JP2007001417A - Visual drive support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve visual characteristics by preventing unpleasant glare during a vehicle night drive. <P>SOLUTION: This visual drive support device includes: a pupillary diameter control light source 1 for emitting light having a predetermined quantity of light for driver's eyes, a predetermined luminous area, predetermined light distribution characteristics and predetermined wavelength characteristics; an environmental illuminance sensor 3 detecting environment illuminance around a vehicle; and a system controller 5 for controlling the pupillary diameters of driver's eyes by emitting the light to the driver's eyes from the pupillary diameter control light source 1 according to the environmental illuminance detected by the pupillary diameter control light source 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving vision support apparatus that supports the vision of a driver who drives a vehicle, and more particularly, to a driving vision support apparatus that assists the driver's vision so as to suppress the occurrence of discomfort glare.

The front view at night when there is little visible light is captured by an infrared camera, and the image is displayed on the head-up display provided in the vehicle and presented to the driver. A night driving vision support device for assisting has been devised (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-11-263145

  In patent document 1 mentioned above, the visual field at the time of night driving | operation is supported using apparatuses, such as a near-infrared camera and a head-up display. However, with the driving visibility support device disclosed in Patent Document 1, particularly when driving at night, it may be bothersome, dazzling, or sometimes tired. No measures are taken against strong light emitted from the.

  In this way, when an object with a brightness significantly higher than the adaptation brightness appears in the field of view, discomfort felt based on psychological factors such as annoying or feeling dazzling is called `` unpleasant glare '' It is called and is a phenomenon that is very undesirable for the driver who is driving the vehicle.

  In recent years, a high-efficiency, high-intensity light source such as a discharge lamp has been increasingly employed as a light source for a vehicle headlamp in order to ensure better visibility of the driver during night driving. Similarly, in order to ensure better visibility of the driver during night driving, road illuminators are also being installed with road illuminators that emit white and bright illumination light. The possibility of occurrence is increasing.

  In general, there is a tendency that the generated luminance at which unpleasant glare occurs according to aging decreases. That is, as the age increases, even if the luminance of the light emitted from the light source is low, unpleasant glare will be felt.

  In addition, it has been found that this unpleasant glare not only increases the possibility of aging but also increases when an artificial lens is mounted outside or inside the eyeball. For example, contact lenses that are worn outside the eyeball or intraocular lenses that are worn when the lens is removed during cataract surgery or the like are considered to cause discomfort glare due to light scattering at the end of the lens. .

  Currently, the number of contact lens users is said to exceed 16 million, and the population wearing intraocular lenses is expected to increase due to cataract surgery that is common to elderly people as the above-mentioned aging society progresses. It is done.

  In other words, in the current situation where the rate of artificial lenses attached to the outside of the eyeball and inside the eyeball is increasing at an accelerating pace toward an aging society, it is more difficult than ever to experience discomfort glare during night driving. Countermeasures are important.

  Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described circumstances, and prevents the generation of unpleasant glare to the driver during night driving, improves the driver's visual characteristics, and provides visual in dark driving. An object of the present invention is to provide a driving vision support apparatus that can favorably support a vehicle.

  The driving vision support device of the present invention is a driving vision support device that is mounted on a vehicle and supports the vision of the driver driving the vehicle, and has a predetermined light amount and a predetermined light emission area with respect to the eyes of the driver. A light irradiating means for irradiating light having a predetermined light distribution characteristic and a predetermined wavelength characteristic, an environmental illuminance detecting means for detecting environmental illuminance around the vehicle, and the environmental illuminance detected by the environmental illuminance detecting means. Accordingly, the above-described problem is solved by providing control means for irradiating the driver's eyes with the light from the light irradiation means and controlling the pupil diameter of the driver's eyes.

  The driving vision support device of the present invention is a driving vision support device that is mounted on a vehicle and supports the vision of the driver who drives the vehicle, and is applied to the eyes of the driver according to the ambient illuminance around the vehicle. The above-described problems are solved by irradiating light having a predetermined light amount, a predetermined light emitting area, a predetermined light distribution characteristic, and a predetermined wavelength characteristic to control the pupil diameter of the driver's eye.

  As described above, the driving vision support device according to the present invention is based on the ambient illuminance detected by the ambient illuminance detection unit and is darker than the predetermined illuminance in which the driver's eyes are in a mydriatic state. Light having a predetermined light intensity, a predetermined light emitting area, a predetermined light distribution characteristic, and a predetermined wavelength characteristic for the driver's eyes in response to the determination that the light is in a certain state. The driver's eyes can be set to an appropriate pupil diameter.

  As a result, the driving vision assistance device of the present invention can prevent the driver from generating unpleasant glare, improve the driver's visual characteristics, and better support the vision during dark driving.

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

[First Embodiment]
First, the configuration of the driving vision support apparatus 100 shown as the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the driving vision support apparatus 100 includes a pupil diameter control light source 1, a light source control unit 2, an environmental illumination sensor 3, a system power switch 4, and a system control unit 5 as a pupil diameter control unit 10. It has. As shown in FIG. 2, this driving vision support device 100 is mounted on a vehicle and prevents unpleasant glare that is often felt by oncoming vehicle headlights or road lighting when driving in a dark place such as at night or in a tunnel. As a result, the visual characteristics of the driver can be improved, and the vision during dark driving can be supported.

  Discomfort glare is sensory and is generally difficult to measure. Therefore, it is a measure of whether or not the discomfort glare occurs based on an index called BCD (Borderline between Comfort and Discomfort) luminance that indicates the boundary of whether or not the user feels discomfort due to glare.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the BCD luminance value with respect to age when the above-described BCD luminance is defined as BCD luminance (ft · L) = 25000 / age. As shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the brightness of glare that feels uncomfortable decreases with age. Therefore, the older the person becomes, the more uncomfortable glare will be felt by a little illumination light.

In addition, as described above, the human sensory values, the United States Lucies and Guth, the British Petherbridge and Hopkinson et al. Are defined in four items: the size (solid angle) of the light source, the position of the light source (direction with respect to the line of sight), and the luminance of the background of the light source. Furthermore, the following formulas (1) and (2) are defined as basic formulas for evaluating discomfort glare (Source: Lighting Handbook, Ohmsha).

  From the above, in order to prevent unpleasant glare, the control parameters are the light source luminance, the apparent size of the light source (solid angle), the position of the light source (direction with respect to the line of sight), and the luminance of the background of the light source. It can be seen that the adjustment is appropriate.

