Control device, program, and vehicle lamp

Abstract

A control device (30) for an actuator (20) capable of changing the vertical inclination of a lamp unit (15) controls the actuator (20) on the basis of a signal from a lamp sensor (50) that is capable of measuring the direction of gravity (G) and that has an inclination changeable in accordance with a change in inclination of the lamp unit (15), and on the basis of a signal from an attitude detection sensor (111) that is capable of measuring the pitch angle of a vehicle (100) relative to a horizontal plane.

Description

Control Device, Program, and Vehicle Lamp

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a program, and a vehicle lamp.

[0002] A vehicle lamp capable of changing the orientation of a lamp unit by an actuator is known. Patent Document 1 below discloses a vehicle headlamp, which is such a vehicle lamp.

[0003] The vehicle headlamp of Patent Document 1 below includes a lamp unit, an actuator, and a control device that controls the actuator. The actuator is configured to be able to change the inclination of the lamp unit so that the light emission direction of the lamp unit inclines in the vertical direction, and the control device controls the actuator based on the inclination angle of the vehicle. Therefore, according to this vehicle headlamp, the lamp unit can be inclined with respect to the vehicle according to the inclination of the vehicle, and the vertical orientation of the light emission direction can be changed.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 5947947

[0005] Generally, when a vehicle headlamp is installed or during a vehicle inspection, etc., the vertical orientation of the light emitted to the vehicle is adjusted. This adjustment is performed, for example, by measuring the light emission direction of the lamp unit with a measuring instrument or the like and controlling the actuator based on the measurement result. There is a demand to facilitate such adjustment of the vertical direction of the light with respect to the vehicle.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device, a program, and a vehicle lamp that can easily adjust the vertical orientation of the light with respect to the vehicle.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention is a control device for an actuator capable of changing the vertical inclination of a lamp unit, which is capable of measuring the direction of gravity, and based on a signal from a lamp sensor whose inclination changes as the inclination of the lamp unit changes, and a signal from an attitude detection sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle with respect to the horizontal plane, controls the actuator.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention is a program executed by a control device for an actuator capable of changing the vertical tilt of a lighting unit, characterized in that the control device is instructed to perform the step of controlling the actuator based on a signal from a lighting sensor capable of measuring the direction of gravity and whose tilt changes in accordance with the change in the tilt of the lighting unit, and a signal from an attitude detection sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0009] Furthermore, the vehicle lighting device of the present invention comprises a lighting unit, an actuator capable of changing the vertical tilt of the lighting unit, a lighting sensor capable of measuring the direction of gravity and whose tilt changes in accordance with the change in the tilt of the lighting unit, and a control device for controlling the actuator, wherein the control device controls the actuator based on a signal from the lighting sensor and a signal from an attitude detection sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0010] Information relating to the desired direction of light relative to the vehicle includes, for example, the signal output from the lighting sensor when the vertical direction of light relative to the vehicle is in the desired direction and the pitch angle of the vehicle relative to the horizontal plane is zero. By comparing this signal with the signal output from the lighting sensor, the vertical direction of light relative to the horizontal plane can be determined. From this vertical direction of light relative to the horizontal plane and the pitch angle of the vehicle relative to the horizontal plane indicated by the signal from the attitude detection sensor, the deviation between the vertical direction of light relative to the vehicle and the desired direction can be determined. In the above-described control device, program, and vehicle lighting device, the actuator is controlled based on the signal from the lighting sensor and the signal from the attitude detection sensor. Therefore, the actuator can be controlled based on the deviation between the vertical direction of light relative to the vehicle and the desired direction, and the vertical direction of light relative to the vehicle can be adjusted to the desired direction. Accordingly, with the above-described control device, program, and vehicle lighting device, the vertical direction of the light emission direction relative to the vehicle can be easily adjusted compared to when the light emission direction is measured with a measuring instrument, etc.

[0011] The attitude detection sensor may be a sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle with respect to the road surface.

[0012] In this case, by positioning the vehicle on a horizontal road surface, the vehicle's pitch angle relative to the horizontal plane can be measured by the attitude detection sensor. Furthermore, when the vertical direction of the light relative to the vehicle is set to the desired direction, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle is on an incline or not based on the vehicle's pitch angle relative to the road surface and the signal from the lighting sensor. Therefore, the vertical direction of the light relative to the vehicle can be changed when the vehicle is on an incline.

[0013] Alternatively, the attitude detection sensor may be a sensor mounted on the vehicle and capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions.

[0014] With this configuration, for example, even if the vehicle is located on a slope, the pitch angle of the vehicle relative to the horizontal plane can be measured based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor. Therefore, with this configuration, the constraints on the location for adjusting the vertical direction of light can be reduced.

[0015] In this case, the actuator can further change the orientation of the lighting unit in the left-right direction, the lighting sensor is a sensor whose orientation changes in accordance with the change in the left-right orientation of the lighting unit and which can measure the acceleration of the vehicle in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions, and the control device may determine whether the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating in a straight line based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor, and control the actuator so that the left-right orientation of the lighting unit changes based on the signal from the lighting sensor during at least one of the acceleration period when the vehicle is accelerating in a straight line and the deceleration period when the vehicle is decelerating in a straight line.

[0016] When a vehicle accelerates or decelerates while moving straight, the accelerations measured by the attitude detection sensor and the lighting sensor each include a component directed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle due to inertial force. Therefore, the signal from the attitude detection sensor can be used to determine whether or not the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating while moving straight. Furthermore, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor can be measured from the acceleration measured by the lighting sensor when the vehicle accelerates or decelerates while moving straight. As described above, this control device determines whether or not the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating while moving straight based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor. The control device also controls the actuator based on the signal from the lighting sensor during at least one of the acceleration and deceleration periods. Therefore, the actuator can be controlled based on the measured longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the lateral direction of the light relative to the vehicle can be adjusted to a desired direction. Accordingly, the lateral direction of the light relative to the vehicle can be adjusted without using a measuring instrument to measure the direction of light emission from the lighting unit.

[0017] Alternatively, the actuator may be capable of further changing the left-right orientation of the lighting unit, the lighting sensor may change orientation in accordance with the change in the left-right orientation of the lighting unit, and be a sensor capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle in the longitudinal, left-right, and vertical directions, and the control device may determine whether the vehicle is turning based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor, and control the actuator so that the left-right orientation of the lighting unit changes based on the signal from the lighting sensor during the period when the vehicle is turning.

[0018] The acceleration measured by the attitude detection sensor and the lighting sensor while the vehicle is turning includes a component directed in the lateral direction of the vehicle due to centrifugal force. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the vehicle is turning based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor. Furthermore, the lateral direction of the vehicle relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor can be measured from the acceleration measured by the lighting sensor while the vehicle is turning. As described above, this control device determines whether or not the vehicle is turning based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor. The control device also controls the actuator based on the signal from the lighting sensor during the period when the vehicle is turning. Therefore, the actuator can be controlled based on the measured lateral direction of the vehicle, and the lateral direction of the light relative to the vehicle can be adjusted to the desired direction. Accordingly, the lateral direction of the light relative to the vehicle can be adjusted without using a measuring instrument to measure the direction of light emission from the lighting unit.

