U.S. patent application number 13/521107 was filed with the patent office on 2014-08-07 for vehicle equipped with means for illuminating/watching a side area thereof.
This patent application is currently assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA. The applicant listed for this patent is Takeshi Tanaka. Invention is credited to Takeshi Tanaka.
Application Number | 20140218521 13/521107 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47994469 |
Filed Date | 2014-08-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140218521 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tanaka; Takeshi |
August 7, 2014 |
VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH MEANS FOR ILLUMINATING/WATCHING A SIDE AREA
THEREOF
Abstract
In order to provide a vehicle in which a side road area of the
vehicle to be watched by a side area watching camera is illuminated
by a side area illumination lamp for illuminating a foot area of a
man climbing into the vehicle when the vehicle is parked or driven
carefully on an alley or a mountain road in the darkness, the
vehicle is equipped with the side area illumination lamp for
illuminating a side road area, a side area watching camera for
watching the side road area, a navigation display and an electronic
control unit, whereby the side area illumination lamp is put on
when a man approaches the vehicle as well as when the vehicle is
being driven at a vehicle speed less than a certain low threshold
speed with the side area watching camera being made on.
Inventors: |
Tanaka; Takeshi; (Kobe-shi,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Tanaka; Takeshi |
Kobe-shi |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI
KAISHA
Toyota-shi, Aichi-ken
JP
|
Family ID: |
47994469 |
Appl. No.: |
13/521107 |
Filed: |
September 28, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
September 28, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2011/072189 |
371 Date: |
July 9, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
348/148 ;
362/464 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60Q 1/24 20130101; H04N
7/18 20130101; B60R 25/01 20130101; B60Q 1/0023 20130101; B60Q
1/323 20130101; B60Q 2400/40 20130101; B60R 1/002 20130101; B60R
2300/70 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
348/148 ;
362/464 |
International
Class: |
B60R 1/00 20060101
B60R001/00; H04N 7/18 20060101 H04N007/18; B60Q 1/24 20060101
B60Q001/24 |
Claims
1. A vehicle comprising a side area illumination lamp for
illuminating a side road area of the vehicle, a side area watching
camera for watching the side road area of the vehicle, a navigation
display, and an electronic control unit for controlling operations
of the side area illumination lamp, the side area watching camera
and the navigation display, wherein the electronic control unit
puts on the side area illumination lamp for a certain time duration
when a man approaches the vehicle, and also puts on the side area
illumination lamp when the vehicle is being driven at a speed less
than a certain threshold speed with the side area watching camera
being in operation.
2. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control
unit changes an illumination pattern of the side area illumination
lamp according as whether the side area illumination lamp is put on
for a foot area illumination for the certain time duration when a
man approaches the vehicle or the side area illumination lamp is
put on for a side road area watching illumination when the vehicle
is being driven at a speed less than the certain threshold speed
with the side area watching camera being in operation.
3. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the illumination
patterns for the foot area illumination and the side watching
illumination are both to gradually increase an intensity of the
illumination, then to maintain a final intensity of the
illumination for respective certain time durations and to gradually
decrease the intensity of the illumination to zero, the final
intensity of the illumination in the side road area watching
illumination being lower than that in the foot area
illumination.
4. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the illumination
patterns for the foot area illumination and the side watching
illumination are both to gradually increase an intensity of the
illumination, then to maintain a final intensity of the
illumination for respective certain time durations and to gradually
decrease the intensity of the illumination to zero, the gradual
increase of the intensity of the illumination in the side road area
watching illumination being slower than that in the foot area
illumination.
5. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the illumination
patterns for the foot area illumination and the side watching
illumination are both to gradually increase an intensity of the
illumination, then to maintain a final intensity of the
illumination for respective certain time durations and to gradually
decrease the intensity of the illumination to zero, the gradual
decrease of the intensity of the illumination in the side road area
watching illumination being quicker than that in the foot area
illumination.
6. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the side area
illumination lamp and the side area watching camera are mounted in
a door mirror.
7. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the side area watching
camera is switched over between on and off conditions by a camera
switch, and a view by the side area watching camera is displayed on
the navigation display only when the side area watching camera is
in the on condition.
8. A vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a brightness
sensor for detecting a brightness of environment of the vehicle,
wherein the electronic control unit prevents to put on the side
area illumination lamp when the brightness sensor is detecting the
brightness above a certain level.
