JP2010221756A - Vehicle light determining device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately determine whether a pick-up image indicates a vehicle-light or not. <P>SOLUTION: An area extracting portion 22 extracts a high-brightness area from a picked up front image. A pair candidate searching portion 24 searches a vehicle light-pair candidate from the extracted high-brightness area. A distance estimating portion 26 estimates a distance to a vehicle light-pair indicated by the vehicle-light pair candidate. A light receiving amount estimating portion 28 carries out interpolation on the basis of a brightness value of peripheral pixels about a saturation area of the vehicle light-pair candidate, thereby estimating a light receiving amount in the high-brightness area of the vehicle-light pair candidate after correcting the brightness value. A vehicle-light determining portion 30 determines whether the pick-up image indicates the vehicle-light pair or not on the basis of the light receiving amount in the high-brightness area of the estimated vehicle-light pair candidate, the distance to the vehicle-light pair indicated by the vehicle-light pair candidate, and the brightness of the vehicle-light obtained in advance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting determination device, and more particularly, to a vehicle lighting determination device that determines whether or not a captured image represents vehicle lighting.

  Conventionally, when a vehicle lamp is a light source, a luminance range observed by an image sensor is determined in advance at each distance, and the relationship between such a distance and the luminance range is stored, and an actual image is actually stored. There is known a vehicle detection device that identifies whether a light source is a headlamp or a tail lamp of a vehicle by comparing the relationship between the luminance observed by the sensor and the distance to the light source with the stored relationship ( Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a vehicle image processing apparatus that estimates an external environment of a vehicle using an image captured by an in-vehicle camera, and a vehicle detection apparatus that identifies a light source corresponding to a lamp of the vehicle and detects a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle are known. (Patent Documents 2 and 3).

JP 2008-40615 A JP 2008-28957 A JP 2008-94249 A

  However, in the techniques described in Patent Literature 1 to Patent Literature 3, when the light source is imaged, the pixel value is saturated at the center of the light source region, and the brightness of the light source cannot be estimated with sufficient accuracy. There is a problem that vehicle lighting cannot be accurately determined.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lighting determination apparatus that can accurately determine whether or not a captured image represents vehicle lighting. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle light determination device according to a first aspect of the present invention extracts a high luminance region in which a luminance value is a predetermined value or more from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle. Region extracting means, candidate search means for searching as a candidate area a pair of high luminance areas arranged in the horizontal direction from the high luminance area extracted by the area extracting means, and a predetermined pair of lights of the vehicle Based on the distance between the pair of high brightness areas of the candidate area searched by the candidate searching means, and the focal distance of the imaging device, the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area is calculated. Calculating means for correcting the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixel for the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the candidate area, and the candidate Based on the sum of the luminance values of the high-luminance area of the area, the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area calculated by the calculation means, and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance, And determining means for determining whether the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle.

  According to the vehicle lighting determination device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the imaging device captures an image of the periphery of the host vehicle, and the region extraction means detects a high luminance region in which the luminance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value from the captured image. Extract. The candidate search means searches for a pair of high brightness areas arranged in the horizontal direction as candidate areas from the high brightness areas extracted by the area extraction means.

  Based on the distance between the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance by the calculation means, the distance between the pair of high brightness areas of the candidate area searched by the candidate search means, and the focal length of the imaging device The distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by is calculated. Further, the correction unit corrects the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the candidate area based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels.

  Then, the sum of the luminance values of the high brightness area of the candidate area by the determination means, the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area calculated by the calculation means, and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance Based on the above, it is determined whether the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle.

  In this manner, the luminance value of the candidate area is corrected by interpolating the pixel having the maximum luminance value, and it is determined whether or not the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle. Can accurately determine whether or not represents a vehicle light.

  A vehicle lighting determination device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a region extraction means for extracting a high luminance region in which a luminance value is a predetermined value or more from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle; A correction unit that corrects the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating based on the luminance value of the peripheral pixel for the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the luminance region, and the high luminance extracted by the region extracting unit Candidate search means for searching a pair of high-luminance areas that are similar in luminance value and arranged in the horizontal direction as candidate areas from the area, and a predetermined distance between a pair of lights of the vehicle, the candidate search means Calculating means for calculating a distance to a pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area, based on a distance between the pair of high brightness areas of the candidate area searched for by the above and a focal distance of the imaging device; Based on the sum of the luminance values of the high-intensity area, the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area calculated by the calculation means, and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance And a determination means for determining whether or not the region represents a pair of lights of the vehicle.

  According to the vehicle lighting determination device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the imaging device captures the periphery of the host vehicle, and the region extraction means captures a high-luminance region in which the luminance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value from the captured image. Extract. The correction unit corrects the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the high luminance region based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels.

  Then, the candidate search means searches for a pair of high brightness areas having similar brightness values and arranged in the horizontal direction as candidate areas from the high brightness area extracted by the area extraction means. The candidate area represents based on the predetermined distance between the pair of lights of the vehicle, the distance between the pair of high brightness areas of the candidate area searched by the candidate search means, and the focal length of the imaging device. Calculate the distance to the pair of lights on the vehicle.

  Then, the sum of the luminance values of the high brightness area of the candidate area by the determination means, the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area calculated by the calculation means, and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance Based on the above, it is determined whether the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle.

  In this way, the luminance value of the high luminance region is corrected by interpolating the pixel having the maximum luminance value, and it is determined whether or not the pair of high luminance regions that are candidate regions represent a pair of lights of the vehicle. By determining, it can be accurately determined whether or not the captured image represents vehicle lighting.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle light determination device, a region extraction unit that extracts a high-luminance region in which a luminance value is a predetermined value or more from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle, and the host vehicle. A distance acquisition unit that acquires a distance to the object represented by the high-intensity region extracted by the region extraction unit from a measurement result of a distance measurement device that measures a distance to the object existing in the vicinity of the object; and the distance acquisition unit Based on the distance to the object represented by the high-intensity region acquired by the above and the distance between the high-intensity regions, a pair of high-intensity regions arranged in the horizontal direction are searched as candidate regions from the high-intensity region. Candidate search means, and correction means for correcting the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels for the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the candidate area; Based on the sum of the luminance values of the high-brightness area of the candidate area, the distance to the object represented by the high-brightness area of the candidate area acquired by the acquisition unit, and the brightness of a pair of lights of the vehicle obtained in advance And a determination means for determining whether or not the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle.

  According to the vehicle lighting determination device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the imaging device captures the periphery of the host vehicle, and the region extraction means captures a high luminance region in which the luminance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value from the captured image. Extract. Moreover, the distance to the object which exists in the circumference | surroundings of the own vehicle is measured with a distance measuring device. The distance acquisition unit acquires the distance to the object represented by the high brightness area extracted by the area extraction unit from the measurement result of the distance measuring device.