[0019] If the actuator can change the left-right orientation of the lighting unit, the control device receives a signal from a driving state detection device capable of measuring whether or not the vehicle is stopped, and the control device may control the actuator such that the left-right orientation of the lighting unit changes while the vehicle is stopped.

[0020] Vehicle vibrations can affect the operation of the actuator. Vibrations in a moving vehicle tend to be greater than when the vehicle is stationary. Therefore, the above configuration can reduce the influence of vehicle vibrations on the operation of the actuator, allowing for more precise changes in the orientation of the lighting unit and improving the accuracy of light direction adjustment.

[0021] As described above, the present invention provides a control device, a program, and a vehicle lighting device that can easily adjust the vertical direction of light relative to a vehicle.

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle headlight as a vehicle lighting fixture in the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the vehicle headlight shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a rear view of the lighting unit, support member, and actuator. Figure 4 is a block diagram of the system including the actuator. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device when adjusting the vertical direction of the light in the first embodiment. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the vehicle headlight at the start. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device when adjusting the horizontal direction of the light in the first embodiment. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of acceleration measured by the lighting sensor during the period output from the straight-ahead determination unit. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device when adjusting the horizontal direction of the light in the second embodiment. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of acceleration measured by the lighting sensor during the period output from the turning determination unit. Figure 11 is a block diagram of the system including the actuator in a modified example. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device in step S13 of the modified example.

[0023] Preferred embodiments of the control device, program, and vehicle lighting device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments illustrated below are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its interpretation. The present invention can be modified and improved within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the components of the embodiments illustrated below may be combined as appropriate. Note that in the drawings referenced below, the dimensions of each component may be shown differently for the sake of ease of understanding. Also, in the drawings, for the sake of readability, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of the similar components, and some reference numerals may be omitted.

[0024] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle headlight as a vehicle lighting device in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 100 includes a vehicle headlight 1, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 110, and a posture detection sensor 111. Note that Figure 1 shows the vehicle 100 positioned on a plane parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0025] Vehicle headlights 1 are generally provided on both the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle 100. In this specification, "right" means the right side in the forward direction of the vehicle 100, and "left" means the left side in the forward direction of the vehicle 100. The left and right vehicle headlights 1 have the same configuration, except that their shape is generally symmetrical in the left-right direction. For this reason, one of the vehicle headlights 1 will be described below.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the vehicle headlight 1 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle headlight 1 of this embodiment mainly comprises a housing 10, a lamp unit 15, a support member 19, and an actuator 20. Note that in Figure 2, the housing 10 is shown in a vertical cross-section.

[0027] The housing 10 includes a lamp housing 11 and a front cover 12. The front of the lamp housing 11 is open, and the front cover 12 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 so as to close this opening. The space formed by the lamp housing 11 and the front cover 12 is a housing space, in which the lighting unit 15, support member 19, and actuator 20 are housed. The front cover 12 transmits the light L emitted from the lighting unit 15. Note that the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 shown in Figure 2 is in the desired direction.

[0028] The lighting unit 15 emits light L towards the front of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the lighting unit 15 mainly consists of a main body 16 equipped with a light source (not shown) and a support part 17. Note that the internal structure of the main body 16 is not described in Figure 2.

[0029] In this embodiment, the light L emitted from the main body 16 is a low beam. The low beam emitted from the main body 16 is directed forward of the vehicle 100 via the front cover 12. The main body 16 may be equipped with a reflector, projection lens, etc., so that the light from the light source has a low beam distribution. For example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) can be used as the light source. Furthermore, the light L emitted from the main body 16 is not limited and may be a high beam, for example, and the main body 16 may be able to change the light distribution pattern of the emitted light L.

[0030] The support portion 17 is a member that supports the main body portion 16. In this embodiment, the support portion 17 is a heat sink that cools the light source provided in the main body portion 16, and the main body portion 16 is fixed across the upper and front surfaces of the support portion 17. Note that the support portion 17 does not have to be a heat sink, as long as it can support the main body portion 16.

[0031] Figure 3 is a rear view of the lighting unit 15, the support member 19, and the actuator 20. As shown in Figure 3, the support member 17 has an internal space 18 that opens from the rear downwards.

[0032] Figure 4 is a block diagram of the system including the actuator 20. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the actuator 20 of this embodiment comprises a first output member 21, a second output member 22, a shaft 23, a motor 24, a housing 25, a control device 30, a memory 40, and a light sensor 50.

[0033] The first output member 21 rotates around a first rotation axis 21c that is approximately perpendicular to the vertical direction of the vehicle 100 by the torque of the motor 24, and the second output member 22 rotates around a second rotation axis 22c that is approximately parallel to the vertical direction of the vehicle 100 by the torque of the motor 24. In this embodiment, the actuator 20 can switch between a state in which the first output member 21 rotates and a state in which the second output member 22 rotates, and one motor 24 can rotate either the first output member 21 or the second output member 22. A part of the first output member 21 is located in the housing space of the housing 25, and another part of the first output member 21 protrudes to the left from the housing 25. A part of the second output member 22 is located in the housing space of the housing 25, and another part of the second output member 22 protrudes downward from the housing 25. The shaft 23 is located to the right of the first output member 21 and extends along the first rotation axis 21c. A portion of the shaft 23 is located in the housing space of the housing 25, and the other portion of the shaft 23 protrudes to the right from the housing 25. This shaft 23 rotates together with the first output member 21 around the first rotation axis 21c.

[0034] The first output member 21 and the shaft 23 are fixed to the support portion 17 of the luminaire unit 15, and the actuator 20 is connected to the luminaire unit 15. The second output member 22 is fixed to the support member 19. In this embodiment, the support member 19 is a plate-shaped member fixed to the lamp housing 11, but the support member 19 only needs to support the second output member 22, and for example, a part of the lamp housing 11 may be used as the support member 19.

[0035] In this type of vehicle headlight 1, the first output member 21 and the shaft 23 rotate around the first rotation axis 21c, causing the lamp unit 15 to rotate around the first rotation axis 21c. This changes the vertical inclination of the lamp unit 15 relative to the vehicle 100, and consequently changes the vertical inclination of the light L relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100. In other words, the actuator 20 can change the vertical inclination of the lamp unit 15 relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 so that the vertical orientation of the light L changes relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100.

[0036] Furthermore, as the second output member 22 rotates around the second rotation axis 22c, the first output member 21, the shaft 23, and the lighting unit 15 also rotate around the second rotation axis 22c. As a result, the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 changes, and the left-right orientation of the light L with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 changes. In other words, the actuator 20 can further change the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 so that the left-right orientation of the light L changes with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100.

[0037] In this embodiment, the control device 30, memory 40, and lighting sensor 50 are mounted on a circuit board (not shown) housed in the housing space of the casing 25. This circuit board extends in a direction approximately perpendicular to the first rotation axis 21c and rotates together with the first output member 21 around the first rotation axis 21c. Therefore, the vertical inclination of the control device 30, memory 40, and lighting sensor 50 with respect to the vehicle 100 changes in accordance with the change in the inclination of the lighting unit 15 with respect to the vehicle 100. Furthermore, as the second output member 22 rotates around the second rotation axis 22c, this circuit board rotates around the second rotation axis 22c. Therefore, the left-right orientation of the control device 30, memory 40, and lighting sensor 50 with respect to the vehicle 100 changes in accordance with the change in the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 with respect to the vehicle 100.