9. A vehicle according to claims 1, wherein two sets of the side
area illumination lamp and the side area watching camera are
provided for the illumination and the watching of opposite sides of
the vehicle.
10. A vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the navigation display
divides a display screen into left and right side sections and
shows the views by the left and right side cameras in the
corresponding side sections.
11. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein it is only when the man
who approaches the vehicle carries a door lock releasing device
that the electronic control unit puts on the side area illumination
lamp for the certain time duration.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to illuminating a foot area of
the driver when he/she climbs into a vehicle such as an automobile
in the darkness as well as enabling the driver to watch a side area
of the vehicle under an illumination when he/she drives the vehicle
carefully at low speed on a parking area, an alley or a mountain
road in the darkness.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] It is already so widely practiced in a lot of vehicles to
illuminate a side road area of the vehicle by automatically putting
on a lamp for illuminating such an area in reacting to a smart key
carried by a driver when he/she approaches the vehicle to start
driving the vehicle under parking as there should be no need of
particularly referring to any known document. The lamps of this
kind are mostly mounted in the door mirror so as to project light
beams from the bottom face of the door mirror toward the side road
area.
[0003] On the other hand, it is also partly practiced and described
in the below-mentioned patent documents to mount watching cameras
at various locations of the vehicle in various manners so as to
provide the driver with views to supplement the views available
through the front window, the side window and the rear window, such
views thus obtained being shown on the navigation display.
Particularly in Patent Documents 1 and 3, it is shown to mount such
a camera at the door mirror, particularly at the one located on a
side opposite to the driver's seat, so as to provide the driver
with a view forward of the vehicle.
PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS
Patent Documents
[0004] Patent Document 1: JP Laid-open 2000-62531
[0005] Patent Document 2: JP Laid-open 2000-85408
[0006] Patent Document 3: JP Laid-open 2005-51403
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Problem to be Solved by the Invention
[0007] In mounting a camera to supplement the view of the driver,
when the camera is to obtain a view forward of the vehicle such as
in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the area in
front of the vehicle is illuminated by the head lamps of the
vehicle, the camera can effectively work under the illumination by
the head lamps. In the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, the
camera is directed rearward or rear-sideward so as to effectively
work when the vehicle is driven backward, and since an area in the
rear of the vehicle is illuminated by the back-up lamps, the camera
can also effectively work even in the darkness.
[0008] Now, the area illuminated by the widely used lamp which is
automatically put on in reacting to the smart key to illuminate a
road area at a side of the vehicle is a road area immediately aside
to the vehicle in which the feet of the driver are located in
climbing into the vehicle, and is the same as the road area whose
information is very important for the driver who must carefully
determine the sideward position of the vehicle in parking it or
driving it on an alley or a mountain road. It is when the vehicle
is driven at a very low speed including zero that the view of such
a side road area is needed.
[0009] However, even though such a lamp illuminates the road area
at the side of the vehicle which needs illumination when the
vehicle is driven in parking or carefully driven on an alley or a
mountain road, if the lamp is put on during a normal driving, it is
impedimental for other vehicles and not desirable.
[0010] In view of the above-mentioned matters, it is an object of
the present invention to provide a vehicle equipped with means for
illuminating a foot area of the driver when he/she climbs into the
vehicle while opening the door in the darkness, wherein the means
also illuminates an immediately side road area of the vehicle to
provide the driver with a view for watching such an area when
he/she parks the vehicle or drives the vehicle carefully on an
alley or a mountain road in the darkness, by supplementing
substantially only a camera as a hardware in a vehicle equipped
with a lamp adapted to be automatically put on to illuminate a side
road area of the vehicle when the driver bearing a smart key
approaches the vehicle, while the lamp does not cause such a
problem that light beams are emitted sideward during a normal
driving.
Means to Solve the Problem
[0011] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present
invention proposes a vehicle comprising a side area illumination
lamp for illuminating a side road area of the vehicle, a side area
watching camera for watching the side road area of the vehicle, a
navigation display, and an electronic control unit for controlling
operations of the side area illumination lamp, the side area
watching camera and the navigation display, wherein the electronic
control unit puts on the side area illumination lamp for a certain
time duration when a man approaches the vehicle, and also puts on
the side area illumination lamp when the vehicle is being driven at
a speed less than a certain threshold speed with the side area
watching camera being in operation.