  Then, based on the distance to the object represented by the high brightness area acquired by the distance acquisition means by the candidate search means and the distance between the high brightness areas, a pair of high brightness areas arranged in the horizontal direction from the high brightness area Are searched for as candidate regions. The correction means corrects the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the candidate area based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels.

  Then, the sum of the luminance values of the high-luminance area of the candidate area by the determination means, the distance to the object represented by the high-luminance area of the candidate area acquired by the acquisition means, and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance Based on the above, it is determined whether the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle.

  In this manner, the luminance value of the candidate area is corrected by interpolating the pixel having the maximum luminance value, and it is determined whether or not the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle. Can accurately determine whether or not represents a vehicle light.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle light determination device, a region extraction unit that extracts a high luminance region having a luminance value equal to or higher than a predetermined value from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle, and the host vehicle. A distance acquisition means for acquiring a distance to the object represented by the high-intensity region from a measurement result of a distance measuring device that measures a distance to an object existing in the vicinity of the object, and a luminance value in the high-intensity region is a maximum value Is obtained by the distance acquisition unit from the correction unit that corrects the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixel and the high luminance region extracted by the region extraction unit. Candidate search means for searching as a candidate area a pair of high-intensity areas that are similar in distance and luminance value and arranged in the horizontal direction, and the sum of the luminance values of the high-intensity areas of the candidate area, the acquisition Whether the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle based on the distance to the object represented by the high brightness area of the candidate area acquired by the stage and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance Determination means for determining whether or not.

  According to the vehicle lighting determination device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the imaging device captures the periphery of the host vehicle, and the region extraction means captures a high brightness region in which the brightness value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value from the captured image. Extract. In addition, the distance measurement device measures the distance to the object existing around the host vehicle, and the distance acquisition unit acquires the distance to the object represented by the high luminance region from the measurement result of the distance measurement device.

  Then, the correction unit corrects the luminance value of the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the high luminance region by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels. The candidate search unit searches for a pair of high luminance regions that are similar in distance and luminance value acquired by the distance acquisition unit and are arranged in the horizontal direction as candidate regions from the high luminance region extracted by the region extraction unit. To do.

  Then, the sum of the luminance values of the high-luminance area of the candidate area by the determination means, the distance to the object represented by the high-luminance area of the candidate area acquired by the acquisition means, and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance Based on the above, it is determined whether the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle.

  In this way, the luminance value of the high luminance region is corrected by interpolating the pixel having the maximum luminance value, and it is determined whether or not the pair of high luminance regions that are candidate regions represent a pair of lights of the vehicle. By determining, it can be accurately determined whether or not the captured image represents vehicle lighting.

  The calculation means according to the first and second inventions determines a vehicle type based on at least one of the size and luminance of the high-luminance area of the candidate area, and the vehicle is determined in advance corresponding to the determined vehicle type. The distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area can be calculated using the distance between the pair of lights. Thereby, it can be determined more accurately whether or not the captured image represents vehicle lighting.

  The vehicle lighting determination device according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention obtains the sum of the luminance values of the high luminance area for the high luminance area that has not been determined by the determining means to represent a pair of lights of the vehicle. A second determination for determining whether or not the high-intensity region represents a motorcycle light based on the distance to the object represented by the high-intensity region acquired by the means and the brightness of the motorcycle light obtained in advance; Means may further be included. This makes it possible to further determine whether or not the captured image represents a motorcycle light.

  The determination means obtains in advance the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area estimated based on the sum of the luminance values of the candidate areas and the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area. If it is within the brightness range of a pair of lights of a given vehicle, it can be determined that the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle.

  In the determination means, the sum of the luminance values of the candidate areas is calculated based on the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area and the brightness range of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance. If it is within the range of the sum of the luminance values, it can be determined that the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle.

  Further, the brightness range of the pair of lights of the vehicle can be a range including brightness corresponding to a plurality of types of vehicles or a plurality of types of lights.

  The vehicle lighting determination device may further include an output unit that outputs a determination result of the determination unit. Accordingly, it is possible to notify the user that the captured image represents vehicle lighting.

  In addition, the vehicle lighting determination device may further include a lighting control unit that controls a lighting device provided in the host vehicle according to a determination result of the determination unit. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately control the illumination by the illumination device according to the presence of the surrounding vehicle.

  The above invention can be realized by a program as follows.

  The first program extracts a computer from a captured image captured by an image capturing apparatus that captures the periphery of the host vehicle by using a region extracting unit that extracts a high luminance region having a luminance value equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and the region extracting unit. Candidate search means for searching a pair of high brightness areas arranged in the horizontal direction as candidate areas from the determined high brightness area, a predetermined distance between a pair of lights of the vehicle, candidates searched by the candidate search means A calculation means for calculating a distance to a pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area based on a distance between a pair of high-luminance areas of the area and a focal length of the imaging device; Correction means for correcting the luminance value of the pixel, which is the maximum value, by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels, and the sum of the luminance values of the high luminance area of the candidate area Based on the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area calculated by the calculation means and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance, the candidate area represents the pair of lights of the vehicle. It is a program that functions as a determination means for determining whether or not the

  The second program includes a region extraction unit that extracts a high-luminance region having a luminance value equal to or higher than a predetermined value from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle. For the pixel having the maximum luminance value, a correction value for correcting the luminance value of the pixel by interpolation based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels, and the luminance value from the high luminance region extracted by the region extracting unit Candidate search means for searching a pair of high-intensity areas that are similar to each other in the horizontal direction as a candidate area, a predetermined distance between a pair of lights of the vehicle, and a candidate area searched by the candidate search means Calculating means for calculating a distance to a pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area based on a distance between the pair of high brightness areas and a focal length of the imaging device; and Based on the sum of the luminance values of the luminance area, the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area calculated by the calculation means, and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance, the candidate area This is a program that functions as a determination unit that determines whether or not a pair of lights of a vehicle is represented.

  The third program is a region extraction unit that extracts a high-luminance region having a luminance value equal to or higher than a predetermined value from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle. A distance acquisition unit that acquires a distance to the object represented by the high-intensity region extracted by the region extraction unit from a measurement result of a distance measuring device that measures a distance to the object to be acquired, and the distance acquisition unit that acquires the distance Candidate search means for searching as a candidate area a pair of high luminance areas arranged in a horizontal direction from the high luminance area based on the distance to the object represented by the high luminance area and the distance between the high luminance areas, Correction means for correcting the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels for the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the candidate area; and Based on the sum of the luminance values of the high luminance area of the complementary area, the distance to the object represented by the high luminance area of the candidate area acquired by the acquisition means, and the brightness of a pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance, This is a program for causing the candidate area to function as determination means for determining whether or not it represents a pair of lights of a vehicle.

