JPH0840139A - Vehicle light control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To contribute to the safe driving by properly switching on and off a headlamp of a vehicle. CONSTITUTION:This vehicle light control device to carry out switching control of a light of a vehicle is a vehicle light control device having a rainfall detection means 2 to detect rainfall and a headlamp switching on means to switch on a headlamp 8 only at the time when rainfall is detected by the detection means 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle light control device for controlling lights of a vehicle, and more particularly to a vehicle light control device for controlling turning on / off of a headlight according to a rainfall condition.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Lighting of a vehicle headlight is legally required by certain countries and regions to light under certain conditions. Even if it is not mandatory, it is desirable to turn on the headlights and the like from the viewpoint of safety of vehicle operation under certain circumstances.

However, there is a difference in the judgment of the driver's situation, and the driver's own view of the vehicle by a pedestrian or the driver of another vehicle is not directly known to the driver, so that the driver can manually operate the vehicle. When the lighting operation is performed with, the appropriate lighting operation may not be performed.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve such a problem, and enhances operability by automatically controlling lighting and extinguishment of a vehicle headlight or the like according to the situation. At the same time, the purpose is to further increase safety.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention achieves the above-mentioned object, and in a vehicle light control device for controlling lighting of a vehicle light, rainfall detecting means for detecting rainfall, and the detecting means. It is characterized by having a headlamp lighting means for lighting only the headlamp when rain is detected by.

Further, raindrop detection means for detecting raindrops, wiper control means for controlling wiper operation in accordance with a raindrop detection signal from the raindrop detection means, and automatic control for controlling operation / non-operation of the wiper control means. A wiper switch, a headlight lighting means that lights only a headlight when raindrops are detected by the raindrop detection means, a vehicle sidelight detection means that detects a lighting state of a sidelight, and an auto wiper switch. It is characterized in that it has a lighting holding means for holding the lighting state of the headlight even when raindrops are no longer detected by the raindrop detection means when the sidelight is in the operating state. .

In a vehicle light control device for controlling lighting of a vehicle light, a notification means for notifying that a headlight is turned off when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and a headlight after the notification by the notification means A headlight control means for turning off the light is provided. In a vehicle light control device for controlling lighting of a vehicle light, a headlight extinguishing means for extinguishing a headlight when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and a vehicle being stopped regardless of control of the headlight extinguishing means Until then, a lighting holding means for holding the lighting state of the headlight is provided.

A raindrop detecting means for detecting raindrops, an automatic wiper device for controlling the wiper according to the output of the raindrop detecting means, and a brightness detecting means for detecting the brightness of the surroundings,
In a vehicle having an auto light device that controls a light according to the output of the brightness detection means, the auto wiper device transmits a turn-off prohibition signal to the auto light device when raindrops are detected by the raindrop detection means, and the autolight device The device is characterized in that it does not perform control of changing the light from the light-on state to the light-off state when the light-off prohibition signal is received.

[0009]

According to the present invention by the above means, when the rainfall detecting means detects rainfall, the headlamp lighting means turns on only the headlamp (the headlamp lighting means means other lights, For example, it does not affect the side lights, and according to the second aspect of the invention, the wiper control means for controlling the wiper in response to the raindrop detection signal from the raindrop detection means is in the operating state and the side lights are in the lighting state. At the time of, even if raindrops are no longer detected by the raindrop detection means, the lighting state of the headlight is maintained.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the notifying means notifies that the headlight is turned off when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and after the notification, the headlight control means turns off the headlight. or,
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the lighting holding means holds the lighting state of the headlight until the vehicle stops regardless of the control of the headlight extinguishing means. According to the fifth invention, the auto wiper device transmits a turn-off prohibition signal to the auto light device when it rains,
When the auto-light device receives the turn-off prohibition signal, it keeps the lighting state of the headlight (does not switch from turning on to turning off).

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention, which is a vehicle light control device for controlling a headlight of a vehicle according to conditions such as a wiper selection switch, a raindrop sensor, and a sidelight.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a wiper selection switch, which switches the operation of the wiper between on and off, and when it is on, intermittent operation, low speed operation, high speed operation, and automatically adjusts the operation speed and operation interval according to the rainfall amount. This is a switch for selecting an automatic operation (auto wiper operation) for automatic control. 2 is a raindrop sensor that measures the amount of rainfall, such as an optical raindrop sensor that detects when raindrops block the optical path, a pressure raindrop sensor that detects the impact of raindrops with a piezoelectric element, and a resistance value due to raindrops. There is a sensor or the like that detects a change in capacity.

