Vehicle lighting fixtures

Abstract

This vehicular lamp (1), provided to a motorcycle (100) traveling through a corner by tilting the vehicle body thereof, comprises: a light source unit (2); an external sensor (3) for detecting information pertaining to the outside of the motorcycle (100); and a housing (10) for accommodating the light source unit (2) and the external sensor (3). The vehicular lamp (1) is disposed at the center section of the vehicle body in the left-right direction, and the external sensor (3) is disposed at the center section inside the housing (10) in the left-right direction of the lamp.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a motorcycle headlamp equipped with a high beam / low beam light source, while Patent Document 2 discloses a four-wheeled vehicle headlamp having a camera disposed in a lamp chamber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Application Publication WO2019 / 039051 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-164913 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is room for improvement in the layout configuration when a sensor such as a camera is mounted inside the lamp chamber of a motorcycle headlamp.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp to be mounted on a motorcycle or the like, which allows for an efficient layout of a sensor built into the lamp and maintains the detection accuracy of the sensor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A vehicle lamp provided on a vehicle that runs around corners by leaning the vehicle body, A light source unit; A sensor for detecting information outside the vehicle; a housing that accommodates the light source unit and the sensor; Equipped with The vehicle lamp is disposed at a center portion in a left-right direction of the vehicle body, The sensor is disposed in the housing at a center portion in the left-right direction of the lamp. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp to be mounted on a motorcycle or the like, which allows for an efficient layout of a sensor built into the lamp and maintains the detection accuracy of the sensor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a headlamp (vehicle lamp) according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the headlamp shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a headlamp. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view that illustrates a schematic configuration of a headlamp. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a light source unit included in a headlamp. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a light distribution pattern formed by a light source unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an air blower, which is an example of a cleaner. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a headlamp according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the terms "left-right direction," "front-rear direction," and "up-down direction" are relative directions set for the vehicle (motorcycle 100) shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of convenience.

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a motorcycle 100 as an example of a vehicle in this embodiment. The motorcycle 100 is a vehicle that can travel around corners (curves) on a road by leaning the body. The vehicle in this embodiment may have any number of wheels as long as it can travel around corners by leaning the body like the motorcycle 100. Therefore, for example, even a three-wheeled motor vehicle, a four-wheeled motor vehicle, etc. are included in the vehicle in this embodiment as long as they can travel in the same way as the motorcycle 100.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, a headlamp 1 (one example of a vehicle lamp) according to this embodiment is mounted on the front of a motorcycle 100. The headlamp 1 is a lamp capable of illuminating the area ahead of the vehicle, and is disposed in the center in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. Note that "the center in the left-right direction of the vehicle body" does not necessarily mean that the center line of the headlamp 1 is positioned exactly on the center line of the body of the motorcycle 100, but the center line of the headlamp 1 may be offset from the center line of the vehicle body by about 30% of the vehicle width. The headlamp 1 includes a light source unit 2, an external sensor 3, a cleaner 4, and a housing 10.

[0012] Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the headlamp 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the headlamp 1 includes a light source unit 2, an external sensor 3, and a lamp control unit 5 that controls the operations of a cleaner 4. The light source unit 2, the external sensor 3, and the cleaner 4 are connected to the lamp control unit 5. The external sensor 3 is connected to the lamp control unit 5 via an image processing unit 6. In addition, the lamp control unit 5 is connected to a bank angle sensor 7 that detects the inclination state of the motorcycle 100, a speed sensor 8 that detects the speed of the motorcycle 100, and the like.

[0013] The light source unit 2 is capable of emitting a predetermined light distribution pattern toward the forward direction, which is the traveling direction of the motorcycle 100. The light source unit 2 is configured to be capable of emitting, for example, a low beam light distribution pattern and a high beam light distribution pattern. The detailed configuration of the light source unit 2 will be described later with reference to Figs. 3 to 6.

[0014] The external sensor 3 is a sensor capable of acquiring information about the surrounding environment of the motorcycle 100, such as information about the outside of the vehicle including obstacles, other vehicles (vehicles in front, oncoming vehicles), pedestrians, road shapes, traffic signs, etc. The external sensor 3 includes at least one of a camera, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), a radar, etc.

