Vehicle lighting equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle lighting device that reduces glare when projected onto the road surface and enables the projection of a highly vivid road surface pattern. [Solution] The vehicle lighting device 10 includes a main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B) for road surface drawing that irradiates light onto the road surface RS around the vehicle 100, and a control unit 15 that controls the main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B). The main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B) is provided on at least one of the door 102 attached to the entrance / exit 101 of the vehicle 100 and the upper part of the vehicle body 100, and the door 102 is an upward-opening lift-up door. The control unit 15 controls the main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B) in conjunction with the opening operation of the door 102 to form a first road surface drawing pattern P1 by irradiating light from the upper part of the vehicle 100 toward the road surface RS around the entrance / exit 101.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle lighting device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle road surface lighting device including an irradiation unit provided at a position below a door that opens and closes an opening of a vehicle and irradiating light toward a road surface outside the opening, and a control unit that controls an irradiation mode of the light by the irradiation unit. In Patent Document 1, the control unit causes the irradiation unit to irradiate light in conjunction with the opening of the door.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Since the irradiation unit included in the vehicle road surface lighting device of Patent Document 1 is provided at a position below the vehicle door, light is irradiated from the irradiation unit toward the road surface at a shallow angle. Therefore, for example, when there is a puddle on the road surface, the light irradiated from the irradiation unit is easily reflected by the water surface of the puddle and becomes glare. Also, it is required to irradiate a road surface drawing pattern with high vividness.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle lighting device in which light irradiated on the road surface is less likely to become glare and in which it is possible to irradiate a road surface drawing pattern with high vividness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle lighting device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a main lamp unit for road surface drawing that irradiates light on a road surface around a vehicle, A control unit that controls the main lighting unit, Equipped with, The main lighting unit is provided on at least one of the doors attached to the entrance / exit of the vehicle and the upper part of the vehicle body. The aforementioned door is a hinged door that opens upwards. The control unit controls the main lighting unit to form a first road surface drawing pattern by irradiating light from the top of the vehicle toward the road surface around the entrance / exit in conjunction with the opening operation of the flip-up door. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, the main lighting unit illuminates the road surface around the entrance / exit from above the vehicle, thereby suppressing the generation of glare caused by the reflection of light from the road surface that forms the road surface drawing pattern, while enabling the illumination of a first road surface drawing pattern with high clarity. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle system equipped with a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle lighting device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows examples of various drawing patterns and illumination areas illuminated by a vehicle lighting device. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation performed by a vehicle lighting system. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing another example of the operations performed by a vehicle lighting system. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows another example of various drawing patterns and illumination areas illuminated by a vehicle lighting device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. For the sake of clarity, the description of components having the same reference numeral as those already described in the description of the embodiments will be omitted. Furthermore, the dimensions of the components shown in these drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of the components for the sake of clarity.

[0010] In describing this embodiment, for the sake of clarity, the terms "left-right direction," "up-down direction," and "front-back direction" may be used as appropriate. Here, "left-right direction" includes the "left direction" and the "right direction." "Up-down direction" includes the "up direction" and the "down direction." "Front-back direction" includes the "forward direction" and the "rear direction." These directions are relative directions set for the vehicle 100 shown in Figure 2, with the direction of travel of the vehicle 100 being defined as the forward direction.

[0011] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the vehicle system 1 in a vehicle 100 equipped with the vehicle lighting device 10 according to this embodiment will be described below. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle system 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle 100 equipped with the vehicle lighting device 10. Figure 3 is a diagram showing examples of various drawing patterns and lighting areas formed by the vehicle lighting device 10.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle system 1 comprises a vehicle control unit 2 and a vehicle lighting device 10. The vehicle control unit 2 is configured to control the movement of the vehicle 100. The vehicle control unit 2 is composed of, for example, at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (e.g., a System on a Chip (SoC)) that includes one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit composed of active elements such as transistors and passive elements.

[0013] A processor includes, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit). A CPU may be composed of multiple CPU cores. A GPU may be composed of multiple GPU cores. The memory includes ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). ROM may store a vehicle control program. For example, the vehicle control program may include an artificial intelligence (AI) program for autonomous driving. The AI ​​program is a program (trained model) built using supervised or unsupervised machine learning (especially deep learning) with a multi-layer neural network. RAM may temporarily store the vehicle control program, vehicle control data, and / or ambient environment information indicating the vehicle's surrounding environment. The processor may be configured to load a specified program from various vehicle control programs stored in ROM onto RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with RAM. Furthermore, the computer system may be composed of non-von Neumann type computers such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) or FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays). Moreover, the computer system may be composed of a combination of von Neumann type computers and non-von Neumann type computers.