[0038] The control device 30 consists of, for example, an integrated circuit such as a microcontroller, IC (Integrated Circuit), LSI (Large-scale Integrated Circuit), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an NC (Numerical Control) device. Furthermore, when an NC device is used for the control device 30, it may or may not use a machine learning machine. In this embodiment, the control device 30 is electrically connected to the motor 24, memory 40, lighting sensor 50, and ECU 110 mounted on the vehicle 100. The ECU 110 controls, for example, the engine mounted on the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the control device 30 also includes a straight-ahead determination unit 31, a turning determination unit 32, and an actuator control unit 33, and the straight-ahead determination unit 31, the turning determination unit 32, and the actuator control unit 33 are electrically connected via a bus line. These configurations will be described later.

[0039] The memory 40 is configured to store information and to be readable. The memory 40 is, for example, a non-transitory recording medium, and semiconductor recording media such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory) are preferred, but any type of recording medium such as optical recording media or magnetic recording media may be included. Note that "non-transitory" recording media include all computer-readable recording media except transient propagation signals, and do not exclude volatile recording media. The memory 40 and the control device 30 may be provided in an integrated package. The memory 40 stores various programs for controlling the motor 24 and information necessary for such control, and the control device 30 reads the programs and information stored in the memory 40. The memory 40 also stores information, etc., based on instructions from the control device 30.

[0040] The lighting sensor 50 is a sensor capable of measuring the direction of gravity G, and outputs a signal indicating the direction of gravity G, which is input to the control device 30. The lighting sensor 50 in this embodiment is a three-axis acceleration sensor and measures the direction of gravitational acceleration as the direction of gravity G. As described above, the vertical tilt of the lighting sensor 50 with respect to the vehicle 100 changes along with the change in the tilt of the lighting unit 15 with respect to the vehicle 100. Therefore, the signal indicating the direction of gravity G output from the lighting sensor 50 changes in accordance with the change in the vertical tilt of the lighting unit 15, and is a signal relating to the vertical tilt angle of the lighting unit 15 with respect to the horizontal plane. Since the direction of light L emission changes vertically with respect to the horizontal plane in accordance with the change in the tilt of the lighting unit 15 with respect to the horizontal plane, the signal from the lighting sensor 50 is also a signal relating to the vertical tilt angle of the light L emission direction with respect to the horizontal plane. The signal indicating the direction of gravity G shown by the lighting sensor 50 includes information that can be converted into a vector such as (x, y, z). In this embodiment, the signal information output from the lighting sensor 50 when the vertical direction of the light L emitted from the lighting unit 15 relative to the vehicle 100 is in the desired direction and the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane is zero includes (xA, yA, zA). This information relates to the desired direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and is stored in the memory 40. Furthermore, since the lighting sensor 50 is a three-axis acceleration sensor, it is also a sensor capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions.

[0041] In this embodiment, the x-axis of the coordinate system of the signal from the sensor 50 for the lighting fixture is parallel to the emission direction of the light L of the lighting-unit 15, the y-axis is parallel to the first rotation axis 21c, and the z-axis is perpendicular to the x-axis and the y-axis. Therefore, the x-z plane indicates the left-right direction of the light L with respect to the orientation of the sensor 50 for the lighting fixture. In this embodiment, the information of the x-z plane is stored in the memory 40 as reference information. That is, the reference information is the information on the left-right direction of the light L in the coordinate system of the signal from the sensor 50 for the lighting fixture. Note that the reference information only needs to be information indicating the left-right direction of the light L with respect to the orientation of the sensor 50 for the lighting fixture, and is not limited. For example, the reference information may be the information of the x-axis. Also, the x-axis may not be parallel to the emission direction of the light L of the lighting-unit 15, and the y-axis may not be parallel to the horizontal direction. In this case, as the reference information, for example, the information related to the plane parallel to the emission direction of the light L of the lighting-unit 15 in the coordinate system of the signal from the sensor 50 for the lighting fixture and perpendicular to the first rotation axis 21c is stored in the memory 40.

[0042] The attitude detection sensor 111 is a sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane, and outputs a signal related to the pitch angle. This signal is input to the control device 30 via the ECU 110, but may be directly input to the control device 30 without passing through the ECU 110. The attitude detection sensor 111 of this embodiment is a three-axis acceleration sensor attached to the vehicle body of the vehicle 100 or a member that does not move with respect to the vehicle body. Therefore, the signal output from the attitude detection sensor 111 is a signal indicating the gravitational direction G, and changes according to the change in the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane. Therefore, this signal is a signal related to the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane. The signal of the attitude detection sensor 111 includes information that can be converted into a vector such as (x, y, z). Also, since the attitude detection sensor 111 is a three-axis acceleration sensor, it is also a sensor capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100 in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions.

[0043] In this embodiment, the x-axis of the coordinate system of the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100, the y-axis is parallel to the lateral direction of the vehicle 100, and the z-axis is perpendicular to the x-axis and the y-axis. Therefore, the x-z plane indicates the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 with respect to the orientation of the attitude detection sensor 111. In this embodiment, the information of the x-z plane is stored in the memory 40 as vehicle reference information. That is, the vehicle reference information is information related to the orientation of the vehicle 100 in the coordinate system of the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 and is information in the longitudinal direction. Note that the vehicle reference information only needs to be information related to the orientation of the vehicle 100 with respect to the orientation of the attitude detection sensor 111 and is not limited. For example, the vehicle reference information may be the information of the x-axis. Also, the x-axis may not be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100, and the y-axis may not be parallel to the lateral direction of the vehicle 100. In this case, as the vehicle reference information, for example, information related to a plane that is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 and perpendicular to the lateral direction of the vehicle 100 in the coordinate system of the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 is stored in the memory 40. Also, the vehicle reference information may be the information of the lateral direction of the vehicle 100 in the coordinate system of the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111.

[0044] Next, the straight-ahead determination unit 31, the turning determination unit 32, and the actuator control unit 33 of the control device 30 will be described.

[0045] The straight-line determination unit 31 determines whether the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state based on signals from the attitude detection sensor 111, which is capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions. When the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state, the acceleration measured by the attitude detection sensor 111 includes a component directed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 due to inertial force. Also, when the vehicle 100 is turning, the acceleration measured by the attitude detection sensor 111 includes a component directed in the lateral direction of the vehicle 100 due to centrifugal force. In this embodiment, the straight-line determination unit 31 determines that the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state if the absolute value of the longitudinal component of the acceleration indicated by the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 is equal to or greater than the first acceleration, and the absolute value of the lateral component of the acceleration is equal to or less than the second acceleration, which is smaller than the first acceleration. In other words, the straight-line determination unit 31 determines that the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state if the absolute value of the x-axis component of the acceleration indicated by the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 is equal to or greater than the first acceleration, and the absolute value of the y-axis component of that acceleration is equal to or less than the second acceleration. The first acceleration is, for example, 0.3 m / s². ２ The above is true, and the second acceleration is, for example, 0.5 m / s². ２ The following applies. In this embodiment, the straight-ahead determination unit 31 outputs a signal containing information related to a period during which it determines that the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating while moving in a straight line. If there is no such period, it does not output a signal. Therefore, the straight-ahead determination unit 31 makes a determination by changing the output signal depending on the case based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111.