[0015] The camera is, for example, a camera including an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera is a camera that detects visible light or an infrared camera that detects infrared light. The LiDAR is a sensor that generally emits invisible light in front of it and acquires information such as the distance to an object, the shape of the object, and the material of the object based on the emitted light and the returned light. The radar is, for example, a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, or a laser radar.

[0016] The image processing unit 6 connected to the external sensor 3 analyzes the data acquired by the external sensor 3 and determines the presence of, for example, an oncoming vehicle with its headlights on. The image processing unit 6 also corrects, for example, the image acquired by the external sensor 3 into a predetermined image in accordance with information from the bank angle sensor 7. Note that in this embodiment, the image processing unit 6 is configured independent of the lamp control unit 5, but, for example, the image processing unit 6 may be configured to be included in the lamp control unit 5. Alternatively, the image processing unit 6 may be configured to be included in the external sensor 3.

[0017] The cleaner 4 is configured to be capable of spraying a cleaning medium, such as air or a cleaning liquid, toward an object. The cleaner 4 is capable of cleaning the housing 10 of the headlamp 1 by spraying the cleaning medium. The cleaner 4 is capable of cleaning at least an area of ​​the housing 10 that corresponds to the external sensor 3. The detailed configuration of the cleaner 4 will be described later with reference to Figs. 3 and 7.

[0018] The bank angle sensor 7 is a sensor capable of detecting the inclination angle when the body of the motorcycle 100 inclines to the left or right with respect to a vertical line. The bank angle sensor 7 is configured with, for example, a gyro sensor. The inclination angle of the body may be calculated based on an image captured by a camera, which is an example of the external sensor 3.

[0019] The information detected by the external sensor 3, the bank angle sensor 7, and the speed sensor 8 is transmitted to the lamp control unit 5. The lamp control unit 5 controls the operation of the light source unit 2 and the cleaner 4 based on the information transmitted from the external sensor 3, the bank angle sensor 7, and the speed sensor 8. For example, the lamp control unit 5 can control the light source unit 2 based on the detection information of each sensor, and adjust the light distribution pattern (low beam light distribution pattern and high beam light distribution pattern) formed in front of the vehicle. The lamp control unit 5 can also control the cleaner 4 based on the detection information of each sensor, and clean the front surface of the headlamp 1 by spraying a cleaning medium.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the headlamp 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the headlamp 1 is mounted, for example, on a front cowl 102 of a motorcycle 100. The headlamp 1 has a housing 10 composed of a lamp body 11 and a transparent cover 12. A light source unit 2, an external sensor 3, a lamp control unit 5, an image processing unit 6, etc. are accommodated inside the housing 10. A cleaner 4 is attached to the outside of the housing 10.

[0021] The lamp body 11 is a box-shaped storage member having an opening on the vehicle front side. The transparent cover 12 is a transparent cover attached to cover the opening of the lamp body 11. The lamp body 11 has a body main body part 11a having the above-mentioned opening, and a body detachable part 11b detachably provided on the lower part of the body main body part 11a.

[0022] The light source unit 2 is disposed in the housing 10 at approximately the center in the up-down direction. The light source unit 2 has a projection lens 22, a light-emitting unit 24 on which a light-emitting element is mounted, and a holder 26 that holds the projection lens 22 and the light-emitting unit 24. A heat sink 28 is attached to the light-emitting unit 24. The projection lens 22 is disposed on an optical axis Ax that extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The projection lens 22 is held on the front end side of the holder 26. The light-emitting unit 24 is held on the rear end side of the holder 26. The light-emitting unit 24 is electrically connected to the lamp control unit 5. The holder 26 is attached to the lamp body 11 via a support member (not shown).

[0023] The external sensor 3 is disposed at an upper portion in the up-down direction within the housing 10. That is, the external sensor 3 is disposed above the light source unit 2 within the housing 10. The external sensor 3 is attached so as to face forward, which is the traveling direction of the motorcycle 100. For example, the external sensor 3 is attached in a direction along the optical axis Ax of the light source unit 2 extending in the front-rear direction.

