JP2001060403A - Headlamp using visible light cut-off shade and vehicle night-vision apparatus using the headlamp as illumination source - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To use infrared light from a headlamp as an irradiation source in a conventional night vision device, the passing light distribution reduces the visible light as well as the infrared light by half due to the shading shade. However, there is a problem that the performance cannot be exhibited. SOLUTION: According to the present invention, a headlamp 1 using a visible light cut light shielding shade 4 formed by using a visible light cut filter in which a light shielding shade blocks visible light and transmits infrared light is provided. Even when the headlamp 1 is formed for passing light distribution, almost all of the infrared rays are emitted in a traveling light distribution state, thereby solving the problem.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a headlamp, which is a vehicular lamp, and to a night-vision apparatus which can be received by a vehicle to make it easier to confirm the presence of a pedestrian or the like at night. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a configuration of the headlamp suitable as an illumination source of the night vision device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a night vision device 90 is provided in a vehicle 80, a suitable opening 81a is provided in a radiator grill 81 at a front end of the vehicle 80, as shown in FIG.
The infrared camera 91 is desired to be directed forward from the opening 81a.
A control unit and a monitor (both not shown) for processing signals from the vehicle are provided, and the driver is notified of the presence of a pedestrian or the like farther than the reaching distance (about 100 m) of the light of the headlamp 82, and safety is provided. It is intended to improve.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional night-vision apparatus 90, post-processing is required, such as providing an opening 81a in the radiator grille 81 for mounting, so that the mounting operation becomes complicated. Has occurred.
Also, the above description has been given with a so-called passive type example in which only infrared rays emitted by a subject such as a pedestrian are detected.
In the case of a so-called active type in which a subject is illuminated by the infrared lamp 92 or the like, in addition to the mounting of the infrared camera 91, an operation of mounting the infrared lamp 92 on the radiator grill 81 or the like is required, which further complicates the operation. In addition, the radiator grill 81 needs to be replaced with a special product, and the cost increases.

[0004]

According to the present invention, as a specific means for solving the above-mentioned conventional problems, there is provided a projector-type headlamp using a light-shielding shade in a headlamp lamp body for forming a passing light distribution. In the headlamp using a visible light cut light-shielding shade, wherein the light-shielding shade is formed using a visible light cut filter that blocks visible light and transmits infrared light
An infrared camera is integrally housed in a housing in which a headlamp using the visible light-cut light-shielding shade is housed, and the infrared camera uses infrared light from the headlamp including infrared light transmitted through the light-shielding shade. An object of the present invention is to solve the problem by providing a night vision device for a vehicle, wherein the night vision device is used as an illumination source.

[0005]

Next, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. 1 and FIG.
The headlamp 1 according to the present invention is for generating a passing light distribution. The headlamp 1 includes a light source 2, an elliptical reflecting mirror 3 such as a spheroid, and a light-shielding shade 4. , And a projection lens 5.

The operation of the projector type headlamp 1 will now be described. In the elliptical reflecting mirror 3, light from the light source 2 placed at the first focal point f1 is reflected and the second focal point is reflected. It converges to f2. The light-shielding shade 4 is provided in the light beam converging at the second focal point f2. For example, the light-shielding shade 4 blocks the lower half of the light beam from the reflecting mirror 3 converging as a circular cross section, and forms a lower circle semicircle.

The projection lens 4 is provided with a light shielding shade 4.
Is formed as having a focal point in the vicinity of
The cross-sectional shape of the light beam shaped by the light-shielding shade 4 is projected in the irradiation direction. In this projection, the top and bottom and left and right are inverted, so that the beam becomes a semicircle of the upper chord and is a passing beam that does not include upward light. Thus, appropriate light distribution characteristics can be obtained.

In the present invention, the light-shielding shade 4 is formed by using a visible light cut filter that shields visible light and transmits infrared light. If blue-violet coloring is performed, a wavelength longer than 700 nm, that is, a visible light cut filter that transmits infrared light and blocks visible light can be obtained.
Using this member, a visible light-cut light-shielding shade 4 (hereinafter, referred to as a shade 4)
The light-shielding shade 4 is abbreviated).

With this structure, in the headlamp 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, about 50% of the visible light from the light source 2 is shielded by the light-shielding shade 4, and the reference numeral in FIG. As shown by N, the passing light distribution by the visible light is formed without any difference from the conventional example.

However, since the light-shielding shade 4 transmits infrared light as described above, almost all of the infrared light radiated from the light source 2 in the infrared light region is projected in the irradiation direction. As shown by a symbol R in the drawing, an infrared light irradiation area can be obtained even for a portion where visible light is shielded by the light shielding shade 4.

Therefore, the visible light is a passing light distribution N which does not give an oncoming vehicle an illusion, but in the infrared light irradiating region R, a portion where the infrared light transmitted through the light-shielding shade 4 reaches is added, so that it is far away. Thus, a light distribution characteristic similar to a traveling light distribution with higher visibility can be obtained.

