JPH07186828A - Lighting control method for panel display unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the visibility of a panel display unit by restricting the degree of reduction in the quantity of light for lighting the panel display unit, in accordance with an increase in the amount of solar radiation, based on a detected signal from a solar radiation sensor for measuring the amount of solar radiation. CONSTITUTION:On-off signals from an ignition switch 2, a detecting switch 3 for detecting the on-off state of a headlight, and a detection signal from a solar radiation sensor 4, are inputted to a control device l. A control signal for adjusting the brightness of a lighting means 5 of a panel display unit is fed to the above input signals, that is, the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation sensor 4 is reduced, and up to 500W/m<2> the brightness of the lighting means 5 is kept at maximum. Thus, even when fog is generated in the daytime, and the headlight lights, the panel display unit can be illuminated by strong light, and thus the visibility is not reduced. Further, as the amount of solar radiation drops, the brightness of lighting means 5 is reduced to prevent the light leaked out from interfering with the operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting control method for a display panel used in an air conditioner for automobiles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a display panel of an air conditioner for a vehicle provided in a front portion of a vehicle is illuminated with a predetermined amount of light in order to improve its visibility. Then, when a light (including a small light) is turned on, the amount of illumination light of the display panel is reduced so that light leaking from the display panel is not reflected on the windshield or the like and does not hinder driving.

[0003]

However, the lighting of the light is not limited to the nighttime when the surroundings are dark, and the like.
For example, it is also turned on during the daytime when fog is generated and visibility deteriorates. In this case, since the outside of the vehicle is relatively bright, if the illumination light amount of the display panel decreases as described above, there is a problem that the visibility from the outside of the vehicle is poor. Especially in Europe, there is a habit of turning on the light even in a light rain or a cloudy sky, and the above-mentioned problems occur frequently. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lighting control method for a panel display unit capable of adjusting the amount of illumination light on a display panel according to the amount of solar radiation.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention illuminates a panel display unit with a predetermined light amount and reduces the light amount based on an ON signal of the light. In the illumination control method, the degree of decrease of the illumination light amount on the panel display unit is suppressed according to the increase of the solar radiation amount based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor that measures the solar radiation amount.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 1 includes a detection switch 3 for detecting an on / off signal from an ignition switch 2 and an on / off state of a headlight (not shown).
The ON / OFF signal from and the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 4 are input. Further, the control device 1 issues a control signal for adjusting the brightness of the illumination means 5 of the panel display section to these input signals.

The detection switch 3 is a micro switch for detecting the mechanical movement of a switch for turning on / off the headlight, or a switch for detecting an electric signal obtained by the switch operation. Etc. can be used.

The solar radiation sensor 4 is a sensor capable of converting the amount of light into an electric signal such as a voltage value, generally an optical sensor such as an internal photoelectric effect type, a photovoltaic effect type, or an external photoelectric effect type photodetector. Can be used. An LED, a fluorescent display device, or the like can be used as the illumination unit 5 of the panel display unit.

The control device 1 controls the brightness of the illumination means for illuminating the display portion of the front panel according to the flow chart shown in FIG. That is, it is determined in step S1 whether or not the ignition switch 2 is on, and if it is on, it is determined in step S2 whether or not the headlight is on.

If the headlights are off, it is determined that the outside of the vehicle is in a bright state during the daytime, and the process moves to step S3 to turn on the illuminating means 5 with normal brightness. In this case, the brightness of the illumination means 5 (the amount of illumination light on the display section of the front panel) is set to the maximum value. As a result, the visibility on the display unit of the front panel can be improved despite the intrusion of light from the outside of the vehicle, and the driver or the like can easily determine which switch is in the ON state.

If it is determined in step S2 that the headlights are on, the process proceeds to step S4, and based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 4, the illuminating means 5 (in this embodiment, according to the graph of FIG. 3). LED) brightness is adjusted.

That is, the brightness of the illumination means 5 is maximized until the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation sensor 4 becomes small and reaches 500 W / m ² . As a result, even when the fog is generated in the daytime and visibility deteriorates and the headlights are turned on,
The panel display section can be illuminated with strong light, and visibility is not reduced.

Further, the brightness of the illumination means 5 is linearly decreased as the amount of solar radiation decreases below the above value. As a result, when the headlights are turned on, the brightness of the illuminating means 5 gradually decreases as the outside of the vehicle gets darker, maximizing the visibility of the panel display portion, and the light leaking from this is reflected on the windshield or the like. It is possible to prevent the driving from being hindered.

It should be noted that, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the brightness adjustment is performed as shown in FIG.
However, it may be adjusted in multiple stages of at least three stages or may be selectable according to the object of use.

[0014]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the illumination control method for a panel display unit according to the present invention, the illumination light amount of the panel display unit is adjusted according to the amount of solar radiation. The visibility of the panel display section can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an illumination control device of a panel display unit according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing lighting control.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of solar radiation and the brightness of the illumination means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Control device, 4 ... Solar radiation sensor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A lighting control method for a panel display unit, which illuminates a panel display unit with a predetermined amount of light and reduces the amount of light based on an ON signal of the light, wherein detection is performed by a solar radiation sensor that measures the amount of solar radiation. An illumination control method for a panel display unit, which suppresses the degree of decrease in the illumination light amount in the panel display unit according to an increase in the amount of solar radiation based on a signal.