Vehicle lamp fitting

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp fitting that enables an occupant to visually grasp a possibility that a door of a vehicle may contact an object around the door without making the door approach the object.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp fitting 1 comprises an emitting part 2 loaded on a vehicle 31, which emits a predetermined drawing pattern on a road surface around the vehicle 31, and a control part 3, loaded on the vehicle 31 and connected to the emitting part 2, which controls emission of the drawing pattern by the emitting part 2. When the vehicle 31 is stopped and when receiving door opening signals DS1, DS2 and DS3 showing that a door of the vehicle 31 has been transferred from a closed state to an opened state, the control part 3 instructs the emitting part 2 to emit an opening / closing limit pattern showing a movable range of the door corresponding to the door opening signals DS1, DS2 and DS3, and the emitting part 2 emits the opening / closing limit pattern 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] When a vehicle occupant opens the door to get in or out of the vehicle, if there is an object such as a pillar or wall in a parking lot within the door's range of movement, the door may come into contact with the object. To address this, a device has been proposed that uses an ultrasonic sensor on the door to measure the distance between the object and the door, and stops the door opening operation when the door approaches the object (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). This is said to prevent the door from coming into contact with the object. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-155924 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-123787 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when measuring the distance between the door and an object using an ultrasonic sensor, the occupant cannot visually check the measurement results, which can be problematic because they have to actually open the door and bring it close to the object in order to visually determine the opening angle at which the door can be opened without coming into contact with the object.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such conventional problems, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp that allows a driver to visually check for the possibility of contact with an object around the vehicle door without actually bringing the door close to the object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure comprises 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 the control unit receives a door opening signal indicating that a door of the vehicle has transitioned from a closed state to an open state while the vehicle is stopped, the control unit instructs the illumination unit to illuminate an opening / closing limit pattern that indicates the movable range of the door corresponding to the door opening signal, and the illumination unit illuminates the opening / closing limit pattern based on the instruction from the control unit.

[0007] In addition, the vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure comprises an illumination unit that is mounted on a vehicle having a tailgate and that illuminates a predetermined drawing pattern onto the road surface around the vehicle, and a control unit that is mounted on the vehicle and connected to the illumination unit and that controls the illumination of the drawing pattern by the illumination unit, wherein when the control unit receives a reverse signal indicating that the shift lever of the transmission of the vehicle is in a reverse position, the control unit instructs the illumination unit to illuminate a tailgate opening / closing limit pattern that indicates the movable range of the tailgate, and the illumination unit illuminates the tailgate opening / closing limit pattern based on the instruction from the control unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that allows a driver to visually recognize the possibility of contact with an object around a vehicle door without actually bringing the door close to the object. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view showing a drawing pattern emitted by a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the operation of the vehicle lamp according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the operation of a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a vehicle lamp according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the operation of a vehicle lamp according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 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.

[0011] First, the configuration of a vehicle lamp according to a first 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 the first embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is a plan view showing a drawing pattern emitted by the vehicle lamp according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a vehicle lamp provided in a three-door vehicle having hinged doors: a driver's door, a passenger's door, and a back door.

[0012] 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 31 and is a device that, based on instructions from the control unit 3, irradiates a predetermined drawing pattern, as shown in FIG. 2, onto the road surface around the vehicle 31. More specifically, the irradiation unit 2 includes, for example, a light source (not shown), 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 sources of lamps already installed in the vehicle 31, such as headlights, because this allows irradiation by the irradiation unit 2 without turning on the light sources of the headlights, etc.

[0013] The illumination unit 2 shown in Fig. 1 includes a driver's seat side limit range illumination unit 2a, a passenger's seat side limit range illumination unit 2b, a back door side limit range illumination unit 2c, a driver's seat side current position illumination unit 4a, a passenger's seat side current position illumination unit 4b, and a back door side current position illumination unit 4c. The driver's seat side limit range illumination unit 2a, the passenger's seat side limit range illumination unit 2b, and the back door side limit range illumination unit 2c are devices that illuminate the road surface with patterns indicating the movement ranges of the driver's seat side door 33a, the passenger's seat side door 33b, and the back door 33c shown in Fig. 2 when the door is opened. The driver's seat side limit range illumination unit 2a, the passenger's seat side limit range illumination unit 2b, and the back door side limit range illumination unit 2c are provided near the hinges of the driver's seat side door 33a, the passenger's seat side door 33b, and the back door 33c, respectively.