[0012] The electronic control unit may change an illumination
pattern of the side area illumination lamp according as whether the
side area illumination lamp is put on for the certain time duration
when a man approaches the vehicle (referred to as "foot area
illumination" hereinunder) or the side area illumination lamp is
put on when the vehicle is being driven at a speed less than the
certain threshold speed with the side area watching camera being in
operation (referred to as "side road area watching illumination"
hereinunder). In this connection, the illumination patterns for the
foot area illumination and the side road area watching illumination
may both be to gradually increase an intensity of the illumination,
then to maintain a final intensity of the illumination for
respective certain time durations and to gradually decrease the
intensity of the illumination to zero, wherein the final intensity
of the illumination in the side road area watching illumination may
be lower than that in the foot area illumination, the gradual
increase of the intensity of the illumination in the side road area
watching illumination may be slower than that in the foot area
illumination, and/or the gradual decrease of the intensity of the
illumination in the side road area watching illumination may be
quicker than that in the foot area illumination.
[0013] The side area illumination lamp and the side area watching
camera may be mounted in a door mirror.
[0014] The side area watching camera may be switched over between
on and off conditions by a camera switch, and a view by the side
area watching camera may be displayed on the navigation display
only when the side area watching camera is in the on condition.
[0015] The vehicle may further comprise a brightness sensor for
detecting a brightness of environment of the vehicle, wherein the
electronic control unit may prevent to put on the side area
illumination lamp when the brightness sensor is detecting the
brightness above a certain level.
[0016] Two sets of the side area illumination lamp and the side
area watching camera may be provided for the illumination and the
watching of opposite sides of the vehicle.
[0017] The navigation display may divide a display screen into left
and right side sections and may show the views by the left and
right side cameras in the corresponding side sections.
[0018] It may only be when the man who approaches the vehicle
carries a door lock releasing device that the electronic control
unit puts on the side area illumination lamp for the certain time
duration.
Effects of the Invention
[0019] When a vehicle comprises a side area illumination lamp for
illuminating a side road area of the vehicle, a side area watching
camera for watching the side road area of the vehicle, a navigation
display, and an electronic control unit for controlling operations
of the side area illumination lamp, the side area watching camera
and the navigation display, wherein the electronic control unit
puts on the side area illumination lamp for a certain time duration
when a man approaches the vehicle, and also puts on the side area
illumination lamp when the vehicle is being driven at a speed less
than a certain threshold speed with the side area watching camera
being in operation, a side road area of a parked vehicle is
automatically illuminated when a man approaches the vehicle in the
darkness to start driving the vehicle, and further, only by
supplementing substantially a camera as a hardware, while utilizing
such a foot area illumination lamp for starting to drive the
vehicle in the darkness, the driver can be provided with a view for
watching the position of the vehicle relative to an immediate side
road area of the vehicle in parking the vehicle or carefully
driving the vehicle on an alley or a mountain road in the darkness,
without causing such a problem that light beams are projected
sideward during a normal driving.
[0020] When the electronic control unit changes an illumination
pattern of the side area illumination lamp according as whether the
side area illumination lamp is put on for the foot area
illumination or for the side road area watching illumination, the
same side area illumination lamp can serve for the foot area
illumination and the side road area watching illumination by
changing an illumination pattern thereof even though the foot area
illumination and the side road area watching illumination are much
different from one another in the optimum manner of illumination.
In this connection, in more detail, although the foot area
illumination and the side road area watching illumination may both
be in such an illumination pattern as to gradually increase an
intensity of the illumination, then to maintain a final intensity
of the illumination for respective certain time durations and to
gradually decrease the intensity of the illumination to zero, the
brightness and changes thereof of the foot area illumination should
be adapted to be most desirable for the reaction of the human eyes
to the light beams as the light beams of the foot area illumination
are directly received by the human eyes, while the brightness and
changes thereof of the side road area watching illumination should
first be adapted to be most desirable for the reaction of an
automatic exposure control device of the side area watching camera
to the light beams as the light beams of the side road area
watching illumination are received by the camera equipped with the
automatic exposure control device.
