• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    A vehicle lamp has a first lighting unit (20) and a second lighting unit (31), which is arranged on one side of the first lighting unit (20) so as to be adjacent to the lighting unit (20). ci, as a lighting unit that illuminates to perform a predetermined lighting function. The first lighting unit (20) has a plurality of lighting elements (21 to 26) which are arranged adjacent to one another and which are arranged in such a manner that their outer end portions transversely outside side of the vehicle. A first portion of the ignition circuit causes the lighting elements of the first lighting unit (20) to be sequentially switched on or off in a direction in which the lighting elements are arranged in portions. during a predetermined period. A second ignition circuit portion controls the second lighting unit (31) to be turned on and off at intervals of the predetermined period.
    公开号:FR3017085A1
    申请号:FR1550851
    申请日:2015-02-04
    公开日:2015-08-07
    发明作者:Norimasa Yamamoto
    申请人:Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    [0001] Technical Field The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp including a light emitting unit having light emitting elements which are lit in sequence.
    [0002] BACKGROUND ART As a lamp for use with a vehicle, there is for example a lamp in which a plurality of light sources, e.g. LEDs (light emitting diodes) are arranged to be lit in sequence. A rear light including groups of LEDs, in which LEDs are lit in sequence to indicate the direction in which the driver wishes to rotate his vehicle, is described in JP-B-6- 51453. A flashing light for a vehicle in which LED arrays are lit in sequence, is described in JP-A-2005-132256. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This is a case where a lamp having a simple lighting function is divided into a plurality of light emitting units. This is the case for example when a lamp having a lighting function as a flashing light is formed to be divided into a first light emitting unit and a second light emitting unit. Further, it is assumed that at least one of the first and second light emitting units has a plurality of light sources which are lit in sequence. When this is actually happening, the on state of the plurality of light emitting units is appropriately controlled and as a lighting operation of a specific lighting function such as the flashing light in this case. , it is required of the flashing light to illuminate advantageously without giving a feeling of strangeness or disorder of lighting for people who look at it. In a vehicle lamp including a plurality of light emitting units for a simple lighting function of which at least one light emitting unit has a plurality of light emitting elements which are lit in sequence, an objective of the light emitting unit The invention then consists in providing attractive lighting which does not give any feeling of strangeness or disorder of the lighting for people who are looking at the lit vehicle lamp. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle lamp including a first lighting unit and a second lighting unit, which is disposed on one side of the first lighting unit so as to be adjacent to it. therein, the first lighting unit including a plurality of lighting elements which are arranged adjacent to one another and which are arranged in such a way that the outer end portions of the lighting elements are brought closer together. sequence of the transversely outer side of the vehicle, the vehicle lamp including a first ignition circuit portion configured to sequentially turn on or off in sequence the lighting elements of the first lighting unit in a direction in which the lighting elements in individual time portions for a predetermined period of time as a lighting operation of a light source a predetermined lighting section, and a second ignition circuit portion configured to control the second lighting unit to be turned on and off at intervals of the predetermined period as a lighting operation of the predetermined lighting function. wherein the first ignition circuit portion and the second ignition circuit portion perform the lighting operation in such a manner as to obtain a temporal portion of the time portions during the predetermined period when all the lighting elements of the the first lighting unit and the entire second lighting unit are on. When referred to herein, a lighting element means a lighting zone consisting of a single lighting device or a plurality of lighting devices that are lit simultaneously. The first lighting unit and the second lighting unit are arranged in alignment, for example, in the horizontal direction. The second lighting unit is switched on and off, while in the first lighting unit the individual lighting elements are switched on or off in sequence. When this actually occurs, no sensation of strangeness or disorder of illumination of the predetermined lighting function is communicated to people who are looking at the lit vehicle lamp by getting the time portion where all the lighting elements of the first lighting unit and the entire second lighting unit are on. According to a second aspect of the invention, in the vehicle lamp according to the invention described above, in the case where the first portion of ignition circuit detects that at least one lighting element of the first unit of lighting remains off, it is desirable that the first portion of the ignition circuit performs at least either the sending of a control signal or the stopping of the ignition in sequence or the extinction in sequence of the elements of 'lighting. Taking into account the risk that the lighting or extinguishing in sequence of the lighting elements not giving any sensation of strangeness or disordered lighting for people who look at the illuminated vehicle lamp is interrupted by at least one element of the lighting remains off, the first portion of the ignition circuit avoids or informs the risk of occurrence of unattractive lighting. According to a third aspect of the invention, in the vehicle lamp according to the invention described above, as a lighting operation of the lighting function, the first portion of the ignition circuit controls the lighting elements. individual illumination of the first illumination unit so that the illumination elements are lit in sequence from an element at the transverse center to an element at the transverse side of the vehicle for a shorter duration than the duration of the predetermined period and further controls the lighting elements so that all the lighting elements are off at the moment corresponding to the moment when the second lighting unit which is on and off is extinguished. A series of regular and attractive lighting operations can be performed by the first and second lighting units by sequentially lighting the lighting elements of the first lighting unit for a period shorter than the duration of the period. during which the second lighting unit is switched on and off and switching off the lighting elements at the moment corresponding to the moment when the second lighting unit which is on and off is extinguished. In addition, the lighting operation that results from the sequential lighting of the lighting elements of the first lighting unit in the order from the element at the transverse center to the element on the transverse side of the vehicle is suitable for a lighting operation, for example, a flashing light (direction indicators). According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the vehicle lamp according to the invention described above, in the case where the first portion of the ignition circuit detects that at least one lighting element of the first unit of the lighting remains off, the first portion of the ignition circuit controls the first lighting unit so that the lighting elements of the first lighting unit that remain normal and the second lighting unit are all on and off. synchronously at intervals of the predetermined period. In the case where at least one lighting element remains off, the remaining normal lighting elements can be switched on for lighting. When this occurs, the appearance of the vehicle lamp when it is lit is not degraded by the switching on and off of the remaining normal lighting elements in synchronism with the second lighting unit without the turn on or off in sequence. According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the vehicle lamp according to the invention described above, it is assumed that the second lighting unit is mounted on a fixed portion of the vehicle, while the first lighting unit is mounted on a movable portion of the vehicle that can be opened and closed in a position where the first lighting unit is aligned with the second lighting unit, the movable portion being closed. There is a case where the design of a vehicle or the construction of the vehicle body requires a vehicle lamp having a simple lighting function to be divided to be arranged at different locations on the body. For example, in a large number of cases, a portion that can be opened and closed (called "movable portion") for example a trunk lid or a tailgate, is provided at the rear of the body. When this occurs, there is a case in which a lamp unit is disposed above a portion extending from the movable portion such as the trunk lid or a non-movable portion (referred to as a "fixed portion") which is on the periphery of the movable portion. In this case, it is assumed that a lighting unit which constitutes a lamp having a certain lighting function is divided into a first and a second lighting unit. According to the present invention, a series of regular lighting operations by the first and second lighting portions can be performed on the movable portion and the fixed portion of the vehicle. According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the vehicle lamp according to the invention described above, branch circuits are connected in parallel with the individual lighting elements of the first lighting unit and, in the case where the first ignition circuit portion detects that a lighting element of the first lighting unit remains off, the first ignition circuit portion can bypass the bypass circuit corresponding to the lighting element which remains off so that a lighting control current for the lighting element which remains off is supplied to the other lighting elements. By shifting the lighting control current from the lighting element that remains off, the lighting control current can be delivered to the other lighting elements. According to the invention, in the vehicle lamp including the first and second lighting units which perform the predetermined illumination function given on the vehicle lamp, the second lighting unit being configured to be switched on and off, the first lighting unit including lighting elements that are lit in sequence or extinguished in sequence, it is possible to achieve attractive lighting providing no feeling of strangeness or disorder of lighting for people who look at the lamp for illuminated vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood and its advantages will be better understood on reading the detailed description which follows. The description refers to the following drawings, which are given by way of example. Fig. 1 is an explanatory drawing showing how vehicle lamps of one embodiment of the invention are mounted on the body of a vehicle.