  The pupil diameter control light source 1 is a light emitting device using, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a cold cathode tube, a fluorescent tube, a light bulb, or the like as a light source. Moreover, as a light source, EL (Electro Luminescence) which is a thin sheet-like surface light emitting element capable of surface light emission can also be used.

  The pupil diameter control light source 1 emits light having a predetermined light amount, a predetermined light emission area, a predetermined light distribution characteristic, and a predetermined wavelength characteristic according to the control of the system control unit 5 via the light source control unit 2. By irradiating with the eye as a target, the pupil diameter of the driver can be controlled. At this time, the pupil diameter control light source 1 may perform light distribution control so as to irradiate light with both eyes of the driver as targets, but irradiates light with at least one eye of the driver as targets.

  Here, control of the driver's pupil diameter will be described. The above-mentioned unpleasant glare is a phenomenon that is felt by light incident on the eye. Therefore, if the amount of incident light incident on the eye decreases, it is possible to suppress unpleasant glare. Therefore, if the driver's pupil diameter can be controlled to be small in a dark place where the occurrence of discomfort glare is estimated, the amount of incident light on the eye can be reduced, so that the generation of discomfort glare can be suppressed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the illuminance of the light applied to the eye and the pupil diameter. As shown in FIG. 4, it can be seen that when the illuminance of light applied to the eye is high, the pupil contracts and the pupil diameter decreases.

  Illuminance is an amount that evaluates the brightness on the surface to be illuminated, so by increasing the amount of light to illuminate the illuminated surface, the pupil diameter can be reduced and unpleasant glare. Occurrence can be suppressed.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a general relationship between pupil diameter and visual acuity. As shown in FIG. 5, it can be seen that the visual acuity improves as the pupil diameter decreases from a pupil diameter of 6.0 [mm] to a pupil diameter of 2.0 [mm]. Thereby, in order to suppress generation | occurrence | production of discomfort glare, in order to make a pupil diameter small, visual acuity can also be improved by irradiating light to eyes.

  By the way, it is known that the discomfort glare determines whether or not it becomes a light source that generates glare that causes discomfort, depending on where the light source is located with respect to the eye. For example, “Lighting Society Journal Vol.88, No.11, 2004” measures the distribution state of the discomfort glare sensation in the right visual field in the visual field and discloses it as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 6, the left visual field is considered to be the right visual field, and the average total visual field of the test subject is shown as in FIG. It can be seen that light emitted from a light source existing in the range up to the maximum field of view (90 degrees) is unlikely to be felt as unpleasant glare.

  Considering that the field of view characteristics of elderly people are narrow, light is emitted to the driver's eyes in the vehicle compartment in a range from about 45 degrees upward to about 60 degrees upward from the driver's front view. As described above, when the pupil diameter control light source 1 is installed, the amount of light incident on the eye by reducing the pupil of the pupil while minimizing discomfort glare due to light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of unpleasant glare due to the headlamps of oncoming vehicles and road lighting in the dark.

  The effect of pupil diameter control by the pupil diameter control light source 1 will be verified. For example, in FIG. 4 described above, in order to change the pupil diameter from 5 [mm] to 3.2 [mm], driving is performed by light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 arranged at a position where glare is hardly generated. It is necessary to set the illuminance of the eyeball of the person's eye to about 5 [lx] to 100 [lx]. In addition, 100 [lx] is a considerably dark room illumination.

  Next, referring to FIG. 5 described above, by reducing the pupil diameter of the driver's eye from 5 [mm] to 3.2 [mm], the visual acuity is about 0.6 to 0.8. It can be seen that the improvement is about 30%.

  In general, since the visual acuity decreases in a dark place, it is very effective for driving a vehicle that the pupil depth is reduced by pupil control to increase the depth of focus and improve the visual acuity. In this way, by controlling the pupil diameter by irradiating the driver's eyes with the light from the pupil diameter control light source 1, it is possible to improve not only unpleasant glare but also the driver's visual acuity. Visual assistance can be implemented.

  Returning to FIG. 1 again, the configuration of the driving vision support apparatus 100 will be described. The light source control unit 2 performs on / off control of the pupil diameter control light source 1, control of the irradiation light amount, control of the light emission area, light distribution control of the emitted light, wavelength characteristic control, and the like according to the control of the system control unit 5. It is a light source control circuit to be performed. The light source control unit 2 includes, for example, an LED current variable circuit, a fluorescent lamp lighting control circuit (ballast), and the like according to the type of light source used in the pupil diameter control light source 1.

  The ambient illuminance sensor 3 is a sensor that detects the illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle. For example, a photoelectric conversion element such as a photodiode can be used. The illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle detected by the environmental illuminance sensor 3 is output to the system control unit 5.

  The system power switch 4 is a switch for switching ON / OFF of a power source for operating the driving vision support apparatus 100. The system power switch 4 is, for example, a toggle switch (slide switch) provided on a vehicle instrument panel, a steering wheel, or the like so that it can be easily switched on and off even when the vehicle is being driven. It is. Further, when the system power switch 4 is turned off, the system control unit 5 is in a standby state.

  The system control unit 5 is a control unit that comprehensively controls the driving vision support apparatus 100, and is realized by, for example, a dedicated ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The system control unit 5 controls the turning on / off of the pupil diameter control light source 1 according to the illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle detected by the environmental illuminance sensor 3, the control of the irradiation light amount, the control of the light emission area, and the distribution of the emitted light. The light source controller 2 is instructed to perform light control and wavelength characteristic control.

  The driving vision support device 100 having such a configuration is configured to control the pupil diameter by using the system control unit 5 via the light source control unit 2 according to the illuminance of the surrounding environment detected by the environment illuminance sensor 3. Control of turning on and off of 1 and control of irradiation light quantity, control of light emission area, light distribution control of emitted light, and wavelength characteristic control, thereby controlling the pupil diameter of the driver's eyes and generating unpleasant glare Can be prevented.

[Specific Configuration Example of Pupil Diameter Control Light Source 1]
Next, a specific configuration example of the pupil diameter control light source 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The pupil diameter control light source 1 shown in FIG. 8 is a configuration example in the case where a fluorescent lamp or a light bulb that emits white light including light of various wavelength bands is used as a light source to be used. As shown in FIG. 8, the pupil diameter control light source 1 includes a light source 51, a light reflection plate 52, a light diffusion plate 53, a color filter 54, and a louver filter 55. The pupil diameter control light source 1 is provided with a light reflection plate 52 on the back side of the light source 51 with respect to the light emission direction of the pupil diameter control light source 1 indicated by the arrow A, and the light reflection plate via the light source 51. The light diffusing plate 53, the color filter 54, and the louver filter 55 are stacked in this order from the light source 51 side at a position opposite to the light source 51.

