JP7008534B2 - Control device for vehicle lamps - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control device for a vehicle lamp that controls turning on and off of the vehicle lamp.

As an example of a control device for a vehicle lighting device, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, when the illuminance detection value detected by the illuminance sensor is below the threshold value, the vehicle lighting device such as a headlight is turned on. It is known that when the time of death is approaching, the threshold value is increased and the headlights and the like are turned on at an early stage.

Further, as another example of the control device for vehicle lighting equipment, for example, as described in Patent Document 2, a GPS satellite capable of theoretically receiving a GPS signal at the own vehicle position and an actual GPS signal at the own vehicle position are received. If the difference in the number of GPS satellites is greater than or equal to the specified number, it is judged that not only the GPS signal but also the sunlight is blocked by the shield, and the theoretical sunset time and sunrise time are set. It is known that a headlight or the like is turned on and off based on the corrected sunset time and sunrise time.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-30739 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-248930

However, in the control device for vehicle lamps described in Patent Document 1, sunlight is blocked by a shield such as a terrain or an artificial building, and the actual sunset time is theoretically determined from latitude and longitude. Since the threshold value is not changed even if it is earlier than the sunset time, there is a possibility that the headlight or the like will not turn on even in the illuminance condition where lighting is required.

Further, in the control device for vehicle lighting equipment described in Patent Document 2, when the own vehicle passes under a temporary shield such as a tunnel, the above number difference is obtained at the own vehicle position when traveling a certain distance. Since the lighting of the headlights is controlled based on the judgment that there is no change in the lighting, the time until the headlights are turned on is longer than that of the vehicle equipped with the illuminance sensor. There is a risk that it will end up.

Therefore, in view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control device for a vehicle lamp with improved on / off timing according to an actual illuminance condition.

Therefore, the control device for the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention inputs an infrared signal from the first light detecting means that outputs an infrared signal according to the intensity of infrared rays in the vehicle, and also corresponds to the intensity of visible light. A control device for vehicle lighting equipment configured to input a visible light signal from a second light detecting means that outputs a visible light signal, and an infrared illuminance calculation unit that calculates the infrared illuminance based on the infrared signal. The visible light illuminance calculation unit that calculates the visible light illuminance based on the visible light signal, the illuminance difference calculation unit that calculates the illuminance difference between the infrared illuminance and the visible light illuminance, the comparison result between the infrared illuminance and the first threshold, and the illuminance difference and the first. Based on the comparison result with the two thresholds, the point-off control unit that turns on and off the vehicle lighting equipment that is at least one of the vehicle headlight and the vehicle sidelight , and the orbit information, map information, and first of the plurality of GPS satellites. A storage holding unit that stores and holds a threshold and a second threshold, a own vehicle position calculation unit that calculates the current own vehicle position based on GPS signals and map information from a GPS satellite, and a theoretical own vehicle position. A theoretical time calculation unit that calculates the sunset time and sunrise time, and a reception that identifies a receivable GPS satellite that can theoretically receive GPS signals at the current vehicle position from among multiple GPS satellites based on orbit information. A possible satellite identification unit, a correction time calculation unit that corrects the theoretical sunset time and sunrise time based on whether or not a GPS signal is actually received from a receivable GPS satellite, and a correction time calculation unit that calculates the correction time. An illuminance threshold correction unit that corrects the first threshold based on the correction time is provided , and the point-off control unit is a comparison result and illuminance between the infrared illuminance and the first threshold when the vehicle lighting equipment is off. Regardless of the comparison result between the difference and the second threshold value, the number of receivable GPS satellites existing in the predetermined space area on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle and the actual receivable GPS satellites existing in the above space area. When the difference between the number of GPS satellites for which the GPS signal is received and the number of GPS satellites becomes a predetermined value or more, the vehicle lighting equipment is forcibly turned on .

According to the control device for a vehicle lamp according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the on / off timing according to the actual illuminance condition.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the 1st Embodiment of the control device of a vehicle lamp. It is explanatory drawing explaining the correction of the theoretical time. It is explanatory drawing explaining the time change of the illuminance difference and the illuminance difference threshold. It is a flowchart which shows the main routine of a turn-off control process. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st correction subroutine of an illuminance threshold. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd correction subroutine of an illuminance threshold. It is a flowchart which shows the lighting processing subroutine. It is a flowchart which shows the turn-off processing subroutine. It is a flowchart which shows the night forced lighting process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the turn-off timing in a tunnel. It is a functional block diagram which shows the 2nd Embodiment of the control device of a vehicle lamp. It is explanatory drawing which shows the turn-off timing in a tunnel. It is a flowchart which shows the anti-shielding object forced lighting process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the conventional turn-off timing in a tunnel.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a control device for a vehicle lamp according to the present invention.

The control unit 1 is a control device for vehicle lighting that is mounted on a vehicle and controls to automatically turn on and off the headlight 2 and the vehicle side light 3, which are vehicle lighting. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the headlight 2 is a representative example of the lighting equipment for a vehicle. The control unit 1 is electrically connected to an infrared sensor 4, a visible light sensor 5, and an automatic on / off setting switch 6.

The infrared sensor 4 is a first light detecting means that receives infrared rays and outputs an electric signal (infrared signal) according to the intensity of the infrared rays, and the visible light sensor 5 receives visible light rays to obtain the intensity of visible light. It is a second light detecting means that outputs a corresponding electric signal (visible light signal). Both the infrared sensor 4 and the visible light sensor 5 are mounted on the vehicle so that they can receive light outside the vehicle, and are arranged and fixed in the vicinity of the windshield inside the vehicle, for example.

The automatic turn-off setting switch 6 is a switch configured so that the driver can perform necessary operations in order to set the automatic turn-off mode in which the headlight 2 is automatically turned on and off by the control unit 1. When the automatic on / off mode is not set by the operation of the automatic on / off setting switch 6, the manual on / off mode in which the driver manually turns on / off the headlight 2 is set. The automatic on / off setting switch 6 outputs an automatic on / off setting signal to the control unit 1 when the driver performs an operation to select the automatic on / off mode.

Further, the control unit 1 has a receiving unit 11 configured to receive GPS signals transmitted from a plurality of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites 7 orbiting a predetermined earth orbit at an altitude of about 20000 km on the ground. is doing. The GPS signal transmitted from the GPS satellite 7 includes a C / A code for identifying the GPS satellite 7 that transmitted the GPS signal, and a navigation message indicating a position in a predetermined orbit around which the GPS satellite 7 orbits. ing. The receiving unit 11 of the control unit 1 receives a GPS signal from the GPS satellite 7, and acquires the identification information and the position information of the GPS satellite 7 based on the GPS signal.

The control unit 1 basically controls turning on and off of the headlight 2 based on the comparison result between the infrared illuminance LR around the vehicle and the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ , which is one of the first thresholds. Therefore, the control unit 1 has an infrared illuminance calculation unit 12, a point-off control unit 13, and a storage holding unit 14.

