JPH076608A - Vehicle headlamp device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To appropriately illuminate a road surface without driver's sense of incompatibility at the time of vehicle running by providing on the right and left a vehicle headlamps composed of a lamp pair of straight and curved road lamps respectively. CONSTITUTION:An engine hood 12 is located on the upper surface part of the front body 10A of a vehicle 10, and is fitted to a body frame in an oscillating manner. Head lamps 18 and 20 are symmetrically arranged in the right and left of the lower parts of the front body 10A (body lateral direction both end parts). The optical axis of a curved road lamp L2 is arranged so as to be equal to an outgoing direction when a straight road lamp L1 is set on a low beam side. Consequently an illumination range when the curved road lamp L2 is lit becomes a range expanded leftward from an illumination range when the straight road lamp L1 is lit.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicular headlamp device, and more particularly to a vehicular headlamp device for controlling the light distribution of headlamps that illuminate the front of the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a headlamp is arranged in a vehicle in order to improve the front visibility of the driver at night. In general, a pair of headlamps is provided at the front end of the vehicle and on the left and right, and illuminates a relatively wide range.
However, since the headlamps are fixed, when the vehicle is running, for example, when the vehicle turns, the driver may continuously view a dark part outside the irradiation range of the headlamps of the vehicle. As described above, there are cases in which it is not possible to brightly illuminate a portion that the driver needs to visually check while the vehicle is traveling.

In order to solve this problem, a headlamp has been proposed in which the irradiation optical axis of the headlamp is changed according to the steering angle to irradiate a portion according to the traveling direction (Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-22299). ) In this method, although the irradiation direction is changed, the irradiation range is constant, so that it is not possible to irradiate the front side over a wide range. Therefore, the degree of the traveling direction of the vehicle is detected by the steering angle such as the steering angle, and the area of the light emitted from the headlamp is widened or narrowed based on the detected value to detect the head relative to the driver's visual position. A headlight device has been proposed which attempts to secure an irradiation area of a lamp (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-27938).

[0004]

However, in order to illuminate a curved road, for example, when the light distribution in front of the vehicle is controlled by simply expanding the area of the light emitted from the headlamp as described above. Since the amount of light emitted by the headlamp does not change, the road surface illuminance decreases as a whole. Therefore, the visibility of the driver in front of the vehicle is reduced.

In the method of controlling the light distribution by blocking the light emitted from the headlamp, the shielded light is not emitted from the headlamp.
The light flux in the shaded area cannot be used effectively. That is, when the light blocking amount is changed, the irradiation range is expanded or narrowed while maintaining the road surface illuminance in the irradiation range when the light blocking of the headlamp is released. Therefore, in order to obtain the optimum road surface illuminance at all times, it is necessary to secure the road surface illuminance obtained by the conventional headlamp, and therefore a bulb of a high output headlamp must be used. When the headlamp is constantly turned on by using this high-output bulb, there is a problem that power consumption increases.

In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle headlight device which allows a driver to appropriately illuminate a road surface without feeling discomfort when the vehicle is traveling.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 1 provides a straight road lamp for irradiating the front of a vehicle in a predetermined irradiation direction and in a predetermined irradiation range, and Headlamps consisting of a pair of lamps, which have substantially the same irradiation direction as the straight road lamp and have a wider irradiation range than the straight road lamp and a larger amount of light than the straight road lamp, are provided on the left and right, respectively. is doing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle headlight device according to the first aspect, the irradiation ranges of the left curved road lamp and the right curved road lamp are different from each other.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a straight road lamp for irradiating the front of the vehicle with a predetermined irradiation direction and a predetermined irradiation range is substantially the same in irradiation direction as the straight road lamp. A front illumination lamp for a vehicle, in which headlamps each including a lamp pair of a curved road lamp having a wider irradiation range than the linear road lamp and a larger amount of light than the linear road lamp are disposed on the left and right, and the vehicle front illumination lamp provided on the vehicle. When the wiper control switch for instructing the operation of the wiper and the vehicle front illumination lamp are on and the wiper operation is instructed by the wiper control switch, only the curved road lamp is turned on. Lighting control means for controlling.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a straight road lamp for irradiating the front of the vehicle in a predetermined irradiation direction and a predetermined irradiation range is substantially the same in irradiation direction as the straight road lamp. A vehicle front illumination lamp in which headlamps each including a lamp pair of a curved road lamp having a wider irradiation range than the linear road lamp and a larger amount of light than the linear road lamp are disposed on the left and right, and the vehicle front lighting. Lighting control means for controlling all of the curved road lamps to be turned on when the lamps are on and the curved roads are continuous within a certain period of time.

[0011]

According to the vehicle headlight device of the invention described in claim 1, headlamps each including a lamp pair of a straight road lamp and a curved road lamp are arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle.
The straight road lamp illuminates the front of the vehicle in a predetermined irradiation direction and in a predetermined irradiation range. Curved ramps
The irradiation direction is substantially the same as that of the straight road lamp, the irradiation range is wider than that of the straight road lamp, and the amount of light is larger than that of the straight road lamp. In this way, since the straight road lamp and the curved road lamp have substantially the same irradiation direction, the irradiation range of the curved road lamp can include the irradiation range of the straight road lamp. Further, since the brightness of the curved road lamp is set to be brighter than that of the straight road lamp, the irradiation range of the straight road lamp included in the irradiation range of the curved road lamp can have the same brightness. Therefore, when the headlamps are turned on manually or automatically while the vehicle is traveling to illuminate the traveling path of the vehicle such as a road, in order to illuminate the shape of the road, for example, a straight road or a curved road, a lamp pair is used. Even if the straight road lamp and the curved road lamp are switched, the driver does not feel uncomfortable due to the brightness variation of the irradiation position.

