Lighting control device and vehicular lamp fitting

Abstract

According to the present invention, a configuration in which each of a plurality of lighting circuits performs lighting control of different light sources produces a uniform expression as one overall light source. This lighting control device comprises a first lighting circuit that performs lighting control of a first light source, and a second lighting circuit that is communicably connected to the first lighting circuit and performs lighting control of a second light source, wherein: the first lighting circuit includes a first storage circuit that stores first control information in which a lighting control method for the first light source is associated with each of a plurality of pieces of control designation information; the second lighting circuit includes a second storage circuit that stores second control information in which a lighting control method for the second light source is associated with each of the plurality of pieces of control designation information; the first lighting circuit performs lighting control of the first light source on the basis of the first control information corresponding to the control designation information; and the second lighting circuit performs lighting control of the second light source on the basis of the second control information corresponding to the control designation information currently being used by the first lighting circuit.

Description

Lighting control device and vehicle lighting fixtures

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting control device and a vehicle lighting device.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-153228 filed on September 5, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle light-emitting device configured to provide a vehicle light-emitting device that emits light with a smooth, flowing motion at low cost and with simple control. The vehicle light-emitting device includes a base, multiple LEDs, multiple emission surfaces, a light-shielding film, and a control unit. When a predetermined area is divided into multiple sections as viewed from the exterior of the vehicle, at least one LED is provided in each section. Each emission surface is arranged to divide the section into multiple blocks, the number of blocks being greater than the number of LEDs in that section. The emission surface emits light emitted by at least one LED into the exterior of the vehicle, and a light-shielding film is provided between each emission surface as viewed from the exterior of the vehicle. The control unit adjusts the lighting timing and brightness of each LED for each section.

[0004] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-209104

[0005] When attempting to use a large number of light sources to express various types of information, animation, etc., as in the lighting fixture described in Patent Document 1, it may be preferable to use a configuration in which multiple lighting circuits are used to share the control of different light sources, from the standpoint of circuit component specifications, performance, manufacturing costs, etc. In that case, a mechanism for synchronizing the control by the individual lighting circuits is required to produce a unified expression across the light sources as a whole.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of this background, and aims to provide a lighting control device and a vehicle lighting fixture that are capable of producing a unified expression across the entire light source in a configuration in which multiple lighting circuits each control a different light source.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is a lighting control device comprising: a first lighting circuit that controls the lighting of a first light source; and a second lighting circuit that is communicatively connected to the first lighting circuit and controls the lighting of a second light source, wherein the first lighting circuit has a first memory circuit that stores first control information in which a lighting control method for the first light source is associated with each of a plurality of pieces of control designation information; the second lighting circuit has a second memory circuit that stores second control information in which a lighting control method for the second light source is associated with each of the plurality of pieces of control designation information; the first lighting circuit controls the lighting of the first light source based on the first control information corresponding to the control designation information; and the second lighting circuit controls the lighting of the second light source based on the second control information corresponding to the control designation information currently being used by the first lighting circuit.

[0008] Further issues disclosed in this application, and methods for solving them, will be made clear in the section on embodiments for carrying out the invention and in the drawings.

[0009] According to the present invention, in a configuration in which each of multiple lighting circuits controls a different light source, a unified expression can be produced for the entire light source.

[0010] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a lamp provided in a vehicle; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the main circuit configuration of the lamp; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of one unit of a light source (light-emitting unit); FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the main functions of a first lighting circuit; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the main functions of a second lighting circuit; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the main functions of a third lighting circuit; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the basic flow (communication procedure) of LIN communication; FIG. 8 is an example of control information; FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of lighting control of a light source; FIG. 10 is another example of control information; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device when an abnormality is detected in the lighting control of a first lighting circuit; and FIG.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, identical or similar components may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions may be omitted.

[0012] In the following description, a suffix (such as an alphabet or a number) is added to the reference numeral that collectively designates a component to distinguish between components of the same type. For example, if the reference numeral that collectively designates a component is "11," the components are distinguished from each other by adding reference numerals such as "11A," "11B," and "11C."

[0013] FIG. 1 shows a side view of the exterior of an electric vehicle (EV) (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle C") according to one embodiment. In this figure, the vertical direction of the paper is the up-down direction (vertical direction). The horizontal direction of the paper is the fore-and-aft direction of vehicle C (the forward direction of vehicle C is "forward" and the backward direction is "rear"). The direction perpendicular to both the fore-and-aft direction and the up-and-down direction is the left-and-right direction (the front side of the paper is "left" and the back side is "right").

[0014] As shown in the figure, a lamp 1 (vehicle lamp) for notifying people of various information by static or dynamic representations (animation, illumination, etc.) is provided on the front left side of a vehicle C. The lamp 1 displays information indicating, for example, the locked or unlocked state of a key lock and the state (charging, SOC (State Of Charge)) of a battery 2 (storage battery) mounted on the vehicle C.

[0015] The lamp 1 has an indicator (hereinafter referred to as a "lamp 20"). The lamp 20 constitutes part of the exterior of the vehicle C. A lamp 20 is also provided on the front right side of the vehicle C, but since the basic configuration is the same as the lamp 20 on the front left side, the following description will focus on the lamp 20 on the front left side.

