Light Control Device

Abstract

To suppress turning off of a headlight due to improper operation.SOLUTION: A light control device comprises: a lever switch 3 having a lever part A provided on a vehicle 1 and an operation part 10 rotatably provided at a tip of the lever part A; and a control which controls a lighting state of a headlight and a small light according to a position of the operation part 10. An off switch 40 is provided at a tip of the operation part 10, the position of the operation part 10 includes a head lighting position, at which the headlight and the small light turn on, and an auto light position, and does not include all light out position. The control part turns on the headlight irrespective of position when an ambient illuminance is a specified value or less and a vehicle speed is a specified value or more, and performs turning-off control of the headlight when the off switch 40 is operated in the state that the ambient illuminance is a specified value or less and the vehicle speed is less than the specified value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a light control device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A typical device for switching vehicle lights on and off is a shaft-shaped lever switch attached to a steering column with a rotary operation part. By rotating the rotary operation part, it is possible to switch between a full-light state in which the headlights and parking lights (width lights) are on, a parking light state in which the headlights are off and the parking lights are on, an auto light state in which the headlights are automatically turned on and off based on the ambient illuminance, and a full-light state in which the headlights and parking lights are off.

[0003] In recent years, light control devices have been proposed to prevent vehicles from running without lights at night. For example, the light device in Patent Document 1 has a momentary mechanism that automatically returns the rotary operation part to the auto light position when the rotary operation force is removed after the rotary operation part is rotated from the auto light position to the full off position.

[0004] When the rotary operation part is in the auto light state and the rotary operation part is rotated to the full off position, the OFF operation is invalidated if the vehicle speed is greater than a predetermined speed. In this case, when the driver releases the rotary operation part, the rotary operation part automatically returns to the auto light position. This prohibits the lights from being turned off while driving and prevents discrepancies between the position of the rotary operation part and the actual light state.

[0005] Patent Document 2 discloses a technology that allows the headlights to be turned off by operating a push button on the tip of a lever switch while the vehicle is stopped. After the headlights are turned off by operating the push button, the headlights are automatically turned on when the vehicle starts moving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-62929 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2002-2370 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the light control device of Patent Document 1, when the driver wishes to turn off the headlights while the vehicle is stopped, the driver must rotate the rotary operation unit from the auto light position to the all-off position. At this time, there is a possibility that the rotary operation unit may be rotated in the opposite direction by mistake, or may be rotated past the specified direction by mistake.

[0008] Similarly, in the light control device of Patent Document 2, the headlights are turned off by operating a rotary operation part in addition to operating a button, so there is a possibility of erroneous operation.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent the headlights from being turned off due to an erroneous operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a light control device that includes a lever switch having a lever portion provided on a vehicle and an operating portion rotatably provided at the tip of the lever portion, and a control unit that controls the lighting state of the headlights and small lights depending on the position of the operating portion, and an off switch is provided at the tip of the operating portion, and the positions include a head on position where the headlights and small lights are turned on and an auto light position where the headlights are automatically turned on and off in accordance with the illuminance around the vehicle, but does not include an all off position where the headlights and small lights are turned off, and the control unit turns on the headlights regardless of the position when the illuminance around the vehicle is below a predetermined value and the vehicle speed is above a predetermined value, and performs off control to turn off the headlights when the off switch is operated when the illuminance around the vehicle is below a predetermined value and the vehicle speed is below a predetermined value.

[0011] Here, the control unit can be configured to permit the light-off control when the operation unit is set to the auto light position, and not permit the light-off control when the operation unit is set to the head lighting position.

[0012] In these aspects, the control unit can be configured to be able to select, as the light-off control, a first state in which only the headlights are turned off, and a second state in which the headlights and the small lights are turned off, depending on the operation mode of the off switch.

[0013] The control unit may be configured to select the second state when the off switch is operated continuously for a predetermined time or longer, and to select the first state when the off switch is operated for less than the predetermined time.

