JP6980343B2 - Lighting control device and traffic light of signal lamp - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lighting control device for a three-lamp type signal lamp and a signal equipped with the same.

Traffic signal lamps are for making vehicles and passersby visually recognize traffic permit or stop instructions and other traffic regulation information. Conventionally, this type of signal lamp is equipped with blue, green, and red lamps in the horizontal or vertical direction, and color vision information (each lamp color) or position information (lighting location) indicates which color is lit. Traffic signal lights for vehicles that are identified by are common.

However, since each person sees and feels different colors, it is required to further improve the visibility of traffic regulation information by each light color. For example, for a person with color blindness in which red and yellow look the same, which color is lit can only be identified by the location information of the lamp, so the entire lamp can be seen at night. Because it is difficult, it is difficult to easily distinguish whether the light color is red or yellow.

Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 has an indicator lamp for relatively indicating the lighting position of the color lamp at night, and the indicator lamp is arranged so as to sandwich each color lamp, or around each color lamp. Traffic signal lamps located in are proposed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-157686

However, in the traffic signal lamp described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to install the above-mentioned indicator lamp in the lamp body. Therefore, there is a problem that a structure and a space for installing the indicator lamp and wirings connected to the indicator lamp are required.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a lighting control device for a signal lamp and a signal equipped with the same, without changing the signal lamp.

In order to achieve the above object, the lighting control device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a lighting control device for a signal lamp having three lamps having different emission colors, and includes a detection unit and a control unit.
The detection unit is configured to be able to detect a lamp to which a lighting command to be lit at the first luminous intensity is output among the three lamps.
The control unit is configured to be able to generate a light emission command for causing the other two lamps to which the lighting command is not output to emit light at a second luminosity lower than the first luminosity.

In the above-mentioned lighting control device, the lamp to which the lighting command is output is lit at the first luminous intensity, and the other two lamps to which the lighting command is not output are lit at the second luminous intensity lower than the first luminous intensity. It is controlled to emit light. By making each lamp emit light with a difference in brightness in this way, it is possible to prevent misidentification of the lamp color for those who have a healthy color vision, and those who have color blindness in which red and yellow look the same. For the person, the light color can be appropriately recognized from the position information.
According to the above-mentioned lighting control device, since it is configured to control the amount of light emitted from each lamp, no special configuration is required for the signal lamp, and therefore, the variety of color vision using the existing signal lamp. Can be dealt with appropriately.

The control unit may have a determination unit and an output unit.
Based on the output of the detection unit, the determination unit determines two of the three lamps to emit light at the second luminous intensity. The output unit generates the light emission command based on the output of the determination unit.

The lighting control device may further include a power supply line connecting the signal controller and the signal lamp. The detection unit and the control unit are connected in parallel to the power supply line between the signal controller and the signal lamp.
As a result, the electric power required for light emission of each lamp can be obtained from the power supply line.

In this case, the feeding line may have an isolator that blocks the input of the light emission command output from the control unit to the signal controller.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the output of the control unit from being input to the signal controller and to appropriately emit light from each lamp.

The detection unit may be configured to be able to detect a lamp to which a blinking command for blinking at the first luminosity is output, out of the three lamps. The control unit is configured to be able to generate a blinking light emission command for blinking each of the other two lamps to which the blinking command is not output at the second luminosity.
This makes it possible to support various color visions even with flashing red or yellow lights.

In this case, the control unit may be configured to generate the blinking light emission command in synchronization with the blinking command.
By extinguishing the other two lamps for which the blinking command is not output when the lamp for which the blinking command is output is extinguished, the recognition of the blinking lamp for those with color blindness is enhanced. Can be done.

The lighting control device may further include an auxiliary power supply. The auxiliary power supply supplies power necessary for generating a light emitting signal that causes the three lamps to emit light at the second luminosity when the lamp to which the blinking command is output is extinguished in the control unit. Is configured to be possible.
Even with such a configuration, it is possible to enhance the recognition of the flashing lamp to a person having a variety of color visions.

The traffic light according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a signal lamp and a lighting control device.
The signal lamp has three lamps having different emission colors.
The lighting control device has a detection unit and a control unit.
The detection unit is configured to be able to detect a lamp to which a lighting command to be lit at the first luminous intensity is output among the three lamps.
The control unit is configured to be able to generate a light emission command for causing the other two lamps to which the lighting command is not output to emit light at a second luminosity lower than the first luminosity.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a signal lamp that can correspond to various color visions without changing the signal lamp.