A vehicle speedometer 3 detects the speed of the vehicle from the rotational speed of the wheels. A microcomputer 4 processes input signals from the wiper selection switch 1, the raindrop sensor 2 and the vehicle speed meter 3, controls the operation of the wiper motor 6 via the motor drive circuit 5, and also transmits the front light via the light drive circuit 7. The lamp 8 is turned on and off. Reference numeral 5 denotes a motor drive circuit for the wiper motor, which is composed of a transistor, a relay, or the like having a sufficiently large rating for driving the wiper motor 6, and supplies drive power to the wiper motor 6 in response to an instruction signal from the microcomputer 4.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a light driving circuit for driving the headlamp 8 and the like, to which a battery + B is connected as a power source, and controls the lighting of the headlamp 8 by an instruction signal from the microcomputer 4.
Like the motor drive circuit 5, the light drive circuit 7 is also composed of a transistor, a relay, or the like having a large enough rating to drive the headlight 8, and the headlight according to an instruction signal from the microcomputer 4. Supply power to 8.

A power supply terminal 9 is connected to the positive terminal of the battery and supplies power to the headlight 8 and other lights. A light changeover switch 10 is used to manually turn on and off each light of the vehicle. The light changeover switch 10 turns on the side lights and the like in the first stage, and turns on the headlights in the second stage. At this time (second stage), the side lights and the like are also turned on at the same time.

Reference numeral 14 is an informing means for informing that the headlight 8 is turned off, and an informing means by a sound such as a buzzer or an informing means by a display such as a lamp is used. Next, the processing performed by the microcomputer 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The microcomputer 4 starts this process by turning on the power supply (ignition key) of the vehicle.

In step S1, it is determined whether or not the automatic wiper operation is performed. If it is not the automatic wiper operation, step S1
2, the operation proceeds to the automatic wiper processing (FIG. 3) if the operation is the automatic wiper operation. This judgment is made by the wiper selection switch 1.
Judgment is based on whether or not it is in the auto wiper operating position. Step S2
Then, it is determined whether or not the wiper selection switch 1 is in the ON side (operating state), and if it is not in the ON state (OFF state), the process proceeds to step S3, the wiper is stopped, and the process proceeds to step S4.

If the wiper selection switch 1 is on, the process proceeds to step S6, the wiper is operated according to the operation selected by the wiper selection switch 1 (controls the motor drive circuit 5), and in step S7, the headlight is illuminated. The lamp 8 is turned on and the process returns to step S1. In step S4, the side light 1
The lighting state of No. 3 is detected, and if it is on, step S7
Then, the headlight 8 is turned on and the process returns to step S1. When the side lamp 13 is off, the process proceeds to step S5. still,
The lighting state of the side lights 13 can be detected by the state of the changeover switch 10 or the voltage applied to the side lights 13.

In step S5, it is determined whether the speed of the vehicle is 0, that is, whether the vehicle is stopped or running, and if the speed of the vehicle is 0, the notification means 14 notifies the headlight 8 is turned off in step S8. After turning off the headlight in step S9, the process returns to step S1. If the vehicle speed is not 0,
The headlight 8 is turned on in step S7, and the process returns to step S1.

Even if the lighting process of step S7 is performed while the headlight 8 is on, the lighting state of the headlight does not change (it remains lit). Further, lighting and extinguishing control of the headlight 8 are performed by transmitting a control signal to the light driving circuit 7 and controlling the same. Next, the auto wiper process performed when it is determined to be the auto wiper in step S1 will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S11, it is determined from the signal from the raindrop sensor 2 whether or not it is raining. If it is raining, the process proceeds to step S12, the wiper operation is performed according to the amount of rainfall, and the process proceeds to step S13. If not, step S
The process of 11 is repeated. In step S13, the headlight 8 is turned on and the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, if the rainfall situation is detected again and the rainfall continues, the operation state of the wiper and the lighting state of the headlight 8 are not switched, and the operation control of the wiper according to the rainfall amount is continued and The lighting 8 also keeps lighting. However, if it is determined that it is not raining, the process proceeds to step S15, the wiper is stopped, and the process proceeds to step S16.

In step S16, it is determined whether or not the side lights of the vehicle are lit. If the side lights of the vehicle are off, the process proceeds to step S17. If the side lights of the vehicle is lit, the process proceeds to step S20. In step S17, it is determined whether the speed of the vehicle is 0 (stop). When the speed is 0, the notification means 14 notifies that the headlamp 8 is turned off in step S18. The headlamp 8 is turned off in step S19 and the process returns to step S11.