[0014] In each of these aspects, the positions include an auto high beam position that automatically switches the headlights between low beam and high beam depending on the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle, the auto high beam position is adjacent to the auto light position, the lever switch is equipped with a momentary mechanism that automatically returns the operating unit to the auto light position when the rotational operating force is released when the operating unit is rotated from the auto light position to the auto high beam position, and the control unit can be configured to continue the auto high beam state even when the position automatically returns from the auto high beam position to the auto light position.

[0015] In this case, the control unit can be configured to cancel the auto high beam state if the operating unit is operated to a position other than the auto light position after the position has automatically returned from the auto high beam position to the auto light position. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the headlights from being turned off due to an erroneous operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle equipped with a light control device according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. A vehicle 1 controls switching between on and off a pair of left and right headlights (headlamps) 5 provided at the front of the vehicle body, and small lights (small lamps / width lights) 4, 7 provided at the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle body. The headlights 5 can be switched between a low beam L state and a high beam H state (see Fig. 4).

[0019] The vehicle 1 is equipped with a steering wheel, a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, a parking brake operation unit, etc., which are operated by the driver. The brake pedal is provided with a brake sensor 61 that detects the force with which the driver presses the brake pedal. In addition, the accelerator pedal is provided with an accelerator position sensor 62 that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal by the driver. The parking brake operation unit is provided with a parking brake sensor 63 that determines the operating state (operated or not operated) of the parking brake.

[0020] Information on the operating state of the brakes detected by the brake sensor 61, information on the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator position sensor 62, and information on the operating state of the parking brake detected by the parking brake sensor 63 are sent to an electronic control unit 60 provided in the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 also includes a vehicle speed sensor 64 for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle 1, an illuminance sensor 65 for detecting the illuminance around the vehicle 1, and the like. Information detected by these sensors is also sent to the electronic control unit 60. The electronic control unit 60 also includes a mileage detection means 66 for detecting the traveling distance of the vehicle 1 from a certain point in time based on the number of rotations of the axles, information from a GPS (Global Positioning System), and the like. The electronic control unit 60 is a collection of electronic control devices (computers) that control various devices provided in the vehicle 1. An interface, a processor, a memory, and the like that are connected to each other via a bus are built in the electronic control unit 60.

[0021] The vehicle speed sensor 64 may be, for example, a rotation sensor that detects the number of rotations of a transmission output shaft, an axle, etc. The illuminance sensor 65 may be, for example, a photodiode, a phototransistor, etc. The illuminance sensor 65 is provided at a predetermined position where it can receive light from the outside through a windshield, such as an upper part of the instrument panel of the vehicle 1 or an upper part of the dashboard at the rear of the vehicle body.

[0022] The electronic control unit 60 includes a controller 67 as a control section for controlling lights such as the headlights 5 and the small lights 4, 7. These lights are connected to a power source such as a battery, and their turning on and off is controlled by the controller 67. The lights can be turned on and off mainly by a shaft-shaped lever switch 3 provided on the steering column 8 in front of the driver's seat.

[0023] 1 to 3 show three different embodiments, each showing an enlarged tip of a lever switch 3 operated by a driver. The lever switch 3 is provided so as to protrude laterally from a steering column 8 located behind (in front of) a steering wheel 2 of a vehicle.

[0024] 1 shows the first embodiment. The lever switch 3 includes a lever portion A extending laterally from a steering column 8, and an operating portion 10 provided at the tip of the lever portion A. The operating portion 10 is rotatable about an axis extending in the extension direction of the lever portion A, and a button-type off switch 40 is provided at the tip of the operating portion 10.

[0025] Lever portion A is freely pivotable in the front-rear and up-down directions of vehicle 1 relative to steering column 8. By pivoting (tilting) lever portion A toward the front of the vehicle body, the optical axis of headlight 5 can be manually switched to high beam H. Also, by pivoting lever switch 3 up and down, direction indicators (winkers) in the left and right directions can be operated.

[0026] The operation unit 10 has, from top to bottom along the circumferential direction, a headlight on position 21 indicating the position where the headlights 5 and the small lights 4 are on, a small light on position 22 where the headlights 5 are off and the small lights 4 are on, and an auto light position 23 where the headlights 5 are automatically turned on and off according to the ambient illuminance, and each position is indicated by a symbol on the tip of the lever portion A. In the headlight on position 21, the headlights 5 are turned on in low beam mode.