  At this time, when a plurality of fluorescent lamps and light bulbs used as the light source 51 are provided, the light emission area of light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 can be freely controlled by appropriately controlling lighting / non-lighting. Can do.

  The light reflecting plate 52 is provided on the back side of the light source, and improves the light utilization efficiency by reflecting the light leaking backward from the emitted light.

  The light diffusing plate 53 diffuses the light incident from the light source 51 in the surface direction by internally diffusing the light while totally reflecting the light, and uneven brightness of the light emitted from the fluorescent light as a line light source or the light bulb as a point light source. And the surface of the light emitted from the light source 51 is uniformly emitted. For example, if the light emitted from the light source 51 remains a bright spot, it causes unpleasant glare, and this is prevented by causing surface emission.

  The color filter 54 is provided in order to extract only light in a wavelength band that does not decrease the light sensitivity of the retina of the eye from light including light in various wavelength bands emitted from the light source 51.

  In general, it has been found that orange light, red light, and the like having a visible light wavelength band on the long wavelength side of 580 nm or longer are wavelength bands in which it is difficult to shift the dark adaptation state of the retina to the light adaptation state. Therefore, when the light of this wavelength band is irradiated to the driver's eyes, the pupil diameter can be controlled while suppressing the decrease in the photosensitivity of the retina as much as possible.

  When the light source 51 shown in FIG. 8 is composed of a plurality of LEDs and ELs, the LEDs and EL can emit light of different wavelength bands for each light emitting element, so that the dark adaptation state of the retina as described above can be achieved. By selectively using a light emitting element that emits orange light, red light, or the like having a visible wavelength band on the long wavelength side of 580 nm or more, which is a wavelength band that is difficult to shift to a light-adapted state, the color filter 54 is not required. The configuration can be realized. Thereby, the light utilization efficiency can be improved.

  Thus, when the light source 51 is an LED or EL, the color of the light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 is set to the above-described visible wavelength on the long wavelength side of 580 nm or more according to the preference of the driver or the like. Other than orange light and red light having a band can be used. Specifically, by using an LED or EL that emits blue light or green light in combination with the above-described LED or EL that emits orange light or red light to the extent that the adaptation state described above is not affected, The color of the emitted light can be changed.

  The light source 51 can be used by arbitrarily combining a light bulb, a fluorescent lamp, an LED, and an EL so as to satisfy the above-described conditions. This makes it easy to control the light emitting area, the light emitting color, and the optical characteristics, and the manufacturing cost. The installation space, power consumption reduction, etc. can be freely adjusted according to the design purpose.

  The louver filter 55 performs light distribution control so that the light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 does not hit any part other than the driver's eyes, and the driver's eyes are reliably irradiated with the light from the light source 51. It is a filter. When light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 is applied to a portion other than the driver's eyes, this light may become stray light and cause unpleasant glare.

  In FIG. 2, the optical path of the irradiation light from the pupil diameter control light source 1 is shown as an arrow B. The pupil diameter control light source 1 emits light in a relatively wide range and has a light distribution that converges slightly toward the driver's eyes by the louver filter 55. In addition, even if the driver's eyeball position changes slightly, the focus is not set within the range where the eye is estimated to move so that the brightness does not change greatly, and the characteristics are almost similar to parallel light. To.

  Further, as described above, the light distribution control may be performed so that light is emitted using both eyes of the driver as a target, but the light distribution control is performed so that light is emitted using at least one eye of the driver as a target. You can also.

  The pupil diameter control light source 1 has an angle of light emission direction with respect to the driver's line-of-sight direction of 45 degrees to 90 degrees above, or 45 degrees to upward. It is installed to be 60 degrees or less. Therefore, the manufacturing cost and the installation cost can be reduced by providing the pupil diameter control light source 1 with the vehicle interior light (map lamp) provided on the ceiling in the vehicle interior. In addition, it is easy to secure a mounting space, electric wiring processing can be performed without waste, and the appearance is also made to feel a mass and excellent in aesthetics.

  Further, the pupil diameter control light source 1 has an angle of light emission direction of 45 degrees upward to 90 degrees upward with respect to the driver's line-of-sight direction as described above, and further 45 degrees upward to 45 degrees upward. You may make it provide the drive mechanism for adjusting automatically so that it may become 60 degrees or less. Further, by changing the louver filter 55 to a movable louver that is driven by electrical control, or by providing it separately, the light distribution direction of the light emitted from the light source 51 is controlled according to the driver's line-of-sight direction. You may make it do. Thereby, it is possible to easily cope with the line-of-sight direction that changes according to the physique of the driver. These controls are executed by the system control unit 5 via the light source control unit 2.

[Processing Operation of Driving Vision Support Device 100]
Next, the processing operation of the driving vision assistance apparatus 100 shown as the first embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step 1, the system control unit 5 performs control so that the pupil diameter control light source 1 is turned off in the standby state.

  In step S2, the system control unit 5 determines whether or not the vehicle engine is operating, and if it is operating, proceeds to step S3. The system control unit 5 ends the processing operation by the driving vision support apparatus 100 when the engine is not operating.

  In step S3, the system control unit 5 determines whether the system power switch 4 is turned on. The system control unit 5 proceeds to step S4 when the system power switch 4 is turned on, and returns to step S1 when the system power switch 4 is in the OFF state, and continues the standby state.

  In step S4, the system control unit 5 determines whether or not the illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle detected by the environmental illuminance sensor 3 is 20 [lx] or less. When the acquired ambient environment illuminance is 20 [lx] or less, the system control unit 5 proceeds to step S5. Conversely, when the ambient environment illuminance exceeds 20 [lx], the system control unit 5 proceeds to step S1. Return to.

  The value of 20 [lx], which is a criterion for the environmental illuminance, is about 0.5 to 10 [lx] of general road environmental illuminance, and the brightness of the vehicle headlamp is currently improved. This is a value obtained in consideration of the progress of road lighting maintenance. When the illuminance is 20 [lx], it is equivalent to night road illuminance, and the illuminance is barely possible.

  In other words, in this step S4, it is determined whether or not the environmental illuminance detected by the environmental illuminance sensor 3 has become 20 [lx] or less, so whether or not the vehicle is currently in a dark place, It is determined whether the pupil of the person is in the mydriatic state or the miosis state.

  It should be noted that the environmental illuminance serving as the reference can be changed depending on the driver, the vehicle condition, the road environment, and the like.