[0016] 2 shows the main circuit configuration of the lighting fixture 1. As shown in the figure, the lighting fixture 1 includes a lamp 20 and a lighting control device 10 that controls the lighting of the lamp 20.

[0017] 1 or 2, the lamp 20 includes three light source groups 21 (hereinafter referred to as a first light source group 21A, a second light source group 21B, and a third light source group 21C, respectively). The first light source group 21A, the second light source group 21B, and the third light source group 21C are arranged adjacent to each other in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle C in this order.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, the first light source group 21A includes four first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) arranged sequentially in the front-to-back direction. The second light source group 21B includes five second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) arranged sequentially in the front-to-back direction. The third light source group 21C includes five third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) arranged sequentially in the front-to-back direction. Thus, the lamp 20 contains a total of 14 light sources.

[0019] Figure 3 shows the configuration of one unit of light source (in this figure, the first light source 21A(1); hereinafter referred to as the "light-emitting unit") that constitutes each light source group 21. As shown in this figure, the example light-emitting unit includes two chips 25. Therefore, the lamp 20 shown in Figure 2 contains a total of 28 chips 25 (= 14 x 2).

[0020] The chip 25 is an RGB light-emitting element, and includes a light-emitting element Dr that emits red light, a light-emitting element Dg that emits green light, and a light-emitting element Db that emits blue light. As shown in the figure, the light-emitting elements of the same color on the two chips 25 are connected in series.

[0021] The lighting control device 10 is realized, for example, as a substrate module or package on which various circuits (including integrated circuits (ICs)) for controlling the light-emitting units are formed. The lighting control device 10 operates using power supplied from a power supply line L1.

[0022] 2, the lighting control device 10 includes first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C, first to third switch circuits 13A to 13C, and first to third current generating circuits 15A to 15C. The first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C are configured using integrated circuits or discrete elements.

[0023] 2 and 3, the anodes of the light-emitting elements on the power supply side of each of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) are connected to the power supply line L1 via a first switch circuit 13A. Each of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) is controlled by a first lighting circuit 11A.

[0024] The ground-side cathode of each light-emitting element Dr of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) is connected to terminal Tr of the first lighting circuit 11A via the first current generating circuit 15A. The ground-side cathode of each light-emitting element Dg of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) is connected to terminal Tg of the first lighting circuit 11A via the first current generating circuit 15A. The ground-side cathode of each light-emitting element Db of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) is connected to terminal Tb of the first lighting circuit 11A via the first current generating circuit 15A.

[0025] The anodes of the light-emitting elements on the power supply side of each of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) are connected to the power supply line L1 via the second switch circuit 13B. The second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) are each controlled by the second lighting circuit 11B.

[0026] The ground-side cathode of each light-emitting element Dr of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) is connected to terminal Tr of the second lighting circuit 11B via the second current generating circuit 15B. The ground-side cathode of each light-emitting element Dg of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) is connected to terminal Tg of the second lighting circuit 11B via the second current generating circuit 15B. The ground-side cathode of each light-emitting element Db of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) is connected to terminal Tb of the second lighting circuit 11B via the second current generating circuit 15B.

[0027] The anodes of the light-emitting elements on the power supply side of each of the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) are connected to the power supply line L1 via a third switch circuit 13C. The third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) are each controlled by a third lighting circuit 11C.

[0028] The ground-side cathode of each light-emitting element Dr of the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) is connected to terminal Tr of the third lighting circuit 11C via the third current generating circuit 15C. The ground-side cathode of each light-emitting element Dg of the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) is connected to terminal Tg of the third lighting circuit 11C via the third current generating circuit 15C. The ground-side cathode of each light-emitting element Db of the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) is connected to terminal Tb of the third lighting circuit 11C via the third current generating circuit 15C.

[0029] The lighting control device 10 controls each light source group 21 in response to an instruction signal Sa (control instruction) input from an ECU 100 (Electronic Control Unit: ECU) (control instruction device), which is an information processing device mounted on the vehicle C. The instruction signal Sa includes information specifying a lighting control method (lighting pattern; hereinafter referred to as a "lighting control method") for each light source group 21 or information capable of specifying a lighting control method.

[0030] The power supply line L1 of the lighting control device 10 is a wiring that supplies a power supply voltage Vbat to the internal circuitry of the lighting control device 10 and to each light source group 21. The power supply voltage Vbat of the battery 2 is applied to the power supply line L1. When the power supply voltage Vbat is applied to the power supply line L1, an input voltage Vin is input to the lighting control device 10.

[0031] The lighting control device 10 communicates with the ECU 100 via LIN (Local Interconnect Network) and controls the lighting of each light source according to the lighting pattern specified by the instruction signal Sa sent from the ECU 100.

[0032] In this embodiment, the example shows that the communication method between the lighting control device 10 and the ECU 100 is LIN, but other communication methods such as CAN (Controller Area Network) may also be used.

[0033] The first lighting circuit 11A controls the lighting of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4). The second lighting circuit 11B controls the lighting of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5). The third lighting circuit 11C controls the lighting of the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5).

[0034] The first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C are each constructed using an integrated circuit having circuits such as a LIN transceiver, a timer, and an RGB driver. The timer generates timing signals for controlling the lighting of each of the first to third light sources 21A to 21C.