Further, by changing the irradiation range and luminous intensity of the curved road lamp according to the position of the vehicle, the traveling path of the vehicle such as a road can be changed. The traveling road can be illuminated with an illuminance distribution according to the shape of the curved road. For example, when a vehicle travels on a left-hand side road, even if the road curves to the left and right with the same curvature, the angle formed by the driver's point of view from the front of the vehicle, that is, the gazing point, is the right curve road. The left curve road is smaller. This is because, even if the curved roads have the same curvature, the gazing point is in the own lane on the left curved road, but the gazing point is on the opposite lane side on the right curved road. Therefore, since the irradiation range on the left side can be made narrower than the irradiation range on the right side, the bulb used for the curved road lamp on the left side needs to have a low output as compared with the curved road lamp arranged on the right side. Can be used. As described above, since the bulb having the output according to the irradiation range can be used, it is possible to reduce the power consumption as compared with the headlamp having a configuration in which the irradiation range is simply expanded to the left and right.

A vehicle headlamp device according to a third aspect of the invention is provided with a lighting control means, and the lighting control means is for a vehicle in which the headlamps described in claim 1 are arranged on the left and right sides respectively. When the headlight is on and the wiper control switch instructs the wiper to operate, the headlamp is turned on so that only the curved road lamp is turned on. The wiper operates when the vehicle is running in the rain, etc., and even when the vehicle headlights are turned on when driving in the rain, etc., the front of the vehicle will be darker than in clear weather, and the driver's view of the front of the vehicle will be recognized. The state, so-called visibility is reduced. In this way, when driving in poor visibility such as rain,
When the operation of the wiper is instructed, only the curved road lamps are all turned on, so that the irradiation range is widened to the left and right in front of the vehicle by turning on the curved road lamps. Therefore, even in rainy weather, for example, the shoulders and curbs of the road are illuminated and the driver can easily recognize the road shape in front of the vehicle, and the visibility of the driver can be improved.

A vehicle headlamp device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is provided with a lighting control means, and the lighting control means is for a vehicle in which the headlamps described in claim 1 are arranged on the left and right sides respectively. When the headlights are on and the curved roads are continuous within a certain time, only the curved road lamps are all turned on. When traveling on a continuous curved road with continuous curved roads, if the lamp for straight road and the lamp for curved road are switched faithfully to this road shape, it becomes complicated to change the irradiation range according to this switching, and the driver feels uncomfortable. Will give. According to the present invention, when a curved road is continuous within a certain time, it is determined as a continuous curved road, and only the curved road lamps are all turned on. Therefore, even when the vehicle is traveling on a continuous curved road, the irradiation range is not frequently changed and the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the present invention is applied to a headlamp control device for controlling light distribution of a headlamp arranged in front of a vehicle.

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described. In the figure, an arrow FR indicates a vehicle body front direction, an arrow UP indicates a vehicle body upward direction, an arrow LH indicates a vehicle width left direction, and an arrow RH indicates a vehicle width right direction.

(Structure of Vehicle 10) As shown in FIG.
An engine hood 12 is arranged on the upper surface of the front body 10A of the vehicle 10.
Reference numeral 2 is swingably attached to the body frame by a hinge (not shown) provided at the rear end portion. Front bumpers 16 are fixed to both front and rear ends of the front body 10A in the vehicle width direction. This front bumper 16
Headlamps 18, 20 to be described later are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides (both ends in the vehicle width direction) of the upper part of the vehicle and the lower part of the front body 10A.

A windshield glass 14 is tilted and arranged near the rear end of the engine hood 12. A road-vehicle communication receiving device 22 is provided above the windshield glass 14 and inside the vehicle 10. The road-vehicle communication receiving device 22 has a function as a receiver for reading information on a road condition (straight road, curvature of a curve, etc.) from a transmitting device (not shown) arranged at a predetermined interval along the road. ing.

As shown in FIG. 2, a steering 26 is provided in the vehicle 10. This steering 2
A turn signal lever 28 and a wiper control lever 30 are arranged near the rotary shaft 6 (not shown).

The tip portion 28A of the turn signal lever 28
A light control switch 32 (FIG. 3) is attached to the. The light control switch 32 is
A switch for instructing the headlamps 18 and 20 to be turned on and off, and by rotating the tip portion 28A of the turn signal lever 28 around the axis of the turn signal lever 28 (direction of arrow A in FIG. 3). , 20 are turned on or off. A wiper control switch 34 (see FIG. 12) is disposed on the wiper control lever 30 (near the rotation shaft of the steering wheel 26, not shown), and the wiper control lever 30 is used to rotate the steering wheel 26 (arrow B in FIG. 3). When it is swung in the direction), a wiper (not shown) provided in the vehicle 10 is activated to wipe the liquid on the windshield glass.

Further, the turn signal lever 28 is provided with a beam switching switch 33 (see FIG. 12) for instructing switching of the headlamp to either a high beam or a low beam. This beam changeover switch 33
Is configured such that the contact (not shown) of the beam changeover switch 33 is switched by swinging the turning single lever 28 in the direction from the steering wheel 26 to the driver. The lamps L1 and R1 move from the high beam side to the low beam side,
Alternatively, the low beam side is switched to the high beam side.

(Headlamp) FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of the headlamp 18 arranged on the left side of the vehicle 10.
The headlamp 18 is a straight road lamp L having a substantially similar configuration.
1 and a curved road lamp L2.

