JP6848686B2 - Lighting equipment for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed herein relates to a vehicle lighting device.

Conventionally, it has been studied to control the brightness and color of lighting and the like, not only to turn on and off the lighting and illumination in a vehicle such as an automobile (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle interior lighting system capable of keeping the brightness inside the vehicle on the rear seat side constant even if the brightness outside the vehicle changes. Further, Patent Document 2 provides lighting color and brightness according to the biological rhythm of the occupant by automatically controlling the color temperature and brightness of the lighting in the vehicle interior based on the time zone of the day. A vehicle interior lighting device that can adjust the lighting according to the mood and taste of the vehicle is described.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-76519 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-221655

For example, in the vehicle interior lighting described in Patent Document 1, the brightness of the rear seat is detected, and the magnitude of the light output of the lighting device is adjusted so that the brightness of the rear seat falls within a certain range. In the vehicle interior lighting device described in Patent Document 2, the color temperature and brightness of the vehicle interior lighting are automatically controlled according to the time of day. By detecting the brightness of the seat and adjusting the lighting in this way, or by controlling the lighting according to the time zone, a preferable change mode of the lighting may occur, but it is limited to the passenger compartment. Further modes of lighting in the space are also desired.

The technique disclosed in the present specification has been made in view of the above points, detects some elements, comprehensively judges from the detection results, and provides lighting suitable for the situation of the vehicle. One of the purposes is to provide a lighting device for vehicles that can be produced.

As a means for solving the above problems, the technology disclosed in the present specification includes a light emitting unit provided in the vehicle chamber, an external environment information acquisition means for acquiring external environment information regarding the external environment, and vehicle information regarding the vehicle. Based on at least three pieces of information, the vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring the above, the occupant information acquisition means for acquiring the occupant information, the acquired external environment information, the vehicle information, and the occupant information, the light emitting unit emits light. The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting device including a light emitting unit control means for controlling the above.

According to such a technique, since the light emission in the light emitting unit is controlled based on the three elements of the vehicle, the external environment of the vehicle, and the occupant, it is possible to produce a novel lighting mode. Further, in particular, by acquiring, for example, speed, acceleration, steering angle, etc. as vehicle information and reflecting this information in the lighting mode, it is possible to produce lighting suitable for the situation of the vehicle itself. In addition, as the outside environment, for example, by acquiring the illuminance, chromaticity, place, time, weather, sky color, etc. of the outside environment and reflecting this information in the lighting mode, the lighting suitable for the environment in which the vehicle is placed. Can be produced. Further, by acquiring, for example, the emotions of the occupant as the information of the occupant and reflecting this information in the lighting mode, it is possible to produce the lighting suitable for the occupant. According to this technology, the above three elements, which are particularly important as the elements to be output by the vehicle, are acquired, and these three elements are integratedly calculated to generate the illumination color, thereby giving a sense of unity among the above three elements. It becomes possible to realize lighting.

In the above technique, the light emitting unit can adjust at least the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range in one light emitting unit, and the light emitting unit control means can be applied to one light emitting unit. The light color, the illuminance, the color temperature, the contrast, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range are at least one of the light color, the illuminance, the color temperature, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range based on the external environment information. At least one of the color temperature, the contrast, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range is the light color, the illuminance, the color temperature, the contrast, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range based on the occupant information. Can be determined.

In this way, for the light emitting unit whose light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range can be adjusted, the light color, illuminance, and color temperature can be determined by the external environment information, vehicle information, and occupant information. By determining any of the contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range and controlling the light emission, it is possible to increase the variation of the lighting mode.

In the above technique, the light emitting unit control means has at least one of the light color, the illuminance, the color temperature, the contrast, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range for one light emitting unit based on the external environment information. The light color, the illuminance, the color temperature, the contrast, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range, which are different from those determined based on the external environment information, are determined based on the vehicle information. The light color, the illuminance, the color temperature, the contrast, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range, which are determined based on the occupant information, are different from those determined based on the external environment information and the vehicle information. It can be the one that decides things.

Further, in the above technique, the light emitting unit control means obtains any one of light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range based on each information of the external environment information, the vehicle information, and the occupant information. When a predetermined time elapses after the determination and transmission of the light emission control signal to the light emitting unit, each information of the external environment information, the vehicle information, and the occupant information is reacquired, and the predetermined time elapses. It is possible to redetermine any one of the light color, the illuminance, the color temperature, the contrast, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range based on each of the information of the above, and retransmit the light emission control signal to the light emitting unit. In this case, it is possible to produce lighting suitable for the situation of the vehicle depending on the time.