[0035] Furthermore, the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C each include a microcontroller (arithmetic unit, information processing unit) having a central processing unit (CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.) and a memory device (RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM), etc.).

[0036] The various functions of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C are realized by the respective central processing units reading and executing programs stored in their memory devices.

[0037] Each of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C has an input / output terminal for LIN signals (LIN signal input terminal (LIN_IN), LIN signal output terminal (LIN_OUT)), GPIO terminals (GPIO1 to GPIO5) (General-purpose input / output terminals (GPIO)) that output signals S1 to S5 (signals S1 to S4 for the first lighting circuit 11A) to a switch circuit 13 connected to each, and terminals Tr, Tg, and Tb that control the current flowing to the light source for which each is responsible for lighting control. The above signals S1 to S5 (signals S1 to S4 for the first lighting circuit 11A) are, for example, PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signals.

[0038] The first lighting circuit 11A receives the instruction signal Sa sent from the ECU 100 at an input terminal (LIN_IN) and outputs the received LIN signal to an output terminal (LIN_OUT) (through output (a signal input to the terminal is output to another lighting circuit via the terminal)).

[0039] The second lighting circuit 11B receives the LIN signal output from the output terminal (LIN_OUT) of the first lighting circuit 11A at its input terminal (LIN_IN), and outputs the received LIN signal to its output terminal (LIN_OUT) (through output (a signal input to the terminal is output to another lighting circuit via the terminal)).

[0040] The third lighting circuit 11C receives the LIN signal sent from the second lighting circuit 11B at an input terminal (LIN_IN).

[0041] The above mechanism allows the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C to almost simultaneously receive the instruction signal Sa sent from the ECU 100. Note that "simultaneously" in this embodiment does not mean only when the times are perfectly synchronized, but rather when the times are synchronized to an extent that at least a person can sense the uniformity of the control of the entire light source.

[0042] As described above, the first lighting circuit 11A, the second lighting circuit 11B, and the third lighting circuit 11C sequentially cooperate to receive the instruction signal Sa sent from the ECU 100. This makes it possible to reduce the number of wires for LIN communication (hereinafter referred to as "LIN communication") between the ECU 100 and the first lighting circuit 11A, for example.

[0043] The first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C are each configured using an integrated circuit having a sink-type (current-sinking) current control circuit. When the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C perform an operation of suctioning current from terminals Tr, Tg, and Tb, current flows through chip 25 (RGB light-emitting element) that constitutes the light-emitting unit connected to power supply line L1, causing chip 25 to emit light.

[0044] The first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C each have one terminal Tr, Tg, and Tb corresponding to the light-emitting elements Dr, Dg, and Db of each color. Therefore, if one light source (light-emitting elements Dr, Dg, and Db) were controlled by one lighting circuit, the number of lighting circuits would increase, leading to increased costs and a larger circuit size. Therefore, in this embodiment, first to third switch circuits 13A to 13C are provided so that one lighting circuit 11 controls multiple light-emitting units in a time-division manner, thereby reducing costs and circuit size.

[0045] In addition, in this embodiment, by providing first to third current generating circuits 15A to 15C in the lighting control device 10, it is possible to pass a current greater than the capacity of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C to the chip 25 (RGB light-emitting element) that constitutes the light-emitting unit.

[0046] Next, the functions of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C will be described.

[0047] 4A shows the main functions of the first lighting circuit 11A. As shown in the figure, the first lighting circuit 11A includes the following functions: a memory unit 110A, an instruction signal receiving unit 130A, a control ID obtaining unit 135A, a control ID transmitting unit 140A, a first lighting control method obtaining unit 145A, a first light source control unit 150A, a first abnormality monitoring unit 155A, and a first light-off control unit 160A.

[0048] Of the above functions, the storage unit 110A stores a control ID 111, first control information 112A, and first abnormality information 113A.

[0049] Of these, the control ID 111 is information (hereinafter referred to as "control ID" (control specification information)) that specifies (or can specify) the lighting control method that each of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C should perform on the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4), which are the control targets of each of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C. The control ID 111 is shared simultaneously between the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C.

[0050] Here, "simultaneously sharing" means that the second lighting circuit 11B and the third lighting circuit 11C also simultaneously obtain and reference (adopt) the same control ID 111 that the first lighting circuit 11A is currently referencing (adopting) for lighting control for their respective lighting controls. Therefore, in a state in which the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C are "simultaneously sharing" a control ID, when the control ID 111 currently referenced by the first lighting circuit 11A is updated, the control IDs 111 referenced by the second lighting circuit 11B and the third lighting circuit 11C are also updated simultaneously.

[0051] The first control information 112A includes information that associates the control ID 111 with the lighting control method for the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4).

[0052] The first abnormality information 113A includes information on an abnormality (short circuit, electrical leak, electrical open, etc.) detected during lighting control of the light sources to be controlled by each of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C.

[0053] The instruction signal receiving unit 130A receives an instruction signal Sa sent from the ECU 100 via LIN communication, and notifies the control ID obtaining unit 135 of information included in the received instruction signal Sa.

