JP6623591B2 - Control device for vehicle lighting - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device for an in-vehicle illuminator that controls an illuminator mounted on a vehicle.

  A conventional control device for an in-vehicle illuminator is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. Such a control device for an in-vehicle illuminator includes a driving unit that drives a direction indicator lamp as the in-vehicle illuminator, and a driving unit. And a detecting means for detecting a voltage between both ends of the resistive element. A disconnection and a short circuit of the directional light are determined based on the voltage detected by the detecting means. Was to do.

  In addition, there has conventionally been a configuration in which an indicator for indicating the driving state of the vehicle-mounted lighting is provided in the instrument.

JP 2009-40285 A

  When detecting such disconnection or short circuit of the vehicle-mounted illumination lamp (direction indicator lamp), the rush current immediately after the start of lighting tends to increase. For example, it waits for about 40 milliseconds, and then enters a stable state. Therefore, it is necessary to determine a disconnection or a short circuit.

  On the other hand, if a disconnection or short circuit occurs on the vehicle-mounted lighting or the operation switch for the vehicle-mounted lighting for some reason, the vehicle-mounted lighting is not turned on. However, as described above, in order to determine a disconnection or a short circuit after waiting for a stable state, the indicator flashes instantaneously.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device for a vehicle-mounted lighting that can quickly determine the state of the vehicle-mounted lighting and can optimally drive the indicator by focusing on the above-described problem.

The vehicle lighting control device of the present invention includes:
A drive circuit that outputs power for driving the vehicle-mounted lighting through a wiring connected to the vehicle-mounted lighting as a driving signal,
A control unit that detects an output state of the drive signal and outputs a control signal that switches whether power is supplied by the drive circuit.
By turning on and off under the control of the control means, a light source for an indicator that indicates the operating state of the vehicle-mounted lighting,
The drive circuit outputs a signal corresponding to a current value of the drive signal to the control unit as a state signal,
The control unit receives the state signal, and determines whether to start energization of the wiring.
After the start of energization, a voltage determination process of detecting a rising voltage value of the drive signal and determining whether the voltage value is normal,
As a result of the voltage determination process, the voltage value is normal, a state determination process to determine whether the state signal is not an abnormal value after a predetermined time from the start of the energization that the state signal becomes a stable state,
On / off control of the light source is performed based on these processes .

  Further, the control means outputs a control signal for prompting the light source to blink to the drive circuit, based on the state determination processing, when no abnormality is found.

Further, an output state of a control signal to the drive circuit is switched according to a determination result of the voltage determination process .

  Further, the control means is characterized in that, when it is determined by the voltage determination processing that the state is an abnormal state, the voltage determination processing is periodically performed to determine whether or not the abnormal state is reproduced.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, regarding the control apparatus of a vehicle-mounted illuminating lamp, the state of a vehicle-mounted illuminating lamp can be determined quickly and an indicator drive can be optimally performed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit configuration of the control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the example of mounting of the vehicle-mounted instrument of the indicator by embodiment same as the above. The flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the control means by embodiment same as the above. 6 is a time chart showing an example of light source driving in a normal state according to the embodiment; 5 is a time chart showing an example of driving at the time of abnormality according to the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a control device for a vehicle-mounted illumination light according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking an example in which the present invention is applied to a vehicle-mounted instrument (control device) for a motorcycle.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of an electrical configuration of an in-vehicle instrument A according to the present invention. The in-vehicle instrument A in the present embodiment includes a drive circuit 1, a control unit 2, and a light source 3.

  A power supply of a battery mounted on the vehicle is connected to the vehicle-mounted instrument A, and the power supplied from the power source drives electronic components such as the light source 3, the drive circuit 1, and the control means 2 in the vehicle-mounted instrument A. The in-vehicle instrument A can switch the energized state (energized / non-energized) between the power supply circuit B connected to the power supply and the wiring C to drive the in-vehicle illuminating light D to blink.