FIG. 4 shows a lamp unit 6 in which the above-described headlamp 1 is incorporated. As described above, the headlamp 1 obtains a passing light distribution. In the unit 6 formed in a closed container shape, a traveling headlamp 9 having a configuration in which the light-shielding shade 4 is removed from the headlamp 1 is also incorporated. A lamp for signal such as a lamp (not shown) is also incorporated and integrated into the lamp unit 6.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a night vision apparatus 10 of the present invention employing the above-described headlamp 1 as an illumination source.
In the present invention, the infrared camera 11 of the night vision device 10 is disposed in the lamp unit 6 and is integrated with the head lamp 1 and the head lamp 9. Since the lamp unit 6 is provided at two places on the left and right sides of the vehicle, it may be provided on either side or one side.

Here, the use condition of the lamp unit 6 will be described. For example, under the condition that traveling can be performed by traveling light distribution such as in a suburb, both the head lamp 1 and the head lamp 9 are turned on. Therefore, when the infrared wavelength portion of the light emitted from the headlamp 1 and the headlamp 9 is used as an illumination source of the infrared camera 11, the light amount is sufficient, and Since the radiated light is directed toward a distant front, the visible distance is also sufficient.

However, in a city area or the like, only the headlamp 1 side of the low-pass light distribution whose light distribution characteristic is mainly constituted by downward light is lit.
In the conventional configuration, the light from the headlamp 1 is used as the illumination source of the infrared camera 11;
The above visual recognition distance cannot be obtained, that is, the effect provided with the infrared camera 11 cannot be exhibited at all.

In this state, in the headlamp 1 according to the present invention, since the light-shielding shade 4 is formed of a member that transmits infrared rays, it is recognized as a passing light distribution to the driver of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle. However, it is recognized as a traveling light distribution that irradiates the infrared camera 11 from a distance far in front.

When arranging the infrared camera 11 in the lamp unit 6, the photographing direction of the infrared camera 11 should be determined in consideration of the state in which the lamp unit 6 is mounted on the vehicle. Needless to say, it is set in a required direction, and further, auxiliary parts such as the lens hood 11a are attached as necessary.

In addition to the infrared camera 11 described above, the output from the infrared camera 11 has a different expression from that of a general visible light image. Processor 1 that performs processing
2, and a monitor 13 for notifying the driver of the image processed by the processor 12 are provided, but the present invention does not specify an installation location for these.

Next, the operation and effect of the night vision device 10 of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described. Since the infrared camera 11 is installed in the lamp unit 6 according to the present invention, the heading direction of the headlamp 1 (or the headlamp 9), which is the illumination source of the infrared camera 11, and the direction of the infrared camera 11 can be changed. In addition to this, it is possible to preliminarily set a vehicle as an optimum one.

In addition, since the two are integrated, the mounting operation of the infrared camera 11 can be completed only by the mounting operation of the lamp unit 6 which has been performed in the related art even in the mounting process for the vehicle. There is no need to perform direction matching between the two,
Work is simplified.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, a headlamp using a visible light-cut light-shielding shade formed using a visible light-cut filter that blocks visible light and transmits infrared light is provided. By adopting this headlamp as an illumination source for night vision devices,
The headlamp, which is the illumination source, emits downward light when traveling in the passing light distribution where this night vision device is most needed,
This solves the problem that the lighting effect is reduced and the visibility to distant places is lacking.

An infrared camera is integrally housed in a housing in which a headlamp using a visible light cut-off light-shielding shade is housed, and the infrared light from the headlamp including infrared light transmitted through the light-shielding shade is contained in the housing. By using a night vision device for vehicles that is the illumination source for the infrared camera, the head unit and the infrared camera can be given optimal directions in advance when mounted on the vehicle. It is only necessary to perform the mounting, and the mounting operation can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an essential part of an embodiment of a headlamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing light distribution characteristics of a headlamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a lamp unit incorporating the headlamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a night vision device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional night vision device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Headlamp 2 ... Light source 3 ... Reflecting mirror 4 ... Visible light cut-off shade 5 ... Projection lens 6 ... Lamp unit 7 ... Housing 8 ... Outer lens 9 ... Headlamp 10 ... Dark Viewing device 11 Infrared camera 12 Processor 13 Monitor

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Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A projector-type headlamp using a light-shielding shade in a headlamp lamp body to form a passing light distribution, wherein the light-shielding shade includes a visible light cut filter that blocks visible light and transmits infrared light. A headlamp using a visible light-cut light-shielding shade formed using the same. 2. A housing in which a headlamp using the visible light cut-off light-shading shade is housed, an infrared camera is integrally housed, and infrared light from the headlamp including infrared light transmitted through the light-shielding shade is provided. A night vision device for a vehicle, wherein the night vision device is used as an illumination source of the infrared camera.