[0046] The turning determination unit 32 determines whether the vehicle 100 is turning based on signals from the attitude detection sensor 111, which is capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions. As described above, the acceleration measured by the attitude detection sensor 111 when the vehicle 100 is turning includes a component directed in the lateral direction of the vehicle 100 due to centrifugal force. In this embodiment, the turning determination unit 32 determines that the vehicle 100 is turning if the absolute value of the lateral component of the acceleration indicated by the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 is greater than or equal to the third acceleration. In other words, the turning determination unit 32 determines that the vehicle 100 is turning if the absolute value of the y-axis component of the acceleration indicated by the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 is greater than or equal to the third acceleration. The third acceleration is, for example, greater than the second acceleration described above, and is 2.0 m / s². ２ This concludes the explanation. In this embodiment, the turning determination unit 32 outputs a signal containing information related to a period during which it determines that the vehicle 100 is turning, and does not output a signal if there is no such period. Therefore, the turning determination unit 32 makes a determination by changing the signal it outputs depending on the case according to the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111.

[0047] The actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 to change the orientation of the lighting unit 15. In this embodiment, the actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 to rotate the first output member 21 based on signals input from the attitude detection sensor 111 and the lighting sensor 50. The rotation of the first output member 21 changes the vertical tilt of the lighting unit 15, and thus changes the vertical orientation of the light L. The actuator control unit 33 also controls the motor 24 to rotate the second output member 22 based on signals input from the attitude detection sensor 111 and the lighting sensor 50. The rotation of the second output member 22 changes the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15, and thus changes the left-right orientation of the light L. In this embodiment, information indicating a desired direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 is stored, and this desired direction includes the vertical orientation relative to the vehicle 100 and the left-right orientation relative to the vehicle 100.

[0048] Next, we will explain how to adjust the vertical direction of light L.

[0049] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the control device 30 when adjusting the vertical direction of light L in this embodiment. The program that executes the operations in this flowchart is stored in the memory 40. Therefore, the control device 30 executes the flowchart in Figure 5 by reading the program from the memory 40. As shown in Figure 5, the operation of the control device 30 in this embodiment comprises steps S1 and S2.

[0050] Figure 6 shows an example of the state of the vehicle's headlights at the start of operation. In the state shown in Figure 6, the vehicle 100 is stationary on a road surface parallel to the horizontal plane. Cargo is loaded at the rear of the vehicle 100, and the vehicle 100 is tilted relative to the road surface such that the front is away from the road surface and the rear is closer to the road surface. In addition, the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 is tilted downwards from the desired vertical direction.

[0051] <Step S1> This step involves acquiring information on the direction of gravity G from the lighting sensor 50 and information on the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 from the attitude detection sensor 111. When the lighting sensor 50 outputs a signal indicating the direction of gravity G, this signal is input to the control device 30, and the control device 30 acquires information on the direction of gravity G from the lighting sensor 50. When the attitude detection sensor 111 outputs a signal related to the pitch angle, this signal is input to the control device 30, and the control device 30 acquires information on the pitch angle of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, this information is information on the direction of gravity G. Hereinafter, the signal indicating the direction of gravity G acquired from the lighting sensor 50 will be described as including (x1, y1, z1). After this step, the control device 30 proceeds to step S2.

[0052] <Step S2> This step involves controlling the actuator 20 so that the difference between the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired vertical direction is within a predetermined range. In this step, first, the actuator control unit 33 of the control device 30 measures the vertical inclination of the light L with respect to the horizontal plane. The vertical direction of the light L with respect to the horizontal plane can be measured, for example, by comparing the signal output from the lighting sensor 50 with the signal output from the lighting sensor 50 when the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 is in the desired direction and the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane is zero. As described above, in this embodiment, the information of the signal output from the lighting sensor 50 when the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 is in the desired direction and the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane is zero is stored in the memory 40 as information relating to the desired direction of the light L, and this information includes (xA, yA, zA). In step S1, the actuator control unit 33 compares (x1, y1, z1) and (xA, yA, zA) obtained from the lighting sensor 50 to measure the vertical direction of the light L with respect to the horizontal plane. The actuator control unit 33 also measures the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane using vehicle reference information relating to the orientation of the vehicle 100 with respect to the orientation of the attitude detection sensor 111 and the signal indicating the direction of gravity G obtained from the attitude detection sensor 111 in step S1. Next, the actuator control unit 33 measures the vertical direction of the light L with respect to the vehicle 100 from the measured vertical direction of the light L with respect to the horizontal plane and the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0053] Next, the actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 to rotate the first output member 21 so that the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 approaches the desired vertical direction, based on the difference between the measured vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired vertical direction. For example, if the measured vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 is downward from the desired direction, the first output member 21 is rotated so that the lighting unit 15 tilts upward. Also, if the measured vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 is upward from the desired direction, the first output member 21 is rotated so that the lighting unit 15 tilts downward. As a result of the rotation of the first output member 21, the vertical tilt of the lighting unit 15 relative to the vehicle 100 changes, as shown by the arrows in Figure 6. Along with the change in the vertical tilt of the lighting unit 15, the vertical tilt of the lighting sensor 50 also changes. The actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 so that the difference between the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired vertical direction is within a predetermined range. If the difference between the measured vertical direction of the light L and the desired vertical direction is within a predetermined range, for example, the actuator control unit 33 does not control the motor 24. The actuator control unit 33 may also determine the driving period of the motor 24 in this control based on the measured vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100, or it may stop driving the motor 24 based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 that is input while the first output member 21 is rotating.

[0054] In this way, the actuator control unit 33 controls the actuator 20 based on the signals from the lighting sensor 50 and the attitude detection sensor 111, so that the vertical orientation of the lighting unit 15 relative to the vehicle 100 changes from the state in Figure 6 to the state in Figure 2. Then, the vertical orientation of the light L emitted from the lighting unit 15 is adjusted to the desired vertical orientation.

[0055] Next, we will explain how to adjust the direction of light L in the left-right direction.

[0056] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device 30 when adjusting the left-right direction of light L in this embodiment. The program that executes the operations in the flowchart is stored in the memory 40. Therefore, the control device 30 executes the flowchart in Figure 7 by reading the program from the memory 40. As shown in Figure 7, the operation of the control device 30 in this embodiment comprises steps S11 to S13.

[0057] <Step S11> This step involves acquiring acceleration information from the attitude detection sensor 111 and the lighting sensor 50, which are capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions. In this embodiment, when the attitude detection sensor 111 outputs a signal, the signal is input to the control device 30, and the control device 30 acquires acceleration information from the attitude detection sensor 111. Similarly, when the lighting sensor 50 outputs a signal, the signal is input to the control device 30, and the control device 30 acquires acceleration information from the lighting sensor 50. In this embodiment, the control device 30 acquires acceleration information from the attitude detection sensor 111 and the lighting sensor 50 over a predetermined period. Therefore, the control device 30 acquires the change in acceleration over time. The predetermined period is not limited; for example, it could be 30 minutes, but it is not limited. After this step, the control device 30 proceeds to step S12.

