Sun visor device

Abstract

The sun visor is controlled to a more appropriate position according to the actual conditions of the lane the vehicle is traveling in. [Solution] The sun visor device in this disclosure controls the position of the sun visor installed on the vehicle. The sun visor device comprises one or more processors. One or more processors acquire information on the position of the sun visors of other vehicles traveling at a target point, which is any point on the lane in which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, and determine the position of the vehicle's sun visor when the vehicle enters the target point based on the information on the position of the other vehicles' sun visors.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a technology for controlling a sun visor for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a sun visor device for a vehicle. This sun visor device calculates the position of the sun from the current time, the current position of the vehicle, the current weather, etc., and calculates the position of the face of the front seat passenger by an infrared sensor. Further, based on the traveling direction of the vehicle, the road gradient, and the position of the sun, the solar radiation intrusion angle into the vehicle interior is calculated. Then, when it is predicted that direct sunlight hits the face of the passenger based on the solar radiation intrusion angle, the sun visor is controlled to move to the optimal position. Also, when the vehicle is in route guidance by the vehicle navigation device, the solar radiation intrusion angle after a certain time is calculated based on the route information after a certain time, and the sun visor is controlled.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the solar radiation intrusion angle is predicted based on weather prediction, route information of the navigation device, etc. However, the predicted value of the solar radiation intrusion angle calculated only from the position information obtained from the navigation device and the information on the position of the sun at that point may deviate from the actual solar radiation intrusion angle into the vehicle. In such a case, with the sun visor device of Patent Document 1, the sun visor cannot be controlled to an appropriate position.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, this disclosure provides a technology that can control the sun visor to a more appropriate position according to the actual situation of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the technology of this disclosure is a sun visor device that controls the position of a sun visor installed on a vehicle. The sun visor device comprises one or more processors. The one or more processors acquire information on the position of the sun visors of other vehicles traveling at a target point, which is any point on the lane in which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, and determine the position of the vehicle's sun visor when the vehicle enters the target point, based on the information on the position of the other vehicles' sun visors. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, the position of the vehicle's sun visor is controlled based on the position of the sun visors of other vehicles actually traveling at the target point, which is a point on the lane the vehicle is scheduled to travel in. This allows the position of the sun visor to be controlled to an appropriate position according to the actual conditions of the lane the vehicle is scheduled to travel in. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a sun visor device and its surrounding area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This flowchart shows the control process executed by the sun visor ECU of the vehicle according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are simplified or omitted.

[0010] Embodiment. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle sun visor device and its surroundings according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the system of this embodiment 1 includes a data center 100, a vehicle 1 capable of communicating with the data center 100, and a plurality of other vehicles 1A.

[0011] Vehicle 1, which is the vehicle itself, is equipped with a sun visor 2. The sun visor 2 is made of, for example, a translucent acrylic sheet and is installed near the front window glass of vehicle 1. By moving to the point where light enters the vehicle interior after passing through the front window glass, it can block the light entering the vehicle interior.

[0012] Vehicle 1 is equipped with a sun visor device 10. The sun visor device 10 comprises a sun visor ECU 11 and a sun visor actuator 12. The sun visor ECU 11 comprises a well-known microcomputer consisting of one or more CPUs (not shown), one or more ROMs, one or more RAMs, etc., and the functions of the sun visor ECU 11 are realized by the CPU performing calculation processing according to a program stored in the microcomputer.

[0013] The sun visor actuator 12 is a driving means for driving the sun visor 2, and is, for example, a motor. The sun visor ECU 11 controls the sun visor actuator 12 to move the sun visor 2 between the light-shielding position and the retracted position. Here, the light-shielding position is the position in which a part of the front windshield of the vehicle 1 is covered and light entering the passenger compartment is blocked, and the retracted position is the position in which the sun visor is stored in the ceiling portion of the vehicle 1, outside the area of ​​the front windshield.

[0014] Vehicle 1 is equipped with a navigation ECU 20. The sun visor ECU 11 obtains information from the navigation ECU 20, including the vehicle's direction of travel, current time, current location, and predicted route. The predicted route information includes right and left turn information. The right and left turn information includes information indicating that vehicle 1 will make a right or left turn within a certain time from the current time.

[0015] The sun visor device 10 calculates target point A, which is the predicted position of vehicle 1 after turning right or left, based on information acquired from the navigation ECU 20. The calculation rules for target point A are predetermined and stored in the sun visor ECU 11. Specifically, for example, the system can be configured to calculate target point A as the predicted position of vehicle 1 a predetermined time from the present moment, or the entrance point of the lane that vehicle 1 will enter after turning right or left. The sun visor ECU 11 transmits the information of target point A to the data center 100.

[0016] Furthermore, the sun visor ECU 11 determines the optimal position of the sun visor 2 based on the sun visor position information obtained from the data center 100. Depending on the determined optimal position of the sun visor, it controls the sun visor actuator 12 to move the position of the sun visor 2 if necessary.

[0017] The data center 100 acquires and stores the location information of the sun visor 2 of vehicle 1 and the location information of the sun visor of another vehicle 1A in real time, and centrally manages the location information of the sun visors.

[0018] Furthermore, when the data center 100 receives information about target location A from vehicle 1, it transmits to vehicle 1 the location information of the sun visors of other vehicles 1A at target location A. Here, the range of location information to be transmitted from the data center 100 is predetermined. For example, the data center 100 can transmit the location information of the sun visors of other vehicles 1A that have traveled through target location A within a certain reference time range based on the time when the data center 100 receives right / left turn information from vehicle 1.

