JP-7855371-B2 - Bicycle lighting device

JP7855371B2JP 7855371 B2JP7855371 B2JP 7855371B2JP-7855371-B2

Inventors

土谷麻依子
米谷高之
本名佑也
中尾美涼

Assignees

スタンレー電気株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20220304

Claims (6)

A central light-emitting unit is located in the central region when viewed from the front and is formed to emit light forward. A right light-emitting unit is provided, which is shifted to the right of the center line of the central light-emitting unit when viewed from the center line of the central light-emitting unit, and is formed to emit light in a direction that is to the right, forward, and in front of the central light-emitting unit; A left light-emitting unit is provided, which is shifted to the left of the center line of the central light-emitting unit when viewed from the center line of the central light-emitting unit, and is formed to emit light in a direction that is to the left, forward, and in front of the central light-emitting unit; A control board equipped with a lighting drive circuit that controls the lighting state of the central light-emitting unit, the right light-emitting unit, and the left light-emitting unit, The housing comprises a light chamber that houses the central light-emitting unit, the right light-emitting unit, the left light-emitting unit, and the control board, The housing has a fixing part formed therein for fixing it to a bicycle. At least one of the light-emitting units, the right light-emitting unit and the left light-emitting unit, is provided with a drawing optical system consisting of an LED light source and an image forming unit provided in front of the direction of illumination of the LED light source. The drawing optical system is a bicycle lighting device that emits light to draw a predetermined image toward the road surface in front of the central light-emitting unit, according to the light distribution pattern of the central light-emitting unit.
The bicycle lighting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the image forming section of at least one of the right light-emitting unit and the left light-emitting unit is provided with an image film fixing frame and has an image film that can be inserted into and removed from the image film fixing frame.
The bicycle lighting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the image forming section of at least one of the light-emitting units, the right light-emitting unit and the left light-emitting unit, is a variable type image forming section whose design can be changed by electrical means.
The control board is The system comprises a first control unit that controls the illumination state of the light source of the central light-emitting unit, and a second control unit that controls the illumination state of the respective light sources of the right light-emitting unit and the left light-emitting unit. The first control unit performs continuous lighting in response to the output signal of the illuminance sensor or in response to the switch operation. The bicycle lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second control unit performs flashing illumination independently of the illumination of the light source of the central light-emitting unit by the first control unit.
The bicycle lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the light sources of the central light-emitting unit, the right light-emitting unit, and the left light-emitting unit are all LEDs.
A bicycle equipped with a bicycle lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Description

This invention relates to a bicycle lighting device, and more specifically, to a bicycle lighting device having a light-emitting unit that illuminates the center of the front in the direction of travel when viewed from above, and light-emitting units for drawing a predetermined design toward the left and right road surfaces near the bicycle, and more particularly to a bicycle headlight. Conventional bicycle headlights typically consist of a single light-emitting element using an incandescent light source to project light in the direction of illumination (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Furthermore, lighting devices with light sources that illuminate when turning left or right have also been proposed to improve safety (see, for example, Patent Document 2). The bicycle lighting unit described in Patent Document 1 comprises an illuminance detection unit that detects ambient brightness, a reflector, and a light-emitting element consisting of a small incandescent bulb, all housed within a main body case. The unit controls the on/off switching of the small incandescent bulb based on the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor. The bicycle lighting unit described in Patent Document 2 comprises a lighting unit consisting of a central lamp, a left-facing lamp for illuminating the left front, and a right-facing lamp for illuminating the right front; a rotation detection unit for detecting rotation around a predetermined axis; and a lamp drive unit for controlling the illumination state of the left-facing and right-facing lamps based on the detection signal from the rotation detection unit. The lighting unit is mounted on a bicycle so that the central lamp illuminates the area directly in front of the front wheel, which is operated by the handlebars. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-019988Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-62260 Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing a vehicle (bicycle) equipped with a bicycle lighting device according to one embodiment of the present invention.Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the bicycle lighting device of this embodiment, observed from the front and slightly above the bicycle.Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a horizontal cross-section of the bicycle lighting device of this embodiment.Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the optical system of the central light-emitting unit of this embodiment.Figure 5 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the left light-emitting unit.Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the control of a bicycle lighting device.Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the road surface illumination pattern of a bicycle lighting device, represented by an isolar curve.Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example of a road surface drawing pattern in the road surface illumination pattern shown by the dotted line in Figure 7.Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing a bicycle lighting device according to the second embodiment.Figure 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating the road surface illumination pattern of a bicycle lighting device. The following description will refer to preferred embodiments of the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention, with reference to the drawings. In the following description, "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down" refer to directions as seen from the driver's perspective when the device is installed on a vehicle (bicycle). Therefore, "front" corresponds to the front of the vehicle (the direction of the bicycle's movement), which is the primary direction of light emission from the headlight; "rear" corresponds to the rear of the vehicle (towards the driver's rear); "left" corresponds to the left side relative to the vehicle's direction of travel; and "down" corresponds to the road surface side (towards the driver's feet). [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing a vehicle (bicycle) equipped with a bicycle lighting device according to one embodiment of the present invention. The bicycle 1 is constructed with a frame 2 as the center, and includes a front tire 3, a rear tire 4, handlebars 5, a saddle 6, and pedals 7. The front tire 3 rotates in conjunction with the steering of the handlebars 5, and the headlight 11 is fixed to rotate in conjunction with the front tire 3. A taillight (not shown) is provided on the rear tire 4 or the frame 2. The headlight 11 and taillight are types of bicycle lighting devices. The headlight 11 is a lighting device that emits white light, directed forward at night or in poor visibility conditions, to allow the rider to see obstacles on the road surface. The taillight is a lighting device that emits red light at night or in poor visibility conditions to indicate the presence of the bicycle 1 from behind. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the bicycle lighting device 10 of this embodiment, observed from the front and slightly above the bic