[0021] Although the automatic exposure control device of camera
adjusts the iris diaphragm to the brightness of the object to which
the lens is directed, the adjustment is affected by the whole
brightness of the environment. Since the amount of the light beams
which the automatic exposure control device receives as a whole by
the illumination of a part of the side road area and the door by
the side area illumination lamp in the darkness is low as compared
with the brightness of those objects viewed by the camera, the iris
diaphragm of the automatic exposure control device is opened
relatively widely such that, if the side area illumination lamp is
put on in the same intensity of the illumination in side road area
watching illumination as in the foot area illumination, the view
through the camera is liable to become growing due to too much
exposure. Therefore, in order to utilize the side area illumination
lamp conventionally used for the foot area illumination also for
the side road area watching illumination, one of the changes of the
illumination pattern for adapting the side area illumination lamp
to the side road area watching illumination is, when the
illumination pattern is to gradually increase an intensity of the
illumination, then to maintain a final intensity of the
illumination for respective certain time durations and to gradually
decrease the intensity of the illumination to zero, that the final
intensity of the illumination in the side road area watching
illumination is made lower than that in the foot area illumination.
By such an arrangement, a clear view can be obtained by the side
area watching camera even in the darkness.
[0022] When the conventional side area illumination lamp is
utilized for the side road area watching illumination, it is
another effective change of the illumination pattern that the
gradual increase of the intensity of the illumination in the side
road area watching illumination is made slower than that in the
foot area illumination. The automatic exposure control device of
camera requires a certain time to substantially change the
adjustment of the iris diaphragm. Therefore, if the side area
illumination lamp is put on to increase the intensity of the
illumination in the manner as in the conventional foot area
illumination when the side area watching camera is operating in the
darkness, or if the side area illumination lamp is put on at the
same time as the side area watching camera is put into operation
from the condition where the iris diaphragm is widely open, the
throttling of the iris diaphragm will not catch up with the
increase of the brightness, and the view of the side area watching
camera would once become growing. Such a growing of the view of the
side area watching camera will be avoided by the gradual increase
of the intensity of the illumination in the side road area watching
illumination being made slower than that in the foot area
illumination.
[0023] Still another effective change of the illumination pattern
in utilizing the conventional side area illumination lamp for the
side road area watching illumination, is that the gradual decrease
of the intensity of the illumination in the side road area watching
illumination is made quicker than that in the foot area
illumination. It is considered to be comfortable for the driver and
the passenger that the foot area illumination is put off slowly by
taking a substantial time. On the other hand, there is no need of
such a slow gradual putting off for the side road area watching
illumination, and since in most cases the side road area watching
illumination should be put off with the end of the driving of the
vehicle, it is considered to be desirable that the side road area
watching illumination is put off quickly as the ignition switch is
turned off.
[0024] When the side area illumination lamp and the side area
watching camera are mounted in a door mirror, the means for
illuminating and watching the side road area of the vehicle can be
desirably positioned by utilizing such a part of the vehicle as the
door mirror that is already available as projecting from the side
wall of the vehicle.
[0025] When the side area watching camera is switched over between
on and off conditions by a camera switch, and a view by the side
area watching camera is displayed on the navigation display only
when the side area watching camera is in the on condition, the
driver can obtain the view for watching the side road area of the
vehicle on the navigation display instead of the normal navigation
information only when he/she wishes to obtain the view for watching
the side road area of the vehicle by the side area watching camera
in parking the vehicle or driving the vehicle carefully on an alley
or a mountain road.
[0026] When the vehicle further comprises a brightness sensor for
detecting a brightness of environment of the vehicle, wherein the
electronic control unit prevents to put on the side area
illumination lamp when the brightness sensor is detecting the
brightness above a certain level, the side area illumination lamp
is not put on even when the side area watching camera is put into
operation under a bright environment by the camera switch being
operated by the driver in parking the vehicle or driving the
vehicle carefully on an alley or a mountain road, so that it is
prevented particularly that the side area illumination lamp is put
on when the vehicle has slowed down or temporarily stopped due to a
traffic snarl or the like in the daytime driving with the side area
watching camera being in operation, thus preventing such a
situation that the battery is uselessly consumed by the useless
putting on of the side area illumination lamp.
[0027] When two sets of the side area illumination lamp and the
side area watching camera are provided for the illumination and the
watching of opposite sides of the vehicle, the foot area
illumination is obtained on both of the sides of the driver's seat
and the opposite passenger's seat when anyone climbs into each seat
in the darkness, and the driver is provided with the views for
watching the opposite sides road areas of the vehicle in parking
the vehicle or driving the vehicle carefully on an alley or a
mountain road regardless whether it is in the daytime or the
darkness.