  The fourth program is a region extraction unit that extracts a high luminance region having a luminance value equal to or higher than a predetermined value from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle, and is present in the vicinity of the host vehicle. From the measurement result of the distance measuring device that measures the distance to the object to be obtained, distance acquisition means for acquiring the distance to the object represented by the high-intensity region, the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the high-intensity region, By interpolating based on the luminance value of the peripheral pixel, the distance and the luminance value acquired by the distance acquiring unit from the high luminance region extracted by the correction unit correcting the luminance value of the pixel and the region extracting unit are obtained. Candidate search means for searching as a candidate area a pair of high-luminance areas that are similar and arranged in the horizontal direction, and a sum of luminance values of the high-luminance areas of the candidate area, the acquisition means Therefore, based on the distance to the object represented by the high brightness area of the candidate area acquired and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle obtained in advance, whether the candidate area represents a pair of lights of the vehicle It is a program for functioning as a determination means for determining whether or not.

  As described above, according to the vehicle lighting determination device of the present invention, the luminance value of the candidate region or the high luminance region is corrected by interpolating the pixel having the maximum luminance value, and the candidate region is a pair of vehicles. By determining whether or not it represents the lighting of the vehicle, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the captured image represents the vehicle lighting.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) It is an image figure which shows the front image imaged with the imaging device, (B) It is an enlarged view of the image imaged by performing exposure control. It is a figure for demonstrating the calculation method of the distance to the vehicle lighting pair which a vehicle lighting pair candidate represents. (A) The graph which shows the luminance distribution of a high-intensity area | region, (B) The graph which shows the luminance distribution of the high-intensity area | region which interpolated the saturation area | region. It is a graph which shows the sum total of the luminance value at the time of correct | amending about the area | region showing each of a headlight, a stop lamp, and a tail lamp. It is a schematic diagram at the time of imaging a light source with a camera. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the illumination control processing routine in the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the illumination control processing routine in the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the illumination control processing routine in the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to an in-vehicle illumination system that is mounted on a vehicle and controls a headlight based on a captured front image will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle illumination system 10 according to the first embodiment includes an imaging device 12 including a CCD camera that captures an image ahead of the host vehicle, and a display device 14 that displays a car navigation screen and the like. And a computer 18 for controlling the headlight 16 provided in the host vehicle and controlling the display of the display device 14 based on the captured front image. Note that the number of cameras and the angle of view of the imaging device 12 are not particularly limited, and may be any configuration. Further, the image output by the imaging device 12 may be a grayscale image or a color image. In the following, a case where the image output by the imaging device 12 is a grayscale image will be described as an example.

  The display device 14 includes a head-up display and a navigation screen. The display device 14 is an example of an output unit.

  The computer 18 includes a CPU, a ROM that stores a program of an illumination control processing routine that will be described later, a RAM that stores data, and a bus that connects these. If the computer 18 is described in terms of functional blocks divided for each function realization means determined based on hardware and software, the computer 18 inputs a front image output from the imaging device 12 as shown in FIG. For each pixel of the image input unit 20 and the front image that is the output of the image input unit 20, it is determined whether or not the luminance value (pixel value) is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and the luminance value is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Based on the similarity of the high-brightness areas, a pair of similar high-brightness areas arranged in the horizontal direction is searched as a vehicle lighting pair candidate from the extracted high-brightness areas. For each of the pair candidate search unit 24 and the searched vehicle light pair candidates, the distance to the vehicle light pair is estimated when it is assumed that the vehicle light pair candidate represents a vehicle light pair. Distance estimation unit 26, received light amount estimation unit 28 that estimates the amount of received light in the high-luminance region that is a vehicle lighting pair candidate, and the distance estimated for each vehicle lighting pair candidate and the amount of received light in the high-luminance region The vehicle lighting determination unit 30 that determines whether the vehicle lighting pair candidate represents a vehicle lighting pair, the display control unit 32 that controls the display of the display device 14 based on the determination result, and the determination result An illumination control unit 34 that controls the headlight 16 is provided. The distance estimation unit 26 is an example of a calculation unit, and the received light amount estimation unit 28 is an example of a correction unit.

  The image input unit 20 includes, for example, an A / D converter and an image memory that stores image data for one screen.

  The region extraction unit 22 performs threshold processing on the luminance value of each pixel of the front image as shown in FIG. 2A input by the image input unit 20 to extract a high luminance region corresponding to the light source.

  The pair candidate search unit 24 searches for a vehicle light pair candidate from the plurality of extracted high-intensity regions as described below. First, for each high brightness area, area information necessary for pair search such as height, width, aspect ratio, area area, and brightness value is recognized and acquired.

  Then, for the high-intensity area to be searched for pairs, between the lighting pairs corresponding to the lateral length of the high-intensity area using a predetermined ratio of the lateral length of the vehicle lighting and the interval between the lighting pairs. The pair search range having the horizontal interval as the horizontal interval is set to the left and right of the high luminance region. Then, arbitrarily select a high-intensity region existing within the pair search range, compare the arbitrarily selected high-intensity region with the high-intensity region to be pair-searched, and determine the height of the region (length in the vertical direction). ) Is within the predetermined range, and the width (lateral length) difference is within the predetermined range, it is determined that the height and width of the region are almost the same and selected. Two high-intensity areas are vehicle light pair candidates.

  The above search process is performed for each high-luminance region to search for a plurality of vehicle light pair candidates. In the above description, the case where the condition for determining the vehicle lighting pair candidate is a condition related to the similarity of the height and width of the region has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the aspect ratio of the region is It may be a condition for judging as a vehicle lighting pair candidate whether the area is almost the same, the area of the area is almost the same, or the luminance value is almost the same, and the length of the area in the vertical direction Further, any combination of the fact that the lengths in the horizontal direction are substantially the same, the area of the regions is substantially the same, and the luminance values are substantially the same may be determined as the vehicle lighting pair candidates.

  Next, the principle of estimating the distance to a vehicle lighting pair when it is assumed that the vehicle lighting pair candidate represents a vehicle lighting pair will be described. Vehicle lighting pairs are often installed at both ends of the vehicle. In addition, although the vehicle width varies depending on the vehicle type, for example, a passenger car is manufactured to have a specified vehicle width of 1.6 to 1.8 m. Therefore, assuming the vehicle width and assuming that the lighting interval is about the same distance, the distance to the vehicle lighting pair can be estimated based on the distance between the light sources in the image by the principle of triangulation. it can.

  In the distance estimation unit 26 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, for each of the vehicle lighting pair candidates, the vehicle lighting pair in the front image is assumed according to the following equation (1) assuming the lighting interval w. The distance z to the midpoint of the vehicle lighting pair is calculated when it is assumed that the candidate represents the vehicle lighting pair.

Where, f is the focal length of the image pickup apparatus 12 previously obtained, d _x is the distance between the centers of gravity of the high luminance region of a pair of vehicle lamp pair candidate in the front image.

  Next, the principle of estimating the amount of light received in each high-luminance region of the vehicle lighting pair candidate will be described.

  First, the received light amount Ri in each high-intensity region Wi of the vehicle lighting pair candidate is calculated by the following equation (2).