[0014] The driver's seat side current position illuminating unit 4a, the passenger's seat side current position illuminating unit 4b, and the back door side current position illuminating unit 4c are devices that irradiate the road surface with patterns that indicate the current positions of the driver's seat side door 33a, the passenger's seat side door 33b, and the back door side current position illuminating unit 4c, respectively, which are doors 33. The driver's seat side current position illuminating unit 4a, the passenger's seat side current position illuminating unit 4b, and the back door side current position illuminating unit 4c are provided near the rear ends of the driver's seat side door 33a and the passenger's seat side door 33b, respectively, which are doors 33. In the following description, the driver's seat side current position illuminating unit 4a, the passenger's seat side current position illuminating unit 4b, and the back door side current position illuminating unit 4c may be collectively referred to as the current position illuminating unit 4.

[0015] 1 is a device that controls the irradiation by the irradiation unit 2, and is mounted on a vehicle 31 and connected to the irradiation unit 2. As shown in FIG. 1, door opening signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 are input to the control unit 3.

[0016] The door-opening signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 are signals indicating that the driver's door 33a, passenger's door 33b, and tailgate 33c, respectively, among the doors 33 of the vehicle 31 shown in FIG. 2, have transitioned from a closed state to an open state. The phrase "transitioned from a closed state to an open state" refers to a state in which the door 33 has opened from a closed state to an angle equal to or greater than a predetermined angle. The "predetermined angle" may be greater than 0 degrees, but it is preferable that the "predetermined angle" be as small as possible to prevent the door 33 from coming into contact with objects around the vehicle 31 when the door 33 is opened. FIG. 1 illustrates angle sensors 9a, 9b, and 9c provided on the driver's door 33a, passenger's door 33b, and tailgate 33c as devices for generating the door-opening signals DS1, DS2, and DS3. The angle sensors 9a, 9b, and 9c generate angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 that indicate the current opening angles of the driver's door 33a, passenger's door 33b, and tailgate 33c. When the opening angles indicated by the angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 transition from 0 degrees to a "predetermined angle" or greater, the control unit 3 determines that the driver's door 33a, passenger's door 33b, and tailgate 33c have transitioned from a closed state to an open state. Therefore, the door-opening signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 are types of the angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3, and are signals that are generated when the opening angle transitions from 0 degrees to a "predetermined angle" or greater.

[0017] When the control unit 3 receives door opening signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 while the vehicle 31 is stopped, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiating unit 2 to irradiate an opening / closing limit pattern 41 (see FIG. 2 ), which is a drawing pattern indicating the movable range of the door 33 corresponding to the door opening signals DS1, DS2, and DS3. Specifically, when the control unit 3 receives the door opening signal DS1, the control unit 3 instructs the driver's seat limit range irradiating unit 2a to irradiate, as the opening / closing limit pattern 41, a driver's seat opening / closing limit pattern 41a indicating the movable range of the driver's seat side door 33a. Furthermore, when the control unit 3 receives the door opening signal DS2, the control unit 3 instructs the passenger's seat limit range irradiating unit 2b to irradiate, as the opening / closing limit pattern 41, a passenger's seat opening / closing limit pattern 41b indicating the movable range of the passenger's seat side door 33b. Furthermore, when the control unit 3 receives the door opening signal DS3, the control unit 3 instructs the back door side limit range irradiating unit 2c to irradiate, as the opening / closing limit pattern 41, a back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c indicating the movable range of the back door 33c.