[0024] The lamp control unit 5 is housed in the body attachment / detachment portion 11b of the lamp body 11. The lamp control unit 5 is configured so that it can be taken out from inside the housing 10 by removing the body attachment / detachment portion 11b from the body main body portion 11a while the transparent cover 12 remains attached to the body main body portion 11a. The lamp control unit 5 is connected to the light source unit 2, the external sensor 3, the cleaner 4, the bank angle sensor 7, and the speed sensor 8, and is also connected to a vehicle control unit 101 that controls the running of the motorcycle 100.

[0025] The cleaner 4 is disposed above the external sensor 3 in the up-down direction of the housing 10. Specifically, the cleaner 4 is disposed on the outside of the housing 10 between an upper portion of the transparent cover 12 and the front cowl 102. This provides a good appearance since the cleaner 4 is hidden by the front cowl 102, which is a design component of the motorcycle 100. The cleaner 4 is provided so as to be able to spray a cleaning medium toward a region (surface to be cleaned) of the transparent cover 12 corresponding to the external sensor 3. For example, the cleaner 4 can clean at least a sensor region 12a of the transparent cover 12 that covers a front region of the external sensor 3.

[0026] The cleaner 4 is, for example, an air blower capable of preventing foreign matter from adhering to the object to be cleaned. The air blower is a device that continuously blows wind (air) at a predetermined wind speed or a predetermined wind volume to the object to be cleaned such as the transparent cover 12, and realizes an air curtain function that prevents foreign matter from adhering to the transparent cover 12 by making a constant wind flow on the surface layer of the transparent cover 12. The cleaner 4 has at least one nozzle 4a capable of blowing wind toward the transparent cover 12. The cleaner 4 is connected to the lamp control unit 5 via a motor 43 that is a drive source of the cleaner 4. The cleaner 4 is capable of preventing foreign matter from adhering to the sensor area 12a of the transparent cover 12, for example. Since it is difficult to mount a tank of cleaning liquid on the body of the motorcycle 100, it is desirable to adopt an air blower or the like that uses air as a cleaning medium as a cleaning mechanism. However, if a tank of cleaning liquid can be mounted on the body, a cleaner that uses cleaning liquid as a cleaning medium may be adopted.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the headlamp 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the light source unit 2 is disposed in the housing 10 at the center in the left-right direction of the headlamp 1. The external sensor 3 is disposed in the housing 10 at the center in the left-right direction of the headlamp 1. That is, the external sensor 3 is disposed in parallel with the light source unit 2 in the up-down direction of the headlamp 1. In this example, the external sensor 3 is disposed directly above the single light source unit 2. The nozzle 4a of the cleaner 4 is disposed outside the housing 10 at the center in the left-right direction of the headlamp 1. That is, the cleaner 4 is disposed in parallel with the external sensor 3 in the up-down direction of the headlamp 1. In this example, the cleaner 4 is disposed directly above the external sensor 3.

[0028] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the light source unit 2. As shown in Fig. 5, the light source unit 2 is configured as a projector type unit. The light source unit 2 includes a projection lens 22 having an optical axis Ax extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a light emitting unit 24 provided behind the projection lens 22.

[0029] The light-emitting unit 24 has a light-emitting element 31 as a light source arranged rearward of the rear focal point F of the projection lens 22, and a reflector 32 arranged to cover the light-emitting element 31 from above and reflecting light from the light-emitting element 31 toward the projection lens 22. The light-emitting unit 24 also has a shade 33 that blocks a portion of the light from the light-emitting element 31 traveling toward the projection lens 22 to form a low-beam light distribution pattern. The light-emitting unit 24 also has a plurality of light-emitting elements 34 that direct light into the projection lens 22 to additionally form an additional light distribution pattern for high beam in addition to the low-beam light distribution pattern.