[0028] When the navigation display divides a display screen into
left and right side sections and shows the views by the left and
right side cameras in the corresponding side sections, the driver
can manipulate the vehicle by comparing the positions of the
vehicle relative to the left and right side road areas on the
navigation display.
[0029] It is fundamentally to illuminate the foot area of the
driver who approaches the vehicle to start driving the vehicle, and
therefore, it is fundamentally due to a door lock control device
reacting to a door lock releasing device such as the smart key that
the electronic control unit puts on the side area illumination lamp
for the certain time duration. However, such a side area
illumination lamp may be put on when a man carrying no pertinent
smart key approaches the vehicle, so that an effect of crime
prevention is available.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] [FIG. 1] A perspective view showing an example of a vehicle
in which a combination of the side area illumination lamp and the
side area watching camera according to the present invention is
mounted in the door mirror.
[0031] [FIG. 2] A view showing an example of displaying the views
by the left and right side area watching cameras by the navigation
display with a screen thereof being divided into left and right
halves when the combination of the side area illumination lamp and
the side area watching camera like those shown in FIG. 1 are
mounted in the left and right door mirrors, respectively.
[0032] [FIG. 3] A block diagram showing the construction of the
vehicle concerned with the present invention in the form of an
embodiment.
[0033] [FIG. 4] A set of graphs showing an example of changing the
intensity of the illumination and the manner of
increasing/decreasing thereof according as whether it is the foot
area illumination or the side road area watching illumination.
[0034] [FIG. 5] A flowchart showing the manner of operation of the
vehicle concerned with the present invention in the form of an
embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT
[0035] In the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 in a perspective view, the
side area illumination lamp and the side area watching camera are
mounted in each of left and right door mirrors 10L and 10R. As
shown only with respect to the left door mirror 10L, the side area
illumination lamp 12 and the side area watching camera 14 are
adapted to project illumination light beams from the underside of
the door mirror so as to illuminate a side road area of the vehicle
and to watch a view looked downward from the underside of the door
mirror, respectively.
[0036] FIG. 2 shows only the screen portion of the navigation
display incorporated in the front panel of the vehicle shown in
FIG. 1. In the shown condition, the horizontally elongated screen
18 is divided into left and right halves instead of the normal
navigation screen, so as to show the watching views by the left and
right side area watching cameras, respectively. The views shown in
the figure are those obtained by the left and right side area
watching cameras when the vehicle is on a road surface 24 bearing
white lines 20 and 22 as slightly inclined relative thereto. In the
shown condition, the left and right side area watching cameras are
adjusted to provide such views that include small portions of the
outer surfaces of the left and right doors, respectively.
[0037] The construction of the vehicle concerned with the present
invention including the above-mentioned side area illumination lamp
12 and the side area watching camera 14 may be such as shown by a
block diagram in FIG. 3 as an embodiment thereof. As sown in FIG.
3, the construction of the vehicle concerned with the present
invention includes, in addition to the above-mentioned side area
illumination lamps 12 and the side area watching cameras 14, a
navigation display 26 having the above-mentioned screen 18, and an
electronic control unit (ECU) 28 for controlling the operations of
those side area illumination lamps, side area watching cameras and
navigation display The electronic control unit 28 is supplied with
a signal from a camera switch 30 for switching over the side area
watching cameras 14 between on and off conditions, and a signal
from a brightness sensor 32 for detecting the brightness of
environment of the vehicle, though not indispensable for the
construction of the present invention. Further, a vehicle speed
sensor 34 is included in the shown construction. However, since the
information required for the present invention with regard to the
vehicle speed is whether the vehicle speed is less than a certain
relatively low speed or not, such information may be obtained from
a conventional speed sensor normally equipped in the vehicle.
Further, since the side area illumination lamps 12 are adapted to
be put on by a door lock control device sensing an approach of a
smart key in the shown embodiment, a door lock releasing device
(smart key) 36 and a door locking device 38 are also included in
the construction. In this connection, the control for putting on
the side area illumination lamps 12 for a certain time duration
when a man approaches the vehicle may be operated according to any
other information which indicates an action that a man approaches
the vehicle to start driving by releasing the door lock, or, as
already mentioned, according to an action that a man approaches the
vehicle even with no door lock releasing device such as a smart key
from the view point of crime prevention.