[0018] The opening / closing limit pattern 41 may be a mark, figure, image, or the like having a shape and dimensions that allow an occupant of the vehicle 31 to visually grasp the movable range of the door 33. For example, the driver's seat opening / closing limit pattern 41a and the passenger's seat opening / closing limit pattern 41b illustrated in FIG. 2 are patterns that indicate fan-shaped movement trajectories that are expected when the driver's seat side door 33a and the passenger's seat side door 33b are fully opened. On the other hand, the tailgate opening / closing limit pattern 41c illustrated in FIG. 2 is a pair of L-shaped patterns that indicate the positions of the corners of the rear end of the tailgate 33c when the tailgate 33c is fully opened. In this case, an occupant of the vehicle 31 can visually recognize that the range surrounded by the L-shaped pattern indicated by the tailgate opening / closing limit pattern 41c and the vehicle body is the movable range of the tailgate 33c.

[0019] In this way, in the vehicle lighting device 1, if an occupant attempts to fully open the door 33 of the vehicle 31 and there is a possibility that the door 33 will come into contact with an object around the door 33, the object will overlap the movable range of the door 33 indicated by the opening / closing limit pattern 41. Therefore, the occupant of the vehicle 31 can visually determine the possibility of contact with an object around the door 33 without actually bringing the door 33 close to it.

[0020] Furthermore, since the opening / closing limit pattern 41 is a light pattern that is projected onto the road surface, it can illuminate the road surface around the door 33. Therefore, occupants of the vehicle 31 can check the road surface conditions by looking at their feet, which are illuminated by the opening / closing limit pattern 41, when getting in and out of the vehicle. Furthermore, pedestrians outside the vehicle and occupants of following vehicles can be aware of the possibility of contact with the door 33 by looking at the opening / closing limit pattern 41. Furthermore, occupants of the vehicle 31 can be aware from inside the vehicle of the possibility of contact between the door 33 and objects around the door 33 while opening the door 33.

[0021] In general, the vehicle 31 can fix the position of the door 33 in a fully open state. Furthermore, the vehicle 31 is generally configured to fix the position of the door 33 at a predetermined opening angle even while the door 33 is being fully opened. In the following description, the opening angle at which the door 33 can be fixed while being fully opened is referred to as a fixed angle. When the door 33 corresponding to the door opening signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 can be fixed at a fixed angle, the control unit 3 may instruct the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate an opening / closing limit pattern 41 indicating the position of the door 33 corresponding to the fixed angle. Specifically, the control unit 3 may instruct the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate the opening / closing limit pattern 41 including the fixed angle pattern 40 shown in FIG. 2. The fixed angle pattern 40 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes driver's seat fixed angle patterns 43a and 43b, passenger seat fixed angle patterns 44a and 44b, and back door fixed angle patterns 53a and 53b. The driver's seat fixing angle patterns 43a and 43b are linear patterns that indicate the position of the driver's seat door 33a when it is assumed that the driver's seat door 33a is fixed at a fixed angle. The passenger seat fixing angle patterns 44a and 44b are linear patterns that indicate the position of the passenger seat door 33b when it is assumed that the passenger seat door 33b is fixed at a fixed angle. The tailgate fixing angle patterns 53a and 53b are L-shaped patterns that indicate the position of the corner of the rear end of the tailgate 33c when it is assumed that the tailgate 33c is fixed at a fixed angle.

[0022] In this configuration, if an occupant of the vehicle 31 attempts to fully open the door 33 and there is a possibility that the door 33 will come into contact with an object around the door 33, the object will overlap with the movable range of the door 33 according to the fixed angle indicated by the fixed angle pattern 40. Therefore, the occupant of the vehicle 31 can know up to what fixed angle the door 33 can be opened without coming into contact with the object, even if he or she does not actually bring the door 33 close to the object around the door 33.

