JP5753515B2 - Automotive lighting system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automobile lighting device, and more particularly to an improvement of a device that lights up in response to a human body contact.

  A lighting device is attached to the ceiling of a vehicle compartment. This illuminating device is provided with a plurality of lamps such as a room lamp that illuminates the entire passenger compartment and a map lamp that individually illuminates the driver's seat and the passenger seat.

  A touch switch is often used as a switch for turning on or off each lamp. The touch switch is operated when the human body touches a predetermined contact detection unit defined on the casing of the lighting device.

  FIG. 7 shows an illumination device described in Patent Document 1 below. In this illumination device, a case 78 that houses two lamps is covered with an illumination lens 80. On the illumination lens 80, there are two contact detectors 82 and 84 for switching the lamps. When the human body touches the contact detection unit 82, the switch operation of the lamp on the case 78 side is performed, and when the human body touches the contact detection unit 84, the switch operation of the lamp on the case 78 side is performed.

JP 2007-230450 A

  The technique described in Patent Document 1 merely switches the lamp on or off in response to a device operation according to a user operation. For this reason, it has not been possible to obtain a feeling as if communication has been established between the user and the device, such as suggesting an operation to the user or prompting the user to proceed to the next operation.

  An object of the present invention is to improve psychological stability of a user in a vehicle interior and improve comfort in the vehicle interior.

  The present invention provides a light source, an illumination lens that transmits light from the light source, a symbol mark that is provided on the illumination lens and can be switched between display and non-display, and first detection means that detects the approach of the human body to the illumination lens. And a second detection means for detecting contact of the human body with the illumination lens, and a control section for switching on / off of the light source and display of the symbol mark. The control section includes first detection means. Display switching means for displaying the symbol mark when the approach of the human body is detected by the lighting device, and lighting means for turning on the light source when contact of the human body is detected by the second detection means. Features.

In the automotive lighting device according to the present invention, preferably, the illumination lens has a plurality of touch portions which are detection areas of the second detection means on the surface, and the symbol mark corresponds to each touch portion. At least one each is provided, and at least one light source is provided corresponding to each touch part, and the display switching means displays all the symbol marks when the approach of the human body is detected, and lighting means Turns on the light source corresponding to each touch unit in response to detection of contact of the human body with each touch unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while aiming at the user's psychological stability in a vehicle interior, the comfort in a vehicle interior can be improved.

It is a perspective view of the illuminating device for motor vehicles. It is sectional drawing of the illuminating device for motor vehicles. It is sectional drawing of the illuminating device for motor vehicles. It is sectional drawing of the illuminating device for motor vehicles. It is a circuit diagram of the illuminating device for motor vehicles. It is a flowchart of the process which a control part performs. It is a figure which shows the illuminating device which concerns on related technology.

  FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an automotive lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automotive lighting device includes a case 10 in which a lamp as a light source is housed, an illumination lens 12 that transmits light from the light source, and a design panel 14 that is flush with the surface of the illumination lens 12. As accessories, there are a small case 16 for storing glasses and the like, and an audio panel 18 to which a microphone or the like is attached. The automobile lighting device is attached to the ceiling of the automobile with the illumination lens 12 directed toward the passenger compartment.

  The automobile lighting device includes two room lamps 20 that illuminate the entire cabin, and two map lamps 24 and 26 that partially illuminate the driver's seat and the passenger seat, respectively. The room lamp 20 and the map lamps 24 and 26 are operated by a touch switch using the illumination lens 12 as a touch panel. The illumination lens 12 includes a touch unit 28 corresponding to the room lamp 20 and touch units 30 and 32 corresponding to the map lamps 24 and 26, respectively. Each lamp switch operation is performed when a human body such as a finger or a palm touches each touch part.

  For each of the touch portions 28, 30 and 32, a symbol mark 34 is drawn by a groove on the surface of the illumination lens 12 on the case 10 side. The symbol mark 34 indicates the position of each touch part. In the example of FIG. 1, the symbol mark 34 is expressed by a hand graphic and “TOUCH” characters. Symbol light-emitting diodes 42 are provided on the left and right of the illumination lens 12. When the symbol light emitting diode 42 is turned on, the light passes through the illumination lens 12 and is scattered at the position of the symbol mark 34. As a result, the symbol mark 34 shines to be in a display state, and the positions of the touch portions 28, 30 and 32 are shown to the user.

  Control to switch on / off the light emitting diode for symbol 42 is performed based on detection of a human body using an infrared sensor, as will be described later. Therefore, the illumination lens 12 is provided with an infrared window 40 that transmits infrared rays transmitted and received by the infrared sensor.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the automobile lighting device taken along the line AB. The case 10 houses a circuit board 44 on which a circuit for controlling the automobile lighting device is mounted. The design panel 14 is fitted into the opening of the case 10.

