JPH04342625A - High position stop lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a high position stop lamp for the indication of the brake application state of a vehicle to the succeeding vehicle, in correspondence with the environmental states of daytime and night and rainy, cloudy, and fine weather, and the brake application states such as engine brake and brake operation. CONSTITUTION:A high position stop lamp 1 is arranged on the back surface of an automobile 10, and an electroluminescence 11 and a luminous diode 12 are integrally built in. The electroluminescence 11 is supplied with electricity from a put ON device 13, and the luminous diode 12 is supplied with electricity from a put ON device 14. A daylight sensor 15 detects the illumination or luminance of the daylight and judges the daytime or night. The daylight sensor 15 is connected with the put ON device 13 for the electroluminescence 11 and the put ON device 14 for the luminous diode 12, and sends a control signal to the put ON devices 13 and 14 so that the electroluminescence 11 is put ON at night by the output of the daylight sensor and the luminous diode 12 is put ON in the daytime. Accordingly, the driver on the succeeding vehicle is prevented from being dazzled, and the brake application state can be informed efficiently and surely.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a high-mounted stop lamp as a braking state display device for informing following vehicles of the braking state of a vehicle.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, as vehicles such as automobiles have become faster, improvements have been made to stop lights that allow a following vehicle to know the braking state of a preceding vehicle from the standpoint of vehicle safety. As one of these, high-position stop lights have been used in automobiles and the like. These high-position stop lights have been constructed by arranging several small incandescent bulbs or light emitting diodes in a matrix, with several small incandescent bulbs or light emitting diodes arranged in a matrix in the vertical direction and several tens to hundreds in the horizontal direction.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventional lighting fixtures used as high-position stop lights are complicated by wiring dozens to hundreds of light emitters, and they also require incandescent bulbs and light emitting devices. The diode is a point light source, and there is a problem in that it is difficult to obtain a light emitting surface with a uniform brightness distribution. Furthermore, when trying to obtain a uniform light emitting surface using an incandescent bulb or light emitting diode as a light emitter, it is necessary to place a diffuser plate to diffuse the light in front of the light emitter, and the light absorption of the diffuser plate reduces the efficiency of the device. There was a problem that the structure became complicated.

[0004] Furthermore, if the luminance of the light emitter is set to a level that is visible during the daytime, there is a problem in that it becomes excessively bright at night, creating a dazzling effect on the drivers of following vehicles. As a countermeasure to this problem, it has been necessary to add a dimming function to reduce the brightness by dimming an incandescent bulb or light emitting diode at night.

Furthermore, since the light emitting area is limited by the brightness of the light emitting surface, its uniformity, and the number of light emitters, when the road surface is wet due to rain, the high position stop light of the preceding vehicle may not touch the road surface. There was a problem in that the reflection caused mirror reflections, creating a dazzling effect on drivers of cars following. The present invention has been made with the above-mentioned problems in mind, and an object of the present invention is to provide a high-position stop light that displays an optimal braking state depending on the surrounding brightness and road surface condition.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, a light emitting element made of electroluminescence and a driving device for driving the electroluminescence are provided, and the driving device is provided with an electroluminescence device. This is a high-position stop light that indicates the braking state of the vehicle by lighting up the sense.

[0007] The present invention also includes a first light emitting element made of electroluminescence, a second light emitting element made of a light emitting diode, and a driving device for driving the first and second light emitting devices. This is a high position stop light that indicates the braking state of the vehicle by lighting up either or both of the first and second light emitting elements.

[0008]

[Operation] The high-position stop light of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure uses electroluminescence to light up using a driving device, and uniformly lights up a stop sign over a large area. Furthermore, both electroluminescence and light emitting diodes can be turned on to provide optimal display depending on the braking condition of the vehicle. In other words, since the optimum light emitting element and brightness are selected according to the surrounding brightness, weather and road surface conditions, it is possible for the following vehicle to reliably confirm the braking state of the preceding vehicle.

