阅读说明：本技术 制动灯控制装置及车辆 (Brake lamp control device and vehicle ) 是由 岛田贵史 于 2019-07-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种制动灯控制装置及车辆,能够实现使车辆的制动灯恰当点亮的制动灯控制部。制动灯控制装置(50)设有：输出制动状态信号(S54)的制动状态信号输出部(54),所述制动状态信号表示针对车辆(1)的制动的自动制动操作的打开/关闭状态；以及点亮控制部(64、68、70),其基于制动状态信号(S54)控制制动灯(34)的闪烁状态,并且,在制动状态信号(S54)变为关闭状态后,使制动灯(34)在规定时间内处于点亮状态。(The invention provides a brake lamp control device and a vehicle, and provides a brake lamp control part which can enable a brake lamp of the vehicle to be properly turned on. The brake lamp control device (50) is provided with: a brake state signal output section (54) that outputs a brake state signal (S54) indicating an on/off state of an automatic brake operation for braking of the vehicle (1); and a lighting control unit (64, 68, 70) that controls the flashing state of the stop lamp (34) based on the braking state signal (S54), and that causes the stop lamp (34) to be in a lighting state for a predetermined time after the braking state signal (S54) is turned to an off state.)

1. A brake light control device, comprising:

a brake state signal output section that outputs a brake state signal indicating an on/off state of an automatic brake operation for vehicle braking; and

and a lighting control unit that controls a blinking state of a stop lamp based on the braking state signal, and turns on the stop lamp for a predetermined time after the braking state signal is turned off.

2. The stop lamp control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a gradient detection unit that detects an ascending gradient or a descending gradient in a road on which the vehicle travels; and

and a lighting time control unit that increases the predetermined time as compared with a flat road when the slope detection unit detects a slope of a predetermined value or more.

3. The stop lamp control apparatus according to claim 2,

the brake control device further includes a reset control unit that resets the measurement of the predetermined time and restarts the measurement of the predetermined time when the brake state signal is turned on before the predetermined time elapses after the brake state signal is turned off.

4. The stop lamp control apparatus according to claim 3,

the vehicle brake control device further includes a light-off control unit that turns off the brake light immediately after the braking state signal is turned off if an operation amount for the braking exceeds a predetermined 1 st operation amount.

5. A vehicle, characterized in that,

having a stop lamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a brake lamp control device and a vehicle.

Background

Paragraph 0020 of the following patent document 1 and the like describe the following: a brake lamp is provided at the rear of the vehicle, and is turned on when the driver depresses a brake pedal or causes an automatic braking action in accordance with an instruction from an electronic control unit.

Disclosure of Invention

However, when the vehicle is caused to travel on a long downhill at a predetermined speed using an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control)/constant speed travel, inter-vehicle distance Control device), although the predetermined speed can be maintained substantially by engine braking or regenerative braking of the vehicle, the braking force may be somewhat insufficient. In addition, a similar situation may occur even on a flat ground or an ascending slope. For example, when the vehicle is to be decelerated at a predetermined deceleration, the deceleration may be somewhat insufficient although the vehicle can be decelerated to a substantially predetermined deceleration by engine braking or regenerative braking of the vehicle. In such a case, the ACC attempts to achieve a specified speed or a specified deceleration by intermittently operating a main brake device (e.g., hydraulic brake) of the vehicle. However, when the ACC intermittently operates the hydraulic brake of the vehicle, the brake lamp repeatedly blinks, which is particularly noticeable to the driver of the vehicle behind.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a brake lamp control device and a vehicle that can appropriately turn on a brake lamp.

In order to solve the above problem, a brake light control device according to the present invention includes: a brake state signal output section that outputs a brake state signal indicating an on/off state of an automatic brake operation for vehicle braking; and a lighting control unit that controls a blinking state of a stop lamp based on the braking state signal, and turns on the stop lamp for a predetermined time after the braking state signal is turned off.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, the brake lamp can be appropriately turned on.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a waveform diagram of various portions in the vehicle.

