Vehicle lamp fitting

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp fitting that enables a driver in a following vehicle to notice a possibility that a door of a vehicle may open without looking at the vehicle, before an occupant touches an operation part at a guide-side for opening the door.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp fitting 1 comprises emitting parts 2 loaded on a vehicle 21, which emit predetermined drawing patterns on a road surface around the vehicle 21, and a control part 3, loaded on the vehicle 21 and connected to the emitting parts 2, which controls the emission of the drawing patterns by the emitting parts 2. When the vehicle 21 is stopped and when preliminary operation signals AS1, AS2 and AS3 showing that an occupant in the vehicle 21 has performed preliminary motion of approaching a portion of the body thereof to a region within a predetermined distance are inputted to an operation part that is operated when opening a door of the vehicle 21 from a vehicle interior side, the control part 3 instructs the emitting parts 2 to emit notice emission patterns for noticing that the door to be subjected to the preliminary motion opens, so that the emitting parts 2 emit the notice emission patterns on the basis of the instruction from the control part 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, there has been a problem of accidents in which a following vehicle, such as a bicycle or motorcycle, trying to overtake a vehicle, hits the door that is opened when a vehicle occupant gets out of the vehicle. To address this problem, a device has been proposed that turns on a warning light on the door mirror when it detects that the occupant has touched the door handle on the interior side to open the door (for example, Patent Document 1). By seeing the turned-on warning light, the driver of the following vehicle can confirm that the door will open before actually opening it, which is said to prevent accidents in which a following vehicle trying to overtake the vehicle hits the open door. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-182365 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when a warning light is activated upon detecting that a passenger has touched the door handle, depending on the speed at which the passenger touches the door handle and opens the door, the door may open immediately after the warning light comes on. Therefore, even if the driver of the following vehicle sees the warning light on, there is a possibility that they may not be able to take action in time to avoid contact with the open door. Furthermore, if the warning light is attached to a vehicle component such as a door mirror, the driver of the following vehicle must move their eyes and focus on the vehicle component to check whether the warning light is on, which can increase the monitoring burden on the driver of the following vehicle.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such conventional problems, and aims to provide a vehicle lighting fixture that allows the driver of a following vehicle to know that the door may be opened without looking at the vehicle, before the occupant touches the operating part on the interior side that opens the door of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure includes an illumination unit that is mounted on a vehicle and illuminates a predetermined drawing pattern onto a road surface around the vehicle, and a control unit that is mounted on the vehicle and connected to the illumination unit and controls the illumination of the drawing pattern by the illumination unit, wherein when a preparatory action signal indicating that an occupant of the vehicle has performed a preparatory action of bringing part of their body within a predetermined distance is input to an operation unit that is operated when opening a door of the vehicle from inside the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, the control unit instructs the illumination unit to illuminate a warning illumination pattern that warns that the door that is the target of the preparatory action will open, and the illumination unit illuminates the warning illumination pattern based on the instruction from the control unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a vehicle lighting fixture can be provided that allows the driver of a following vehicle to know that the door may open without looking at the vehicle before the occupant touches the operating part inside the vehicle that opens the door. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view showing a drawing pattern that is projected onto a road surface by a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for operating a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Vehicle lighting devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below, but the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in the embodiments, some configurations are omitted from illustration and description, but it goes without saying that publicly known or well-known technologies are applied as appropriate to the details of the omitted technologies within the scope of the content described below.

[0010] First, the configuration of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is a plan view showing a drawing pattern that the vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure projects onto a road surface. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a vehicle lamp installed in a three-door vehicle with a back door as an example of the vehicle lamp.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle lamp 1 includes an irradiation unit 2 and a control unit 3. The irradiation unit 2 is mounted on a vehicle 21 and is a device that irradiates a predetermined drawing pattern onto the road surface around the vehicle 21. The irradiation unit 2 is, for example, a known road surface drawing lamp. Specifically, the irradiation unit 2 includes, for example, a light source, a condensing lens that condenses light irradiated from the light source, a light blocking member that selectively transmits the light condensed by the condensing lens in the predetermined drawing pattern, and a projection lens that projects the light that has transmitted through the light blocking member onto the road surface. Note that it is preferable that the light source of the irradiation unit 2 is a light source separate from the light source of a lamp such as a headlight already installed on the vehicle 21, because this allows irradiation by the irradiation unit 2 without turning on the light source such as the headlight.