[0058] <Step S12> This step is a step in which the next step is determined based on the acceleration information from the attitude detection sensor 111 acquired in step S11. In this step, as described above, the straight-line determination unit 31 determines whether the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state based on the acceleration information from the attitude detection sensor 111. Specifically, if there is a period within a predetermined timeframe in which the vehicle 100 is determined to be accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state, the straight-line determination unit 31 outputs a signal of information related to that period, and the control device 30 proceeds to step S13. If there is no period within a predetermined timeframe in which the vehicle 100 is determined to be accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state, the straight-line determination unit 31 does not output a signal, and the control device 30 returns to step S11.

[0059] <Step S13> This step involves controlling the actuator 20 so that the difference between the left-right direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired left-right direction is within a predetermined range. The period output from the straight-ahead determination unit 31 in step S13 consists of at least one of an acceleration period in which the vehicle 100 is accelerating in a straight-ahead state and a deceleration period in which the vehicle 100 is decelerating in a straight-ahead state. The acceleration measured by the lighting sensor 50 when the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating in a straight-ahead state includes a component directed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 due to inertial force. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the acceleration measured by the lighting sensor 50 during the period output from the straight-ahead determination unit 31. Figure 8 shows the x and y axes of the coordinate system of the signal from the lighting sensor 50. In the example shown in Figure 8, there are multiple periods output from the straight-ahead determination unit 31, and include an acceleration period in which the vehicle 100 is accelerating in a straight-ahead state and a deceleration period in which the vehicle 100 is decelerating in a straight-ahead state. In the following, the acceleration period during which the vehicle is moving in a straight line will be simply referred to as the acceleration period, and the deceleration period during which the vehicle 100 is decelerating in a straight line will be simply referred to as the deceleration period.

[0060] In this step, the actuator control unit 33 measures the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor 50 based on the acceleration indicated by the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during the above period, which is output from the straight-line determination unit 31. In other words, the actuator control unit 33 measures the direction based on the acceleration indicated by the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during at least one of the acceleration period and the deceleration period. In this embodiment, the coordinate point indicated by the signal from the lighting sensor 50 is approximated by a straight line SL1 using the least squares method, and the direction D1 parallel to the straight line SL1 is measured as the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor 50. The method of measuring this direction is not limited.

[0061] As described above, the memory 40 stores x-z plane information as reference information indicating the left-right orientation of the light L relative to the lighting sensor 50. The actuator control unit 33 reads the reference information from the memory 40, and a signal indicating the reference information is input to the actuator control unit 33. The actuator control unit 33 measures the left-right tilt of the light L with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 from the straight line SL1 indicating the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 and the x-z plane information, which is the reference information. Next, the actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 to rotate the second output member 22 so that the left-right orientation of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 approaches the desired left-right orientation. The rotation of the second output member 22 changes the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 relative to the vehicle 100. The actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 by determining the driving period based on the measured tilt of the light L in the left-right direction relative to the vehicle 100 in the front-rear direction, so that the difference between the left-right direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired left-right direction is within a predetermined range. If the difference between the measured left-right direction of the light L and the desired left-right direction is within a predetermined range, for example, the actuator control unit 33 does not control the motor 24. Furthermore, the actuator control unit 33 does not need to measure the left-right direction of the light L relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100, and does not need to use the above reference information to control the motor 24. For example, if the relationship between the orientation of the lighting sensor 50 and the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 when the left-right direction of the light L is the desired left-right direction is predetermined, the actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 so that the relationship between the orientation of the lighting sensor 50 and the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 is this relationship.

[0062] In this manner, the actuator control unit 33 controls the actuator 20 based on the signal from the lighting sensor 50, thereby changing the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 relative to the vehicle 100. The left-right orientation of the light L emitted from the lighting unit 15 is then adjusted to the desired left-right orientation. In this embodiment, the actuator control unit 33 performs the above control of the actuator 20 immediately after measuring the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor 50. Therefore, the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 is changed regardless of whether the vehicle 100 is moving or stationary. As a result, the period during which the left-right orientation of the light L deviates from the desired orientation can be shortened. Note that the flow of the control device 30 when adjusting the left-right orientation of the light L is not limited.

[0063] As described above, one aspect of the present invention according to this embodiment is a control device 30 for an actuator 20 capable of changing the vertical tilt of a lighting unit 15, and controls the actuator 20 based on a signal from a lighting sensor 50 that can measure the direction of gravity G and whose tilt changes in accordance with the change in the tilt of the lighting unit 15, and a signal from an attitude detection sensor 111 that can measure the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0064] Another aspect of the present invention according to this embodiment is a program executed by a control device 30 of an actuator 20 capable of changing the vertical tilt of a lighting unit 15, wherein the control device 30 is instructed to perform the step of controlling the actuator 20 based on a signal from a lighting sensor capable of measuring the direction of gravity G and whose tilt changes in accordance with the change in the tilt of the lighting unit 15, and a signal from an attitude detection sensor 111 capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0065] Furthermore, yet another aspect of the present invention according to this embodiment is a vehicle headlight 1 as a vehicle lighting fixture, comprising a lighting fixture unit 15, an actuator 20 capable of changing the vertical tilt of the lighting fixture unit 15, a lighting fixture sensor 50 capable of measuring the direction of gravity G and whose tilt changes in accordance with the change in the tilt of the lighting fixture unit 15, and a control device 30 that controls the actuator 20, wherein the control device 30 controls the actuator 20 based on signals from the lighting fixture sensor 50 and signals from an attitude detection sensor 111 capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0066] As described above, by comparing the signal output from the lighting sensor 50 with the signal output from the lighting sensor 50 when the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 is in the desired direction and the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane is zero, the vertical direction of the light L relative to the horizontal plane can be determined. From this vertical direction of the light L relative to the horizontal plane and the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane indicated by the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111, the deviation between the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired direction can be determined. In this embodiment, the control device 30, program, and vehicle headlight 1 control the actuator 20 based on the signal from the lighting sensor 50 and the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111. Therefore, as described above, the actuator 20 can be controlled based on the deviation between the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired direction, and the vertical direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 can be adjusted to the desired direction. Therefore, with the control device 30, program, and vehicle headlight 1 of this embodiment, the vertical direction of the emission direction of light L relative to the vehicle 100 can be easily adjusted compared to when the emission direction of light L is measured with a measuring instrument or the like.

[0067] In this embodiment, the attitude detection sensor 111 is mounted on the vehicle 100 and is a sensor capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions. Therefore, according to the control device 30, program, and vehicle headlight 1 of this embodiment, for example, even if the vehicle 100 is located on a slope, the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane can be measured based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the constraints on the location where the vertical direction of the light L is adjusted.

[0068] In this embodiment, the actuator 20 can further change the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15. The lighting sensor 50 changes its orientation along with the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 and is a sensor capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100 in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. The control device 30 determines whether the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111, and controls the actuator 20 so that the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 changes based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 during at least one of the acceleration period when the vehicle 100 is accelerating in a straight-line state and the deceleration period when the vehicle 100 is decelerating in a straight-line state. Therefore, according to the control device 30, program, and vehicle headlight 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the left-right orientation of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 can be adjusted without using a measuring instrument to measure the direction of emission of light L from the lighting unit 15.