[0019] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the control operations performed by the sun visor ECU. The control operations shown in Figure 2 are repeatedly performed at predetermined control intervals while vehicle 1 is in operation.

[0020] During the control operation of FIG. 2, in step S10, information such as the current location information and right / left turn information of vehicle 1 is acquired from the navigation ECU 20. Next, in step S11, it is determined whether there is right / left turn information from the acquired information. If it is determined in step S11 that there is no right / left turn information, the current process is terminated.

[0021] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S11 that there is right / left turn information, then next, in step S12, the target point A after the right / left turn is calculated, and the information of the target point A is transmitted to the data center 100.

[0022] In step S13, the position information of the sun visor at the target point A is acquired from the data center 100. Here, as the sun visor position information at the target point A, whether the position of the sun visor 2 of another vehicle 1A at the target point A is at the storage position or the sun visor 2 is lowered to the light-shielding position is transmitted.

[0023] In step S14, it is determined whether the ratio of other vehicles 1A (also referred to as "sun visor lowered vehicles") in which the sun visor 2 is in the light-shielding position, that is, the ratio of sun visor lowered vehicles to the total number of other vehicles 1A at point A, is greater than a threshold value. The threshold value is stored in the sun visor ECU 11 in advance.

[0024] If it is determined in step S14 that the ratio of sun visor lowered vehicles is greater than the threshold value, then in step S15, the position of the sun visor 2 is set to the light-shielding position. If the sun visor 2 is not in the light-shielding position, the sun visor ECU 11 transmits a drive command for the sun visor to the sun visor actuator 12 to lower the sun visor 2 to the light-shielding position before vehicle 1 enters the target point A. Then the current process ends.

[0025] On the other hand, if step S14 determines that the percentage of vehicles with their sun visors down is below a threshold, then in step S16, the position of the sun visor 2 is set to the retracted position. If the sun visor 2 is not in the retracted position, the sun visor ECU 11 sends a drive command to the sun visor actuator 12 to move the sun visor 2 to the retracted position before the vehicle 1 enters target point A. After that, this process ends.

[0026] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S14 that the percentage of vehicles with the sun visor lowered is below a threshold, the process in step S16 may be omitted, and the process may terminate. This allows the currently set position of the sun visor 2 to be maintained in situations where the need for sun protection is deemed low.

[0027] As described above, according to this embodiment, the sun visor 2 of vehicle 1 is automatically controlled in accordance with the usage status of the sun visors of other vehicles 1A at locations where vehicle 1 will travel in the future. This makes it possible to move the sun visor 2 to an appropriate position even in situations where there is a discrepancy between the angle of sunlight intrusion that is normally expected from the weather forecast and the actual angle of sunlight intrusion onto the vehicle.

[0028] In the control example shown in Figure 2, the sun visor device 10 is described as controlling the sun visor 2 to a sun-shielding position or a retracted position. However, the sun visor device 10 may be configured to control the position of the sun visor 2 in multiple stages or continuously. In this case, for example, the data center 100 acquires and stores information indicating the position of the sun visor 2, such as the position or angle of the sun visor, from other vehicles 1A. The sun visor device 10 may be configured to acquire information indicating the position of the sun visor of other vehicles 1A traveling through target point A, calculate the average value, and adjust the position of the sun visor 2 of vehicle 1 before entering target point A.

[0029] Furthermore, this embodiment describes a case where the position of the sun visor 2 is controlled based on the position information of the sun visor of another vehicle 1A when vehicle 1 turns right or left. However, the configuration may be used to control the position of the sun visor 2 in a similar manner not limited to when vehicle 1 turns right or left, but in situations where a change in the angle of incidence of light entering vehicle 1 is predicted. Situations in which a change in the angle of incidence of light is predicted include, for example, a change in the road surface gradient or a change in the presence or absence of surrounding environmental factors that block light. In such situations, the configuration may be used to similarly acquire the position of the sun visor of another vehicle 1A at the target point A that vehicle 1 will travel to after a certain period of time, and control the position of the sun visor 2 accordingly. Alternatively, regardless of whether or not there is a change in the angle of incidence of light, the configuration may be used to constantly monitor the position information of the sun visor of another vehicle 1A traveling at the target point A that vehicle 1 will travel to in the future, and control the position of the sun visor 2 of vehicle 1 according to that position information.

[0030] In the embodiments described above, when numbers such as the number of elements, quantities, amounts, or ranges are mentioned, the sun visor device of this disclosure is not limited to the number mentioned unless specifically stated or clearly defined in principle. Furthermore, the structures and the like described in this embodiment are not necessarily essential to the sun visor device of this disclosure unless specifically stated or clearly defined in principle. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 vehicle 1A Other vehicles 2 sun visors 10. Sun visor device 11 Sun Visor ECU 12 Sun visor actuators 20 Navigation ECU 100 data centers

Claims

[Claim 1] A sun visor device that controls the position of the sun visor installed on the vehicle, Equipped with one or more processors, The aforementioned one or more processors are The system obtains information on the position of the sun visors of other vehicles traveling at the target point, which is any point on the lane that the aforementioned vehicle is scheduled to travel in. The position of the sun visor of the vehicle when the vehicle enters the target location is determined based on information regarding the position of the sun visor of the other vehicle. Sun visor device.

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