JPH0411531A - Illumination control for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To secure the safety in operation by putting ON lamps at the sunset time and putting OFF the lamps in put ON state at the sunrise time. CONSTITUTION:A switch 2 is put into auto state, and an engine switch 10 is put into ON state, and at the time before 30min. from sunset, a small lamp 3 is automatically put ON, and at the sunset time, also a head lamp 4 is automatically put ON. At the time before 30min. from sunrise, only the lamp 3 in put ON state is automatically put off, and at the time of sunrise, also the head lamp 4 is put off, and the forgetting of putting ON/OFF of the lamps 3 and 4 is prevented, and the safety in operation can be secured. Further, since the time on a GPS receiver 13 is used, the lamps 3 and 4 can be put ON/OUT at the sunset time and sunrise time at the position at a present time.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention is a GPS (Global Posi) system that obtains various information based on navigation data from artificial satellites.
headlights based on the receiver's current position (current position data) and time (world standard time data including date or Japan standard time data)
The present invention relates to a lighting control method for a vehicle that turns on lights such as small lamps and turns off lights that have been turned on.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in automobiles, when turning on or off lights such as small lamps, tail lamps, and headlights, it was done by operating a switch for lighting control.
This is done by a set timer or by the output of a detector that detects the surrounding brightness.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventional vehicle lighting control methods are performed as described above, so when controlling the lighting control switch to turn on and off the lights, it is necessary to operate the The lights will not turn on or off unless you turn them on or off, so you may forget to operate the switch to turn on the lights at the appropriate time or condition at dusk (the time or condition when the lights should be on), or forget to turn on the lights at the appropriate time or condition at sunrise. Sometimes I forget to operate the switch to turn off the lights at the specified time (time to turn off the lights).

In addition, when controlling lighting on and off using timer output, the sunset time and sunrise time change depending on the season and/or location, so in order to turn on and off the lights at the appropriate time, it is necessary to The timer may need to be reset depending on the location.

Furthermore, when controlling lighting on and off based on the output of a detector that detects ambient brightness, maintenance is required to maintain the condition of the detector so that it can appropriately detect ambient brightness.

This invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and is a lighting control for vehicles that can ensure driving safety by automatically turning on and off the lights at appropriate times, that is, at sunset and sunrise. It provides a method.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The lighting control method for a vehicle according to the present invention determines the date and time of the current location based on the current location of a GPS receiver that determines at least the current location and time based on navigation data received from an artificial satellite. The time of sunset and the time of sunrise are determined, and when the time reaches the sunset time, the lights are turned on, and when the time reaches the sunrise time, the lights are turned off.

[For production]

The lighting system for a vehicle according to the present invention turns on the lights when the sun sets, and turns off the lights when the sun rises.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle lighting control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, where ■ is a battery;
indicates a switch for lighting control, which includes a contact 2a connected to the positive electrode of the battery 1, a contact piece 2b with one end connected to this contact 2a, and an off contact that connects and separates from the other end of this contact piece 2b. 2C1 first on contact 2d, second on contact 2e
and O-4 contact 2f.

Note that the arrangement order of the off contact 2c to the auto contact 2f of the switch 2 may be other than that shown in the figure.

3 indicates a first lamp such as a small lamp or a tail lamp, and one terminal is the first on contact 2d of switch 2.
and the other terminal is grounded.

4 indicates a second lamp (headlight), one terminal of which is connected to the second on contact 2e of the switch 2, and the other terminal of which is grounded.

5 indicates a first diode, the anode of which is connected to the connection point between the second on contact 2e of the switch 2 and one terminal of the second lamp 4, and the cathode connected to the first on contact 2d of the switch 2. It is connected to a connection point with one terminal of the first lamp 3.

Reference numeral 6 indicates a first NPN transistor as a first switching element, the collector is connected to the auto contact 2r of the switch 2, the heath is grounded via the first resistor 7, and the emitter is connected to the auto contact 2r of the switch 2. First on contact 2d
, is connected to a connection point between one terminal of the first lamp 3 and the cathode of the first diode 5.