The infrared illuminance calculation unit 12 calculates the infrared illuminance LR based on the signal output from the infrared sensor 4. The on / off control unit 13 is basically a headlight based on a comparison result between the infrared illuminance LR calculated by the infrared illuminance calculation unit 12 and the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ read from the storage holding unit 14. Controls the turning off of 2 points.

The storage holding unit 14 is composed of, for example, a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) or a flash memory, and stores an infrared illumination threshold value LR ₀ . The infrared illuminance threshold value LR ₀ stored in the storage holding unit 14 is an upper limit value of the infrared illuminance LR that requires the headlight 2 to be turned on when the vehicle enters the tunnel, and is the infrared illuminance described later. The values are set to be smaller than the threshold values LR ₁ and LR ₂ .

The infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ is the value of the illuminance threshold _LR on 0 at the time of lighting, which is the value of the illuminance LR when the headlight 2 is turned on, and the value of the infrared illuminance LR when the headlight 2 is turned off. A certain illuminance threshold value _LR off 0 when the light is turned off can be provided. The illuminance threshold value LR on ₀ at the time of lighting is set as a value slightly smaller than the illuminance threshold value _LR off 0 at the time of extinguishing. By dividing the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ into those for lighting and those for turning off, the infrared illuminance LR moves up and down the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ when the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ is shared. The hunting that repeats turning off is suppressed. If the hunting can be ignored, the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ can be set to a common value when the light is on and when the light is off.

The control unit 1 has infrared rays as in the following first correction process and second correction process in order to promote the automatic lighting of the headlight 2 from the viewpoint of preventing traffic accidents when the surroundings of the vehicle are dimly lit. It has an illuminance threshold correction unit 15 that corrects the illuminance threshold LR ₀ . When the illuminance threshold correction unit 15 corrects the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ , the point-off control unit 13 determines the infrared illuminance LR calculated by the infrared illuminance calculation unit 12 and the corrected illuminance threshold in the illuminance threshold correction unit 15. Based on the comparison result, the on / off of the headlight 2 is controlled. When the point-off control unit 13 does not correct the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ in the illuminance threshold correction unit 15, the point-off control unit 13 is based on the comparison result between the infrared illuminance LR and the illuminance threshold LR ₀ read from the storage holding unit 14. , Controls the turning on and off of the headlight 2.

As the first correction process, the illuminance threshold correction unit 15 sets the sunset time and the sunrise at the position of the own vehicle so as to promote the automatic lighting of the headlight 2 in the dim illuminance condition before the sunset time or after the sunrise time. The infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ is corrected according to the time, and the corrected illuminance threshold LR ₁ is calculated as one of the first thresholds. By the way, even if the theoretical sunset time (hereinafter referred to as "theoretical sunset time") and the theoretical sunrise time (hereinafter referred to as "theoretical sunset time") are calculated from the latitude and longitude of the own vehicle position, the mountains If there is a shield that continuously blocks the sun's rays against the vehicle due to topographical factors such as ridges in the area or artificial factors such as structures in urban areas, the actual sunset time is the theoretical sunset time. On the other hand, the actual sunset time may be later than the theoretical sunset time. Therefore, the control unit 1 corrects the theoretical sunset time and the theoretical sunrise time (hereinafter, may be collectively referred to as "theoretical time") based on the GPS signal, and the corrected sunset time (hereinafter, "" The corrected sunset time) and the corrected sunrise time (hereinafter referred to as "corrected sunrise time") are calculated, and the illuminance threshold correction unit 15 collectively calculates the corrected sunset time and the corrected sunrise time (hereinafter collectively referred to as "corrected sunrise time"). The infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ is corrected according to the correction time). In order to perform such correction, in addition to the illuminance threshold correction unit 15, the control unit 1 includes the own vehicle position calculation unit 16, the theoretical time calculation unit 17, the receivable satellite identification unit 18, the actual reception satellite identification unit 19, and the correction time calculation. It has a part 20.

The own vehicle position calculation unit 16 is based on the position information of the plurality of GPS satellites 7 acquired by the reception unit 11 and the map information stored in advance in the storage holding unit 14, and the current own vehicle position (specifically, the longitude). And latitude). The theoretical time calculation unit 17 calculates the theoretical time based on the current vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 16 and the calendar day. The receivable satellite identification unit 18 is based on the current vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 16 and the orbit information stored in advance regarding the orbit around the earth in which the GPS satellite 7 orbits in the storage holding unit 14. Theoretically, a receivable GPS satellite capable of receiving a GPS signal at the current position of the own vehicle is specified. The actual receiving satellite identification unit 19 identifies the actual receiving GPS satellite in which the GPS signal is actually received, based on the identification information of the GPS satellite 7 acquired by the receiving unit 11.

The correction time calculation unit 20 corrects the theoretical time based on whether or not a GPS signal is actually received from the receivable GPS satellite specified by the receivable satellite identification unit 18, and calculates the correction time accordingly. Specifically, the correction time calculation unit 20 calculates the number difference between the number of receivable GPS satellites and the number of actual reception GPS satellites, and corrects the theoretical time based on this number difference.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a reception state of a GPS signal from a GPS satellite in a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2A, at the position of the own vehicle V equipped with the control unit 1, the number of receivable GPS satellites is four, 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d, and the control unit 1 actually performs GPS. The number of actual received GPS satellites for which signals have been received is four, 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d, and the difference in the number is zero. When the number difference is zero or a relatively small value in this way, the correction time calculation unit 20 presumes that there is no sunbeam shield due to topographical factors or artificial factors around the own vehicle V. do.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, the GPS signals from the GPS satellites 7a and 7d are blocked by the shield B existing around the own vehicle V equipped with the control unit 1, and the control unit 1 actually blocks the GPS signals. The GPS signals are received by GPS satellites 7b and 7c. Therefore, while the number of receivable GPS satellites is four, 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d, the number of actual reception GPS satellites is two, 7b, 7c, and the difference in number is two. There is. When the number difference becomes a predetermined value (for example, 2) or more, which is relatively large in this way, the correction time calculation unit 20 continuously transmits the sun rays around the own vehicle V due to topographical factors or artificial factors. It is presumed that there is an obstruction, and the theoretical time is corrected according to the difference in the number, and the correction time is calculated accordingly.

The illuminance threshold correction unit 15 corrects the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ read from the storage holding unit 14 in consideration of the correction time calculated by the correction time calculation unit 20, and calculates the corrected illuminance threshold LR ₁ .

As a second correction process, the illuminance threshold correction unit 15 has an infrared illuminance threshold LR according to the weather condition estimated at the position of the own vehicle so as to promote the automatic lighting of the headlight 2 in a dim illuminance condition in bad weather. ₀ is corrected, and the corrected illuminance threshold LR ₂ is calculated as one of the first thresholds. In order to perform such correction, the control unit 1 has an illuminance learning unit 21 and a weather estimation unit 22 in addition to the illuminance threshold value correction unit 15.