It is a front view which shows the traffic signal for traffic which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the said traffic light. It is a schematic front view of the signal lamp in the above-mentioned traffic light, A shows the lighting state of the blue lamp, B shows the lighting state of the yellow lamp, and C shows the lighting state of the red lamp. In the figure which shows the operation example of the said traffic light, A shows the signal waveform of a lighting command, and B shows the signal waveform of a light emitting command. It is a figure which shows the operation example of the said traffic light, and shows the other generation example of a light emission command. It is a figure which shows the operation example of the said traffic light, and shows the other generation example of a light emission command. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the said traffic light. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the traffic light which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the traffic light which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the said traffic light.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
[Overall configuration of traffic light]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a traffic signal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The traffic light 1 includes a signal lamp 2 for a vehicle and a signal control device 100 for controlling the signal lamp 2. The signal lamp 2 and the signal control device 100 are attached to a support column 3, and these are connected via an electric wire cable.
Although not shown, the traffic light 1 may be provided with a signal lamp for pedestrians, an arrow lamp, or the like. Typically, the pedestrian signal light is installed on the column 3 and the arrow light is installed at the bottom of the signal light 2.

The signal lamp 2 is installed on the road and is configured as a three-lamp type traffic signal lamp for allowing vehicles and passersby to visually recognize a stop display, a passable display, and other traffic control information.
The signal lamp 2 has three lamps, a blue lamp 2G, a yellow lamp 2Y, and a red lamp 2R, and a housing 21 that commonly supports these lamps.

Each lamp 2G, 2Y, 2R is attached to a predetermined position of the housing 21, and the blue lamp 2G, the yellow lamp 2Y, and the red lamp 2R are arranged in order from the left in FIG. Each lamp 2G, 2Y, 2R is composed of an LED signal lamp whose light source is an aggregate of LED (Light Emitting Diode) elements capable of emitting light in blue (green), yellow, and red, respectively. Not limited to this, each lamp may be composed of a light bulb type signal lamp.

The housing 21 is typically made of a metal material and has a three-dimensional shape having a longitudinal direction in the horizontal direction. The housing 21 is fixed to the support column 3 via the arm (arm) 4.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the traffic light 1.
The signal control device 100 includes a signal controller 10 and a lighting control device 50. The lighting control device 50 may be arranged in the signal lamp 2 or may be arranged in the signal controller 10.

The signal controller 10 uses a commercial power source as a power source to control the light emission of each lamp 2G, 2Y, 2R at a preset lighting time (displayed seconds) or cycle. The signal controller 10 has an individual terminal unit 10G, 10Y, 10R capable of outputting a lighting command to the lamp equipment 2G, 2Y, 2R, and a common terminal unit COM (for example, a ground terminal) common to the lamp equipment 2G, 2Y, 2R. Each lamp 2G, 2Y, 2R is electrically connected between the individual terminal portions 10G, 10Y, 10R and the common terminal portion COM.

As will be described later, the lighting control device 50 does not output a lighting command from the signal controller 10 as well as a lamp to which a lighting command is output from the signal controller 10 (hereinafter, also referred to as a current color lamp). A lamp (also referred to as a non-display color lamp) can be made to emit light at a predetermined luminous intensity.

3A to 3C are schematic front views of the signal lamp 2, where A shows the lighting state of the blue lamp 3G, B shows the lighting state of the yellow lamp 3Y, and C shows the lighting state of the red lamp 2R. .. In the present embodiment, while one of the three lamps (currently colored lamp) is lit at the first luminous intensity, the other two lamps (non-displayed colored lamp) have the first luminous intensity. It is controlled to emit light at a second luminous intensity lower than that. As a result, the lighting color can be easily grasped from the positional relationship of the lamp even at night. For example, the lighting color can be easily grasped from the position information for a person having color vision variability in which red and yellow look the same. Can be recognized by.

Here, the first luminosity means the brightness required for lighting (presentation) of the signal lamp 2, and the second luminosity is the brightness that does not cause a person with color vision deficiency to misunderstand the light color of the signal lamp 2. Means.
In a conventional light bulb type traffic signal lamp, if the brightness ratio between the lit color and the non-lit color is 15: 1 or more when the sunshine hits (assuming 10,000 lpx on the surface of the luminaire), it is misidentified by the west sun. There is a specification that is recognized as a signal lamp that does not (Sun Phantom; ISO 16508: 1999 CIE S 006.1 / E).
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ratio of the first luminous intensity to the second luminous intensity is set to 15: 1 or more. That is, the non-display color lamp is controlled to emit light with a brightness of 1/15 or less of the display color lamp. For example, when the first luminous intensity is 300 cd (candela), the second luminous intensity is set to 20 cd or less.
The second luminosity is not limited to the above example, and can be appropriately set according to the installation height, installation location, installation direction, and the like of the signal lamp 2.