[0054] The control ID acquisition unit 135A acquires a control ID from the information notified by the instruction signal receiving unit 130, and stores the acquired control ID in the storage unit 110A as the control ID 111 (or updates the control ID 111 already stored in the storage unit 110A). Here, the control ID acquisition unit 135, for example, acquires the control ID included in the instruction signal receiving unit 130 as the control ID 111. Furthermore, the control ID acquisition unit 135, for example, acquires the control ID identified based on information that can identify the control ID included in the instruction signal receiving unit 130 as the control ID 111.

[0055] The control ID transmission unit 140A transmits the control ID 111 to the second lighting circuit 11B and the third lighting circuit 11C via LIN communication so that the control ID 111 (current control ID 111) is simultaneously shared among the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C.

[0056] The first lighting control method acquisition unit 145A acquires the lighting control method for the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) corresponding to the control ID 111 from the first control information 112A.

[0057] The first light source control unit 150A controls the lighting of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) using the lighting control method acquired by the first lighting control method acquisition unit 145A.

[0058] The first abnormality monitoring unit 155A monitors whether or not there is an abnormality in the lighting control of each of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C. When the first abnormality monitoring unit 155A detects an abnormality, it manages information specifying the lighting circuit 11 in which the abnormality was detected and information indicating the specific nature of the abnormality (short circuit, electrical leak, electrical open, etc.) as first abnormality information 113A.

[0059] When the first abnormality monitoring unit 155A detects an abnormality in the lighting control of any of the light source groups 21 (first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4)), second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5), or third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5)), the first light-off control unit 160A turns off all of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) that it is responsible for and stops the lighting control of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4). In addition, the first light-off control unit 160A sends instructions to the second lighting circuit 11B and the third lighting circuit 11C to turn off all of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) and third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5), which are their respective control targets, and to stop the lighting control of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) and third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5).

[0060] Figure 4B shows the main functions of the second lighting circuit 11B. As shown in the figure, the second lighting circuit 11B includes the functions of a storage unit 110B, a control ID receiving unit 140B, a second lighting control method acquisition unit 145B, a second light source control unit 150B, a second abnormality monitoring unit 155B, and a second light-off control unit 160B.

[0061] Of the above functions, the memory unit 110B stores the control ID 111, the second control information 112B, and the second abnormal information 113B received from the first lighting circuit 11A.

[0062] Of these, the second control information 112B includes information that associates the control ID 111 with the lighting control method for the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5).

[0063] The second abnormality information 113B includes information regarding abnormalities (short circuits, electrical leaks, electrical open circuits, etc.) detected in the lighting control of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5), which are controlled by the second lighting circuit 11B.

[0064] The control ID receiving unit 140B receives the control ID 111 sent from the first lighting circuit 11A via LIN communication and stores it in the storage unit 110B (or updates the control ID 111 already stored in the storage unit 110B).

[0065] The second lighting control method acquisition unit 145B acquires the lighting control method for the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) corresponding to the control ID 111 from the second control information 112B.

[0066] The second light source control unit 150B controls the lighting of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) using the lighting control method acquired by the second lighting control method acquisition unit 145B.

[0067] The second abnormality monitoring unit 155B monitors whether or not there is an abnormality in the lighting control of the second lighting circuit 11B. When the second abnormality monitoring unit 155B detects the abnormality, it notifies the first lighting circuit 11A via LIN communication of information indicating that an abnormality has been detected in the lighting control of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) by the second abnormality monitoring unit 155B itself (the second lighting circuit 11B).

[0068] When the second light-off control unit 160B receives an instruction from the first lighting circuit 11A via LIN communication to turn off all of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) and stop the lighting control, it turns off all of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) and stops the lighting control of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5).

[0069] Figure 4C shows the main functions of the third lighting circuit 11C. As shown in the figure, the third lighting circuit 11C includes the functions of a storage unit 110C, a control ID receiving unit 140C, a third lighting control method acquisition unit 145C, a third light source control unit 150C, a third abnormality monitoring unit 155C, and a third light-off control unit 160C.

[0070] Of the above functions, the memory unit 110C stores the control ID 111, the third control information 112C, and the third abnormal information 113C received from the first lighting circuit 11A.

[0071] Of these, the third control information 112C includes information associating the control ID 111 with the lighting control method for the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5).

[0072] The third abnormality information 113C includes information regarding abnormalities (short circuits, electrical leaks, electrical open circuits, etc.) detected in the lighting control of the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5)), which are controlled by the third lighting circuit 11C.

[0073] The control ID receiving unit 140C receives the control ID 111 sent from the first lighting circuit 11A via LIN communication and stores it in the storage unit 110C (or updates the control ID 111 already stored in the storage unit 110C).

[0074] The third lighting control method acquisition unit 145C acquires the lighting control method for the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) corresponding to the control ID 111 from the third control information 112C.

[0075] The third light source control unit 150C controls the lighting of the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) using the lighting control method acquired by the third lighting control method acquisition unit 145C.

[0076] The third abnormality monitoring unit 155C monitors for any abnormalities in the lighting control of the third lighting circuit 11C. When the third abnormality monitoring unit 155C detects the abnormality, it notifies the first lighting circuit 11A via LIN communication that an abnormality has been detected in the lighting control of the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) by the third lighting circuit 11C (itself).

[0077] When the third light-off control unit 160C receives an instruction from the first lighting circuit 11A via LIN communication to turn off all third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) and stop the lighting control, it turns off all third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) and stops the lighting control.