[0030] The projection lens 22 is a plano-convex aspheric lens with a convex front surface and a flat rear surface, and is configured to project a light source image formed on a rear focal plane, which is a focal plane including the rear focal point F, as an inverted image onto a virtual vertical screen in front of the lamp. The projection lens 22 is supported by a holder 26 at its outer circumferential flange portion.

[0031] The light emitting element 31 is, for example, a white light emitting diode, and is disposed facing upward with its light emitting surface positioned on a horizontal plane including the optical axis Ax, and is supported by a base member 35. The light emitting surface of the light emitting element 31 is not limited to facing upward on the horizontal plane, and may be disposed at an angle relative to the horizontal plane. The reflector 32 is also supported by the base member 35. The base member 35 is supported by the holder 26.

[0032] The shade 33 has an upward reflecting surface 33a that blocks a portion of the light from the light emitting element 31 that is reflected by the reflector 32, and reflects the blocked light upward. The shade 33 is configured to cause the light reflected by this upward reflecting surface 33a to enter the projection lens 22 and to emit this light from the projection lens 22 as downward light. The shade 33 is formed integrally with a base member 35. The reflecting surface 33a is formed by performing a mirror finish such as aluminum deposition on the upper surface of the base member 35.

[0033] The light-emitting elements 34 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction below the rear focal point F of the projection lens 22, and are configured to be individually turned on by the lamp control unit 5. In this example, although not shown, for example, eleven light-emitting elements 34 are arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction with a position directly below the optical axis Ax as the center. Each light-emitting element 34 is a white light-emitting diode and has a vertically elongated rectangular light-emitting surface 34a. Each light-emitting element 34 is supported by a front wall surface 35a of a base member 35 with its light-emitting surface 34a facing the front direction of the lamp. A reflection surface 35b is formed on the upper end of the front wall surface 35a of the base member 35 as an inclined surface that reflects a part of the light emitted from each light-emitting element 34 forward.

[0034] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a high beam light distribution pattern PH formed by the light source unit 2. The high beam light distribution pattern PH is formed as a composite light distribution pattern of a low beam light distribution pattern PL and an additional light distribution pattern PA. Fig. 6 shows the high beam light distribution pattern PH formed on a virtual vertical screen located 25 m ahead of the vehicle by light irradiated forward from the light source unit 2.

[0035] The low beam distribution pattern PL is formed by reflecting light from the light emitting element 31 on the reflective surface 32a of the reflector 32 and the reflective surface 33a of the shade 33, and projecting the light source image formed on the rear focal plane of the projection lens 22 as an inverted projection image onto the virtual vertical screen by the projection lens 22.

[0036] The additional light distribution pattern PA is formed as a composite light distribution pattern of eleven partial light distribution patterns Pa. Each partial light distribution pattern Pa is a light distribution pattern formed as an inverted projection image of the light source image of each light-emitting element 34 formed on the rear focal plane of the projection lens 22 by the emitted light from the light-emitting element 34. In the high beam light distribution pattern PH, the additional light distribution pattern PA is additionally formed as a horizontally elongated light distribution pattern so as to spread above the low beam light distribution pattern PL.

[0037] 7 is an exploded perspective view of an air blower, which is an example of the cleaner 4. As shown in FIG 7, the cleaner 4 includes a cleaner housing 41, an impeller 42, a motor 43, a frame 44, and a motor case 45.

[0038] The impeller 42 can be rotated around a rotation axis Bx by the motor 43. The impeller 42 has a disk-shaped plate 42a and a plurality of blades 42b. Each of the plurality of blades 42b is provided so as to extend in the radial direction of the impeller 42, and is arranged so as to form an annular shape on the plate 42a.

[0039] The cleaner housing 41 covers the impeller 42. The cleaner housing 41 is divided into one side and the other side of the rotation axis Bx of the impeller 42. The cleaner housing 41 has a substantially doughnut-shaped internal space therein. The impeller 42 is accommodated in this internal space. The cleaner housing 41 has an intake port 41a for drawing in air and an outlet port 41b for blowing out the drawn air. The intake port 41a opens in the direction of the rotation axis Bx at a position corresponding to the multiple blades 42b of the impeller 42. The outlet port 41b opens in a direction intersecting the rotation axis Bx of the impeller 42.