[0012] In FIG. 1, a driver's seat side irradiation unit 2a, a passenger seat side irradiation unit 2b, and a back door side irradiation unit 2c are illustrated as examples of the irradiation unit 2. The driver's seat side irradiation unit 2a is a device that irradiates a drawing pattern onto the road surface when an occupant of the vehicle 21 attempts to open the driver's seat side door 23a, which is the door 23 on the driver's seat side, among the doors 23 of the vehicle 21 shown in FIG. 2. The passenger seat side irradiation unit 2b is a device that irradiates a drawing pattern onto the road surface when an occupant of the vehicle 21 attempts to open the passenger seat side door 23b, which is the door 23 on the passenger seat side, among the doors 23 of the vehicle 21 shown in FIG. 2. The back door side irradiation unit 2c is a device that irradiates a drawing pattern onto the road surface when an occupant of the vehicle 21 attempts to open the back door 23c, which is the door 23 of the vehicle 21 shown in FIG. 2. The driver's seat side irradiation unit 2a, the passenger's seat side irradiation unit 2b, and the back door side irradiation unit 2c may be installed, for example, on the driver's seat side door 23a, the passenger's seat side door 23b, and the back door 23c, or may be installed on the vehicle body below these doors 23. Alternatively, the driver's seat side irradiation unit 2a, the passenger's seat side irradiation unit 2b, and the back door side irradiation unit 2c may be installed in a side turn lamp or the like.

[0013] 1 is a device that controls the irradiation of the drawing pattern by the irradiation unit 2, and is mounted on a vehicle 21 and connected to the irradiation unit 2. As shown in FIG. 1, preliminary operation signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 are input to the control unit 3.

[0014] The preparatory action signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 are signals indicating that an occupant of the vehicle 21 has performed a preparatory action of bringing a part of their body within a predetermined distance to an operating unit that is operated when opening the driver's side door 23a, the passenger's side door 23b, or the tailgate 23c from inside the vehicle. Specific operating units on the driver's side door 23a, the passenger's side door 23b, and the tailgate 23c include door handles and door switches. FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which the vehicle 21 is provided with door switches 13a, 13b, and 13c as operating units. The door switch 13a is a switch that opens the driver's side door 23a. The door switch 13b is a switch that opens the passenger's side door 23b. The door switch 13c is a switch that opens the tailgate 23c.

[0015] 1 also illustrates proximity sensors 7a, 7b, and 7c attached to door switches 13a, 13b, and 13c, respectively. In this configuration, when an occupant of vehicle 21 brings a body part such as a hand or finger within a predetermined distance of door switch 13a, 13b, or 13c, proximity sensors 7a, 7b, and 7c detect the hand or finger and generate preparatory action signals AS1, AS2, and AS3. Proximity sensors 7a, 7b, and 7c are, for example, infrared sensors or capacitance sensors. The predetermined distance is, for example, about several centimeters.

[0016] When at least one of the preparatory operation signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 is input while the vehicle 21 is stopped, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to emit a warning irradiation pattern 41 shown in FIG. 2, which warns that the door 23 targeted by the preparatory operation will open. In FIG. 2, a driver's seat warning irradiation pattern 41a, a passenger seat warning irradiation pattern 41b, and a back door warning irradiation pattern 41c are illustrated as examples of the warning irradiation pattern 41. The driver's seat warning irradiation pattern 41a is a warning irradiation pattern 41 indicating that the driver's seat side door 23a will open. The passenger seat warning irradiation pattern 41b is a warning irradiation pattern 41 indicating that the passenger seat side door 23b will open. The back door warning irradiation pattern 41c is a warning irradiation pattern 41 indicating that the back door 23c will open.

[0017] When the control unit 3 receives a preparatory operation signal AS1, it instructs the driver's seat side irradiation unit 2a to irradiate the driver's seat warning irradiation pattern 41a. When the control unit 3 receives a preparatory operation signal AS2, it instructs the passenger's seat side irradiation unit 2b to irradiate the passenger's seat warning irradiation pattern 41b. When the control unit 3 receives a preparatory operation signal AS3, it instructs the back door side irradiation unit 2c to irradiate the back door warning irradiation pattern 41c. When the driver's seat side irradiation unit 2a, the passenger's seat side irradiation unit 2b, and the back door side irradiation unit 2c receive instructions from the control unit 3, they irradiate the driver's seat warning irradiation pattern 41a, the passenger's seat warning irradiation pattern 41b, and the back door warning irradiation pattern 41c onto the road surface, as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the passenger's seat warning irradiation pattern 41b is irradiated onto the road surface.