    [0003] Fig. 2 is an explanatory drawing showing the ignition circuit patterns of the vehicle lamp of the embodiment. Fig. 3 is an explanatory drawing showing a lighting operation of a first exemplary embodiment.
    [0004] Fig. 4 is an explanatory drawing showing control waveforms for the lighting operation of the first exemplary embodiment. Fig. 5 is an explanatory drawing showing a lighting operation of a second exemplary embodiment.
    [0005] Fig. 6 is an explanatory drawing showing control waveforms for the illumination operation of the second exemplary embodiment. Fig. 7 is an explanatory drawing showing a lighting operation of a fourth exemplary embodiment.
    [0006] Fig. 8 is an explanatory drawing showing control waveforms for the illumination operation of the fourth exemplary embodiment. Fig. 9 is an explanatory drawing showing an extinguishing operation that is performed when a lighting error occurs according to the embodiment. Fig. 10 is a flow chart of an exemplary process when a lighting error occurs according to the embodiment, including detection of a lighting error. Fig. 11 is a flowchart of an example of occurrence of illumination error of the process according to the embodiment including detection of a lighting error. Fig. 12 is an explanatory drawing showing an exemplary configuration that addresses a malfunction of one of the lighting units of the embodiment.
    [0007] Fig. 13 is an explanatory drawing showing another exemplary configuration that addresses a malfunction of one of the lighting units of the embodiment. Fig. 14 is an explanatory drawing showing another exemplary configuration that addresses a malfunction of one of the lighting units of the embodiment.
    [0008] DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, a vehicle lamp according to one embodiment of the invention will be described hereinafter. In this embodiment, a vehicle lamp will be described including a lighting unit (first lighting unit 20, second lighting unit 31) which is used as a rear flashing light of a vehicle body. . Combined tail lamps 10L, 10R are shown in the upper portion of Figure 1 as an example of a vehicle lamp which is mounted on the body of a vehicle. The combination rear lamps 10L, 10R each comprise lighting devices such as LEDs, which are arranged to perform lighting functions such as a tail lamp, a brake light, a fire flashing and the like.
    [0009] The combination rear light 10L and the combination rear light 1OR differ only in that they are formed with lateral symmetry with respect to each other and their basic construction, lighting operation and function are the same. Accordingly, in the description that follows, only the combined right rear light 1OR will be considered to be described for the explanation of the vehicle lamp according to the invention. The vehicle shown in Figure 1 comprises a trunk which is provided at the rear of the vehicle body. The combined rear light 1OR (and 10L) is disposed above a portion which extends from a movable portion 13 which can be opened and closed as a tailgate to a fixed portion 14 which constitutes a part of the body. For this reason, in reality, the combined rear light 1OR (and 10L) is divided into a fixed side unit 11 and a movable side unit 12. The movable portion 13 is here described as consisting of the trunk lid, however, it can there is a case where the tailgate of a passenger vehicle of the passenger compartment type corresponds to the movable portion 13 and the mobile side unit 12 is disposed on a portion of the tailgate. An enlarged view of the combined rear light 1OR is shown in the lower part of Fig. 1. Lighting units which function as a tail light, a stop light and a flashing light are formed both in the fixed side unit 11 and the movable side unit 12 of the combination tail lamp 10R, and the hatched portion shown in the lower part of Figure 1 represents a location where the lighting devices are arranged as the first lighting unit 20 and the second unit of illumination. lighting 31, both of which are used as a flashing light. Six lighting elements (21 to 26) are arranged adjacent each other in a substantially horizontal direction in the first lighting unit 20. According to this arrangement, the lighting elements 21 to 26 are arranged so that their portions respective outer end portions are in sequence on the transversely outer side of the vehicle.
    [0010] An LED or a plurality of LEDs that are lit at the same time are disposed in each lighting element. An LED or a plurality of LEDs are disposed in the second lighting unit 31. This lighting unit 31 is turned on and off according to a predetermined period.
    [0011] The lighting elements (21 to 26) of the first lighting unit are lit in sequence or extinguished in sequence in the direction in which the lighting elements are arranged. The illumination of the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 is controlled so as to obtain a time section in time sections of a predetermined period where all the lighting elements (21 to 26 ) of the first lighting unit 20 and the whole of the second lighting unit 31 are turned on. In a state such that the movable portion 13, such as the trunk lid is closed, the second lighting unit 31 is disposed adjacent to the first lighting unit 20 so as to be aligned therewith in the horizontal direction in which the six lighting elements (21 to 26) are aligned adjacent each other. The LEDs provided in the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 illuminate to emit orange light. Fig. 2 shows, by way of example, the configuration of ignition circuits for the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31. An ECU (electronic control unit) 100 shown in Fig. 2 is a control unit of a microcomputer which is arranged on the body side of the vehicle and which is for example a measuring ECU or the like. The first and second lighting units 20, 31, which constitute the flashing light of this embodiment, are illuminated on the basis of a command from the ECU 100. The second lighting unit 31 and a second portion of ignition circuit 2 which controls the second lighting unit 31 for illumination are provided as a fixed side unit 11. In addition, the first lighting unit 20 and a first ignition circuit portion 4 which controls the first lighting unit 20 for illumination are provided as movable side unit 12. The second lighting unit 31 comprises, for example, eight LEDs 41 to 48 which are connected in series. Although the LEDs are here connected in series, a configuration in which the LEDs 41 to 48 are connected in parallel or circuits each including a plurality of LEDs which are connected in series are connected in parallel can be adopted. An illumination control circuit 30 and an error detector circuit 32 are provided in the second ignition circuit portion 2. The illumination control circuit 30 supplies an illumination control current Ids to the second unit In this example, the ECU 100 is configured to provide a control voltage Vt, for example 12 V, to the lighting control circuit 30 to produce the blinker light. The lighting control circuit 30 modifies the control voltage Vt delivered to it when the voltage Vt is actually necessary for it. In addition, the lighting control circuit 30 determines an output timing for applying a control voltage Vts to the second lighting unit 31. A lighting control current Ids corresponding to the control voltage Vts flows to the second lighting unit 31 to thereby provide illumination of the LEDs 41 to 48. The control voltage Vts and the lighting control current Ids that are output from the lighting control circuit 30 are monitored by the error detecting circuit 32. Disconnection of any one of LEDs 41 to 48, disconnection of any of the cabling to LEDs 41 to 48 or a short circuit in any of LEDs 41 to 48 48 or cabling causes the second lighting unit 31 to be switched off. When such disconnection occurs, the lighting control current Ids becomes equal to 0, i.e. Ids = 0. In the case of a short circuit appearing in the either LED or wiring, the control voltage Vts goes to ground potential or to a voltage that is lower than the original voltage. The error detector circuit 32 monitors the control voltage Vts and the lighting control current Ids to detect an error in the form of a disconnection or a short circuit. When it detects such an error, the error detector circuit 32 then sends a second control signal TT2 to the ECU 100.
