Headlights for work vehicles

Abstract

To provide a headlight system for work vehicles that allows for the inexpensive installation of signature lights. [Solution] The system includes a headlight unit 18 and a control unit that controls the headlight unit 18. The headlight unit 18 includes a unit case 21 and a high beam lamp 24, a low beam lamp 25, and a signature lamp 26 provided inside the unit case 21. The control unit can switch between a first lighting pattern in which the low beam lamp 25 is turned on and the high beam lamp 24 and signature lamp 26 are turned off, and a second lighting pattern in which the high beam lamp 24, low beam lamp 25, and signature lamp 26 are turned on.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a headlight device for a work vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] As shown in Patent Document 1, there is a work vehicle (tractor) equipped with a work lamp.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A signature lamp is adopted as a work lamp, a position lamp, etc. and attached to a work vehicle. However, special attachment work for attaching the signature lamp is required. Also, since a special control device for controlling the signature lamp is required, it is costly to equip the signature lamp.

[0005] The present invention provides a headlight device for a work vehicle that can equip a signature lamp at a low cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention is a headlight device for a work vehicle having a headlight unit and a control unit that controls the headlight unit, The headlight unit comprises a unit case and a high beam lamp, a low beam lamp, and a signature lamp provided inside the unit case. The control unit can switch between a first lighting pattern in which the low beam lamp is turned on and the high beam lamp and the signature lamp are turned off, and a second lighting pattern in which the high beam lamp, the low beam lamp, and the signature lamp are turned on.

[0007] With this configuration, the signature light is installed at the same time as the high beam and low beam lights are installed during the installation of the headlight unit, so the signature light can be installed without any special installation work. Switching the control unit to the first lighting pattern turns on the low beam lights and turns off the high beam lights, and the signature light turns off at the same time. Switching the control unit to the second lighting pattern turns on the high beam and low beam lights, and the signature light turns on at the same time, so the signature light can be turned on and off without any special control device for the signature light. Since there is no need to perform any special installation work for the signature light, and there is no need to install a special control device for the signature light, the signature light can be equipped at a low cost.

[0008] In the present invention, Preferably, the high-beam lamp is located in an area further inward in the width direction of the vehicle body than the low-beam lamp.

[0009] With this configuration, the high beam lights emit light from a position further to the side and inward than the low beam lights, making it easier to prevent the light from the high beam lights from emitting outward to the sides of the headlight unit.

[0010] In the present invention, Preferably, the high-beam lamp and the low-beam lamp are arranged side by side, and the signature lamp is provided at multiple locations that are arranged side by side, extending across the area above the high-beam lamp and the area above the low-beam lamp.

[0011] With this configuration, multiple signature lights are positioned in the same side-by-side arrangement as the high beam and low beam lights in the area spanning both the area above the high beam and the area above the low beam. Therefore, even though multiple signature lights are provided, the headlight unit can be made compact with a short vertical length.

[0012] In the present invention, Preferably, the low-beam lights are provided in an area in the width direction of the vehicle body that is further inward than the high-beam lights, and the signature lights are provided in multiple locations that are arranged horizontally across the area above the low-beam lights and the area above the high-beam lights, and in multiple locations that are arranged vertically in an area in the width direction of the vehicle body that is further inward than the low-beam lights.

[0013] In this configuration, multiple signature lights are positioned in the same side-by-side arrangement as the high beam and low beam lights, spanning the area above the high beam and above the low beam lights. Since multiple signature lights are positioned vertically in the area inside the vehicle width direction relative to the low beam lights, the headlight unit can be made compact with shorter vertical and horizontal lengths, even though multiple signature lights are provided. Because multiple signature lights are positioned vertically in the area inside the vehicle width direction relative to the low beam lights, it is easier to prevent the light from the signature lights from radiating outward from the headlight unit.

[0014] In the present invention, The high-beam lamp, the low-beam lamp, and the signature lamp are each light-emitting diodes and preferably include a reflector that reflects light forward.

[0015] This configuration allows for energy savings for the high beam lights, low beam lights, and signature lights. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1]It is a side view of the tractor seen from the left side. [Figure 2] It is a front view of the tractor. [Figure 3] It is a conceptual diagram of the headlight device. [Figure 4] It is a front view showing the inside of the unit case in the left headlight unit. [Figure 5] It is a front view of the left headlight unit. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view of the front cover in a disassembled state. [Figure 7] It is a cross-sectional view of the left headlight unit. [Figure 8] It is a conceptual diagram of the headlight device of another embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments which are an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the following description, regarding the traveling vehicle body of the tractor (an example of a "working vehicle"), the direction of the arrow F shown in FIG. 1 etc., the front side of the paper surface of FIG. 2 is the "front of the vehicle body", the direction of the arrow B shown in FIG. 1 etc., the back side of the paper surface of FIG. 2 is the "rear of the vehicle body", the direction of the arrow U shown in FIGS. 1, 2 etc. is the "upper part of the vehicle body", and the direction of the arrow D shown in FIGS. 1, 2 etc. is the "lower part of the vehicle body". The left - right direction of the vehicle body corresponds to the width direction of the vehicle body.