The straight road lamp L1 includes a bulb 40S. As the bulb 40S, a bulb having a brightness (watt wattage) normally provided as a headlamp of the vehicle 10, for example, 55 W is used. The bulb 40S is attached to the reflector 42S having an elliptical reflection surface, and the light emitted from the bulb 40S is reflected by the reflector 42S to emit the light to the front of the vehicle 10 (direction of arrow FR in FIG. 4). . A shade 44S having a function of limiting the irradiation range in the up-down direction is provided on the exit side of the reflector 42S and near the converging position by the reflector 42S to prevent glare from oncoming vehicles. A convex lens 46S is arranged on the exit side of the shade 44S. Therefore, the light of the bulb 40S reflected by the reflector 42S is condensed near the shade 44S,
The convex lens 4 has a light emitting point at a position near the shade 44S.
6S ejects the vehicle 10 forward (in the direction of the arrow FR in FIG. 4).

Further, the straight road lamp L1 can change the emission direction of light, that is, the angle between the horizontal direction and the optical axis by a driving means (not shown) so that it can be switched to the high beam side or the low beam side. ing.

The curved road lamp L2 has a structure similar to that of the straight road lamp L1 having the bulb 40C. Since the bulb 40C requires a wide irradiation range by the curved road irradiation, it is higher than the bulb 40S. Output (eg 85
The valve of W) is used. The bulb 40C is attached to a reflector 42C having an elliptical reflecting surface. A shade 44C is provided on the exit side of the reflector 42C and near the light collecting position of the reflector 42C, and a convex lens 46C is provided on the exit side of the shade 44C. An additional lens 48 for expanding the irradiation range is provided on the exit side of the convex lens 46C. Therefore, the light of the bulb 40C reflected by the reflector 42C is condensed in the vicinity of the shade 44C, and the shade 44C
The light is emitted by a convex lens 46C with a light emitting point at a nearby position, and the additional lens 48 causes the linear lamp L1.
The irradiation range is further expanded (the irradiation range will be described later), and light is emitted in front of the vehicle 10 (direction of the arrow FR in FIG. 4).

The optical axis of the curved road lamp L2 is arranged to be the same as the emission direction when the straight road lamp L1 is set to the low beam side. Therefore,
As will be described later, the irradiation range when the curved road lamp L2 is turned on is a range that spreads leftward from the irradiation range when the straight road lamp L1 is turned on.

The headlamp 20 is the headlamp 1 described above.
A straight road ramp R1 and a curved road ramp R2, which have the same configuration as that of FIG. 8 and are arranged at target positions around the center of the vehicle 10 along the vehicle width (front-rear direction, arrow FR direction in FIG. 4). The straight road lamp R1 has the above-mentioned bulb 40S.
A valve 41S having the same wattage (for example, 55W) as
The curved road lamp R2 includes a bulb 41C having the same wattage (for example, 85 W) as the bulb 40C (see FIG. 12). The optical axes of the straight road lamp R1 and the curved road lamp R2 are arranged so as to be substantially in the same direction as the head lamp 18. The headlamp 20 has the same configuration as the headlamp 18, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

(Irradiation Range by Headlamp) FIG. 5 shows an example of a plan view of a road when the headlamp is turned on. FIG. 5A shows the headlamp 1 described above.
FIG. 5B shows the brightness of the road when the straight road lamp L1 of FIG. 8 is turned on at the low beam side and the curved road lamp L2 is turned on. The solid lines in the figure indicate equal brightness ranges on the road, and the solid lines 70S, 70
C indicates a brightness range of 5 lux (hereinafter, Lx). The solid line 71 is 10 Lx, the solid line 72 is 20 Lx, the solid line 73 is 30 Lx, the solid line 74 is 50 Lx, and the solid line 75 is 70.
Lx, the solid line 76 indicates the brightness range of 100 Lx, and the solid line 77 indicates the brightness range of 150 Lx.

The solid lines 71 to 77 show substantially the same brightness when the straight road lamp L1 of the headlamp 18 is turned on at the low beam side and when the curved road lamp L2 is turned on. The irradiation range is set, and the headlamp 18 has a straight road lamp L1 or a curved road lamp L2.
The same brightness is maintained in front of the vehicle 10 even if any of these is switched. The brightness range of 5Lx is the solid line 70.
As indicated by S and 70C, the straight road lamp L1 and the curved road lamp L2 are different, and the brightness range of 5Lx by the curved road lamp L2 is 5Lx by the straight road lamp L1.
Widened to the left from the brightness range of. Therefore, when the straight road lamp L1 of the headlamp 18 is switched to the curved road lamp L2, the irradiation range of 5Lx is widened (FIG. 5 (2) two-dot chain line 70S to solid line 70C).

The brightness of the road when the straight road lamp R1 of the headlamp 20 is turned on at the low beam side is the same as that shown in FIG. 5 (1), and the curved road lamp R2 is turned on. The brightness of the road when it is turned on is on the right (Fig. 5).
The irradiation range of 5 Lx is widened to the upper side.

(Type of light distribution) The above headlamps 18 and 2
Table 1 below shows the types of light distribution depending on the combination of 0 lighting.
It was shown to. In Table 1, the lighting state (switching) of the headlamps 18 and 20 is determined according to the running state of the vehicle or the shape of the road. In this embodiment, when the road is a straight road, a left curved road and a right curved road, the combination of headlamps is light distribution 1, light distribution 2, and light distribution 3, and the combination of headlamps when traveling at high speed is light distribution. Shown as 4. This table 1 is stored as a table in the control device 50 described later.

[0032]

[Table 1]

However, ×: unlit ○: lit on the low beam side ◎: lit on the high beam side

(Vehicle Headlight Device 80) FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle headlight device 80 including the above headlamp. The control device 50 that gives an instruction to turn on the headlamps 18 and 20 includes a read only memory (ROM) 52, a random access memory (RAM) 54, and a central processing unit (C).
PU) 56, an input port 58, an output port 60, a driver 64, and a bus 62 such as a data bus or a control bus connecting these. The ROM 52 stores the table (Table 1) described above and a control program for controlling a headlamp described later.