    [0012] In addition, when the error is detected, it is also assumed that the second ignition circuit 2 sends the second control signal TT2 or interrupts the ignition operation of the second lighting unit 31 without executing both. The first lighting unit 20 comprises, for example, six LEDs 61 to 66 which are connected in series. The LEDs 61 to 66 are made to correspond respectively to the lighting elements 21 to 26. Although the LEDs 61 to 66 are here connected in series, a configuration may be adopted in which the lighting elements 21 to 26 which are constituted LEDs 61 to 66 are connected in parallel. In addition, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of LEDs are allocated to each of the lighting elements 21 to 26 and pluralities of LEDs are then connected in series or in parallel. The first ignition circuit portion 4 comprises a lighting control circuit 50, bypass circuits 51 to 56, an error detection circuit 57 and a bypass control module 59. The branch circuit 51 to 56 are respectively connected in parallel to the LEDs 61 to 66, so that branch lines are formed and a lighting control current Idm can flow while bypassing the LEDs. Bypass circuits 51 to 56 are configured to make or break branch lines based on BP1 through BP6 bypass control signals from bypass control module 59. Accordingly, LEDs 61 to 66 may be individually controlled to be illuminated or not illuminated by BP1 to BP6 bypass control signals. For example, in the case where branch circuit 51 is turned off, while branch circuits 52 to 56 are set, LED 61 (lighting element 21) is on, while LEDs 62 to 66 (elements 22 to 26) are off. The lighting control circuit 50 supplies the illumination control current Idm to the LEDs 61 to 66. When the ECU 100 requests the flashing light to illuminate as described above, the ECU 100 outputs the control voltage Vt, for example 12 V, and the control voltage thus output is supplied not only to the lighting control circuit 30 of the second ignition circuit portion 2 but also to the control circuit of the ignition circuit. lighting 50.
    [0013] The lighting control circuit 50 modifies the control voltage Vt supplied thereto as necessary and adjusts an output timing as necessary to apply a control voltage Vtm to the first lighting unit 20. The control current Idm lighting corresponding to the control voltage Vtm then flows to the first lighting unit 20, so that the LED or the LEDs among the LEDs 61 to 66 including the bypass circuits branch circuit (51 to 56) are disabled, can light up. The control voltage Vtm and the lighting control current Idm which are applied by the lighting control circuit 50 are monitored by the error detection circuit 57. The error detection circuit 57 also monitors the voltages between In the case where any or all of the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 remain off, it is assumed that any or all of the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 remain off. LEDs 61 to 66 are disconnected, any or all of the wiring to LEDs 61 to 66 are disconnected, any or all of LEDs 61 to 66 are bypassed or any or all of Wiring to LEDs 61 to 66 are short-circuited.
    [0014] In the case of the occurrence of such a disconnection, when the branch circuits 51 to 56 are deactivated, the illumination control current Idm becomes equal to zero, that is to say that Idm = 0. In contrast, in the case where the LEDs and the wiring thereto are normal, when the bypass circuits (51 to 56) are deactivated, the voltages between their two ends become direct voltages Vf (V). However, in the event that the short circuit appears in the LED or the wiring to it, the voltage between the ends of the branch circuit that corresponds to the shorted LED becomes 0 (V). Thus, the error detection circuit 57 detects the error (illumination error) as a disconnection or short circuit by monitoring the illumination control current Idm (or the control voltage Vtm) or the voltages between them. ends of the bypass circuits 51 to 56. In the event that an error such as at least one lighting element remains off is detected, the error detection circuit 57 sends a first control signal 71-1 to the ECU 100. .
    [0015] In addition, in the case where the error detector circuit 57 detects an error condition in which at least one of the lighting elements of the first lighting unit 20 remains off, the error detection circuit 57 warns the lighting control circuit 50 of the detected information. The lighting control circuit 50 can interrupt the supply of the illumination control current Idm in response to the reception of the detected information so as to interrupt the lighting operation of the first lighting unit 20. When the error is detected as described above, it is assumed that the first ignition circuit 4 sends the first control signal TT1 or interrupts the ignition operation of the first lighting unit 20 without performing both. The branch control module 59 generates branch control signals BP1 to BP6 in response to receiving the timing instructions from the lighting control circuit 50 and outputs the branch control signals generated to the branch circuits. 51 to 56. This bypass control module 59 may be configured to generate control pulses as branch control signals BP1 to BP6 at intervals of a predetermined duration using for example a sequencer circuit.
    [0016] In the configuration shown in Figure 2, which has been described so far, although the ECU 100 is configured to deliver the control voltage Vt for example 12 V to the first and second portions of ignition circuit 4, 2 when, for example, the illumination of the flashing light is caused, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a control voltage is supplied to the first and second ignition circuit portions 4, 2 from the vehicle battery and the ECU 100 controls the supplying the control voltage to be switched on or off by the control signals derived therefrom. In addition, although only the main part of the invention is shown in FIG. 2, it is considered that in fact the first ignition circuit 4 and the second ignition circuit 2 each further comprise a stabilization circuit of control current, an overvoltage protection circuit, a power supply override circuit, and the like. In this embodiment, according to the configuration that has been described so far, the second lighting unit 31 which constitutes the fixed side unit 11 and the first lighting unit 20 which constitutes the mobile side unit 12 are provided. , and these lighting units can perform the lighting operation as a function of the flashing light and the lighting operation as a function of the hazard light. In the lighting operation as a function of the flashing light, the second lighting unit 31 is turned on and off and the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 are lit in sequence or extinguished in sequence. . As a first example of such a lighting operation, a lighting operation will be described in which the lighting elements (21 to 26) of the first lighting unit 20 are lit sequentially in the direction in which which the lighting elements are arranged and all the lighting elements (21 to 26) are extinguished at once at the moment corresponding to the moment when the second lighting unit 31 is off while it is on and off.