[0040] When the impeller 42 rotates, the air sucked in from the suction port 41a is pressed against the inner circumferential surface 41c of the cleaner housing 41 by the blades 42b. The pressed air is guided along the inner circumferential surface 41c of the cleaner housing 41 and led to the outlet 41b. The air led to the outlet 41b is sent out from the outlet 41b to the outside of the cleaner 4. That is, the air sucked in from the direction of the rotation axis Bx of the impeller 42 is pushed out in the radial direction by the rotating blades 42b, pressed against the inner circumferential surface 41c of the cleaner housing 41, and sent out from the outlet 41b opening in the radial direction to the outside of the cleaner 4. The air sent out from the outlet 41b to the outside is blown toward the sensor area 12a of the transparent cover 12 through the nozzle 4a (see FIG. 3) attached to the outlet 41b. As the impeller 42 having multiple blades 42b rotates, air (wind) is continuously blown toward the sensor area 12a of the transparent cover 12. The air blown toward the sensor area 12a of the transparent cover 12 flows along the sensor area 12a. Meanwhile, dust approaching the sensor area 12a is carried away by the air current flowing along the sensor area 12a to a location other than the sensor area 12a, and does not adhere to the sensor area 12a. In this way, the cleaner 4 prevents dust and the like from adhering to at least the sensor area 12a.

[0041] In addition to the above-mentioned examples, a propeller fan, a sirocco fan, a turbo fan, a cross-flow fan, or the like may be used as the blowing mechanism of the cleaner 4. These non-volume-type blowing means tend to produce a relatively large amount of air. Also, a volume-type fan such as a reciprocating type, a screw type, a roots type, or a vane type may be used as the blowing mechanism of the cleaner 4. Also, the cleaner 4 may be provided with a piston-type high-pressure air generating unit and configured to intermittently inject air.

[0042] (Example 1) Next, an example of the operation of the headlamp 1 of the motorcycle 100 will be described. For example, when the body of the motorcycle 100 is traveling straight, that is, when the motorcycle 100 is traveling with the body perpendicular to the road surface, the operation of the headlamp 1 is as follows. The lamp control unit 5 of the headlamp 1 analyzes the captured image data acquired by the camera mounted as the external sensor 3 to determine whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle with its headlights turned on. The lamp control unit 5 detects two light points that exist at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction, and recognizes the light points as the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. If such an oncoming vehicle exists, the lamp control unit 5 identifies the position of the oncoming vehicle based on the position of the headlights obtained by the analysis. Based on the identified position of the oncoming vehicle, the lamp control unit 5 determines whether or not the identified oncoming vehicle exists in any of the partial light distribution patterns Pa of the additional light distribution pattern PA shown in FIG. 6. If an oncoming vehicle exists in any of the partial light distribution patterns Pa, the lamp control unit 5 turns off the light-emitting element 34 that forms the partial light distribution pattern Pa. Instead of turning off the light-emitting element 34, the lamp control unit 5 may control the lighting of the light-emitting element 34 so that the luminous intensity of the irradiation light that forms the partial light distribution pattern Pa in which it is determined that an oncoming vehicle exists is lower than the luminous intensity when it is determined that an oncoming vehicle does not exist. In this way, the lamp control unit 5 can realize so-called ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) light distribution control, which prevents dazzling of other vehicles, such as oncoming vehicles and vehicles in front, by making areas where other vehicles are present into non-illuminated areas, and improves visibility of the area ahead of the motorcycle 100 by forming an additional light distribution pattern PA in areas other than the areas where other vehicles are present.