A beam changeover switch 33 and a road-vehicle communication receiving device 22 are connected to the input port 58. The output port 60 is connected to the relay circuit 6 via the driver 64.
6, 68 are connected to one ends of coils 67, 69.
Further, the output port 60 is connected to a driving means (not shown) for changing the optical axes of the straight road lamps L1 and R1 to the high beam side or the low beam side.

This relay circuit 66 is used for the headlamp 18
, The common terminal 66C of the relay circuit 66 is connected to the battery B via the light control switch 32, and the first contact 66A is the valve 4
Grounded via 0S and the second contact 66B is connected to the valve 40
It is grounded through C. The relay circuit 66 is the coil 6
When the coil 67 is provided and the coil 67 is non-excited, it is switched to the first contact 66A, and when the coil 67 is excited, it is switched to the second contact 66B.
Therefore, when the light control switch 32 is on and the coil 67 is not excited, the straight road lamp L1 is turned on, and when the light control switch 32 is on and the coil 67 is excited, the curved road lamp L2 is turned on. Light.

Further, the relay circuit 68 is used for the headlamp 2
0 is for switching the valve, and like the relay circuit 66, the common terminal 68C of the relay circuit 68 is connected to the battery B via the light control switch 32, and the first contact 68A is grounded via the valve 41S. The second contact 68B is grounded via the valve 41C. The relay circuit 68 includes a coil 69, and is switched to the first contact 68A when the coil 69 is not excited, and when the coil 69 is excited, the second contact 68 is formed.
It is designed to switch to B. Therefore, when the light control switch 32 is on and the coil 69 is not excited, the straight road lamp R1 is turned on, and when the light control switch 32 is on and the coil 69 is excited, the curved road lamp R2 is turned on. Light.

(Operation of the First Embodiment) The operation of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the control routines of FIGS. 7 and 8 for controlling the lighting of the headlamps 18 and 20. In the first embodiment, the road information transmitted from a plurality of transmitters (not shown) arranged along the road is the control device 50.
Is input to. For example, numerical data representing the curvature of a curved road or the linearity of a road can be used as this road information.

First, when the driver turns on the light control switch 32 to instruct the lighting of the headlamps 18 and 20, the control main routine shown in FIG. 7 is executed every predetermined time. When this control routine is executed, the routine proceeds to step 102, where it is judged whether the headlamp is on the high beam side or the low beam side by reading the on / off state of the beam changeover switch 33. Beam switch 3
If 3 is on the high beam side, the process proceeds to step 104. In step 104, power is not supplied to the coils 67 and 69, the coils 67 and 69 are not excited, and the relay circuits 66 and 68 are
Is switched to the first contacts 66A, 68A, and electric power for lighting is supplied to the bulbs 40S, 41S of the straight road lamps L1, R1 to light the straight road lamps L1, R1 and drive means (not shown). Valve 40S, 4
By changing the direction of 1S, the ramp L for straight roads
The optical axes of 1 and R1 are set to the high beam side (light distribution 4).

When the beam changeover switch 33 is on the low beam side, in order to change the light distribution of the headlamp according to the road shape, the road shape obtained by road-to-vehicle communication, which will be described later, is read at step 106, and the routine proceeds to step 108.

In step 108, it is determined whether or not the read road shape indicates a straight road, and if the result of the affirmative determination is that the road shape is a straight road, the routine proceeds to step 112. In step 112, since the road shape is a straight road, the coil 67,
69 is non-excited and the relay circuits 66 and 68 are the first contact 66.
A and 68A are connected to the common terminals 66C and 68C to turn on the straight road lamps L1 and R1 and to change the directions of the bulbs 40S and 41S by a driving means (not shown) to change the optical axes of the straight road lamps L1 and R1. Is set to the low beam side (light distribution 1).

If the read road shape does not indicate a straight road and a negative determination is made in step 108, the routine proceeds to step 110, where it is judged whether or not the read road shape indicates a left curved road. When the road shape indicates a left curved road and the determination is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 114. In step 114, in order to set the optical axes of the straight road lamps L1 and R1 to the low beam side and widen the light distribution range on the left side of the vehicle 10, electric power is supplied to the coil 67 to excite the coil 67 and the relay circuit 66. Switches to the second contact 66B,
Electric power for lighting is supplied to the bulb 40C of the curved road lamp L2, and the curved road lamp L2 and the straight road lamp R1 are lit (light distribution 2).

If the road shape does not indicate the left curved road and the determination in step 110 is negative, the road is judged to be the right curved road and the routine proceeds to step 116. In step 116, the coil 6 is set to set the optical axes of the straight road lamps L1 and R1 to the low beam side and to widen the light distribution range on the right side of the vehicle 10.
9, the coil 69 is excited, the relay circuit 68 is switched to the second contact 66B, the bulb 41C of the curved road lamp R2 is supplied with lighting power, and the straight road lamp L1 and the curved road lamp L1 are supplied. The lamp R2 is turned on (light distribution 3).

By switching the straight road lamps L1 and R1 and the curved road lamps L2 and R2 and switching to the high beam side or the low beam side, the headlamp 1
The light distributions of 8 and 20 are controlled, and this routine ends.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the light distribution is determined based on the obtained road shape, the light from the optimum headlamp is applied to the gaze direction and the position visually recognized by the driver, and Visibility is improved.

Next, the interrupt processing for the road shape grasping processing by the road-vehicle communication will be described. When the road information from the transmission device (not shown) for the road-to-vehicle communication is received, the interrupt processing routine shown in FIG. 8 is executed.