[0023] When the control unit 3 receives the angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3, it instructs the current position projection unit 4 to project onto the road surface a current position pattern 45 indicating the current position of the door 33 corresponding to the opening angle of the door 33 indicated by the angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3. FIG. 2 illustrates, as an example of the current position pattern 45, a driver's seat side current position pattern 45a indicating the current position of the driver's seat side door 33a. FIG. 2 also illustrates, as an example of the current position pattern 45, a passenger's seat side current position pattern 45b indicating the current position of the passenger's seat side door 33b. FIG. 2 also illustrates, as an example of the current position pattern 45, a back door side current position pattern 45c indicating the current position of the rear end of the back door 33c. The specific shape of the current position pattern 45 may be a simplified shape of the door 33, such as a straight line, as shown in FIG. 2, or a shape in which the actual shape of the door 33 is projected onto the road surface.

[0024] In this way, the vehicle lighting device 1 may project the opening / closing limit pattern 41 and the current position pattern 45 onto the road surface. In this case, the occupants of the vehicle 31 can grasp the distance between the door 33 and objects around the door 33 from the positional relationship between the current position pattern 45 and the objects without looking at the door 33.

[0025] The illuminance of the opening / closing limit pattern 41 and the current position pattern 45 may be constant, but does not have to be constant all the time. For example, the control unit 3 may instruct the irradiation unit 2 to increase the illuminance when irradiating at least one of the opening / closing limit pattern 41 and the current position pattern 45 as the opening angle of the door 33 indicated by the angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 increases. As a result, the pattern irradiated onto the road surface becomes brighter as the opening angle of the door 33 increases. Therefore, the occupants of the vehicle 31 can determine the opening angle of the door 33 from the brightness of the pattern.

[0026] 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 31. FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle speed sensor 13 as an example of a device that generates the vehicle speed signal VS. When the door open signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 are input to the control unit 3 while the vehicle 31 is stopped, the control unit 3 instructs the illumination unit 2 to emit the opening / closing limit pattern 41 and the current position pattern 45. Therefore, in order to determine whether to instruct the illumination of the opening / closing limit pattern 41 and the current position pattern 45, it is necessary to determine whether the vehicle 31 is stopped. Therefore, when the vehicle speed signal VS is input to the control unit 3, the control unit 3 can determine whether the vehicle 31 is stopped based on whether the vehicle speed indicated by the vehicle speed signal VS is 0 or not. This concludes the description of the configuration of the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Next, the procedure for operation of the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first 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 of the vehicular lamp 1 determines whether the vehicle 31 is stopped based on whether the vehicle speed indicated by the received vehicle speed signal VS is 0, etc. If it determines that the vehicle is stopped, it proceeds to S2, and if it determines that the vehicle is not stopped, it returns (S1 in Fig. 3).

[0028] If it is determined in S1 that the vehicle 31 is stopped, the control unit 3 determines whether any of the doors 33, the driver's door 33a, the passenger's door 33b, and the back door 33c, is open based on whether the door open signal DS1, DS2, or DS3 has been received. If it is determined that the door 33 is open, the process proceeds to S3, and if it is determined that the door 33 is not open, the process returns (S2 in FIG. 3).

[0029] If it is determined in S2 that the door 33 is open, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate an opening / closing limit pattern 41 that indicates the movable range of the open door 33 (S3 in FIG. 3). Upon receiving the instruction, the irradiation unit 2 irradiates the road surface with the opening / closing limit pattern 41. At this time, the control unit 3 may instruct the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate the opening / closing limit pattern 41 together with the fixed angle pattern 40. The control unit 3 may also obtain the opening degree of the open door 33 by receiving the angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3, and instruct the current position irradiation unit 4 to also irradiate the road surface with a current position pattern 45 that indicates the current position of the open door 33 based on the obtained opening degree.