[0014] The vehicle lighting device 10 comprises a main light unit 11, a first additional unit 12, a second additional unit 13, a third additional unit 14, and a control unit 15. As shown in Figure 2, a lift-up door 102 (an example of a lift-up door) is provided at the rear left entrance / exit 101 of the vehicle 100. In this disclosure, a door 102 provided at the rear left entrance / exit 101 is illustrated as an example, but doors provided at other entrance / exits of the vehicle 100 may have the same configuration. Figure 2 shows the door 102 provided at the rear left of the vehicle 100 in an open state. The lift-up door 102 shown in Figure 2 is a so-called gullwing door, but it is sufficient that at least a part of the door 102 moves above the body of the vehicle 100 when opened. The door 102 may be, for example, a scissor door, a butterfly door, etc. Furthermore, an access step 103 is installed below the entrance / exit 101 to assist passengers in getting on and off the vehicle 100. In this example, when the door 102 is closed, the access step 103 is stored inside the body of the vehicle 100, and the access step 103 moves to the left and outward from the entrance / exit 101 in conjunction with the opening of the door 102.

[0015] The main lighting unit 11 includes a first main lighting unit 11A and a second main lighting unit 11B. The first main lighting unit 11A is provided at the lower part of the front side surface 102A of the door 102. The second main lighting unit 11B is provided at the lower part of the rear side surface 102B of the door 102. Each of the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B projects a road surface drawing pattern P1 (an example of the first road surface drawing pattern) onto the road surface RS around the boarding and alighting opening 101 of the vehicle 100 when the door 102 is in the open state. The first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B are arranged on each side surface of the door 102 so as to irradiate light in the direction from the upwardly open door 102 toward the road surface RS (the downward direction in FIG. 2). Two road surface drawing patterns P1 are projected onto the road surface RS by the main lighting unit 11A provided on the front side surface 102A of the door 102 and the main lighting unit 11B provided on the rear side surface 102B of the door 102. As shown in FIG. 3, each road surface drawing pattern P1 is composed of five substantially rectangular marks M1 to M5. The marks M1 to M5 are formed so as to be arranged in this order in the direction from the vicinity of the boarding and alighting opening 101 toward the distance. That is, the two road surface drawing patterns P1 composed of the marks M1 to M5 are line-shaped patterns along the boarding and alighting direction of the passengers to the boarding and alighting opening 101. The two road surface drawing patterns P1 virtually form a guiding path extending from the boarding and alighting opening 101 to the outside of the vehicle.

[0016] The first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B include five light sources corresponding to the marks M1 to M5 and optical members such as lenses that transmit the light irradiated from each light source to form the rectangular marks M1 to M5. The light source is a laser light source or an LED light source. Alternatively, the light irradiated from one light source may be divided by an optical member such as a lens to form the marks M1 to M5.

[0017] The configurations of the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B are not limited to the above, and various known configurations can be adopted. For example, a lighting unit having a configuration in which a light source bulb is combined with a reflector or a shielding plate may be used. Also, a lighting unit including a light source and a liquid crystal element or the like and capable of individually controlling the light transmission state of each pixel of the liquid crystal element may be used. Further, a lighting unit including a light emitting element such as a laser diode and a scanning element such as a mirror device for scanning the light emitted from the light emitting element and capable of controlling the lighting and extinguishing timing of the light emitting element and the scanning timing by the scanning element may be used.

[0018] In addition, in this embodiment, the configuration in which the road surface drawing pattern P1 is formed by five marks M1 to M5 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The road surface drawing pattern P1 may be formed by four or less marks, or may be formed by six or more marks. Also, in this embodiment, the configuration in which a gap is provided between adjacent marks is illustrated, but the marks may be overlapped to form a single long line.

[0019] The first additional unit 12 is provided adjacent to the second main lighting unit 11B provided on the rear side surface 102B of the door 102. The first additional unit 12 projects a road surface drawing pattern P2 (an example of a second road surface drawing pattern) onto the road surface RS around the boarding and alighting opening 101 of the vehicle 100 in a state where the door 102 is opened. The road surface drawing pattern P2 is between two road surface drawing patterns P1 and is projected onto the road surface RS near the boarding and alighting step 103. As the road surface drawing pattern P2, for example, a logo image indicating the manufacturer or vehicle type of the vehicle 100 is displayed.