[0043] Next, when the motorcycle 100 is cornering, for example when traveling with the body tilted at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the road surface, the operation of the headlamp 1 is as follows. When the vehicle body is tilted, the horizontal and vertical coordinate system (X1-Y1 coordinate system) of the motorcycle is tilted by an angle θ with respect to the horizontal and vertical coordinate system (X0-Y0 coordinate system) of the road. Therefore, the captured image acquired by the external sensor 3 is also tilted by an angle θ with respect to the X0-Y0 coordinate system of the road, so that the light points of the headlights of the captured oncoming vehicle are detected as two light points that exist at a predetermined interval in the diagonal direction. Therefore, the lamp control unit 5 cannot detect the oncoming vehicle's headlights that are turned on as two light points that exist at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the lamp control unit 5 corrects the captured image of the X1-Y1 coordinate system of the motorcycle acquired by the external sensor 3 to an image that coincides with the X0-Y0 coordinate system of the road according to the inclination angle θ of the vehicle body acquired by the bank angle sensor 7. The lamp control unit 5 determines whether or not two light points exist at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction based on the corrected captured image. When two light spots that are spaced a predetermined distance apart in the horizontal direction are detected, the lamp control unit 5 identifies the position of the oncoming vehicle based on the position of the headlight recognized from the light spots. The lamp control unit 5 also adjusts the additional light distribution pattern PA formed by the light irradiated from the light source unit 2 in the same manner as when the body of the motorcycle 100 is traveling straight ahead.

[0044] (Example 2) Next, another example of the operation of the headlamp 1 will be described. First, the lamp control unit 5 acquires position information of an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle detected by the external sensor 3, and executes a mode (hereinafter, referred to as ADB mode) for adjusting the additional light distribution pattern PA based on the position information. That is, when an oncoming vehicle or the like is present, the lamp control unit 5 turns off or dims the light emitting element 34 that forms the partial light distribution pattern Pa for which it is determined that an oncoming vehicle is present. Even during execution of the ADB mode, air is blown from the nozzle 4a of the cleaner 4 to the sensor area 12a of the transparent cover 12.

[0045] Next, the lamp control unit 5 judges whether dirt is attached to the sensor area 12a. If it is judged that dirt is attached to the sensor area 12a, that is, that the dirt attached to the sensor area 12a is not removed even in a state where air is blown from the nozzle 4a toward the sensor area 12a of the transparent cover 12, the lamp control unit 5 stops the ADB mode and notifies the rider of the motorcycle 100 of the stop of the ADB mode. As a means for notifying the rider of the stop of the ADB mode, for example, a warning can be displayed on the instrument unit of the motorcycle 100 or a warning sound can be output.

[0046] In the second operation example, air is constantly blown from the nozzle 4a of the cleaner 4 toward the sensor area 12a of the transparent cover 12 while the ADB mode is being executed, but the lamp control unit 5 may blow air from the cleaner 4 toward the sensor area 12a only when it is determined that dirt is attached to the sensor area 12a. After that, the lamp control unit 5 may again determine whether or not dirt is attached to the sensor area 12a, and when it is determined that the dirt attached to the sensor area 12a has not been removed even by blowing air, the lamp control unit 5 may stop the ADB mode and notify the rider of the motorcycle 100 of the stop of the ADB mode.

[0047] Alternatively, the lamp control unit 5 may determine whether or not dirt is attached to the sensor area 12a of the transparent cover 12, and if it is determined that dirt is attached to the sensor area 12a, the lamp control unit 5 may stop the ADB mode regardless of whether air has been blown from the cleaner 4, and warn the occupant that the ADB mode has been stopped due to the attachment of dirt to the sensor area 12a.

[0048] In the above operation examples, the analysis of image data acquired by the external sensor 3 is performed by the luminaire control unit 5, but this is not limiting. For example, these processes may be performed by the image processing unit 6 instead of the luminaire control unit 5.

[0049] Incidentally, as a lamp for four-wheeled vehicles such as automobiles, there is known one in which a LiDAR or a camera is housed in the headlamp chamber. In such a sensor-housed lamp for four-wheeled vehicles, there is little need to consider the deterioration of the detection accuracy of the sensor due to the bank of the vehicle body. On the other hand, for a sensor mounted on a vehicle such as the motorcycle 100 that runs around corners by tilting the body, the deterioration of the detection accuracy of the sensor due to the bank of the vehicle body is likely to be a problem.