The illuminance learning unit 21 creates learning data of the infrared illuminance LR from the history of the infrared illuminance LR calculated by the infrared illuminance calculation unit 12. The weather estimation unit 22 has the weather condition at the current vehicle position based on the reference data regarding the daytime infrared illuminance stored in advance in the storage holding unit 14 and the learning data of the infrared illuminance LR created by the illuminance learning unit 21. To estimate. The illuminance threshold correction unit 15 corrects the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ based on the weather conditions estimated by the weather estimation unit 22, and calculates the corrected illuminance threshold LR ₂ .

Further, the control unit 1 simply controls the turning on and off of the headlight 2 based on the comparison result between the illuminance thresholds LR ₀ , LR ₁ , LR ₂ and the infrared illuminance LR, and the headlight 2 has an actual illuminance condition. Since there is a possibility that the headlights will not be turned off at the timing corresponding to the above, the headlight 2 is controlled to be turned off even based on the illuminance difference [LV-LR] between the infrared illuminance LR and the visible light illuminance LV. As a result, the automatic lighting of the headlight 2 in a dim illuminance situation around the vehicle is further promoted, and the probability of a traffic accident is reduced.

In order to control the turning on and off of the headlight 2 based on the illuminance difference [LV-LR] between the infrared illuminance LR and the visible illuminance LV, the control unit 1 is visible based on the signal output from the visible light sensor 5. It has a visible light illuminance calculation unit 23 that calculates the light illuminance LV, and an illuminance difference calculation unit 24 that calculates the illuminance difference [LV-LR] between the infrared illuminance LR and the visible light illuminance LV. The on / off control unit 13 headlights based on the illuminance difference [LV-LR] calculated by the illuminance difference calculation unit 24 and the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ which is the second threshold value stored in the storage holding unit 14. Controls the turning on and off of the light 2.

Here, FIG. 3 schematically shows the time change of the illuminance difference between the visible light illuminance and the infrared illuminance. As shown in FIG. 3, the illuminance difference [LV-LR] between the visible light illuminance LV and the infrared illuminance LR increases from the sunrise time, becomes maximum in the daytime from the sunrise time to the sunset time, and then sunset. It is known to decrease again toward time. Utilizing the time change characteristic of the illuminance difference [LV-LR], the illuminance difference threshold ΔL ₀ has no problem even if the headlight 2 is turned off from the viewpoint of preventing traffic accidents after the sunrise time. When the illuminance difference [LV-LR] ₁ is set when the situation is reached (recommended turn-off time), and when it is desirable to turn on the headlight 2 before the sunset time from the viewpoint of preventing traffic accidents (the illuminance situation is desirable). It is set from the value of the illuminance difference [LV-LR] ₂ of the recommended lighting time). For example, the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ can be the maximum value of the illuminance difference [LV1-LR1] ₁ and the illuminance difference [LV2-LR2] ₂ .

The illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ includes the illuminance difference threshold value _ΔL off 0 when the headlight 2 is turned off, which is the value of the illuminance difference [LV-LR] ₁ when the headlight 2 is turned off, as in the case of the infrared illuminance threshold value LR ₀ . The illuminance threshold ΔL on 0 at the time of lighting, which is the value of the illuminance difference [LV-LR] ₂ when the headlight 2 is turned on, is provided, and the illuminance threshold _ΔL on 0 at the time of lighting is slightly _smaller than the illuminance threshold _ΔL off 0 at the time of extinguishing. It can be a small value. By dividing the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ into one for lighting and one for turning off, the hunting that the illuminance difference [LV-LR] moves up and down the common illuminance difference threshold ΔL ₀ and repeats turning off is suppressed. I am doing it.

As described above, the control unit 1 has the illuminance threshold value LR ₀ of the infrared rays read from the storage holding unit 14, or the illuminance threshold value LR after the correction in which the illuminance threshold value LR ₀ is corrected by the above-mentioned first correction process and the second correction process. In addition to the comparison results of ₁ , LR ₂ and the infrared illuminance LR, the lighting of the headlight 2 is controlled by considering the comparison results of the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ . The point off control process is being performed.

Further, the control unit 1 executes the nighttime forced lighting process in parallel with the lighting control process. By executing the nighttime forced lighting process, if the current time is the time at night from the theoretical sunset time to the theoretical sunrise time, the infrared illuminance LR and the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ or the corrected illuminance threshold The headlight 2 is forcibly turned on regardless of the comparison result with LR ₁ and LR ₂ , or regardless of the comparison result between the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ . This makes it possible to maintain the lighting state of the headlight 2 at night even in a place where the infrared illuminance becomes large such as in the daytime due to artificial lighting or the like.

It should be noted that each part of the control unit 1 will be described as being realized by a computer that operates by reading a program stored in advance in a storage holding unit 14 or another ROM (Read Only Memory) or the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to partially or wholly realize each part of the control unit 1 depending on the hardware configuration.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a point-off control process that is repeatedly executed by the control unit 1 when the power supply to the control unit 1 is started by turning on the ignition switch in the vehicle.

In step S1 (abbreviated as "S1" in the figure; the same applies hereinafter), the turn-off control unit 13 determines whether or not the automatic turn-off mode is set based on the automatic turn-off setting signal. Then, when the on-off control unit 13 determines that the automatic on-off mode is set (YES), the process proceeds to step S2, while the on-off control unit 13 determines that the automatic on-off mode is not set. (NO), the on / off control process is terminated without executing the subsequent steps.

In step S2, the infrared illuminance calculation unit 12 calculates the infrared illuminance LR based on the signal output from the infrared sensor 4. In step S3, the first correction process of the illuminance threshold value for correcting the infrared illuminance threshold value LR ₀ based on the GPS signal is executed. In step S4, the second correction process of the illuminance threshold value for correcting the infrared illuminance threshold value LR ₀ based on the estimated weather condition is executed. The details of the first correction process and the second correction process of the illuminance threshold will be described later.

In step S5, based on the comparison result between the infrared illuminance LR and the illuminance threshold LR ₀ or the illuminance thresholds LR ₁ and LR ₂ corrected by steps S3 and S4, the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold are further obtained. The lighting process of the headlight 2 is executed based on the comparison result with ΔL ₀ . In step S6, based on the comparison result between the infrared illuminance LR and the illuminance threshold LR ₀ or the illuminance thresholds LR ₁ and LR ₂ corrected by steps S3 and S4, the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold are further obtained. The extinguishing process of the headlight 2 is executed based on the comparison result with ΔL ₀ . Details of the lighting process of the headlight 2 and the extinguishing process of the headlight 2 will be described later.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the first correction process of the illuminance threshold value, which is a subroutine of the point-off control process. As described above, the first correction process of the illuminance threshold is to correct the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ based on the GPS signal.

In step S11, the own vehicle position calculation unit 16 determines the current own vehicle position (based on the position information of the plurality of GPS satellites 7 acquired by the reception unit 11 and the map information stored in advance in the storage holding unit 14). Calculate longitude and latitude).

In step S12, the theoretical time calculation unit 17 calculates the theoretical time based on the current vehicle position calculated in step S11 and the calendar day. The theoretical time can be calculated by a known theoretical formula, but a theoretical time table corresponding to latitude and longitude and the theoretical time should be stored in the storage holding unit 14 or the like in advance, and the theoretical time table should be referred to. You may get it at.