[0020] The first additional unit 12 includes, for example, a light source, a drive mirror, an optical system such as a lens or mirror, and a control circuit. The light source of the first additional unit 12 is a laser light source or an LED light source. The drive mirror is, for example, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) mirror, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device), a galvanometer mirror, a polygon mirror, etc. The control circuit is configured to control the light source and the drive mirror. The control circuit is configured to generate a control signal for controlling the operation of the light source based on a signal related to the road surface drawing pattern P2 transmitted from the control unit 15 (described later), and to transmit the control signal to the light source. Similarly, the control circuit is configured to generate a control signal for controlling the operation of the drive mirror based on a signal related to the road surface drawing pattern P2 transmitted from the control unit 15, and to transmit the control signal to the drive mirror.

[0021] The second additional unit 13 is a unit for illuminating the boarding step 103, which is provided at the bottom of the entrance / exit 101 of the vehicle 100. In this example, the boarding step 103 is made of metal or resin, and the second additional unit 13 is provided on a part of it. For example, the second additional unit 13 comprises a light source, a light guide that transmits light from the light source and irradiates it to the outside, and a light-transmitting member. The light guide is arranged to surround the outer edge of the boarding step 103, and its periphery is covered by the light-transmitting member. The light source is, for example, located at one end of the light guide. When the light source is turned on, the light emitted from the light source is guided into the light guide, and the light is reflected internally by the light guide, causing the light to irradiate from the outer surface of the light guide. In this way, the outer edge of the boarding step 103 lights up when the second additional unit 13 is turned on.

[0022] The third additional unit 14 is provided adjacent to the first main lighting unit 11A, which is located on the front side surface 102A of the door 102. The third additional unit 14 is composed of, for example, a light source and an optical element such as a lens. When the door 102 is open upward, the third additional unit 14 is positioned on the front side surface 102A of the door 102 so as to illuminate the interior of the vehicle near the entrance / exit 101. The light emitted from the third additional unit 14 forms a substantially circular illuminated area P3 near the rear seat 104.

[0023] The control unit 15 is configured to control the operation of each part of the vehicle lighting device 10. The control unit 15 consists of a processor such as a CPU and memory. The control unit 15 is connected to the vehicle control unit 2.

[0024] The control unit 15 generates control signals to control the operation of the main lighting unit 11, the first additional unit 12, the second additional unit 13, and the third additional unit 14 based on various information transmitted from the vehicle control unit 2, and transmits these control signals to each of the units 11 to 14. Specifically, the control unit 15 transmits control signals to each of the units 11 to 14 based on information (opening / closing information) regarding the opening and / or closing operation of the door 102 transmitted from the vehicle control unit 2. The opening and closing information of the door 102 may include, for example, operation input information transmitted from an input device that accepts opening and closing operations of the door 102 by the occupants of the vehicle 100. Alternatively, the opening and closing information of the door 102 may include detection information transmitted from a sensor that detects the opening or closing operation of the door 102. Furthermore, the control unit 15 may control the operation of at least some of the main lighting unit 11, the first additional unit 12, the second additional unit 13, and the third additional unit 14 based on detection information transmitted from a sensor (such as a seating sensor or a human presence sensor) for detecting that an occupant is inside the vehicle 100.

[0025] If the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B are equipped with five light sources corresponding to marks M1 to M5, the control unit 15 may be able to individually control the lighting state of each light source. This allows the control unit 15 to simultaneously light up each light source to illuminate marks M1 to M5 at the same time, or to sequentially light up each light source to illuminate marks M1 to M5 in order. When lighting up each light source sequentially, the control unit 15 can individually control each light source, for example, to light up the light source corresponding to mark M1 so that it first illuminates mark M1, which is located closest to the entrance / exit 101, followed by the light source corresponding to mark M2 adjacent to mark M1, the light source corresponding to mark M3 adjacent to mark M2, and so on, until finally lighting up the light source corresponding to mark M5, which is located furthest from the entrance / exit 101. Alternatively, the control unit 15 may individually control each light source so that it first lights up the light source corresponding to mark M5, which is located furthest from the entrance / exit 101, and last lights up the light source corresponding to mark M1, which is located closest to the entrance / exit 101. Furthermore, if the main lighting units 11A and 11B are composed of a unit equipped with a light source and multiple liquid crystal elements arranged in a matrix, simultaneous drawing or sequential drawing of each mark M1 to M5 can be achieved by selectively driving the multiple liquid crystal elements.