[0069] In this embodiment, the control device 30 does not necessarily need to include a rotation determination unit 32.

[0070] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Note that components identical or equivalent to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals unless otherwise specified, and redundant descriptions will be omitted. In this embodiment, the adjustment of the left-right direction of the light L differs from that in the first embodiment. Therefore, the adjustment of the left-right direction of the light L will be described below.

[0071] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the control device 30 when adjusting the left-right direction of the light L in this embodiment. The program that executes the operations in this flowchart is stored in the memory 40. Therefore, the control device 30 executes the flowchart in Figure 9 by reading the program from the memory 40. As shown in Figure 9, the operation of the control device 30 in this embodiment includes steps S21 to S23. Note that step S21 is the same as step S21 in the first embodiment, so the explanation of step S21 is omitted.

[0072] <Step S22> This step is a step in which the next step is determined based on the acceleration information from the attitude detection sensor 111 acquired in step S11. In this step, as described above, the turning determination unit 32 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 is turning based on the acceleration information from the attitude detection sensor 111. Specifically, if there is a period within a predetermined timeframe in which the vehicle 100 is determined to be turning, the turning determination unit 32 outputs a signal with information related to that period, and the control device 30 proceeds to step S23. If there is no period within a predetermined timeframe in which the vehicle 100 is determined to be turning, the turning determination unit 32 does not output a signal, and the control device 30 returns to step S21.

[0073] <Step S23> This step involves controlling the actuator 20 so that the difference between the left-right direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired left-right direction is within a predetermined range. The acceleration measured by the lighting sensor 50 when the vehicle 100 is turning includes a component directed in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 due to centrifugal force. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the acceleration measured by the lighting sensor 50 during the period output from the turning determination unit 32. Figure 10 shows the x and y axes of the coordinate system of the signal from the lighting sensor 50. In the example shown in Figure 10, there are multiple periods output from the turning determination unit 32, including the period when the vehicle 100 is turning to the right and the period when the vehicle 100 is turning to the left. In this step, the actuator control unit 33 of the control device 30 measures the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 relative to the direction of the lighting sensor 50 based on the acceleration indicated by the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during the above period output from the turning determination unit 32. In this embodiment, the coordinate point indicated by the signal from the lighting sensor 50 is approximated by a straight line SL2 using the least squares method, and the direction D2 parallel to the straight line SL2 is measured as the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor 50. The method of measuring this direction is not limited.

[0074] As described above, the memory 40 stores x-z plane information as reference information indicating the left-right orientation of the light L relative to the lighting sensor 50. The actuator control unit 33 reads the reference information from the memory 40, and a signal indicating the reference information is input to the actuator control unit 33. The actuator control unit 33 measures the left-right tilt of the light L with respect to the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 from the straight line SL2 indicating the left-right orientation of the vehicle 100 and the x-z plane information, which is the reference information. Next, the actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 to rotate the second output member 22 so that the left-right orientation of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 approaches the desired left-right orientation. The rotation of the second output member 22 changes the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 relative to the vehicle 100. The actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 by determining the driving period based on the measured tilt of the light L in the left-right direction relative to the left-right direction of the vehicle 100, so that the difference between the left-right direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired left-right direction is within a predetermined range. If the difference between the measured left-right direction of the light L and the desired left-right direction is within a predetermined range, for example, the actuator control unit 33 does not control the motor 24. Furthermore, the actuator control unit 33 does not need to measure the left-right direction of the light L relative to the left-right direction of the vehicle 100, and does not need to use the above reference information to control the motor 24. For example, if the relationship between the orientation of the lighting sensor 50 and the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 when the left-right direction of the light L is the desired left-right direction is predetermined, the actuator control unit 33 controls the motor 24 so that the relationship between the orientation of the lighting sensor 50 and the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 is this relationship.

[0075] In this manner, the actuator control unit 33 controls the actuator 20 based on the signal from the lighting sensor 50, thereby changing the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 relative to the vehicle 100. The left-right orientation of the light L emitted from the lighting unit 15 is then adjusted to the desired left-right orientation. In this embodiment, the actuator control unit 33 performs the above control of the actuator 20 immediately after measuring the left-right orientation of the vehicle 100 relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor 50. Therefore, similar to the first embodiment, the period during which the left-right orientation of the light L deviates from the desired orientation can be shortened. Note that the flow of the control device 30 when adjusting the left-right orientation of the light L is not limited.

[0076] As described above, in this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the attitude detection sensor 111 is attached to the vehicle 100 and is a sensor capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions. The actuator 20 can further change the orientation of the lighting unit 15 in the lateral direction. The lighting sensor 50 changes its orientation along with the change in the lateral orientation of the lighting unit 15 and is a sensor capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions. The control device 30 determines whether the vehicle 100 is turning based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111, and controls the actuator so that the orientation of the lighting unit 15 changes based on the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during the period when the vehicle 100 is turning.

[0077] Therefore, according to the control device 30, program, and vehicle headlight 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the left-right direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 can be adjusted without using a measuring instrument to measure the direction of emission of light L from the lamp unit 15.

[0078] In this embodiment, the control device 30 does not necessarily need to include the straight-line determination unit 31.

[0079] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0080] For example, in the above embodiment, an actuator 20 that rotates a first output member 21 and a second output member 22 with a single motor 24 was described as an example. However, the actuator 20 is not limited as long as it can change the vertical tilt of the lighting unit 15 so that the vertical direction of the light L changes. For example, the actuator 20 may include a motor that rotates the first output member 21 and another motor that rotates the second output member 22, or it may not include the second output member 22. Also, if the vehicle headlight 1 has a support member that supports the lighting unit 15 so as to suspend it, the actuator 20 may be configured to include an output member that is connected to the lighting unit 15 and moves in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the vehicle headlight 1 may include an aiming screw that allows the tilt of the lighting unit 15 to be changed manually.

[0081] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the control device 30, memory 40, and light fixture sensor 50 were described as being mounted on a substrate that rotates together with the first output member 21 around the first rotation axis 21c. However, the position in which the control device 30 and memory 40 are arranged is not limited. For example, they may be arranged outside the housing 25. Also, the light fixture sensor 50 is capable of measuring the direction of gravity, and its vertical tilt should change in accordance with the change in the tilt of the light fixture unit 15. For example, the light fixture sensor 50 may be mounted on a substrate on which the light source of the main body 16 of the light fixture unit 15 is mounted, and may be a sensor including a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope, or it may be a 2-axis accelerometer.

[0082] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a straight-line determination unit 31 that determines whether the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state based on a signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 was described as an example. However, the method for determining whether the vehicle 100 is accelerating or decelerating in a straight-line state is not limited. For example, the straight-line determination unit 31 may make the above determination based on at least two signals: a signal from the attitude detection sensor 111, a signal from a steering angle sensor capable of measuring the steering angle of the vehicle 100, and signals from wheel speed sensors capable of measuring the rotational speeds of the left and right wheels of the vehicle 100.

