JPH0592738A - Control device for lighting fixture of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To dissolve a sense of incongruity against a driver by improving responsiveness of displacement of the optical axis of a lighting fixture at return rotation of a handle. CONSTITUTION:The lighting fixture control device of a vehicle variably controls the optical axis of the lighting fixture of a vehicle according to the steering angle of a handle, and is provided with a control means 20 to make small the return side dead zone at return rotation of the handle 12, against the steering side dead zone at rotating the handle from the neutral position of the handle 12 on which handle steering angle is zero degree to the steering side, so as to improve follow-up property of displacement of the optical axis of the lighting fixture at returning the handle 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to, for example, a reflector (reflecting plate) of an auxiliary headlight such as a fog lamp corresponding to a steering angle of a steering wheel for the purpose of accurately illuminating a traveling direction of a vehicle. The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp control device for variably controlling the angle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle lamp control device of the above-mentioned example, for example, there is a device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-45235.

That is, the operation of changing the irradiation direction of the fog lamp to the left and right in conjunction with steering to the left and right within a range of a predetermined steering angle or less starting from the neutral position (straight steering position) of the steering wheel where the steering angle of the steering wheel is zero. The vehicle cornering system is provided with an irradiation direction variable operation preventing means (so-called dead-side dead zone) for preventing the above-mentioned change, so as to prevent an unnecessary change in the irradiation direction of the fog lamp due to play of the steering wheel.

In addition to the above-mentioned cut-side dead zone, a return-side dead zone is generally provided when the handle is returned and rotated.

However, in the prior art, as shown in FIG. 3, the dead zone α on the cutting side and the dead zone β2 on the return side are equal (α = β2
Since it was set to), there were the following problems. In other words, when the driver returns the steering wheel after turning the steering wheel, the steering wheel can be steered at a higher rotation speed than when turning the steering wheel, and when the steering wheel is turned to the return side after turning the steering wheel, If there is almost no play and the dead zone α on the cutting side is equal to the dead zone on the return side β2, at the time t2 in FIG.
At the time point t4 when the amount of return corresponds to the above-mentioned return side dead zone β2, the reflector of the fog lamp starts angular displacement.
And the return side characteristic of the fog lamp reflector angle is C
Then, as shown respectively, there is a problem that the follow-up of the reflector is delayed and the return time of the reflector becomes long, which gives the driver a feeling of strangeness.

In order to solve such a problem, it is preferable to increase the speed and control cycle of the servo motor for driving the reflector to improve the following speed of the reflector. In this case, the control is performed. There is a problem that the circuit becomes complicated and the cost increases.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a vehicle lamp control device capable of improving the responsiveness of the optical axis displacement of the lamp when the handle is returned and rotating, and eliminating discomfort to the driver. With the goal.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a vehicle lamp control device for variably controlling an optical axis of a vehicle lamp according to a steering angle of a steering wheel, the neutral position of the steering wheel having the steering wheel steering angle of zero degrees. The vehicle lamp control device is provided with a control means for reducing the return side dead zone when the handle is returned and rotated, with respect to the turn side dead zone when rotating in the cut side direction.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned control means controls the steering wheel to return to the steering side dead zone when the steering wheel is rotated in the steering side direction from the neutral position where the steering wheel steering angle is zero. Since the side dead zone is reduced, it is possible to prevent unnecessary changes in the optical axis of the lamp due to play of the handle, and improve the responsiveness of displacement of the optical axis of the lamp when the handle is returned and rotated. There is an effect that the discomfort with respect to can be eliminated.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

The drawing shows a lamp control device for a vehicle. In FIG. 1, headlights 2 and 2 as headlights are provided at the front of the vehicle 1, and the headlights 2 and 2 on the left and right are located near the inner side. Is equipped with fog-lamps 3 as auxiliary headlights. This fog lamp 3
Is a bulb 4 as a light source, as shown in FIG.
A reflector 5 as a reflector, and the above-mentioned bulb 4
The reflector drive shaft 6 is attached to the central portion of the reflector 5 corresponding to the back surface of the, and when the reflector drive shaft 6 is driven,
The reflector 5 is angularly displaced in the left-right direction at a maximum angle of 30 degrees, so that the irradiation direction can be changed (the optical axis can be changed).

A relatively small diameter driven gear 7 having a relatively large diameter is fitted to the reflector drive shaft 6 described above, and the driven gear 7 is fitted to a rotary shaft 9 of a servomotor 8 for driving the reflector. Is always meshed with the driving gear 10.