    [0017] Figure 3 shows how the lighting elements are lit. FIG. 3 schematically shows the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 which are arranged to be aligned in the substantially horizontal direction and the second lighting unit 31. The oblique lines indicate that the element or shaded lighting elements with these are lit for lighting. In addition, the right-side flashing light is described as a combination tail light 1OR and accordingly, in Figure 3, the left side constitutes the transversely central side of the vehicle and the right side constitutes the transversely outer side of the vehicle.
    [0018] The states ST0 to S17 shown in Fig. 3 are repeated when the first and second lighting units are illuminated to execute the function as a flashing light. In the STO state, all lighting elements of the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 are turned off. In the ST1 state, only the lighting element 21 is turned on. In the ST2 state, the illumination element 22 is lit while the illumination element 21 is kept on. In the state ST3, the lighting element 23 is on while the lighting elements 21, 22 are kept on. In the state ST4, the lighting element 24 is lit while the lighting elements 21 to 23 are kept lit. In the ST5 state, the lighting element 25 is turned on while the lighting elements 21 to 24 are kept lit. In the state ST6, the lighting element 26 is on while the lighting elements 21 to 25 are kept lit, so that all the LEDs 61 to 67 of the first lighting unit 20 are lit. . In the next ST7 state, the second lighting unit 31 is lit while the lighting elements 21 to 26 are kept lit. After that, the lighting elements 21 to 26 are turned off in synchronism with the second lighting unit 31 turned off, while the lighting sequence returns to the STO state. The series of lighting operations is repeated while the flashing light instruction is kept active. Here, as depicted in FIG. 2, the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 are controlled for illumination via the different systems. In this embodiment, the STO state series up to state S17 shown in Fig. 3 is performed to be repeated by appropriately setting the timing of the respective operations of the first and second circuit portions of ignition 4, 2. This allows the first and second lighting units 20, 31 to perform the attractive and appropriate lighting operation as a flashing light.
    [0019] Figure 4 shows various operating waveforms. When the driver actuates a turn signal lever to signal his intention to change direction to the right, in response to actuation of the turn signal lever, the ECU 100 intermittently delivers the control voltage Vt to the light control circuit. 30, 50 for lighting the flashing light in the combination rear light 10R.
    [0020] In the case where the voltage, for example, of 12 V, is supplied to the lighting control circuit 30 of the second ignition circuit portion 2 as the control voltage Vt, the lighting control circuit 30 delivers outputting a control signal Vts based on the control voltage Vt after waiting for a time section T2 in an internal circuit. The control voltage Vts is a voltage value which is set as a function of the forward voltage drop across all the LEDs of the second lighting unit 31. Depending on the design, the control voltage Vt, for example 12 V can be used directly as the control voltage Vts or the control voltage Vt can be increased or decreased in the lighting control circuit 30 so that the resulting voltage is used as the control voltage Vts. The lighting control current Ids is then delivered to LED 41 to 48 based on a predetermined voltage value which is the control voltage Vts, so that the second lighting unit 31 is turned on. The control voltage Vts based on the control voltage Vt goes to ground level, for example when the control voltage Vt from the ECU 100 decreases to the ground level, for example. This interrupts the supply of lighting control current Ids to LEDs 41 to 48, so that the second lighting unit 31 is turned off. This series of operations constitutes a cycle during which the second lighting unit 31 is on and off. That is, since the control voltage Vt is delivered by the ECU 100 at each period of a time portion T1, the second lighting unit 31 is turned on and off while it is on once. during the time portion T1 in response to the supply of the control voltage Vt from the ECU 100.
    [0021] A sequencer circuit may be used, using the increase of the control voltage Vt as a trip or a time constant circuit may be used to set an application timing of the control voltage Vts. In the case where the sequencer circuit is used, it is considered that a switch is provided, for example in a power supply line of the control voltage Vt and the switch is activated at a time when the sequencer circuit has a portion temporal T2 since a moment of increase of the control voltage Vt. In the case where the voltage for example 12 V is delivered to the lighting control circuit 50 of the first ignition circuit portion 4 as the control voltage Vt, the lighting control circuit 50 outputs a control voltage Vtm in response to the supply of the control voltage Vt. The control voltage Vtm is a voltage value which is set in response to a direct voltage drop in all the LEDs of the first lighting unit 20. As a result, depending on the design, the control voltage Vt for example of 12 V can be used directly as the control voltage Vtm or the control voltage Vt can be increased or decreased in the lighting control circuit 50 so that the resulting voltage is used as the control voltage Vtm. The illumination control current Idm is then supplied to the first lighting unit 20 at a predetermined voltage value which is the control voltage Vtm. In addition, the lighting control circuit 50 provides the bypass control module 59 with an instruction when the control voltage Vt should increase. The branch control module 59 comprises, for example, a sequencer circuit and starts counting the time from the moment when the control voltage Vt increases to set the branch control signals BP1 to BP6 according to the individual synchronizations for the output . For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the BP1 control signal increases to the high level H when the control voltage Vt increases. In addition, the BP2 to BP6 control signals are increased in sequence to the high levels H at times when the time portions tB2 to tB6 are counted in sequence.
    [0022] In this example, the branch circuits 51 to 56 are disabled by the branch control signals BP1 to BP6 increasing to the high levels H. As a result, the branch circuits 51 to 56 are deactivated in sequence, as a result of which the illumination control current Idm is delivered in sequence to the LEDs 61 to 66, so that the lighting elements 21 to 26 start to be lit in sequence.
    [0023] In this case, the time portion tB6 that flows until the BP6 control signal increases to the high level H since the branch control signal BP1 has been raised to the high level H by the module Bypass control 59 is shorter than the time portion T1 which is the cycle during which the second lighting unit 31 is turned on and off. After that, the control voltage Vts which is based on the control voltage Vt becomes, for example, the level of the ground at the moment when the control voltage Vt coming from the ECU 100 passes for example at the ground level, so regardless of the state of the branch circuits 51 to 56, the supply of the lighting control current Idm to the LEDs 61 to 66 is interrupted, so that the second lighting unit 31 is turned off. The shunt control module 59 should decrease the shunt control signals BP1 to BP6 to the low levels L in response to a decrease in the control voltage Vt. This series of operations constitutes a cycle during which the first lighting unit 20 is on. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, as a result of the aforesaid operations performed in the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31, the lighting 20 of the turn signal is realized in which the number of lighting parts is gradually increased from the transversely central side to the transversely outer side of the vehicle. The following are examples of specific time portions. Time portion T1 = a time portion length of the period during which the second lighting unit 31 is on and off = 700 ms Time portion T2 = time portion during which only the first lighting unit 20 is on = 180 ms Time portion T3 = time portion during which at 30 times the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 are lit = 170 ms Time portion T4 = time portion without lighting = 350 ms Time portion T5 = time portion during which the first lighting unit 20 is lit in sequence = 30 ms. It will be noted that the time portion T5 of 30 ms × 6 = temporal portion T2. That is, in this embodiment, the illumination for the flashing function is performed by the second lighting unit 31 which is turned on and off and the first lighting unit 20 which is lit in sequence. . The second portion of the ignition circuit 2 turns on and off the second lighting unit 31 at intervals of the predetermined period (period of the time portion T1). The first portion of the ignition circuit 4 sequentially lights the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 in the direction in which the lighting elements are arranged during a portion of time which is shorter than the length of the temporal portion T1 of the predetermined period and then turns off all the lighting elements 21 to 26 at the moment corresponding to the moment when the second lighting unit 31 which is on and off is extinguished. In addition, a temporal portion T3 where all the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 and the whole of the second lighting unit 31 are switched on is obtained, for example, during the time portion T1 of the period of 700 ms.