Description of the reference numerals

1 vehicle

34 brake lamp

36 Tilt sensor (gradient detecting part)

50 stop lamp control part

52 comparator (Lamp-out control part)

54 comparator (brake state signal output part)

58 edge detection circuit (reset control part)

64 counter (Lighting control part)

66 count setting circuit (lighting time control part)

68 AND circuit (lighting control part)

70 OR circuit (lighting control part)

BP brake pedal operation amount (operation amount)

BP1 operation amount (1 st operation amount)

CL clock signal

RST reset signal

S52 comparison signal

S54 brake status signal

S56 reverse brake status signal

TB count increment time (specified time)

Detailed Description

Constitution of the embodiment

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In fig. 1, a vehicle 1 includes a battery 10 (high-voltage battery), an inverter 12, a motor 14, an engine 16, a transmission 18, a brake device 20, a hydraulic mechanism 21, a brake pedal 22, an accelerator pedal 24, a brake operation amount sensor 26, wheels 30, a buffer circuit 32, a brake lamp 34, an inclination sensor 36 (gradient detection section), a brake actuator 42, a drive actuator 44, a brake lamp control section 50, and a travel control section 120.

The battery 10 outputs a dc voltage, and the inverter 12 modulates the dc voltage pair to convert the dc voltage pair into an ac voltage, thereby driving the motor 14. The engine 16 is, for example, an internal combustion engine. The transmission 18 transmits power generated by the motor 14 or the engine 16 to the wheels 30 to run the vehicle 1. The brake device 20 includes a brake disk (not shown) that rotates together with the wheel 30, and a brake pad (not shown) that sandwiches and presses the brake disk.

When a driver (not shown) operates the brake pedal 22, an operation force is transmitted to the brake device 20 via the hydraulic mechanism 21, and the brake device 20 brakes the vehicle 1. The brake actuator 42 drives the brake pedal 22 based on a brake pedal command value BP (or a hydraulic pressure command value of the brake device) supplied from the vehicle control device 100, thereby operating the brake device 20 to automatically brake the vehicle 1. The brake operation amount sensor 26 detects and outputs a brake pedal operation amount BP (operation amount). Here, the brake pedal operation amount BP is "0" when the brake pedal 22 is not operated, and the larger the depression amount of the brake pedal 22, the larger the value thereof. In the illustrated example, when the brake actuator 42 is operated, the brake pedal 22 is also automatically depressed.

The accelerator pedal 24 is operated by the driver to change the throttle opening of the engine 16 or the output voltage of the inverter 12, thereby changing the power transmitted to the wheels 30. The drive actuator 44 operates the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 24 in accordance with the accelerator pedal command value AP supplied from the vehicle control device 100, thereby changing the drive force transmitted to the wheels 30. That is, when the drive actuator 44 is operated, the accelerator pedal 24 is automatically depressed. The inclination sensor 36 is constituted by an acceleration sensor or the like, and detects the gradient of the road during traveling from the inclination of the vehicle 1 in the front-rear direction.

The travel control unit 120 includes a torque command unit 122, an accelerator control unit 124, and a brake control unit 126. Torque command unit 122 outputs a torque command value for performing control of auto cruise and follow-up running. Here, the torque command value is a value indicating a driving torque or a braking torque of the vehicle 1, and is determined based on a detection result of a single lens reflex, a millimeter wave radar, or the like (not shown). The auto cruise is a vehicle that travels at a predetermined cruise set speed. The follow-up running is a running in which, when there is a preceding vehicle (not shown) running ahead of the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 follows the preceding vehicle by automatically performing an accelerator operation or a brake operation in a speed range equal to or less than a cruise set speed and maintaining an inter-vehicle distance corresponding to the speed. The accelerator control unit 124 outputs the above-described accelerator pedal command value AP based on the torque command value. The brake control unit 126 outputs the brake pedal command value BP described above based on the torque command value.

The brake pedal operation amount BP output by the brake operation amount sensor 26 is "0" when the brake pedal 22 is not operated, and the larger the amount of depression of the brake pedal 22, the larger the value thereof.

Further, the brake lamp control section 50 includes: the comparator 52 (light-off control section), the comparator 54 (brake state signal output section), the NOT circuit 56, the edge detection circuit 58 (reset control section), the clock circuit 60, the AND circuit 62, the counter 64 (lighting control section), the AND circuit 68 (lighting control section), the count setting circuit 66 (lighting time control section), AND the OR circuit 70 (lighting control section).