[0083] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, a control device 30 was described as controlling the actuator 20 so that the orientation of the lighting unit 15 changes in the left-right direction based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 during at least one of the acceleration period and the deceleration period. However, the control device 30 may also control the actuator 20 based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 during the deceleration period. Alternatively, the control device 30 may control the actuator 20 based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 during a second period, which begins after the first period has elapsed from the start of the acceleration period and the deceleration period. In this case, the first period is preferably 1 second or longer. With such a configuration, the actuator 20 can be controlled based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 during a period in which the straight-line movement of the vehicle 100 is stable. Alternatively, the control device 30 may control the actuator 20 based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 during at least one of the acceleration period and the deceleration period, which indicates acceleration whose absolute value is greater than or equal to a first threshold and less than or equal to a second threshold greater than the first threshold. With this configuration, by appropriately setting the first and second thresholds, the acceleration used to measure the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor 50 can be prevented from including the acceleration indicated by the signal from the lighting sensor 50 when the vehicle 100 is rapidly accelerating or rapidly decelerating. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the absolute value of the acceleration used to measure the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 from becoming too small. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 can be measured more accurately, and the adjustment accuracy of the direction of the light L can be improved. The first threshold is, for example, 0.3 m / s². ２ 0.5m / s or more ２ The second threshold is, for example, 0.5 m / s. ２ 2.0m / s or more ２The following applies. Furthermore, if the vehicle 100 is equipped with a vibration sensor capable of measuring the amplitude of vibrations in the lateral direction of the vehicle 100, the control device 30 may control the actuator 20 based on the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during at least one of the acceleration period and the deceleration period, in which the amplitude indicated by the signal from the vibration sensor is less than or equal to a third threshold. With such a configuration, by appropriately setting the third threshold, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 can be measured based on the acceleration during the period when the amplitude of vibrations in the lateral direction of the vehicle 100 is small, thereby enabling more accurate measurement of the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 and improving the adjustment accuracy of the direction of the light L. Furthermore, if the vehicle 100 is equipped with a vibration sensor capable of measuring the amplitude of vibrations in the vertical direction of the vehicle 100, the control device 30 may control the actuator 20 based on the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during at least one of the acceleration period and the deceleration period, in which the amplitude indicated by the signal from the vibration sensor is less than or equal to a fourth threshold. With this configuration, by appropriately setting the fourth threshold, the influence of vertical vibrations of the vehicle 100 on measurements in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 can be reduced, making the measurements more accurate and improving the adjustment accuracy of the direction of the light L.

[0084] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, a control device 30 was described as controlling the actuator 20 so that the orientation of the lighting unit 15 changes in the left-right direction based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 during the period when the vehicle 100 is turning. However, the control device 30 may also control the actuator 20 based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 during a second period that begins after the first period has elapsed, from the start of the turning period when the vehicle 100 is turning. In this case, the first period is preferably 1 second or longer. With such a configuration, the actuator 20 can be controlled based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 during a period when the straight-line movement of the vehicle 100 is stable. Alternatively, the control device 30 may also control the actuator 20 based on a signal from the lighting sensor 50 during the period when the vehicle 100 is turning, which indicates acceleration whose absolute value is greater than or equal to a first threshold and less than or equal to a second threshold greater than the first threshold. With this configuration, by appropriately setting the first and second thresholds, the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 can be measured more accurately, similar to when the actuator 20 is controlled based on the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during at least one of the acceleration and deceleration periods, thereby improving the adjustment accuracy of the direction of the light L. Furthermore, if the vehicle 100 is equipped with a vibration sensor capable of measuring the amplitude of vibration in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100, the control device 30 may control the actuator 20 based on the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during the period when the amplitude of the signal from the vibration sensor is less than or equal to the third threshold during the vehicle 100 is turning. With this configuration, by appropriately setting the third threshold, the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 can be measured based on the acceleration during the period when the amplitude of vibration in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 is small, thereby improving the adjustment accuracy of the direction of the light L. Furthermore, if the vehicle 100 is equipped with a vibration sensor capable of measuring the amplitude of vertical vibrations of the vehicle 100, the control device 30 may control the actuator 20 based on the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during the period when the amplitude of the signal from the vibration sensor is below a fourth threshold while the vehicle 100 is turning.With this configuration, by appropriately setting the fourth threshold, the influence of vertical vibrations of the vehicle 100 on measurements in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 can be reduced, making the measurements more accurate and improving the adjustment accuracy of the direction of the light L.

[0085] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a three-axis acceleration sensor for the lighting fixture 50 was described as an example. However, when the control device 30 controls the actuator 20 to adjust the left-right direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100, the lighting fixture sensor 50 can be any sensor capable of measuring acceleration in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions of the vehicle, and may include, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor. Also, when the control device 30 does not control the actuator 20 to adjust the left-right direction of the light L relative to the vehicle 100, the lighting fixture sensor 50 can be any sensor capable of measuring gravity direction G, and may include, for example, a two-axis acceleration sensor.

[0086] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a posture detection sensor 111, which is a three-axis acceleration sensor, was described as an example. However, the posture detection sensor 111 is not limited to any configuration that can measure the pitch angle of the vehicle with respect to the horizontal plane. For example, the posture detection sensor 111 may be a sensor attached to the vehicle body or a member that does not move relative to the vehicle body of the vehicle 100, and may include a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor, or it may be a two-axis acceleration sensor attached in the same way. Alternatively, the posture detection sensor 111 may be a sensor that can measure the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the road surface. In this case, for example, by positioning the vehicle 100 on a horizontal road surface, the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane can be measured by the posture detection sensor 111. An example of such a sensor is a vehicle height sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. The vehicle height sensor may be, for example, provided at the front and rear of the vehicle 100, and may include a sensor that measures the distance to the road surface using laser light or ultrasonic waves, and may be configured to measure the pitch angle using such a sensor. Furthermore, the vehicle height sensor may include sensors that measure the extension and contraction of the suspension at the front and rear wheels of the vehicle 100, and the pitch angle may be measured using these sensors. If the attitude detection sensor 111 is a sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the road surface, then, when the vertical direction of the light L is set to a desired direction, it is possible to determine whether or not the vehicle 100 is located on a slope based on the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 with respect to the road surface and the signal from the lighting sensor 50. For this reason, the control device 30 may perform this determination and control the actuator 20 based on the signal from the attitude detection sensor 111 and the signal from the lighting sensor 50 when the vehicle 100 is located on a slope. With this configuration, when the vehicle 100 is located on a slope, the vertical direction of the light L with respect to the vehicle 100 can be changed.

[0087] Furthermore, there are no limitations on the timing for controlling the actuator 20 so that the orientation of the lighting unit 15 changes in the left-right direction. Below, we will describe a modified example in which the timing differs from that of the above embodiment. Note that components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals unless otherwise specified, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0088] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a system including the actuator 20 in a modified example. As shown in Figure 11, the control device 30 in this modified example differs from the control device 30 of the first embodiment in that it further includes a stopping determination unit 34. In this modified example, a driving state detection device 120 provided on the vehicle 100 is electrically connected to the ECU 110. The driving state detection device 120 in this modified example is a wheel speed sensor capable of measuring the rotational speed of the left and right wheels of the vehicle 100, and can measure whether or not the vehicle 100 is stopped. The driving state detection device 120 outputs a signal related to the rotational speed of the left and right wheels as information regarding whether or not the vehicle 100 is stopped, and this signal is input to the control device 30 via the ECU 110. Note that this signal may also be input directly to the control device 30 without going through the ECU 110.