On the other hand, in front of the driver's seat 11 in the passenger compartment, a steering wheel (hereinafter referred to as a handle) 12 for steering the front wheels is provided, and a steering angle of the steering wheel for detecting the steering angle of the steering wheel is detected. A steering angle sensor 13 is provided as a detection means.

FIG. 2 shows a control circuit of the vehicle lamp control device, in which the CPU 20 controls the servo motor 8 for driving the above-mentioned reflector in accordance with the program stored in the ROM 14 based on the input from the steering angle sensor 13. RA
M15 is a steering side dead zone α when the steering wheel 12 is rotated in the steering side direction from the neutral position where the steering wheel steering angle is zero.
Necessary data such as the data (see FIG. 3) and the return side dead zone β1 (see FIG. 3) when the handle 12 is rotated back are stored.

Here, the CPU 20 described above has a return-side dead zone when the handle 12 is returned and rotated, as opposed to a turn-side dead zone α when the handle 12 is rotated from the neutral position of the handle 12 in the turning direction from the neutral position. This is a control means for reducing β 1.

The operation of the vehicle lamp control device thus constructed will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG.

In FIG. 3, the characteristic a1 shows the steering side turning angle characteristic, the characteristic a2 shows the steering angle returning side characteristic, and the characteristic b1 shows the fog lamp 3 reflector angle cutting side characteristic. b2 represents the return side characteristic of the reflector angle of the fog lamp 3, and the ratio between the steering wheel steering angle and the reflector angle differs from each other so that the steering wheel steering angle is large and the reflector angle is small, as is well known.

Now, the steering wheel 1 whose steering angle is zero degree
When the steering wheel 12 is rotated to the left or right side from the neutral position (refer to time t0) at the time t1 when the steering angle θ of the steering wheel reaches the steering side dead zone α preset in the RAM 15, the CPU 20 causes the servo motor to rotate. Since the drive signal to 8 is output, the reflector angle follows the steering angle of the steering wheel from this time t1. Therefore, the handle 12
It is possible to prevent an unnecessary change in the optical axis of the lamp (the irradiation direction of the fog lamp 3) due to the play of.

When the steering wheel 12 is rotated in the turning direction from the time point t1 to the time point t2 described above, a value proportional to the output of the steering angle sensor 13 is set as the reflector angle target value, and the angle of the reflector 5 of the fog lamp 3 is the actual reflector angle. Is fed back by the servo motor 8 and feedback control is executed such that the actual reflector angle converges to the reflector angle target value.

Next, when the steering wheel 12 is started to be returned from the time t2, the reflector angle remains unchanged until the steering wheel steering angle θ returns by an amount corresponding to the return side dead zone β1 preset in the RAM 15. At the time point t3 when θ returns by an amount corresponding to the return side dead zone β1, the reflector 5 starts angular displacement toward the return side.

Here, since the above-mentioned return side dead zone β1 is made smaller than the cut side dead zone α, the fog lamp 3
It is possible to improve the responsiveness of the displacement in the irradiation direction (displacement of the optical axis of the lamp), and therefore, the sense of discomfort given to the driver can be eliminated.

After time t3, a value proportional to the output of the steering angle sensor 13 is set as the reflector angle target value, and the angle of the reflector 5 of the fog lamp 3 is fed back as the actual reflector angle by the servo motor 8 to obtain the above-mentioned actual reflector angle. The feedback control is performed so that the value converges to the reflector angle target value, and as a result, the responsiveness of the conventional device between the times t5 and t7 can be increased to the responsiveness between the times t5 and t6 in this embodiment. You can
There is an effect that the return time of the reflector 5 can be shortened.

In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the lamp of the present invention corresponds to the fog lamp 3 as the auxiliary headlight of the embodiment, and similarly, the control means corresponds to the CPU 20. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle including a lamp control device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a vehicle lamp control device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a time chart.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Vehicle 3 ... Fog lamp 12 ... Steering wheel 20 ... CPU (control means) α ... Dead side dead zone β1 ... Return dead zone

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Manabu Arima 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Nardeck Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle lamp control device for variably controlling an optical axis of a vehicle lamp according to a steering angle of a vehicle, wherein the steering wheel rotates in a turning direction from a neutral position of the steering wheel having a steering angle of zero degree. A lamp control device for a vehicle, comprising control means for reducing the return side dead zone when the handle is returned and rotated with respect to the turning side dead zone.