[0078] Incidentally, the "simultaneous sharing" of the control ID 111 described above is performed, for example, by the LIN communication shown below, with the first lighting circuit 11A as the master and the second lighting circuit 11B and the third lighting circuit 11C as slaves.

[0079] FIG. 5 shows a basic flow (communication procedure) of LIN communication performed between the first lighting circuit 11A operating as a master and the second lighting circuit 11B and the third lighting circuit 11C operating as slaves.

[0080] For example, when the first lighting circuit 11A receives the header of the instruction signal Sa addressed to itself from the ECU 100 through LIN communication, the communication is performed in the procedure indicated by reference numeral (1) in the figure.

[0081] Furthermore, for example, when the first lighting circuit 11A transmits the control ID 111 to the second lighting circuit 11B, which is a slave, the communication is performed according to the procedure indicated by reference numeral (2) in the figure.

[0082] Furthermore, for example, when the first lighting circuit 11A transmits the control ID 111 to the third lighting circuit 11C, which is a slave, the communication is performed in the procedure indicated by reference numeral (3) in the same figure.

[0083] In the above description, the first lighting circuit 11A, which is the master, notifies the second lighting circuit 11B and the third lighting circuit 11C of the control ID 111 acquired from the instruction signal Sa received from the ECU 100 in a master / slave manner, thereby simultaneously sharing the control ID 111. However, other methods may also be used to simultaneously share the control ID 111. For example, the ECU 100 may simultaneously transmit an instruction signal Sa to each of the LIN signal input terminals (LIN_IN) of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C, and each of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C may acquire the control ID 111 based on the instruction signal Sa received directly from the ECU 100, thereby simultaneously sharing the control ID 111.

[0084] Next, specific lighting control of the lamp 20 performed by the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C in response to the instruction signal Sa sent from the ECU 100 will be described.

[0085] 6A shows an example of control information 112 referenced by the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C when producing a dynamic effect by controlling (turning off, turning on, dimming (dimming in multiple gradations), etc.) the brightness of each light source (light-emitting unit) constituting three light source groups 21 (hereinafter referred to as the first light source group 21A, the second light source group 21B, and the third light source group 21C, respectively). The figure shows first control information 112A stored in the first lighting circuit 11A, second control information 112B stored in the second lighting circuit 11B, and third control information 112C stored in the third lighting circuit 11C side by side.

[0086] As shown in the figure, the control information 112 includes information that associates the lighting control method (off, on, dimming (multiple gradations)) of each light source with the control ID 111, which is information that is simultaneously shared among the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C via LIN communication. Note that in the illustrated control information 122, the lighting control method of each light source is set for each period (20 ms in this example; hereinafter referred to as the "divided period") obtained by dividing the update period of the control ID 111 (a predetermined cycle (100 ms) in this example).

[0087] The first lighting circuit 11A acquires the lighting control method associated with the current divided period of the current control ID 111 from the first control information 112A, and controls the lighting of the first light sources 21A(1) to 21A(4) using the acquired lighting control method.

[0088] In addition, the second lighting circuit 11B acquires, from the second control information 112B, a lighting control method associated with the current division period of the currently shared control ID 111, and controls the lighting of the second light sources 21B(1) to 21B(5) using the acquired lighting control method.

[0089] In addition, the third lighting circuit 11C acquires, from the third control information 112C, a lighting control method associated with the current division period of the currently shared control ID 111, and controls the lighting of the third light sources 21C(1) to 21C(5) using the acquired lighting control method.

[0090] FIG. 6B shows an example in which each of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C controls the lighting of each light source based on the control information 112 shown in FIG. 6A.

[0091] 7 shows an example of the control information 112 that the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C refer to when controlling the chromaticity of each light source (light-emitting unit) to produce a dynamic effect. The figure shows first control information 112A stored in the first lighting circuit 11A, second control information 112B stored in the second lighting circuit 11B, and third control information 112C stored in the third lighting circuit 11C.

[0092] In the illustrated control information 112, x and y values ​​in the CIE chromaticity diagram are specified as the lighting control method for each light source. Note that, since each of the light-emitting units controlled by the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C is controlled by three primary colors (RGB control), when chromaticity is specified as the lighting control method for the light source as in this example, the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C (first to third light source control units 150A to 150C) perform processing to convert the chromaticity specified as the lighting control method in the control information 112 into the luminance of each light-emitting element Dr, Dg, Db.

[0093] When controlling the lighting of each light source in accordance with the illustrated control information 112, as in the case of controlling the brightness described above, the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C obtain the lighting control method associated with the current division period of the current control ID 111 from the control information 112 (first control information 112A, second control information 112B, third control information 112C) that they each store, and perform control similar to the case of controlling the brightness described above.

[0094] By setting the control information 112 as described above, the lighting control device 10 can produce a variety of expressions using the light source.

[0095] In addition, the above examples show the case where the brightness of each light source (light-emitting unit) is controlled (Figures 6A and 6B) and the case where the chromaticity of each light source is controlled (Figure 7). However, a configuration that controls both the brightness and chromaticity of each light source is also possible. In that case, for example, control information 112 (first control information 112A, second control information 112B, third control information 112C) that associates brightness and chromaticity for each divided period for each control ID is stored (memorized) in the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C, and each of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C controls the lighting of each light source by referring to the control information 112 (first control information 112A, second control information 112B, third control information 112C) that it has stored.