[0038] The electronic control unit (ECU) 28 may be such one that is
provided to execute various electronic controls of the vehicle by a
micro-computer, wherein the present invention may use at least a
part of such an overall electronic control unit for the door lock
control, the side area illumination control and the side area
watching control as a matter of software. Therefore, such a door
lock control portion, such a side area illumination control portion
and such a side area watching control portion are connected with
one another in the electronic control unit 28 so as to give and
take the necessary information therebetween.
[0039] In the shown embodiment, the door lock control portion of
the electronic control unit (ECU) 28 operates based upon a signal
from the door lock releasing device 36 like the smart key so as to
release the door locking device 38 when the driver places his/her
hand on the door grip, and apart from such an operation, the door
lock control portion also sends a signal to the side area
illumination control portion when it is sensed that the door lock
releasing device 38 has approached the vehicle, so that the side
area illumination control portion puts on the side area
illumination lamp 12s for a certain time duration. On this
occasion, the side area illumination control portion is supplied
with a signal with regard to the brightness of environment of the
vehicle from the brightness sensor 32, and when it is sensed by the
brightness sensor 32 that the brightness of environment of the
vehicle is above a certain level, the side area illumination
control portion does not put on the side area illumination lamps 12
regardless of the signal from the door lock control portion.
[0040] On the other hand, the camera switch 30 is to change over
the side area watching camera 14 between on and off states
according to a manipulation of the driver, wherein the side area
watching control portion of the electronic control unit (ECU) 28 is
supplied with a signal from the camera switch 30 for putting on or
off the side area watching cameras 14 and a signal from the vehicle
speed sensor 34 with regard to whether the vehicle speed is less
than a certain relatively low value. Based upon these signals, the
side area watching control portion puts on or off the side area
watching camera 14, and when it puts on the side area watching
camera 14, it dispatches a signal for demanding to putt on the side
area illumination lamps 12 to the side area illumination control
portion if the vehicle speed is less than the above-mentioned
certain value. The side area illumination control portion puts on
the side area illumination lamps 12 based upon the signal for
demanding to put on the side area illumination lamps 12, provided
that the brightness sensor 32 is not detecting that the brightness
of environment of the vehicle is above a certain level, but does
not put on the side area illumination lamps 12 regardless of the
signal from the side area watching control portion if the
brightness sensor 32 is detecting that the brightness of
environment of the vehicle is above the certain level.
[0041] The side area illumination control portion puts on the side
area illumination lamps 12 according to the signal from the door
lock control portion or the side area watching control portion in
different illumination patterns relative to the lapse of time such
as shown in FIG. 4. The contrast between the illumination pattern
of the foot area illumination and that of the side area watching
illumination in changing the intensity of the illumination
according to the lapse of time is shown in the figure as all three
manners of change are incorporated in gradually increasing the
intensity of the illumination after the start, then maintaining the
intensity of the illumination at a constant level for a certain
time duration, and then gradually decreasing the intensity of the
illumination to zero, such that the constant level of the
illumination of the side area watching illumination is made lower
than that of the foot area illumination, the speed of gradually
increasing the intensity of the illumination of the side area
watching illumination is made slower than that of the foot area
illumination, and the speed of gradually decreasing the intensity
of the illumination of the side area watching illumination is made
quicker than that of the foot area illumination.
[0042] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the manner of controlling the
putting on of the side area illumination lamps 12 by the
above-mentioned construction in the form of an embodiment. The
control according to such a flowchart may be repeated in the
electronic control unit (ECU) 28 at a cycle time such as tens of
millisecond throughout the period when the power source of the
vehicle is made on.
[0043] In step (S) 10, it is judged if the ignition switch is on or
not. When the vehicle is parked, the answer is no (N), and then the
control proceeds to step 20. In step 20, it is judged if a flag Fa
is 1 or not. The flag Fa is set to 1 when it is detected in the
next step 30 that the smart key has approached the vehicle from the
outside thereof, and is reset to 0 when the side area illumination
lamp is put off in step 120 described later. When the vehicle is
being parked after it has once been driven, the flag Fa is being
reset to 0. Therefore, when the vehicle is being parked, the answer
of step 20 is no until the following steps 30 and 50 are executed,
and therefore, until then the control proceeds to step 30. In step
30, it is judged if the smart key has approached the vehicle or
not. As long as the answer is no, the control proceeds to step 40.
In step 40, it is judged if the door was opened from the closed
state or not.