  However, I (x, y) represents a pixel value (luminance value) in the pixel (x, y) in the high luminance area Wi. Therefore, the received light amount Ri is represented by the sum of the luminance values in the high luminance region Wi. This received light amount Ri corresponds to the amount of light received from the light source by the imaging device 12.

  Here, since the light source is extremely brighter than the surrounding environment, even in a camera with a wide dynamic range, the pixel value is often saturated near the center of the imaged light source region. FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the headlight of the oncoming vehicle among the images captured by performing exposure control in the same scene as in FIG. FIG. 4A shows a two-dimensional luminance distribution of the headlight surrounded by a circle in FIG. It can be seen that the luminance value becomes 255 at the center of the high luminance region and is saturated. In such a case, the amount of received light (the sum of luminance values) obtained according to the above equation (2) reflects the brightness of the light source to some extent, but its accuracy is not high, and therefore the estimation accuracy for the brightness of the light source deteriorates. . Although it is possible to capture images without saturation by adjusting the shutter speed, in the driving environment, the preceding and oncoming vehicles are at different distances, and there are light sources at various distances, so all light sources are saturated at once. It is difficult to take a picture without it.

  Therefore, the received light amount estimation unit 28 applies a probability distribution model to the entire luminance distribution of each of the pair of high-luminance regions for each vehicle lighting pair candidate to obtain a saturated region (the pixel having the maximum luminance value). The luminance values of the pair of high luminance regions are corrected by interpolating the luminance values of the set. For example, the luminance value of the saturation region is interpolated using a bivariate normal distribution represented by the following equation (3) as a probability distribution model.

  FIG. 4B shows a two-dimensional luminance distribution of the high luminance region when the luminance value of the saturated region is interpolated using the bivariate normal distribution of the above equation (3).

  The received light amount estimation unit 28 performs fitting so that the difference between the luminance values of the peripheral pixels in the saturated region in the high luminance region becomes the smallest in the probability distribution model such as the above-described bivariate normal distribution, and the probability of the fitting Based on the distribution model, the brightness value I ′ (x, y) is obtained by correcting the brightness value of the high brightness area. The received light amount estimation unit 28 uses the corrected brightness value I ′ (x, y) of the high brightness area to calculate the above equation (1), and in each of the pair of high brightness areas of the vehicle lighting pair candidates. Estimate the amount of light received.

  FIG. 5 shows the result of the above estimation of the amount of received light for the areas representing the headlight, stop lamp, and tail lamp. Since the apparent angle changes according to the distance, it can be seen that although there are some variations, three types of lights can be identified.

  Next, the principle of determining whether or not a vehicle light pair candidate represents a vehicle light pair will be described.

  First, FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram when a light source is imaged by a camera. At this time, if camera parameters such as lens transmittance and camera sensitivity are known from the relationship of the following equation (4), the amount of light received from the light source received by the camera and the distance to the light source It can be seen that it is possible to estimate the brightness of the imaged light source.

However, P ₀ is the intensity of the light from the light source received by the camera (brightness), sigma is the effective area of the lens, P _t is the emitted light amount of the light source. T is the transmittance of the lens, G is the camera sensitivity, and r is the distance to the light source.

  From the above equation (4), the following equation (5) is obtained, and the brightness gi of the vehicle lighting represented by the high luminance region Wi of the vehicle lighting pair candidate is expressed as follows based on the received light amount Ri in the high luminance region Wi: Estimated according to equation (5).

Here, _Cr is a correction coefficient corresponding to the distance to the vehicle lighting pair represented by the vehicle lighting pair candidate. As shown in the above equation (5), the value obtained by multiplying the amount of light received in the high luminance area of the vehicle lighting pair candidate irradiated from the light source to the imaging unit by the distance correction coefficient represents the brightness of the light source.

  In addition, the “Notification that defines the details of safety standards for road transport vehicles” defines conditions regarding the brightness of vehicle lights. For example, stop lamps (braking lights) are so bright that they can be turned on from a position 100 m away in the daytime, and the light source is specified to be 15 W or more and 60 W or less. Is bright enough to check lighting from a position 150m away at night, and it is specified that the light source is 3W or more. For turn signals (direction indicators), check the storefront from a distance of 100m in the daytime. It is specified that the brightness is as high as possible.

  As described above, the range of the brightness (light intensity) of the vehicle lamp including the brightness corresponding to the type of lamp such as the headlight or the brake lamp is stored in the memory. It should be noted that the brightness range of the vehicle lighting may be stored in a form including the variation range due to the vehicle type and observation.

  In the vehicle lighting determination unit 30, for each vehicle lighting pair candidate, a pair of high brightnesses according to the above equation (5) based on the distance estimated for the vehicle lighting pair candidates and the estimated amount of light received in the high brightness region. Whether the brightness of the light source in each of the areas is estimated, and each of the brightness of the light source estimated for each of the pair of high-intensity areas is within the range of the brightness of the vehicle light stored in the memory Determine whether or not.

  Since vehicle light pair candidates in which the brightness of the light source estimated for each of the pair of high-intensity regions is within the predetermined range of the brightness of the vehicle light are consistent as vehicle light pairs, the vehicle light It is determined that it represents a pair. On the other hand, since at least one of the brightness of the light source estimated for each of the pair of high-intensity areas is out of the predetermined range of the brightness of the vehicle lighting, the vehicle lighting pair candidates are contradictory as a vehicle lighting pair. It is determined that the vehicle lighting pair is not represented.

  Further, the vehicle light determination unit 30 detects the vehicle position based on the vehicle light pair candidate determined to represent a vehicle light pair.

  When it is determined that the vehicle light pair candidate searched from the front image represents a vehicle light pair, the display control unit 32 generates an image for presenting the vehicle position of the vehicle light pair to the driver. The generated image is displayed on the display device 14.

  When it is determined that the vehicle light pair candidate searched from the front image represents a vehicle light pair, the illumination control unit 34 controls the headlight 16 so that the low light is emitted from the headlight 16. When it is determined that all vehicle light pair candidates searched from the image do not represent vehicle light pairs, the headlight 16 is controlled so that a high beam is emitted from the headlight 16.

  Next, the effect | action of the vehicle-mounted illumination system 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. When the front of the host vehicle is imaged by the imaging device 12 while the host vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle lighting system 10 is traveling on the road at night, the computer 18 performs an illumination control processing routine shown in FIG. Is executed.

  First, in step 100, a front image captured by the imaging device 12 is acquired, and in step 102, it is determined whether or not the luminance value is greater than or equal to a threshold value for each pixel of the front image acquired in step 100. Then, a high luminance area where the luminance value is equal to or greater than the threshold value is extracted.

  In step 104, attribute values including the height and width of the region are recognized and acquired for each of the high luminance regions extracted in step 102. In step 106, for each of the high brightness areas extracted in step 102, a search range corresponding to the horizontal length of the pair search target high brightness area is set on each of the left and right sides of the pair search target high brightness area. Set and compare the height and width of the high-intensity area to be searched for a pair with the height and width of the high-intensity area that exists in the search area. The pair is searched as a vehicle lighting pair candidate.