First, at step 122, road information is received by road-vehicle communication, that is, road information is received from a transmitter (not shown) arranged along the road. In the next step 124, for example, a road pattern is formed based on the read road information. This road pattern is formed based on the linearity of the road, the curvature of the curve, and the like, and can be treated as simple numerical data or mathematical data. In the next step 126, it is selected whether the road ahead of the vehicle 10 is a straight road, a left curved road or a right curved road based on the formed road pattern. In this selection, roads having a curvature exceeding a predetermined range are left curved roads and right curved roads, and other roads are straight roads. The obtained selected values (values indicating a straight road, a left curved road, and a right curved road) are stored in a memory (not shown) of the control device 50 as a value indicating the road shape, and this routine ends.

As described above, in the first embodiment, since the lamp is switched to the straight road lamp or the curved road lamp in accordance with the road shape in front of the vehicle, it is possible to illuminate the vicinity of the driver's gazing point. Visibility is improved. Also,
A low-output bulb equivalent to the brightness range obtained by a conventional headlamp is used for a straight road lamp, and a high-output bulb is used for a curved road lamp. In addition, the road can be illuminated by a high-power valve when illuminating a curved road, so that sufficient visibility can be obtained for the driver to see.

Further, since the straight road lamp and the curved road lamp are constructed separately and the irradiation range is changed by switching between them, a driving means such as a motor and a light shielding means such as a liquid crystal shutter are provided. It is possible to form the irradiation range according to the road shape by the headlamp with a simple structure only by switching the relay circuit without changing the irradiation range with a complicated structure. In addition, since the periphery of the headlamp can be formed with a simple structure, repair such as bulb replacement is easy, and a light distribution control device with low cost and high durability can be formed.

In the first embodiment described above, the case in which the present invention is applied to road-to-vehicle communication using road information obtained from a transmission device arranged along a road has been described. The shape of the road may be grasped based on the image.

In the first embodiment, the curved road lamp and the straight road lamp are arranged in order from the inside of the vehicle to the outside, but the order may be reversed.

The lamp (lamp for straight road and lamp for curved road) used in the first embodiment may be either a parabola type or a projector type.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the straight road lamps L1 and R1 of the headlamps 18 and 20 are changed to the curved road lamps L2 and R2 based on the road shape obtained by the road-vehicle communication. Although the irradiation range is simply widened, the second embodiment shows an example in which the left and right irradiation ranges are changed.

Since the structure of the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, detailed description of the same parts will be omitted and different parts will be described.

When the headlamp illuminates the position of the road which the driver sees, even if the left curved road and the right curved road are curved with substantially the same curvature, the traveling lane of the vehicle 10 is in one direction of the entire road width. Since the images are biased, the driver's visual observation position is different. Therefore, the visual deviation angle, which is the angle formed by the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 and the direction connecting the vehicle 10 and the gaze position, differs between the left curved road and the right curved road. For example, as shown in FIG.
When the vehicle runs, the visual deviation angle α on the left curved road ahead of the vehicle 10 becomes smaller than the visual deviation angle β on the right curved road.
Therefore, in this case, the spread of the irradiation range on the left curved road ahead of the vehicle 10 is smaller than the spread of the irradiation range on the right curved road. Therefore, since the irradiation range on the left side of the vehicle is narrower than the irradiation range on the right side, the lamp for the left curved road can use a bulb having a smaller output than the lamp for the right curved road.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, the valve 41C of the curved road lamp R2 arranged on the right side of the vehicle is the high output (85 W) valve of the first embodiment and is arranged on the left side of the vehicle. The bulb 40C of the curved road lamp L2 has a lower output (70%) than the bulb 41C of the curved road lamp R2.
The valve of W) is used.

(Irradiation Range by Headlamp) FIG. 10 shows an example of a plan view of a road when the headlamps 18 and 20 using the above-mentioned bulbs of different outputs are turned on. FIG. 10 (1) shows light distribution 3 in which the straight road lamp L1 of the headlamp 18 is turned on at the low beam side and the curved road lamp R2 of the headlamp 20 is turned on. , The above headlamps 18, 2
10 (3) shows that the curved road lamp L2 of the headlamp 18 is turned on and the straight road lamp R1 of the headlamp 20 is turned on when the light distribution 1 in which the straight road lamps L1 and R1 of 0 are turned on. Shows the brightness of the road when light distribution 2 is turned on.

The brightness on the road obtained by the headlamps 18 and 20 is 10 Lx or more (solid line 7
(Inner than 1) ranges include headlamps 18, 20 for straight road lamps L1, R1 or curved road lamps L2, R2.
The same brightness can be maintained even when is switched.

The brightness range of 5 Lx on the road is as shown by the solid lines 70R, 70S, and 70L when both the straight road lamps L1 and R1 are turned on and when the curved road lamp L2 is turned on and the curve is turned on. This is different from when the road lamp R2 is turned on. That is, the solid line 70R indicating the brightness range of 5Lx by turning on the curved road lamp R2 is a solid line 7R indicating the brightness range of 5Lx by the straight road lamp.
It is widened to the front right side of the vehicle from 0S (Fig. 10).
(1)). Similarly, the solid line 70L indicating the 5Lx brightness range obtained by turning on the curved road lamp L2 is widened to the front left side of the vehicle from the solid line 70S indicating the 5Lx brightness range obtained by the straight road lamp (FIG. 10 ( 3)). As shown in FIGS. 10 (1) and 10 (3), the 5Lx brightness range obtained by turning on the curved road lamp L2 is the 5Lx brightness range obtained by turning on the curved road lamp R2. Being larger than the spread. Therefore, even if the left curved road and the right curved road are curved with substantially the same curvature, the road is illuminated in the irradiation range corresponding to the traveling lane of the vehicle, so that the visibility of the driver is improved.