[0027] The light control mode can be switched by rotating the operation unit 10 about its axis to each position. The operation unit 10 is designed to be held (locked) at each of the headlights on position 21, small light on position 22, and auto light position 23.

[0028] Hereinafter, a state in which the headlights 5 and the small lights 4, 7 are turned on will be referred to as a full-on state, a state in which the headlights 5 are off and the small lights 4, 7 are on will be referred to as a small-light-on state, a state in which the headlights 5 are automatically turned on and off based on the ambient illuminance will be referred to as an auto-light state, and a state in which the headlights 5 and the small lights 4, 7 are off will be referred to as a full-off state. Note that the operation unit 10 does not have a position that corresponds to the full-off state in which the headlights 5 and the small lights 4, 7 are all turned off.

[0029] The off switch 40 is provided at the tip of the lever switch 3 (the tip of the operating portion 10), and by pressing the lever switch 3 towards its base, the headlights 5 can be switched on and off.

[0030] The controller 67 provided in the electronic control unit 60 controls the turning on and off of these various lights based on an input signal from the lever switch 3, information from the vehicle speed sensor 64, the illuminance sensor 65 and other sensors, and information indicating the driving state of the vehicle.

[0031] The controller 67 performs extinguishing control to turn off the headlights 5 when the off switch 40 is pressed under a driving condition that allows turning off the headlights 5, in which turning off of the headlights 5 is permitted. On the other hand, under a driving condition that allows turning off the headlights 5, even if the off switch 40 is pressed, the controller 67 does not perform extinguishing control, and the headlights 5 maintain their on state. The driving condition that allows turning off the headlights and the driving condition that allows turning on the headlights are determined when the illuminance around the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (for example, the illuminance from dusk to early morning).

[0032] The driving condition for enabling turning off the light is a condition in which the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined value, for example, the vehicle 1 continues to be stopped. The vehicle 1 may be determined to continue to be stopped by, for example, the speed of the vehicle 1 obtained by the vehicle speed sensor 64 being zero, the brake pedal depression force detected by the brake sensor 61 being equal to or greater than a predetermined first depression force, or the parking brake sensor 63 determining that the parking brake is being applied.

[0033] The illumination driving condition is a condition in which the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, for example, the vehicle is moving. The vehicle's movement may be determined by, for example, the speed of the vehicle 1 obtained by the vehicle speed sensor 64 exceeding a predetermined value, the brake pedal depression force detected by the brake sensor 61 being less than a predetermined second depression force, or the parking brake sensor 63 determining that the parking brake is not in operation. The second depression force is set to a predetermined depression force equal to or less than the first depression force. Here, the second depression force and the first depression force may be set to an equal value.

[0034] The controller 67 automatically turns on the headlights 5 when the off switch 40 is pressed under a driving condition that allows turning off and the turning-off control is performed, and then the turning-on driving condition is satisfied. In this embodiment, the turning-on driving condition is that the speed of the vehicle 1 obtained by the vehicle speed sensor 64 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and that the travel distance from the start of vehicle travel detected by the travel distance detection means 66 is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. In other words, even if the speed of the vehicle 1 is less than the predetermined value, the headlights 5 are automatically turned on when the travel distance from the start of vehicle travel is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance.

[0035] In addition, the controller 67 also turns on the headlights 5 when the operation unit 10 is operated to the headlights on position 21 or the small light on position 22 during the light-off control, or when the off switch 40 is pressed again.

[0036] In addition, the small light-on state is not permitted while the light-on driving condition is satisfied, as in the case of the light-off control. In this case, even if the operation unit 10 is located at the small light-on position 22, the headlights 5 are turned on.

[0037] In this embodiment, the light-off control is permitted only when the operation unit 10 is set to the auto light position 23.