    [0024] This accomplishes the sequential ignition operations shown in Fig. 3 using the first and second lighting units 20, 31 which are configured as separate elements, and furthermore, the resulting lighting operations are attractive and do not provide any feeling of strangeness or lighting disorder.
    [0025] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, in the case where the intervals in which the lighting elements 21 to 26 begin to light in sequence are unified in the time portion T5, the lighting elements 21 to 26 illuminate. in sequence with a good rhythm and the sequential lighting resulting from the lighting elements 21 to 26 takes a very attractive appearance. The first ignition circuit portion 4 and the second ignition circuit portion 2 do not mutually control the timings but operate based on the provision of the common control voltage Vt. That is, without requiring any complex timing control configuration, attractive lighting operations can be advantageously performed with simple configuration and simple wiring. In addition, the second ignition circuit portion 2 and the first ignition circuit portion 4 can be controlled by the ECU 100 via a port. As a result, the configuration of the control side can also be simplified in relation to the configuration of the flashing light which is divided into second lighting unit 31 and first lighting unit 20. In this embodiment, the first lighting unit 20 is mounted on the movable portion 13 as a movable side unit 12 and the second illumination unit 31 is disposed on the fixed portion 14 as a fixed side unit 11. The configuration according to which the attractive flashing light may be Separate units may also preferably be adopted for various vehicle designs, and the universal nature of this technical idea becomes important. The lighting elements 21 to 26 are arranged so that their outer end portions come in sequence to the transversely outer side of the vehicle, and the first ignition circuit portion 4 sequentially lights the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 in the order of the transversely central side to the transversely outer side of the vehicle. This configuration is preferable for the lighting operation to indicate the intention of the driver to change direction.
    [0026] The second lighting unit 31 and the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 are arranged to be aligned in the horizontal direction and accordingly, the lighting operation of the lighting elements is performed in sequence substantially in the horizontal direction, which is preferable for performing the lighting function of the turn signal. In the case where at least one lighting element of the first lighting unit 20 remains off, the first control signal TT1 is sent or the ignition operation is interrupted. This informs the driver without any delay that the regular lighting in sequence is interrupted because of the maintenance of a certain lighting element or prevents unattractive lighting resulting from the interruption of the execution of the operation. ignition. In the case where any one of the LEDs of the second lighting unit 31 remains off, the second control signal TT2 is sent or the ignition operation is interrupted. By doing this, in the case where the combined illumination in sequence by the first and second lighting units 20, 31 can not be achieved, the driver can immediately recognize such a situation or the unattractive illumination resulting from it can be prevented. the interruption of the execution of the ignition operation. It should be noted that, as a second example of a lighting operation, the ignition operations shown in FIG. 5 are also possible. In FIG. 5, the lighting elements 21 to 26 of a first lighting unit 20 and a second lighting unit 31 are shown in the same form as those shown in FIG. state ST10, both the first and second lighting units 20, 31 are off. In state ST11, all lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 and the entire second lighting unit 31 are turned on. In the state ST12, the lighting element 21 is off. After that, the illumination elements 22 to 26 are extinguished in sequence in the ST13 state to the ST17 state. After that, the second lighting unit 31 is also turned off and the ignition operation returns to the ST10 state. Various waveforms involved in this lighting operation are shown in FIG. 6. In the case of FIG. 6, a lighting control circuit 30 of a second ignition circuit portion 2 directly outputs a control voltage Vt (or increase or decrease the control voltage Vt as necessary to use the resulting control voltage) as the control voltage Vts. A lighting control current Ids is then supplied to the second lighting unit 31 based on a predetermined voltage value which is the control voltage Vts.
    [0027] A lighting control circuit 50 of a first ignition circuit portion 4 directly outputs the control voltage Vt (or increases or decreases the control voltage Vt as necessary to output the resulting control voltage) as control voltage Vtm. A lighting control current Idm is supplied to the first lighting unit 20 based on a predetermined voltage value which is the control voltage Vtm. In addition, the lighting control circuit 50 provides a bypass control module 59 with an instruction when the control voltage Vt is to increase. The branch control module 59 comprises, for example, a sequencer circuit and starts counting the time from the moment when the control voltage Vt increases to adjust the branch control signals BP1 to BP6 according to individual synchronizations for the output . For example, as shown in Fig. 6, BP1 to BP6 control signals are raised to high levels H at times when the control voltage Vt increases. In addition, the BP2 to BP6 control signals are decreased in sequence to low levels L at times when the time portions tB11 to tB16 are counted in sequence. As a result, the branch circuits 51 to 56 are turned off together and after that are turned on in sequence, whereby the lighting control current Idm is delivered to all the LEDs 61 to 66 thereby producing their illumination after what the lighting elements 21 to 26 are extinguished in sequence. After that, the control voltages Vtm, Vts which are based on the control voltage Vt pass for example to the ground at the moment when the control voltage Vt from the ECU 100 passes for example at the ground. The second lighting unit 31 is off at this time. By performing this series of operations in the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31, the illumination of the flashing light shown in FIG. 5 is realized, in which the number of lighting portions gradually decreases from transversely central side to the transversely outer side of the vehicle. The following are examples of specific time portions.