The comparator 54 outputs a signal S54 of "0" when the brake pedal operation amount BP is zero, and outputs a signal S54 of "1" when the brake pedal operation amount BP exceeds zero. That is, the signal S54 is a signal indicating the brake on/off state ("1"/"0"), and therefore the signal S54 is hereinafter referred to as a "brake state signal". The NOT circuit 56 inverts the brake state signal S54 and outputs the inverted brake state signal S56. The clock circuit 60 outputs a clock signal S60 of a predetermined cycle. The AND circuit 62 supplies the logical product of the inverted braking state signal S56 AND the clock signal S60 to the counter 64 as the clock signal CL.

If the value of the brake status signal S54 changes, the edge detection circuit 58 generates a one-shot rectangular wave pulse. The square wave pulse is supplied to the counter 64 as a reset signal RST. The counter 64 counts the clock signal CL and outputs the count result SC. However, when the reset signal RST is supplied to the counter 64, the count result SC is reset to "0". In addition, when the count result SC reaches the specified count limit value SL, the count result SC is also reset to "0".

The count setting circuit 66 sets the above-described count limit value SL in accordance with the gradient detected by the inclination sensor 36. That is, the count setting circuit 66 sets a predetermined 1 st limit value as the count limit value SL when the rising gradient or the falling gradient detected by the inclination sensor 36 is lower than a predetermined value, that is, when the road is close to flat. When the inclination sensor 36 detects the rising gradient or the falling gradient of the predetermined value or more, the count setting circuit 66 sets a 2 nd limit value larger than a predetermined 1 st limit value as the count limit value SL. This is because the cycle of change of the brake pedal command value BP tends to be longer on an uphill slope or a downhill slope as compared with a flat road.

The comparator 52 outputs a comparison signal S52 that becomes "1" when the brake pedal operation amount BP is equal to or less than the predetermined operation amount BP1 (the 1 st operation amount), and the comparator 52 outputs a comparison signal S52 that becomes "0" when the brake pedal operation amount BP exceeds the operation amount BP 1. Here, the operation amount BP1 is a value of a degree to which the vehicle 1 is to be stopped or decelerated to a large extent.

The comparison signal S52 AND the count result SC are supplied to the AND circuit 68. Here, in the AND circuit 68, the count result SC is regarded as a logical value. That is, if the count result SC is "0", the logical value is regarded as "0", and if the count result SC exceeds "0", the logical value is regarded as "1". The AND circuit 68 outputs the logical product of the comparison signal S52 AND the count result SC as a signal S68.

The OR circuit 70 outputs the logical sum of the brake state signal S54 and the signal S68 as a brake light control signal SB. The brake light control signal SB indicates the lighting of the brake light 34 when it is "1" and the light is turned off when it is "0". The buffer circuit 32 buffers the brake light control signal SB to turn on or off the brake light 34.

Actions of embodiment

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a waveform diagram of each part in the vehicle 1.

In fig. 2, the brake pedal operation amount BP, the count result SC, and the brake light control signal SB are the signals already described in fig. 1. In addition, SCX and SBX are signals in comparative examples described later. In the illustrated example, the brake operation is automatically performed because the automatic follow-up running is performed.

Until time t2 in fig. 2, the brake pedal operation amount BP is "0", and at time t2, the brake pedal operation amount BP is a value exceeding "0". Therefore, the brake state signal S54 output by the comparator 54 rises from "0" to "1" at time t 2. The edge detection circuit 58 outputs a reset signal RST, and the count result SC of the counter 64 is reset to "0". In addition, since the inversion braking state signal S56 output from the NOT circuit 56 becomes "0", the clock signal CL continues to be "0". Therefore, as shown in fig. 2, after time t2, count result SC continues to be "0".

Next, at time t4 in fig. 2, the brake pedal operation amount BP is now returned to "0". Therefore, in fig. 1, the brake state signal S54 falls from "1" to "0" at time t4, and the edge detection circuit 58 outputs the reset signal RST. Thereby, the count result SC of the counter 64 is reset to "0" at time t 4. When the brake state signal S54 becomes "0", the inverted brake state signal S56 becomes "1", and thus the clock signal S60 is supplied to the counter 64 as the clock signal CL. Accordingly, after time t4, the count result SC output from the counter 64 rises with the passage of time.

