Vehicle lighting unit control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10813190-B2
Application number	US-201716329381-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2017
Priority date	Sep 5, 2016
Publication date	Oct 20, 2020
Grant date	Oct 20, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle lighting unit control device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a lighting unit control section controlling a lighting unit, a power supply section outputting electrical power to a fan device, and a power supply control section. The fan device includes a fan and a motor. The power supply control section includes a rotation information acquisition section and an output interruption section. If the fan locks, the output interruption section interrupts electrical power supplied from the power supply section to the fan device, before the fan device performs protective operation for interrupting electrical power supplied to the motor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle lighting unit control device installed in a vehicle, wherein:
the vehicle comprises
a lighting unit, and
a fan device configured to cool the lighting unit;

the fan device comprises
a fan, and
a motor configured to rotate the fan;

the fan device is so configured that the motor is rotated by electrical power supplied from the vehicle lighting unit control device, and that protective operation is performed to reduce or interrupt an input of the electrical power to the motor in response to the fan going into a first locked state;
the vehicle lighting unit control device comprises
a lighting unit control section configured to control the lighting unit,
a power supply section configured to generate and output the electrical power to the fan device, and
a power supply control section configured to control output of the electrical power to the fan device from the power supply section;

the power supply control section comprises
a rotation information acquisition section configured to acquire rotation information indicating rotational frequency of the fan, and
an output interruption section configured to determine whether the fan is in a second locked state, based on the rotation information acquired by the rotation information acquisition section, and interrupt output of the electrical power to the fan device from the power supply section in response to the fan being in the second locked state;

the second locked state is set to be the same as the first locked state, or set to occur earlier than the first locked state in response to the rotational frequency of the fan decreasing; and
the output interruption section is configured to interrupt output of the electrical power before the fan device performs the protective operation, in response to the second locked state having occurred, wherein
in response to the fan going into the first locked state, the fan device is ensured to perform the protective operation after lapse of at least a first required period from the occurrence of the first locked state; and
the output interruption section is configured to interrupt output of the electrical power before lapse of a second required period, which is shorter than the first required period, from actual occurrence of the second locked state.

2. The vehicle lighting unit control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first locked state is a state where a specific physical quantity corresponding to the rotational frequency is a smaller one of a value that is not less than a specific first threshold and a value that is less than the specific first threshold; and
the second locked state is a state that is the same as the first locked state, or is a state where the physical quantity corresponding to the rotational frequency is a smaller one of a value that is not less than a specific second threshold and a value that is less than the specific second threshold, the specific second threshold being larger than the specific first threshold.

3. The vehicle lighting unit control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the physical quantity is the rotational frequency.

4. The vehicle lighting unit control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the second locked state is the same as the first locked state.

5. A vehicle lighting unit control device installed in a vehicle, wherein:
the vehicle comprises
a lighting unit, and
a fan device configured to cool the lighting unit;

the fan device comprises
a fan, and
a motor configured to rotate the fan;

the fan device is so configured that the motor is rotated by electrical power supplied from the vehicle lighting unit control device, and that protective operation is performed to reduce or interrupt an input of the electrical power to the motor in response to the fan going into a first locked state;
the vehicle lighting unit control device comprises
a lighting unit control section configured to control the lighting unit,
a power supply section configured to generate and output the electrical power to the fan device, and
a power supply control section configured to control output of the electrical power to the fan device from the power supply section;

the power supply control section comprises
a rotation information acquisition section configured to acquire rotation information indicating rotational frequency of the fan, and
an output interruption section configured to determine whether the fan is in a second locked state, based on the rotation information acquired by the rotation information acquisition section, and interrupt output of the electrical power to the fan device from the power supply section in response to the fan being in the second locked state;

the second locked state is set to be the same as the first locked state or set to occur earlier than the first locked state in response to the rotational frequency of the fan decreasing; and
the output interruption section is configured to interrupt output of the electrical power before the fan device performs the protective operation, in response to the second locked state having occurred, wherein:
the output interruption section is configured to interrupt output of the electrical power for a given length of time, in response to the fan being determined to be in the second locked state, and then restart output of the electrical power to the fan device; and
the output interruption section further comprises
a count section configured to count a number of times of determining the fan as being in the second locked state, and
an abnormality confirmation section configured to perform an abnormality confirmation process, including at least interrupting output of the electrical power for a period longer than the given length of time, in response to the number of times counted by the count section becoming equal to a count threshold or more.

6. A vehicle lighting unit control device installed in a vehicle, wherein:
the vehicle comprises
a lighting unit, and
a fan device configured to cool the lighting unit;

the fan device comprises
a fan, and
a motor configured to rotate the fan;

the fan device is so configured that the motor is rotated by electrical power supplied from the vehicle lighting unit control device, and that protective operation is performed to reduce or interrupt an input of the electrical power to the motor in response to the fan going into a first locked state;
the vehicle lighting unit control device comprises
a lighting unit control section configured to control the lighting unit,
a power supply section configured to generate and output the electrical power to the fan device, and
a power supply control section configured to control output of the electrical power to the fan device from the power supply section;

the power supply control section comprises
a rotation information acquisition section configured to acquire rotation information indicating rotational frequency of the fan, and
an output interruption section configured to determine whether the fan is in a second locked state, based on the rotation information acquired by the rotation information acquisition section, and interrupt output of the electrical power to the fan device from the power supply section in response to the fan being in the second locked state;

the second locked state is set to be the same as the first locked state, or set to occur earlier than the first locked state in response to the rotational frequency of the fan decreasing; and
the output interruption section is configured to interrupt output of the electrical power before the fan device performs the protective operation, in response to the second locked state having occurred, wherein:
the output interruption section is configured to interrupt output of the e

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Uchida Yuki

Classifications

• H05B47/165 Primary

  following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC] · CPC title

• H05B47/10 Primary

  Controlling the light source · CPC title

• F21V29/61

  characterised by control arrangements · CPC title

• F21V29/67

  characterised by the arrangement of fans · CPC title

• F21S45/40

  Cooling of lighting devices · CPC title