[0096] By the way, in the lighting control device 10, each of the multiple lighting circuits 11 (first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C) is configured to individually control its respective target light source. Therefore, for example, if an abnormality is detected in the lighting control of any of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C, a mechanism is needed to automatically turn off the entire group of light sources 21. If a mechanism to automatically turn off the entire group of light sources 21 is not provided, the abnormal lighting control will continue for the lighting circuit 11 where an abnormality has occurred, while the normal lighting control will be maintained for the other normal lighting circuits 11. As a result, the uniformity of the overall display of the light sources will be lost (unnatural display), which will cause discomfort to people (users of vehicle C, etc.).

[0097] Therefore, the lighting control device 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a mechanism that, when an abnormality is detected in the lighting control of any of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C, quickly turns off the entire light source group 21 (total off) and automatically stops all lighting control of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C.

[0098] In other words, in the above mechanism, the first lighting circuit 11A, which operates as a master, monitors whether there are any abnormalities in the lighting control of the first light source group 21A, which is its controlled object, and also monitors the lighting control of the other lighting circuits 11 (second lighting circuit 11B, third lighting circuit 11C) which operate as slaves, thereby monitoring whether there are any abnormalities in the lighting circuits 11 as a whole in real time via LIN communication.

[0099] When the first lighting circuit 11A detects through the above monitoring that an abnormality has occurred in the lighting control of any of the lighting circuits 11, after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time the abnormality was detected, it turns off the first light source group 21A and stops the lighting control of the first light source group 21A, and sends an instruction via LIN communication to the other lighting circuits 11 (the second lighting circuit 11B, the third lighting circuit 11C) to turn off all light sources and stop the lighting control.

[0100] When the other lighting circuits 11 (the second lighting circuit 11B and the third lighting circuit 11C) receive the above instruction, they turn off all of the second light source group 21B and the third light source group 21C that are their respective control targets, and stop the lighting control of the second light source group 21B and the third light source group 21C. As a result, all of the light source groups 21 are quickly turned off.

[0101] FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating a specific operation of the lighting control device 10 when an abnormality is detected in the lighting control of the first lighting circuit 11A operating as the master.

[0102] As shown in the figure, when the first lighting circuit 11A detects an abnormality in its own lighting control during the abnormality detection phase, it turns off all of the first light source group 21A and stops the lighting control during the light-off control phase after a predetermined time (for example, a standby time for execution of fail-safe processing) has elapsed. In addition, the first lighting circuit 11A transmits instructions to the other lighting circuits 11 (the second lighting circuit 11B and the third lighting circuit 11C) to turn off all of the second light source group 21B and the third light source group 21C and stop the lighting control.

[0103] When the other lighting circuits 11 (second lighting circuit 11B, third lighting circuit 11C) receive the above instruction, they turn off all of their respective light source groups 21 (second light source group 21B, third light source group 21C) and stop lighting control.

[0104] FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram illustrating a specific operation of the lighting control device 10 when an abnormality is detected in the lighting control of the second lighting circuit 11B or the third lighting circuit 11C operating as a slave.

[0105] As shown in the figure, when the second lighting circuit 11B or the third lighting circuit 11C (second lighting circuit 11B in the figure) detects an abnormality in its own lighting control during the abnormality detection phase, it notifies the first lighting circuit 11A that it has detected an abnormality in its own lighting control, and the first lighting circuit 11A receives the notification.

[0106] Next, in the power-off control phase after a predetermined time has elapsed (for example, the waiting time for the execution of fail-safe processing), the first lighting circuit 11A turns off all the lights in the first light source group 21A and stops the lighting control. The first lighting circuit 11A also transmits an instruction to the other lighting circuits 11 (second lighting circuit 11B, third lighting circuit 11C) to turn off all lights and stop the lighting control using a master / slave method.

[0107] When the other lighting circuits 11 (second lighting circuit 11B, third lighting circuit 11C) receive the above instruction, they turn off all of their respective light source groups 21 (second light source group 21B, third light source group 21C) and stop lighting control.

[0108] Thus, the lighting control device 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a mechanism that, if an abnormality occurs in the lighting control of any of the first to third lighting circuits 11A to 11C, quickly turns off the entire light source group 21 (total off) and automatically stops the lighting control. This prevents the entire light source group 21 from remaining in an unnatural state with a loss of uniformity in expression when an abnormality occurs, which would cause discomfort to people.

[0109] Furthermore, the above mechanism is realized with a simple configuration using LIN communication, which allows for reduced manufacturing costs and simplified processes.

[0110] =Summary= As described in detail above, the lighting control device of this embodiment comprises a first lighting circuit that controls the lighting of a first light source, and a second lighting circuit that is communicatively connected to the first lighting circuit and controls the lighting of a second light source, the first lighting circuit having a first memory circuit that stores first control information in which a lighting control method for the first light source is associated with each of a plurality of pieces of control designation information, the second lighting circuit having a second memory circuit that stores second control information in which a lighting control method for the second light source is associated with each of the plurality of pieces of control designation information, the first lighting circuit controls the lighting of the first light source based on the first control information corresponding to the control designation information, and the second lighting circuit controls the lighting of the second light source based on second control information corresponding to the control designation information currently being used by the first lighting circuit.