[0026] The control unit 15 may control the first add-on unit 12 so as to change the display mode of the road surface drawing pattern P2 formed by the first add-on unit 12 when an occupant enters the vehicle 100 from the entrance / exit 101 and when an occupant exits the vehicle 100. For example, the control unit 15 may send different signals related to the road surface drawing pattern P2 to the first add-on unit 12 depending on whether an occupant is inside the vehicle 100 when the door 102 is opened or closed. This makes it possible to change the shape of the road surface drawing pattern P2 projected by the first add-on unit 12. If the light source is an RGB laser light source, the first add-on unit 12 can draw road surface drawing patterns P2 of various colors on the road surface RS by scanning the laser beam.

[0027] Next, the operation of the vehicle lighting device 10 configured as described above will be explained. First, referring to Figure 4, the operation performed by the vehicle lighting device 10 when an occupant boards the vehicle 100 will be explained. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation performed by the vehicle lighting device 10.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, first, the control unit 15 of the vehicle lighting device 10 determines whether or not the door 102 has started to open (step S11). Whether or not the door 102 has started to open can be determined, for example, based on whether an occupant has pressed the door open switch. Alternatively, the start of the door 102 opening operation may be determined by the detection of the door 102 opening by a predetermined door sensor. If it is determined in step S11 that the door 102 has not started to open (No in step S11), the control unit 15 repeats the process of step S11. On the other hand, if it is determined that the door 102 has started to open (Yes in step S11), the control unit 15 determines whether or not there is an occupant in the vehicle interior corresponding to the door 102 (step S12). The determination in step S12 may be made by detecting whether or not an occupant is seated in the rear seat 104 using an occupancy sensor, or it may be determined based on occupant detection by a human presence sensor or an in-vehicle camera capable of photographing the interior of the vehicle. Alternatively, the decision in step S12 may be made by detecting whether the door 102 was opened from outside or inside the vehicle, that is, whether the occupant outside the vehicle or the occupant inside the vehicle opened the door 102.

[0029] If it is determined that there is an occupant in the passenger compartment corresponding to door 102 (Yes in step S12), the control unit 15 proceeds to step S31 in Figure 5. The processing from step S31 onwards will be described later with reference to Figure 5. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no occupant in the passenger compartment corresponding to door 102 (No in step S12), the control unit 15 controls the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B to start illuminating with light from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B (step S13). When the illumination of light from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B begins, the road surface drawing pattern P1 is projected onto the road surface RS, with the illumination position of the light gradually changing from near the entrance / exit 101 to further away in conjunction with the opening operation of door 102. Then, when the door 102 is opened, two road surface drawing patterns P1 are projected onto the road surface RS around the entrance / exit 101 from both sides of the door 102, which is open upward relative to the body of the vehicle 100. In other words, each road surface drawing pattern P1 is formed by light shining from a relatively high position relative to the road surface RS.

[0030] The control unit 15 may control the main lighting units 11A and 11B to gradually increase the amount of light emitted from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B. The control unit 15 may also perform sequential projection of the road surface drawing pattern P1, starting from mark M5, which is further away from the vehicle 100, and moving towards mark M1, which is closer to the vehicle 100. By gradually increasing the amount of light that forms the road surface drawing pattern P1, or by sequentially illuminating from mark M5 to mark M1, the effect of guiding occupants outside the vehicle toward the entrance / exit 101 can be further enhanced. The control unit 15 may also continuously emit light from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B, or intermittently emit light. In other words, the road surface drawing pattern P1 may be continuously projected or flashing. When the main lighting units 11A and 11B are to be lit intermittently, the control unit 15 may add control such as gradually increasing the continuous lighting time as time passes, or gradually decreasing the continuous lighting time as time passes.

[0031] Next, the control unit 15 moves the boarding step 103 so that it protrudes outward from the bottom of the entrance 101, and starts lighting the second additional unit 13 provided on the boarding step 103 (step S14). As a result, the outer edge of the boarding step 103 lights up. Subsequently, the control unit 15 starts irradiating light from the third additional unit 14 (step S15). In this way, after the road surface drawing pattern P1 is projected, the boarding step 103 lights up, and an illuminated area P3 is formed inside the vehicle.

