JPH08164786A - Vehicle panel lighting controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To make the personally relishing brightness easily securable by enabling it to adjust a dimming rate manually even as to a light emitting diode and a fluorescent character display tube in use of the existing electronic control circuit. CONSTITUTION: An electronic control circuit 1 performs a job for air- conditioning control in a car room, while it controls each dimming rate of a lamp 4, a light emitting diode 5 and a fluorescent character display tube 6 to be installed on a car panel. In addition, a temperature setting switch 2 for air conditioning and a mode selector switch 3 are connected to the input side of this electronic control circuit 1. This mode selector switch 3 indicates a temperature setting mode and a dimming rate adjusting mode to the electronic control circuit 1 in an alternative way. The temperature setting switch 2 indicates the dimming rate to the electronic control circuit 1 at a time when the dimming adjusting mode is selected by the mode selector switch 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle panel lighting control device, and more particularly to a vehicle instrument panel (hereinafter,
Simply called a panel. ) Relates to a vehicle panel lighting control device for controlling the extinction ratio of various light emitting sources for illuminating various instruments and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle panel lighting control device,
As shown in FIG. 4, among the various light emitting sources arranged on the vehicle panel, the dimming rate of the lamp 4 can be manually adjusted via the rheostat circuit 7, and the light emitting diode (LED) 5 and the fluorescent light can be adjusted. Regarding the display tube (VFD) 6,
There is a microcomputer configured so that the dimming rate can be automatically adjusted.

[0003]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional vehicle panel lighting control device, there is an individual difference in sense of brightness, and there are cases where it is desired to appropriately adjust the dimming rate according to the environment. Nevertheless, with respect to the light emitting diode and the fluorescent display tube, the extinction rate is unilaterally determined by the microcomputer.

In view of the above points, the present invention makes it possible to manually adjust the extinction ratio of the light emitting diode and the fluorescent display tube by using the existing electronic control circuit.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle panel lighting control device capable of easily obtaining the brightness preferred by an individual.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic control circuit for controlling the air conditioning of a vehicle interior and controlling a dimming rate of various light emitting sources arranged on a vehicle panel, and the electronic control circuit. On the other hand, the vehicle panel lighting control device is characterized by further comprising: an input unit for instructing a dimming rate of each of the various light emitting sources.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the input section has a temperature setting switch for air conditioning as a constituent element, and the electronic control circuit adjusts the extinction rate of each of the light emitting sources according to an input from the temperature setting switch. It controls, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
The vehicle panel lighting control device described in 1. is adopted.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the input section has a mode changeover switch for selectively instructing the electronic control circuit between a temperature setting mode and a dimming rate adjustment mode, and the electronic control circuit is 3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein when the dimming rate adjustment mode is selected by the mode changeover switch, the dimming rate of the various light emitting sources is controlled according to an input from the temperature setting switch. Adopt panel lighting control device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is adopted the vehicle panel lighting control device according to any of the first to third aspects, wherein the various light emitting sources are a lamp, a light emitting diode and a fluorescent display tube.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the input section includes a dedicated switch for instructing the electronic control circuit to perform a dimming rate adjustment mode, and the electronic control circuit receives the instruction from the dedicated switch. The vehicle panel lighting control device according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the extinction rates of the various light emitting sources are controlled according to an input from a temperature setting switch.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the input section includes a rheostat circuit and a frequency / voltage conversion circuit for converting a pulse output of the rheostat circuit into a DC voltage, and the electronic control circuit includes the frequency / voltage conversion circuit. The vehicle panel lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein the extinction ratios of the various light emitting sources are controlled according to an input voltage level from the light source.

[0011]

In the vehicle panel lighting control device according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the input unit instructs the electronic control circuit about the extinction ratio of each of the light emission sources, the electronic control circuit causes the various light emission sources to follow the instruction. Control the extinction rate of. Here, the electronic control circuit uses an existing electronic control circuit for air conditioning control,
This can be easily realized by adding a simple function for controlling the extinction ratio as described above. Therefore, according to the vehicle panel lighting control device of the first aspect, the dimming rate of each light emitting source can be manually adjusted by adding a simple function to the existing electronic control circuit and providing the input section. You can easily get the brightness that suits your taste.

According to the vehicle panel lighting control device of the second aspect, by utilizing the existing temperature setting switch for air conditioning, it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the input section and the cost.

According to the vehicle panel lighting control device of the third aspect, both the temperature setting mode and the dimming rate adjusting mode can be selected by the mode changeover switch, so that a switch dedicated to the dimming rate adjusting mode is not separately provided. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of components of the input unit and reduce the cost.

According to the vehicle panel lighting control device of the fourth aspect, since the various light emitting sources are the lamp, the light emitting diode and the fluorescent display tube, the light emitting diode and the fluorescent display tube cannot be manually adjusted in the prior art. You will be able to manually adjust the extinction rate of.

A vehicle panel lighting control device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the same as the third aspect of the present invention, instead of the mode changeover switch.
This indicates that a dedicated switch for instructing the dimming rate adjustment mode may be provided.

The vehicle panel lighting control device according to claim 6 shows an example in which an existing rheostat circuit is used for the input section.