[0009]

Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the high position stop light 1 is a car 10
As shown in FIG. 1(b), the high-position stop light 1 is constructed by integrating an electroluminescent element 11 as a first light emitting element and a light emitting diode 12 as a second light emitting element. It has been converted into a built-in system. Power is supplied to the electroluminescence 11 from a lighting device 13 and to the light emitting diode 12 from a lighting device 14, respectively. The daylight sensor 15 detects the illuminance or brightness of daylight to distinguish between daytime and nighttime. For example, in the case of an illuminance sensor, the illuminance in the downward direction from the floor of the vehicle body is approximately 100 lx.
is detected as a boundary, and 100lx or more is detected during the daytime.
Daytime and nighttime can be distinguished by defining a value less than x as nighttime.

The daylight sensor 15 is connected to the lighting device 13 of the electroluminescence 11 and the lighting device 14 of the light emitting diode 12, and depending on the output of the daylight sensor, the electroluminescence 11 lights up at night and emits light during the day. A control signal is sent to the lighting device 13 and the lighting device 14 so that the diode 12 is lit.

[0011] The brightness of the electroluminescence 11 is set to 1.
00 cd/m2 or less, the brightness of the light emitting diode 12 is set to 10
By setting it to 0 cd/m2 or more, the necessary brightness can be obtained by the light emitting diode 12 during the daytime, and the necessary brightness can be obtained by the electroluminescence 11 at night.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment, in which a light emitting section 21 and a light receiving section 22 are provided on the lower surface of an automobile 10.
The light receiving unit 22 is installed at a position where the incident angle θ of light from the road surface 1 to the road surface and the reflection angle φ from the road surface are equal. When the road surface is wet and specular reflection is the main component, the maximum light Imax enters the light receiving section 22, and when the road surface is dry, the light I entering the light receiving section 22 is approximately 1/10 of the maximum value.
It is possible to detect whether the road surface is dry or wet. Based on the output signals from the road surface reflection sensor 23 and the daylight sensor 15, the electroluminescence 11 is turned on when the road surface is wet on rainy days and at night, and the light emitting diode 12 is turned on when the road surface is dry on cloudy days or sunny days. Electro
Compared to the light emitting diode 12, the electroluminescence 11 has the characteristic that it can easily emit light over a large area with the same power consumption.
By lighting up and reflecting the light on the road,
It is possible to make the driver of the following car more clearly aware that the stop light is on.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment, which includes an automobile accelerator pedal status sensor 30, a brake pedal status sensor 31, and a light emitter selection section 32. This controls the blinking of 12. The accelerator pedal state sensor 30 issues an output signal when the depression angle of the accelerator pedal becomes shallower than a predetermined angle. The brake pedal state sensor 31 issues an output signal when the depression angle of the brake pedal becomes deeper than a predetermined angle. The light emitter selection section 32 is the electroluminescence 1
1 and the lighting device 14 of the light emitting diode 12, respectively, and based on the output signals from the accelerator pedal status sensor 30 and the brake pedal status sensor 31, When the output is "H" and the output from the brake pedal status sensor 31 is "L", the electroluminescence 11
operates so that it lights up.

Further, when the output from the accelerator pedal status sensor 30 is "H" and the output from the brake pedal status sensor 31 is also "H", the light emitting diode 12 is operated to light up. This technology uses electroluminescence when the engine is braking and lights up a light emitting diode when the brakes are applied, allowing the driver of the following car to quickly tell whether the deceleration of the vehicle in front is caused by the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal.・Be able to convey information reliably. This allows the vehicles following to recognize how they should brake, further improving safety. Note that when the output from the accelerator pedal status sensor 30 is "H" and the output from the brake pedal status sensor 31 is also "H", the electroluminescence 11 may be set to light up together with the light emitting diode 12. It is possible and can be decided from a safety standpoint.