  In addition, the control device of the vehicle-mounted illuminating lamp according to the present embodiment is configured to be provided in a housing 40 (shown in FIG. 2) of the vehicle-mounted instrument A, and each electronic component is a circuit board housed in the housing 40. Implemented in That is, the vehicle-mounted instrument A of the present embodiment is configured such that a control device such as an indicator provided in the meter panel and a vehicle-mounted illuminating light D provided on the outer side of the vehicle are electrically connected via the wiring C. Configuration.

  The on-vehicle lighting D is, for example, a light-emitting element such as a light bulb (incandescent light bulb) using a filament or an LED (light-emitting diode). Are arranged respectively. Further, in the vehicle-mounted illumination light D, a front light source and a rear light source are connected in parallel, and current is supplied through the drive circuit 1. The in-vehicle illuminating light D is provided so that one set for the right side and one set for the left side, one of which is grounded and the front and rear lights are connected in parallel, can be selected by the operation switch E. In addition, it is connected to a drive circuit 1 and a control means 2 which are common to the left and right.

  The operation switch E is an operation means for the vehicle user to switch on / off the energized / de-energized state of the in-vehicle illuminating lamp D for instructing a direction, and is provided on a handle (not shown). For this reason, the operation switch E is provided in series with the on-vehicle illuminating light D, and one end is connected to the drive circuit 1 of the on-vehicle instrument A via the wiring C, and the other end is grounded via the vehicle body. In this case, the operation switch E can switch the energized state according to the selection of a left turn instruction (energized) / right turn instruction (energized) / no instruction (non-energized) by the vehicle user.

  The drive circuit 1 can use a semiconductor (for example, a high-side driver) using a switching element composed of a semiconductor element such as an FET (field effect transistor), and includes a power supply circuit B, a vehicle lighting D, and a control unit 2. And is electrically connected to The drive circuit 1 supplies or stops the current (drive signal) from the power supply circuit B to the connected vehicle-mounted lighting D based on the control signal (ON or OFF) from the control unit 2, and switches the vehicle-mounted lighting D to Blinks (turns on and off) at a predetermined cycle.

  Further, the drive circuit 1 outputs a drive signal for driving the on-vehicle illumination lamp D through the wiring C, and outputs a state signal corresponding to the current value of the drive signal to the control means 2. The control means 2 turns on and off the light source 3 based on the state signal, as described later, to display the operation state of the vehicle-mounted illumination lamp D as an indicator.

  The control unit 2 can be an electronic control unit such as a microcomputer including a CPU, a memory, and an interface circuit, and is connected to the drive circuit 1 and the light source 3. The control unit 2 is provided with an input port for monitoring a drive signal output from the drive circuit 1, and can input a state signal corresponding to a current value of the drive signal via the drive circuit 1. Further, the control means 2 is circuit-connected so that a detection signal corresponding to the voltage value of the drive signal can be input.

  Further, the control means 2 performs arithmetic processing based on the input state of each signal and a program stored in a memory in advance, and outputs an output corresponding to the arithmetic result for the indicator 10 as shown in FIG. An output port for issuing a signal for controlling the light source 3 to turn on and off and a control signal for controlling the drive circuit 1 are provided. The control means 2 is also used as an arithmetic processing means for inputting vehicle information and controlling the hands 20 of the in-vehicle instrument A, the liquid crystal display element 30, and the like.

  The light source 3 is an illuminating means for transmitting and illuminating the indicator 10 indicating the operating state of the on-vehicle illuminating light D provided in the on-vehicle instrument A from the back side (inside), and is mounted on a circuit board housed in the housing 40. Light emitting diodes can be applied. The indicator 10 is formed of a light-transmitting member in the shape of an arrow, and indicates that the direction for turning right or left is being indicated. The light source 3 is switched between an on / off state based on an output signal from the control unit 2.

  Next, a driving example of the in-vehicle illumination lamp D and the light source 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 shows a processing procedure of the control means 2, and FIG. 4 shows an example of a state of each signal in a normal state. First, the control unit 2 outputs ON (a signal indicating "H") as a control signal (step S1). With this control signal, the drive circuit 1 turns on the power supply circuit B and the wiring C.