As described above, in the second embodiment, in order to change the irradiation range according to the shape of the road ahead of the vehicle, a straight road lamp having a low output bulb and a curved road lamp having a high output bulb. And a valve with a low output in the case of a road on the left side, depending on the traveling lane in which the vehicle travels through the left curved road lamp and the right curved road lamp. By configuring the left curved road lamp and the right curved road lamp having a high output bulb to have different brightness, during normal vehicle 10 traveling, it is possible to save power by lighting the low output bulb. When traveling on a curved road, the direction of the curved road (left and right)
Since the valve with the optimum output is turned on according to the above, the optimum irradiation range can be obtained with proper power consumption regardless of whether it is a straight road or a curved road, and the driver's visual point of fixation is sure to irradiate. Therefore, the visibility of the driver is improved.

In the second embodiment, the irradiation range is changed by changing the spread of the headlamps when driving on the left side, but it can be easily applied when driving on the right side. In this case, the straight road ramps L1 and R1 and the curved road ramp L
The configurations of 2 and R2 may be the same as those of the second embodiment.

[Third Embodiment] In the first and second embodiments, the light distribution of the headlamps 18 and 20 is controlled based on the road shape obtained by road-to-vehicle communication. In the example, the headlamp 1 is determined by judging the running state of the vehicle, that is, the state of the vehicle during running on a continuous curved road or in the rain.
An example of controlling lighting of 8 and 20 will be described.

Since the structure of the third embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first and second embodiments, detailed description of the same parts will be omitted and different parts will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the center console panel 36 provided inside the vehicle 10 is provided with a manual selection switch 38. This manual selection switch 38
Is a switch for intentionally increasing the irradiation range and issuing an instruction to improve the visibility when the driver visually checks the front of the vehicle 10 and determines that the visibility has deteriorated.

(Type of light distribution) Table 2 below shows how the headlamps 18 and 20 in the third embodiment are turned on.
In this embodiment, a combination of headlamps when the road is a straight road, a left curved road, and a right curved road is light distribution 1, light distribution 2, and light distribution 3.
Is shown as a light distribution 4 when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, and as a light distribution 5 when the road is running on a continuous curved road or in rainy weather. It is stored in the control device 50 in place of Table 1 used in the first embodiment.

[0066]

[Table 2]

However, ×: unlit ○: lit on the low beam side ◎: lit on the high beam side

(Irradiation Range by Headlamp) FIG. 11 shows an example of a plan view of a road when the headlamps 18 and 20 are turned on. FIG. 11 (1) shows the case where the curved road lamps L2, R2 of the headlamps 18, 20 are both turned on (light distribution 5), and FIG. 11 (2) shows the headlamps 18, 20 for straight roads. It shows the brightness of the road when both the lamps L1 and R1 are turned on (light distribution 1).

The road brightness obtained by the headlamps 18 and 20 is 10 Lx or more (solid line 71).
In the range of (inner), the same brightness is maintained even when the straight road lamps L1 and R1 or the curved road lamps L2 and R2 of the headlamps 18 and 20 are switched, as in the above embodiment.

The brightness range of 5 Lx on the road is the straight road lamp L as shown by the solid lines 70Z and 70S.
When both 1 and R1 are turned on, and when the curved road lamp L2,
Unlike the case where both R2 are turned on, a curved road lamp L
A solid line 70Z indicating the 5Lx brightness range due to lighting both 2 and R2 is wider in the front left and right direction of the vehicle than the solid line 70S indicating the 5Lx brightness range due to the straight road lamp (FIG. 11 (1)). . Therefore, even if the left curved road and the right curved road are continuous, the irradiation range is expanded to the left and right, and the driver's visibility is improved.

(Controller 50) As shown in FIG.
The controller 50 of the third embodiment is a read only memory (R
OM) 52, random access memory (RAM) 54,
It is configured to include a central processing unit (CPU) 56, an input port 58, an output port 60, a driver 64, and a bus 62 such as a data bus or a control bus connecting these.

A beam changeover switch 33, a wiper control switch 34, a manual selection switch 38 and a road-vehicle communication receiving device 22 are connected to the input port 58. The output port 60 is connected to one ends of coils 67 and 69 of relay circuits 66 and 68 via a driver 64. Further, the output port 60 is provided with straight road lamps L1, R.
It is connected to a driving means (not shown) for changing the optical axis of 1 to the high beam side or the low beam side. Since the relay circuits 66 and 68 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

(Operation of Third Embodiment) Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described together with the control main routine shown in FIG.

In a continuous curved road such as a mountain road, the left and right curved roads may be continuous, and if the irradiation range is changed according to the shape of the road, the straight road lamp and the curved road lamp can be switched. It will continue in a short time. Due to the continuous switching of the lamps, the driver may feel uncomfortable due to the troublesomeness of changing the irradiation range.

Therefore, in the third embodiment, when the left and right curved roads are continuous, it is determined that the road is a continuous curved road such as a mountain road, and the curved road is not continuously switched between the straight road ramp and the curved road ramp. The road lamp is kept on.

Further, in rainy weather, the reflectance of the road changes and the road surface becomes darker than in clear weather, so that the visibility deteriorates.
In order to solve this, the effect obtained only by increasing the output by replacing the available valve is small,
Very high power valves must be used in order not to reduce visibility. In this way, it is necessary to manufacture a valve with a very high output in order not to reduce the visibility, but even with available valves, the irradiation range of the headlamps is expanded to the left and right to irradiate the road shoulders. This makes it possible to determine the road and prevent the visibility from decreasing.