[0089] The stopping determination unit 34 determines whether the vehicle 100 is stopped or not based on the signal from the driving state detection device 120. In this modified example, the stopping determination unit 34 determines that the vehicle 100 is stopped if the rotational speed of the left and right wheels, as indicated by the signal from the driving state detection device 120, is zero, and determines that the vehicle 100 is not stopped if the rotational speed exceeds zero. If the stopping determination unit 34 determines that the vehicle 100 is stopped, it outputs a signal related to stopping, and if it does not determine that the vehicle 100 is stopped, it does not output a signal. Therefore, the stopping determination unit 34 makes a determination by changing the signal it outputs depending on the case based on the signal from the driving state detection device 120.

[0090] Next, we will explain how to adjust the direction of light L in the left-right direction in this modified example.

[0091] In this modified example, the operation of the control device 30 in step S13 differs from the operation of the control device 30 in step S13 in the first embodiment. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device 30 in step S13 of this modified example. Step S13 of this modified example includes steps S131 to S133.

[0092] <Step S131> This step measures the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor 50, based on the acceleration indicated by the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during at least one of the acceleration period and the deceleration period. In this modified example, similar to the first embodiment, the actuator control unit 33 calculates a straight line SL1 by approximating the coordinate points indicated by the signal from the lighting sensor 50 during the period output from the straight-line determination unit 31 using the least squares method. The actuator control unit 33 then measures the direction D1 parallel to the straight line SL1 as the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 relative to the orientation of the lighting sensor 50, and stores the measured information of the direction D1 in the memory 40.

[0093] <Step S132> This step is a step in which the next step is determined based on information from the driving state detection device 120. In this step, as described above, the stopping determination unit 34 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 is stopped based on the above information. If the stopping determination unit 34 determines that the vehicle 100 is stopped, the control device 30 proceeds to step S133. If the stopping determination unit 34 determines that the vehicle 100 is not stopped, the control device 30 returns to step S132. For this reason, this step is repeated until the stopping determination unit 34 determines that the vehicle 100 is stopped.

[0094] <Step S133> This step involves controlling the actuator 20 so that the difference between the left-right orientation of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired left-right orientation is within a predetermined range. In this modified example, the actuator control unit 33 reads reference information and the direction D1 information stored in the memory 40 in step S131 from the memory 40, and measures the left-right tilt of the light L with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 based on this information. Next, similar to the first embodiment, the actuator control unit 33 determines the driving period of the motor 24 based on the measured tilt so that the difference between the left-right orientation of the light L relative to the vehicle 100 and the desired left-right orientation is within a predetermined range, and controls the motor 24.

[0095] As described above, the actuator control unit 33 of this modified example controls the actuator 20 to change the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 when the vehicle 100 is stationary, but does not perform such control when the vehicle 100 is moving. However, vibrations of the vehicle 100 can affect the operation of the actuator 20. Vibrations of a moving vehicle tend to be greater than those of a stationary vehicle. Therefore, the control device 30 of this modified example can reduce the influence of vehicle 100 vibrations on the operation of the actuator 20, allowing for more accurate changes in the orientation of the lighting unit 15 and improving the accuracy of adjusting the direction of the light L.

[0096] In the second embodiment, as with the above modification, the actuator control unit 33 may control the actuator 20 such that the left-right orientation of the lighting unit 15 changes while the vehicle 100 is stationary. With this configuration, the accuracy of adjusting the direction of the light L can be improved in the same way as with the above modification. In addition, unlike the above modification, the actuator control unit 33 of the first and second embodiments may perform the above control of the actuator 20 while the vehicle 100 is moving. In addition, the vehicle 100 may not be stationary for part of the period during which the above control is performed. However, from the viewpoint of improving the accuracy of adjusting the direction of the light L, it is preferable that the vehicle 100 is stationary for the entire period during which the above control is performed. Furthermore, the flow in step S13 is not limited. For example, the process may proceed from step S12 to step S132, and if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is stationary, proceed to step S131, and then proceed to step S133.

[0097] Furthermore, the driving state detection device 120 is not limited as long as it can measure whether or not the vehicle 100 is stopped. For example, the driving state detection device 120 may be configured to output a signal indicating whether or not the shift lever of the vehicle 100 is set to the parking range as a signal of information regarding whether or not the vehicle 100 is stopped.

[0098] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a vehicle headlight 1 was described as an example of a vehicle lighting device. However, the lighting device of the present invention is not limited to a vehicle headlight 1, and may be a head-up display or projector that projects light onto the windshield, etc.

[0099] According to the present invention, a control device, a program, and a vehicle lighting device are provided that can easily adjust the vertical direction of light relative to a vehicle, and can be used in fields such as vehicle lighting devices for automobiles.

Claims

1. A control device for an actuator capable of changing the vertical tilt of a lighting unit, characterized in that it controls the actuator based on a signal from a lighting sensor capable of measuring the direction of gravity and whose tilt changes in accordance with the change in the tilt of the lighting unit, and a signal from an attitude detection sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle with respect to the horizontal plane.

2. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the attitude detection sensor is a sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle with respect to the road surface.

3. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the attitude detection sensor is a sensor attached to the vehicle and capable of measuring the acceleration of the vehicle in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions.

4. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the actuator can further change the orientation of the lighting unit in the left-right direction, the lighting sensor is a sensor whose orientation changes in accordance with the change in the left-right orientation of the lighting unit and which can measure the acceleration of the vehicle in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions, and the control device determines whether the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating in a straight line based on a signal from the attitude detection sensor, and controls the actuator so that the left-right orientation of the lighting unit changes based on a signal from the lighting sensor during at least one of the acceleration period when the vehicle is accelerating in a straight line and the deceleration period when the vehicle is decelerating in a straight line.

5. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the actuator can further change the orientation of the lighting unit in the left-right direction, the lighting sensor is a sensor whose orientation changes in accordance with the change in the left-right orientation of the lighting unit and which can measure the acceleration of the vehicle in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions, and the control device determines whether or not the vehicle is turning based on a signal from the attitude detection sensor, and controls the actuator so that the left-right orientation of the lighting unit changes based on a signal from the lighting sensor during the period when the vehicle is turning.

6. The control device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the control device receives a signal from a driving state detection device capable of measuring whether or not the vehicle is stopped, and the control device controls the actuator such that the orientation of the lighting unit in the left-right direction changes when the vehicle is stopped.

7. A program executed by a control device for an actuator capable of changing the vertical tilt of a lighting unit, characterized in that the control device is instructed to perform a step of controlling the actuator based on a signal from a lighting sensor capable of measuring the direction of gravity and whose tilt changes in accordance with the change in the tilt of the lighting unit, and a signal from an attitude detection sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle with respect to the horizontal plane.

8. A vehicle light fixture comprising: a light fixture unit; an actuator capable of changing the vertical tilt of the light fixture unit; a light fixture sensor capable of measuring the direction of gravity and whose tilt changes in accordance with the change in the tilt of the light fixture unit; and a control device for controlling the actuator, wherein the control device controls the actuator based on a signal from the light fixture sensor and a signal from an attitude detection sensor capable of measuring the pitch angle of the vehicle with respect to the horizontal plane.

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