[0018] The advance notice irradiation pattern 41 is a mark, figure, image, etc. having a shape and size that allows a driver of a following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle 21 to recognize that the door 23 of the vehicle 21 will open. In Fig. 2, an isosceles triangle and a U-shaped figure are arranged in series as the advance notice irradiation pattern 41. In the advance notice irradiation pattern 41, the direction in which the isosceles triangle and the U-shaped figure are arranged in series indicates the direction in which the door 23 will open.

[0019] In this way, in the vehicle lighting device 1, when an occupant of the vehicle 21 approaches the operating part to open the door 23 from inside the vehicle 21, a warning illumination pattern 41 is illuminated onto the road surface, giving a warning that the door 23 that the occupant is approaching will open. Therefore, by seeing the warning illumination pattern 41 illuminated onto the road surface, the driver of a following vehicle can know that the door 23 may open without looking at the vehicle 21, before the occupant touches the operating part to open the door 23. Therefore, the driver of the following vehicle can take action to avoid contact with the door 23 in case the door 23 opens. Therefore, the vehicle lighting device 1 can reduce the possibility of a following vehicle coming into contact with an open door 23 more than ever before.

[0020] For example, as shown in Fig. 2, suppose that vehicle 21 is stopped on roadway 101 and the occupant is about to open passenger-side door 23b, while bicycle 31, a following vehicle, is traveling on shoulder 103 between roadway 101 and sidewalk 102 as indicated by arrow A, attempting to overtake vehicle 21 from the passenger side. In this case, when vehicle lamp 1 detects the preparatory movement to open passenger-side door 23b, it illuminates passenger-side warning illumination pattern 41b onto the road surface, even if passenger-side door 23b is not actually open. Therefore, by looking at passenger-side warning illumination pattern 41b illuminated onto the road surface, driver 31a of bicycle 31 can recognize that there is a high possibility that passenger-side door 23b will open before passenger-side door 23b actually opens. Therefore, the driver 31a of the bicycle 31 can take action to avoid contact with the passenger side door 23b in case the passenger side door 23b opens, such as by temporarily stopping before overtaking the vehicle 21 or by changing course and overtaking the vehicle 21 from the driver's side.

[0021] Furthermore, because the driver of a following vehicle normally drives while looking at the road surface ahead in the direction of travel, by illuminating the warning illumination pattern 41 onto the road surface, the driver of the following vehicle can see the warning illumination pattern 41 without moving his or her line of sight toward the vehicle 21 while driving. Therefore, in the vehicle lamp 1, when the following vehicle overtakes the vehicle 21, the driver of the following vehicle does not need to gaze at the vehicle 21 to check whether the door 23 is open or closed. Therefore, the configuration in which the warning illumination pattern 41 is illuminated onto the road surface is advantageous in reducing the monitoring burden on the driver of the following vehicle.

[0022] Furthermore, because the warning illumination pattern 41 is projected onto the road surface, there are fewer dimensional restrictions compared to when a warning light or the like is provided on the body of the vehicle 21. Therefore, a larger warning illumination pattern 41 can be projected compared to when a warning light is attached to the body of the vehicle 21. This reduces the possibility that the driver of a following vehicle will overlook the warning illumination pattern 41. Therefore, the configuration in which the warning illumination pattern 41 is projected onto the road surface is advantageous in reducing the possibility that a following vehicle will come into contact with the open door 23.