If it is determined in step S16 that the side light 13 is on, the process proceeds to step S20 to determine again whether or not there is rainfall. If rainfall is detected, the process returns to step S12, and if no rainfall is detected. It returns to step S16. Next, the auto wiper off process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed as an interrupt process when the wiper selection switch 1 is manually turned off during the above-described auto wiper process.

In step S21, it is determined whether the vehicle speed is 0 (stopped). If the vehicle speed is 0, the process proceeds to step S22. If the vehicle speed is not 0, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S22, the notification means 14 notifies that the headlight is turned off, and then in step S23, the headlight 8 is turned on.
Is turned off and the process returns to step S1 in FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle speed is 0 in step S21, the process proceeds to step S24, and if it is not determined whether the wiper selection switch 1 is operated, the process returns to step S21, and if the wiper selection switch 1 is operated, Return to step S1 of 2.

In this way, when the rain condition is judged and the rain is detected, the wiper circuit is operated and the headlight 8 is turned on. When the rain is not detected thereafter, the ambient light 13 lights up to determine the surroundings. If it is dark, the headlight 8 is kept on. Further, when the surroundings are bright, the headlight 8 continues to be turned on until the vehicle speed becomes 0, and when it is detected that the vehicle speed becomes 0, the notification means 14 notifies that the headlight 8 will be turned off. The headlight 8 is turned off.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the lighting (extinguishing) of the headlight 8 is appropriately controlled according to the rainfall condition and the ambient brightness condition, so that the operability is improved and the safety is improved. The property is also improved. Further, since the notification means 14 notifies the headlight 8 before the headlight 8 is turned off, the headlight 8 is not turned off unexpectedly, and the safety is further improved. Further, since the headlight 8 is turned off only while the vehicle is stopped, even if the headlight 8 is turned off due to an erroneous judgment of the rainfall condition or the brightness of the surroundings, the safety is not impaired.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. 101 is an auto wiper device, which is a raindrop sensor 102,
It is composed of an auto wiper microcomputer 103 and a wiper section 104, and automatically operates the wiper 104 in accordance with a rainfall state. The raindrop sensor 102 is a sensor that measures the amount of rainfall, and various sensors are used, but a representative one is an infrared sensor. This raindrop sensor that uses infrared rays consists of infrared light emitting elements and light receiving elements that are arranged at regular intervals, and when the raindrops block the space between them, the light that reaches the light receiving elements from the light emitting elements according to the number and size of raindrops. The amount of rainfall is detected by detecting the change in the intensity of.

Then, the automatic wiper microcomputer 103 processes a signal indicating the amount of rainfall from the raindrop sensor 102, outputs a signal to the wiper section 104 so that the wiper operates according to the state of rainfall, and the operation is performed. Control. 201
Is an automatic lighting control device that automatically controls the light of the headlight 204 or the like according to the ambient brightness.
It comprises a light control microcomputer 202 and a headlight 204.

The light amount sensor 203 is composed of a sensor that outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of light such as CdS, detects the ambient brightness, and outputs it to the lighting control microcomputer 202. Then, the lighting control microcomputer 202 turns on or off the headlights or the like according to the degree of surrounding brightness (output signal of the light amount sensor 203). Then, the auto wiper microcomputer 103
Outputs a light turn-off prohibition signal to the lighting control microcomputer 202 when rain is detected and the wiper unit 104 is operated. On the other hand, the lighting control microcomputer 202 keeps the lighting state so as not to turn off the headlight 204 even if the surroundings become bright as long as the light turning-off prohibition signal is input. Further, when the raindrop sensor 102 stops detecting raindrops, the auto wiper microcomputer 103 stops outputting the light turn-off prohibition signal to the lighting control microcomputer 202, and the lighting control microcomputer 202 outputs the headlight according to the ambient brightness. 204 is controlled.

The processing performed by the auto wiper microcomputer 103 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The auto wiper microcomputer 103 starts the processing by turning on the power supply (ignition key) of the vehicle. Step S201
Then, it is judged whether or not it is raining, and if it is raining, step S
If not rain, the process proceeds to step S204. The rainfall state is determined from the signal from the raindrop sensor 102. In step S202, the operation of the wiper according to the amount of rainfall is started, and the process proceeds to step S203. Then, in step S203, a headlamp turn-off prohibition signal is output to the lighting control microcomputer 202, and the process returns to step S201. If it is determined that it is not raining in step S201, step S201
At 204, the wiper is turned off, and the process proceeds to step S205. Then, in step S205, the transmission of the headlamp turn-off prohibition signal is stopped, and the process returns to step S201.