[0111] Therefore, by using a configuration in which multiple lighting circuits share the control of multiple light sources, it is possible to create a unified expression as a whole light source. Furthermore, simple and inexpensive lighting circuits can be used as individual lighting circuits, which simplifies and reduces the cost of the entire lighting control device. Furthermore, control information indicating specific lighting control methods is pre-stored in each lighting circuit, and only current control specification information is shared between the lighting circuits, which simplifies communication between lighting circuits. Furthermore, the scale of the light source can be easily expanded by installing a new lighting circuit that pre-stores additional control information. Furthermore, a variety of expressions can be easily realized depending on the configuration of multiple light sources.

[0112] In addition, the first lighting circuit updates the control designation information at a predetermined period, the first lighting circuit controls the first light source based on the lighting control method associated with the control designation information in the first control information, and the second lighting circuit controls the second light source based on the lighting control method associated with the control designation information currently being used by the first lighting circuit in the second control information.

[0113] In this way, the lighting control device updates the control specification information at a predetermined interval, making it easy to create expressions that change over time.

[0114] In addition, the first memory circuit stores, as first control information, information that corresponds, for each of the plurality of control designation information, to a lighting control method for the first light source with each of the divided periods obtained by dividing a predetermined cycle, and the second memory circuit stores, as second control information, information that corresponds, for each of the plurality of control designation information, to a lighting control method for the second light source with each of the divided periods, and the first lighting circuit controls the first light source based on the lighting control method that is associated in the first control information with the current divided period of the current control designation information, and the second lighting circuit controls the second light source based on the lighting control method that is associated in the second control information with the current divided period of the control designation information currently being used by the first lighting circuit.

[0115] In this way, the lighting control device can control the light source using the lighting control method corresponding to the current divided period associated with the current control specification information.

[0116] Further, the first light source includes a plurality of first light-emitting units, the first control information includes information associating control designation information with lighting control methods set for each of the plurality of first light-emitting units, the first lighting circuit controls the lighting of the plurality of first light-emitting units based on the first control information corresponding to the control designation information, the second light source includes a plurality of second light-emitting units, the second control information includes information associating control designation information with lighting control methods set for each of the plurality of second light-emitting units, and the second lighting circuit controls the lighting of the plurality of second light-emitting units based on second control information corresponding to the control designation information currently used by the first lighting circuit.

[0117] In this way, the lighting control device can set the lighting control method on a unit basis, using the light-emitting unit as the basis.

[0118] In addition, the first lighting circuit and the second lighting circuit are communicatively connected to a control device that transmits control instructions for the first light source and the second light source, and share control specification information based on the control instructions received from the control device.

[0119] In this way, the lighting control device can control the light source based on control instructions from a control device such as an ECU.

[0120] The first control information includes information relating to the luminance and color of the first light source, and the second control information includes information relating to the luminance and color of the second light source.

[0121] This allows the lighting control device to produce a variety of different expressions using the light source.

[0122] In addition, the first lighting circuit and the second lighting circuit are connected so that they can communicate with each other using a communication method in which the first lighting circuit is the master side and the second lighting circuit is the slave side, and the second lighting circuit obtains the control specification information currently being used by the first lighting circuit from the first lighting circuit through communication using the communication method.

[0123] In this way, the lighting control device can realize a mechanism for simultaneously sharing control specification information simply and at low cost using a communication method such as LIN.

[0124] In addition, the first lighting circuit monitors whether there is an abnormality in the lighting control of the first light source, and if an abnormality is detected, after a predetermined time has elapsed, it turns off the first light source and sends an instruction to the second lighting circuit to turn off the second light source, and upon receiving the instruction, the second lighting circuit turns off the second light source.

[0125] Thus, the lighting control device makes it easy to implement a mechanism that turns off all light sources when an abnormality in the lighting control of the first light source is detected.

[0126] In addition, the second lighting circuit monitors whether there is an abnormality in the lighting control of the second light source, and when an abnormality is detected, it sends information to the first lighting circuit indicating that an abnormality has been detected.When the first lighting circuit receives the information from the second lighting circuit, it sends an instruction after a predetermined time has passed, and when the second lighting circuit receives the instruction, it turns off the second light source.

[0127] Thus, the lighting control device makes it easy to implement a mechanism that turns off all light sources when an abnormality in the lighting control of the second light source is detected.

[0128] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and includes various modifications. Furthermore, the above embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, some of the configurations of the above embodiments can be added to, deleted from, or replaced with other configurations.