According to the technology disclosed in the present specification, a vehicle lighting device capable of detecting some elements, comprehensively judging from the detection results, and producing lighting suitable for the situation of the vehicle is provided. Can be provided.

The figure which shows the mode in which the lighting apparatus which concerns on this invention is arranged inside the vehicle (automobile) as one Embodiment of a vehicle. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the lighting apparatus for a vehicle which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of a light emitting unit control means in the vehicle lighting device of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the storage contents of the storage means provided in the light emitting unit control means in the vehicle lighting device of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the storage contents of the storage means provided in the light emitting unit control means in the vehicle lighting device of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the storage contents of the storage means provided in the light emitting unit control means in the vehicle lighting device of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an example of a light emission control flow executed by a light emitting unit control means in the vehicle lighting device of FIG. 2.

An embodiment of a vehicle having the configuration according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle lighting device 100 according to the present embodiment is provided in a vehicle (automobile) interior as a vehicle, and at least adjusts the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range of emitted light. A possible light emitting unit 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f ...), an external environment information acquisition means 2 arranged in the vehicle interior and acquiring external environment information regarding the external environment of the vehicle, and a vehicle. It includes a vehicle information acquisition means 3 for acquiring vehicle information regarding (vehicle) and an occupant information acquisition means 4 for acquiring occupant information regarding occupants. The light emitting unit 1 may include a light guide body that propagates the emitted light and radiates the light from its peripheral surface. Further, it is possible to provide a manual adjusting means for adjusting the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range of the emitted light by the operation of the occupant.

The light emitting unit 1 is a light emitting unit provided with a light source capable of adjusting the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range of each light emitting unit, and is used for lighting and illumination in a vehicle interior. Has been done. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the interior of the vehicle is provided with lighting such as a room lamp 1a, a foot lamp 1b, and a door lamp 1c, as well as a ceiling portion 1d, a dashboard portion 1e, a door portion 1f, a steering portion, and a seat portion. In some cases, illumination for illumination is provided. The light emitting unit 1 can be used as a light emitting unit for these various types of lighting, and the number of light emitting units 1 in this lighting device is not particularly limited and may be 1 or 2 or more.

The light emission color adjusted by the light emitting unit 1 is a type of light color, and can be adjusted from among various types of light classified into various colors such as red, blue, green, and yellow. It is possible to adjust from the types of light classified for each wavelength within the range of visible light (for example, wavelength 380 nm to 750 nm). Specifically, a light color belonging to a wavelength of 380 nm to 450 nm (purple), a light color belonging to a wavelength of 450 nm to 495 nm (blue), a light color belonging to a wavelength of 490 nm to 570 nm (green), and a light color belonging to a wavelength of 570 nm to 590 nm ( The light color can be determined from any of (yellow), a light color belonging to a wavelength of 590 nm to 620 nm (orange), and a light color belonging to a wavelength of 620 nm to 750 nm (red).

Further, the illuminance of light emission adjusted by the light emitting unit 1 is a physical quantity representing the brightness of light illuminating the surface of an object and is represented by lux. For example, it is adjusted stepwise for each physical quantity in the range of relatively bright high illuminance (high lux) to dark low illuminance (low lux).
Further, the color temperature of light emission adjusted by the light emitting unit 1 is a scale for expressing the color of light emitted by a light source by a quantitative numerical value, and is represented by K (Kelvin) of thermodynamic temperature. For example, it is adjusted from a relatively warm light bulb color to a warm white color, a white color, a neutral white color, a daylight color, and the like.
The contrast adjusted in the light emitting unit 1 is a light-dark ratio in lighting. For example, the contrast is adjusted stepwise for each numerical value from a high contrast in which the light and darkness is relatively clear to a low contrast in which the light and darkness is blurred.
Further, the blinking mode adjusted in the light emitting unit 1 refers to the number of times of light emission per unit time (number of blinking times), and is adjusted stepwise for each number of times from high-speed blinking to low-speed blinking.
The irradiation range adjusted by the light emitting unit 1 refers to a range in which light is irradiated by the lighting device, from a narrow area such as a spotlight to a wide area in which light is spread over a wide range. It is adjusted step by step for each numerical value of the area.