[0023] The irradiation position of the warning irradiation pattern 41 by the irradiation unit 2 may be anywhere around the vehicle 21. However, it is preferable that the irradiation unit 2 irradiate the warning irradiation pattern 41 onto the road surface on the side of the left, right, or back of the vehicle 21 where the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory operation is located. For example, in FIG. 2, the irradiation unit 2 irradiates the passenger seat warning irradiation pattern 41b onto the road surface on the rear left side where the passenger seat side door 23b that is the target of the preparatory operation is located. Note that if the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory operation is the driver's seat side door 23a, the irradiation unit 2 irradiates the driver seat warning irradiation pattern 41a onto the road surface on the rear right side where the driver's seat side door 23a is located. Furthermore, if the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory operation is the tailgate 23c, the irradiation unit 2 irradiates the tailgate warning irradiation pattern 41c onto the road surface on the rear side where the tailgate 23c is located. In this way, when an occupant approaches the operating section to open the door 23 from inside the vehicle 21, the illumination unit 2 of the vehicle lamp 1 preferably illuminates the advance notice illumination pattern 41 onto the road surface on the side of the door 23 that the occupant approaches. This allows the driver of a following vehicle to know which of the multiple doors 23 provided on the vehicle 21 will open from the position where the advance notice illumination pattern 41 is illuminated. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 1 can further reduce the possibility of a following vehicle coming into contact with the open door 23.

[0024] Door opening signals OS1, OS2, and OS3 are also input to the control unit 3 shown in Fig. 1. The door opening signals OS1, OS2, and OS3 are signals indicating that the driver's door 23a, passenger's door 23b, and back door 23c have been opened to an opening angle equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, respectively. When an occupant of the vehicle 21 opens the door 23 from inside the vehicle, a preparatory movement is always performed before the door 23 actually opens. Therefore, the door opening signals OS1, OS2, and OS3 are also signals indicating that the door 23 that has performed the preparatory movement has been opened.

[0025] 1 illustrates door sensors 11a, 11b, and 11c as devices that output door open signals OS1, OS2, and OS3. The door sensors 11a, 11b, and 11c are devices that generate door open signals OS1, OS2, and OS3 when the driver's door 23a, passenger's door 23b, and back door 23c, respectively, are opened at an opening angle equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, and are attached to, for example, the door 23 or the vehicle body. The door sensors 11a, 11b, and 11c are, for example, angle sensors that detect the opening angle of the door 23. An opening angle equal to or greater than a predetermined angle means, for example, an angle within a range that allows the driver of a following vehicle to recognize that the door 23 is open. Specifically, this is the angle when the door 23 is fully opened, but it may also be the angle when the door 23 is opened partway.

[0026] When the control unit 3 receives a door opening signal OS1, OS2, or OS3 indicating that the door 23 on which the preparatory operation was performed is open by an opening angle equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to stop emitting the advance notice irradiation pattern 41 corresponding to the open door 23. Specifically, when the control unit 3 receives a door opening signal OS1, OS2, or OS3 and the door 23 on which the preparatory operation was performed is the same as the door 23 corresponding to the door opening signal OS1, OS2, or OS3, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to stop emitting the advance notice irradiation pattern 41 of the open door 23. In this configuration, when the door 23 that was the target of the preparatory operation opens, the advance notice irradiation pattern 41 corresponding to the open door 23 disappears. When the door 23 of the vehicle 21 opens, the driver of the following vehicle can tell that the door 23 has opened by looking at the door 23 without seeing the advance notice irradiation pattern 41. Therefore, when the door 23 opens, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to turn off the advance notice irradiation pattern 41, which does not need to be seen, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption required for irradiation.

[0027] Object detection signals MS1 and MS2 are also input to the control unit 3 shown in Fig. 1. The object detection signals MS1 and MS2 are signals indicating that an object, such as a following vehicle, has been detected behind the door 23. Fig. 1 illustrates a case in which a BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) 9a provided on a door mirror or the like on the driver's side of the vehicle 21 and a BSM 9b provided on a door mirror or the like on the passenger's side of the vehicle 21 generate the object detection signals MS1 and MS2, respectively, when they detect an object around the vehicle 21. The BSMs 9a and 9b are object detection units mounted on the vehicle 21 that detect objects around the vehicle 21 using a camera, radar, or the like. Fig. 1 illustrates a case in which the BSM 9a detects an object around the driver's side door 23a and behind the driver's side door 23a, and the BSM 9b detects an object around the passenger's side door 23b and behind the passenger's side door 23b.