[Lighting control device]
Subsequently, the details of the lighting control device 50 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lighting control device 50 is installed between the signal controller 10 and the signal lamp device 2. The lighting control device 50 includes a detection unit 51, a control unit 52, and a power supply line 54.

The power supply line 54 includes three signal lines 54G, 54Y, 54R that connect between the signal controller 10 and the signal lamp 2 and input a lighting command to each lamp 2G, 2Y, 2R of the signal lamp 2. The signal controller 10 is supplied with an AC power supply (lighting command S0) corresponding to each lighting color as a light color signal. The lighting command S0 is input to any one of the three lamps 2G, 2Y, and 2R, and the lamp to which the lamp color signal is input is configured to light at the first luminosity.

The detection unit 51 and the control unit 52 are connected in parallel to the power supply line 54 between the signal controller 10 and the signal lamp 2.

The detection unit 51 is connected to the power supply line 54 and is configured to be capable of detecting the lamp to which the lighting command S0 is output from the three lamps 2G, 2Y, and 2R. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 51 sends a lighting command S0 from the signal controller 10 to any of the signal lines 54G, 54Y, 54R of the power feeding line 54 input via the detection lines 55G, 55Y, 55R. Detects whether is entered. The detection unit 51 is composed of a voltage detection circuit having a ground potential or the like as a reference potential, and discriminates the current signal lamp color from the potentials of the respective signal lines 54G, 54Y, 54R.

The control unit 52 is configured to be able to generate a light emission command S1 that causes the other two lamps to which the lighting command S0 is not output to emit light at a second luminosity lower than the first luminosity. In the present embodiment, the control unit 52 has a determination unit 521 and an output unit 522.

The determination unit 521 is configured to be able to determine two lamps that emit light at the second luminosity of the three lamps 2G, 2Y, and 2R, based on the output of the detection unit 51.
On the other hand, the output unit 522 is configured to be able to generate a light emission command S1 to be output to the two lamps to emit light at the second luminosity based on the output of the determination unit 521.

As described above, the lighting control device 50 emits light (lights up) at the first luminous intensity for the lamp to which the lighting command S0 is output, and 1 / of the first luminous intensity for the other lamps. It is configured to emit light at a second luminous intensity dimmed to 15 or less. The determination unit 521 determines the light color to be dimmed and emitted light based on the output of the detection unit 51, and the output unit 522 generates a signal waveform (light emission command S1) for dimming and emitting light. This is supplied to the corresponding lighting equipment. The determination unit 521 is composed of, for example, a logic circuit, a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or the like. The output unit 522 is composed of, for example, a switching element or the like.

The detection unit 51 and the control unit 52 (determination unit 521, output unit 522) are driven by using the power supply supplied via the power supply auxiliary line 56. The power supply auxiliary line 56 is connected to the power supply line 54 via the detection lines 55G, 55Y, 55R. Since the lighting command S0 from the signal controller 10 is output to any one of the signal lines 54G, 54Y, 54R of the power supply line 54, the other lamps emit light based on the lighting command S0 for one lamp. The power required to generate Directive S1 is provided.

The light emitting command S1 generated by the output unit 522 is supplied to the power feeding line 54 (any two signal lines of the signal lines 54G, 54Y, 54R) to which the lighting command S0 is not output. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the lighting command S0 is input to the blue lamp 2G, the light emission command S1 is input to the signal lines 54Y and 54R connected to the yellow lamp 2Y and the red lamp 2R. As a result, the yellow lamp 2Y and the red lamp 2R can emit light with a brightness of 1/15 or less of that of the blue lamp 2G.

Isolators 53 are installed on the signal lines 54G, 54Y, 54R of the power supply line 54 and the branch lines from the detection lines 55G, 55Y, 55R constituting the power supply auxiliary line 56, respectively. As a result, it is possible to prevent the light emission command S1 from the control unit 52 (output unit 522) from being input to the signal controller 10 in the power supply line 54, and the lighting output to one signal line in the power supply auxiliary line 56. Proper signal detection in the detection unit 51 and proper operation in the signal controller 10 are ensured by preventing mixing of the command S0 into other signal properties.

The output unit 522 is configured to generate the light emission command S1 by deforming the AC waveform of the lighting command S0. The lighting command S0 typically has a continuous AC waveform as shown in FIG. 4A. As shown in FIG. 4B, the output unit 522 can generate the light emission command S1 by transforming it into a discrete waveform obtained by thinning out the lighting command S0. According to this waveform, the non-revealed color (for example, yellow or red) emits light at a brightness of 1/16 of the displayed color (for example, blue) according to the light emission command S1.