  The system control unit 5 returns to step S1 in response to the illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle detected by the environmental illuminance sensor 3 exceeding 20 [lx], and the driver's pupil is in a miosis state. The determination is made, and the pupil diameter control light source 1 is controlled to be turned off via the light source control unit 2.

  For example, the system controller 5 turns on the pupil diameter control light source 1 to reduce the desired pupil diameter for constricting the driver's pupil from the pupil diameter 4.2 [mm] when the illuminance is 20 [lx]. In the case of 3.2 [mm], which is 1.0 [mm] smaller, as shown in FIG. 4, the driver emits light with an anterior illuminance of about 100 [lx] as can be seen from the relationship between the illuminance and the pupil diameter. It is necessary to enter the eye.

  In step S5, the system control unit 5 determines that the driver's pupil is in a mydriatic state in response to the illuminance of the environment surrounding the vehicle detected by the environmental illuminance sensor 3 being 20 [lx] or less. Then, the pupil diameter control light source 1 is controlled to light up through the light source control unit 2 so as to have the predetermined light amount, the predetermined light emission area, the predetermined light distribution characteristic, and the predetermined wavelength characteristic as described above.

  As described above, in the driving vision support apparatus 100 shown as the first embodiment of the present invention, the driver's eyes are in a mydriatic state from the environmental illuminance that is the ambient illuminance of the vehicle by the environmental illuminance sensor 3. In response to the determination that the dark state is less than or equal to a predetermined illuminance, the pupil diameter control light source 1 has a predetermined light amount, a predetermined light emission area, a predetermined light distribution characteristic, and a predetermined wavelength characteristic as described above. By turning it on, the driver's eyes can have an appropriate desired pupil diameter.

  As a result, the driving vision support apparatus 100 shown as the first embodiment can prevent the driver from generating unpleasant glare, improve the driver's visual characteristics, and support vision during dark driving. .

[Second Embodiment]
Subsequently, the configuration of the driving vision support apparatus 200 shown as the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the driving vision support apparatus 200 includes an anterior illuminance sensor 6 and a line-of-sight / pupil position / pupil diameter detection unit in addition to the pupil diameter control unit 10 of the driving vision support apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. 7, and further includes a vehicle information detection unit 20 and an environment information acquisition unit 30.

  The driving vision support apparatus 200 shown as the second embodiment of the present invention detects the illuminance in front of the driver's eyes detected by the newly added anterior illuminance sensor 6, and is detected by the line of sight / pupil position / pupil diameter detection unit 7. Based on the driver's line-of-sight direction, pupil position, pupil diameter, vehicle information indicating the current running state of the host vehicle detected by the vehicle information detection unit 20, and road environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 30. By controlling the pupil diameter of the driver, the generation of unpleasant glare is surely prevented, and the driver's vision is dynamically improved to improve the driver's visual characteristics, and the vision during dark driving Can help.

  In the description of the configuration of the driving vision support apparatus 200, portions that overlap the driving vision support apparatus 100 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The front-eye illuminance sensor 6 is a sensor that detects the illuminance in front of the driver's eyes. For example, a photoelectric conversion element such as a photodiode can be used. The illuminance in front of the driver detected by the illuminance sensor 6 in front of the eyes is transmitted to the system controller 5. The system control unit 5 estimates the light adaptation state of the driver's eyes from the illuminance in front of the driver transmitted from the occupant illuminance sensor 6. And a photoelectric conversion element having human wavelength sensitivity characteristics.

  The system control unit 5 estimates the light adaptation state of the driver's eyes from the illuminance in front of the driver's eyes detected by the illuminance sensor 6 in front of the driver. Environmental conditions can be estimated. Therefore, in accordance with the result, the system control unit 5, for example, in the dark adaptation state, the pupil diameter control light source so as to have an appropriate illuminance that does not cause a sudden illuminance change that causes unpleasant glare. It is possible to control the light quantity of 1 or to perform dynamic pupil diameter control.

  Further, the system control unit 5 holds data relating to the characteristics of the driver's eyes for estimating the light adaptation state of the driver's eyes in a memory (not shown). The data regarding the characteristics of the driver's eyes held in the memory (not shown) may be data indicating general characteristics of human eyes, or before the driving vision support apparatus 200 is executed. For example, you may make it acquire by performing a simple measurement while a vehicle stops.

  The line of sight / pupil position / pupil diameter detector 7 measures and detects the driver's line of sight, pupil position, and pupil diameter. For example, the line-of-sight / pupil position / pupil diameter detection unit 7 irradiates the driver's head with near-infrared light, images the driver's eyes with an imaging camera sensitive to near-infrared light, and captures the captured image. By performing image processing, it is possible to use a non-contact type eye camera system that can detect the driver's line of sight, pupil position, and pupil diameter.

  Since the non-contact type eye camera system does not require a headset or the like to be mounted on the driver's head, measurement can be performed without causing the driver to feel any stress. Further, by using near infrared light, the driver's line of sight, pupil position, and pupil diameter in a dark place can be detected well. Since the line-of-sight / pupil position / pupil diameter detection unit 7 is used in a dark place where there is little influence of environmental illuminance, the configuration can be made inexpensive.

  Next, the vehicle information detection unit 20 will be described. The vehicle information detection unit 20 includes a vehicle speed sensor 21, a steering angle sensor 22, an engine speed sensor 23, a shift position sensor 24, an accelerator sensor 25, a brake switch sensor 26, and a direction indication sensor 27. Each vehicle information indicating the state of the host vehicle detected by each sensor is output to the system control unit 5.

  The vehicle speed sensor 21 detects the vehicle speed by measuring the number of rotations on the output side of the transmission and the number of rotations of the wheels. The vehicle speed sensor 21 outputs the detected vehicle speed to the system control unit 5 as a vehicle speed signal.

  The steering angle sensor 22 is a sensor for detecting the current steering situation (current steering angle) of the driver. Specifically, the steering angle sensor 22 amplifies the rotational displacement of the steering shaft that rotates integrally with the steering wheel of the vehicle directly or by a gear mechanism or the like, and then uses the angle detection mechanism such as a rotary encoder or a potentiometer to The angle is detected as a steering angle detection signal. The steering angle sensor 22 outputs the detected steering angle to the system control unit 5 as a steering angle signal.

  The engine speed sensor 23 is a sensor that detects the speed of the engine of the host vehicle. The engine speed sensor 23 outputs the engine speed to the system controller 5 as a speed detection signal.