[0028] When the control unit 3 receives the object detection signals MS1 and MS2 and the position of the object indicated by the object detection signals MS1 and MS2 is behind the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory operation, the control unit 3 locks the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory operation. Specifically, the control unit 3 generates lock signals LS1, LS2, and LS3 and transmits them to the lock mechanism 19. The lock signals LS1, LS2, and LS3 are signals that lock the driver's side door 23a, the passenger's side door 23b, and the back door 23c, respectively. More specifically, the control unit 3 generates the lock signal LS1 when it receives the object detection signal MS1, and generates the lock signal LS2 when it receives the object detection signal MS2. Furthermore, the control unit 3 generates the lock signal LS3 when it receives at least one of the object detection signals MS1 and MS2.

[0029] The locking mechanism 19 is a mechanism that locks the driver's door 23a, the passenger's door 23b, and the back door 23c so that they cannot be opened. Specifically, the locking mechanism 19 locks the driver's door 23a when it receives a locking signal LS1, locks the passenger's door 23b when it receives a locking signal LS2, and locks the back door 23c when it receives a locking signal LS3.

[0030] In this way, when the position of the object indicated by the object detection signals MS1 and MS2 is behind the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory movement, the control unit 3 transmits lock signals LS1, LS2, and LS3 to the lock mechanism 19 to lock the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory movement. In this configuration, when an object is detected behind the door 23 for which an occupant of the vehicle 21 has performed a preparatory movement, the door 23 for which the preparatory movement has been performed is locked. Therefore, the vehicular lighting device 1 prevents the door 23 from being opened if there is an object around the door 23 that the occupant of the vehicle 21 is trying to open. This reduces the possibility that the occupant will open the door 23 without noticing the object around the door 23 and cause contact between the object and the door 23. Furthermore, the vehicular lighting device 1 allows the occupant to know that an object has been detected around the door 23 by the fact that the door 23 is locked, even without actually seeing the object.

[0031] Opening operation signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 are also input to the control unit 3 shown in FIG. 1. The opening operation signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 are signals indicating that an occupant of the vehicle 21 has performed an operation to open the door 23. Specifically, the opening operation signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 are signals indicating that an occupant has performed an operation to open the driver's door 23a, the passenger's door 23b, and the back door 23c, respectively. The "operation to open the door 23" refers to operating an operating unit for opening the door 23. For example, if the operating unit is door switches 13a, 13b, and 13c as shown in FIG. 1, this corresponds to the operation of pressing the door switches 13a, 13b, and 13c. If the operating unit is a door knob, this corresponds to the operation of pulling the door knob.

[0032] After transmitting the lock signals LS1, LS2, LS3, the control unit 3 transmits unlock signals ULS1, ULS2, ULS3 to unlock the locked doors 23 when it receives opening operation signals DS1, DS2, DS3 indicating an operation to open the locked doors 23 a predetermined number of times or more. Specifically, after transmitting the lock signals LS1, LS2, LS3, the control unit 3 transmits unlock signals ULS1, ULS2, ULS3 to the lock mechanism 19 when it receives opening operation signals DS1, DS2, DS3 corresponding to the locked doors 23 a predetermined number of times or more. The unlock signals ULS1, ULS2, ULS3 are signals to unlock the driver's door 23 a, the passenger's door 23 b, and the back door 23 c, respectively.

[0033] In this configuration, when an occupant of the vehicle 21 performs an operation to open the locked door 23 (hereinafter also referred to as an opening operation) a predetermined number of times or more, the door 23 that has been operated is unlocked. Therefore, in the vehicle lighting device 1, even if an occupant needs to quickly get out of the vehicle while the door 23 is locked, the occupant can automatically unlock the door by opening the door 23. Therefore, the occupant does not need to perform a separate operation to unlock the door.

[0034] It is preferable that the "predetermined number of times" is two or more. The reason is that if the "predetermined number of times" is two or more, the lock will not be released with a single opening operation, so that the effect of locking the door 23 and the effect of automatically releasing the lock can be achieved at the same time.

[0035] A vehicle speed signal VS is input to the control unit 3 shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle speed signal VS is a signal indicating the vehicle speed of the vehicle 21. In FIG. 1, a vehicle speed sensor 15 is illustrated as an example of a device that generates the vehicle speed signal VS. When preliminary operation signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 are input to the control unit 3 while the vehicle 21 is stopped, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate the advance notice irradiation pattern 41. Therefore, in order to determine whether to instruct the control unit 3 to irradiate the advance notice irradiation pattern 41, the control unit 3 needs to determine whether the vehicle 21 is stopped or not. Therefore, by inputting the vehicle speed signal VS to the control unit 3, the control unit 3 can determine whether the vehicle 21 is stopped or not based on whether the vehicle speed indicated by the vehicle speed signal VS is 0 or not.