[0018] 〔Overall Configuration of the Tractor〕 The tractor shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a ride-on working machine configured by connecting various working devices such as a rotary tiller to the rear of the vehicle body. As shown in FIG. 1, the tractor has a traveling vehicle body 4 provided with a vehicle body frame 3. The vehicle body frame 3 is composed of an engine 1, a transmission case 2 extending rearward from the rear of the engine 1, and the like. A pair of left and right front wheels 5 are provided at the front of the vehicle body frame 3 so as to be steerable and drivable. A pair of left and right rear wheels 6 are provided at the rear of the vehicle body frame 3 so as to be drivable. A driving part 7 is formed at the front of the traveling vehicle body 4. The driving part 7 is provided with an engine 1 and an engine bonnet 8 and the like. A driving part 9 is formed at the rear of the traveling vehicle body 4. The driving part 9 is provided with a driver's seat 10, a steering wheel 11 for steering the front wheels 5, and an instrument panel 12. At the rear of the transmission case 2, a link mechanism 14 for connecting a working device so as to be able to lift and lower it, and a power take-off shaft (not shown) for taking out power from the engine 1 and transmitting it to the working device are provided.

[0019] 〔Headlamp Device〕 As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a headlamp device 20 having left and right headlamp units 18 is provided on the traveling vehicle body 4, enabling illumination in front of the traveling vehicle body 4.

[0020] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left and right headlamp units 18 are attached to the front part of the front bonnet part 8a of the engine bonnet 8, which is one of the front bonnet part 8a and the rear bonnet part 8b. The front bonnet part 8a is configured to be swingable up and down with the pivot axis P provided at the rear as a swing fulcrum.

[0021] 〔Headlamp Unit〕 FIG. 4 is a front view showing the inside of the unit case in the left headlamp unit. FIG. 5 is a front view of the left headlamp unit. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the front cover in the disassembled state of the left headlamp unit. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the left headlamp unit.

[0022] As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 7, the left headlight unit 18 includes a unit case 21. The unit case 21 includes a lamp body 22 located at the rear of the unit case 21, and a front cover 23 located at the front of the unit case 21.

[0023] The lamp body 22 is equipped with mounting portions 22a (see Figure 6) formed at multiple locations on its rear, and is configured to be attached to the front bonnet portion 8a by these mounting portions 22a. As shown in Figures 4 and 7, a high beam lamp 24, a low beam lamp 25, and a signature lamp 26 are provided inside the lamp body 22.

[0024] As shown in Figures 4, 6, and 7, in this embodiment, the high beam lamp 24, low beam lamp 25, and signature lamp 26 are each LEDs (light-emitting diodes), and are equipped with reflectors 24a, 25a, and 26a that reflect the light from the high beam lamp 24, low beam lamp 25, and signature lamp 26 forward.

[0025] As shown in Figure 4, in a front view of the headlight unit 18, the high beam lamp 24, low beam lamp 25, and signature lamp 26 are arranged in a direction along the front surface 23a of the front cover 23, which is the front surface of the headlight unit 18.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, the high beam lights 24 and low beam lights 25 are installed side by side (aligned in the width direction of the vehicle body). The low beam lights 25 are installed in two areas: an area outside the high beam lights 24 in the width direction of the vehicle body, and an area inside the high beam lights 24 in the width direction of the vehicle body. The high beam lights 24 and low beam lights 25 are aligned in the width direction of the vehicle body with the low beam lights 25 positioned on both sides of the high beam lights 24.

[0027] As shown in Figure 4, the signature lights 26 are provided at multiple locations in a horizontal arrangement (aligned in the width direction of the vehicle body) spanning the area above the high beam lights 24 and the area above the low beam lights 25. Furthermore, the signature lights 26 are provided at multiple locations in a vertical arrangement in the area that is located inward from the high beam lights 24 in the width direction of the vehicle body and inward from the low beam lights 25 in the width direction of the vehicle body.

[0028] The front cover 23 is detachably attached to the front of the lamp body 22. By removing the front cover 23, the lamp body 22 can be opened and closed.

[0029] As shown in Figure 5, the front cover 23 is provided with a first light-transmitting portion 27 formed in the area facing the high-beam lamp 24 and the low-beam lamp 25, which allows light to pass from the inside to the outside of the unit case 21, and a second light-transmitting portion 28 formed in the area facing the signature lamp 26, which also allows light to pass from the inside to the outside of the unit case 21. The second light-transmitting portion 28 is formed in a shape corresponding to the arrangement of the signature lamps 26. An opaque portion 29 is formed extending from the area on the outer circumference of the front cover 23 beyond the first light-transmitting portion 27 to the area on the outer circumference of the front cover 23 beyond the second light-transmitting portion 28, and extending around the entire circumference of the front cover 23, which prevents light from passing from the inside to the outside of the unit case 21.