[0017]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a vehicle panel lighting control device according to one embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 represents an electronic control circuit composed of a microcomputer. Electronic control circuit 1
Is configured by adding a dimming rate control function to an existing electronic control circuit for air conditioning control.

A temperature setting switch 2 for air conditioning control is connected to the input side of the electronic control circuit 1. The temperature setting switch 2 is a switch of a dial type or an up / down type as is well known, and is a switch for instructing the electronic control circuit 1 of a set temperature or a dimming rate based on data corresponding to the operation amount.

A mode selector switch 3 is connected to the input side of the electronic control circuit 1. The mode changeover switch 3 is a switch for selectively instructing the electronic control circuit 1 between a temperature setting mode and a dimming rate adjustment mode. The temperature setting switch 2 and the mode changing switch 3
Corresponds to the input unit of the present invention.

On the output side of the electronic control circuit 1, a lamp 4,
The light emitting diode 5 and the fluorescent display tube 6 are connected.

Next, the main operation of the electronic control circuit 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

The electronic control circuit 1 includes a mode changeover switch 3
When the mode selection signal is in the temperature setting mode, the flag A is set to "1" while the mode selection signal is input from the temperature setting switch 2 and the set temperature signal or the dimming rate signal is input from the temperature setting switch 2. If the mode is the dimming rate adjustment mode, the flag A is set to "0" (step 101).

Next, it is determined whether the flag A is "1" (step 102).

When the flag A is "1", in other words, when the temperature setting mode is selected, the level indicated by the set temperature signal is set as the set temperature (step 103). On the other hand, when the flag A is "0", in other words, when the dimming ratio adjustment mode is selected, the level indicated by the dimming ratio signal is set as the dimming ratio (step 104).

Next, it is judged again whether the flag A is "1" (step 105).

When the flag A is "1", in other words, when the temperature setting mode is selected, the set temperature set in step 103 is displayed on the display section (step 106). On the other hand, when the flag A is “0”, in other words, when the dimming rate adjustment mode is selected, the lamp 4, the light emitting diode 5, and the fluorescent display tube 6 are set at the dimming rate set in step 104. Are driven (step 107).

As is apparent from the above description, according to the above-described embodiment, by adding a simple function to the existing electronic control circuit for air conditioning control, and providing the temperature setting switch 2 and the mode changeover switch 3, Since the extinction rates of not only the lamp 4 but also the light emitting diode 5 and the fluorescent display tube 6 can be manually adjusted, it is possible to easily obtain the brightness suitable for the individual. Further, since the existing temperature setting switch 2 for air conditioning is used, the number of parts and cost can be reduced. Further, since both the temperature setting mode and the dimming rate adjustment mode can be selected by the mode changeover switch 3, it is not necessary to separately provide a switch dedicated to the dimming rate adjustment mode, and the number of parts and cost can be reduced. it can.

Instead of the mode changeover switch 3, a dedicated switch for instructing the dimming rate adjustment mode may be provided.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, instead of the temperature setting switch 2, an existing rheostat circuit 7 and a frequency / voltage conversion circuit 8 for converting the pulse output of the rheostat circuit 7 into a DC voltage are used. May be.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle panel lighting control device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic control circuit 1.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an input unit according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a conventional example

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Electronic Control Circuit 2 Temperature Setting Switch (Input Section) 3 Mode Switch (Input Section) 4 Lamp (Light Emitting Source) 5 Light Emitting Diode (Light Emitting Source) 6 Fluorescent Display Tube (Light Emitting Source) 7 Rheostat Circuit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An electronic control circuit for controlling the air conditioning of a vehicle interior and controlling the extinction rate of various light emitting sources arranged on a vehicle panel; and the extinction rates of the various light emitting sources for the electronic control circuit. A vehicle panel lighting control device, comprising: 2. The input unit has a temperature setting switch for air conditioning as a constituent element, and the electronic control circuit controls the extinction rate of each of the light emitting sources according to an input from the temperature setting switch. The vehicle panel lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The input section includes a mode changeover switch for selectively instructing the electronic control circuit between a temperature setting mode and a dimming rate adjusting mode, and the electronic control circuit includes the mode changing switch. The vehicle panel lighting control according to claim 2, wherein when the dimming rate adjustment mode is selected by the changeover switch, the dimming rate of the various light emitting sources is controlled according to an input from the temperature setting switch. apparatus. 4. The various light emitting sources are a lamp, a light emitting diode, and a fluorescent display tube.
The vehicle panel lighting control device according to any one of 3 above. 5. The input unit includes a dedicated switch for instructing the electronic control circuit to perform a dimming rate adjustment mode, and the electronic control circuit receives the instruction from the dedicated switch to set the temperature setting switch. The vehicle panel lighting control device according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the extinction ratios of the various light emitting sources are controlled according to an input from the. 6. The input unit includes a rheostat circuit and a frequency / voltage conversion circuit for converting a pulse output of the rheostat circuit into a DC voltage, and the electronic control circuit inputs from the frequency / voltage conversion circuit. The vehicle panel lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein the extinction ratios of the various light emitting sources are controlled according to a voltage level.