Next, the control unit 2 receives the state signal and performs an energization start determination process (step S2) for determining whether a current has flowed from the drive circuit 1. Note that the control means 2 may make this determination based on whether or not a predetermined threshold value is exceeded, or may be made by detecting a rising portion from the waveform of the state signal.

  When the condition of the energization start determination processing is not satisfied, the control unit 2 operates in the non-energized state because the vehicle user has not operated the operation switch E or the vehicle-mounted illumination lamps D are all disconnected. If there is, the light source 3 is on standby while the light source 3 is turned off.

  Further, when the condition of the energization start determination processing is satisfied, the control unit 2 turns on the operation switch E (for example, a right turn instruction operation) by the vehicle user, and the power of the power supply circuit B flows to the wiring C side. It is assumed that the detection signal is input, and the voltage value of the drive signal (potential of the wiring C) output from the drive circuit 1 is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage value (“H” / “L”). Is performed (step S3).

  When the control means 2 determines that the condition of the voltage determination processing is satisfied, the drive circuit 1 operates in response to the control signal being “H”, and a normal drive signal is sent to the outside of the in-vehicle instrument A. It is determined that the power is supplied, and control is performed so that the light source 3 for the indicator 10 in the in-vehicle instrument A is turned on (step S4). By the above-described processing, the light source 3 of the on-vehicle instrument A can be quickly turned on from the start of lighting of the on-vehicle illuminating light D, so that the vehicle user can visually recognize the blinking display of the indicator 10 that has a good response and does not cause any discomfort. it can.

  Next, after a certain time T1 (for example, after 100 milliseconds) from the start of energization detected in step S2, the control means 2 changes the state signal from the inrush current to a stable state (a signal corresponding to the current value of the drive signal). Is read, and a state determination process is performed to determine whether the value is an abnormal value (step S5).

  When the control means 2 determines that the value is not an abnormal value by the state determination processing, the control means 2 performs normal blinking driving as follows. First, the control means 2 outputs the signal “H” to the drive circuit 1 to turn on the vehicle-mounted illuminating light D via the drive circuit 1. It waits until the lighting time (for example, one second) T2 has elapsed (step S6). Thereafter, the control means 2 outputs a signal "L" for the control signal, switches the on-vehicle illuminating light D to the off state (step S7), and further turns off the light source 3 (step S8). In addition, the light-off process of the light source 3 can be executed by a separate process at an opportunity of detecting a state signal lower than a predetermined threshold value or a falling waveform. Next, the control means 2 waits while maintaining these light-off states until a predetermined light-off time (for example, one second) T3 has elapsed (step S9). By the processing from step S6 to step S9, the in-vehicle illuminating lamp D blinks for one cycle, and the light source 3 blinks in synchronization with the blinking.

  It should be noted that the blinking process of the light source 3 can be displayed without a sense of incongruity if synchronized in each cycle. In addition, the control means 2 can also determine that one of the front and rear in-vehicle illuminating lights D is disconnected due to a broken ball or the like by the threshold value determination of the state determination processing. It is also possible to notify the vehicle user by, for example, multiplying the blinking cycle by a plurality of times.

  If the control means 2 determines that the condition of the voltage determination processing in step S3 is not satisfied, or determines that the value is an abnormal value by the state determination processing in step S5, the control means 2 regards the state as some sort of abnormal state. As shown in FIG. 5, the control signal "L" is output (step S10), and the light source 3 is controlled to be turned off (step S11), and these control states are passed for a predetermined time (for example, 2.5 seconds) T4. Is maintained (step S12). By maintaining the control signal "L" for a predetermined time T4, if an abnormal state occurs due to a short circuit on the wiring C or the vehicle-mounted lighting D side, the drive circuit 1 is energized (particularly, power supply). It is possible to reduce the state of heat generation due to energization between the circuit B and the wiring C).

  By repeating these processes, the on-vehicle instrument A can drive the on-vehicle illuminating lamp D to blink without the need of providing a dedicated signal line for discriminating the operation of the operation switch E, and by monitoring the drive signal, the indicator 10 can be displayed without any discomfort. Blinking can be displayed.