[0032] Next, the control unit 15 determines whether the door 102 opening operation is complete, that is, whether the door 102 is fully open (step S16). If the door 102 opening operation is not complete (No in step S16), the control unit 15 repeats the process in step S16. On the other hand, if it is determined that the door 102 opening operation is complete (Yes in step S16), the control unit 15 starts illuminating with light from the first additional unit 12 (step S17). As a result, the road surface drawing pattern P2 is projected onto the road surface RS between the two road surface drawing patterns P1. For example, if the road surface drawing pattern P2 is a logo image or the like with a fixed orientation (see Figure 3), the road surface drawing pattern P2 can be projected onto the road surface RS so that an occupant outside the vehicle 100 can see it in the correct orientation when approaching the entrance / exit 101. Furthermore, if the drawing of the road surface drawing pattern P2, which includes a logo image, is started midway through the opening operation of the door 102, unintended deformation may occur, potentially impairing the visibility of the logo image. Therefore, in this disclosure, the drawing of the road surface drawing pattern P2 is started only after the opening operation of the door 102 is completed, thereby preventing unintended deformation of the logo image.

[0033] Here, the projection of road surface drawing patterns P1 and P2, the illumination of the boarding / alighting step 103, and the formation of the illuminated area P3 guide the occupant from outside the vehicle toward the entrance / exit 101, and the occupant enters the vehicle through the entrance / exit 101. Subsequently, the control unit 15 determines whether the occupant who was guided from the entrance / exit 101 into the vehicle has taken a seat in the rear seat 104 (step S18). The occupant's seating in the rear seat 104 is determined, for example, by a signal from a seating sensor. Alternatively, the occupant's seating may be determined by a seat belt sensor that detects whether the seat belt installed in the rear seat 104 is fastened. If, in step S18, it is determined that the occupant is not seated in the rear seat 104 (No. in step S18), the control unit 15 repeats the process of step S18. In response to this, if it is determined that an occupant has taken a seat in the rear seat 104 (Yes in step S18), the control unit 15 stops the illumination of light from the first additional unit 12 and the third additional unit 14, and turns off the second additional unit 13 (step S19). As a result, the road surface drawing pattern P2 and the lighting area P3 are hidden, and the boarding / alighting step 103 is also turned off. Note that in step S19, the boarding / alighting step 103, which had moved to the outside of the body, may be turned off and retracted into the body.

[0034] Next, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the closing operation of the door 102 has started (step S20). If it is determined in step S20 that the closing operation of the door 102 has not started (No in step S20), the control unit 15 repeats the process of step S20. On the other hand, if it is determined that the closing operation of the door 102 has started (Yes in step S20), the control unit 15 stops the illumination of light from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B (step S21). The control unit 15 may stop the illumination of light from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B instantaneously, or it may gradually reduce the amount of light emitted from the main lighting units 11A and 11B. As a result, the road surface drawing pattern P1 is hidden, and the operation in Figure 4 ends.

[0035] In the example shown in Figure 4, the illumination of the first additional unit 12 and the third additional unit 14 is stopped and the second additional unit 13 is turned off based on the fact that the occupant has taken a seat in the rear seat 104 after the door 102 has been opened, but the example is not limited to this. Regardless of whether the occupant is seated or not, the illumination of each additional unit 12 to 14 may be stopped / turned off based on the fact that the closing operation of the door 102 has started, along with the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B.

[0036] Next, with reference to Figure 5, we will describe the actions performed by the vehicle lighting device 10 when an occupant disembarks from the vehicle 100. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing another example of the actions performed by the vehicle lighting device 10.

[0037] Step S12 shown in Figure 5 is identical to step S12 in Figure 4, so its explanation is omitted. In step S12, if it is determined that there is an occupant in the passenger compartment corresponding to the door 102 from which the opening operation has begun (Yes in step S12), the control unit 15 moves the boarding / alighting step 103 outward from the body and lights up the second additional unit 13 (step S31). As a result, the outer edge of the boarding / alighting step 103 lights up. In addition to lighting up the second additional unit 13, the control unit 15 may also start illuminating with light from the third additional unit 14. As a result, an illuminated area P3 is formed inside the passenger compartment.

[0038] Next, the control unit 15 starts illuminating the road surface from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B (step S32). As a result, two road surface drawing patterns P1 are projected onto the road surface RS around the entrance / exit 101. The control unit 15 may also control the main lighting units 11A and 11B to gradually increase the amount of light emitted from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B. When the road surface drawing pattern P1 is drawn sequentially, unlike in step S13, it is preferable in step S32 that the road surface drawing pattern P1 is projected sequentially from mark M1 to mark M5 among the marks M1 to M5 that constitute the road surface drawing pattern P1. By gradually increasing the amount of light that forms the road surface drawing pattern P1, or by projecting the road surface drawing pattern P1 sequentially from mark M1, which is closer to the vehicle 100, to mark M5, it is possible to effectively guide occupants inside the vehicle 100 to the outside. Furthermore, the control unit 15 may continuously irradiate light from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B, or it may irradiate light intermittently.