In addition to the method of thinning out the lighting command S0, the light emitting command S1 has a phase control for extracting only a predetermined phase component of the lighting command S0 as shown in FIG. 5, or a predetermined duty ratio for the lighting command S1 as shown in FIG. Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) or the like may be used.

[Traffic light operation]
Next, the typical operation of the traffic light 1 configured as described above will be described.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the lighting control device 50.

The lighting control device 50 detects the current lighting color of the signal lamp 2, that is, the lamp to which the lighting command is output from the signal controller 10 among the three lamps 2G, 2Y, and 2R in the detection unit 51 (step). 101).

Subsequently, the lighting control device 50 determines the other two lamps for which the lighting command is not output in the determination unit 521, and causes the output unit 522 to emit light at the second luminous intensity. Command S1 is output (steps 102 and 103).

For example, when the lighting color is blue (FIG. 3A), the lighting control device 50 generates a light emission command S1 for the yellow lighting tool 2Y and the red lighting tool 2R, and when the lighting color is yellow (FIG. 3B), the lighting control device 50 generates a light emitting command S1. And the light emission command S1 for the red light tool 2R is generated, and when the lighting color is red (FIG. 3C), the light emission command S1 for the blue light tool 2G and the yellow light tool 2Y is generated.

The light emitting command S1 generated by the control unit 52 is supplied to two predetermined lamps of the signal lamp 2 via the power supply line 54. As a result, of the three signal lines 54G, 54Y, 54R constituting the power feeding line 54, the lighting command S0 is output to one signal line, and the light emission command S1 is output to the other two signal lines.

As described above, in the traffic light 1 of the present embodiment, the lamp to which the lighting command is output is lit at the first luminous intensity, and the other two lamps to which the lighting command is not output are from the first luminous intensity. Is also controlled to emit light at a lower second luminosity. By making each lamp 2G, 2Y, and 2R emit light with a difference in brightness in this way, it is possible to prevent misidentification of the lamp color for a person with a healthy color vision, and the color vision in which red and yellow look the same. For those with diversity, the light color can be appropriately recognized from the position information.

According to the present embodiment, since the lighting control device 50 is configured to control the amount of light emitted from each of the lamps 2G, 2Y, and 2R, the signal lamp 2 does not require a special configuration, and therefore. A universal design traffic light that can handle a variety of color visions can be configured using existing signal lamps.

In particular, since the lighting control device 50 is configured to be mountable between the signal controller 10 and the signal lamp 2, by additionally connecting the lighting control device 50 to the existing signal, the signal device of the present embodiment can be used. 1 can be configured.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the power supply line 54 connecting between the signal controller 10 and the signal lamp 2 is provided, the detection unit 51 can detect the lighting color and the control unit 52 can generate the light emission command S1. The required power can be easily obtained from the power supply line 54.

<Second embodiment>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the traffic light according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Hereinafter, configurations different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same configurations as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

In the present embodiment, a traffic light having a function as a blinking signal that blinks a red or yellow light color at a predetermined cycle at night or the like will be described.

The traffic light of the present embodiment has a lighting control device 50 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. The lighting control device 50 of the present embodiment is configured so that the detection unit 51 can detect a lamp to which a blinking command for blinking at the first luminosity is output among the three lamps 2G, 2Y, and 2R. (Step 201). The blinking command is output from the signal controller 10, and typically, the blinking command is output to either the yellow lamp 2Y or the red lamp 2R.

The lighting control device 50 is configured to enable the control unit 52 to generate a blinking light emission command for blinking each of the other two lamps to which the blinking command is not output at the second luminosity (step 202, 203). As a result, the color of the flashing lamp can be easily grasped from the position information of the lamp, so that it is possible to correspond to various color visions even for the flashing lamp of red or yellow at night.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 52 is configured to generate a blinking light emission command in synchronization with the blinking command. In this way, when the lamp for which the blinking command is output is extinguished, the other two lamps for which the blinking command is not output are also extinguished, so that the person with color vision deficiency recognizes the blinking lamp. It can enhance the sex.

<Third embodiment>
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the traffic light 31 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the traffic light 31.
Hereinafter, configurations different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same configurations as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

Similar to the second embodiment, the traffic light 31 of the present embodiment also has a function as a blinking traffic light that blinks a red or yellow light color at a predetermined cycle at night or the like.

In the present embodiment, the lighting control device 50 further includes an auxiliary power supply 57 as shown in FIG. The auxiliary power supply 57 is composed of a charge / dischargeable storage battery or capacitor electrically connected to the power supply line 54 via the power supply auxiliary line 56, a charge / discharge circuit thereof, and the like. The auxiliary power source 57 is configured to be able to supply the stored electric power to the detection unit 51 and the control unit 52.