[0050] As described above, the headlamp 1 of this embodiment includes the light source unit 2, the external sensor 3 that detects information outside the motorcycle 100, and the housing 10 that accommodates the light source unit 2 and the external sensor 3. The headlamp 1 is disposed in the center of the motorcycle 100 in the left-right direction, and the external sensor 3 is disposed in the housing 10 in the center of the headlamp 1 in the left-right direction. According to this configuration, the external sensor 3 accommodated in the headlamp 1 mounted on the motorcycle 100 that runs around a corner by tilting the body is mounted near the center in the left-right direction of the body. Therefore, the external sensor 3 can accurately detect the external information (surrounding environment) of the motorcycle 100, and the detection accuracy of the external sensor 3 is less likely to decrease even when the body is tilted, compared to when the external sensor is provided at least at one end of the body in the left-right direction. Thus, according to this embodiment, the external sensor 3 can be efficiently laid out in the headlamp 1, and the detection accuracy of the external sensor 3 accommodated in the headlamp 1 mounted on the motorcycle 100 can be maintained.

[0051] In this embodiment, the light source unit 2 is composed of a single light source unit, and the external sensor 3 is arranged in parallel with the light source unit 2 in the up-down direction of the headlamp 1. According to this configuration, the external sensor 3 built into the single-lamp headlamp 1 is arranged directly above or directly below the light source unit 2, so that the optical axis Ax of the light source unit 2 and the optical axis of the external sensor 3 can be aligned. Therefore, the adjustment of the attitude of the light source unit 2 and the adjustment of the detection standard of the external sensor 3 can be performed collectively. In addition, the control by the lamp control unit 5 when adjusting the light distribution pattern of the light source unit 2 based on the external information detected by the external sensor 3 becomes accurate and easy.

[0052] The headlamp 1 of this embodiment further includes a cleaner 4 having at least one nozzle 4a capable of cleaning at least a sensor area 12a corresponding to the external sensor 3 in the transparent cover 12 attached to the housing 10 by blowing air. This configuration makes it possible to prevent dirt from adhering to the sensor area 12a, which is the surface of the external sensor 3 to be cleaned, and to remove dirt adhering to the sensor area 12a, thereby maintaining the detection accuracy of the external sensor 3. In addition, the cleaner 4 is configured with an air blower capable of continuously blowing air, so that it is possible to continuously prevent dirt from adhering to the sensor area 12a.

[0053] In this embodiment, the lamp control unit 5 is configured to correct the captured image acquired by the camera serving as the external sensor 3 in accordance with the tilt state of the vehicle body, detect an object outside the motorcycle 100 based on the corrected captured image, and adjust the light distribution pattern formed by the light irradiated from the light source unit 2 in accordance with the position of the detected object. With this configuration, even when the motorcycle 100 is traveling with the body tilted, it is possible to detect objects such as oncoming vehicles with high accuracy, and to appropriately form a light distribution pattern in accordance with the object.

[0054] Meanwhile, an on-board sensor (e.g., an on-board camera) for monitoring the front of a vehicle such as an automobile is often mounted inside the vehicle between the windshield and the mounting portion of the inner mirror. When dirt, condensation, snow, etc. adhere to the windshield in front of the on-board sensor, the dirt, condensation, snow, etc. can be removed by a wiper, a window washer, a defroster, etc. In contrast, in the case of a motorcycle, it is structurally or economically difficult to adopt the cleaning mechanisms mounted on a four-wheeled vehicle such as a wiper or a window washer.

[0055] Therefore, in the headlamp 1 mounted on the motorcycle 100 of this embodiment, when it is determined that dirt adhering to the transparent cover 12 is not removed by the air blown from the cleaner 4 during the execution of the light distribution control in the ADB mode, the lamp control unit 5 is configured to stop the ADB mode and notify the rider of the motorcycle 100 of the stop of the ADB mode. According to this configuration, in a situation where the detection accuracy of the external sensor 3 is predicted to decrease, the ADB mode is stopped, thereby preventing inadvertent light distribution control in a situation where the surrounding environment cannot be detected appropriately. In particular, as described above, in the case of the motorcycle 100, since it is difficult to provide a mechanical cleaning mechanism such as a wiper, it is practical to convey to the rider that the ADB mode has been stopped due to dirt adhering to the sensor area 12a, for example, to have the rider remove the dirt from the transparent cover 12 by hand, and restore the ADB mode. This makes it possible to provide a system that can restore the ADB mode at low cost.