The lighting inside the vehicle is designed to improve the convenience and comfort of the occupants. For example, the lighting is not limited to direct lighting from the light emitting unit 1, but may be indirect lighting that reflects off the interior material or the like. Further, a light guide body may be laid in each part of the vehicle interior to provide a light guide body that injects and propagates the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1 and radiates the light from its peripheral surface to the outside. For example, in FIG. 1, in the illumination of the foot light, the ceiling portion, the dashboard portion, and the door portion, a light guide body that guides the light of each light emitting unit 1 and radiates it from the surrounding surface can be provided. .. As the light guide body, various shapes of light guide bodies such as a light guide rod formed in a rod shape using a resin material and a light guide plate formed in a plate shape can be used. Since the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1 can be incident on one end surface of such a light guide and illuminated by the light radiated from the peripheral surface of the light guide, it is possible to configure illumination having an arbitrary shape. It will be possible. Further, it may be an indirect lighting that reflects the light radiated from the light guide body to the interior member or the like.

As the light emitting unit 1, for example, an LED whose light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range can be adjusted within a certain range can be used. Further, the light emitting unit 1 may be configured to include a plurality of light sources having different emission colors and driving means thereof. As a specific example, each light source can be an LED element whose emission colors are red, green, and blue, respectively. When a plurality of light sources having different emission colors are provided as the light emitting unit 1, the light color can be changed depending on the mixing ratio of each light source.

In the light emitting unit 1, for example, the driving means of the light source is based on the light emitting control signal sent from the light emitting unit control means 10 to instruct the light source of the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range of the light emission. It can be configured to drive each light source. The drive method is not particularly limited, and for example, a PWM (pulse width modulation) method can be adopted. When a PWM signal is used, the drive power of each light source can be controlled by its frequency and duty ratio. The drive means has a function of correcting the power supply to each light source so that a desired light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range can be obtained according to the type, structure, characteristics, etc. of the light source used. It is possible to prepare.

The light emitting unit control means (light emitting unit control unit) 10 is configured by including peripheral circuits such as an input / output interface, centering on a microcontroller (microcomputer) including a CPU, a memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), an input / output circuit, and the like. can do. As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting unit control means 10 of the vehicle lighting device 100 in the present embodiment includes a light color determining means (light color determining unit) 10a, an illuminance determining means (illuminance determining unit) 10b, and a color temperature determining means. (Color temperature determining unit) 10c, contrast determining means (contrast determining unit) 10d, blinking mode determining means (blinking mode determining unit) 10e, irradiation range determining means (irradiation range determining unit) 10f, and the like are configured. These light color determining means 10a, illuminance determining means 10b, color temperature determining means 10c, contrast determining means 10d, blinking mode determining means 10e, and irradiation range determining means 10f are external environment information acquiring means 2, vehicle information acquiring means 3, and occupants. Based on the external environment information, vehicle information, and occupant information acquired from the information acquisition means 4, the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 1 are determined, respectively.

Specifically, each of the determining means 10a to 10f determines the light color, the illuminance, the color temperature, the contrast, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range based on the stored contents stored in the storage means 12 in advance. The storage means (storage unit composed of a memory or the like) 12 has, for example, an illuminance associated with external environment information as shown in FIG. 4 and a blinking mode associated with vehicle information as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the light color is stored in association with the occupant information, the illuminance determining means 10b blinks the illuminance according to the acquired external environment information, and the blinking mode determining means 10e blinks according to the acquired vehicle information. As for the aspect, the light color determining means 10a is supposed to determine the light color according to the acquired occupant information.

The light emitting mode associated with each information is not limited to this, and at least one of the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range is stored in association with each information of the external environment, vehicle, and occupant. I can let you. The light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and light emitting mode other than the irradiation range in the light emitting unit 1 may be light-emitting under predetermined conditions, and correspond to each information of the external environment, vehicle, and occupant. It may be attached and decided.

Here, the light emission control flow executed by the light emitting unit control means 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. This light emission control flow is performed on the condition that the light emission operation is turned on (flow S1), but the light emission operation may be turned on, for example, based on the switch operation of the occupant to a predetermined switch, or the vehicle itself. It may be triggered by the start of operation. When the light emitting operation is turned on, each of the outside environment information, the vehicle information, and the occupant information is acquired.