  Lamp support arms 46 and 48 are attached to the design panel 14 so as to extend from the left and right inward of the case 10. Map lamps 24 and 26 are attached to the tips of the lamp support arms 46 and 48, respectively. For the map lamps 24 and 26, for example, a light emitting diode is used as a light source that emits spot-like light. The map lamps 24 and 26 are fixed so that the driver's seat and the passenger seat are individually illuminated.

  On the design panel 14, a step is formed that is lower than the surface of the panel portion that protrudes to the outside of the case 10, and the illumination lens 12 is fitted to the lower stage. The surface of the illumination lens 12 on the case 10 side is subjected to diamond cutting. Depending on the intensity of light, the appearance, etc., the diamond cutting process may be performed only on one surface of the illumination lens 12 or on both surfaces. The illumination lens 12 may not be subjected to diamond cutting.

  A transparent electrode 50 is provided at a position facing the map lamp 24 on the surface of the illumination lens 12 on the case 10 side. A transparent electrode 52 is provided at a position facing the map lamp 26 on the surface of the illumination lens 12 on the case 10 side. For the transparent electrodes 50 and 52, for example, a transparent conductive film is used.

  A region facing the transparent electrode 50 on the surface of the illumination lens 12 facing the passenger compartment serves as a touch unit 30 for performing a switch operation of the map lamp 24. Similarly, a region facing the transparent electrode 52 on the surface of the illumination lens 12 on the passenger compartment side is a touch unit 32 for performing a switch operation of the map lamp 26. When the human body touches the touch unit 30, the capacitance of the transparent electrode 50 changes, and contact with the human body is detected. Further, when the human body touches the touch part 32, the capacitance of the transparent electrode 52 changes, and the contact of the human body is detected. The control circuit mounted on the circuit board 44 switches on / off the map lamp 24 in accordance with the change in the capacitance of the transparent electrode 50, and the map lamp 26 in accordance with the change in the capacitance of the transparent electrode 52. Switches on or off.

  A symbol mark 34 is drawn by a groove in each of the areas where the transparent electrodes 50 and 52 are provided in the illumination lens 12. In addition, a light emitting diode arrangement region 54 is formed between the design panel 14 and the illumination lens 12. In the left and right light emitting diode arrangement regions 54 in FIG. 2, the symbol light emitting diodes 42 are arranged with the light emission direction directed toward the illumination lens 12. As the symbol light emitting diode 42, a light emitting diode that emits light that gives comfort to the user, such as orange light, may be used. When the symbol light emitting diode 42 is turned on, the light passes through the illumination lens 12 and is scattered at the position of the symbol mark 34. As a result, the symbol mark 34 shines in the same color as the light of the symbol light-emitting diode 42 and enters the display state. By devising the shape of the groove carved in the illumination lens 12, the symbol mark 34 in the display state is visible to the user's eyes so as to emerge from the automobile illumination device 10.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CD of the automobile lighting device. The two room lamps 20 are attached to the circuit board 44 via sockets 56 with the direction of illuminating the light directed toward the illumination lens 12. For the room lamp 20, for example, a light emitting diode is used in addition to a light bulb having a filament. A transparent electrode 58 is provided on the surface of the illumination lens 12 on the case 10 side. A region facing the transparent electrode 58 on the surface of the illumination lens 12 facing the passenger compartment serves as a touch unit 28 for performing a switch operation of the room lamp 20. When the human body touches the touch unit 28, the capacitance of the transparent electrode 58 changes, and contact with the human body is detected. The control circuit mounted on the circuit board 44 switches the room lamp 20 on or off based on the change in the capacitance of the transparent electrode 58.

  Although not appearing in the sectional view taken along the line C-D in FIG. 3, the touch part 28 of the room lamp 20 is also provided with a symbol mark 34 and a symbol light emitting diode 42 with the same configuration as the touch parts 30 and 32. It has been.

  FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line EF of the automobile lighting device. The illumination lens 12 is provided with an infrared window 40. The infrared window 40 is formed of a material that transmits infrared rays, such as plastic resin, and both surfaces thereof are processed flat. The infrared window 40 may be colored such as black so that it is difficult to visually recognize the inside of the case 10 from the outside.

  An infrared sensor 60 is mounted on the circuit board 44. The infrared sensor 60 includes a radiation unit 62 and a reception unit 64, and the radiation unit 62 and the reception unit 64 are directed toward the infrared window 40. The infrared sensor 60 outputs a signal indicating the distance to the target to the control circuit on the circuit board 44 based on the angle formed by the infrared radiation emitted from the radiation section 62 and the infrared radiation received by the reception section 64. To do. The control circuit obtains the distance to the target based on the signal output from the infrared sensor 60. Thus, the distance to the target such as a human body is obtained using the infrared rays that are transmitted from the radiating unit 62 through the infrared window 40, are reflected by the target, and are transmitted through the infrared window 40. The control circuit switches on or off the symbol light emitting diode 42 based on the obtained distance.

