JP2008195335A - Lamp lighting control system and lamp lighting control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure safety when an automobile enters an intersection and to prevent dazzling to other vehicles. <P>SOLUTION: A lighting control part CONT to control a lighting state of left and right auxiliary lamps LCL, RCL to light up the left and right of a vehicle CAR carries out a first control to simultaneously light the left and right auxiliary lamps or to increase quantity of light of them and turns off lights of at least one of the auxiliary lamps or lowers the quantity of light in accordance with a signal having recognized a vehicle travelling state thereafter. This lighting control part CONT makes it easy to confirm the other vehicles by lighting up the left and right both sides when the vehicle enters the intersection and prevents the dazzling to the other vehicles by turning off lights of at least one of the auxiliary lamps or lowering the quantity of light when the vehicle changes its advancing direction in the intersection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lighting control system and a control method that improve safety by controlling an auxiliary lamp in a vehicle including an auxiliary lamp that illuminates the side of the vehicle.

In order to check the safety of the side of the car, it is equipped with a left side auxiliary lamp and a right side auxiliary lamp to illuminate the left and right areas of the car, and one of the auxiliary lamps is selectively selected according to the steering direction of the car There has been proposed a technique that is lit to make it easier to check the steering direction and to improve driving safety. For example, when a vehicle approaches a branch road such as an intersection, a technique for facilitating the confirmation of pedestrians and other vehicles on the branch road is disclosed in Patent Document 1 in the direction of straight ahead of the car. A light source and a light source directed laterally with respect to the straight traveling direction, and changing the ratio of the amount of light emitted by the light source according to the steering angle of the vehicle when the vehicle changes its course on a branch road or the like A vehicular lamp has been proposed. According to the technique of Patent Document 1, the amount of light that illuminates the side of the vehicle increases according to the steering angle, and it becomes easy to check pedestrians and other vehicles on the side of the vehicle in the steering direction, and safety. It is effective in increasing Further, in Patent Document 2, when it is determined that there is a branch road (intersection) at the travel destination of the automobile based on information from the travel environment detection unit mounted on the automobile, the vehicle becomes closer to the branch road. There has been proposed a vehicular lamp that gradually increases the amount of light emitted from the left and right fog lamps. With the technique of this patent document 2, it is possible to easily check pedestrians and other vehicles on the road before the branch road in the region immediately before the branch road, and to improve safety.
JP 2005-231429 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-175478

  The techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2 are effective in making it easier to confirm the side of the vehicle by turning on an auxiliary lamp at an intersection, but each has the following problems. In Patent Document 1, the light amount of the illumination on the steering side, which is the traveling direction of the host vehicle, is easy to check, but the amount of light on the opposite side does not increase. It becomes difficult to confirm the car. In addition, since the steering is not performed in the state before changing the traveling direction at the intersection, the auxiliary lamp is not turned on, and there is a possibility that the traveling direction cannot be sufficiently illuminated. In patent document 2, since the light quantity of the left and right side illumination of the own vehicle increases immediately before the branch road, it is effective in checking the left and right pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. When entering and changing the direction of travel, the light on the right auxiliary lamp may be directed to pedestrians, oncoming vehicles, and other vehicles that run in parallel, which may dazzle these pedestrians and other vehicles. is there. For example, if the right auxiliary lamp is lit when turning left at an intersection, an oncoming vehicle traveling straight through the intersection will be dazzled. In addition, when turning right at the intersection, there is a risk that the vehicle on the left side of the vehicle will be dazzled by the light of the auxiliary lamp on the left side of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped in order to pass the oncoming vehicle in the intersection. .

  An object of the present invention is to provide a lamp lighting control system and a lighting control method that make it easy to check pedestrians and other vehicles, especially on a branch road such as an intersection, while preventing pedestrians and other vehicles from being unnecessarily dazzled. To do.