Next, the processing performed by the lighting control microcomputer 202 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the lighting control microcomputer 202 of the automatic lighting control device 201. This process is started by operating the light changeover switch (not shown) of the vehicle to the automatic control position.

In step S301, the brightness of the surroundings is judged. If the surroundings are below a predetermined brightness (dark), the process proceeds to step S303, and if the surroundings is above the predetermined brightness (bright), the process proceeds to step S302. . In step S302, the auto wiper microcomputer 103 of the auto wiper device 101
It is determined whether or not the light extinction prohibition signal has been input from the above. If the light extinction prohibition signal has been input, the process proceeds to step S303. In step S303, the headlight 204
Is lit (if it is being lit, the lit state is maintained), and the process returns to step S301.

If it is determined in step S302 that the headlight turn-off prohibition signal is not input, step S302 is performed.
Moving to 304, it is determined whether the vehicle speed is 0 (during stop).
If the vehicle speed is 0, the process proceeds to step S305, the headlight 8 is turned off, and the process returns to step S301. If the vehicle speed is not 0, the process returns to step S301. As described above, in the present embodiment, the rain condition is detected, and if it is rain, the wiper operates according to the condition. If the rain is no longer detected, the wiper is stopped and the surroundings are dark. In this case, the headlight 204 keeps lighting. Further, when the vehicle speed is bright, the headlight is turned on until the vehicle speed becomes 0, and when the vehicle speed becomes 0, the headlight 204 is turned off.

Further, in this embodiment, the auto wiper microcomputer 1
A turn-off prohibition signal is output from 03, and the lighting control microcomputer 20
Since the headlight is turned on when the turn-off prohibition signal is input, the automatic wiper device 101 and the automatic lighting control device 201 are configured as separate systems, but some modification work or simple operation is required. It can be realized by wiring connection work.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is appropriate that the headlight is automatically turned on and off in accordance with changes in operating conditions such as changes in rainfall, weather, and poor driving visibility. Therefore, operability and safety are improved, and safe driving is effective.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the microcomputer 4.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an auto wiper process performed by the microcomputer 4.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an auto wiper off process.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing performed by the microcomputer 103.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing performed by the microcomputer 202.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ・ ・ Wiper selection switch 2 ・ ・ Raindrop sensor 3 ・ ・ Vehicle speed meter 4 ・ ・ Microcomputer 5 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Drive circuit

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location G01W 1/14 J

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle light control device for controlling lighting of a vehicle light, and rainfall detecting means for detecting rainfall, and headlights for illuminating only a headlight when the detecting means detects rainfall. A vehicle light control device having a lamp lighting means. 2. A vehicle light control device for controlling lighting of a vehicle light, a raindrop detecting means for detecting raindrops, and a wiper control for controlling a wiper operation according to a raindrop detecting signal from the raindrop detecting means. Means, an auto wiper switch for controlling the operation and non-operation of the wiper control means, a headlight lighting means for lighting only a headlight when raindrops are detected by the raindrop detection means, and a sidelight When the sidelight detecting means for detecting the lighting state and the sidelight of the autowiper switch are in the operating side and the sidelight is in the lighting state, the lighting state of the headlight is maintained even if raindrops are not detected by the raindrop detecting means. A vehicle light control device having a lighting holding means for holding. 3. A vehicle light control device for controlling lighting of a vehicle light, and an informing means for informing that a headlight is turned off when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and a headlight after informing by the informing means. A vehicle light control device comprising: a headlight control means for turning off a light. 4. A vehicle light control device for controlling lighting of a vehicle light, which is concerned with control of a headlight extinguishing means for extinguishing a headlight when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and the headlight extinguishing means. A vehicle light control device, further comprising: a lighting holding unit that holds a lighting state of a headlight until the vehicle stops. 5. A raindrop detecting means for detecting raindrops, an automatic wiper device for controlling a wiper according to an output of the raindrop detecting means, and a lightness detecting means for detecting lightness of the surroundings, the lightness detecting means. In a vehicle having an automatic light device that controls a light according to the output of the automatic wiper device, the automatic wiper device transmits a turn-off prohibition signal to the automatic light device when raindrops are detected by the raindrop detection means, and the automatic light device turns off the light. A vehicle light control device characterized in that, when a prohibition signal is received, control for changing the light from a lighted state to a lighted state is not performed.