[0039] Next, the control unit 15 determines whether the door 102 has opened completely, that is, whether the door 102 is fully open (step S33). If it is determined in step S33 that the door 102 has not opened completely (No in step S33), the control unit 15 repeats the process in step S33. On the other hand, if it is determined that the door 102 has opened completely (Yes in step S33), the control unit 15 starts irradiating light from the first additional unit 12 (step S34). At this time, the control unit 15 projects a road surface drawing pattern P2A onto the road surface RS that has a different display mode from the road surface drawing pattern P2 formed by the first additional unit 12 in step S17 of Figure 4.

[0040] Figure 6 shows examples of drawing patterns and illumination areas illuminated by the vehicle lighting device 10 during the operation shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 6, the control unit 15 controls the first additional unit 12 so that the road surface drawing pattern P2A projected between the two road surface drawing patterns P1 is oriented in the opposite direction to the road surface drawing pattern P2 projected in step S17. For example, the road surface drawing pattern P2A projected in step S34 may be projected onto the road surface RS so that occupants inside the vehicle 100 can see it in the correct orientation when they get out.

[0041] Next, the control unit 15 determines whether the occupant has disembarked from the vehicle 100, that is, whether the occupant has completed disembarking (step S35). If it is determined in step S35 that the occupant has not completed disembarking (No in step S35), the control unit 15 repeats the process in step S35. On the other hand, if it is determined that the occupant has completed disembarking (Yes in step S35), the control unit 15 turns off the second add-on unit 13 and stops the illumination of light from the first add-on unit 12 (step S36). As a result, the road surface drawing pattern P2 is hidden, and the boarding / alighting step 103 is also turned off. The boarding / alighting step 103, which had moved to the outside of the body, may be turned off and retracted into the body. If, in step S31, the second add-on unit 13 is lit and light is also being emitted from the third add-on unit 14, the illumination of light from the third add-on unit 14 is also stopped.

[0042] Next, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the closing operation of the door 102 has started (step S37). If it is determined in step S37 that the closing operation of the door 102 has not started (No in step S37), the control unit 15 repeats the process in step S37. On the other hand, if it is determined that the closing operation of the door 102 has started (Yes in step S37), the control unit 15 stops the illumination of light from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B (step S38). The control unit 15 may stop the illumination of light from the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B instantaneously, or it may gradually reduce the amount of light emitted from the main lighting units 11A and 11B. As a result, the road surface drawing pattern P1 is hidden, and the process in Figure 5 is completed.

[0043] In the example shown in Figure 5, the second additional unit 13 is turned on before the projection of the road surface drawing pattern P1 by the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B begins. However, the projection of the road surface drawing pattern P1 and the turning on of the second additional unit 13 may be performed simultaneously, or the projection of the road surface drawing pattern P1 may be started before the turning on of the second additional unit 13. Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 5, after the door 102 is opened and the occupants have finished disembarking from the vehicle 100, the illumination from the first additional unit 12 and the third additional unit 14 is stopped, and the second additional unit 13 is turned off. However, the system is not limited to this example. Regardless of whether the occupants have disembarked or not, the illumination / lighting of each additional unit 12-14, along with the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B, may be stopped based on the start of the closing operation of the door 102.

[0044] Incidentally, in conventional cases, where a light fixture is installed on the body below the entrance / exit 101 and light is shone from the light fixture toward the road surface around the vehicle 100, the light is shone at a shallow angle to the road surface, i.e., a relatively large angle of incidence, so light reflected from puddles on the road surface is likely to cause glare. Also, the road surface drawing pattern formed by light shone at a large angle of incidence to the road surface may have poor clarity.

[0045] In contrast, the main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B) for road surface drawing in the vehicle lighting device 10 of this embodiment is installed on a flip-up door 102 attached to the entrance / exit 101 of the vehicle 100. The control unit 15 controls the main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B) in conjunction with the opening operation of the door 102 to form a road surface drawing pattern P1 by irradiating light from the top of the vehicle 100 toward the road surface RS around the entrance / exit 101. With this configuration, the main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B) irradiates light from the top of the vehicle 100 toward the road surface RS around the entrance / exit 101. Therefore, compared to the conventional case where light is irradiated toward the road surface from the bottom of the body, the light is irradiated toward the road surface RS at a relatively small angle of incidence. Consequently, it is possible to irradiate a road surface drawing pattern P1 with high clarity while suppressing the generation of glare due to reflection of light from the road surface RS that forms the road surface drawing pattern P1.

