JPS6185235A - Auto-light control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the rate of using apparatus while reducing failures in an auto-light control apparatus of a vehicle by giving light around the vehicle to a light receiving element through a transparent portion of a sensitivity adjusting knob. CONSTITUTION:The external light is given to a light receiving element 4 through a transparent plate of a sensitivity adjusting knob 2 and the corresponding resistant value is converted to the voltage signal by a current/voltage converter 10 and respectively compared with reference value levels Vref1; Vref2 by comparators 12, 13 to operate relays 15, 16 through transistors 14, 16 and turn on and off a light automatically. And if a variable resistor 5 is adjusted at will by the sensitivity adjusting knob 2 the sensitivity of the current/voltage converter 10 can be adjusted and light control can be automated at any sensitivity. In this case, since a sensor portion and a controller section are formed integrally, the connection portions and failures are reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an automatic light control device that automatically flashes vehicle lights.

(Prior art and its problems) In recent years, vehicles have come to be equipped with auto light control devices that automatically turn on or off vehicle lights in response to the surrounding brightness.Such auto lights The control device has a sensor section installed on the dash board of the vehicle, etc., and a controller installed inside the vehicle, which are separated.The controller section is equipped with a variable resistor etc. for sensitivity adjustment, but the adjustment of this resistance value is This is often done when the vehicle is assembled, and even when the sensitivity is adjusted after delivery, the controller is installed inside the vehicle, so once the sensitivity is adjusted to a predetermined value, the sensitivity of the controller cannot be adjusted thereafter. Therefore, there was a problem that the driver was unable to make appropriate adjustments according to his/her preference, making it difficult to use, and the auto light control device was sometimes not fully utilized.Also, the sensor section and the control section were separated. Therefore, it is necessary to connect these using connectors or the like, which poses problems in that it is time-consuming to manufacture and may cause malfunctions.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional auto light control device, and it integrates a controller and a sensor mounted on the dash board of the vehicle, and also enables the light to blink according to the driver's preference. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic light control device that can appropriately adjust the sensitivity of the light.

[Structure and effects of the invention]

The present invention is an auto light control device that automatically flashes the lights of a vehicle, and includes a case placed in a position where it can receive light from outside the vehicle, a case that is rotatably held in the case, and a transparent a light-receiving element that receives light applied from the outside through the transparent part of the sensitivity adjustment knob, and a light-receiving element that is connected to the rotating shaft of the sensitivity adjustment knob and held inside the case, and that adjusts the light-receiving sensitivity of the light-receiving element. The light source is characterized in that it includes a variable resistor that adjusts the output of the light receiving element, and a comparison circuit that discriminates the output of the light receiving element at a predetermined level, and controls the light source based on the comparison output of the comparison path.

According to the present invention having such characteristics, light around the vehicle is applied to the light receiving element through the transparent portion of the sensitivity adjustment knob, and the headlamps and small lamps automatically blink in response. The sensitivity can be easily adjusted according to the driver's preference by rotating the sensitivity adjustment knob. Therefore, the automatic light control device can be made easy to use, and the usage rate of this device can be increased. Also, since the sensor part and controller part are integrally formed, there are fewer connecting parts.
It also becomes possible to reduce failures.

[Explanation of Examples]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the auto-ride I-control device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a top view thereof;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view. In these figures, the autolight control device of the present invention has a disk-shaped sensitivity adjustment knob 2 on the top surface of a case 1. Sensitivity adjustment knob 2
The disk portion is made of a transparent plate and is rotatably held along the central axis of the case l. Inside the case 1, as shown in the figure, a printed circuit board 3 for holding various parts of a sensor and a control section is provided. A light receiving element 4 is provided at the top of the printed circuit board 3 so as to face the transparent portion of the sensitivity adjustment knob 2. The light receiving element 4 receives external light, and for example, a photodiode is used. A variable resistor 5 is provided on the rotation axis of the sensitivity adjustment knob 2 via an L-shaped Rondo and rotates in accordance with the rotation thereof. Both the light receiving element 4 and the variable resistor 5 are held on the printed circuit board 3, and other circuit elements are also formed on the printed circuit board 3 to form an autolight control device. A connector 6 is provided on the lower surface of the case 1, and is connected to a relay (not shown) that blinks the headlights and small lights of the vehicle. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the top of the case 1, bright and dark characters are written to adjust the sensitivity of the switch that blinks the vehicle's lights according to the direction of rotation of the sensitivity adjustment knob 2. There is.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of this automatic light control device. In this figure, the output of the light-receiving element 4 is applied to a current-voltage converter 10 and amplified to a predetermined voltage level. At this time, the feedback resistance of the current-voltage converter 10 is a variable resistor 5 whose resistance value is changed by the sensitivity adjustment knob 2 described above. The output of the current-voltage converter 10 is given to a comparator 12 via an amplification base 11 and also directly to a comparator 13.