[0036] A shift position signal PS is input to the control unit 3 shown in FIG. 1. The shift position signal PS is a signal indicating the position of the shift lever of the vehicle 21. In FIG. 1, a shift position sensor 17 is illustrated as an example of a device that generates the shift position signal PS. The control unit 3 needs to determine whether the vehicle 21 is stopped in order to determine whether to issue an instruction to emit the advance notice illumination pattern 41. Therefore, if the shift position signal PS is input to the control unit 3, the control unit 3 can determine whether the vehicle 21 is stopped based on whether the shift position indicated by the shift position signal PS is the parking position. Note that in the vehicular lamp 1, both the vehicle speed signal VS and the shift position signal PS are used by the control unit 3 to determine whether the vehicle 21 is stopped. Therefore, it is not necessary for both the vehicle speed signal VS and the shift position signal PS to be input to the control unit 3; it is sufficient if either one of them is input to the control unit 3.

[0037] Next, the procedure for operation of the vehicular lamp 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing the procedure for operation of the vehicular lamp 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. First, the control unit 3 determines whether the vehicle 21 is stopped based on whether the vehicle speed indicated by the vehicle speed signal VS is 0. If it determines that the vehicle 21 is stopped, the process proceeds to S2. If it determines that the vehicle 21 is not stopped, the process returns (S1 in FIG. 3). If it determines that the vehicle 21 is stopped in S1, the control unit 3 determines whether the shift lever is in the parking position based on the shift position signal PS. If it determines that the shift lever is in the parking position, the process proceeds to S3. If it determines that the shift lever is not in the parking position, the process returns (S2 in FIG. 3). Note that since both S1 and S2 determine whether the vehicle 21 is stopped, only one of them may be performed. For example, if it determines that the vehicle 21 is stopped in S1, it is not necessary to determine whether the shift lever is in the parking position.

[0038] If it is determined in S2 that the shift lever is in the parking position, the control unit 3 determines whether or not a preparatory movement has been detected based on whether or not the preparatory movement signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 have been input. If the control unit 3 determines that a preparatory movement has been detected as a result of this determination, it proceeds to S4, and if it determines that a preparatory movement has not been detected, it returns (S3 in FIG. 3). If it is determined that a preparatory movement has been detected in S3, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate a warning irradiation pattern 41 that warns that the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory movement will open, and proceeds to S5 (S4 in FIG. 3). Upon receiving the instruction, the irradiation unit 2 starts irradiating the warning irradiation pattern 41.

[0039] Next, the control unit 3 determines whether the BSMs 9a and 9b have detected an object behind the door 23 that was the target of the preparatory operation based on whether they have received the object detection signals MS1 and MS2. If they have received the object detection signals MS1 and MS2, the process proceeds to S6. If they have not received the object detection signals MS1 and MS2, the process proceeds to S7 (S5 in FIG. 3). If the control unit 3 determines in S5 that neither the object detection signal MS1 nor MS2 has been received, the control unit 3 determines whether the door 23 that was the target of the preparatory operation has opened. Specifically, if the control unit 3 receives the door opening signals OS1, OS2, and OS3 and the door 23 for which the preparatory operation was determined in S3 is the same as the door 23 corresponding to the door opening signals OS1, OS2, and OS3, the control unit 3 determines that the door 23 that was the target of the preparatory operation has opened. If the control unit 3 determines that the door 23 has opened, the process proceeds to S8. If the control unit 3 determines that the door 23 that was the target of the preparatory operation has not opened, the process returns to S5 (S7 in FIG. 3). If the control unit 3 determines in S7 that the door 23 that was the target of the preparatory operation has opened, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to stop irradiating the advance notice irradiation pattern 41 corresponding to the open door 23, and then returns (S8 in FIG. 3). Upon receiving the instruction, the irradiation unit 2 ends the irradiation of the advance notice irradiation pattern 41.