In S2, as the external environment information, the GPS receiver (external environment information acquisition unit (not shown)) as the external environment information acquisition means 2 mounted on the vehicle informs that the vehicle is located in the city center. When acquired, the illuminance determining means 10b determines a relatively low illuminance (here, 10 lux) with reference to the contents of the storage means 12 shown in FIG. 4, and generates this as a light emission control signal (S3). On the contrary, when the GPS receiver (not shown) acquires the information that the vehicle is located in a non-urban area (mountainous area or coastal area), the illuminance determining means 10b refers to the storage means 12. A relatively high illuminance (10 lux in this case) is determined, and this is generated as a light emission control signal (S3).

In S4, when the vehicle information is acquired by the acceleration measuring device (vehicle information acquisition unit (not shown)) as the vehicle information acquisition means 3 mounted on the vehicle, the vehicle blinks. The mode determining means 10e determines the blinking mode with reference to the contents of the storage means 12 shown in FIG. 5 (S5). Here, when the acceleration is 0.1 G to 0.3 G, the blinking once per second is determined as the acceleration level 1, and when the acceleration exceeds 0.3 G, the acceleration level 2 is set twice per second. Blinking is determined as the blinking mode. Further, when the information that the vehicle is decelerating suddenly is acquired as the vehicle information, for example, in the case of deceleration exceeding -0.8 G, rapid blinking 5 times per second is determined as the blinking mode, and these Is generated as a light emission control signal (S5).

In S6, when the emotion of the occupant is acquired as "anger" from the sentiment analyzer (occupant information acquisition unit) as the occupant information acquisition means 4 mounted on the vehicle as the occupant information, the light color determining means 10a is shown in FIG. The light color is determined to be "red" with reference to the contents of the storage means 12 shown in 6, and this is generated as a light emission control signal (S7). Similarly, when the emotional information of the occupant is acquired as "sadness", "calmness", and "joy", the light color determining means 10a sets the light color to "blue" with reference to the contents of the storage means 12 shown in FIG. It is determined to be "green" and "yellow", and this is generated as a light emission control signal (S7). As the sentiment analyzer, for example, a device equipped with ST technology manufactured by AGI Co., Ltd. can be adopted. In this case, a speaker is used as a means for transmitting a voice from the vehicle side to the occupant, and the vehicle is from the occupant side. A microphone is installed as a means for acquiring the voice, and the sentiment analyzer analyzes the emotion based on the voice of the occupant acquired by the microphone.

Then, these generated light emission control signals are transmitted to the light emitting unit 1 (S8), and the light emitting unit 1 that receives the transmitted light emission is performed according to the control signal. When a predetermined time elapses after the light emitting control signal is transmitted, the light emitting unit control means 10 reacquires each information of the external environment information, the vehicle information, and the occupant information, and each information at the time when the predetermined time elapses. The illuminance, blinking mode, and light color are redetermined based on the above, and the light emission control signal is retransmitted to the light emitting unit 1.

In the vehicle lighting device 100 of the present embodiment as described above, the light emitting unit 1 provided in the vehicle interior (vehicle interior), the external environment information acquisition means 2 for acquiring the external environment information regarding the external environment, and the vehicle related to the vehicle Light emission in the light emitting unit 1 based on at least three information of the vehicle information acquisition means 3 for acquiring information, the occupant information acquisition means 3 for acquiring occupant information, and the acquired external environment information, vehicle information, and occupant information. The light emitting unit control means 10 for controlling the above is provided. That is, since the light emission in the light emitting unit 1 is controlled based on the three elements of the vehicle, the external environment of the vehicle, and the occupant, it is possible to produce a novel lighting mode.

Further, in the vehicle lighting device 100 of the present embodiment, at least the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range are set in one light emitting unit 1a (1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f ...). Adjustable, the light emitting unit control means 10 blinks the illuminance for one light emitting unit 1a (1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f ...) Based on the external environment information and blinks based on the vehicle information. The light color is determined based on the occupant information. By performing such light emission control, it is possible to increase the variation of the lighting mode. In addition to the illuminance, it is also possible to determine any of the light color, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range based on the external environment information. Similarly, the light color other than the blinking mode is also based on the vehicle information. , Illuminance, color temperature, contrast, and irradiation range can be determined based on occupant information, and any of illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range can be determined in addition to the light color.