[0044] On the other hand, when the smart key has approached the
vehicle, the answer of step 30 becomes yes (Y), and therefore the
control proceeds to step 50, and the flag Fa is set to 1, while a
flag Fb described later is reset to 0. When the answer of step 30
becomes yes by the smart key having approached the vehicle, or when
the answer of step 40 becomes yes with no smart key approaching the
vehicle but the door being opened from the closed state, the
control proceeds to step 60, and a flag Fc described later is set
to 1.
[0045] The above steps 20-60 are to detect that the smart key has
approached the vehicle parked with the ignition switch being off,
or the door was opened with the ignition switch being off after the
vehicle has been stopped or parked. When either of the two is
detected, the control proceeds to step 70 after having set the flag
Fc to 1, and the side area illumination lamp is put on, provided
that the brightness of environment of the vehicle detected by the
brightness sensor 32 is not above a certain level, while if it is
above the certain level, the side area illumination lamp is not put
on.
[0046] Then the control proceeds to step 80, and it is judged if
the flag Fb is 1 or not. Since the flag Fb is reset to 0 in step 50
as described above, while it is set to 1 in step 130 described
later, the answer at this time is no, and the control proceeds to
step 90, where it is judged if the ignition switch was turned over
from off to on. Since it takes a time for the driver to open the
door and sit on the driver's seat, the answer does not become yes
for a while, and therefore in the meantime the control proceeds to
step 100, where it is judged if the flag Fc is 1 or not. When the
control came here through step 50 by the smart key having
approached the vehicle, the flag Fc is being set to 1 through step
60, and therefore the answer is yes. Then the control proceeds to
step 110. In step 110, it is judged if the certain time duration
for temporarily putting on the side area illumination lamp for
illuminating a foot area of the driver has elapsed or not. The
answer is no for a while, and in the meantime the control returns
from here to step 10, so that the control circulates through steps
70, 80, 90, 100 and 110. When the certain time duration has elapsed
so that the answer of step 110 becomes yes, the control proceeds to
120, and the side area illumination lamp is put off. Here the flag
Fa is reset to 0.
[0047] When the driver bearing the smart key climbs into the
vehicle, and the ignition switch is turned from off to on so that
the driving of the vehicle is started, the control proceeds from
step 90 to step 130, where the flag Fb is set to 1.
[0048] After the driving of the vehicle has started with the
ignition switch being made on, the answer of step 10 is yes, and
thereafter the control proceeds to step 140. In step 140, it is
judged if the side area watching camera is on (operating) or not.
When the answer is no, the control proceeds directly to step 120,
while the side area illumination lamp is kept in the off state.
When the answer of step 140 is yes, the control proceeds to step
150, and it is judged if the vehicle speed is less than a certain
low threshold speed such as, for example, 10 km/h. When the answer
is no, the control proceeds still to step 120, so that the side
area illumination lamp is kept in the off state.
[0049] On the other hand, when the answer of step 140 is yes and
the answer of step 150 is also yes, the control proceeds to step
160, where the flag Fc is reset to 0, and the control starts to
proceed to step 70. Then the control proceeds to step 80, where at
this time the flag Fb is being set to 1, and therefore the control
bypasses step 90, and further, since the flag Fc is being reset to
0, the answer of step 100 is no, and therefore the control bypasses
step 110 to re-circulate. Therefore, while the vehicle is being
driven, when the side area watching camera is made on, the side
area illumination lamp is continuously made on when the vehicle
speed has lowered to be less than e.g. 10 km/h, so that, if the
brightness of environment of the vehicle is not higher than a
certain level, the side area illumination lamp is continuously put
on. When the side area watching camera is made off, or even when
the side area watching camera is made on, if the vehicle speed
exceeds the above-mentioned threshold speed, the control proceeds
to step 120, and the side area illumination lamp is put off.
[0050] Although the present invention has been described in detail
with respect to an embodiments thereof, it will be apparent for
those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible
with respect to the shown embodiment within the scope of the
present invention.
EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0051] 10L, 10R . . . door mirror, 12 . . . side area illumination
lamp, 14 . . . side area watching camera, 16 . . . side road area,
18 . . . screen of navigation display, 20, 22 . . . while lines, 24
. . . road surface, 26 . . . navigation display, 28 . . .
electronic control unit (ECU), 30 . . . camera switch, 32 . . .
brightness sensor, 34 . . . vehicle speed sensor, 36 . . . door
lock releasing device (smart key), 38 . . . door locking device
* * * * *