  The shift position sensor 24 is a sensor that detects the position of a shift lever that changes the combination of gears of the vehicle transmission. The shift position sensor 24 outputs the shift position to the system control unit 5 as a shift position signal.

  The accelerator sensor 25 is a sensor that detects the accelerator opening of the vehicle. The accelerator sensor 25 outputs the accelerator opening as an accelerator opening signal to the system control unit 5.

  The brake switch sensor 26 is a sensor that detects depression of a brake pedal of the vehicle. The brake switch sensor 26 outputs the depression of the brake pedal to the system control unit 5 as a brake switch signal.

  The direction indication sensor 27 is a sensor that detects whether or not there is a direction indication on a direction indicator (turn signal lamp) mounted on the vehicle. The direction indication sensor 27 outputs the direction indication to the system control unit 5 as a direction indication signal.

  Next, the environment information acquisition unit 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, the environment information acquisition unit 30 is mainly composed of a navigation system, and transmits information used in the navigation system to the system control unit 5 of the pupil diameter control unit 10, so that pupil diameter control is performed. Various information including the road environment information of the own vehicle can be used.

  The environment information acquisition unit 30 includes a navigation control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a GPS (Global Positioning System) reception unit 33, a radio wave reception unit 34, a monitor 35, an audio processing unit 36, a speaker 37, and a mobile phone. And a terminal device 38.

  The navigation control unit 31 is a control unit that comprehensively controls the navigation system, calculates the current position of the vehicle on which the driving vision support device 200 is mounted from the absolute position information acquired by the GPS receiving unit 33, The map data read from the storage unit 32, the road data, the map information providing service using the mobile terminal device 38, etc. are used to obtain the road information around the vehicle, and the drawing circuit and the display control circuit correspond to the current position of the vehicle. While displaying the map on the monitor 35, route guidance to a desired destination can be provided.

  When executing such navigation, the navigation control unit 31 uses the calculated current position information and the road environment information of the host vehicle acquired from the storage unit 32, the radio wave reception unit 34, and the mobile terminal device 38 as a system control unit. 5 is output.

  The storage unit 32 stores various kinds of data necessary for navigation such as various application software executed by the navigation device, map data of a map to be displayed, road data used for map matching, route guidance, and the like.

  In such a storage unit 32, for example, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk-Read Only Memory), which is a removable storage medium, or a fixed storage medium is installed. An HD (Hard Disk) or the like can be used. Further, as the storage unit 32, various removable media equipped with a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory may be used.

  The GPS receiving unit 33 receives a signal transmitted from a GPS satellite by a GPS antenna, performs position measurement by GPS navigation, and obtains absolute position (latitude, longitude) information of the own vehicle. The obtained absolute position information is output to the navigation control unit 31.

  The GPS receiver 33 also supports DGPS (Differential GPS). The GPS receiving unit 33 receives correction data based on a measurement error obtained from data received and measured by a fixedly installed monitor station, and based on the correction data, absolute position information measured by the GPS receiving unit 33 Correct. Thereby, compared with the case where independent positioning is performed only by the GPS receiving unit 33, the positioning accuracy can be greatly improved.

  The correction data used in DGPS is transmitted after being multiplexed with FM broadcast radio waves, for example, and received by the radio wave receiver 34.

  The radio wave reception unit 34 is VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) information that provides current road information such as traffic jam information, accident information, and construction section information, and correction data used in DGPS executed by the GPS reception unit 33. Receives the FM multiplex broadcast multiplexed. Further, the radio wave receiver 34 may receive VICS information superimposed on a radio wave beacon or an optical beacon.

  The monitor 35 is a display unit that displays the display image generated by the navigation control unit 31, and displays, for example, a navigation map indicating the searched optimum route generated as the display image. The monitor 35 is a liquid crystal display or the like, and is installed at a position that is easily visible to the user, for example, a position that is easily visible to the driver mainly when mounted on a vehicle. The display panel of the monitor 35 may be a touch panel.

  The voice processing unit 36 generates, for example, a voice signal for route guidance or a voice signal for voice guidance for executing various functions of the navigation system according to the control of the navigation control unit 31.

  The speaker 37 outputs the audio signal generated by the audio processing unit 36 and subjected to D / A conversion and amplification as an acoustic signal.

  The mobile terminal device 38 is a wireless communication means for using a telematics service that provides an information service in real time by combining a mobile body and a communication system, and is, for example, a mobile phone.

  Thus, in the driving vision support apparatus 200 shown as the second embodiment, the current position (latitude / longitude) of the host vehicle, the road line type, and the road are utilized by using a car navigation system that has been widely used in recent years. Road environment information such as width, curvature, gradient, and traveling direction of the vehicle is acquired. Furthermore, by storing various types of information such as the acquired accident information at each point and the presence / absence of a pedestrian crossing in association with the road position, it can be used as appropriate in pupil diameter control by the system control unit 5.

[Processing Operation of Driving Vision Support Device 200]
Next, the processing operation of the driving vision support apparatus 200 shown as the second embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step 11, the system control unit 5 performs control so that the pupil diameter control light source 1 is turned off in the standby state.

  In step S12, the system control unit 5 determines whether or not the vehicle engine is operating, and if it is operating, proceeds to step S13. When the engine is not operating, the system control unit 5 ends the processing operation by the driving vision support apparatus 200.

  In step S <b> 13, the system control unit 5 drives the anterior illuminance sensor 6 in the standby state before the system power is turned on by the system power switch 4, and the driver's anterior illuminance detected from the anterior illuminance sensor 6. Estimate the light adaptation state of the driver's eyes. The process in step S13 is performed because the accuracy of estimating the light adaptation state is extremely lowered when data is erased by switching the system on and off.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the time characteristics of dark adaptation of the eye with the horizontal axis taking time and the vertical axis taking the optical threshold corresponding to the degree of light exposed to the eye. From the time characteristics of dark adaptation shown in FIG. 13 and the anterior illuminance detected by the anterior illuminance sensor 6, the retinal light to dark adaptation state of the retina of the driver's eye subject to pupil diameter control, that is, the optical adaptation state of the eye is estimated. can do.

  The dark adaptation time characteristic shown in FIG. 13 is stored in the memory of the system control unit 5 and is appropriately read and referenced by the system control unit 5.

  In step S14, the system control unit 5 determines whether or not the system power switch 4 is turned on. The system control unit 5 proceeds to step S15 when the system power switch 4 is turned on, and returns to step S11 to continue the standby state when the system power switch 4 is in the OFF state.