  In step 110, candidates for processing are set from the vehicle lighting pair candidates searched in step 106, and the vehicle lighting pair when it is assumed that the processing target vehicle lighting pair candidate represents a vehicle lighting pair. Estimate the distance to. In step 112, the amount of light received in each of the pair of high-luminance regions of the vehicle lighting pair candidate is estimated. At this time, for the saturated region in the high luminance region, the luminance value is interpolated based on the luminance value and the probability distribution model of the surrounding pixels, and the received light amount is estimated using the interpolated luminance value.

  In the next step 114, the brightness of the light source in each of the pair of high brightness regions is estimated based on the distance estimated in step 110 and the amount of received light estimated in step 112, and the pair of high brightness It is determined whether each of the light source brightness estimated for each of the regions is within the range of the brightness of the vehicle light stored in the memory. If each of the brightness of the light source estimated for each of the pair of high brightness regions is within the range of the brightness of the vehicle lighting, it is determined that the vehicle lighting pair candidate represents a pair of the vehicle lighting. The

  In step 116, if it is determined in step 114 that the vehicle lighting pair candidate represents a vehicle lighting pair, the position of the vehicle having the vehicle lighting is detected. In the next step 118, it is determined whether or not the processing in steps 110 to 116 has been performed for all searched vehicle light pair candidates. If there are vehicle light pair candidates that have not been subjected to the above processing, Returning to the step 110, vehicle light pair candidates for which the above processing is not performed are set as processing targets. On the other hand, if the above processing has been performed for all vehicle light pair candidates, the process proceeds to step 120.

  In step 120, based on the determination result in step 114, it is determined whether or not there is a vehicle light pair candidate representing a vehicle light pair. If it is determined that at least one of the vehicle light pair candidates searched from the front image represents a vehicle light pair, the vehicle position detected in step 116 is displayed on the display device 14 in step 122. Let In step 124, the headlight 16 is controlled so that a low beam is emitted from the headlight 16, and the illumination control processing routine is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 120 that all of the vehicle light pair candidates searched from the front image do not represent a vehicle light pair, the process proceeds to step 126 where a high beam is emitted from the headlight 16. The headlight 16 is controlled as described above, and the illumination control processing routine is terminated.

  As described above, according to the in-vehicle illumination system according to the first embodiment, the brightness value of the vehicle lighting pair candidate is corrected so that the saturated pixel is interpolated based on the surrounding pixels, and the camera Whether or not the captured image represents vehicle lighting is determined by accurately estimating the brightness of the light source imaged in, and determining whether the vehicle lighting pair candidate represents a pair of lights of the vehicle, It can be determined with high accuracy.

  In addition, by using the luminance distribution of neighboring pixels that are not saturated as a clue, the luminance value of the saturated region is interpolated with the luminance value so that the luminance distribution of the high luminance region including the saturated region approximates the probability distribution. The estimation accuracy of the amount of light received from the light source in the region can be improved.

  Further, switching between high beam and low beam of the headlight can be appropriately controlled according to the presence of the surrounding vehicle.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described. In addition, about the part which becomes the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The second embodiment is mainly different from the first embodiment in that it is further determined whether or not the high-luminance region represents a motorcycle light.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the in-vehicle illumination system 210 according to the second embodiment includes a distance measuring device 212 that measures the distance to the imaging device 12, the display device 14, and an object existing in front of the host vehicle. And a computer 218 for controlling the headlight 16 provided in the host vehicle and controlling the display of the display device 14 based on the captured forward image and the measured distance.

  The distance measuring device 212 is configured using, for example, a laser radar, and scans the laser in front of the host vehicle to measure the distance to each object existing in front of the host vehicle.

  The computer 218 includes an image input unit 20, a distance information acquisition unit 220 that acquires distance information indicating a distance to a forward object output from the distance measurement device 212, a region extraction unit 22, and a plurality of extracted high heights. A pair candidate search unit 224 that searches a pair of similar high luminance regions arranged in the horizontal direction as vehicle lighting pair candidates from the luminance region based on similarity and distance information of the high luminance region, and a received light amount estimation unit 28 And whether or not the vehicle lighting determination unit 30 represents the lighting of the two-wheeled vehicle based on the distance information and the amount of light received in the high luminance region for the high luminance region that has not been determined to represent a vehicle lighting pair. A motorcycle lighting determination unit 230, a display control unit 32, and an illumination control unit 34 are provided. The motorcycle light determination unit 230 is an example of a second determination unit.

  The pair candidate search unit 224 determines, for the high brightness area to be searched for a pair, a pair search range in which the distance between the lighting pairs corresponding to the horizontal length of the high brightness area is the horizontal length. And arbitrarily select a high-intensity area existing within the pair search range, compare the arbitrarily selected high-intensity area with the high-intensity area to be pair-searched, and determine the difference in area height. Is within the predetermined range, the difference in width is within the predetermined range, and the difference in distance to the object represented by the high brightness region obtained from the distance information is within the predetermined range, the height and width of the region are It is determined that the distances are substantially the same and the distances are also substantially the same, and the two selected high-intensity areas are set as vehicle lighting pair candidates.

  The vehicle lighting determination unit 30 determines, for each vehicle lighting pair candidate, a pair of high luminance regions based on the amount of light received in each of the pair of high luminance regions and the distance to the object represented by each of the pair of high luminance regions. Estimate the brightness of the light source in each, and determine whether each of the brightness of the light source estimated for each of the pair of high-intensity regions is within the range of the brightness of the vehicle light stored in the memory By determining, it is determined whether or not it represents a pair of vehicle lights.

  As will be described below, the motorcycle lighting determination unit 230 determines whether or not each of the high-intensity regions that have not been determined to represent a vehicle lighting pair represents a motorcycle lighting.

  First, after searching for a candidate that can be a motorcycle light according to the size, shape, and height of the high-brightness region, the saturated region is interpolated for each of the high-brightness regions that are motorcycle light candidates as in the case of the received light amount estimation unit Then, the amount of light received in the motorcycle lamp candidate is estimated.

  Further, the distance information acquired by the distance information acquisition unit 220 is used to estimate the brightness of the light source represented by the two-wheeled vehicle light candidate, similarly to the vehicle lighting determination unit 30, and the brightness of the light source estimated for the two-wheeled vehicle light candidate. Is determined to be within the range of the brightness of the two-wheeled vehicle light that is obtained in advance and stored in the memory.

  Two-wheeled vehicle lighting candidate whose brightness of the light source estimated for the two-wheeled vehicle lighting candidate is within the predetermined range of the two-wheeled vehicle lighting brightness is consistent with the lighting of the two-wheeled vehicle, and therefore is judged to represent the lighting of the two-wheeled vehicle. To do. On the other hand, a motorcycle light candidate whose brightness of the light source estimated for the motorcycle light candidate is out of the predetermined range of the motorcycle light brightness does not represent a motorcycle light because it contradicts as a motorcycle light. Is determined.