    [0028] Time portion T1 = a length of time portion of the period during which the second lighting unit 31 is on and off = 700 ms Time portion T10 = time portion during which the second lighting unit 31 is on = 350 ms Portion time T11 = time portion without illumination = 350 ms Time portion T12 = time portion during which both the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 are lit = 170 ms Time portion T13 = time portion during which the first lighting unit 20 is extinguished in sequence = 30 ms. It will be noted that the time portion during which the first lighting unit 20 is extinguished in sequence is T16 × 6 = 180 ms. On the other hand, with this lighting operation, the sequential illumination operation providing no feeling of strangeness or lighting disorder can be achieved by using the first and second lighting units 20, 31 Moreover, by unifying the intervals at which the lighting elements 21 to 26 are sequentially extinguished in the time portion T13, the lighting elements 21 to 26 are extinguished in sequence with a good rhythm while having a very attractive appearance. attractive. The other advantage described in the first example can also be obtained. The following operations are considered as a third example of a lighting operation. The lengths of the added time portions are only examples. (1) All lighting elements 21 to 26 of a first lighting unit 20 and a second lighting unit 31 are on (170 ms). (2) The second lighting unit 31 is off (the lighting elements 21 to 26 are kept on: 30 ms). (3) Lighting element 26 is off (lighting elements 21 to 25 are kept on: 30 ms). (4) the lighting element 25 is off (the lighting elements 21 to 24 are kept on: 30 ms). (5) Lighting element 24 is off (lighting elements 21 to 23 are kept on: 30 ms). (6) the lighting element 23 is off (the lighting elements 21 to 22 are kept on: 30 ms). (7) the lighting element 22 is off (the lighting element 21 is kept on: 30 ms). (8) lighting element 21 is off (all lighting elements are off: 350 ms). On the other hand, with the ignition operation in which these states (1) to (8) are repeated in one cycle, the sequence lighting operation does not provide any feeling of strangeness or lighting disorder can be performed using the first and second lighting units 20, 31. Thus, the same advantage as that of the first example described above can be obtained. A fourth example of a lighting operation will be described. This fourth example differs in positional relation between a first lighting unit 20 and a second lighting unit 31, as well as in arrangement of the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20. FIG. represents an arrangement of the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31. In this example also, the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 are arranged adjacent each other. However, in contrast to the examples described above, the first lighting unit 20 comprising the lighting elements 21 to 26 constitutes a fixed-side unit 11 and is thus disposed on the fixed portion 14 shown in FIG. the second lighting unit 31 constitutes a movable side unit 12 and is thus mounted on the movable portion 13 such as the trunk lid shown in FIG. 1. In addition, the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first unit 20 are not arranged substantially horizontally but are arranged substantially vertically. However, the outer portions of the lighting elements 21 to 26 are arranged so as to approach in sequence the transversely outer side of the vehicle. The fourth example of a lighting operation will be described based on the above arrangement of the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31.
    [0029] In Fig. 7, in the ST20 state, both the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 are turned off. In the ST21 state, the second lighting unit 31 is fully lit. The second lighting unit 31 is kept on from that moment to the ST27 state. In the ST22 state, the lighting element 21 is turned on. From this moment, in the state ST23 to the state ST27, the lighting elements 22 to 26 are lit in sequence. In the ST27 state, all lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 and the entire second lighting unit 31 are turned on. After that, both the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 are turned off and the lighting operation returns to the ST20 state. Figure 8 shows various forms of operating waves that are involved in the lighting operation. In the case of FIG. 8, in a manner similar to the example shown in FIG. 6, the lighting control circuits 30, 50 each directly use a control voltage Vt (or increase or decrease the control voltage Vt as necessary to use the resulting control voltage) respectively as control voltages Vts, Vtm, and respectively supply lighting control currents Ids, Idm to the second lighting unit 31 and to the first lighting unit 20 The lighting control circuit 50 provides a bypass control module 59 with an instruction when the control voltage Vt is to increase. The shunt control module 59 counts the time from when the control voltage Vt increases using a sequencer circuit and adjusts BP1 to BP6 shunt control signals according to individual timings for the output. As shown in FIG. 8, the BP1 to BP6 control signals are increased to the high levels H at times when the time portions tB21 to tB26 are counted in sequence from the increase of the control voltage Vt. As a result, the branch circuits 51 to 56 are switched off in sequence as a result of which the LEDs 61 66 (lighting elements 21 to 26) are lit in sequence.
    [0030] After that, the control voltages Vtm, Vts which are based on the control voltage Vt become, for example, the level of the mass at the moment when the control voltage Vt coming from the ECU 100 becomes, for example, the level of the mass. According to this synchronization, the second lighting unit 31 is off and the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 are also extinguished. By performing this series of operations in the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31, the illumination of the flashing light shown in FIG. 7 is realized in which the number of lighting portions is increased in sequence to from the transversely central side to the transversely outer side of the vehicle. This is because although the lighting elements 21 to 26 are arranged vertically, the end portions of the lighting elements 21 to 26 are designed to approach in sequence the transversely outer side of the vehicle. The following are examples of specific time portions. Time portion T1 = a length of time portion of the period during which the second lighting unit 31 is on and off = 700 ms Time portion T20 = time portion during which the second lighting unit 31 is on = 350 ms Time portion T21 = time portion without illumination = 350 ms Time portion T22 = time portion during which only the second lighting unit 31 is on = 170 ms Time portion T23 = time portion during which the first lighting unit 20 is lit sequentially = 30 ms Time portion T24 = time portion during which both the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 are lit = 30 ms On the other hand, with this lighting operation, the operation of Sequence lighting providing no feeling of strangeness or lighting disorder can be achieved by using the first and second units In addition, by unifying the intervals during which the lighting elements 21 to 26 are lit sequentially in the time portion T23, the lighting elements 21 to 26 are lit in sequence with a good time. rhythm while presenting a very attractive appearance. The other advantage described in the first example can also be obtained. Although the fourth example of a lighting operation has been described based on the configuration in which the first and second lighting units 20, 31 are arranged as shown in FIG. 7, the control shown in FIG. to be applied to the first and second lighting units 20, 31 which are arranged as shown in FIG. 1. On the contrary, the lighting control operations which have been described as first example (FIG. 4) second example (FIG. 6) and third example may also be applied to the configuration in which the first and second lighting units 20, 31 are arranged as shown in FIG. 7. An example of a control and an example configuration will then be described taking into account the case where a lighting failure occurs in a part of the first lighting unit 20 in which the lighting elements are lit s sequence in which case a failure occurs in either of the second illumination unit 31 and the first lighting unit 20.
    [0031] When it is detected that at least one lighting element remains off in the first lighting unit 20, the first lighting circuit 4 can control the lighting of the first lighting unit 20 so that the elements remaining normal lighting and the entire second lighting unit 31 are switched on and off in synchronism with each other at intervals of a predetermined period. For example, when the lighting elements begin to illuminate in sequence from the lighting element 21, as shown on the highest part of FIG. 9, it is assumed that the first ignition circuit portion 4 detects that the illumination element indicated by x in the middle part of FIG. 9 remains off. Although it is described above that the illumination of the first lighting unit 20 is interrupted in this case, the flashing function can also be accomplished by having the remaining lighting elements 21 to 24 and In addition, at least, unless the remaining suitable lighting elements are switched on or off in sequence, the occurrence of a very small state of illumination is switched on and off in synchronism with the second lighting unit 31. attractive can be avoided. The first ignition circuit portion 4 then controls the branch circuits 51 to 56 so that the normal lighting elements 21 to 24 and 26 are turned on and off in synchronism with the second lighting unit 31 which is turned on and off. off. Assuming, for example, that the lighting operation shown in FIGS. 3, 4 is performed, the first ignition circuit portion 4 performs a control such that the branch circuit 55 is kept active (short-circuited), while the branch circuits 51 to 54 and 56 are all turned off during the time portion T3 only. In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 2, since the branch circuits 51 to 56 are connected in parallel with the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20, in the case where it is detected that the lighting element 25 remains off, the illumination control current Idm can be delivered to the other lighting elements 21 to 24 and 26 by short-circuiting the branch circuit 55 which corresponds to the lighting element 25 which is detected as remaining off.