[0129] C vehicle, Sa instruction signal, L1 power supply line, 1 lighting fixture, 2 battery, 10 lighting control device, 11A first lighting circuit, 110A memory unit, 111 control ID, 112A first control information, 113A first abnormality information, 130A instruction signal receiving unit, 135A control ID acquisition unit, 140A control ID transmission unit, 145A first lighting control method acquisition unit, 150A first light source control unit, 155A first abnormality monitoring unit, 160A first light-off control unit, 11B second lighting circuit, 110B memory unit, 111 control ID, 112B second control information, 113B second abnormality information, 140B control ID receiving unit, 145B second lighting control method acquisition unit, 150B second light source control unit, 155B second abnormality monitoring unit, 160B second light-off control unit, 11C Third lighting circuit, 110C storage unit, 111 control ID, 112C third control information, 113C third abnormality information, 140C control ID receiving unit, 145C third lighting control method acquisition unit, 150C third light source control unit, 155C third abnormality monitoring unit, 160C third light-off control unit, 13A first switch circuit, 13B second switch circuit, 13C third switch circuit, 15A first current generating circuit, 15B second current generating circuit, 15C third current generating circuit, 20 lamp, 21 light source group, 21A first light source group, 21B second light source group, 21C third light source group, 21A(1) to 21A(4) first light source, 21B(1) to 21B(5) second light source, 21C(1) to 21C(5) third light source, 100 ECU

Claims

a first lighting circuit that controls lighting of the first light source; a second lighting circuit communicably connected to the first lighting circuit and controlling lighting of a second light source; Equipped with the first lighting circuit includes a first storage circuit configured to store first control information in which a lighting control method for the first light source is associated with each of a plurality of pieces of control designation information; the second lighting circuit includes a second storage circuit configured to store second control information in which a lighting control method for the second light source is associated with each of the plurality of pieces of control designation information; the first lighting circuit controls lighting of the first light source based on the first control information corresponding to the control specification information; the second lighting circuit controls the lighting of the second light source based on the second control information corresponding to the control designation information currently used by the first lighting circuit; Lighting control device. 　 The lighting control device according to claim 1, the first lighting circuit updates the control specification information at a predetermined cycle; the first lighting circuit controls the first light source based on a lighting control method associated with the control specification information in the first control information; the second lighting circuit controls the second light source based on a lighting control method associated with the control designation information currently used by the first lighting circuit in the second control information. Lighting control device. 　 The lighting control device according to claim 2, the first storage circuit stores, as the first control information, information associating a lighting control method for the first light source with each of the divided periods obtained by dividing the predetermined cycle, for each of the plurality of control designation information; the second storage circuit stores, as the second control information, information associating a lighting control method of the second light source with each of the divided periods for each of the plurality of control designation information; the first lighting circuit controls the first light source based on a lighting control method associated with the current divided period of the current control designation information in the first control information; the second lighting circuit controls the second light source based on a lighting control method associated with the current divided period of the control designation information currently used by the first lighting circuit in the second control information. Lighting control device. 　 The lighting control device according to claim 1, the first light source includes a plurality of first light emitting units; the first control information includes information associating the control designation information with a lighting control method set for each of the plurality of first light-emitting units, the first lighting circuit controls lighting of the plurality of first light-emitting units based on the first control information corresponding to the control specification information; the second light source includes a plurality of second light emitting units; the second control information includes information associating the control designation information with a lighting control method set for each of the plurality of second light-emitting units, the second lighting circuit controls the lighting of the second light-emitting units based on the second control information corresponding to the control designation information currently used by the first lighting circuit; Lighting control device. 　 The lighting control device according to claim 1, the first lighting circuit and the second lighting circuit are communicably connected to a control device that transmits control instructions to the first light source and the second light source, and share the control specification information based on the control instructions received from the control device. Lighting control device. 　 The lighting control device according to claim 1, the first control information includes information about the luminance and color of the first light source; the second control information includes information about the luminance and color of the second light source; Lighting control device. 　 The lighting control device according to claim 1, the first lighting circuit and the second lighting circuit are connected to be able to communicate with each other by a communication method in which the first lighting circuit is a master side and the second lighting circuit is a slave side; the second lighting circuit acquires the control designation information currently used by the first lighting circuit from the first lighting circuit through communication using the communication method; Lighting control device. The lighting control device according to claim 7, The first lighting circuit monitor whether or not there is an abnormality in the lighting control of the first light source; When the abnormality is detected, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the first light source is turned off and an instruction to turn off the second light source is sent to the second lighting circuit; The second lighting circuit turns off the second light source upon receiving the instruction. Lighting control device. 　 The lighting control device according to claim 8, The second lighting circuit is monitor whether there is an abnormality in the lighting control of the second light source; When the abnormality is detected, information indicating that the abnormality has been detected is transmitted to the first lighting circuit; the first lighting circuit, upon receiving the information from the second lighting circuit, transmits the instruction after a predetermined time has elapsed; The second lighting circuit turns off the second light source upon receiving the instruction. Control device. 　 a plurality of light sources used on the exterior of a vehicle; a first lighting circuit that controls lighting of a first light source among the plurality of light sources; a second lighting circuit communicably connected to the first lighting circuit and configured to perform lighting control of a second light source different from the first light source among the plurality of light sources; Equipped with the first lighting circuit includes a first storage circuit configured to store first control information in which a lighting control method for the first light source is associated with each of a plurality of pieces of control designation information; the second lighting circuit includes a second storage circuit configured to store second control information in which a lighting control method for the second light source is associated with each of the plurality of pieces of control designation information; the first lighting circuit controls lighting of the first light source based on the first control information corresponding to the control specification information; the second lighting circuit controls the lighting of the second light source based on the second control information corresponding to the control designation information currently used by the first lighting circuit; Vehicle lighting fixtures.

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