  Electrical components that are not directly mounted on the circuit board 44, such as the room lamp 20, the map lamps 24 and 26, the symbol light emitting diode 42, and the transparent electrodes 50, 52, and 58, are not shown in FIGS. The circuit board 44 is electrically connected by an electrical wiring structure. For example, each transparent electrode and the circuit board 44 are electrically connected by sandwiching a columnar conductive member with the vertical direction in each figure as the longitudinal direction between each transparent electrode and the circuit board 44. The By forming this member with an elastic material such as a conductive resin, the connection state between each transparent electrode and the circuit board 44 is ensured.

  In the above description, the symbol mark 34 is a mark drawn by the groove on the illumination lens 12, and the light from the symbol light emitting diode 42 is scattered. In addition to such a configuration, a liquid crystal panel may be employed for the symbol mark 34. Further, the symbol mark 34 may be one in which a light emitting diode is directly arranged on the illumination lens 12.

  Next, the configuration and operation of an electric circuit included in the automobile lighting device will be described. FIG. 5 shows a circuit diagram of an automobile lighting device. Here, an example in which a light bulb having a filament is used as the room lamp 20 and a light emitting diode is used as the map lamps 24 and 26 is shown.

  The control circuit mounted on the circuit board 44 includes a control unit 66, lamp switches 70, 72, 74, and a symbol switch 76. The control unit 66 includes a processor, an interface circuit for an external circuit, and the like. For the lamp switches 70, 72, 74 and the symbol switch 76, for example, a semiconductor element such as a transistor, a relay switch, or the like is used.

  One end of each room lamp 20 is connected to the positive terminal 68 of the power supply source. As this power supply source, for example, a power supply source for an auxiliary machine of an automobile is used. The other end of each room lamp 20 is connected to one end of a lamp switch 70. The other end of the lamp switch 70 is connected to a ground conductor. As the ground conductor, for example, an automobile body is used.

  The anode terminals of the map lamps 24 and 26 are connected to the positive terminal 68. The cathode terminals of the map lamps 24 and 26 are connected to lamp switches 72 and 74, respectively. The other ends of the lamp switches 72 and 74 are connected to a ground conductor.

  The anode terminal of each symbol light emitting diode 42 is connected to the positive terminal 68. The canode terminal of each symbol light emitting diode 42 is connected to a symbol switch 76. The other end of the symbol switch 76 is connected to a ground conductor. The lamp switches 70, 72, 74 and the symbol switch 76 are controlled by the control unit 66.

  Electric power is supplied to each room lamp 20 and map lamps 24 and 26 when a lamp switch connected thereto is turned on, and each room lamp 20 and map lamps 24 and 26 are lit. Further, power is supplied to each symbol light-emitting diode 42 when the symbol switch 76 is turned on, and each symbol light-emitting diode 42 is turned on.

  Transparent electrodes 50, 52 and 58 are connected to the controller 66. The controller 66 detects the amount of change (absolute value) in the capacitance of each of the transparent electrodes 50, 52 and 58. The controller 66 switches the lamp switch 70 on and off when the amount of change in capacitance of the transparent electrode 58 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. That is, the control unit 66 switches the lamp switch 70 from off to on or from on to off each time the amount of change in capacitance becomes equal to or greater than the threshold. Similarly, the control unit 66 switches on / off the lamp switch 72 every time the amount of change in the capacitance of the transparent electrode 50 exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the amount of change in the capacitance of the transparent electrode 52 changes in advance. The lamp switch 74 is turned on and off each time it exceeds a predetermined threshold. Thus, when the human body touches the touch part and the capacitance of the transparent electrode corresponding to the touch part changes, the lamp corresponding to the touch part is turned on or off. Thus, since the electrostatic capacitance of the transparent electrode corresponding to the touch part changes when the human body touches the touch part, each transparent electrode functions as a means for detecting contact of the human body.

  An infrared sensor 60 is connected to the control unit 66. The controller 66 detects the distance from the automobile lighting device to the human body based on the signal output from the infrared sensor 60. When the detected distance is less than a predetermined threshold, the symbol switch 76 is turned on. Thus, when a human body approaches the automobile lighting device, the symbol light emitting diode 42 is turned on, and each symbol mark 34 is in a display state. Thus, in the control part 66, the approach of a human body is detected by whether the distance to a human body became less than the predetermined threshold value, and the infrared sensor 60 functions as a means for detecting the approach of a human body.

  The control that the controller 66 turns on the symbol switch 76 when the distance to the human body is less than the threshold value may be performed regardless of the lighting state of each lamp. That is, regardless of the lighting state of each lamp, the control unit 66 turns off the symbol switch 76 and hides the symbol mark 34 when the distance to the human body is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and the distance to the human body is the threshold value. If it is less, the symbol switch 76 may be turned on to display the symbol mark 34.

  FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of processing executed by the control unit 66. This flowchart shows a processing example in which a symbol mark is displayed in response to the human body approaching the automobile lighting device, and the lamp is turned on in response to the human body touching the touch unit. .

  The control unit 66 detects the distance from the vehicle illumination device to the human body based on the signal output from the infrared sensor 60 (S101). Then, it is determined whether or not the detected distance is less than a predetermined threshold value d1 (S102). When the detected distance is greater than or equal to the threshold value d1, the control unit 66 detects again the distance from the automobile lighting device to the human body (S101). On the other hand, when the detected distance is less than the threshold value d1, the symbol switch 76 is turned on (S103).

  After turning on the symbol switch 76, the controller 66 detects the amount of change in capacitance of each of the transparent electrodes 50, 52 and 58 (S104). Then, it is determined whether or not the amount of change in capacitance of any one of the transparent electrodes is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S105). When the amount of change in capacitance of any one of the transparent electrodes is equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 66 switches on / off the lamp switch corresponding to the transparent electrode (S106), and proceeds to step S107. On the other hand, when the amount of change in capacitance of any transparent electrode is not equal to or greater than the threshold value, the controller 66 does not switch the lamp switch on and off, and proceeds to step S107.

  The control unit 66 detects the distance from the automobile lighting device to the human body based on the signal output from the infrared sensor 60 (S107). Then, it is determined whether or not the detected distance is less than a predetermined threshold value d2 (S108). When the detected distance is less than the threshold value d2, the control unit 66 returns to step S104. On the other hand, when the detected distance is greater than or equal to the threshold value d2, the symbol switch 76 is turned off (S109).

  According to the processing of steps S101 to S103, when the human body approaches the automobile lighting device up to a predetermined distance d1, all the symbol marks 34 are displayed. As a result, the positions of the touch portions of the room lamp 20 and the map lamps 24 and 26 are indicated by the respective symbol marks 34. And according to the process of step S104-S106, when a human body touches any touch part, the lamp | ramp corresponding to the touch part which the human body touched turns on or off. Further, according to the processing of steps S107 to S109, after the symbol mark 34 is in the display state, the symbol mark 34 is in the non-display state when the human body is separated from the automobile lighting device by a distance of d2 or more. By setting the threshold values d1 and d2 to different values, the distance to the human body when the human body approaches and the symbol mark 34 is in the display state and the human body when the human body is separated and the symbol mark 34 is in the display state are displayed. The distance to is different.

  As described above, the automobile lighting device according to the embodiment of the present invention indicates the position of each touch unit by the symbol mark 34 and guides the user who is going to perform the switch operation. And when a human body leaves | separates from the illuminating device for motor vehicles, the symbol mark 34 is made into a non-display state. This makes it possible to operate as if communication has been established between the user and the lighting device for the vehicle, to improve psychological stability of the user in the passenger compartment and to improve the comfort in the passenger compartment. Can do. Furthermore, by drawing the symbol mark 34 with a warm figure such as a hand figure and displaying it in a color that gives comfort to the user, the comfort in the passenger compartment can be further improved.

   10,78 Case, 12,80 Illumination lens, 14 Design panel, 16 Small case, 18 Audio panel, 20 Room lamp, 24, 26 Map lamp 28, 30, 32 Touch part, 34 Symbol mark, 40 Infrared window, 42 symbol Light emitting diode, 44 Circuit board, 46, 48 Lamp support arm, 50, 52, 58 Transparent electrode, 54 Light emitting diode placement area, 56 Socket, 60 Infrared sensor, 62 Radiation part, 64 Receiver part, 66 Control part, 68 Positive electrode Terminal, 70, 72, 74 Lamp switch, 76 symbol switch, 82, 84 Contact detector.

Claims (2)

A light source;
An illumination lens that transmits light from the light source;
A symbol mark provided on the illumination lens and switchable between display and non-display;
First detection means for detecting the approach of the human body to the illumination lens;
Second detection means for detecting contact of the human body with the illumination lens;
A control unit for turning on the light source and switching between displaying and hiding the symbol mark;
With
The control unit
Display switching means for displaying the symbol mark when the approach of the human body is detected by the first detection means;
Lighting means for turning on the light source when contact of the human body is detected by the second detection means;
An automotive lighting device comprising: The automobile lighting device according to claim 1,
The illumination lens has a plurality of touch portions which are detection areas of the second detection means on the surface,
At least one symbol mark is provided corresponding to each touch part,
At least one light source is provided corresponding to each touch part,
The display switching means displays all the symbol marks when the approach of the human body is detected,
The lighting unit is a lighting device for an automobile characterized by lighting a light source corresponding to each touch unit in response to detection of contact of a human body with each touch unit.

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