[0030] More specifically, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the front cover 23 comprises a cover base 40, a light-transmitting adjustment member 41, and a cover plate 42. The cover plate 42 has connecting portions 42a formed at multiple locations on its rear end, and is detachably connected to the front of the lamp body 22 by these connecting portions 42a, and is detachably held by the lamp body 22. The cover base 40 has connecting portions 40c formed at multiple locations on its rear end, and is detachably connected to the front of the lamp body 22 by these connecting portions 40c, and is detachably held by the lamp body 22. The connecting portions 40c of the cover base 40 are sandwiched between the rear end portion 42b of the cover plate 42 and the front end portion 22b of the lamp body 22, and are detachably connected to the lamp body 22.

[0031] The cover base 40 is made of a material that does not transmit light. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the front part 40a of the cover base 40 is provided with a first through-hole 43 facing the high-beam lamp 24 and the low-beam lamp 25, and a second through-hole 44 facing the signature lamp 26, both separated by a partition 40b. As shown in Figure 7, the light-transmitting adjustment member 41 is configured to fit into the second through-hole 44. The cover plate 42 is made of a material that transmits light and is configured to fit over the entire front part 40a of the cover base 40. The first light-transmitting part 27 is formed by the first through-hole 43 and the cover plate 42. The second light-transmitting part 28 is formed by the second through-hole 44, the light-transmitting adjustment member 41, and the cover plate 42. The opaque part 29 is formed by the parts of the cover base 40, such as the partition 40b, where the first through-hole 43 and the second through-hole 44 are not present.

[0032] The right headlight unit 18, although not shown in the figure, has the same shape as a mirror image of the left headlight unit 18. In other words, as shown in Figure 4, in the left headlight unit 18, the multiple signature lights 26 arranged vertically in the area inward from the low beam light 25 in the vehicle width direction are located to the right of the low beam light 25 in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the front of the headlight unit 18, whereas in the right headlight unit 18, the multiple signature lights 26 arranged vertically in the area inward from the low beam light 25 in the vehicle width direction are located to the left of the low beam light 25 in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the front of the headlight unit 18. In this respect, the right headlight unit 18 has a different configuration from the left headlight unit 18, but in all other respects, the right headlight unit 18 has the same configuration as the left headlight unit 18.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, the headlight device 20 is equipped with a control unit 19 connected to the left and right headlight units 18. The control unit 19 is connected to a headlight operating tool 30, and when the headlight operating tool 30 is operated, the control pattern is switched and set to an off pattern, a first on pattern, or a second on pattern, and the left and right headlight units 18 are controlled according to the set control pattern.

[0034] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the control unit 19 comprises a high beam switch unit 32, a low beam switch unit 33, a switch control unit 35, and an electrical circuit, etc. The high beam switch unit 32 is provided in the electrical circuit connected to the high beam lamps 24 and the signature lamps 26 of each of the left and right headlight units 18. The low beam switch unit 33 is provided in the electrical circuit connected to the low beam lamps 25 of each of the left and right headlight units 18. The switch control unit 35 is connected to the headlight operating tool 30.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, the headlight operating tool 30 is held at the tip of the turn signal lever 31 located in the driver's unit 9. The headlight operating tool 30 is rotatably held by the turn signal lever 31 and is configured to switch between off position a, low beam position b, and high beam position c by being rotated.

[0036] When the headlight control device 30 is operated to the off position a, the control pattern of the switch control unit 35 is set to the off pattern based on the off command from the headlight control device 30, and the switch control unit 35 controls the switching of the high beam switch unit 32 and the low beam switch unit 33 to the off position. As a result, in the headlight device 20, the high beam lights 24, low beam lights 25, and signature lights 26 of the left and right headlight units 18 are turned off.

[0037] When the headlight control device 30 is operated to the low beam position b, the control pattern of the switch control unit 35 is set to the first lighting pattern based on the first lighting command from the headlight control device 30, and the switch control unit 35 controls the low beam switch unit 33 to turn on and the high beam switch unit to turn off. As a result, in the headlight device 20, the low beam lights 25 of the left and right headlight units 18 turn on, and the high beam lights 24 and signature lights 26 of the left and right headlight units 18 turn off. The light from the low beam lights 25 is reflected forward by the reflector 25a and projected forward mainly through the first light-transmitting section 27.