In step S13, the receivable satellite identification unit 18 specifies the number N _ideal of receivable GPS satellites based on the current vehicle position calculated in step S11 and the orbit information stored in advance in the storage holding unit 14. .. Further, in step S14, the actual receiving satellite specifying unit 19 specifies the number N _real (≦ N _ideal ) of the actual receiving GPS satellites based on the identification information acquired by the receiving unit 11.

In step S15, the correction time calculation unit 20 determines whether or not the number difference (N _ideal − N _real ) between the number of receivable GPS satellites N _ideal and the number of actual received GPS satellites N _real is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. do. The predetermined value is a value at which it can be inferred that there is a shield that continuously blocks the sun's rays against the own vehicle due to topographical factors or artificial factors, and is preset by experiments, simulations, etc. It is stored in. Then, when the correction time calculation unit 20 determines that the number difference (N _ideal -N _real ) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (YES), the process proceeds to step S16, while the number difference (N _ideal -N real) is increased. If it is determined that _real ) is less than a predetermined value (NO), the correction of the theoretical time in step S16 is omitted, and the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S16, the correction time calculation unit 20 corrects the theoretical time based on the number difference (N _ideal − N _real ), and calculates the correction time accordingly. For example, the correction time calculation unit 20 considers that as the number difference (N _ideal −N _real ) increases from a predetermined value, the probability of existence of a shield around the vehicle increases, and the correction time calculation unit 20 corrects the sunrise time with respect to the theoretical sunset time. It is possible to lengthen the time advance time and lengthen the corrected sunrise time advance time with respect to the theoretical sunrise time.

In step S17, the illuminance threshold correction unit 15 determines that the current time is the corrected sunrise time (step S16) from a predetermined time before the corrected sunset time (the theoretical sunset time if the theoretical time is not corrected in step S16). If the theoretical time is not corrected in, it is determined whether or not the time is after a predetermined time (the theoretical sunset time). For the predetermined time, it is desirable that the headlight 2 is turned on at a time from a predetermined time before the corrected sunset time (theoretical sunset time) to a predetermined time after the corrected sunrise time (theoretical sunrise time). It is set to be dimly lit. It should be noted that this predetermined time can be set variably in consideration of the fact that the illuminance condition differs depending on the weather condition and at least one of the calendar days. For example, the predetermined time may be set longer as the weather conditions worsen, or the predetermined time in winter may be set longer than that in summer.

As a result of step S17, the illuminance threshold correction unit 15 determines that the current time is from a predetermined time before the corrected sunset time (theoretical sunset time) to a predetermined time after the corrected sunrise time (theoretical sunrise time). If it is determined (YES), the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, when the illuminance threshold correction unit 15 determines that the current time is not the time from the predetermined time before the corrected sunset time (theoretical sunset time) to the predetermined time after the corrected sunrise time (theoretical sunrise time). (NO), the correction of the illuminance threshold LR ₀ in step S18 is omitted, and the first correction process of the illuminance threshold is terminated.

In step S18, the illuminance threshold correction unit 15 corrects the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ read from the storage holding unit 14 to calculate the corrected illuminance threshold LR ₁ . When the illuminance threshold LR on 0 when _lit and the illuminance threshold LR off 0 when _extinguished are set in the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ , the procedure is as follows. That is, the lighting threshold LR _on0 is increased and corrected to calculate the corrected lighting threshold LR _on1 (> LR _on0 ), and the lighting threshold LR _off0 is increased and corrected to correct the lighting threshold LR. _Off1 (> LR _off0 ) is calculated. This promotes the automatic lighting of the headlight 2 in a dim illuminance condition before the sunset time or after the sunrise time.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the second correction process of the illuminance threshold value, which is a subroutine of the point-off control process. As described above, the second illuminance threshold correction process corrects the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ based on the weather conditions.

In step S21, the illuminance learning unit 21 creates learning data of the infrared illuminance LR from the history of the infrared illuminance LR calculated by the infrared illuminance calculation unit 12 as described above. The training data includes the maximum value, the minimum value, the average value, the rate of change, and the like of the infrared illuminance LR.

In step S22, the weather estimation unit 22 estimates the weather condition at the current vehicle position based on the learning data created in step S21 and the reference data regarding the daytime infrared illuminance stored in advance in the storage holding unit 14. do. For example, the weather estimation unit 22 determines whether or not the state in which the infrared illuminance LR becomes smaller than the reference data at the current time continues for a certain period of time based on the learning data and the reference data, and continues for a certain period of time. If it is determined that the vehicle is in good condition, it is estimated that the weather condition at the current position of the vehicle is bad weather condition.

In step S23, the illuminance threshold correction unit 15 corrects the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ read from the storage holding unit 14 based on the weather condition estimated in step S22. Specifically, when the illuminance threshold value correction unit 15 is estimated to be in a bad weather state in step S22, the illuminance threshold value correction unit 15 increases and corrects the infrared illuminance threshold value LR ₀ to obtain the corrected illuminance threshold value LR ₂ . calculate. When the illuminance threshold LR on 0 when _lit and the illuminance threshold _LR off 0 when turned off are set to the illuminance threshold LR 0 of infrared rays, the illuminance threshold _LR on ₀ when lit is increased and corrected, and the illuminance threshold LR _{on 2} (> _LR on 0) after correction is applied. Is calculated, the illuminance threshold value for turning off LR _off0 is increased and corrected, and the corrected illuminance threshold value for turning off LR _off2 (> LR _off0 ) is calculated. This promotes the automatic lighting of the headlight 2 in a dim illuminance condition in bad weather. On the other hand, the illuminance threshold value correction unit 15 does not correct the infrared illuminance threshold value LR ₀ when it is estimated in step 22 that the weather condition is not a bad weather condition.

Both the illuminance threshold value LR ₁ after the correction by the first correction process and the illuminance threshold value LR ₂ after the correction by the second correction process promote the lighting of the headlight 2 in a dim illuminance situation around the vehicle. The illuminance threshold value LR ₂ corrected by the second correction process may be set to the same value as the illuminance threshold value LR ₁ corrected by the first correction process. When the illuminance thresholds LR ₁ and LR ₂ of the infrared rays are provided with the illuminance threshold for lighting and the illuminance threshold for extinguishing, the illuminance threshold LR _{on 1} after correction by the first correction processing is corrected by the second correction processing. Set to the same value as the illuminance threshold LR _on2 when the light is on, and set the illuminance threshold LR _off1 when the light is turned off after the correction by the first correction process to the same value as the illuminance threshold LR _off2 when the light is turned off after the correction by the second correction process. Can be done.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a lighting process which is a subroutine of the turning on / off control process.