[0038] When the headlight 5 and the small lights 4, 7 are turned off by operating the off switch 40 in the headlight on position 21 or the small lights 22, if the ignition is then turned off, the command to turn off the lights by operating the off switch 40 is reset immediately after the ignition is turned off, and the headlight 5 and the small lights 4, 7 may be turned on once in accordance with the current position of the operating unit 10 and then turned off.

[0039] However, in this embodiment, the light-off control is permitted only when the operation unit 10 is set to the auto light position 23, so even if the ignition is turned off with the lights off after the light-off control, the headlights 5 and the small lights 4, 7 will not be turned on. Note that the auto light position 23 continues the light-off control unless the light-on operating condition is met or the operation unit 10 or the off switch 40 is operated, so the headlights 5 and the small lights 4, 7 will not be turned on by turning the ignition off.

[0040] The controller 67 also performs a special operation on the off switch 40 to perform the turn-off control. The special operation includes continuously pressing the off switch 40 for a predetermined time or more, continuously pressing the off switch 40 multiple times within a short period of time, and the like. In this embodiment, the turn-off control is performed when the off switch 40 is continuously pressed for 2 seconds or more, and is not performed when the off switch 40 is pressed for less than 2 seconds. This prevents the headlights 5 from being turned off due to an erroneous operation of the off switch 40.

[0041] According to the first embodiment, the operation unit 10 does not have a position corresponding to a fully off state in which the headlights 5 and the small lights 4, 7 are all turned off, and is provided with a light-off control that turns the lights off all at once by operating the off switch 40. Therefore, when changing the position of the operation unit 10, the headlights 5 and the small lights 4, 7 are not turned off by mistake.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] In the second embodiment, the operation unit 10 is newly provided with an auto high beam position 24 that automatically switches the headlights 5 between low beam L and high beam H depending on whether an oncoming vehicle is present. Also, a second operation unit 50 that operates the lighting state of the fog lamps 6 is provided on the lever portion A in addition to the operation unit 10. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0044] The auto high beam position 24 is provided adjacent to and below the auto light position 23. The lever switch 3 is provided with a momentary mechanism that automatically returns the operation unit 10 to the auto light position 23 when the rotational force is released after the operation unit 10 has been rotated from the auto light position 23 to the auto high beam position 24. When the operation unit 10 is rotated from the auto light position 23 to the auto high beam position 24, control corresponding to the auto high beam position 24 is performed, but the position of the operation unit 10 has returned to the auto light position 23. While control corresponding to the auto high beam position 24 is being performed, a display unit or the like provided on the instrument panel may display that fact.

[0045] When the auto high beam position 24 is set and the headlights 5 are switched to high beam H by swinging the lever portion A, the control of the auto high beam position 24 is canceled and the normal auto light position 23 is selected. At this time, the position of the operation unit 10 remains at the auto light position 23. The control of the auto high beam position 24 is also canceled when the position of the operation unit 10 is rotated to the head light position 21 or the small light position 22.

[0046] The second operating unit 50 is located closer to the base than the tip of the lever portion A, i.e., closer to the base than the operating unit 10 on the lever switch 3, and is provided rotatably about an axis extending in the extension direction of the lever portion A. The second operating unit 50 includes, from top to bottom along the circumferential direction of the lever portion A, a fog on position 51 indicating a position where the fog lamps 6 are manually turned on, and a fog off position 53 where the fog lamps 6 are manually turned off, each of which is indicated by a symbol. The control mode of the fog lamps 6 is switched by rotating the second operating unit 50 about the axis. The fog on position 51 and the fog off position 53 are each held (locked) in their respective positions by a mechanism.

[0047] In the second embodiment as well, when the off switch 40 is pressed under a driving condition in which turning off the headlights 5 is permitted, the off control is performed to turn off the headlights 5. Under a driving condition in which the headlights 5 are turned on, the off control is not performed even if the off switch 40 is pressed, and the headlights 5 are maintained in the on state.