  In step S15, the system control unit 5 determines whether or not the illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle detected by the environmental illuminance sensor 3 is 20 [lx] or less. If the acquired ambient environment illuminance is 20 [lx] or less, the system control unit 5 proceeds to step S16. If the ambient environment illuminance exceeds 20 [lx], the system control unit 5 proceeds to step 11. Return to.

  The value of 20 [lx], which is a criterion for the environmental illuminance, is that the environmental illuminance of a general road is about 0.5 to 10 [lx], and the brightness of the vehicle headlamp is currently improved. This is a value obtained in consideration of the progress of road lighting maintenance. When the illuminance is 20 [lx], it is equivalent to night road illuminance, and the illuminance is barely possible.

  That is, in this step S15, it is determined whether or not the environmental illuminance detected by the environmental illuminance sensor 3 is 20 [lx] or less, so that whether or not the vehicle is currently in a dark place, It is determined whether the pupil of the person is in the mydriatic state or the miosis state.

  It should be noted that the environmental illuminance serving as the reference can be changed depending on the driver, the vehicle condition, the road environment, and the like.

  The system control unit 5 returns to step S11 in response to the illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle detected by the environment illuminance sensor 3 exceeding 20 [lx], and the driver's pupil is in a miosis state. The determination is made, and the pupil diameter control light source 1 is controlled to be turned off via the light source control unit 2.

  In step S <b> 16, the system control unit 5 acquires each vehicle information indicating the current traveling state of the host vehicle detected by each sensor of the vehicle information detection unit 20.

  In step S <b> 17, the system control unit 5 determines whether or not the vehicle is currently traveling from each vehicle information acquired from the vehicle information detection unit 20. The system control unit 5 proceeds to step S18 when the vehicle is not traveling, and proceeds to step S19 when the vehicle is traveling.

  In step S18, the system control unit 5 refers to the setting information indicating whether or not the pupil diameter control light source 1 is to be turned on while the vehicle is stopped, which is set in advance by the user in response to the fact that the vehicle is not traveling. Then, it is determined whether the pupil diameter control light source 1 is turned on or off.

  The system control unit 5 returns to step S11 when turning off the pupil diameter control light source 1 based on the referenced setting information, and advances to step S19 when turning on the light.

  The processes in step S17 and step S18 are processes provided to cope with users who request various needs. For example, for users who want to maintain stable visual characteristics through constant pupil control during dark driving, or for users who do not want the light source to be frequently turned on or off, The setting to turn on the control light source 1 is preferred.

  Conversely, for a user who uses the driving vision support apparatus 200 only when necessary, such as when traveling, and wants to view a screen presented by a television broadcast or a navigation system while the vehicle is stopped, The setting to turn off the pupil diameter control light source 1 is preferred.

  In addition, the system control unit 5 determines the state of the driving load from the vehicle information acquired in step S16, and determines whether or not to turn on the pupil diameter control light source 1 based on the determination result. Various conditions of light emitted by the diameter control light source 1 can be changed. From the vehicle information, the system control unit 5 determines, for example, whether the steering angle is staggering, sudden acceleration / deceleration, a direction is instructed while the shift lever is being operated, and the traveling direction is largely changed. It is possible to determine the state of the driving load such as a greatly changing operation.

  In step S <b> 19, the system control unit 5 acquires current position information indicating the current position of the host vehicle and road environment information from the environment information acquisition unit 30.

  In step S20, the system control unit 5 acquires the current position information indicating the current position of the host vehicle acquired in step S19, road environment information, and the detection result of the driver's eye estimated from the detection result by the anterior illuminance sensor 6 in step S13. Based on the optical adaptation state, it is determined whether or not various conditions of the pupil diameter control light source 1 need to be changed. The system control unit 5 proceeds to step S21 when various conditions need to be changed, and proceeds to step S22 when no change is necessary.

  In step S21, the system control unit 5 obtains the current position information indicating the current position of the host vehicle acquired in step S19, road environment information, and the detection result of the driver's eye estimated from the detection result by the anterior illuminance sensor 6 in step S13. Various conditions of the pupil diameter control light source 1 are changed based on the light adaptation state.

  For example, the system control unit 5 determines the light adaptation state of the eye estimated from the detection result by the anterior illuminance sensor 6 by determining whether the vehicle has entered the tunnel from the current position information indicating the current position of the host vehicle. Accurately grasp. The system control unit 5 changes various characteristics of the pupil diameter control light source 1 according to the light adaptation state of the eye.

  FIG. 14 shows time response characteristics of the pupil diameter with respect to the brightness change. In FIG. 14, when a bright light is irradiated for a short time in a dark adaptation state where the pupil diameter is 8 [mm] or more, the miosis starts about 1 second later and gradually changes to the original pupil diameter. It shows how to do.

  From this characteristic, the system control unit 5 drives the pupil diameter control light source 1 about 1 second before irradiating light to the driver's pupil in order to reduce the pupil size in accordance with the desired pupil diameter. It can be seen that control is required. That is, the system control unit 5 changes the irradiation timing for the eyes of the driver of the pupil diameter control light source 1 as one of various conditions to be changed.

  The temporal response characteristic shown in FIG. 14 is stored in the memory of the system control unit 5 and is read and referenced as appropriate by the system control unit 5.

  In this step, in addition to the time response characteristics of the pupil diameter with respect to the brightness change shown in FIG. 14, the pupil diameter control light source 1 that can be changed based on the optical adaptation state of the eye from the information acquired at this time. Various conditions can be changed.

  In addition, the system control unit 5 changes various conditions of the pupil diameter control light source 1 as described below using the current position information indicating the current position of the host vehicle and the road environment information acquired in step S19. Can do.

  For example, when acquiring the presence / absence of a road sign, the system control unit 5 increases the pupil diameter so as to reduce the pupil diameter based on the relationship between the pupil diameter and the visual acuity shown in FIG. The direction and light emission area of light emitted from the control light source 1 to the driver's pupil are controlled.

  Further, the system control unit 5 estimates the possibility of occurrence of unpleasant glare when the road lighting condition and the number of buildings are acquired, and the light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 to the driver's pupil. Control is performed such that the amount of light emission is reduced to reduce the illuminance or the light emission area is reduced. As described above, the system control unit 5 appropriately controls various conditions of the pupil diameter control light source 1 from the acquired information even in the previous stage of acquiring the detection result from the line-of-sight / pupil position / pupil diameter detection unit 7. Can do.

  In step S22, the line-of-sight / pupil position / pupil diameter detector 7 measures and detects the driver's line-of-sight direction, pupil position, and pupil diameter. The driver's line-of-sight direction, pupil position, and pupil diameter detected by the line-of-sight / pupil position / pupil diameter detection unit 7 are output to the system control unit 5.