  The present invention is a lamp lighting control system including a right auxiliary lamp that illuminates the right side of a vehicle, a left auxiliary lamp that illuminates the left side of the vehicle, and a lighting control unit that controls the lighting state of each auxiliary lamp. The control unit turns on the left and right auxiliary lamps when the vehicle enters the intersection, or increases the light quantity of both auxiliary lamps, and then the signal that recognizes the vehicle running state. At least one of the auxiliary lamps is turned off, or second control for reducing the light amount of the auxiliary lamp is performed.

  The lamp lighting control method of the present invention is a lamp lighting control system in which the lighting control unit controls the lighting state of the right auxiliary lamp that illuminates the right side of the vehicle and the left auxiliary lamp that illuminates the left side. The left and right auxiliary lamps are turned on or the amount of light of both auxiliary lamps is increased, and then at least one of the auxiliary lamps is turned off or the amount of light of the auxiliary lamps is reduced according to the running state of the vehicle. It is characterized by.

  According to the lamp lighting control system and the lamp lighting control method of the present invention, when a vehicle enters an intersection, the left and right sides of the own vehicle are illuminated so that it is easy to check pedestrians and other vehicles at the intersection. improves. In particular, when a vehicle enters an intersection and changes its direction of travel to either the left or right direction, it is easy to check the direction of travel by using the auxiliary lamp on the direction of travel side. The dazzling to the pedestrian and the other vehicle on the opposite side to the traveling direction by the auxiliary lamp is prevented, or the dazzling to the pedestrian and the other vehicle on the traveling direction side by the auxiliary lamp on the traveling direction side is prevented.

  In the lamp lighting control system of the present invention, the first control of the lighting control unit is when it is determined that the speed of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. The second control of the lighting control unit turns off the auxiliary lamp on the side opposite to the steering direction or reduces the amount of light when the steering angle of the vehicle changes by a predetermined angle or more. When the vehicle turns right or left at the intersection, it prevents dazzling of pedestrians and other vehicles due to the light of the auxiliary lamp on the side opposite to the traveling direction. In this case, the second control of the lighting control unit turns off the auxiliary lamp on the side steered when the steering direction of the vehicle is switched to the direction opposite to the steering direction, or reduces the amount of light. When the change of the traveling direction of the vehicle is completed, the dazzling of pedestrians and other vehicles due to the light of the auxiliary lamp on the steering side, which has become less necessary, is prevented, and it contributes to energy saving.

  Further, the second control of the lighting control unit is an auxiliary lamp on the side opposite to the steering direction when a signal indicating the stop state of the vehicle is input and it is confirmed that another vehicle exists on the side opposite to the steering direction. Is turned off or the amount of light is reduced. When making a right or left turn at an intersection, dazzling to other vehicles on the opposite side is prevented, and the safety of other vehicles is improved.

  Next, the lamp lighting control system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual configuration diagram of an automobile according to a first embodiment equipped with the system of the present invention. A left head lamp LHL and a right head lamp RHL are provided on the left and right of the front part of the car CAR, and each illuminates the straight traveling direction of the vehicle as schematically shown in the drawing. Also, a left intersection lamp LCL is provided as a left auxiliary lamp on the left side of the left head lamp, and a right intersection lamp RCL is provided on the right side of the right head lamp as a right auxiliary lamp. Illuminate the left and right areas of the vehicle so as to schematically show the illumination range. The left and right headlamps LHL and RHL and the intersection lamps LCL and RCL are connected to a lighting control unit CONT, and the lighting state is controlled by the lighting control unit CONT. In particular, the left and right intersection lamps LCL and RCL The lighting controller CONT controls lighting / extinguishing, or changes the amount of light when it is lit. A vehicle speed sensor VS, a steering angle sensor SS, a turn signal sensor TS, and an environment sensor ES are connected to the lighting control unit CONT. Outputs detected by the sensors are input to the lighting control unit CONT. On and off control of the left and right intersection lamps LCL and RCL, or light quantity control is performed based on these sensor outputs.