[0056] (Modification) Next, a modified example of the headlamp will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The headlamp 1 in the above-described embodiment is configured to include a single light source unit 2 and to have the external sensor 3 arranged in parallel with the single light source unit 2 in the vertical direction of the lamp, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the headlamp may be configured to include a plurality of light source units.

[0057] Fig. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of a headlamp 1A according to a modified example. As shown in Fig. 8, the headlamp 1A includes, for example, a pair of light source units 2a and 2b. The pair of light source units 2a and 2b are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction of the headlamp 1A inside a housing 10A of the headlamp 1A. The pair of light source units 2a and 2b are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the headlamp 1A in the left-right direction. The external sensor 3 is arranged in the center of the headlamp 1A in the left-right direction inside the housing 10. The cleaner 4 is arranged outside the housing 10A in the center of the headlamp 1 in the left-right direction.

[0058] The external sensor 3 is disposed at a position equidistant from each of the pair of light source units 2a, 2b. In this example, the external sensor 3 is disposed to the upper right of the light source unit 2a and to the upper left of the light source unit 2b. The cleaner 4 is disposed in parallel with the external sensor 3 in the vertical direction of the headlamp 1A. In this example, the cleaner 4 is disposed directly above the external sensor 3.

[0059] In the headlamp 1A of this modification, the external sensor 3 is disposed at an equal distance from the light source units 2a and 2b, so that the light emitted from the light source units 2a and 2b can be efficiently utilized and external information can be accurately acquired. Therefore, according to the above configuration, an efficient layout of the external sensor 3 is possible in the dual-lamp lighting fixture.

[0060] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the embodiment. The embodiment is merely an example, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0061] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-5232 filed on January 16, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp provided on a vehicle that runs around corners by leaning the vehicle body, A light source unit; A sensor for detecting information outside the vehicle; a housing that accommodates the light source unit and the sensor; a transparent cover attached to the housing; a cleaner having at least one nozzle capable of cleaning at least an area of ​​the transmission cover corresponding to the sensor with a cleaning medium; A control unit for controlling the sensor; Equipped with The vehicle lamp is disposed at a center portion in a left-right direction of the vehicle body, The sensor is disposed in the housing at a center in the left-right direction, The control unit is Executing a mode in which a light distribution pattern formed by light irradiated from the light source unit is adjusted according to a position of an object outside the vehicle detected by the sensor; This vehicle lighting fixture is configured to stop the mode and notify occupants of the vehicle of the stop of the mode if it is determined that the cleaning medium is not able to remove dirt adhering to the transparent cover while the mode is being executed.

2. The light source unit is composed of a single light source unit, The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is arranged in parallel with the single light source unit in the vertical direction.

3. The light source unit is composed of a pair of light source units arranged side by side in the left-right direction, The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is disposed at equal distances from each of the pair of light source units.

4. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner is an air blower capable of continuously blowing air.

5. The sensor is a camera that captures an image of the outside of the vehicle, 5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to correct the captured image acquired by the camera in accordance with a tilt state of the vehicle body, and to adjust a light distribution pattern formed by the light irradiated from the light source unit in accordance with a position of an object outside the vehicle detected based on the corrected captured image.

6. A vehicle lamp provided on a vehicle that runs around corners by leaning the vehicle body, A light source unit; A sensor for detecting information outside the vehicle; a housing having an opening on a vehicle front side and including a lamp body that houses the light source unit and the sensor, and a transparent cover that is attached to cover the opening; A control unit for controlling the sensor, The vehicle lamp is disposed at a center portion in a left-right direction of the vehicle body, The sensor is disposed in the housing at a center in the left-right direction, the lamp body has a main body portion having the opening, and a body detachable portion detachably provided at a lower portion of the main body portion, The control unit is accommodated within the body attachment / detachment portion.

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