  In step S23, the system control unit 5 includes vehicle information indicating the current running state of the host vehicle acquired in step S16, current position information indicating the current position of the host vehicle acquired in step S19, road environment information, step From the driver's line-of-sight direction, pupil position, and pupil diameter detected in S22, priority is given to the current driver's visual characteristics, for example, anti-glare measures (= improved visual acuity), or the light adaptation state of the retina is insufficient Therefore, it is determined whether to give priority to the response, and the amount of light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 to the driver's eyes, the irradiation direction with respect to the line-of-sight direction, the light emission area, and the wavelength characteristics, according to the determination result Determine the optimal value of the time characteristic.

  For example, the irradiation direction of the light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 to the driver's eyes according to the measured line-of-sight direction is in the range of 45 degrees to 60 degrees above the driver's line-of-sight direction. A control value for controlling the drive mechanism of the pupil diameter controlling light source 1 is determined so as to be within.

  Further, the light amount is determined in consideration of the light amount fluctuation due to the change in the angle at which light enters the eyeball. Further, since the light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 to the driver's eyes is emitted as slightly converged light, the amount of light is determined in consideration of the change in illuminance according to the pupil position.

  Further, the system control unit 5 grasps the luminance reduction state with respect to the glare according to the measured pupil diameter, and estimates the visual acuity in consideration of the current light adaptation state. Using this result, it is possible to improve the visibility of in-vehicle display devices, for example, to change the display character size of navigation, the icon size of map display, and the like.

  In step S24, the system control unit 5 irradiates the driver's eyes with the light amount determined in step S23, the irradiation direction with respect to the line-of-sight direction, the light emission area, the wavelength characteristic, and the time characteristic. The pupil diameter control light source 1 is controlled to light up.

  In step S <b> 25, the system control unit 5 detects the driver's pupil diameter changed by the light irradiated to the driver's eyes from the pupil diameter control light source 1, using the line-of-sight / pupil position / pupil diameter detection unit 7. Determine if it is different from the desired pupil diameter. The system control unit 5 proceeds to step S26 when the pupil diameter of the driver's eye is different from the desired pupil diameter, and returns to step S12 when the desired pupil diameter is obtained.

  In step S26, the system control unit 5 determines the amount of light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1 to the driver's eyes according to the fact that the pupil diameter of the driver's eyes is not a desired pupil diameter. A correction coefficient value for correcting the irradiation direction, the light emission area, the wavelength characteristic, and the time characteristic with respect to the line-of-sight direction is adjusted. After this step, the system control unit 5 returns to step S22 and corrects the light amount, the irradiation direction with respect to the line-of-sight direction, the light emission area, the wavelength characteristic, and the time characteristic using the adjusted correction coefficient, and the routine after step S22. To control to obtain a desired pupil diameter.

  At this time, the system control unit 5 considers the time response of the pupil so that the correction control does not diverge. For example, if the desired pupil diameter is not reached even if the correction process is performed for 10 seconds, the system control unit 5 The pupil diameter control light source 1 is turned on under the condition that the pupil diameter is reached. And the system control part 5 learns this condition as a driver | operator's pupil characteristic, and uses it for future control.

  Further, the system control unit 5 measures the illuminance of the light irradiated to the driver's eyes in advance and the pupil diameter of the driver's eye that changes in accordance with the driver's pupil characteristics in advance when the vehicle stops before traveling. By maintaining the initial condition of the driver, it is possible to avoid such a divergent state that cannot be controlled to a desired pupil diameter.

  As described above, in the driving vision support apparatus 200 shown as the second embodiment of the present invention, the driver's eyes are in the mydriatic state from the environmental illuminance that is the ambient illuminance of the vehicle by the environmental illuminance sensor 3. When it is determined that the dark state is equal to or lower than a predetermined illuminance, the illuminance in front of the driver is detected by the illuminance sensor 6 in front of the vehicle, and the vehicle information indicating the running state of the host vehicle is detected by the vehicle information detection unit 20. The current position information indicating the current position of the host vehicle acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 30 and the road environment information are acquired, and further, the gaze / pupil position / pupil diameter detection unit 7 detects the driver's gaze direction and the pupil. The position and pupil diameter are detected.

  And the system control part 5 acquires such information, and based on each acquired information, various conditions of the light source 1 for pupil diameter control, for example, the illumination intensity of the light irradiated to a driver | operator's eyes, and a gaze direction By controlling the light irradiation direction, light emission area, wavelength characteristics, and time characteristics, the pupil diameter of the driver's eyes can be controlled to an appropriate pupil diameter.

  As a result, the driving vision support apparatus 200 shown as the second embodiment prevents the driver from generating unpleasant glare, and further, the current state of the vehicle such as the running state of the vehicle, the entrance / exit of the tunnel, and the position of the road sign Optimal while minimizing the sensitivity of the driver's eyes as much as possible according to the road environment of the vehicle, the light adaptation state of the retina of the driver's eyes, the driving posture of the driver, the movement of the eyeball position, and the change of the line of sight Since dynamic visual support can be executed so that the pupil diameter becomes a proper diameter, it is possible to further improve the visual characteristics of the driver and to support the optimal vision during dark driving.

  As described above, the driving vision support apparatus 100 shown as the first embodiment of the present invention and the driving vision support apparatus 200 shown as the second embodiment of the present invention are at least one eye of the driver from the pupil diameter control light source 1. May be irradiated with light. At this time, the system control unit 5 controls the pupil diameter control light source 1 via the light source control unit 2 based on various information such as vehicle information, current position, and road environment information acquired by the system control unit 5. Thus, it is possible to irradiate only one eye that is easy for the driver to see.

  In addition, by enabling light irradiation from the pupil diameter control light source 1 to only one eye in this way, it can be applied to fail-safe control at the time of system failure. For example, by irradiating light to each eye independently and having a light source capable of controlling the pupil diameter and a control mechanism, the light irradiated to either eye is dazzled due to a system failure. In the case where the light has been controlled to have such an intensity as to be generated, the system control unit 5 executes fail-safe control, stops the irradiation from the failed side, and optimizes the light from the non-failed side. Is applied to only one eye to control the pupil diameter.

  Moreover, since the driving vision support apparatus 100 shown as the first embodiment of the present invention and the driving vision support apparatus 200 shown as the second embodiment can prevent unpleasant glare as described above, Degraded glare that reduces the visual ability that occurs after feeling unpleasant glare can also be suppressed.