  Here, the vehicle speed sensor VS is a sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, and the steering angle sensor SS is a sensor that detects the steering direction steering angle when the steering wheel of the host vehicle is steered. In addition, the turn signal sensor TS detects whether the turn signal signal is turned on or off by operating a turn indicator (blinker) that does not appear in the figure that is operated at the time of steering, and whether it is operated to the left or right Sensor. Furthermore, the environmental sensor ES is configured by other vehicle proximity sensors provided on the left and right sides of the car CAR here, and can detect other cars that are adjacent to the left and right of the car CAR.

  Since the left and right headlamps LHL and RHL are equipped with existing lamps as they are, description thereof is omitted here. The left and right intersection lamps LCL and RCL are symmetrical in structure, but the basic structure is the same. FIG. 2A shows a vertical sectional view of the left intersection lamp LCL. This left intersection lamp LCL is mounted on the car CAR with the lamp optical axis Ax directed leftward by a required angle with respect to the straight traveling direction of the car and in the vertical direction slightly below the horizontal line. And a lamp housing 11 whose inner surface is configured as a reflector 12. A lens 13 is attached to the front opening of the lamp housing 11, and a white LED (light emitting diode) 14 as a light source is supported in the lamp housing. The reason why the LED 14 is used as the light source is that the lighting control unit CONT has high responsiveness when controlling the lighting / extinguishing of the intersection lamps LCL, RCL and the light quantity change.

  Here, in the lens 13, an upper region and a lower region are respectively configured as an upper threading portion 13U and a lower threading portion 13D, and a region sandwiched between these upper and lower threading portions is configured as a light collecting portion 13C. It is a feature. That is, of the light emitted from the white LED 14, the light emitted directly forward and the light reflected by a part of the reflector 12 are incident on the condensing unit 13 </ b> C, and are refracted by the condensing unit 13 </ b> C to be refracted by the lamp optical axis Ax. Is projected downward. Further, the light reflected by the other part of the reflector 12 passes through the upper element passage part 13U and the lower element passage part 12D almost as it is and is projected somewhat upward from the lamp optical axis Ax. Thus, when the left intersection lamp LCL is lit, the light distribution illuminates the left region in the straight traveling direction Ox, as shown in FIG. 2B, the light distribution characteristic directed in the straight traveling direction Ox of the automobile. In particular, the light that has passed through the condensing part 13C of the lens 13 illuminates the region below the horizontal line H with a larger amount of light, and the light that has passed through the upper and lower through-holes 13U and 13D passes through the region above the horizontal line H. Light distribution with low light intensity. The right intersection lamp RCL illuminates the area to the right of the vertical line V in FIG. 2B, but the light distribution above and below the horizontal line H is the same as the left intersection lamp LCL. Is omitted. In addition, as a lamp provided with a lens having such a condensing part and an upper and lower through part, the lamp described in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-352839 previously filed by the present applicant can be used. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lighting control unit CONT includes a traveling state determination unit SJ and a lamp driving unit LD. The traveling state determination unit SJ determines the traveling state of the host vehicle CAR based on sensor outputs input from the sensors VS, SS, TS, and ES, and outputs different traveling state determination signals based on the determination. The first embodiment is configured to determine the following traveling states (a) to (d) and output a determination signal.

(A: State just before the intersection)
When the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor VS falls below a predetermined speed, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling immediately before the intersection that is about to enter the intersection. In the first embodiment, the predetermined speed is set to 15 km / h, and it is determined that the vehicle is in a state immediately before entering the intersection when the vehicle speed drops below the vehicle speed. At this time, if it is determined that the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor SS is within a predetermined angle range as necessary, the vehicle is about to stop by the road (the steering angle is out of the predetermined angle range). ) And the reliability of determining that the state is immediately before the intersection can be further increased.