[0040] If the control unit 3 determines in S5 that the BSMs 9a and 9b have detected an object behind the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory operation, the control unit 3 transmits one of the lock signals LS1, LS2, and LS3 to the lock mechanism 19 to lock the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory operation (S6 in FIG. 3). Furthermore, the control unit 3 determines whether the opening operation of the locked door 23 has been performed a predetermined number of times or more based on whether any of the opening operation signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 has been received a predetermined number of times or more. If it determines that the opening operation signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 have been received a predetermined number of times or more, the process proceeds to S10, and if it determines that the opening operation signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 have not been received a predetermined number of times or more, the process proceeds to S11 (S9 in FIG. 3).

[0041] If the control unit 3 determines in S9 that it has received any one of the opening operation signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 a predetermined number of times or more, the control unit 3 unlocks the door 23 for which the opening operation has been performed. Specifically, the control unit 3 sends any one of the unlock signals ULS1, ULS2, and ULS3 to the lock mechanism 19 and proceeds to S7 (S10 in FIG. 3). This unlocks the door.

[0042] If the control unit 3 determines in S9 that any of the opening operation signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 has not been received a predetermined number of times or more, the control unit 3 determines whether the object detected by the BSMs 9a and 9b is no longer detected, specifically, whether the object detection signals MS1 and MS2 are no longer being input. If it determines that the signals are no longer being input, the control unit 3 proceeds to S10 to unlock the doors, and if it determines that the signals are being input, the control unit 3 returns to S9 (S11 in FIG. 3). This concludes the description of the procedure for the operation of the vehicular lamp 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] As described above, when the preparatory operation signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 are input while the vehicle 21 is stopped, the control unit 3 of the vehicular lamp 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure causes the illumination unit 2 to illuminate the advance notice illumination pattern 41 corresponding to the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory operation. With this configuration, when an occupant approaches the operation unit to open the door 23 from inside the vehicle 21, the advance notice illumination pattern 41, which provides a warning that the door 23 the occupant is approaching, will open, is illuminated onto the road surface. Therefore, by seeing the advance notice illumination pattern 41 illuminated onto the road surface, the driver of the following vehicle can know that the door 23 may open without looking at the vehicle 21, before the occupant of the vehicle 21 touches the operation unit to open the door 23. Therefore, the driver of the following vehicle can take action to avoid contact with the door 23 in case it opens. Therefore, the vehicular lamp 1 can reduce the possibility of a following vehicle coming into contact with the open door 23.

[0044] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the illumination unit 2 illuminates the advance notice illumination pattern 41 onto the road surface on the side of the left, right, or rear surface of the vehicle 21 on which the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory operation is located. In this configuration, when an occupant approaches the operation unit from inside the vehicle 21 to open the door 23, the advance notice illumination pattern 41 is illuminated onto the road surface on the side of the door 23 that the occupant approaches. Therefore, the driver of the following vehicle can determine which of the multiple doors 23 provided on the vehicle 21 will open from the position where the advance notice illumination pattern 41 is illuminated, and the possibility of the following vehicle hitting the open door 23 can be further reduced.

[0045] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, when an object is detected behind the door 23 that is the target of a preparatory movement, the control unit 3 transmits lock signals LS1, LS2, and LS3 to the lock mechanism 19 to lock the door 23 that is the target of the preparatory movement. In this configuration, when an object is detected behind the door 23 for which the occupant has performed a preparatory movement, the door 23 for which the preparatory movement has been performed is locked. In this case, the occupant cannot open the door 23 if there is an object around the door 23 that the occupant is trying to open. This reduces the possibility that the occupant will open the door 23 without noticing an object around the door 23 and cause contact between the object and the door 23. Furthermore, in this case, because the door 23 is locked, the occupant can recognize that an object has been detected around the door 23 without actually seeing the object.

[0046] On the other hand, in the vehicle lamp 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the control unit 3 receives the opening operation signals DS1, DS2, DS3 a predetermined number of times or more after transmitting the lock signals LS1, LS2, LS3, the control unit 3 transmits the unlock signals ULS1, ULS2, ULS3 to the lock mechanism 19. In this configuration, when an occupant performs an operation to open a locked door 23 a predetermined number of times or more, the door 23 that was operated is unlocked. Therefore, even if the occupant needs to quickly get out of the vehicle while the door 23 is locked, the door 23 can be automatically unlocked by opening the door 23, and there is no need for the occupant to perform a separate operation to unlock the door.