In step S31, the point-off control unit 13 determines the magnitude relationship between the infrared illuminance LR calculated in step S2 and the illuminance threshold value. The illuminance thresholds used in steps S31 are the corrected illuminance thresholds LR _{1 and} LR ₂ when the illuminance threshold LR ₀ is corrected in steps S3 and S4, and the illuminance threshold LR ₀ is not corrected in steps S3 and S4. In the case, the illuminance threshold value LR ₀ read from the storage holding unit 14 is set. When the illuminance threshold LR on 0 when lit and the illuminance threshold LR off 0 when _extinguished are set in the illuminance threshold LR 0 of infrared rays, when the illuminance threshold LR on ₀ when _lit and the illuminance threshold _LR off 0 when _extinguished are corrected and lit. The illuminance thresholds are LR _on1 and LR _on2 , and the illuminance thresholds when the lights are off are LR _off1 and LR _off2 . If the point-off control unit 13 determines that the infrared illuminance LR is less than the illuminance threshold value (LR _0, LR _1, LR ₂ ) (YES), the process proceeds to step S32, while the infrared illuminance LR increases. If it is determined that the illuminance threshold is equal to or higher than the illuminance threshold value at the time of lighting (NO), the process proceeds to step S33.

In step S32, the point-off control unit 13 turns on the headlight 2 when it is off.

In step S33, the visible light illuminance calculation unit 23 calculates the visible light illuminance LV based on the signal output from the visible light sensor 5. In step S34, the illuminance difference calculation unit 24 calculates the illuminance difference [LV-LR] between the visible light illuminance LV and the infrared illuminance LR.

In step S35, the point-off control unit 13 determines the magnitude relationship between the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ . Then, when the point-off control unit 13 determines that the illuminance difference [LV-LR] is less than the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ (YES), the process proceeds to step S32 and the headlight 2 is turned off. When it is, turn it on. On the other hand, when the point-off control unit 13 determines that the illuminance difference [LV-LR] is equal to or greater than the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ (NO), the lighting process ends.

In the lighting process, the first condition that the infrared illuminance LR is less than the illuminance threshold (first threshold), or the illuminance difference [LV-LR] is less than the illuminance difference threshold ΔL ₀ (second threshold). The headlight 2 may be turned on when it is determined that one of the two conditions of the two conditions is satisfied. Therefore, first, the magnitude relationship between the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ is compared, and when the illuminance difference [LV-LR] is equal to or less than the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ , the headlight 2 is immediately used. May be turned on. On the other hand, when the illuminance difference [LV-LR] is larger than the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ , the magnitude relationship between the infrared illuminance LR and the lighting illuminance threshold value is compared, and when the infrared illuminance LR is less than the lighting illuminance threshold value, The headlight 2 may be turned on.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the turn-off process, which is a subroutine of the point-off control process.

In step S41, the point-off control unit 13 determines the magnitude relationship between the infrared illuminance LR calculated in step S2 and the illuminance threshold value. The illuminance thresholds used in steps S41 are the corrected illuminance thresholds LR ₁ and LR ₂ when the illuminance threshold LR ₀ is corrected in steps S3 and S4, and the illuminance threshold LR ₀ when the light is turned off is corrected in steps S3 and S4. If not, the illuminance threshold value when turned off is LR ₀ read from the storage holding unit 14. Then, when the point extinguishing control unit 13 determines that the infrared illuminance LR is equal to or higher than the extinguishing illuminance threshold value (LR _0, LR _1, LR ₂ ) (YES), the process proceeds to step S42, while the infrared illuminance is emitted. If it is determined that the LR is less than the illuminance threshold when the light is turned off (NO), steps S42 to S45 are omitted, and the light-off process is terminated.

In step S42, the visible light illuminance LV is calculated in the same manner as in step S32. In step S43, the illuminance difference [LV-LR] is calculated in the same manner as in step S33.

If the on / off control unit 13 determines in step S44 that the illuminance difference [LV-LR] is larger than the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ (YES), the process proceeds to step S45, while the illuminance difference [LV-LR] ] Is determined to be equal to or less than the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ (NO), the extinguishing process is terminated.

In step S45, the point-off control unit 13 turns off the headlight 2 when it is on. However, the point-off control unit 13 does not turn off the headlight 2 when the night-time forced lighting flag, which will be described later, changes to a value indicating that the night-time forced lighting mode is being executed.

In the extinguishing process, there are two conditions: the infrared illuminance LR is equal to or higher than the illuminance threshold (first threshold), and the illuminance difference [LV-LR] is equal to or higher than the illuminance difference threshold ΔL ₀ (second threshold). When it is determined that one of the conditions is satisfied, the headlight 2 can be turned off. That is, the headlight 2 can be turned off when it is determined that neither the first condition nor the second condition is satisfied. Therefore, first, the magnitude relationship between the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ is compared, and when the illuminance difference [LV-LR] is larger than the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ , the infrared illuminance LR and lighting are performed. A comparison of the magnitude relationship with the hourly illuminance threshold may be performed.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a nighttime forced lighting process that is repeatedly executed by the control unit 1 when the power supply to the control unit 1 is started by turning on the ignition switch in the vehicle.

If the on-off control unit 13 determines in step S51 that the automatic on-off mode is set (YES), the process proceeds to step S52, while the on-off control unit 13 determines that the automatic on-off mode is not set. If this is the case (NO), steps S52 to S55 are omitted, and the nighttime forced lighting process is terminated.

In step S52, the own vehicle position calculation unit 16 is based on the position information of the plurality of GPS satellites 7 acquired by the receiving unit 11 and the map information stored in advance in the storage holding unit 14, as in step S11. Calculate the current vehicle position (longitude and latitude). In step S53, the theoretical time calculation unit 17 calculates the theoretical time based on the current vehicle position and the calendar day calculated in step S52, as in step S12.

In step S54, the point-off control unit 13 determines whether or not the current time is the night time from the theoretical sunset time to the theoretical sunrise time based on the theoretical time calculated by the theoretical time calculation unit 17. .. Then, when the point-off control unit 13 determines that the current time is the night time (YES), the process proceeds to step S55, while when it determines that the current time is not the night time (YES). NO), the nighttime forced lighting process ends without executing the forced lighting mode in step S55.

In step S55, when the headlight 2 is turned off, the point-off control unit 13 determines the infrared illuminance LR and the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ in the point-off control process, or the corrected illuminance threshold LR ₁ , LR ₂ . Regardless of the comparison result with or the comparison result between the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ , the nighttime forced lighting mode for forcibly turning on the headlight 2 is executed. Further, the point-off control unit 13 changes the night-time forced lighting flag stored in the storage holding unit 14 to a value indicating that the night-time forced lighting mode is being executed.

In the control unit 1 as described above, the actual sunset time is earlier than the theoretical sunset time due to the obstruction of the sun rays caused by topographical factors and artificial factors, and the actual sunrise time is theoretical. Considering that it will be later than the sunrise time, the theoretical time is corrected based on the GPS signal, and the corrected time is calculated accordingly. Then, the control unit 1 increases and corrects the illuminance threshold value LR ₀ of the infrared rays to the illuminance threshold value LR ₁ at the time from the predetermined time before the corrected sunset time to the predetermined time after the corrected sunrise time. As a result, the lighting timing can be advanced according to the substantial sunset time, and the extinguishing timing can be delayed according to the substantial sunrise time. Further, the control unit 1 estimates the weather condition at the position of the own vehicle, and increases and corrects the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ to the illuminance threshold LR ₂ based on the estimated weather condition. This makes it possible to promote the lighting state of the headlight 2 in a dim illuminance condition in bad weather. Therefore, according to the control unit 1, it is possible to improve the on / off timing of the headlight 2 according to the actual illuminance condition around the vehicle.