(B: When turning right or left)
When the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor VS in the determination of (a) falls below a predetermined speed and the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor SS is above a predetermined angle, the vehicle enters the intersection and turns right or left Is determined to have started. In the first embodiment, the predetermined steering angle is set to 30 °, and it is determined that the vehicle is in a right turn or a left turn when the steering angle is steered beyond this angle. At this time, the turn signal sensor TS may make a determination by using an ON signal of the turn signal lamp together. That is, when the signal is input, it is possible to increase the reliability of determining that the vehicle is in a right / left turn state by determining that the vehicle is in a right / left turn state.

(C: Right / left turn completed)
When the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor VS in the determination in (a) is lower than a predetermined speed, and subsequently in the determination in (b), the steering angle becomes a predetermined angle or more, and then the steering angle is reversed in the opposite direction. It is determined that the car CAR has completed a right / left turn. When the turn signal lamp ON signal is input at the time of the determination of (b), it may be determined that the right / left turn is completed when the turn signal lamp ON signal is subsequently switched to the OFF signal. In the first embodiment, in order to determine the reversal of steering, the turn signal lamp OFF signal is used to determine the completion of the right / left turn.

(D: Stop at the intersection)
After the determination (a), when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor VS is approximately 0, it is determined that the car CAR is in a stopped state waiting for a signal or waiting for a right or left turn. At this time, when a turn signal lamp left or right on signal is input, it is waiting for a signal or a right or left turn, and when a turn signal lamp off signal is input, it is waiting for a straight signal. judge. Then, when the stop state of the car CAR is determined, it is immediately determined by the output of the environmental sensor ES whether there are other cars on either the left or right side of the car CAR.

  The lamp driving unit LD controls lighting and extinguishing of the left and right intersection lamps LCL and RCL based on the traveling state determination signal output from the traveling state determination unit SJ. Alternatively, when the driver has already turned on the left and right intersection lamps LCL, RCL by manual operation, the light quantity of the illuminated intersection lamps LCL, RCL is controlled. This light amount control can be performed by changing the light amount instantaneously so as to be a preset light amount, or can be increased or decreased stepwise or continuously with time. It is. In particular, since the intersection lamps LCL and RCL of the first embodiment use LEDs as light sources, the lighting / extinguishing and light quantity control are controlled instantaneously or with high responsiveness by controlling the current supplied to the LEDs. Is valid.

  With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 and the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 4 to 7, a description will be given of an appropriate lighting control method for different driving states when the automobile travels an intersection by the lamp lighting control system having the above configuration.

(A: State just before the intersection)
In FIG. 3, the traveling state determination unit SJ determines whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed (15 km / h) from the vehicle speed signal (S101). , RCL remain off or remain low in light quantity (S102). When the traveling state determination unit SJ confirms that the speed is less than or equal to the predetermined speed and determines that it is in the traveling state of (a), an intersection approach signal is output, and the lamp driving unit LD receives the intersection approach signal. The left and right intersection lamps LCL and RCL are turned on simultaneously, or if already turned on, the light quantity is increased to a predetermined quantity (S103). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the car CAR that has entered the intersection illuminates the left and right areas of the own vehicle, or increases the brightness of the illumination. This makes it easy to check other vehicles that are traveling on the left side of the host vehicle, other vehicles that are parked and stopped, and oncoming vehicles that are traveling on the right side of the host vehicle, thereby enabling safe traveling at the intersection.