  In addition, the two-wheeled vehicle light determination unit 230 detects the position of the two-wheeled vehicle having the two-wheeled vehicle light for the two-wheeled vehicle light candidate determined to represent the two-wheeled vehicle light.

  Next, an illumination control processing routine according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the process similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  First, in step 100, a front image captured by the imaging device 12 is acquired, and in step 250, distance information is acquired from the distance measuring device 212. In the next step 102, a high luminance region whose luminance value is equal to or greater than a threshold value is extracted from the front image acquired in step 100. In step 252, for each of the high luminance regions extracted in step 102, the region It recognizes and acquires attribute values including height, width, and the like, and the distance to the object represented by the high brightness area obtained from the distance information.

  In step 254, for each of the high brightness areas extracted in step 102, a search range corresponding to the horizontal length of the pair search target high brightness area is set to the left and right of the pair search target high brightness area. Set in each, compare the height, width, and distance of the high-intensity area of the pair search target with the height, width, and distance of the high-intensity area that exists in the search range, and arranged in the horizontal direction A pair of similar high-intensity areas is searched for as a vehicle lighting pair candidate.

  In the next step 112, candidates for processing are set from the vehicle light pair candidates searched in step 254, the amount of light received in each of the pair of high-luminance regions of the vehicle light pair candidates is estimated, and in step 114, Based on the distance recognized in the step 252 and the amount of received light estimated in the step 112, the brightness of the light source in each of the pair of high luminance regions is estimated, and the estimation is performed for each of the pair of high luminance regions. Based on the brightness of the light source, it is determined whether or not the vehicle light pair candidate represents a vehicle light pair.

  In step 256, it is determined whether or not the above processing has been performed for all searched vehicle light pair candidates. If there is a vehicle light pair candidate for which the above processing has not been performed, the process proceeds to step 112. Returning, the vehicle lighting pair candidate for which the above processing is not performed is set as a processing target. On the other hand, if the above process has been performed for all vehicle light pair candidates, the process proceeds to step 258.

  In step 258, a motorcycle lighting candidate is searched from the high-intensity region that has not been determined to represent a vehicle lighting pair in step 114, and whether or not each of the motorcycle lighting candidates represents a motorcycle lighting. judge. In the next step 260, the position of the vehicle having the vehicle light is detected based on the determination result of the step 114, and the two-wheeled vehicle having the light of the two-wheeled vehicle is determined based on the determination result of the step 258. The position of is detected.

  In step 262, based on the determination results in step 114 and step 258, it is determined whether there is a vehicle light pair candidate representing a vehicle light pair or a motorcycle light candidate representing a motorcycle light. When it is determined that at least one of the vehicle light pair candidates searched from the front image represents a vehicle light pair or at least one of the searched two-wheel vehicle light candidates represents a motorcycle light In step 264, the vehicle position or the motorcycle position detected in step 260 is displayed on the display device 14. In step 124, the headlight 16 is controlled so that a low beam is emitted from the headlight 16, and the illumination control processing routine is terminated.

  On the other hand, in the above step 262, all of the vehicle light pair candidates searched from the front image do not represent a vehicle light pair, and all of the searched two-wheel vehicle light candidates do not represent a motorcycle light. If it is determined, the process proceeds to step 126, the headlight 16 is controlled so that a high beam is emitted from the headlight 16, and the illumination control processing routine is terminated.

  As described above, according to the in-vehicle illumination system according to the second embodiment, it can be accurately determined whether or not the captured image represents vehicle lighting. In addition, the brightness value of the high-brightness area is corrected so that the saturated pixels are interpolated based on the brightness values of the surrounding pixels, and the brightness of the light source captured by the camera is accurately estimated. However, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the captured image represents the light of the two-wheeled vehicle by determining whether or not it represents the light of the two-wheeled vehicle.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the brightness of the light source estimated for the high-luminance region that is a motorcycle lamp candidate is within the range of the brightness of the motorcycle lamp, it is determined that it represents the lamp of the motorcycle. However, in order to further improve the determination accuracy, the position and brightness change of the motorcycle light candidate may be tracked with a time-series image.

  Moreover, although the case where the distance to the object ahead by laser radar is measured has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this, and a distance measuring device is configured using a stereo camera, and the distance to the object ahead is determined. May be measured. In this case, a stereo camera may be configured by sharing the imaging device.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described. In addition, since the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, it attaches | subjects the same code | symbol and abbreviate | omits description.

  In the third embodiment, it is determined whether or not the amount of light received in the high-luminance region of the vehicle lighting pair candidate represents a vehicle lighting pair based on whether or not it is within a predetermined range. This is mainly different from the first embodiment.

  In the vehicle lighting determination unit 30 of the in-vehicle lighting system according to the third embodiment, the brightness range of the vehicle lighting including the type of lighting such as a headlight and a brake light is stored in the memory. The vehicle lighting determination unit 30 calculates the range of the received light amount from the vehicle lighting based on the distance estimated for the vehicle lighting pair candidate for each vehicle lighting pair candidate using the relationship of the above formula (5), It is determined whether or not the amount of received light estimated for each of the pair of high-luminance regions is within the calculated range of the amount of received light from the vehicle lights.

  A vehicle light pair candidate in which the amount of light received estimated for each of the pair of high-intensity regions is within the range of the amount of light received from the calculated vehicle light does not contradict as a vehicle light pair, and thus represents a vehicle light pair. It is determined that On the other hand, vehicle light pair candidates whose light reception amount estimated for each of the pair of high-luminance regions is outside the range of the light reception amount calculated from the vehicle light contradict each other as a vehicle light pair. Is determined not to represent.

  In addition, since it is the same as that of 1st Embodiment about the other structure and effect | action of the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In this way, after correcting the luminance value of the vehicle lighting pair candidate by interpolating the pixel having the maximum luminance value based on the surrounding pixels, the received light amount of the vehicle lighting pair candidate is calculated in advance for the vehicle. A captured image is determined by determining whether or not the vehicle light pair candidate represents a pair of lights of a vehicle by determining whether or not the light reception amount is calculated from the range of brightness of the light. Can accurately determine whether or not represents a vehicle light.

  Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In addition, since the structure of the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on 4th Embodiment becomes a structure similar to 1st Embodiment, it attaches | subjects the same code | symbol and abbreviate | omits description.

  In the fourth embodiment, the vehicle type is determined from the size and luminance of the high-intensity region of the vehicle light pair candidate, and the assumed value of the width between the vehicle lights according to the vehicle type is used to determine the vehicle light pair candidate. The point that the distance is estimated is mainly different from the first embodiment.

  In the distance estimation unit 26 of the in-vehicle lighting system according to the fourth embodiment, for each of the vehicle lighting pair candidates, it is assumed that the vehicle lighting pair candidate represents a vehicle lighting pair as described below. Estimate the distance to a pair of vehicle lights.