Further, in the control unit 1, in addition to the comparison result between the infrared illuminance LR and the illuminance threshold LR ₀ , LR ₁ , LR ₂ , the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold ΔL ₀ are compared with each other. It controls turning on and off of the illuminance light 2. Therefore, compared with the case where the control unit 1 controls the turning on and off of the headlight 2 based on the comparison result between the infrared illuminance LR and the illuminance thresholds LR ₀ , LR ₁ , and LR ₂ , it depends on the actual illuminance condition around the vehicle. The headlight 2 can be turned on and off at the right timing. Therefore, it is possible to further promote the lighting state of the headlight 2 in a dim illuminance situation around the vehicle and reduce the probability of a traffic accident.

Further, according to the control unit 1, basically, the lighting of the headlight 2 is controlled based on the comparison result between the infrared illuminance LR detected by the infrared sensor 4 and the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ . Therefore, compared to the conventional technology that controls turning on and off of the headlight based on the GPS signal without using an infrared sensor, the headlight when the vehicle passes under a temporary shield such as a tunnel. The point-off timing of 2 can be improved according to the actual illuminance condition. The conventional technology that does not use an infrared sensor is forcibly based on the fact that the difference between the number of receivable GPS satellites and the number of actual received GPS satellites does not change when the own vehicle V travels a certain distance. It is a point-off control that turns off the headlights. Here, with reference to FIG. 14 showing the conventional technique without using the infrared sensor and FIG. 10 showing the technique of the present embodiment using the infrared sensor, the turn-off timing is compared.

First, FIG. 14 shows a turning on / off timing when the headlight is turned on / off by a conventional technique that does not use an infrared sensor when the own vehicle V passes through a tunnel T as a temporary shield. As shown in FIG. 14A, when the vehicle V approaches the entrance of the tunnel T, the number N _ideal of the receivable GPS satellites 7a to 7d and the number N _real of the actual receivable GPS satellites 7a, 7b It is assumed that the number difference (N _ideal -N _real ) is 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 14 (b), when the own vehicle V enters the tunnel T, the number difference between the number N _ideal of the receivable GPS satellites 7a to 7d and the number N _real of the actual receivable GPS satellites. It is assumed that (N _ideal -N _real ) is 4. However, even though the vehicle V is traveling in the tunnel T (despite the infrared illuminance LR being less than the illuminance threshold LR ₀ when the infrared sensor is provided), FIG. 14 (c). As shown in the above, the headlight does not turn on unless the own vehicle V travels a certain distance while the number difference (N _ideal -N _real ) remains 4. Further, as shown in FIG. 14 (d), after the own vehicle V passes through the exit of the tunnel T, the number N _ideal of the receivable GPS satellites 7a to 7d and the number N _real of the actual receivable GPS satellites 7a to 7d. The headlight does not turn off unless the own vehicle V travels a certain distance while the difference in the number of (N _ideal -N _real ) remains 0.

On the other hand, in FIG. 10, when the own vehicle V equipped with the control unit 1 connected to the infrared sensor 4 passes through the tunnel T as a temporary shield, the headlight 2 is controlled by turning on and off the control unit 1. An example of the on-off timing when the on-off timing is shown. When the own vehicle V approaches the entrance of the tunnel T as shown in FIG. 10 (a) and the infrared illuminance LR detected by the output signal from the infrared sensor 4 is lit as shown in FIG. 10 (d). If the illuminance threshold value is not lower than LR ₀ , the headlight 2 will not turn on. However, when the own vehicle V enters the tunnel T as shown in FIG. 10 (b) and the infrared illuminance LR falls below the illuminance threshold LR ₀ as shown in FIG. 10 (d), the headlight 2 Lights up. Then, when the own vehicle V reaches the vicinity of the exit of the tunnel T as shown in FIG. 10 (c) and the infrared illuminance LR becomes equal to or higher than the illuminance threshold LR ₀ as shown in FIG. 10 (d), the front The illuminance 2 is turned off. Therefore, according to the control unit 1, when the own vehicle V passes under a temporary shield such as a tunnel, the turning-off timing of the headlight 2 is set as compared with the turning-off control shown in FIG. It can be improved according to the actual illuminance situation.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 11 shows a second embodiment of the control device for a vehicle lamp according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

The control unit 100 is separate from the above-mentioned point-off control process and nighttime forced-on process in order to further improve the turn-off timing when the vehicle passes under the temporary shield according to the actual illuminance condition. , It is configured to further execute the anti-shielding object forced lighting process in parallel with these. Therefore, the control unit 100 further includes a first region filter unit 25 and a second region filter unit 26 as compared with the control unit 1 (see FIG. 1).

Among the receivable GPS satellites whose number N _ideal is specified by the receivable satellite identification unit 18, the first region filter unit 25 enables the receivable GPS satellites existing in the predetermined region R with respect to the own vehicle as valid. The number is specified as an effective number NA _ideal . The predetermined area R can be a space area on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle.

The second region filter unit 26 validates the actual reception GPS satellites existing in the predetermined region R among the actual reception GPS satellites whose number N _real is specified by the actual reception satellite identification unit 19, and validates the number. Specify as the number NA _real (≦ NA _ideal ).

Then, the point extinguishing control unit 13 performs the number difference between the effective number NA _ideal specified by the first area filter unit 25 and the effective number NA _real specified by the second area filter unit 26 as the anti-shielding object forced lighting process. Based on (NA _ideal -NA _real ), the anti-shield forced lighting mode for forcibly turning on the headlight 2 is executed.

Specifically, in the point-off control unit 13, the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) is the same as the predetermined lighting value set as the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) when the headlight 2 is turned on. When it becomes, the anti-shield forced lighting mode is executed. On the other hand, in the point extinguishing control unit 13, the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) is set as the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) when turning off the headlight 2, and the predetermined value for extinguishing (<for lighting). When the predetermined value) is reached, the anti-shielding object forced lighting mode is not executed. By setting a predetermined value for lighting and a predetermined value for extinguishing separately, when a common threshold value for lighting and extinguishing is set, the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) fluctuates around the common threshold value. Hunting that repeats turning on and off is suppressed.

FIG. 12 shows that when the vehicle V equipped with the control unit 100 passes through the tunnel T as a temporary shield, the control unit 100 executes the anti-shield forced lighting process to turn on the headlight 2. An example of the point-off timing when turning off the light is shown.

As shown in FIG. 12A, when the own vehicle V approaches the entrance of the tunnel T, the effective number NA _ideal of the receivable GPS satellites 7b and 7c existing in the predetermined area R is 2, and the predetermined area R. Since the effective number NA _real of the actual received GPS satellites 7b and 7c existing in R is also 2, the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) is 0.