  In addition, in an abnormal state, the light source 3 can be prevented from blinking or blinking, and a drive signal is periodically output to determine whether the abnormal state is reproduced. Do. At this time, the monitoring state is changed to a state in which heat generation is small in preparation for the case where the normal state is restored.

  The vehicle-mounted instrument A, which serves as a control device for the vehicle-mounted illumination light D, includes a driving circuit 1 that outputs power for driving the vehicle-mounted illumination light D through a wiring C connected to the vehicle-mounted illumination light D as a driving signal; Control means 2 for detecting the output state of the vehicle lighting device and outputting a control signal for switching the presence / absence of power supply by the drive circuit 1; The control means 2 detects a voltage value of the drive signal, and controls the light source 3 to turn on and off based on the voltage value.

  Therefore, by using the voltage value of the drive signal, the control unit 2 can quickly determine the state of the on-vehicle illumination lamp D without waiting for the stable state of the current of the drive signal. For this reason, in the event of an abnormality, the light source 3 is not caused to emit extra light, and in the normal state, an optimal indicator drive synchronized with the in-vehicle illuminating light D with good response can be performed.

  Further, the drive circuit 1 outputs a signal corresponding to the current value of the drive signal to the control means 2 as a state signal, and the control means 2 performs a state determination process for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the state signal. Do. Further, the control means 2 outputs a control signal for prompting the light source 3 to blink to the drive circuit 1 based on the state determination processing when no abnormality is found.

  Therefore, the operation status from the operation switch E can be determined based on the energized state of the drive signal. Therefore, the control means 2 is effective because it can not only drive the light source 3 to blink on the basis of the determination result, but also can use the wiring C for both the vehicle-mounted illuminating lamp D and the state determination.

  Further, the control means 2 performs a voltage determination process for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the voltage value, and switches an output state of a control signal to the drive circuit 1 in accordance with the determination result, for example, in-vehicle lighting. In the event of an abnormality such as a short circuit to the ground of the lamp D or the operation switch E, the abnormal state can be determined more quickly than in the state determination processing in which the current of the drive signal needs to be in a stable state, so that unnecessary lighting of the light source 3 is suppressed. it can.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not construed as being limited to the above embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. .

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, a description has been given of an example in which the in-vehicle illuminating light D is applied to a direction indicator light. However, the present invention can be applied to a vehicle width light, a brake light, a headlight, a high beam light, and the like. An effect similar to that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  The present invention relates to a control device for an in-vehicle illuminator, and is suitable, for example, as an in-vehicle instrument mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile or a motorcycle, or a moving body including an agricultural machine or a construction machine.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 drive circuit 2 control means 3 light source 10 indicator 20 pointer 30 liquid crystal display element 40 case A vehicle-mounted instrument B power supply circuit C wiring D vehicle-mounted lighting E operation switch

Claims (4)

A drive circuit that outputs power for driving the vehicle-mounted lighting through a wiring connected to the vehicle-mounted lighting as a driving signal,
A control unit that detects an output state of the drive signal and outputs a control signal that switches whether power is supplied by the drive circuit.
By turning on and off under the control of the control means, a light source for an indicator that indicates the operating state of the vehicle-mounted lighting,
The drive circuit outputs a signal corresponding to a current value of the drive signal to the control unit as a state signal,
The control unit receives the state signal, and determines whether to start energization of the wiring.
After the start of energization, a voltage determination process of detecting a rising voltage value of the drive signal and determining whether the voltage value is normal,
As a result of the voltage determination process, the voltage value is normal, a state determination process to determine whether the state signal is not an abnormal value after a predetermined time from the start of the energization that the state signal becomes a stable state,
A control device for an in-vehicle illuminator , wherein the light source is turned on and off based on these processes .   The control device for a vehicle-mounted illuminating lamp according to claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs a control signal for prompting the light source to blink to the drive circuit, based on the state determination process, when no abnormality is detected. .   The control device for an in-vehicle illuminator according to claim 1, wherein an output state of a control signal to the drive circuit is switched according to a determination result of the voltage determination process. 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the voltage determination process determines that the abnormal state is present, the control unit performs the voltage determination process periodically to determine whether the abnormal state is reproduced. 3. Control device for vehicle lighting.

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