As shown in FIG. 10, the lighting control device 50 of the present embodiment detects a lamp to which a blinking command for blinking at the first luminosity is output among the three lamps 2G, 2Y, and 2R in the detection unit 51. It is configured to be possible (step 301). The blinking command is output from the signal controller 10, and typically, the blinking command is output to either the yellow lamp 2Y or the red lamp 2R.

The lighting control device 50 is configured so that the control unit 52 can generate a light emission command S2 that causes the other two lamps to which the blinking command is not output to emit light at the second luminosity (step 302, 303). As a result, as in the second embodiment, the flashing lamp color can be easily grasped from the position information of the lamp, so that it is possible to correspond to various color visions even for the red or yellow flashing lamp at night. Will be.

In the present embodiment, since the light emission command S2 can be generated by using the electric power charged in the auxiliary power source 57, even if the electric power of the power supply line 54 is lost when the blinking lamp is extinguished, 2 other than the blinking lamp is used. One lamp can always emit light at a second luminous intensity.

In addition to this, in the present embodiment, the lighting control device 50 is configured to make the flashing lamp emit light at the second luminosity when the flashing lamp is extinguished. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the state in which only the other two lamps emit light when the flashing lamp is extinguished, so that it is possible to prevent misidentification of the lamp color.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made.

For example, in the above embodiment, the two lamps to which the lighting command or the blinking command is not output are commonly made to emit light at the second luminous intensity, but there may be a difference in luminous intensity between the two lamps. Also in this case, the luminous intensity of each lamp is preferably 1/15 or less of the first luminous intensity.

Further, when two lamps for which no lighting command or blinking command is output are made to emit light at the second luminous intensity, all the LED elements of these lamps may be made to emit light, or some LED elements of these lamps (for example, for example). , Only the peripheral edge or the central portion of the lamp) may be made to emit light.

1, 31 ... Traffic light 2 ... Traffic light 2G, 2Y, 2R ... Lighting equipment 10 ... Signal controller 50 ... Lighting control device 51 ... Detection unit 52 ... Control unit 521 ... Judgment unit 522 ... Output unit 53 ... Isolator 54 ... Power supply line 54G , 54Y, 54R ... Signal line 57 ... Auxiliary power supply 100 ... Signal control device

Claims (7)

It is a lighting control device for a signal lamp having three lamps with different emission colors.
Of the above three lamps, a detection unit configured to be able to detect a lamp to which a lighting command to be turned on at the first luminous intensity is output, and a detection unit.
It is equipped with a control unit configured to be able to generate a light emitting command for causing the other two lamps to which the lighting command is not output to emit light at a second luminosity lower than the first luminosity.
The control unit
A determination unit for determining two lamps to emit light at the second luminous intensity among the three lamps based on the output of the detection unit.
A lighting control device including an output unit that generates the light emission command based on the output of the determination unit. The lighting control device according to claim 1.
Further equipped with a power supply line connecting the signal controller and the signal lamp,
The detection unit and the control unit are lighting control devices in which the power supply line is connected in parallel between the signal controller and the signal lamp. The lighting control device according to claim 2.
The feeding line is a lighting control device having an isolator that blocks the input of a light emission command output from the control unit to the signal controller. The lighting control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The detection unit is configured to be able to detect a lamp to which a blinking command for blinking at the first luminous intensity is output among the three lamps.
The control unit is a lighting control device capable of generating a blinking light emission command for blinking each of the other two lamps to which the blinking command is not output at the second luminosity. The lighting control device according to claim 4.
The control unit is a lighting control device that generates the blinking light emission command in synchronization with the blinking command. The lighting control device according to claim 4.
In the control unit, an auxiliary power source capable of supplying electric power necessary for generating a light emitting signal for causing the three lamps to emit light at the second luminosity when the lamp to which the blinking command is output is extinguished. A lighting control device further equipped with. A signal lamp with three lamps with different emission colors,
Of the three lamps, the detector configured to detect the lamp to which the lighting command to be lit at the first luminous intensity is output, and the other two lamps to which the lighting command is not output are used. A lighting control device including a control unit configured to be able to generate a light emission command for emitting light at a second luminous intensity lower than the first luminous intensity, and a lighting control device having the same.
The control unit
A determination unit for determining two lamps to emit light at the second luminous intensity among the three lamps based on the output of the detection unit.
A traffic light having an output unit that generates the light emission command based on the output of the determination unit.

Images