control the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off over the LEDs located.
The lamp unit control device according to [2], wherein
[4] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction,
The lamp control circuit (310) is configured such that all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the initially assigned time segment, and from the LED located in the center to the LEDs located on both ends as the time segment elapses. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so as to turn off sequentially.
The lamp unit control device according to [2], wherein
[5] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction,
In the lamp control circuit (310), all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the first assigned time segment, and the LEDs located in the center from the LEDs located at both ends as the time segment elapses. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the lights are turned off in order.
The lamp unit control device according to [2], wherein
[6] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit (310) is configured such that all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the first assigned time segment, and from the LED located at one end to the LED located in the center as the time segment elapses. And, blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located at the center to the LED located at the other end.
The lamp unit control device according to [2], wherein
[7] The lamp control circuit (310) is more temporal than the first time segment of the time segment, rather than the number of LEDs that are lit in the first time segment of the time segment. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of the LEDs that are turned on in the second time interval assigned later to the
The lamp unit control device according to [1], wherein
[8] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction,
The lamp control circuit (310) illuminates sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as the time segment elapses, and in the time segment assigned last, Control blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit.
[7] The lamp unit control device according to [7].
[9] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction,
The lamp control circuit (310) is lit in order from the LED located in the center to the LEDs located on both ends as the time segment elapses, and all of the plurality of LEDs in the last allocated time segment. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the
[7] The lamp unit control device according to [7].
[10] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction,
The lamp control circuit (310) is lit in order from the LED located at each end to the LED located at the center as the time interval elapses, and the plurality of LEDs in the time interval assigned last are turned on. Control the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all are lit.
[7] The lamp unit control device according to [7].
[11] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction,
The lamp control circuit (310) extends from the LED located at one end to the LED located at the center and from the LED located at the center to the LED located at the other end as the time interval elapses. , Turn on sequentially, and control the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the time segment assigned last.
[7] The lamp unit control device according to [7].
[12] The lamp control circuit (310) is more temporal than the first time segment in the time segment, rather than the number of LEDs that are lit in the first time segment in the time segment. In order to increase the number of the LEDs that are turned on in the second time interval assigned later, the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled and all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on. The blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that the number of the LEDs that are lit in the third time interval allocated later in time than the second time interval is reduced.
The lamp unit control device according to [1], wherein
[13] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction,
The lamp control circuit (310) illuminates in order from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as the time interval elapses, and in the time interval assigned midway, After all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on, each of the plurality of LEDs blinks so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located on the other end side to the LED located on the one end side as the time interval elapses. Control,
[12] The lamp unit control device according to [12].
[14] In the lamp unit (410), the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction,
The lamp control circuit (310) illuminates in order from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as the time interval elapses, and in the time interval assigned midway, After all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on, each of the plurality of LEDs blinks so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as the time interval elapses. Control,
[12] The lamp unit control device according to [12].
[15] The lamp control circuit (310) controls blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the unlit LED sandwiched between the lit LEDs moves in a direction in which the plurality of LEDs are sequentially lit.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of [3] to [6], [8] to [11], [13], or [14], wherein
[16] The lamp control circuit (310) controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the first allocated time segment and the last allocated time segment. To
The lamp unit control device according to any one of [1] to [15], wherein:
[17] The time interval is shorter in time interval as it is assigned later in time.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of [1] to [16], wherein:
[18] The time interval is longer in time interval as it is assigned later in time.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of [1] to [16], wherein:
[19] The lamp control circuit (310) illuminates the LEDs that are not intended to be lit with the blinking pattern with lower brightness than the LEDs that are intended to be lit with the blinking pattern.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of [1] to [18], wherein:
[20] The lamp control circuit (310) controls the brightness of the plurality of LEDs to be turned on to be different for each time segment.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of [1] to [18], wherein:
[21] The lamp control circuit (310) controls the brightness of the plurality of LEDs to be turned on to be different for each LED.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of [1] to [18], wherein:
[22] The lamp control circuit (310) determines whether there is an abnormality in the lamp unit (410) based on a voltage value supplied to the plurality of LEDs in the time period when all of the plurality of LEDs are lit. To determine,
The lamp unit control device according to any one of [1] to [21], wherein:
[23] When an external signal instructing to blink the lamp unit (410) is input, the driving circuit (210) outputs a control signal to the driving circuit (210) to supply the driving voltage. A main control circuit (150) for controlling
When it is determined that the lamp unit (410) has an abnormality, the lamp control circuit (310) turns off all the LEDs.
In the main control circuit (150), a part of the current supplied from the drive circuit (210) to the lamp control circuit (310) is fed back as a sense current, and the first lamp unit is based on the sense current. Determining whether there is an abnormality in (410);
[22] The lamp unit control device according to [22].
[24] When an external signal designating the blinking pattern of the lamp unit (410) is input, the drive circuit (210) outputs a control signal to the drive circuit (210) to supply the drive voltage. A main control circuit (150) for controlling
The lamp control circuit (310) identifies the designated blinking pattern based on the drive voltage, and controls blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs based on the blinking pattern.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of [1] to [23], wherein:

100 Meter 110 Power supply circuit 150 Main control circuit 200 Lighting control device 210 Drive circuit 220L Left direction indicator lamp 220R Right direction indicator lamps 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360 Lamp control circuit 311 Power supply circuit 312 Switching circuit 313a,.・ 313i, 313j MOS-FET
314 AND circuit 322 Switching circuit 323a,... 323i, 323j MOS-FET
324 AND circuit 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460 Lamp unit 411a, ... 411i, 411j LED

Claims (22)