    [0032] In this way, in the case where it is detected that the lighting element remains off, the lighting is continued using the normal lighting elements. When this occurs, the normal lighting elements are not lit in sequence or extinguished in sequence but are turned on and off in synchronism with the second lighting unit 31 which is turned on and off, so that a light can be prevented. too bad aspect of the lighting. However, in the event of a lighting failure of the lighting unit, it is also desirable that both lighting units are switched off.
    [0033] For example, in the case where a certain LED of the first lighting unit 20 fails and remains off while attempting to turn on its lighting elements in sequence, an automatic off function acts by turning off the light. second lighting unit 31 and the lighting elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20, and a control signal is issued to inform the driver of the failure. That is, in the case where it is detected that the lighting element 25 fails and remains off as shown in the middle portion of FIG. 9, an action is taken to extinguish all the elements 21 to 26 of the first lighting unit 20 and the second lighting unit 31 as shown in the lower part of FIG. 9. The driver can be informed of the occurrence of an error by recognizing that the flashing operation is not performed properly. However, it is not good in appearance that the above operations are performed each time the turn signal lever is operated for ignition. This is because the flashing operations are performed in sequence in the following order: highest part -> middle part -> lowest part in FIG. 9, that is to say that the elements of lights are lit in sequence until half-way or the flashing light is fully extinguished.
    [0034] The ECU 100 then executes a process shown in Figure 10 for example. Figure 10 shows an exemplary process performed by the ECU 100 when the driver operates the turn signal lever. When it is detected that the flashing command has started to turn on a flashing light, the ECU 100 causes the process to execute step S101 until step S102, where the ECU 100 confirms whether a failure flag registered in an internal memory is set or not. Normally, the failure indicator is not set. The process proceeds to step S103, where the ECU 100 initiates a turn signal light control. That is, the ECU 100 starts the intermittent output of the control signal Vt as described in connection with FIG. 4, 6 or 8. This starts the flashing light operation described in connection with FIG. 3, 5 or 7. The ECU 100 then monitors the end of the flashing operation (the flashing is off) in step S104 and continues to detect a lighting error during a time portion until the end of the flashing control at step S105. The detection of a lighting error is possible by monitoring the value of the output current which corresponds to the control voltage Vt coming from the ECU 100. In the case where the flashing light is off without detecting a lighting error , the ECU 100 moves from step 5104 to step S107, where the ECU 100 completes the turn signal light control. That is, the ECU 100 stops outputting the control voltage Vt. On the other hand, in the event that a lighting error is detected during the illumination of the turn signal, the ECU 100 goes from step 5106 to step S108 to stop the turn signal light control at this time. . That is, the ECU 100 stops outputting the control voltage Vt. This interrupts the blinker illumination, so that both the first and second lighting units are completely extinguished. Then, the ECU 100 stores the failure indicator in the internal memory, not shown, in step S109. The ECU 100 further performs a witness operation to inform the driver of the failure in step S110. In this way, when the illumination error is detected and the failure indicator is memorized, when the turn signal lever is operated to turn on the next turn signal, the ECU 100 goes from step S102 to step S110 where the witness operation is performed without starting the lighting control. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the repeated occurrence of the state in which the incomplete illumination is produced by the presence of the unlit LED in the middle of the LED array in the first lighting unit. The ECU 100 can store the failure indicator in a nonvolatile memory area thereof, so that the failure indicator becomes effective when the engine is restarted after shutdown (the system power is off) once. In this case, the reset of the fault indicator is performed when the lamp is repaired. Before starting the process shown in Fig. 10, the ECU 100 may execute a process shown in Fig. 11.
    [0035] When the ignition switch is turned on, the ECU 100 causes S120 to execute the process step S120 through step S121, where the ECU 100 once commands the turn signal (a sequential illumination of the first signal unit). illumination 20 and illumination of the second illumination unit 31), during which the ECU 100 also detects a lighting error. The turn signal control is naturally not limited to one time and thus, the turn signal can be controlled several times. If a lighting error is detected during the flashing control, the ECU 100 proceeds from step S122 to step S123, where the ECU 100 stores the failure indicator in the internal memory, not shown. After that, the ECU 100 must execute the process shown in Figure 10.
    [0036] In this case, the error is detected when the engine starts, so that an incomplete sequence of illumination is prevented when attempting to turn on the turn signal while the vehicle is moving forward. When the process shown in Fig. 11 is executed, since the error check is performed each time the engine is started, it is not necessary to store the failure indicator in a non-volatile manner. This is because even if the fault indicator is cleared when the ignition switch is off, in the event that an error is detected the next time the ignition switch is turned on, the fault indicator is positioned.
    [0037] In the case of a control unit consisting of a microcomputer or the like installed in the vehicle lamp 1, it is assumed that the processes shown in Figures 10, 11 are performed by the control unit. A case will next be described in which the first lighting unit 20 or the second lighting unit 31 is not lit. For example, in the case where some LEDs 41 to 48 of the second lighting unit 31 fail and remain off, even if the remaining LEDs can be illuminated, the second lighting unit 31 is completely extinguished by means of the auto power off function.
    [0038] Although the first lighting unit 20 is lit as a flashing light, as a consequence of the extinction of the second lighting unit 31, the brightness becomes insufficient, the visibility is degraded or the rate at which the elements of lighting are switched on in sequence (timing of sequential ignition / extinguishing as shown in Figures 3, 5, 7 taking into account the illumination of the second lighting unit 31) is interrupted, which degrades the aspect. It is therefore desirable that the first lighting unit 20 be turned off in response to the automatic shutdown of the second lighting unit 31. On the contrary, this is true even in the case of an error occurring in the first light unit. 20, so that the first lighting unit 20 is turned off by itself and thus, it is desirable that the second lighting unit 31 be turned off in a similar manner. In the event that an error occurs in one of the first and second lighting units 20, 31, the other is also extinguished. To do this, it is envisaged to adopt the configuration shown in Figure 12. In Figure 12, an ECU 100 adopts a configuration in which four ports are made available for direction lights. A PfL port delivers a Vt control voltage to a front left blinker, a PfR port to a front right blinker, a PrL port to a left rear blinker and a PrR port to a right rear blinker. Figure 12 shows the first and second ignition circuit portions 4, 2 and the first and second lighting units 20, 31 for the right rear flashing light. The first ignition circuit portion 4 and the second ignition circuit portion 2 detect an error at any time, and the first and second lighting units 20, 31 are designed to be extinguished by itself. response to detection of a lighting error. In this case, a control line 80 is provided between the first ignition circuit portion 4 and the second ignition circuit portion 2. In the case where one of the first ignition circuit portion 4 and the second portion of ignition circuit 2 causes the extinction of the corresponding lighting unit of itself, the information is transmitted to the other through the control line 80. The circuit portion extinguishing that has received the information then causes the extinction of itself of the corresponding lighting unit. By adopting this configuration, it is possible to turn off both the first and second lighting units 20, 31 in the event that a lighting error occurs on one of them. This configuration becomes effective in a system in which error detection and automatic shutdown are performed, not on the ECU 100 but on the vehicle lamp. This is because, as described above in connection with FIGS. 10, 11, in the case of the system in which the ECU 100 detects the error and stops delivering the control current Vt, when supply of the control voltage Vt from the port PrR is interrupted, both the first and the second lighting unit 20, 31 are off.