  First, based on the size and brightness of a pair of high-intensity areas of a vehicle lighting pair, the vehicle type of the vehicle having a vehicle lighting pair when the vehicle lighting pair candidate represents a vehicle lighting pair is large. It is determined whether it is a car or a small car.

  And the predetermined lighting interval w according to the determined vehicle type (the lighting interval when the vehicle type is a small vehicle is, for example, 1.6 to 1.8 m, and the lighting interval when the vehicle type is a large vehicle is , For example, 2.25 to 2.5 m), according to the above equation (1), the vehicle light pair pair in the case where it is assumed that the vehicle light pair candidate in the front image represents a vehicle light pair. The distance z to the midpoint is calculated.

  In addition, about the other structure and effect | action of the vehicle-mounted illumination system which concerns on 4th Embodiment, since it is the same as that of 1st Embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In this way, based on the size and brightness of the high-luminance region of the vehicle light pair candidate, the vehicle type is determined, and the distance between the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance corresponding to the determined vehicle type is used. By calculating the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the vehicle light pair candidate, it is possible to accurately estimate the brightness of the light source of the vehicle light pair candidate, and whether the captured image represents the vehicle light or not. , Can be determined more accurately.

  Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. In addition, about the part which becomes the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the fifth embodiment, for each of the extracted high luminance areas, the light intensity is estimated by correcting the luminance value of the saturation area, and the vehicle light pair candidates are searched using the estimated light intensity. This is different from the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the computer 518 of the in-vehicle lighting system 510 according to the fifth embodiment performs high-level processing for each of the image input unit 20, the region extraction unit 22, and the extracted plurality of high-luminance regions. Correction is performed so as to interpolate the luminance value of the saturation region in the luminance region, and the received light amount estimation unit 528 that estimates the received light amount in the high luminance region, the pair candidate search unit 24, the distance estimation unit 26, and the vehicle lighting determination A unit 30, a display control unit 32, and an illumination control unit 34 are provided.

  The received light amount estimation unit 528 has a probability distribution for each extracted high-brightness region so that the difference between the entire luminance distribution in the high-brightness region and the luminance value of the surrounding pixels in the saturated region in the high-brightness region is minimized The model is applied, and the luminance value in the high luminance region is corrected based on the fitted probability distribution model. The received light amount estimation unit 528 calculates the above equation (1) using the corrected luminance value of the high luminance region, and estimates the received light amount in each of the high luminance regions.

  The pair candidate search unit 24 sets a pair search range having a horizontal length as an interval between the lighting pairs corresponding to the horizontal length of the high luminance region for the high luminance region to be pair searched. And arbitrarily select a high-intensity area existing within the pair search range, compare the arbitrarily selected high-intensity area with the high-intensity area to be pair-searched, and determine the difference in area height. Is within the predetermined range, the width difference is within the predetermined range, and the estimated difference in received light amount is within the predetermined range, the height and width of the region are substantially the same, and the received light amount Are also substantially the same, and the two selected high-intensity areas are set as vehicle lighting pair candidates.

  The vehicle lighting determination unit 30 determines, for each vehicle lighting pair candidate, the received light amount estimated by the received light amount estimation unit 528 for each of the pair of high luminance regions and the distance to each of the pair of high luminance regions. The brightness of the light source in each of the pair of high brightness areas is estimated, and the brightness of the light source estimated for each of the pair of high brightness areas is within the range of the brightness of the vehicle light stored in the memory. It is determined whether or not it represents a pair of vehicle lights.

  Next, an illumination control processing routine according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the same processes as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  First, in step 100, a front image captured by the imaging device 12 is acquired, and in step 102, a high luminance region whose luminance value is equal to or greater than a threshold value is extracted from the front image acquired in step 100. In step 104, attribute values including the height and width of the region are recognized and acquired for each of the high luminance regions extracted in step 102.

  In the next step 550, the amount of received light in each of the high luminance regions extracted in step 102 is estimated. At this time, with respect to the saturation region in the high luminance region, the luminance value is interpolated based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels, and the received light amount is estimated using the interpolated luminance value.

  In step 552, for each of the high brightness areas extracted in step 102, a search range corresponding to the horizontal length of the pair search target high brightness area is set to the left and right of the pair search target high brightness area. Set to each, compare the height, width and received light amount of the high brightness area of the pair search target with the height, width and received light quantity of the high brightness area existing in the search range, and in the horizontal direction A pair of similar high luminance areas arranged side by side is searched as a vehicle lighting pair candidate.

  In step 110, a candidate for processing is set from the candidate vehicle lighting pairs searched in step 552, and a pair of vehicle lights when it is assumed that the candidate vehicle lighting pair to be processed represents a pair of vehicle lights. Estimate the distance to. In step 114, the brightness of the light source in each of the pair of high brightness regions is estimated based on the distance estimated in step 110 and the amount of received light estimated in step 550, and the pair of high brightness It is determined whether the brightness of the light source estimated for each of the regions is within the range of the brightness of the vehicle light stored in the memory, and the vehicle light pair candidate represents a vehicle light pair. It is determined whether or not.

  Then, in step 116, the position of the vehicle having the vehicle light represented by the vehicle light pair is detected, and in the next step 118, whether or not the above processing has been performed for all searched vehicle light pair candidates. Determine. If there is a vehicle light pair candidate for which the above processing has not been performed, the process returns to step 110. On the other hand, if the above processing has been performed for all vehicle light pair candidates, the process proceeds to step 120.

  In step 120, based on the determination result in step 114, it is determined whether or not there is a vehicle light pair candidate representing a vehicle light pair. If it is determined that at least one of the vehicle light pair candidates searched from the front image represents a vehicle light pair, the vehicle position detected in step 116 is displayed on the display device 14 in step 122. Let In step 124, the headlight 16 is controlled so that a low beam is emitted from the headlight 16, and the illumination control processing routine is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 120 that all of the vehicle light pair candidates searched from the front image do not represent a vehicle light pair, the process proceeds to step 126 where a high beam is emitted from the headlight 16. The headlight 16 is controlled as described above, and the illumination control processing routine is terminated.

  As described above, according to the in-vehicle lighting system according to the fifth embodiment, the luminance value of the high-luminance region is corrected by interpolating saturated pixels based on the peripheral pixels, and imaged by the camera. The brightness of the light source is accurately estimated, and it is determined whether or not the captured image represents the vehicle light by determining whether or not the vehicle light pair candidate represents a pair of lights of the vehicle. Can be determined.

  In the first to fifth embodiments, it is determined whether or not the estimated brightness of the light source is within the range of the brightness of the vehicle lighting, and the lighting of the vehicle is performed. The case where it is determined whether or not it has been described has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and brightness ranges are set in accordance with three types of vehicle lights: a headlight, a tail lamp, and a brake lamp. In addition, it is determined whether or not the estimated brightness of the light source is within the range of the brightness of various set vehicle lights, and it is determined which kind of vehicle light is represented. You may make it determine.