8 indicates a second NPN type transistor as a second switching element, the collector is connected to the connection point between the auto contact 2f of the switch 2 and the collector of the first transistor 6, and the base is connected to the second resistor. The emitter is connected to the second on-contact 2e of the switch 2, one terminal of the second lamp 4, and a connection point with the anode of the first diode 5.

Reference numeral 10 indicates an engine switch (ignition switch), which includes a contact 10a connected to the connection point between the positive electrode of the battery 1 and the contact 2a of the switch 2, and a contact piece 10b having one end connected to the contact 10a. It is composed of an off contact 10C, an ACC contact 10d, an on contact 10e, and an ignition contact 10f that come into contact with and separate from the other end of the contact piece 10b.

Then, when the contact piece Job is connected to the ACC contact 10d or the ON contact 10e, the engine switch 10 supplies an ON signal to a GPS receiver 13 and a microcomputer 14, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 11 indicates a second diode, the anode of which is connected to the on contact 10e of the engine switch 10, and the cathode connected to the ACC contact 10d of the engine switch IO.

12 is an antenna for receiving navigation data from an artificial satellite (not shown), 13 is a GPS receiver, and it is well known that this GPS receiver 13 is supplied with an on signal from the engine switch 10. So, antenna 1
Current position (current position data), heading direction (moving direction data),
It calculates various information such as time (world standard time data or Japanese standard time data including date).

Reference numeral 14 indicates a microcomputer as a control unit, which performs various calculations based on the signal from the auto contact 2f of the switch 2, the signal from the engine switch 10, and the data (current position, time) from the GPS receiver 3. , as will be described later, a signal (voltage) for controlling the first and second transistors 6.8 is transmitted to the first and second transistors 6.8.
．． This output is to the No. 8 header.

In addition, the GPS receiver 13 and the microcomputer 1
4 is supplied with power from the battery 1.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart for explaining the operation according to the present invention, and STI to 5TIO indicate each step.

Next, the operation will be explained.

First, operate the engine switch 10 to start the engine by connecting the contact piece 10b from the off contact 10c to the ignition contact 10f via the ACC contact 10d and the on contact 10e.When the operating force is released, the contact piece 1 (l maintains the connection state with the on contact 10e, so the contact piece 10
Unless b is connected to off contact 10c, an on signal is supplied from engine switch 10 to GPS receiver 13 and microcomputer 14.

Therefore, the GPS receiver 13 calculates various data based on navigation data from the artificial satellite via the antenna 12, and the microcomputer 14 starts controlling the GPS receiver 13 to achieve its functions.

Next, control of the microcomputer 14 will be explained.

First, it is determined whether the switch 2 is in the auto state (whether the contact piece 2b is connected to the auto contact 2f) (Step 5TI). If the switch 2 is not in the auto state, the first and second transistors 6°8 In step 5T2), a signal (voltage) is output to turn off (non-conducting), and the process proceeds to step STI.

Therefore, according to the state of step ST2, if the contact piece 2b of the switch 2 is connected to the off contact 2C, the first and second lamps 3 and 4 are turned off, and the contact piece 2b is connected to the first
If the contact piece 2b is connected to the on-contact 2d, only the first lamp 3 is lit, and if the contact piece 2b is connected to the second on-contact 2e, the first and second lamps 3 and 4 are lit. do.

Note that the l1li output in steps STI and ST2 is a control that is performed even when an on signal is not supplied from the engine switch 10, and the subsequent control is a control that is performed after an on signal is supplied from the engine switch 10.

Then, if the switch 2 is in the auto state as determined in step STI, it is determined whether the engine switch 10 is in the on state (step 5T3), and if the engine switch 10 is in the off state, the process proceeds to step ST2.

Further, if the engine switch IO is in the ON state as determined in step ST3, the current position and time (time including date) are read from the GPS receiver 13 (step ST3).
T4), calculate the sunset time and sunrise time of the current location based on the current location and time (step 5T5), and determine whether it is night based on the time (step 5T6)
.