(B: Turn right or left)
In FIG. 3, after the travel state determination unit SJ determines the travel state (a) in step S101 and performs the lighting control in step S103 (the state immediately before the intersection), is the steering angle equal to or greater than a predetermined 30 °? It is determined whether or not (S104), and after confirming that the angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle and determining the traveling state of (b), a right / left turn start signal is output. In response to the right / left turn start signal, the lamp driving unit LD turns off the intersection lamp LCL or RCL on the opposite side to the side on which the host vehicle is steered, or reduces the amount of light (S105). For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the vehicle CAR is turning left, the right intersection lamp RCL is turned off or the amount of light is reduced as shown by the broken line in FIG. As a result, the left side where the own vehicle CAR travels is lit by the left intersection lamp LCL or illuminated with a high amount of light, making it easy to check pedestrians, bicycles and other vehicles in the traveling direction while ensuring safety. In this case, the right intersection lamp RCL in a state of being almost directed to the oncoming car CAR1 traveling straight at the intersection is turned off or the amount of light is reduced to prevent the oncoming car from being dazzled. Ensure car safety. When the vehicle CAR is turning right, as shown in FIG. 5B, the left intersection lamp LCL is turned off or the amount of light is reduced as indicated by the broken line in FIG. As a result, the right side where the own vehicle CAR travels is illuminated by the right intersection lamp RCL or illuminated with a high amount of light, making it easy to check pedestrians, bicycles and other vehicles in the traveling direction while ensuring safety. Thus, the oncoming car CAR1 is prevented from dazzling by turning off the left intersection lamp LCL which is almost directed to the oncoming car CAR1 traveling straight ahead and reducing the amount of light. Ensure the safety of CAR1.

(C: Right / left turn completed)
In FIG. 3, the travel state determination unit SJ determines the travel state of (a) in Step S101 and performs the lighting control of Step S103 (the state immediately before the intersection), and then travels of (b) of Step S104. After determining the state and performing the lighting control in step S105 (right / left turn state), when the traveling state of (c) is determined by the turn signal lamp OFF signal (S106), a right / left turn completion signal is output. In response to the right / left turn completion signal, the lamp driving unit LD turns off the intersection lamp LCL or RCL on which the host vehicle is being steered, or reduces the amount of light (S107). For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the left turn of the host vehicle CAR is completed, the steering angle is switched from the left direction to the right direction, and a turn signal off signal is output at the same time. In this case, the car CAR has already changed its course in the left direction, so it is no longer necessary to illuminate the left side of the car, and the left intersection lamp LCL is turned off or the amount of light is reduced. In addition, dazzling of pedestrians and the like existing on the left side of the own vehicle CAR is prevented and energy saving is achieved. At this time, it goes without saying that the right intersection lamp RCL is already extinguished or the amount of light has been reduced by step S105, and dazzling of the oncoming vehicle CAR1 that has been facing can be prevented. Although not shown, the same applies to a right turn.

(D: Stop at the intersection)
In FIG. 3, the traveling state determination unit SJ determines the traveling state of (a) in step S101 and performs the lighting control in step S103 (the state immediately before the intersection), and then the vehicle is almost straight in step S104. Is determined based on the detected vehicle speed (S108), and after determining the stop state, there are other vehicles on the left and right sides of the vehicle according to the output of the environmental sensor ES. It is determined whether or not (S109). If the travel state of (d) is confirmed in the determination of step S109, an intersection stop signal is output. In response to the intersection stop signal, the lamp driving unit LD turns off the intersection lamp LCL or RCL on the side where the other vehicle is present, or reduces the amount of light (S110). For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the car CAR is about to turn left or go straight and stops in the left lane before the intersection (or within the intersection), the steering angle is steered beyond a predetermined angle. Therefore, the left and right intersection lamps LCL and RCL are lit or in a high light amount by the control in step S103. At this time, when the other vehicle CAR2 stops on the right side of the own vehicle or is overtaking, the broken line in FIG. Thus, the right intersection lamp RCL is turned off or the amount of light is reduced. Thereby, the dazzling with respect to the other vehicle CAR2 which stops or runs on the right side is prevented. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the own car CAR is about to turn right and stops in the right lane before the intersection (or in the intersection), the other car CAR3 stops on the left side of the own car CAR, or When the vehicle is overtaking, the left intersection lamp LCL is turned off or the amount of light is reduced as indicated by the broken line in FIG. Thereby, the dazzling with respect to the other vehicle CAR3 which stops on the said left side or is drive | working is prevented. Further, when there are other vehicles on the left and right sides of the own vehicle at intersections of three or more lanes, the left and right intersection lamps are turned off simultaneously or the amount of light is reduced. As described above, when the host vehicle travels the intersection, dazzling with respect to the other vehicle running side by side with the host vehicle is prevented, and the safety of the host vehicle and the other vehicle is improved.