The comparator 12 controls the flashing level of the headlights of the vehicle, and has one input terminal connected to a reference value level Vre.
It outputs an output when H is given and an input higher than that level is applied. A transistor 14 is connected to the output terminal of the comparator 12, and a relay 15 for driving a headlamp is connected to the collector side of the transistor 14 via a connector 6. Further, the comparator 13 is a comparator for lighting the small lamp of the vehicle, and like the comparator 12, the reference value level Vref2 is applied to one input terminal.

The output of comparator 13 is applied to transistor 16. The transistor 16 lights the small lamp by driving a relay 17 connected to its collector terminal based on the input from the comparator 13. The emitters of transistors 14 and 16 are commonly connected to an autoswitch 18 which operates an autolight control device.
It is connected to the.

The auto light control device of the present invention having such a configuration is installed on the dash board 1 of a vehicle as shown in FIG.
9 and install it. By doing so, external light is applied to the light-receiving element through the transparent plate of the sensitivity adjustment knob by ambient light applied through the window glass of the vehicle, and the resistance value is adjusted accordingly. The current-voltage converter 10 converts this resistance value into a voltage signal and amplifies it, thereby converting it into a comparator 12.13.
make it work. By rotating the current-voltage converter 10 (D@Horsedressing resistance sensitivity adjustment knob 2) as appropriate according to the driver's preference, the sensitivity can be easily adjusted while driving, and the light control can be adjusted to any desired position. It becomes possible to automate with sensitivity.

FIG. 6 shows the second part of the automatic light control device of the present invention.
FIG. In this embodiment as well, a sensitivity adjustment knob 22 is held on the top surface of the case 21 so as to be rotatable along the central axis, and a variable resistor 25 for sensitivity adjustment is mounted on the axis. The surface plate of the sensitivity adjustment knob 220 is made of a transparent member as in the above-described embodiment, and a light receiving element 24 that receives external light through the transparent portion is arranged on the printed circuit board 23. Further, on the printed circuit board 23, each circuit element of the control section shown in FIG. 4 described above is arranged. And its output is connector 2
6 to the outside.

The circuit configuration of this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG.

Now, in this auto light control device, since the printed circuit board 23 is arranged parallel to the sensitivity adjustment knob 22, the entire device can be constructed flat and can be easily mounted on the dash board of a vehicle. In addition, by increasing the sensitivity adjustment knob, it becomes possible to easily adjust the sensitivity.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an autolight control device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a top view thereof, Fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof, and Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of this embodiment. , 5th FI! J is a perspective view showing the auto light control device of this embodiment mounted on the dash board of a vehicle, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the auto light control device of the present invention.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) a case placed in a position where it can receive light from outside the vehicle; a sensitivity adjustment knob that is rotatably held in the case and has a transparent part at the top of the case; and a transparent part of the sensitivity adjustment knob. a variable resistor connected to the rotating shaft of the sensitivity adjustment knob and held inside the case and adjusting the light receiving sensitivity of the light receiving element; and a variable resistor that adjusts the light receiving sensitivity of the light receiving element. an automatic light control device, comprising: a comparison circuit for discriminating the output of the above at a predetermined level, and controlling a light source based on the comparison output of the comparison circuit. (2) The auto light control device according to claim 1, wherein the case is placed on a dashboard of a vehicle.