Note that night is the period from sunset time to sunrise time.

Next, if the time is not night in the determination in step ST6, it is determined whether the time is within a predetermined time before sunset time (for example, within 30 minutes before sunset time) (step 5T7), and the time is 30 minutes before sunset time. If it is not within the range, the process advances to step ST2.

Further, if the time is within 30 minutes before sunset time as determined in step ST7, a signal that turns the first transistor 6 on (conducting state) and a signal that turns the second transistor 8 off are output. Step 5T8), Step S
Proceed to TI.

Therefore, depending on the state of step ST8, the first lamp 3 is turned on and the second lamp 4 is turned off.

Then, if the time is not night as determined in step ST6,
It is determined whether the time is within a predetermined time before sunrise time (for example, within 30 minutes before sunrise time) (step 5T9), and if the time falls within 30 minutes before sunrise time, a signal is sent to turn on the second transistor 8. Output step 5T10)
, proceed to step STI.

Therefore, due to the state of this step 5TIO, the first
And the second lamps 3 and 4 are turned on.

Also, in the determination in step ST9, the time is 30 minutes before sunrise time.
If it is within minutes, proceed to step ST8.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the switch 2 is set to the auto state, the engine switch 10 is set to the on state, and the time is 30 minutes before sunset, the first lamp 3 such as a small lamp is turned on. The first lamp (headlamp) 4 will turn on automatically and when the time reaches sunset, the first lamp (headlamp) 4 will turn on.
can also be turned on automatically.

When the time is within 30 minutes before sunrise time, only the first lamp 3 that has been lit is automatically turned off, and when the time is sunrise time, the second lamp 4 is also automatically turned off. Therefore, it is possible to cope with forgetting to turn on or turn off the first and second lamps 3 and 40, and to ensure driving safety.

Furthermore, since the time of the GPS receiver 13 is used as the time, the first and/or second lamps 3 and 4 can be turned on and off at the sunset time and sunrise time at the current location.

Furthermore, in order to turn on and off the first and/or second lamps 3゜4, the timer is adjusted,
This eliminates the need for maintenance of the detector that detects ambient brightness.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the auto contact 2 is connected to the switch 2.
Although the explanation has been given using an example in which the off contact 2C is provided, the lighting of the first and second lamps 3 and 4 can be controlled in the same way even if the off contact 2C is used instead.

Furthermore, although the explanation has been given using an example in which the second lamp 4 is turned on after the first lamp 3 and the first lamp 3 is turned off after the second lamp 4, it is also possible to turn on the first lamp 3 and the second lamp 4. The lights may be turned on and off at the same time in one system.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the sunset time of the current position is determined based on the current position of the GPS receiver, which determines at least the current position and time based on the navigation data received from the artificial satellite, and the time of sunset of the current position is determined. When the time comes, the lights are turned on, so when the sun sets at the current location, the lights are automatically turned on to ensure driving safety.

In addition, the sunrise time at the current location is calculated based on the current location of the GPS receiver, and when the sunrise time is reached, the lights are turned off, so the lights that were turned on at the sunset time at the current location will be turned on at the sunrise time at the current location. It has the effect of being able to turn off the lights automatically and dealing with the problem of forgetting to turn off the lights.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lighting control device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation according to the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Battery, 2... Switch, 2a... Contact, 2b... Contact piece, 2c... Off contact, 2f... Auto contact, 3... First lamp, 4... ... Second lamp, 5... First diode, 6... First transistor, 8... Second transistor, 10... Engine switch, 11... Second diode, 12...
・Antenna, 13...GPS receiver, 14...
・Microcomputer.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Calculate at least the current position and time based on navigation data received from an artificial satellite. Calculate the sunset time of the current position based on the current position of a GPS receiver, and when the time reaches the sunset time, A vehicle lighting control method that turns on the lights. (2) Find the sunrise time at the current location based on the current location of the GPS receiver, and when the time reaches the sunrise time,
The lighting control system for a vehicle according to claim (1), wherein the lighting is turned off.