  In addition, since pupil diameter control is performed by irradiating the driver's eyes with light emitted from the pupil diameter control light source 1, not only discomfort glare that occurs in naked eye users or users wearing spectacles, but also contact Even a user who directly wears a lens for visual correction such as an extraocular lens such as a lens or an intraocular lens directly on the eyeball can prevent unpleasant glare that occurs in the lens.

  The characteristics shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 13, and FIG. 14 are general values, and are considered to vary slightly depending on individual differences and circumstances. . However, since these characteristics are considered to be maintained as a trend, the operation shown as the first embodiment is performed by holding data indicating the characteristics in the memory of the system control unit with a certain margin. The pupil diameter control in the vision support apparatus 100 and the driving vision support apparatus 200 shown as the second embodiment can control any user.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made depending on the design and the like as long as the technical idea according to the present invention is not deviated from this embodiment. Of course, it is possible to change.

It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the driving vision assistance apparatus shown as the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed a mode that the driving | operation visual assistance apparatus was mounted in the vehicle. It is the figure which showed an example of the aging characteristic of discomfort glare. It is the figure which showed an example of the relationship between illumination intensity and a pupil diameter. It is the figure which showed an example of the relationship between a pupil diameter and visual acuity. It is the figure which showed the light source position which feels unpleasant glare in a right eye. It is the figure which showed the human average whole visual field characteristic. It is the figure which showed the structural example of the light source for pupil diameter control. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation of the driving vision assistance apparatus shown as the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the driving vision assistance apparatus shown as the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed a mode that the driving | operation visual assistance apparatus was mounted in the vehicle. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation of the driving vision assistance apparatus shown as the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the time characteristic of dark adaptation. It is the figure which showed an example of the time responsiveness of the pupil with respect to a brightness change.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light source for pupil diameter control 2 Light source control part 3 Environment illumination sensor 5 System control part 6 Eye illuminance sensor 7 Eye gaze / pupil position / pupil diameter detection part 10 Pupil diameter control part 20 Vehicle information detection part 30 Environment information acquisition part 100 Driving vision Support device 200 Driving vision support device

Claims (16)

A driving vision support device mounted on a vehicle and supporting the vision of a driver driving the vehicle,
Light irradiation means for irradiating the driver's eyes with light having a predetermined light amount, a predetermined light emitting area, a predetermined light distribution characteristic, and a predetermined wavelength characteristic;
Environmental illuminance detection means for detecting environmental illuminance around the vehicle;
Control means for irradiating the driver's eyes with the light according to the environmental illuminance detected by the environmental illuminance detecting means and controlling the pupil diameter of the driver's eyes. Driving vision support device characterized by the above. 2. The driving vision according to claim 1, wherein the light is emitted from the light irradiation unit to the eyes of the driver from a direction of 45 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less above the driver's line of sight. Support device. The said control means changes the light quantity of the said light irradiated to the said driver | operator's eyes from the said light irradiation means, and controls the pupil diameter of the said driver | operator's eyes. The driving vision support apparatus according to 2. The control means changes a light distribution characteristic of the light emitted to the driver's eyes from the light irradiation means, and irradiates at least one eye of the driver with the light. The driving vision support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a pupil diameter is controlled. The control means changes a light distribution characteristic of the light emitted to the driver's eyes from the light irradiating means, irradiates only the eyeball portion of the driver's eyes, and The driving vision support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pupil diameter of the eye is controlled. The said control means changes the light emission area of the said light irradiated to the said driver | operator's eyes from the said light irradiation means, and controls the pupil diameter of the said driver | operator's eyes. Item 6. The driving vision assistance device according to any one of item 5. The light irradiation means comprises a plurality of light sources,
The control means changes the light emission area of the light emitted from the light irradiation means to the eyes of the driver by controlling light emission and non-light emission of the plurality of light sources of the light irradiation means. The driving vision support apparatus according to claim 6. The control means changes the wavelength characteristic of the light emitted from the light irradiating means to the driver's eyes into a wavelength band in which the human eye is unlikely to shift to a light-adapted state. The driving vision support device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pupil diameter is controlled. The control means sets the wavelength characteristic of the light emitted from the light irradiation means to the driver's eyes as a wavelength band in which the human eye is difficult to be in a light-adapted state. The driving vision assisting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the driving vision assisting apparatus is changed so as to contain the most components. Detection means for detecting the driver's line-of-sight direction, pupil position, pupil diameter;
Based on the line-of-sight direction, the pupil position, and the pupil diameter detected by the detection unit, the light amount, the light emission area, the light distribution characteristic, and the wavelength characteristic of the light emitted from the light irradiation unit to the driver's eyes are controlled. The driving vision support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein Vehicle information detection means for detecting vehicle information indicating the current running state of the vehicle,
Based on the vehicle information detected by the vehicle information detecting means, the light amount, light emitting area, light distribution characteristic, and wavelength characteristic of the light emitted from the light irradiating means to the driver's eyes are controlled. The driving vision assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10. Road environment information acquisition means for acquiring current position information indicating a current position of the vehicle and road environment information of a road on which the vehicle travels;
Based on the current position information of the vehicle acquired by the road environment information acquisition means and the road environment information, the light amount, light emitting area, light distribution characteristic, wavelength of the light emitted from the light irradiation means to the driver's eyes The driving vision assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a characteristic is controlled. A pre-illuminance detecting means for detecting the pre-illuminance of the driver driving the vehicle;
The control means controls the light amount, light emitting area, light distribution characteristic, and wavelength characteristic of the light emitted from the light irradiating means to the driver's eyes based on the ante-illuminance detected by the ante-illuminance detecting means. The driving vision support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the driving vision support apparatus is any one of the above. The control means estimates the light adaptation state of the retina of the driver's eye, and based on the estimated light adaptation state, the light amount, light emitting area, and distribution of the light emitted from the light irradiation means to the driver's eye. The driving vision assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the driving characteristic control unit controls light characteristics, wavelength characteristics, and time characteristics. The driving vision according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the light irradiating means shares an electric circuit as a structure co-located with a vehicle interior light mounted on the vehicle. Support device. A driving vision support device mounted on a vehicle and supporting the vision of a driver driving the vehicle,
According to the ambient illuminance around the vehicle, the driver's eyes are irradiated with light having a predetermined light amount, a predetermined light emitting area, a predetermined light distribution characteristic, and a predetermined wavelength characteristic, and the pupil diameter of the driver's eye Driving vision support device characterized by controlling the driving.

Images