[0047] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the control unit 3 receives a door opening signal OS1, OS2, or OS3 indicating that the door 23 that was the target of the preparatory operation has been opened, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to stop emitting the advance notice irradiation pattern 41 corresponding to the open door 23. With this configuration, when the door 23 that was the target of the preparatory operation is opened, the advance notice irradiation pattern 41 corresponding to the open door 23 disappears. When the door 23 is opened, the driver of the following vehicle can tell that the door 23 has opened by simply looking at the door 23 without looking at the advance notice irradiation pattern 41. Therefore, when the door 23 is opened, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to turn off the advance notice irradiation pattern 41 that does not need to be seen, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption required for irradiation.

[0048] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made or publicly known or well-known technologies may be combined within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0049] For example, in the above embodiment, the warning irradiation pattern 41 is irradiated onto the road surface when a preparatory movement is performed for the driver's seat side door 23a, the passenger seat side door 23b, or the back door 23c, which are doors 23 of the vehicle 21, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. For example, if the vehicle 21 has rear seats, the warning irradiation pattern 41 may be irradiated when a preparatory movement is performed for the rear seat door 23. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1: Vehicle lighting fixtures 2: Irradiation unit 2a: Driver's seat side illumination unit 2b: Passenger side irradiation section 2c: Back door side illumination unit 3: Control section 7a, 7b, 7c: Proximity sensor 9a, 9b: BSM (object detection unit) 11a, 11b, 11c: Door sensors 13a, 13b, 13c: Door switch (operating part) 15: Vehicle speed sensor 17: Shift position sensor 19: Locking mechanism 21: Vehicle 23: Door 23a: Driver's side door 23b: Passenger side door 23c: Backdoor 31: Bicycle 31a: Driver 41: Pre-warning illumination pattern 41a: Driver's seat warning illumination pattern (warning illumination pattern) 41b: Passenger seat warning illumination pattern (warning illumination pattern) 41c: Back door warning illumination pattern (warning illumination pattern) 101: Roadway 102: Sidewalk 103: Shoulder A: Arrow AS1, AS2, AS3: Preliminary operation signals DS1, DS2, DS3: Open operation signal LS1, LS2, LS3: Lock signal MS1, MS2: Object detection signal OS1, OS2, OS3: Door open signal PS: Shift position signal ULS1, ULS2, ULS3: Unlock signal VS:Vehicle speed signal

Claims

1. an irradiation unit mounted on a vehicle and configured to irradiate a predetermined drawing pattern onto a road surface around the vehicle; a control unit that is mounted on the vehicle and connected to the irradiation unit, and that controls irradiation of the drawing pattern by the irradiation unit; Equipped with The control unit, while the vehicle is stopped, When a preparatory movement signal indicating that an occupant of the vehicle has performed a preparatory movement of bringing a part of their body within a predetermined distance is input to an operation unit that is operated when opening a door of the vehicle from inside the vehicle, instruct the irradiation unit to irradiate a warning irradiation pattern that warns that the door that is the target of the preparatory movement will open, The irradiation unit irradiates the advance notice irradiation pattern based on an instruction from the control unit. A vehicle lamp characterized by:

2. The illumination unit illuminates the advance notice illumination pattern onto the road surface on one of the left and right sides and the back of the vehicle, the side on which the door that is the target of the preparatory operation is installed.

2. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

3. The control unit a locking mechanism for locking the door; an object detection unit mounted on the vehicle and configured to generate an object detection signal when detecting an object around the vehicle; connected to Furthermore, the control unit When the object detection signal is received and the position of the object indicated by the object detection signal is behind the door that is the target of the preparatory operation, a lock signal for locking the door that is the target of the preparatory operation is transmitted to the lock mechanism.

2. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

4. The control unit After transmitting the lock signal, if an opening operation signal indicating that the occupant has performed an operation to open the locked door is received a predetermined number of times or more, an unlock signal for unlocking the door is transmitted to the lock mechanism.

4. A vehicle lamp according to claim 3.

5. The control unit When a door opening signal indicating that the door on which the preliminary operation has been performed is opened to an opening angle equal to or greater than a predetermined angle is received, the irradiation unit is instructed to stop irradiating the advance notice irradiation pattern corresponding to the opened door.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a light source for a vehicle.

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