Further, in the vehicle illuminance device 100 of the present embodiment, the light emitting unit control means 10 emits light for one light emitting unit 1a (1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f ...) Based on external environment information. Determine at least one of color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range (here, illuminance), and outside of light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range based on vehicle information. Determine what is different from what was determined based on the environmental information (illuminance) (here, the blinking mode), and based on the occupant information, the external environment of the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range. What is different (here, light color) from what is determined based on the information and vehicle information (illuminance, blinking mode) is determined. By performing such light emission control, it is possible to increase the variation of the lighting mode.

Further, in the vehicle lighting device 100 of the present embodiment, the light emitting unit control means 10 uses light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range according to each information of external environment information, vehicle information, and occupant information. When a predetermined time elapses after determining one of the above and transmitting the light emission control signal to the light emitting unit 1, each information of the external environment information, the vehicle information, and the occupant information is reacquired, and the predetermined time has elapsed. It is assumed that any one of the light color, the illuminance, the color temperature, the contrast, the blinking mode, and the irradiation range is redetermined based on each information of the case, and the light emission control signal is retransmitted to the light emitting unit 1. This makes it possible to produce lighting suitable for the situation of the vehicle depending on the time.

<Other Embodiments>
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been shown above, for example, the following embodiments can be used in addition to the embodiments described above and the drawings.
For example, in the above embodiment, a vehicle (automobile) is illustrated as a vehicle, but in addition, a train or amusement vehicle as a ground vehicle, an airplane or helicopter as a flight vehicle, a ship or a submersible as a marine or underwater vehicle. The lighting device 100 can also be applied to vehicles such as boats.

Further, in the above embodiment, acceleration is illustrated as vehicle information, but for example, by acquiring information such as speed (speedometer) and steering angle (information from the steering wheel) and reflecting this information in the lighting mode, It is also possible to produce lighting suitable for the situation of the vehicle itself.
Further, in the above embodiment, the current position of the vehicle is illustrated as external environment information, but for example, the illuminance (illuminance meter), chromaticity (photometer), time (clock), and weather (via the Internet) of the external environment are illustrated. By acquiring information such as (weather information from the Japan Meteorological Agency) and sky color (same weather information) and reflecting this information in the lighting mode, it is possible to produce lighting suitable for the environment in which the vehicle is placed. You can also.
Further, in the above embodiment, the emotions of the occupant are illustrated as the occupant information. For example, the occupant's body temperature (thermometer), heart rate (heart rate monitor), myoelectricity (electromyography), age (input individually), By acquiring information such as gender (input individually), clothes (acquiring color information etc. from the camera), hairstyle (acquiring the outer shape etc. from the camera), and reflecting this information in the lighting mode, it is suitable for the occupant. It is also possible to produce lighting.

1 ... light emitting unit, 2 ... external environment information acquisition means, 3 ... vehicle information acquisition means, 4 ... occupant information acquisition means, 10 ... light emitting unit control means, 100 ... for vehicles Lighting equipment

Claims (2)

The light emitting part provided in the vehicle room and
External environment information acquisition means for acquiring external environment information related to the external environment,
Vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information related to vehicles,
Crew information acquisition means for acquiring occupant information about occupants,
A light emitting unit control means for controlling light emission in the light emitting unit based on at least three pieces of acquired external environment information, the vehicle information, and the occupant information.
Equipped with a,
At least the light color, illuminance, color temperature, contrast, blinking mode, and irradiation range of the light emitting unit can be adjusted.
The light emitting unit control means
As the external environment information, whether or not the vehicle is located in the city center is acquired, and the illuminance in the light emitting unit is determined accordingly.
As the vehicle information, the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle is acquired, and the blinking mode in the light emitting unit is determined according to the acceleration / deceleration.
As the occupant information, the emotion of the occupant is acquired, and the light color in the light emitting unit is determined according to the emotion.
A vehicle lighting device that transmits a light emission control signal according to the determined illuminance, the blinking mode, and the light color to the light emitting unit. The light emitting unit control means
When it is acquired that the vehicle is located in the city center as the external environment information, the illuminance in the light emitting unit is determined to be a value that is relatively low, and the vehicle is located in the non-city center. When it is acquired, the illuminance in the light emitting unit is determined to be a value that becomes relatively high.
The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein as the vehicle information, the higher the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle, the greater the number of times of light emission per unit time in the light emitting unit.

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