As shown in FIG. 12B, when the own vehicle V enters the tunnel T, the effective number NA _ideal of the receivable GPS satellites 7b, 7c, 7d existing in the predetermined area R is 3, and the predetermined area R Since the effective number NA _real of the actual received GPS satellites 7b existing in the satellite is 1, the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) is 2.

As shown in FIG. 12 (c), when the own vehicle V approaches the exit of the tunnel T, the effective number NA _ideal of the receivable GPS satellites 7c and 7d existing in the predetermined region R is 2, and the predetermined region Since the effective number NA _real of the actual received GPS satellites 7d existing in R is 1, the number difference (NA _ideal −NA _real ) is 1.

As shown in FIG. 12 (d), when the own vehicle V escapes from the tunnel T, the effective number NA _ideal of the receivable GPS satellites 7c and 7d existing in the predetermined area R is 2, and it is within the predetermined area R. Since the effective number NA _real of the existing actual received GPS satellites 7c and 7d is also 2, the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) is 0.

In the anti-shielding forced lighting process executed by the control unit 100, in the example of FIG. 12, the headlight 2 is turned on so that the headlight 2 is turned on when the own vehicle V enters the tunnel T (see FIG. 12B). While the predetermined value for turning off is set to 2, the predetermined value for turning off is set to 0 so that the headlight 2 is turned off when the own vehicle V escapes from the tunnel T (see FIG. 12 (d)). There is. The plurality of GPS satellites 7 are not always located at the positions shown in the example of FIG. 12 with respect to the tunnel T, but the own vehicle V enters the tunnel T as much as possible based on the orbit information of the plurality of GPS satellites 7. The lighting predetermined value and the extinguishing predetermined value are set so that the headlight 2 is turned on when the headlight 2 is turned on and the headlight 2 is turned off when the own vehicle V escapes from the tunnel T.

FIG. 13 shows an example of the anti-shielding object forced lighting process that is repeatedly executed by the control unit 100 when the power supply to the control unit 100 is started by turning on the ignition switch in the vehicle.

In step S61, the own vehicle position calculation unit 16 calculates the current own vehicle position (longitude and latitude) in the same manner as in step S11. In step S62, the receivable satellite identification unit 18 specifies the number N _ideal of receivable GPS satellites, as in step S13. In step S63, the actual receiving satellite specifying unit 19 specifies the number N _real (≦ N _ideal ) of the actual receiving GPS satellites as in step S14.

In step S64, the first area filter unit 25 considers the receivable GPS satellites belonging to the predetermined area R with respect to the own vehicle as valid among the receivable GPS satellites whose number N _ideal is specified in step S62. Specify the number as the effective number NA _ideal .

In step S65, the second region filter unit 26 validates the actual reception GPS satellites belonging to the predetermined region R with respect to the own vehicle among the actual reception GPS satellites whose number N _real is specified in step S63. The number is specified as an effective number NA _real (≦ NA _ideal ).

In step S66, in step S66, whether the number difference (NA _ideal −NA _real ) between the effective number NA _ideal specified in step S64 and the effective number NA _real specified in step S65 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value for lighting. Judge whether or not. If the point-off control unit 13 determines that the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) is equal to or greater than the lighting predetermined value (YES), the process proceeds to step S68, while the number difference (NA _ideal -NA real). If it is determined that NA _real ) is less than the predetermined value for lighting (NO), the process proceeds to step S67.

In step S67, the point-off control unit 13 determines whether or not the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) between the effective number NA _ideal and the effective number NA _real is larger than the predetermined value for turning off. Then, when the point extinguishing control unit 13 determines that the number difference (NA _ideal -NA _real ) is larger than the predetermined value for extinguishing (YES), the process proceeds to step S68, while the number difference (NA _ideal -NA). If it is determined that _real ) is equal to or less than the predetermined value for extinguishing (NO), the anti-shielding object forced lighting process is terminated without executing the anti-shielding object forced lighting mode in step S68.

In step S68, when the headlight 2 is turned off, the point-off control unit 13 determines the infrared illuminance LR and the infrared illuminance threshold LR ₀ in the point-off control process, or the corrected illuminance threshold LR ₁ , LR ₂ . Regardless of the comparison result with or the comparison result between the illuminance difference [LV-LR] and the illuminance difference threshold value ΔL ₀ , the anti-shielding object forced lighting mode for forcibly turning on the headlight 2 is executed. Further, the point-off control unit 13 changes the anti-shielding object forced lighting flag stored in the storage holding unit 14 to a value indicating that the anti-shielding object forced lighting mode is being executed.

In step S45 of the point-off control process, the nighttime forced lighting flag is set to a value indicating that the nighttime forced lighting mode is being executed, and the anti-shielding object forced lighting flag is set to the anti-shielding object forced lighting. When the value is set to indicate that the mode is being executed, the point-off control unit 13 is configured not to turn off the headlight 2.

In this way, in the control unit 100, by executing the on / off control process like the control unit 1, the on / off timing of the headlight 2 can be set before the sunset time, after the sunrise time, or in a dim illuminance state in bad weather. Not only can it be improved according to the situation, but also the following effects can be achieved.

That is, according to the control unit 100, by executing the anti-shielding forcible lighting process, as shown in FIG. 12, the headlight 2 does not enter the tunnel T but then enters the tunnel T. Is turned on, and the headlight 2 is turned off after the vehicle V has escaped, not before it has escaped from the tunnel T. On the other hand, in the control unit 1, by executing the on / off control process, as shown in FIG. 10, the headlight 2 is turned on after the own vehicle V enters the tunnel T, and the own vehicle V is in the tunnel. There is a tendency to turn off the headlight 2 before escaping T. Therefore, even in a situation where the illuminance around the vehicle suddenly changes due to a temporary shield such as a tunnel T, the driver's vision changes as compared with the case where the on / off control process is executed by the control unit 1. It will be easier to adapt to later illuminance conditions.

In the first and second embodiments, the control units 1 and 100 are theoretically based on the difference in the number of receivable GPS satellites N _ideal and the actual number of received GPS satellites N _real (N _ideal -N _real ). The time was corrected, but instead of this, the following may be used. That is, the terrain (altitude) information is stored in the storage holding unit 14 in advance, and the sunlight is actually generated at the own vehicle position based on the terrain (altitude) information at the own vehicle position calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 16. The theoretical time may be corrected by determining whether or not the shield is continuously blocked. This makes it possible to improve the correction accuracy. The theoretical time may be corrected by combining the number difference (N _ideal -N _real ) and the topographical (altitude) information.