[0030] After instructing the illuminating unit 2 to emit the opening / closing limit pattern 41 in S3, the control unit 3 determines whether the open door 33 has closed by determining whether the angle indicated by the angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 is 0 degrees. As a result, if the control unit 3 determines that the door 33 has closed, the process proceeds to S5. If the control unit 3 determines that the door 33 has not closed, the process returns to S3 (S4 in FIG. 3). If the control unit 3 determines that the door 33 has closed in S4, the control unit 3 instructs the illuminating unit 2 to stop illuminating the opening / closing limit pattern 41 corresponding to the closed door 33, and then returns (S5 in FIG. 3). Note that if the control unit 3 instructed the current position illuminating unit 4 to emit the current position pattern 45 onto the road surface in S3, the control unit 3 instructs the current position illuminating unit 4 to also stop illuminating the current position pattern 45 in S5. This concludes the description of the operation procedure of the vehicular lamp 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] As described above, the vehicle lamp 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes the illumination unit 2 and the control unit 3, and when the control unit 3 receives a door opening signal DS1, DS2, or DS3 while the vehicle 31 is stopped, the illumination unit 2 instructs the illumination unit 2 to illuminate the corresponding opening / closing limit pattern 41. With this configuration, if there is a possibility that the door 33 may come into contact with an object around the door 33 while attempting to fully open the door 33, the object will overlap the movable range of the door 33 indicated by the opening / closing limit pattern 41. Therefore, the occupant of the vehicle 31 can visually determine the possibility of contact with objects around the door 33, such as pillars in a parking lot, walls of the parking lot, or other parked vehicles, without actually bringing the door 33 close to them.

[0032] Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, when the position of the door 33 corresponding to the door opening signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 can be fixed at a fixed angle, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate a fixed angle pattern 40 indicating the position of the door 33 corresponding to the fixed angle. In this configuration, if there is a possibility that the door 33 will come into contact with an object around the door 33 when attempting to fully open the door 33, the movable range of the door 33 corresponding to the fixed angle indicated by the fixed angle pattern 40 overlaps with the object. Therefore, the occupant of the vehicle 31 can know up to what fixed angle the door 33 can be opened without coming into contact with the object, even if he or she does not actually bring the door 33 close to the object around the door 33.

[0033] Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, when the control unit 3 receives angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 that indicate the current opening angle of the door 33, the control unit 3 instructs the current position projection unit 4 to project a current position pattern 45 that indicates the corresponding current position of the door 33. In this configuration, the opening / closing limit pattern 41 and the current position pattern 45 are projected onto the road surface. Therefore, the occupant of the vehicle 31 can grasp the distance between the door 33 and objects around the door 33 from the positional relationship between the current position pattern 45 and the objects, without having to look at the door 33.

[0034] On the other hand, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to increase the illuminance when irradiating at least one of the opening / closing limit pattern 41 and the current position pattern 45 as the opening angle of the door 33 indicated by the angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3 increases. In this configuration, the pattern irradiated onto the road surface becomes brighter as the opening angle of the door 33 increases. Therefore, the occupants of the vehicle 31 can determine the opening angle of the door 33 from the brightness of the pattern.

[0035] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The second embodiment is configured such that the back door side limit range illuminating unit 2c illuminates a back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c when a reverse signal is input to the control unit 3 in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, elements that perform the same functions as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same numbers, and differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0036] First, the configuration of a vehicular lamp according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a vehicular lamp according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 4, in a vehicular lamp 1a according to the second embodiment, a reverse signal RS is input to a control unit 3. The reverse signal RS is a signal indicating that a shift lever of a transmission (not shown) of a vehicle 31 is in a reverse position. Fig. 4 illustrates a configuration in which a shift position sensor 11 provided on the shift lever generates the reverse signal RS.