  Here, in the first embodiment, when the surroundings of the vehicle is in an environment where the illuminance is lower than the predetermined illuminance, the left and right intersection lamps LCL and RCL are always lit in any of the above-described traveling states, You may make it secure safety by hold | maintaining more than brightness.

  In the present invention, information other than sensor outputs such as the vehicle speed sensor and the steering angle sensor described in the first embodiment can be used as information for determining the running state in the lighting control unit. For example, you may make it determine the approach to an intersection, or a direction change using the road information obtained from a navigation system. Alternatively, the determination may be made based on other road information.

  In the first embodiment, an example in which lamps referred to as intersection lamps are used as left and right auxiliary lamps according to the present invention is shown. However, so-called automobile auxiliary lamps are used to individually illuminate left and right areas of an automobile. Needless to say, it is possible to construct the system of the present invention using a cornering lamp, a fog lamp, or the like that can be used.

It is a block diagram of the lighting control system of this invention. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the lamp | ramp for left-right intersections, and its light distribution. It is a flowchart explaining the lighting control method of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the lighting control in the state just before an intersection. It is a schematic diagram which shows the lighting control in the right-left turn state. It is a schematic diagram which shows the lighting control in the right-left turn completion state. It is a schematic diagram which shows the lighting control in an intersection stop state.

Explanation of symbols

LHL, RHL Left and right headlamps LCL, RCL Left and right intersection lamps (auxiliary lamps)
CONT lighting control unit SJ traveling state determination unit LD lamp driving unit VS vehicle speed sensor SS steering angle sensor TS turn signal sensor ES environmental sensor CAR own vehicle CAR1 to CAR other vehicle (oncoming vehicle)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Lamp housing 12 Reflector 13 Lens 13C Condensing part 13U, 13D Through part 14 Light source (LED)

Claims (6)

  A lamp lighting control system comprising a right auxiliary lamp that illuminates the right side of a vehicle, a left auxiliary lamp that illuminates the left side of the vehicle, and a lighting control unit that controls a lighting state of each auxiliary lamp, the lighting control system The unit turns on the left and right auxiliary lamps when the vehicle enters an intersection, or increases the light quantity of both auxiliary lamps, and then a signal that recognizes the vehicle running state. A lamp lighting control system characterized in that at least one of the auxiliary lamps is turned off or second control for reducing the light quantity of the auxiliary lamp is performed.   The lamp lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the first control of the lighting control unit is when it is detected that the speed of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed.   The second control of the lighting control unit is characterized in that when the steering angle of the vehicle changes by a predetermined angle or more, the auxiliary lamp on the opposite side to the steering direction is turned off or the light amount is reduced. Lamp lighting control system as described in.   The second control of the lighting control unit is characterized in that the auxiliary lamp on the side that is being steered is turned off or the amount of light is reduced when the steering direction of the vehicle is switched to the direction opposite to the steering direction. The lamp lighting control system according to claim 3.   In the second control of the lighting control unit, an auxiliary lamp on the opposite side to the steering direction is turned on when a signal indicating the stop state of the vehicle is input and it is confirmed that another vehicle exists on the opposite side to the steering direction. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the lighting control system is turned off or the amount of light is reduced. In a lamp lighting control system that controls the lighting state of a right auxiliary lamp that illuminates the right side of a vehicle and a left auxiliary lamp that illuminates the left side by a lighting control unit, the left and right auxiliary lamps when the vehicle enters an intersection Lamp lighting characterized by turning on the lamp or increasing the light quantity of both auxiliary lamps and then turning off at least one of the auxiliary lamps according to the running state of the vehicle or reducing the light quantity of the auxiliary lamp Control method.

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