[0046] Furthermore, the road surface drawing pattern P1 is a linear pattern that follows the direction in which passengers board and alight at the entrance / exit 101. With this configuration, the road surface drawing pattern P1 can guide the movement of passengers to the entrance / exit 101.

[0047] Furthermore, the control unit 15 controls the main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B) to start illuminating the road surface drawing pattern P1 midway through the opening operation of the door 102. With this configuration, the illumination position of the road surface drawing pattern P1 changes in conjunction with the opening operation of the door 102, thereby achieving a high level of visual effect.

[0048] Furthermore, the vehicle lighting device 10 is further equipped with a first additional unit 12 that displays a road surface drawing pattern P2 on the road surface RS that is different from the road surface drawing pattern P1. The control unit 15 controls the first additional unit 12 so that the display mode of the road surface drawing pattern P2 differs when an occupant gets into the vehicle 100 and when an occupant gets out of the vehicle 100. With this configuration, for example, if the road surface drawing pattern P2 displayed on the road surface RS by the first additional unit 12 is a logo image, the orientation of the logo image can be changed according to the direction in which the occupant gets in and out. In addition to the orientation of the road surface drawing pattern P2, the color and lighting mode may also be changed according to the direction in which the occupant gets in and out.

[0049] Furthermore, the vehicle lighting device 10 is further equipped with a second additional unit 13 that illuminates the boarding / alighting steps 103 provided at the entrance / exit 101, and a third additional unit 14 that illuminates the interior of the vehicle 100. With this configuration, in addition to the projection of the road surface drawing pattern P1 by the main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B), the boarding / alighting steps 103 are illuminated by the second additional unit 13, and the interior is also illuminated by the third additional unit 14, thereby effectively guiding passengers to board and alight from the vehicle 100.

[0050] Furthermore, the control unit 15 gradually increases the amount of light emitted from the main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B) in conjunction with the opening operation of the door 102, while gradually decreasing the amount of light emitted from the main lighting unit 11 (11A, 11B) in conjunction with the closing operation of the door 102. With this configuration, the visual effect can be further enhanced by gradually displaying or hiding the road surface drawing pattern P1.

[0051] (modified version) Next, modified examples of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 4. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle system 1 may include an air injection device 50 in addition to the vehicle control unit 2 and the vehicle lighting device 10. The air injection device 50 may be provided, for example, on the front side surface 102A and the rear side surface 102B of the door 102 near the first main lighting unit 11A and the second main lighting unit 11B, respectively. The air injection device 50 is capable of injecting high-pressure air toward the road surface RS from both sides of the upward-opening door 102. As the air injection device 50, for example, a sensor cleaner used to clean various sensors mounted on the vehicle 100 with high-pressure air can be repurposed.

[0052] As shown in Figure 4, for example, after steps S16 and S17, that is, after the opening of the door 102 is completed and the irradiation of light from the third additional unit 14 begins, the control unit 15 injects high-pressure air from the air injection device 50 toward the road surface RS (step S25). The direction in which the high-pressure air is injected from the air injection device 50 may be substantially the same as the direction in which the light is irradiated from the main lighting units 11A and 11B. As a result, some of the light irradiated from the main lighting units 11A and 11B is reflected by minute dust particles mixed in with the high-pressure air ejected from the air injection device 50, and the resulting scattered light can create an illumination effect that makes it appear as if a film of light has been formed between the door 102 and the road surface drawing pattern P1. It is preferable to start the injection of high-pressure air by the air injection device 50 only after the door 102 has been completely opened in order to prevent the high-pressure air injected from the air injection device 50 from being blown into the passenger compartment or unintentionally hitting the occupants.