    [0039] Fig. 13 shows a configuration in which an ECU 100 has six ports. That is, in the case where left and right rear flashing lights consist of the first and second lighting units 20, 31, the first and second lighting units are controlled using different ports. The ports PrR1, PrR2 are used to deliver a control voltage Vt1 to a first ignition circuit portion 4 and a control voltage Vt2 to a second ignition circuit portion 2 for a right rear flashing light. Similarly, the ports PrL1, PrL2 are used to deliver the control voltage to a first ignition circuit portion 4 and a second ignition circuit portion 2 for a left rear flashing light. In the case of this configuration, the ECU 100 detects individually the errors in the second portion of ignition circuit 2 and the first portion of ignition circuit 4 by detecting the errors in relation to the output currents of the ports PrR1, PRR2. Then, by adopting a technique for interrupting the supply of control voltages Vt1, Vt2 to the two portions of the ignition circuit in the case where an error is detected in one of the first and the second lighting unit, both the first and second lighting units 20, 31 can be switched off in the event that a lighting error occurs in one of the lighting units. FIG. 14 shows an example in which fictitious resistance circuits 60, 32 are respectively connected to a first ignition circuit portion 4 and a second ignition circuit portion 2. This is an example in which the accuracy of FIG. detection is improved for the detection of a lighting error on an ECU 100. In the case where a first lighting unit 20 and a second lighting unit 31 have a smaller number of LEDs and are powered by a control current of a lower value, during the current detection by the ECU 100, there may occur a case where a variation of the detected current is at a level such that the current variation is difficult to determine, produced by the individual differences of the LEDs or a lighting error. The fictitious resistance circuits 60, 32 are then connected to increase the current quantities. This allows the ECU 100 to detect an error in a guaranteed way even in the case where a lighting error occurs either in the first lighting unit 20 or in the second lighting unit 31, so that the ECU 100 is allowed to interrupt the supply of the control voltage Vt thus switching off both the first and second lighting units 20, 31. Thus, although the embodiment and the associated examples have been described so far. It is now assumed that the invention further comprises other configurations and operations. In relation to the second lighting unit 31 which is switched on and off and the first lighting unit 20 which is lit in sequence, the number of lighting elements, the state in which the lighting elements are arranged substantially in the horizontal direction and the number of lighting elements that are lit in sequence are considered in various ways. Although the lighting elements are described as consisting of LEDs, the lighting elements are not limited to semiconductor light emitting devices and thus, for example, an incandescent lamp can be used. The configuration consisting of the first and second lighting units 20, 31 can also be applied to other lamps than the flashing light. It is further considered that both the first and second lighting units 20, 31 comprise a plurality of lighting elements which are lit in sequence.
    权利要求:
    Claims (6)
    [0001]
    REVENDICATIONS1. A vehicle lamp characterized in that it comprises a first lighting unit (20) and a second lighting unit (31), which is arranged on one side of the first lighting unit (20) so as to located adjacent thereto, the first lighting unit (20) including a plurality of lighting elements (21 to 26) which are arranged adjacent to one another and which are arranged in such a way that the portions of the outer end of the lighting elements come in sequence to the transversely outer side of the vehicle, the vehicle lamp comprising: a first ignition circuit portion (4) configured to sequentially turn on or off in sequence the lighting elements of the vehicle; the first lighting unit (20) in a direction in which the lighting elements are arranged in individual time portions for a predetermined period of time as a lighting operation. setting of a predetermined lighting function; and a second ignition circuit portion (2) configured to control the second lighting unit (31) to be turned on and off at intervals of the predetermined period as a lighting operation of the lighting function predetermined, wherein the first ignition circuit portion (4) and the second ignition circuit portion (2) perform the lighting operation in such a manner as to obtain a temporal portion of the time portions during the predetermined period. wherein all the lighting elements of the first lighting unit (20) and the whole of the second lighting unit (31) are lit.
    [0002]
    A vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the first ignition circuit portion (4) detects that at least one lighting element of the first lighting unit (20) remains extinguished. the first ignition circuit portion (4) is configured to execute at least one of sending a control signal or stopping the sequential ignition or shutdown of the elements of lighting. 35
    [0003]
    Vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein as lighting operation of the lighting function, the first ignition circuit portion (4) controls the individual lighting elements of the first unit. illumination elements (20) so that the illumination elements are lit sequentially from an element at the transverse center to a member at the transversely outer side of the vehicle for a shorter duration than the duration of the predetermined period and further controls the lighting elements so that all the lighting elements are off at the moment corresponding to the moment when the second lighting unit (31) which is on and off is extinguished.
    [0004]
    4. Vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the case where the first ignition circuit portion (4) detects that at least one lighting element of the first lighting unit (20) remains off, the first ignition circuit portion (4) is configured to control the first lighting unit (20) so that the lighting elements of the first lighting unit (20) remaining the second lighting unit (31) are all switched on and off synchronously at intervals of the predetermined period.
    [0005]
    A vehicle lamp as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second lighting unit (31) is configured to be mounted on a fixed portion of the vehicle, and wherein the first lighting unit (20) ) is configured to be mounted on a movable portion of the vehicle that can be opened and closed in a position where the first lighting unit (20) is aligned with the second lighting unit (31), the movable portion being closed .
    [0006]
    A vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein branch circuits are connected in parallel with the lighting elements of the first lighting unit (20) and, in which case in the case where the first ignition circuit portion (4) detects that a lighting element of the first lighting unit (20) remains off, the first ignition circuit portion (4) is configured to bypass the branch circuit corresponding to the lighting element which remains off so that an illumination control current for the lighting element which remains off is supplied to the other lighting elements.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    DE102015201739A1|2015-08-06|
    FR3017085B1|2018-06-15|
    CN104816668B|2017-05-10|
    JP2015145224A|2015-08-13|
    CN104816668A|2015-08-05|
    JP6263039B2|2018-01-17|
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    法律状态:
    2015-12-29| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 2 |
    2017-01-09| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 3 |
    2017-10-06| PLSC| Publication of the preliminary search report|Effective date: 20171006 |
    2017-12-27| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 4 |
    2020-01-13| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 6 |
    2021-01-13| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 7 |
    2022-01-18| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 8 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    JP2014019553A|JP6263039B2|2014-02-04|2014-02-04|Vehicle lighting|
    JP2014019553|2014-02-04|
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