[0038] When the headlight control device 30 is operated to the high beam position c, the control pattern of the switch control unit 35 is set to the second lighting pattern based on the second lighting command from the headlight control device 30, and the switch control unit 35 switches the high beam switch unit 32 and the low beam switch unit 33 to the on position. As a result, the high beam lamps 24, low beam lamps 25 and signature lamps 26 of the left and right headlight units 18 of the headlight device 20 are lit. The light from the high beam lamps 24 and low beam lamps 25 is reflected forward by the reflectors 24a and 25a and mainly projected forward through the first light-transmitting section 27, and the light from the signature lamp 26 is reflected forward by the reflector 26a and mainly projected forward through the second light-transmitting section 28.

[0039] In the headlight device 20, when the headlight operating device 30 is operated to the high beam position c, the headlight operating device 30 sends a second lighting command, and based on the second lighting command, the switch control unit 35 sets a second lighting pattern, and the high beam switch unit 32, low beam switch unit 33 and signature switch unit 34 are switched on by the switch control unit 35, and the high beam lamps 24, low beam lamps 25 and signature lamps 26 of the left and right headlight units 18 are lit by the control unit 19. The light from the high beam lamps 24 and low beam lamps 25 is reflected forward by the reflectors 24a and 25a and mainly projected forward through the first light-transmitting section 27, and the light from the signature lamp 26 is reflected forward by the reflector 26a and mainly projected forward through the second light-transmitting section 28.

[0040] [Another embodiment] (1) In the embodiment described above, the high beam lamp 24 and the low beam lamp 25 are shown to be arranged in the width direction of the vehicle body, but the high beam lamp 24 and the low beam lamp 25 may be arranged in any direction, such as in the vertical direction of the vehicle body or diagonally.

[0041] (2) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the low beam lamps 25 are provided in areas on both sides of the high beam lamps 24. However, the low beam lamps 25 may be provided in only one of the areas on both sides of the high beam lamps 24.

[0042] (3) In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the signature lamp 26 is provided in an area above the high-beam lamp 24 and in an area above the low-beam lamp 25. However, the signature lamp 26 may also be provided in an area below the high-beam lamp 24 and in an area below the low-beam lamp 25.

[0043] (4) In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the signature lamp 26 is provided in an area further inward in the vehicle width direction than the low beam lamp 25. However, the signature lamp 26 may not be provided in an area further inward in the vehicle width direction than the low beam lamp 25.

[0044] (5) In the embodiments described above, the high beam lamp 24, low beam lamp 25, and signature lamp 26 are shown as examples of light-emitting diodes, but the embodiment is not limited to this, and some of the high beam lamp 24, low beam lamp 25, and signature lamp 26 may be light-emitting diodes and the rest may be incandescent bulbs, or all of the high beam lamp 24, low beam lamp 25, and signature lamp 26 may be incandescent bulbs.

[0045] (6) In the embodiments described above, the high beam lamp 24 and the signature lamp 26 are connected to the same electrical circuit and controlled to turn on and off by the same switch unit (high beam switch unit 32), but the invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 8, the high beam switch unit 32 may be provided in the electrical circuit to which the high beam lamp 24 is connected, and the signature switch 34 may be provided in the same circuit to which the signature lamp 26 is connected, so that the control of turning on and off the high beam lamp 24 and the control of turning on and off the signature lamp 26 can be performed independently of each other. [Industrial applicability]

[0046] The present invention is applicable not only to tractors but also to various types of work vehicles such as rice transplanters, seeders, and pesticide sprayers. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 18 Headlight Unit 19 Control Unit 21 Unit Case 24 High beam lights 24a reflector 25 Low beam lights 25a reflector 26 Signature Lights 26a Reflector

Claims

1. A headlight device for a work vehicle having a headlight unit and a control unit for controlling the headlight unit, The headlight unit comprises a unit case, and a high-beam lamp, a low-beam lamp, and a signature lamp provided inside the unit case. The control unit is a headlight device for a work vehicle that can switch between a first lighting pattern in which the low beam lamp is turned on and the high beam lamp and the signature lamp are turned off, and a second lighting pattern in which the high beam lamp, the low beam lamp and the signature lamp are turned on.

2. The headlight device for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the high beam lamp is provided in an area further inward in the width direction of the vehicle body than the low beam lamp.

3. The high beam lamp and the low beam lamp are arranged side by side. The headlight device for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the signature lights are provided at multiple locations that are arranged horizontally across an area above the high beam lights and an area above the low beam lights.

4. The low-beam lamp is provided in an area further inward in the width direction of the vehicle than the high-beam lamp. The headlight device for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the signature lights are provided at multiple locations arranged horizontally across an area above the low beam lights and an area above the high beam lights, and at multiple locations arranged vertically in an area inward from the low beam lights in the width direction of the vehicle body.

5. The headlight device for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each of the high beam lamp, the low beam lamp, and the signature lamp is a light-emitting diode and is equipped with a reflector that reflects light forward.

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