Therefore, in the third embodiment, all the curved road lamps are turned on during rainy weather so that the visibility is not deteriorated. First, the driver turns on the light control switch 32 to turn on the headlamps 18, 20.
13 is executed, the control main routine shown in FIG. 13 is executed every predetermined time. When this control routine is executed, the routine proceeds to step 132, where the count value N for judging whether the vehicle 10 is traveling on a continuous curved road is reset (N = 0). In the next step 134, the on / off state of the beam changeover switch 33 is read to determine whether the headlamps 18 and 20 are on the high beam side or the low beam side. If the beam changeover switch 33 is on the high beam side, the process proceeds to step 158. In step 158, power is not supplied to the coils 67 and 69, the coils 67 and 69 are de-energized, and the relay circuits 66 and 68 have the first contacts 66A and 68.
A, the electric power for lighting is supplied to the bulbs 40S and 41S of the straight road lamps L1 and R1, the straight road lamps L1 and R1 are lit, and the bulbs 40S and 41S are driven by a driving means not shown. By changing the direction, the optical axes of the straight road lamps L1 and R1 are set to the high beam side (light distribution 4), and the process proceeds to step 166.

If the beam changeover switch 33 is on the low beam side, the operation proceeds to step 136. In step 136,
It is determined whether or not the manual selection switch 38 is turned on. When the manual selection switch 38 is on, it is determined that the driver has instructed to widen the left and right irradiation range of the headlamp, and the process proceeds to step 156.

In step 136, when the manual selection switch 38 is off and the determination is negative, the routine proceeds to step 138, where it is determined whether or not the wiper control switch 34 is on. If the wiper control switch 34 is on, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling with insufficient visibility due to fog or rainy weather, and the routine proceeds to step 156.

In step 156, the straight road ramp L
1, R1 are set to the low beam side, and the coil 67,
69 to supply electric power together to excite the coils 67 and 69,
The relay circuits 66 and 68 are switched to the second contacts 66B and 68B, and the bulbs 40C and 4C of the curved road lamps L2 and R2 are switched.
By supplying the lighting power to 1C, both the curved road lamps L2 and R2 are turned on (light distribution 5), and the routine proceeds to step 166.

If the wiper control switch 34 is off and a negative determination is made in step 138,
In order to control the irradiation range of the headlamp according to the road shape, the process proceeds to step 140, the road shape (see FIG. 8) obtained by the road-vehicle communication is read as in the first embodiment, and the process proceeds to step 142.

At the next step 142, it is judged whether or not the read road shape indicates a straight road, and if the judgment is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 143. Step 143 is
This is a step for determining whether or not the current traveling road is a straight road after performing light distribution 5 (step 154 described later) at the time of a continuous curved road, and whether the count value N is a predetermined value k or more. to decide.

When the count value N is N ≧ k, it is determined that the road is a straight road after the light distribution 5 of the continuous curved road is performed, and the process proceeds to step 147, and the lighting of the curved road lamps L2 and R2 is continued. (Light distribution 5), and the process proceeds to step 160. On the other hand, in the case of affirmative determination with N <k, the headlamps 18 and 20 are set to the irradiation range for the straight road, so that the straight road lamps L1 and R1 are turned on in step 148 as in the first embodiment. At the same time, the optical axes of the straight road lamps L1 and R1 are set to the low beam side (light distribution 1), and the process proceeds to step 160.

At the next step 160, it is judged whether N = 0 or not. If the judgment is negative, the count value N is decremented by 1 at step 162 and the routine proceeds to step 166. If N = 0, the judgment is made. Does not need to decrement the count value N, the process directly proceeds to step 166.

The predetermined value k is a reference number of times for judging whether or not the road is a continuous curved road, and a predetermined value is set.

If a negative decision is made in step 142 that the road shape is not a straight road, the routine proceeds to step 144, where it is decided whether or not the count value N is a predetermined value k or more.
If N ≧ k, it is determined that the road is a continuous curved road, and the process proceeds to step 154, the coils 67 and 69 are both supplied with electric power to excite the coils 67 and 69, and the relay circuits 66 and 68 cause the second contacts 66B, By switching to 68B and supplying electric power for lighting to the bulbs 40C and 41C of the curved road lamps L2 and R2, the curved road lamps L2 and R2 are both lit (light distribution 5).

On the other hand, if N <k, step 146
Then, it is determined whether or not the read road shape indicates a left curved road. If an affirmative decision is made in this step 146, in order to widen the light distribution range on the left side of the vehicle 10, the routine proceeds to step 150, the optical axis of the straight road lamp is set to the low beam side, and power is supplied to the coil 67. The coil 67 is excited, the relay circuit 66 is switched to the second contact 66B, the lighting power is supplied to the bulb 40C of the curved road lamp L2, and the curved road lamp L2 and the straight road lamp R1 are lit ( Light distribution 2). Also, step 14
In the case of negative determination in 6, in order to widen the light distribution range on the left side of the vehicle 10, the process proceeds to step 152, the optical axis of the straight road lamp is set to the low beam side, and the coil 69 is supplied with electric power and the coil 69 is supplied. Is excited and the relay circuit 68
Is switched to the second contact point 68B, electric power for lighting is supplied to the bulb 41C of the curved road lamp R2, and the straight road lamp L1 and the curved road lamp R2 are lit (light distribution 3).

When the lighting of the bulbs of the head lamps 18 and 20 is completed in the above steps 150, 152 and 154, the routine proceeds to step 163, where it is judged whether or not the count value N is equal to the limit value L. The limit value L is for determining the upper limit value of the count value N, and a predetermined value is set.

The relationship between the predetermined value k and the limit value L is set so that 0 <k <L.

If N = L and the determination is affirmative, the count value N has reached the limit value L, so the routine proceeds to step 166 without increasing the count value N. On the other hand, in the case of a negative determination, the count value N has not yet reached the limit value L, so the routine proceeds to step 164, the count value N is incremented by 1, and the routine proceeds to step 166.