Next, at time t6 in fig. 2, the brake pedal operation amount BP again rises to a value exceeding "0". Therefore, at time t6, the brake state signal S54 rises from "0" to "1". The edge detection circuit 58 outputs a reset signal RST, and the count result SC of the counter 64 is reset to "0". At a subsequent time t8, the brake pedal operation amount BP is again returned to "0". Therefore, the operation during the time t6 to t8 is the same as the operation during the time t2 to t 4. That is, during the period from time t6 to t8, the count result SC remains "0".

The brake pedal operation amount BP becomes "0" again at time t8, becomes a value exceeding "0" again at time t10, and becomes "0" again at time t 12. Therefore, the operation during the period from time t8 to t12 is the same as the operation during the period from time t4 to t 8. The same applies to the operation during the period from time t12 to t 18.

In the illustrated example, when the brake pedal operation amount BP becomes "0" again at time t18, the subsequent brake pedal operation amount BP is maintained at "0". Therefore, the count result SC continues to rise until the count limit value SL is reached, and is reset to "0" if the count result SC is equal to the count limit value SL at time t 22. The time from "0" of the count result SC to the count limit value SL is referred to as a count-up time TB (prescribed time).

The count-up time TB is preferably about 200ms to 800ms, and more preferably about 450ms to 550 ms. The reason why the count-up time TB is 200ms or more is that if the count-up time TB is shorter than 200ms, the brake lamp 34 repeatedly blinks in a short cycle, which may be irritating to the driver of the vehicle behind. If the count-up time TB is longer than 800ms, the brake lamp 34 is turned on for an excessively long time even without the brake operation.

Here, the waveforms of the brake pedal operation amount BP and the count result SC during the period from time t2 to time t22 are reviewed, and either the brake pedal operation amount BP or the count result SC is a value exceeding "0" during this period. In fig. 1, when the brake pedal operation amount BP exceeds "0", the brake state signal S54 is "1". When the count result SC has a value exceeding "0", the signal S68 is "1" only when the comparison signal S52 is "1". Therefore, in fig. 2, the brake state signal S54 or the signal S68 is "1" during the period from time t2 to t22, and therefore, as shown in fig. 2, the brake lamp control signal SB continues to be "1" during this period, and the brake lamp 34 continues to be turned on during this period.

However, in fig. 1, if the brake pedal operation amount BP exceeds the operation amount BP1, the comparison signal S52 becomes "0", and thus the brake lamp control signal SB is equal to the braking state signal S54. Therefore, when the brake pedal operation amount BP is large (exceeds the operation amount BP 1), the brake lamp 34 is immediately turned off when the brake pedal operation amount BP returns to "0". This can improve the response of the brake lamp 34 to the flickering of the brake pedal operation amount BP when the brake pedal operation amount BP is large.

Comparative example 1

Next, in order to clarify the effects of the above-described embodiments, a comparative example was examined.

First, as a "comparative example 1", a configuration is considered in which, as shown in the above-mentioned patent document 1, the brake lamp 34 is turned on when the brake pedal operation amount BP exceeds "0", and the brake lamp 34 is turned off when the brake pedal operation amount BP returns to "0".

According to this configuration, the stop lamp 34 blinks at a very short cycle. For example, in fig. 2, when the count-up time TB is 500ms, the stop lamp 34 blinks at a cycle of approximately 200 ms. This presents a problem that is very irritating to the driver of the rear vehicle.

Comparative example 2

In order to solve the problem of comparative example 1 described above, the following countermeasures are considered: if "the brake pedal operation amount BP exceeds '1', the brake lamp control signal SB is necessarily set to '1' corresponding to the count-up time TB. The protocol for carrying out the above countermeasure was set to "comparative example 2".

The counting result SCX shown in fig. 2 is the counting result SC in comparative example 2. In comparative example 2, once the count-up is started, the count result SCX reaches the count limit value SL without resetting in the middle. In addition, the brake lamp control signal SBX is the brake lamp control signal SB in comparative example 2, and in the case where the count result SCX exceeds "0", the brake lamp control signal SBX becomes "1".