  Moreover, although the case where the high beam and the low beam of the headlight are controlled according to whether or not the front image represents a vehicle lighting pair has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this, and the headlight brightness is adjusted. It may be. For example, you may adjust so that the brightness | luminance of the direction of the detected vehicle position may be reduced.

  Further, when it is determined that each of the brightness of the light source estimated for the pair of high-intensity regions of the vehicle light pair candidate is within the range of the brightness of the vehicle light, it represents a vehicle light pair. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least one of the brightness of the light source estimated for the pair of high-luminance regions of the vehicle lighting pair candidates is within the range of the lighting brightness of the vehicle. In this case, it may be determined that a pair of vehicle lights is represented. Further, when the average value of the brightness of the light source estimated for the pair of high-intensity regions of the vehicle light pair candidate is within the range of the light brightness of the vehicle, it is determined that it represents a vehicle light pair. You may do it.

  Moreover, in said 1st Embodiment and 3rd Embodiment-5th Embodiment, the distance to the vehicle lighting pair which a vehicle lighting pair candidate represents based on the distance between high-intensity area | regions is estimated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and from the distance measured by the distance measuring device to the vehicle lighting pair represented by the vehicle lighting pair candidate as in the second embodiment. The distance may be acquired. In this case, the vehicle light pair candidate may be searched using the distance to the object representing the high luminance region obtained from the measured distance.

10, 210, 510 In-vehicle lighting system 12 Imaging device 14 Display device 16 Headlight 18, 218, 518 Computer 22 Region extraction unit 24, 224 Pair candidate search unit 26 Distance estimation unit 28, 528 Light reception amount estimation unit 30 Vehicle light determination Unit 32 display control unit 34 illumination control unit 212 distance measurement device 220 distance information acquisition unit 230 two-wheeled vehicle light determination unit

Claims (11)

Area extraction means for extracting a high luminance area having a luminance value equal to or greater than a predetermined value from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle;
Candidate search means for searching as a candidate area a pair of high brightness areas arranged in the horizontal direction from the high brightness area extracted by the area extracting means;
The vehicle represented by the candidate area based on a predetermined distance between a pair of lights of the vehicle, a distance between a pair of high-intensity areas of the candidate area searched by the candidate search means, and a focal length of the imaging device Calculating means for calculating the distance to a pair of lights;
Correction means for correcting the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels for the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the candidate region,
Based on the sum of the brightness values of the high brightness area of the candidate area, the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area calculated by the calculation means, and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance Determining means for determining whether or not the candidate area represents a pair of lights of a vehicle;
Vehicle lighting determination device including Area extraction means for extracting a high luminance area having a luminance value equal to or greater than a predetermined value from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle;
Correction means for correcting the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels for the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the high luminance area;
Candidate search means for searching, as candidate areas, a pair of high brightness areas that are similar in luminance value and are arranged in the horizontal direction from the high brightness area extracted by the area extracting means;
The vehicle represented by the candidate area based on a predetermined distance between a pair of lights of the vehicle, a distance between a pair of high-intensity areas of the candidate area searched by the candidate search means, and a focal length of the imaging device Calculating means for calculating the distance to a pair of lights;
Based on the sum of the brightness values of the high brightness area of the candidate area, the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area calculated by the calculation means, and the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance Determining means for determining whether or not the candidate area represents a pair of lights of a vehicle;
Vehicle lighting determination device including Area extraction means for extracting a high luminance area having a luminance value equal to or greater than a predetermined value from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle;
A distance acquisition unit that acquires a distance to an object represented by the high-intensity region extracted by the region extraction unit from a measurement result of a distance measuring device that measures a distance to an object existing around the host vehicle;
Based on the distance to the object represented by the high-intensity region acquired by the distance acquisition unit and the distance between the high-intensity regions, a pair of high-intensity regions arranged in the horizontal direction from the high-intensity region are candidates Candidate search means for searching as a region;
Correction means for correcting the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels for the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the candidate region,
Based on the sum of the luminance values of the high-luminance area of the candidate area, the distance to the object represented by the high-luminance area of the candidate area acquired by the acquisition unit, and the brightness of a pair of lights of the vehicle obtained in advance Determining means for determining whether or not the candidate area represents a pair of lights of a vehicle;
Vehicle lighting determination device including Area extraction means for extracting a high luminance area having a luminance value equal to or greater than a predetermined value from a captured image captured by an imaging device that captures the periphery of the host vehicle;
Distance acquisition means for acquiring the distance to the object represented by the high-luminance region from the measurement result of the distance measuring device that measures the distance to the object existing around the host vehicle;
Correction means for correcting the luminance value of the pixel by interpolating based on the luminance value of the surrounding pixels for the pixel having the maximum luminance value in the high luminance region;
Candidate search for searching as a candidate area a pair of high-intensity areas that are similar in distance and luminance value acquired by the distance acquisition unit and are arranged in the horizontal direction from the high-intensity area extracted by the area extraction unit Means,
Based on the sum of the luminance values of the high-luminance area of the candidate area, the distance to the object represented by the high-luminance area of the candidate area acquired by the acquisition unit, and the brightness of a pair of lights of the vehicle obtained in advance Determining means for determining whether or not the candidate area represents a pair of lights of a vehicle;
Vehicle lighting determination device including   The calculating means determines a vehicle type based on at least one of the size and the luminance of the high luminance area of the candidate area, and calculates a distance between a pair of lights of the vehicle that is determined in advance corresponding to the determined vehicle type. The vehicle light determination device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance to a pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate region is used.   For the high luminance area that is not determined to represent a pair of lights of the vehicle by the determining means, the sum of the luminance values of the high luminance area, the object represented by the high luminance area acquired by the acquiring means 5 or 5 further includes second determination means for determining whether or not the high-intensity region represents a motorcycle light based on the distance to the vehicle and the brightness of the motorcycle light obtained in advance. Vehicle lighting judgment device.   The determination means determines the brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area estimated based on the sum of the luminance values of the candidate area and the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the candidate area is determined to represent a pair of lights of the vehicle when the brightness is within a range of brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance. Vehicle lighting determination device.   The determination means calculates the sum of the luminance values of the candidate areas based on the distance to the pair of lights of the vehicle represented by the candidate area and the brightness range of the pair of lights of the vehicle determined in advance. The vehicle light determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the candidate area is determined to represent a pair of lights of a vehicle when the sum of the luminance values is within a range.   The vehicle light determination device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a range of brightness of the pair of lights of the vehicle includes a range corresponding to a plurality of types of vehicles or a plurality of types of lights.   The vehicle light determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising output means for outputting a determination result of the determination means.   The vehicle light determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising an illumination control unit that controls an illumination device provided in the host vehicle in accordance with a determination result of the determination unit.