[0037] When the control unit 3 receives the reverse signal RS, it instructs the back door side limit range illuminator 2c to irradiate a back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c indicating the movable range of the back door 33c of the vehicle 31. Upon receiving the instruction, the back door side limit range illuminator 2c irradiates the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c onto the road surface. Note that the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c may be a pattern including the back door fixed angle patterns 53a and 53b, as in the first embodiment. Thus, in the second embodiment, when the control unit 3 receives the reverse signal RS, it instructs the illuminator 2 to irradiate the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c even if the door 33 is not open. In this configuration, when the driver of the vehicle 31 moves the shift lever to a position where the vehicle 31 can move backward, the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c indicating the movable range when the back door 33c is open is irradiated onto the road surface. Furthermore, if the tailgate 33c is opened and there is a possibility that the tailgate 33c may come into contact with an object behind the vehicle 31, the range of movement of the tailgate 33c indicated by the tailgate opening / closing limit pattern 41c will overlap with the object. Therefore, even without actually opening the tailgate 33c, the occupant of the vehicle 31 can understand from the tailgate opening / closing limit pattern 41c the possibility of the tailgate 33c coming into contact with an object, such as a parking lot wall behind the tailgate 33c or another vehicle parked behind it. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 31 can use the tailgate opening / closing limit pattern 41c as a guide when determining the amount of backing up the vehicle 31 when parking.

[0038] Next, the operation procedure of the vehicular lamp 1a according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flow diagram showing the operation procedure of the vehicular lamp 1a according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. First, the control unit 3 of the vehicular lamp 1a determines whether the shift lever is in the reverse position based on whether the reverse signal RS has been received. As a result, if the control unit 3 determines that the shift lever is in the reverse position, it proceeds to S12, and if it determines that the shift lever is not in the reverse position, it returns (S11 in Fig. 5).

[0039] If it is determined in S11 that the shift lever is in the reverse position, the control unit 3 instructs the back door side limit range irradiating unit 2c of the irradiating unit 2 to irradiate the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c (S12 in FIG. 5). Upon receiving the instruction, the back door side limit range irradiating unit 2c of the irradiating unit 2 irradiates the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c onto the road surface.

[0040] After instructing the back door side limit range illuminating unit 2c of the illuminating unit 2 to irradiate the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c, the control unit 3 determines whether the shift lever has been moved to a position other than the reverse position by determining whether the reverse signal RS has been received. If it is determined that the shift lever has been moved to a position other than the reverse position, the process proceeds to S14, and if it is determined that the shift lever has not been moved, the process returns to S12 (S13 in FIG. 5).

[0041] If it is determined in S13 that the shift lever has been changed to a position other than the reverse position, the control unit 3 instructs the back door side limit range illuminating unit 2c of the illumination unit 2 to stop illuminating the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c, and then returns (S14 in FIG. 5). Upon receiving the instruction, the back door side limit range illuminating unit 2c of the illumination unit 2 stops illuminating the road surface with the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c. This completes the description of the operating procedure of the vehicular lamp 1a according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] As described above, in the second embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receiving the reverse signal RS, the control unit 3 instructs the back door side limit range illuminator 2c to illuminate a back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c indicating the movable range of the back door 33c of the vehicle 31. With this configuration, when the driver of the vehicle 31 moves the shift lever to a position where the vehicle 31 can move backward, the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c indicating the movable range when the back door 33c is opened is illuminated onto the road surface. Furthermore, assuming that the back door 33c is open, if there is a possibility that the back door 33c will come into contact with an object behind the vehicle 31, the movable range of the back door 33c indicated by the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c will overlap with the object. Therefore, the occupant of the vehicle 31 can visually determine the possibility of contact between the object and the back door 33c without actually bringing the back door 33c close to the object.

[0043] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, when the control unit 3 receives the reverse signal RS, it instructs the back door side limit range illuminator 2c to illuminate the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 31 can grasp the possibility of contact between the back door 33c and an object behind the back door 33c from the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c without actually opening the back door 33c. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 31 can use the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c as a guide when determining the amount of back movement of the vehicle 31 when parking.

[0044] Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. The third embodiment is a combination of the first and second embodiments. In the third embodiment, elements that perform the same functions as those in the first and second embodiments are assigned the same numbers, and differences from the first and second embodiments will be mainly described.