A plurality of lamp units each having a plurality of LEDs;
A driving circuit for supplying a driving voltage for lighting the corresponding plurality of LEDs to each of the lamp units;
A plurality of lamp control circuits each controlling the brightness of each of the plurality of corresponding LEDs while the drive voltage is supplied to the corresponding lamp unit;
With
Each of the lamp control circuits is turned on based on a blinking pattern in which lighting and extinguishing of each of the plurality of LEDs corresponding to each time segment obtained by time-sharing while the drive voltage is input are determined. Each of the corresponding LEDs is controlled to blink so that the corresponding LEDs are turned on and at least one of the corresponding LEDs is turned on in at least one of the time segments.
Each of the lamp control circuits determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the corresponding lamp unit based on a voltage value supplied to the plurality of LEDs corresponding to the time segment in which all of the plurality of LEDs are lit.
A main control circuit for controlling the drive circuit to output a control signal to the drive circuit and supply the drive voltage when an external signal instructing to blink each of the lamp units is input;
When each of the lamp control circuits determines that there is an abnormality in the corresponding lamp unit, it turns off all the corresponding LEDs.
The main control circuit is a part of the current supplied from the drive circuit to the plurality of lamp control circuits, and the number of LEDs that are lit out of all the plurality of LEDs included in the plurality of lamp units. A proportional current is fed back as a sense current, and the presence or absence of an abnormality in the plurality of lamp units is determined based on the sense current.
A lamp unit control device. The lamp control circuit is assigned a time later than the first time segment in the time segment than the number of the LEDs lit in the first time segment in the time segment. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of the LEDs that are lit in two time segments is reduced.
The lamp unit control device according to claim 1. In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit is configured such that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the time segment assigned first, and the LED located on one end side is located on the other end side as the time segment elapses. Control the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off.
The lamp unit control device according to claim 2. In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit turns on all of the plurality of LEDs in the first assigned time segment, and sequentially turns off the LED located in the center to the LEDs located on both ends as the time segment elapses. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs,
The lamp unit control device according to claim 2. In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
In the lamp control circuit, all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the first assigned time segment, and are sequentially turned off from the LED located at each end to the LED located in the center as the time segment elapses. Controlling blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs,
The lamp unit control device according to claim 2. In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit turns on all of the plurality of LEDs in the first assigned time segment, and with the progress of the time segment, from the LED located at one end to the LED located in the center, and From the LED located in the center to the LED located on the other end side, the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so as to turn off sequentially.
The lamp unit control device according to claim 2. The lamp control circuit is assigned a time later than the first time segment in the time segment than the number of the LEDs lit in the first time segment in the time segment. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of the LEDs that are lit in two time segments increases.
The lamp unit control device according to claim 1. In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side as the time segment elapses, and the plurality of LEDs in the last allocated time segment Control the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the
The lamp unit control device according to claim 7. In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located in the center to the LEDs located on both ends as the time segment elapses, and all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the last allocated time segment. Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs,
The lamp unit control device according to claim 7. In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located at each end to the LED located in the center as the time segment elapses, and all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the last allocated time segment. Controlling blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs,
The lamp unit control device according to claim 7. In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit is lit in order from the LED located at one end to the LED located at the center and from the LED located at the center to the LED located at the other end as the time interval elapses. And controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the plurality of LEDs are lit in the time segment assigned last.
The lamp unit control device according to claim 7. The lamp control circuit is assigned a time later than the first time segment in the time segment than the number of the LEDs lit in the first time segment in the time segment. After the plurality of LEDs are all lit by controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of the LEDs that are lit in two time segments increases, the second time in the time segment Controlling the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the number of LEDs that are lit in a third time segment assigned later in time than the segment is reduced.
The lamp unit control device according to claim 1. In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the passage of the time segment, and the plurality of LEDs in the time segment allocated in the middle After all of the lights are turned on, the flashing of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that the LEDs are sequentially turned off from the LED located on the other end side to the LED located on the one end side as the time interval elapses.
The lamp unit control device according to claim 12, wherein In the lamp unit, the plurality of LEDs are arranged along an arbitrary direction.
The lamp control circuit illuminates sequentially from the LED located on one end side to the LED located on the other end side with the passage of the time segment, and the plurality of LEDs in the time segment allocated in the middle After all of the lights are turned on, with the progress of the time section, the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs is controlled so that the LEDs located on one end side are sequentially turned off from the LEDs located on the other end side.
The lamp unit control device according to claim 12, wherein The lamp control circuit controls the blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that the unlit LED sandwiched between the lit LEDs moves in a direction in which the plurality of LEDs are sequentially lit.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, 8 to 11, 13, or 14. The lamp control circuit controls blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs so that all of the plurality of LEDs are turned on in the first allocated time segment and the last allocated time segment.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein As the time interval is assigned later in time, the time interval of the time interval is shorter.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein As the time interval is assigned later in time, the time interval is longer.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein The lamp control circuit illuminates the LED that is not intended to be lit with the blinking pattern with a lower brightness than the LED that is intended to be lit with the blinking pattern.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein The lamp control circuit controls the brightness of the plurality of LEDs to be turned on to be different for each time segment.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein The lamp control circuit controls the brightness of the plurality of LEDs to be turned on to be different for each LED.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein A main control circuit for controlling the drive circuit to output a control signal to the drive circuit and supply the drive voltage when an external signal designating the blinking pattern of the lamp unit is input;
The lamp control circuit identifies the designated blinking pattern based on the drive voltage, and controls blinking of each of the plurality of LEDs based on the blinking pattern.
The lamp unit control device according to any one of claims 1 to 21 , wherein

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