[0053] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of this disclosure should not be interpreted restrictively by the description of these embodiments. These embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiments are possible within the scope of the disclosure described in the claims. The technical scope of this disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the disclosure described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the main lighting units 11A, 11B, the first additional unit 12, and the third additional unit 14 are mounted on the front side 102A and rear side 102B of the door 102, but the invention is not limited to this example. Instead of mounting each unit 11, 12, 14 on the door, the main lighting units, the first additional unit, and the third additional unit may be placed on the upper part of the door frame that forms the entrance / exit 101 of the vehicle 100. Alternatively, these units may be placed on the ceiling of the passenger compartment near the entrance / exit 101. Even when the main lighting units and additional units are placed on the upper part of the door frame or on the ceiling of the passenger compartment, light can be irradiated from the upper part of the body toward the road surface RS and the passenger compartment when the door 102 is open, so that road surface drawing patterns P1, P2 and illumination areas P3 can be formed in the same way as in the above embodiment.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the second additional unit 13 is placed on the outer edge of the boarding / alighting step 103, and the outer edge of the boarding / alighting step 103 is illuminated by lighting up the second additional unit 13, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, another additional unit may be provided near the main lighting units 11A and 11B located on both sides of the door 102, and the entire boarding / alighting step 103 may be illuminated by shining light from this additional unit toward the boarding / alighting step 103.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the vehicle control unit 2 and the control unit 15 of the vehicle lighting device 10 are provided as separate components, but the vehicle control unit 2 and the control unit 15 may be configured as an integrated unit. In this regard, the vehicle control unit 2 and the control unit 15 may be configured by a single electronic control unit.

[0057] This disclosure includes the following aspects: (1) A main lighting unit for road marking that illuminates the road surface around the vehicle, A control unit that controls the main lighting unit, Equipped with, The main lighting unit is provided on at least one of the doors attached to the entrance / exit of the vehicle and the upper part of the vehicle body. The aforementioned door is a hinged door that opens upwards. A vehicle lighting device in which the control unit controls the main light unit to form a first road surface drawing pattern by irradiating light from the top of the vehicle toward the road surface around the entrance / exit in conjunction with the opening operation of the flip-up door. (2) The vehicle lighting device according to (1), wherein the first road surface drawing pattern is a linear pattern along the direction in which passengers board and alight at the entrance / exit. (3) The vehicle lighting device according to (1) or (2), wherein the control unit controls the main light unit to start illuminating the light midway through the opening operation of the lift-up door. (4) Further comprising a first additional unit that displays a second road surface drawing pattern different from the first road surface drawing pattern on the road surface, The vehicle lighting device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the control unit controls the first additional unit so that the display mode of the second road surface drawing pattern when an occupant gets into the vehicle is different from the display mode of the second road surface drawing pattern when the occupant gets out of the vehicle. (5) A second additional unit that illuminates the boarding and alighting steps provided at the boarding and alighting entrance, A third additional unit for illuminating the interior of the vehicle, and a vehicle lighting device according to any one of (1) to (4). (6) The vehicle lighting device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the control unit gradually increases the amount of light emitted from the main lighting unit in conjunction with the opening operation of the flip-up door, and gradually decreases the amount of light emitted from the main lighting unit in conjunction with the closing operation of the flip-up door. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0058] 1. Vehicle System 2. Vehicle Control Unit 10. Vehicle lighting equipment 11 Main lighting unit 11A First main lighting unit 11B Second main lighting unit 12. First Additional Unit 13 Second Additional Unit 14 Third Additional Unit 15 Control Unit 50 Air injection device 100 vehicles 101 Entrance / Exit 102 Swing-up door 103 Steps for boarding and alighting 104 Rear Seats

Claims

1. A main lighting unit for road marking that illuminates the road surface around the vehicle, A control unit that controls the main lighting unit, Equipped with, The main lighting unit is provided on at least one of the doors attached to the entrance / exit of the vehicle and the upper part of the vehicle body. The aforementioned door is a hinged door that opens upwards. A vehicle lighting device in which the control unit controls the main light unit to form a first road surface drawing pattern by irradiating light from the top of the vehicle toward the road surface around the entrance / exit in conjunction with the opening operation of the flip-up door.

2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the first road surface drawing pattern is a line-shaped pattern along the direction in which occupants board and alight at the entrance / exit.

3. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit controls the main light unit to start illuminating the light midway through the opening operation of the lift-up door.

4. The system further comprises a first additional unit that displays a second road surface drawing pattern on the road surface, which is different from the first road surface drawing pattern. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit controls the first additional unit so that the display mode of the second road surface drawing pattern differs when an occupant gets into the vehicle and when the occupant gets out of the vehicle.

5. A second additional unit that illuminates the boarding / alighting steps provided at the aforementioned entrance / exit, A vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a third additional unit for irradiating light into the interior of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit gradually increases the amount of light emitted from the main lighting unit in conjunction with the opening operation of the flip-up door, and gradually decreases the amount of light emitted from the main lighting unit in conjunction with the closing operation of the flip-up door.

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