[0015] Electroluminescence has a characteristic that although the brightness is low, it is easy to obtain uniform surface light emission, whereas a light emitting diode has high brightness but is a point light source, and it is difficult to construct a surface light source. . Electro
High position stop lights that combine luminescence and light emitting diodes take advantage of the features of both of these light emitters. The brightness of electroluminescence is determined by the applied voltage and frequency, and if a lifetime of about 1000 hours or more is to be obtained, the brightness will be about 100 cd/m2. On the other hand, light emitting diodes can easily provide a luminance of 100 cd/m2 or more, and their lifespan is semi-permanent compared to electroluminescence.

[0016] Furthermore, due to the structure and selection of the phosphor, the emission color of electroluminescence has the highest luminous efficiency when the peak wavelength is around 500 nm. On the other hand, light emitting diodes with a peak wavelength of 550 nm or more are in practical use, and generally speaking, the luminous efficiency tends to increase as the peak wavelength shifts to the longer wavelength side. Therefore, by selecting the luminescent color that gives the maximum luminous efficiency of electroluminescence and light-emitting diode, respectively, and configuring them as a high-position stop light, for example, the high-position stop light emits light during engine braking and brake operation. By switching the body from electroluminescence to light emitting diodes, the area, brightness, and color of the light emitters can be changed, making it possible to reliably communicate the behavior of the vehicle in front to the driver of the following vehicle.

[0017]

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above explanation, the high position stop light of the present invention can obtain a uniform light emitting surface by using electroluminescence for the high position stop light, so that the display area can be reduced. Increased safety can be achieved through expansion. .

[0018] Furthermore, by using electro-luminescence and light-emitting diodes in combination, the electro-luminescence and light-emitting diodes can be switched between daytime and nighttime, rainy, cloudy or sunny weather, when the engine is braking and when the brakes are being operated, etc. Through the high-position stop light, it becomes possible to transmit more diverse information about the vehicle in front to the driver of the vehicle following, helping the driver of the vehicle following to brake, thereby further improving safety.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 (a) is a rear view of an automobile equipped with a high-position stop light according to a first embodiment of the present invention; (b) is a block diagram showing the configuration of a high-position stop light according to a first embodiment of the present invention; figure

FIG. 2 is a side view of the main parts of the high-position stop light according to the second embodiment of the present invention when it is attached to an automobile.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a high-position stop light according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 High position stop light 10　Automobile 11 Electroluminescence 12 Light emitting diode 13, 14 Lighting device

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A stop light comprising a light emitting element made of electroluminescence and a driving device for driving the light emitting element, the driving device lighting the light emitting element to indicate a braking state of a vehicle. High position stop light. 2. A first light emitting element made of electroluminescence, a second light emitting element made of a light emitting diode, and a driving device for driving the first and second light emitting devices, the driving device A high-position stop light that lights up one or both of the first and second light emitting elements to display the braking state of the vehicle. 3. A light sensor for detecting ambient light, wherein the driving device lights up a light emitting diode when the output from the light sensor is above a predetermined value, and turns on electroluminescence when the output from the light sensor is less than the predetermined value. The high position stop light according to claim 2, which is turned on. 4. A driving device includes a reflection sensor that detects reflected light from a road surface, and the driving device turns on electroluminescence when the output of the reflection sensor is above a predetermined value, and turns on the light emitting diode when the output of the reflection sensor is less than the predetermined value. 3. The high position stop light according to claim 2, which lights up. 5. The high position stop light according to claim 2, wherein the drive device lights up the electroluminescence when the vehicle is braked by the engine, and lights up the light emitting diode when the vehicle is braked. . Claim 6: The brightness of electroluminescence is 100.
cd/m2 or less, the brightness of the light emitting diode is 100cd/m2 or less
3. The high-position stop light according to claim 2, having a length of m2 or more. 7. The high position stop light according to claim 2, wherein the electroluminescence has a peak wavelength of less than 550 nm, and the light emitting diode has a peak wavelength of 550 nm or more.