[0045] First, the configuration of a vehicular lamp 1b according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a vehicular lamp 1b according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, in the vehicular lamp 1b according to the third embodiment, a door open signal DS3 is input to the control unit 3, as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the vehicular lamp 1b according to the second embodiment, a reverse signal RS is input to the control unit 3. When either the door open signal DS3 or the reverse signal RS is input, the control unit 3 instructs the back door side limit range illuminator 2c to illuminate the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c onto the road surface. In this manner, the control unit 3 may be configured to receive the door open signal DS3 and the reverse signal RS. In this configuration, when an occupant of the vehicle 31 opens the back door 33c or moves the shift lever to a position allowing the vehicle 31 to reverse, the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c is illuminated onto the road surface. Therefore, the third embodiment achieves the effects of both the first and second embodiments.

[0046] Next, the procedure for operation of the vehicular lamp 1b according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flow diagram showing the procedure for operation of the vehicular lamp 1b according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. First, the control unit 3 of the vehicular lamp 1b determines whether the vehicle 31 is stopped based on whether the vehicle speed indicated by the received vehicle speed signal VS is 0, etc. If it is determined that the vehicle is stopped, the process proceeds to S22, and if it is determined that the vehicle is not stopped, the process proceeds to S23 (S21 in Fig. 7).

[0047] If it is determined in S21 that the vehicle 31 is stopped, the control unit 3 determines whether any of the doors 33, the driver's door 33a, the passenger's door 33b, and the back door 33c, is open based on whether the door open signal DS1, DS2, or DS3 has been received. If it is determined that the door 33 is open, the process proceeds to S24, and if it is determined that the door 33 is not open, the process returns (S22 in FIG. 7).

[0048] If it is determined in S22 that the door 33 is open, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate an opening / closing limit pattern 41 that indicates the movable range of the open door 33 (S24 in FIG. 7). Upon receiving the instruction, the irradiation unit 2 irradiates the road surface with the opening / closing limit pattern 41. At this time, the control unit 3 may obtain the opening angle of the open door 33 by receiving the angle signals AS1, AS2, and AS3, and may instruct the current position irradiation unit 4 to also irradiate the road surface with a current position pattern 45 that indicates the current position of the open door 33 based on the obtained opening angle.

[0049] After instructing the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate the opening / closing limit pattern 41 in S24, the control unit 3 determines whether the open door 33 has closed based on whether the door open signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 have stopped being received. As a result, if the control unit 3 determines that the door 33 has closed, the process proceeds to S26, and if it determines that the door 33 has not closed, the process returns to S24 (S25 in FIG. 7). If it determines in S25 that the door 33 has closed, the control unit 3 instructs the irradiation unit 2 to stop irradiating the opening / closing limit pattern 41 corresponding to the closed door 33, and then returns (S26 in FIG. 7). Upon receiving the instruction, the irradiation unit 2 ends irradiating the opening / closing limit pattern 41. Note that if the control unit 3 instructed the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate the road surface with the current position pattern 45 in S24, the control unit 3 instructs the current position irradiation unit 4 to also stop irradiating the current position pattern 45 in S26.

[0050] On the other hand, if it is determined in S21 that the vehicle 31 is not stopped, the control unit 3 determines whether the shift lever is in the reverse position based on whether the reverse signal RS has been received. If the control unit 3 determines that the shift lever is in the reverse position, it proceeds to S27, and if it determines that the shift lever is not in the reverse position, it returns (S23 in FIG. 7).

[0051] If it is determined in S23 that the shift lever is in the reverse position, the control unit 3 instructs the back door side limit range irradiating unit 2c of the irradiating unit 2 to irradiate the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c (S27 in FIG. 7). Upon receiving the instruction, the back door side limit range irradiating unit 2c of the irradiating unit 2 irradiates the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c onto the road surface.

[0052] The control unit 3 determines whether the shift lever has been moved to a position other than the reverse position by determining whether the reverse signal RS has been received after instructing the back door side limit range irradiation unit 2c of the irradiation unit 2 to irradiate the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c. If the control unit 3 determines that the shift lever has been moved to a position other than the reverse position, the process proceeds to S29, and if the control unit 3 determines that the shift lever has not been moved, the process returns to S27 (S28 in FIG. 7).