[0048] According to the second embodiment, the auto high beam position 24 is adjacent to the auto light position 23, and a momentary mechanism is provided that automatically returns the operation unit 10 to the auto light position 23 when the rotational operating force is removed, so that even if the control of the auto high beam position 24 is cancelled for some reason and transitions to normal control of the auto light position 23, the position of the operation unit 10 is always in the auto light position 23 before and after the cancellation. Since the auto high beam is only executed in the auto light state, it is possible to more reliably prevent discrepancies between the position of the operation unit 10 and the actual lighting state.

[0049] FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] In the third embodiment, the small light position 22 in the second embodiment is eliminated. Instead, the small light can be turned on by operating the off switch 40. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the description will be omitted.

[0051] The controller 67 can switch between a first state in which only the headlight 5 is turned off and a second state in which both the headlight 5 and the small lights 4, 7 are turned off as the light-off control. The first state and the second state are switched by changing the manner in which the off switch 40 is pressed (push button operation).

[0052] For example, when the off switch 40 is pressed for a longer period of time (predetermined period, for example, 2 seconds), the second state (all-off state) in which both the headlight 5 and the small lights 4, 7 are turned off is selected as the off control, and when the off switch 40 is pressed for a longer period of time (predetermined period, for example, 2 seconds) or less, the first state (small lights on state) in which only the headlight 5 is turned off and the small lights 4, 7 are turned on is selected as the off control. In other words, the longer the off switch 40 is pressed, the darker the overall brightness of the light after control becomes. In addition to this, the switching between the first state and the second state may be distinguished depending on the difference in the manner of pressing, such as when the off switch 40 is pressed only once (single click), the first state (small lights on state) is selected, and when the off switch 40 is pressed twice consecutively within a limited short period of time (double click), the second state (all-off state) is selected. In this case, it is preferable to set the more difficult operation (the OFF switch 40 being pressed for a longer period of time, the OFF switch 40 being pressed a greater number of times, etc.) to the second state.

[0053] According to the third embodiment, the small light position 22 is eliminated, so that the headlights 5 are not turned on while the operation unit 10 is in the small light position 22 while the light driving condition is satisfied. The small light state can be achieved by utilizing the off switch 40 for turning off the headlights 5 and the small lights 4, 7. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 vehicle 3 Lever switch 5. Headlights 6. Fog lights 4.7 Small Light 10 Control section 21 Head lighting position 22 Small light position 23 Auto light position 24 Auto high beam position 40 Off Switch 50 Second operation section

Claims

1. A lever switch including a lever portion provided on a vehicle and an operation portion rotatably provided at a tip of the lever portion; A control unit that controls the lighting state of the headlights and the small lights according to the position of the operation unit, and an off switch is provided at the tip of the operation unit, The positions include a head on position where the headlights and the small lights are turned on, and an auto light position where the headlights are automatically turned on and off in accordance with the illuminance around the vehicle, but does not include an all off position where the headlights and the small lights are turned off, and the control unit turns on the headlights regardless of the position when the illuminance around the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined value and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, A light control device that performs a turn-off control to turn off the headlights when the off switch is operated in a state where the illuminance around the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined value and the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined value.

2. 2. The light control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit permits the light-off control when the operation unit is set to the auto light position, and does not permit the light-off control when the operation unit is set to the head light position.

3. 3. The light control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is capable of selecting, as the light-off control, a first state in which only the headlights are turned off and a second state in which the headlights and the small lights are turned off, depending on an operation mode of the off switch.

4. The light control device according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit selects the second state when the off switch is continuously operated for a predetermined time or more, and selects the first state when the off switch is operated for less than the predetermined time.

5. The positions include an auto high beam position that automatically switches the headlights between low beam and high beam depending on the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle; The auto high beam position is adjacent to the auto light position, the lever switch is provided with a momentary mechanism that, when the operation portion is rotated from the auto light position to the auto high beam position, automatically returns to the auto light position when the rotational operation force is released, 5. The light control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit continues the auto high beam state even when the position automatically returns from the auto high beam position to the auto light position.

6. 6. The light control device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit cancels the auto high beam state when the operation unit is operated to a position other than the auto light position after the position has automatically returned from the auto high beam position to the auto light position.

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