Regarding the calculation of the theoretical time, since the sun's rays are incident on the ground surface at the position of the own vehicle at a relatively low angle before the sunset time and after the sunrise time, the number of receivable GPS satellites N _ideal and the actual number When counting the number of received GPS satellites N _real , weighting may be performed according to the angle formed by the straight line connecting the GPS satellite 7 and the own vehicle and the ground surface at the position of the own vehicle. For example, in FIG. 2, since the angle between the straight line from the own vehicle V to the GPS satellites 7a and 7d and the ground surface at the position of the own vehicle V is relatively small, the number of each is counted as 2, while the own vehicle V is counted. Since the angle between the straight line from GPS satellites 7b and 7c to the ground surface at the position of the own vehicle V is relatively large, the number of each is counted as 0.5. As a result, the incident angle of the sun's rays before the sunset time and after the sunrise time can be taken into consideration, so that the correction accuracy of the theoretical time can be improved.

In the first and second embodiments, when the vehicle equipped with the control units 1 and 100 is equipped with a visible light camera as an image recognition means in a collision damage mitigation device, for example, the visible light camera is used instead of the visible light sensor 5. May be substituted as the visible light illuminance detecting means. In this case, the EV (Exposure Value) value of the visible light camera can be used as the visible light illuminance.

In the first and second embodiments, the control units 1 and 100 estimate the weather condition at the position of the own vehicle based on the learning data of the infrared illuminance and the like, but instead of this, the output signal of the visible light sensor 5 is used. The weather condition can be estimated based on the learning data of the visible light illuminance detected from the above. Alternatively, the control units 1, 100 receive the weather information by an arbitrary information service via wireless communication between the own vehicle and the out-of-vehicle network, and based on this weather information, the weather condition at the own vehicle position can be determined. You may try to estimate.

In the first embodiment, the control unit 1 temporarily stores the vehicle in a tunnel or the like based on the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 16 and the map information stored in advance in the storage holding unit 14. If it is configured so that it can be recognized that it is passing under the shield, the headlight 2 is from immediately before the vehicle enters the shield to immediately after the vehicle passes the shield. The infrared illuminance threshold value LR ₀ may be increased and corrected so that is lit. As a result, the same effect as when the anti-shielding object forced lighting process is executed by the control unit 100 of the second embodiment can be obtained.

In the first and second embodiments, the headlight 2 has been described as a typical example of a vehicle lighting fixture, but the term "headlight 2" is referred to as "vehicle side light 3" or "headlight 2 and vehicle width". The present invention can also be applied as a "light 3". When controlling the turning off of the headlight 2 and the vehicle side light 3, it is possible to shift the turning on / off timing of each. For example, when the vehicle is turned on, the headlight 3 and the headlight 2 are turned on in this order, and when the headlight is turned off, the headlight 2 and the headlight 3 are turned off in this order. For LR ₀ , LR ₁ , and LR ₂ , the illuminance threshold value of the headlight 2 and the illuminance threshold value of the vehicle side light 3 may be set, respectively.

In the first and second embodiments, the GPS satellite 7 is used for calculating the position of the own vehicle in the control units 1, 100, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of navigation satellites include the identification information and the position information. Any type of artificial satellite can be used as long as it is an artificial satellite that transmits navigation signals over a wide area on the ground.

The anti-shielding object forced lighting process by the control unit 100 of the second embodiment does not necessarily have to be executed in parallel with the turn-off control process and the nighttime forced lighting process, and can be executed independently.

1,100 ... Control unit, 2 ... Headlight, 3 ... Vehicle side light, 4 ... Infrared sensor, 5 ... Visible light sensor, 7 ... GPS satellite, 12 ... Infrared illuminance calculation unit, 13 ... Point off control unit, 14 ... storage holding unit, 15 ... illuminance threshold correction unit, 16 ... own vehicle position calculation unit, 17 ... theoretical time calculation unit, 18 ... receivable satellite identification unit, 19 ... actual reception satellite identification unit, 20 ... correction time calculation unit, 22 ... Weather estimation unit, 23 ... Visible light illuminance calculation unit, 24 ... Illuminance difference calculation unit, 25 ... First area filter unit, 26 ... Second area filter unit, V ... Own vehicle, LR ... Infrared illuminance, LV ... Visible illuminance , [LV-LR] ... Illuminance difference, LR ₀ , LR ₁ , LR ₂ ... Infrared illuminance threshold, ΔL ₀ ... Illuminance difference threshold, N _ideal ... Number of receivable GPS satellites, N _real ... Number of actual received GPS satellites , NA _ideal … Effective number of receivable GPS satellites, NA _real … Effective number of actual received GPS satellites

Claims (3)

In a vehicle, the visible light is input from the first light detecting means that outputs an infrared signal according to the intensity of infrared rays, and the visible light is input from the second light detecting means that outputs a visible light signal according to the intensity of visible light. A control device for vehicle lighting equipment configured to input signals.
An infrared illuminance calculation unit that calculates infrared illuminance based on the infrared signal,
A visible light illuminance calculation unit that calculates the visible light illuminance based on the visible light signal,
An illuminance difference calculation unit that calculates the illuminance difference between the infrared illuminance and the visible light illuminance,
Based on the comparison result between the infrared illuminance and the first threshold value and the comparison result between the illuminance difference and the second threshold value, the point of turning on and off the vehicle lighting fixture which is at least one of the headlight and the side lamp of the vehicle. Turn-off control unit and
A storage holding unit that stores orbit information, map information, the first threshold value and the second threshold value of a plurality of GPS satellites, and
A vehicle position calculation unit that calculates the vehicle position based on GPS signals from GPS satellites and the map information, and a vehicle position calculation unit.
The theoretical time calculation unit that calculates the theoretical sunset time and sunrise time of the own vehicle position,
A receivable satellite identification unit that identifies a receivable GPS satellite that can theoretically receive a GPS signal at the own vehicle position from among the plurality of GPS satellites based on the orbit information.
A correction time calculation unit that corrects the theoretical sunset time and sunrise time to calculate the correction time based on whether or not a GPS signal is actually received from the receivable GPS satellite.
An illuminance threshold value correction unit that corrects the first threshold value based on the correction time,
Equipped with
When the vehicle lighting equipment is turned off, the point extinguishing control unit may use the point extinguishing control unit regardless of the comparison result between the infrared illuminance and the first threshold value and the comparison result between the illuminance difference and the second threshold value. The number of receivable GPS satellites existing in a predetermined space area on the traveling direction side of the own vehicle, the number of receivable GPS satellites existing in the space area, and the number of GPS satellites for which GPS signals were actually received. A vehicle lighting control device that forcibly turns on the vehicle lighting when the difference in the number of the two is equal to or greater than a predetermined value . Whether or not the point-off control unit satisfies two conditions, the first condition that the infrared illuminance is less than the first threshold value and the second condition that the illuminance difference is less than the second threshold value. The vehicle lamp is turned on when it is determined that one of the conditions is satisfied, and the vehicle lamp is turned off when it is determined that none of the conditions is satisfied. Control device for vehicle lighting equipment. When the current time is at night from the theoretical sunset time to the theoretical sunrise time and the vehicle lamp is turned off, the point-off control unit has the infrared illuminance. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2, regardless of the comparison result between the first threshold and the illuminance difference and the second threshold, the vehicle lamp is forcibly turned on. Control device.

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