In the example shown in fig. 2, after the brake lamp control signal SBX rises to "1" at time t2, the brake lamp control signal SBX is maintained at "1" until time t14 when the count-up time TB elapses. Then, when the brake pedal operation amount BP exceeds "0" again at time t16, the brake lamp control signal SBX is maintained at "1" from this time to time t20 when the count-up time TB elapses.

Assuming that the count-up time TB is 500ms, in comparative example 2, as shown in fig. 2, there is a case where the stop lamp 34 repeatedly blinks at a period of about 500 ms. In comparative example 2, the blinking period of the brake lamp 34 becomes long, as compared with comparative example 1, but is still dazzling to the driver of the rear vehicle.

Effects of the embodiment

As described above, the stop lamp control device 50 according to the present embodiment includes the lighting control units 64, 68, and 70, and the lighting control units 64, 68, and 70 control the blinking state of the stop lamp 34 based on the stop state signal S54, and set the stop lamp 34 in the lighting state for the predetermined time TB after the stop state signal S54 becomes the off state "0". This prevents the stop lamp 34 from flashing in a short cycle, and the stop lamp 34 can be appropriately turned on.

In addition, the stop lamp control device 50 further includes: a gradient detection unit 36 that detects an ascending gradient or a descending gradient on a road on which the vehicle 1 travels; and a lighting time control unit 66 that increases the predetermined time TB as compared with a flat road when the slope detection unit 36 detects a slope of a predetermined value or more. This can increase the predetermined time TB on a sloping road and turn on the brake lamp 34 more appropriately.

The brake lamp control device 50 further includes a reset control unit 58, and when the brake state signal S54 becomes the on state "1" after the off state "0" is reached and before the predetermined time TB elapses, the reset control unit 58 resets the measurement of the predetermined time TB and restarts the measurement of the predetermined time TB. This can suppress the brake lamp 34 from flickering at a cycle close to the predetermined time TB, and can turn on the brake lamp 34 more appropriately.

The stop lamp control device 50 further includes a light-off control unit 52 that turns off the stop lamp 34 immediately after the braking state signal S54 becomes the off state "0" when the operation amount BP for braking exceeds the predetermined 1 st operation amount BP 1. Thus, when the operation amount BP is larger than the 1 st operation amount BP1, the response of the brake lamp 34 to blink can be improved.

(modification)

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. The above-described embodiments are illustrative for the purpose of easily understanding the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to having all of the described configurations. Further, other configurations may be added to the configuration of the above embodiment, or a part of the configuration may be replaced with another configuration. The control lines and information lines shown in the drawings are considered to be essential for the description, and are not limited to the control lines and information lines all necessary for illustrating the product. It is also contemplated that substantially all of the components may be interconnected. Possible variations on the above-described embodiment are exemplified below.

(1) The brake lamp control section 50 shown in fig. 1 may be realized by a computer using a storage medium in which a program or the like is recorded and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes the program.

(2) The comparator 52 shown in fig. 1 compares the brake pedal operation amount BP and the operation amount BP1, but may compare the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic mechanism 21 with a predetermined hydraulic pressure threshold value instead of the brake pedal operation amount BP, or may compare the braking torque of the brake device 20 with a predetermined torque threshold value.

(3) In the above embodiment, an example in which the brake pedal 22 is operated by the operation of the brake actuator 42 is described, but as described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2016-.

(4) In the above embodiment, the count limit value SL is set based on the detection result of the inclination sensor 36, but the inclination sensor 36 is not essential, and the inclination of the vehicle 1 can be estimated by various methods. The count limit value SL may be a constant value regardless of the inclination of the vehicle 1 or the gradient of the road.

(5) In the above embodiment, the brake lamp control unit 50 performs the lighting control of the brake lamp 34 in accordance with both the operation of the brake pedal 22 by the driver and the operation of the brake pedal 22 by the brake actuator 42. However, the brake lamp control unit 50 may control the lighting of the brake lamp 34 only based on the operation of the brake actuator 42. In this case, a circuit for controlling the brake lamp 34 to be turned on in accordance with the operation of the brake pedal 22 by the driver may be separately provided.