In step 166, it is judged whether or not the light control switch 32 is turned off. If the light control switch 32 is turned on, step 134 is executed.
Returning to, when the light control switch 32 is off, this routine ends.

Light is continuously distributed on the continuous curved road 5
(Step 154 above), the above step 1
The transition time to the initialization of the count value N by the subtraction of the count value N in 62 coincides with the time by the addition of the count value N (step 164). Therefore, when traveling on a continuous curved road for a long time, the transition time to the initialization of the count value N becomes long, and even if traveling on a straight road,
The time for maintaining the light distribution 5 becomes long. For this reason,
In step 163, the limit value L is set as the limit value of the count value N, and a determination is made to stop the increase of the count value. We are trying to shorten the transition time to initialization of light distribution.

In step 143, the count value N
By determining whether or not is equal to or greater than the predetermined value k, the light distribution 5 for the continuous curved road can be continued for a predetermined number of times, that is, for a predetermined time even after the traveling on the continuous curved road is completed. Therefore, the light distribution for the straight road is not immediately made after the traveling on the continuous curved road, and the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the switching to the irradiation range for the left curved road and the irradiation range for the right curved road is counted, and when the count value is equal to or more than the predetermined value, it is determined as the continuous curved road. Therefore, even if the left curved road and the right curved road are continuous, the lighting of the curved road lamp is continued without switching between the straight road lamp and the curved road lamp, and the straight road and the curved road are optimized. The irradiation range is expanded so that the driver feels less annoyed and the eyestrain of the driver can be reduced.

Further, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling in the rain by turning the wiper control switch on and off. When the vehicle is traveling in the rain, all the lamps for curved roads are turned on and the irradiation range of the headlamps is widened to the left and right. Is improved. Also, by changing the irradiation range on the low beam side of the headlamp, the light above the horizontal on the low beam side is further suppressed than the light on the high beam side, so white wall (light curtain phenomenon) is less likely to occur,
Visibility is improved from the high beam side.

Furthermore, by setting the manual selection switch,
Since the driver can intentionally switch to a curved road lamp with a wide irradiation range to the left and right, if the driver's visual sense determines that the visibility has deteriorated, switch to lighting the curved road lamp by manual operation. It is possible to improve the visibility.

The above-described road shape includes the shape of the traveling road, for example, the road shape corresponding to one lane formed by the center line, curb and the like.

[0098]

As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1, since the irradiation directions of the straight road lamp and the curved road lamp are substantially the same, even if the lamp is switched to any one, the vehicle front Is illuminated with an appropriate brightness, and the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

According to the invention described in claim 2, since the spread of the irradiation range of the left curved road lamp and the right curved road lamp is different, the power consumption of the vehicle headlamp device as a whole is small. There is an effect that can be done.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the visibility is improved because the irradiation range is expanded to the left and right front of the vehicle even when traveling in poor visibility such as rainy weather. There is.

According to the invention described in claim 4, during continuous traveling on a curved road, the irradiation range is widened to the left and right front of the vehicle, and complicated switching between the straight road lamp and the curved road lamp may occur. Since it does not exist, there is an effect that the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a front portion of a vehicle as seen obliquely from the front of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a front portion of the vehicle as seen from diagonally behind the driver's seat of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the vicinity of a steering wheel.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a headlamp to which the vehicle headlight device of the present invention is applicable.

FIG. 5 is an image diagram showing the brightness of the road when the headlamp is turned on in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control main routine of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an interrupt processing routine by road-to-vehicle communication.

FIG. 9 is a road plan view for explaining that the visual deviation angle is different depending on the direction of the curved road.

FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing the brightness of the road when the headlamp is turned on in the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an image diagram showing the brightness of the road when the headlamps are turned on in the third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device of a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a control main routine of the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 18 headlamp 20 headlamp 22 road-to-vehicle communication receiving device 34 wiper control switch 38 manual selection switch 50 control device 80 vehicle headlight device L1 straight road lamp (left side) L2 curved road lamp (left side)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location B60S 1/60 BF21M 3/05 B 8409-3K H04N 7 / 18K

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A straight road lamp that irradiates a front side of a vehicle in a predetermined irradiation direction and in a predetermined irradiation range, and the irradiation direction of the straight road lamp is substantially the same as that of the straight road lamp. A headlamp device for a vehicle, in which a headlamp including a lamp pair for a curved road, which has a large amount of light than the lamp for a straight road, and a lamp pair of the headlamp is disposed on each of the left and right sides. 2. The vehicle headlight device according to claim 1, wherein the left curved road lamp and the right curved road lamp have different irradiation ranges. 3. A straight road lamp that irradiates a front side of a vehicle in a predetermined irradiation direction and in a predetermined irradiation range, and the irradiation direction of the straight road lamp is substantially the same, and the irradiation range is more than the straight road lamp. A front lamp for a vehicle in which headlamps each consisting of a pair of lamps for a curved road having a wider light amount than the lamp for a straight road and a lamp pair for the curved road are installed on the left and right, and for instructing the operation of a wiper provided on the vehicle. A wiper control switch, and the vehicle front illumination lamp is lit, and lighting control means for controlling so that only the curved road lamp is lit when the wiper operation is instructed by the wiper control switch, Headlight device for vehicles equipped with. 4. A straight road lamp that irradiates a front of the vehicle in a predetermined irradiation direction and in a predetermined irradiation range, and the irradiation direction of the straight road lamp is substantially the same, and the irradiation range is more than the straight road lamp. And a curved road lamp having a larger amount of light than the straight road lamp, and a vehicle front illumination lamp in which headlamps each including a lamp pair are disposed on the left and right, and the vehicle front illumination lamp is lit, and A vehicle headlight device comprising: lighting control means for controlling so that only the curved road lamps are all turned on when the curved roads are continuous within a fixed time.