[0053] If it is determined in S28 that the shift lever has been changed to a position other than the reverse position, the control unit 3 instructs the back door side limit range illuminating unit 2c of the illumination unit 2 to stop illuminating the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c, and then returns (S29 in FIG. 7). Upon receiving the instruction, the back door side limit range illuminating unit 2c of the illumination unit 2 stops illuminating the road surface with the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c. This completes the description of the procedure for the operation of the vehicle lamp 1 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0054] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1b according to the third embodiment, when either the door open signal DS3 or the reverse signal RS is input, the control unit 3 instructs the back door side limit range illuminator 2c to illuminate the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c onto the road surface. With this configuration, when the back door 33c is opened or the shift lever is moved to a position where the vehicle 31 can move backward, the back door opening / closing limit pattern 41c is illuminated onto the road surface. Therefore, the effects of both the first and second embodiments are achieved.

[0055] 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.

[0056] For example, in the above embodiment, the opening and closing limit patterns 41 of the driver's seat side door 33a, the passenger seat side door 33b, and the tailgate 33c are illuminated, but if the vehicle 31 has rear seats, a configuration may be added to illuminate the opening and closing limit patterns 41 of the rear seat doors. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1, 1a, 1b: Vehicle lighting fixtures 2: Irradiation unit 2a: Driver's seat side limit range illumination area 2b: Passenger side limit range illumination area 2c: Back door side limit range illumination section 3: Control section 4:Current position irradiation part 4a: Current position illumination on the driver's seat side 4b: Current position illumination on the passenger side 4c: Current position illumination unit on the back door side 9a, 9b, 9c: Angle sensors 11: Shift position sensor 13: Vehicle speed sensor 31: Vehicle 33: Door 33a: Driver's side door 33b: Passenger side door 33c: Backdoor 40: Fixed angle pattern 41: Open / close limit pattern 41a: Driver's seat opening / closing limit pattern 41b: Passenger seat opening and closing limit pattern 41c: Back door opening and closing limit pattern 43a, 43b: Driver's seat fixed angle pattern 44a, 44b: Passenger seat fixed angle pattern 45: Current location pattern 45a: Driver's side current position pattern 45b: Passenger side current position pattern 45c: Back door current position pattern 53a, 53b: Back door fixed angle pattern AS1, AS2, AS3: Angle signal DS1, DS2, DS3: Door open signal RS: Reverse 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 When the vehicle is stopped, the control unit when receiving a door opening signal indicating that a door of the vehicle has transitioned from a closed state to an open state, instructing the irradiation unit to irradiate an opening / closing limit pattern indicating a movable range of the door corresponding to the door opening signal; The irradiation unit irradiates the opening / closing limit pattern based on an instruction from the control unit. A vehicle lamp characterized by:

2. When the door corresponding to the door open signal has a structure capable of fixing its position at a predetermined opening angle, the control unit instructs the illumination unit to illuminate, as the opening / closing limit pattern, a display showing the position of the door corresponding to a fixed angle, which is an opening angle at which the position of the door can be fixed.

2. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

3. the illumination unit includes a current position illumination unit that illuminates a current position pattern that indicates the current position of the door, When the control unit receives an angle signal that is a signal indicating the current opening angle of the door, the control unit instructs the current position illuminating unit to irradiate the current position pattern that corresponds to the opening angle of the door indicated by the angle signal.

3. A vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control unit instructs the illumination unit to increase the illuminance when illuminating at least one of the opening / closing limit pattern and the current position pattern as the opening angle of the door indicated by the angle signal increases.

4. A vehicle lamp according to claim 3.

5. an irradiation unit mounted on a vehicle having a back door 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 When the control unit receives a reverse signal indicating that a shift lever of a transmission of the vehicle is in a reverse position, the control unit instructs the illumination unit to illuminate a back door opening / closing limit pattern indicating a movable range of the back door, The illumination unit illuminates the back door opening / closing limit pattern based on an instruction from the control unit. A vehicle lamp characterized by:

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