JP2017171161A - Headlight lamp control device and headlight lamp control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headlight lamp control device and a headlight lamp control method capable of contributing to effective drive support.SOLUTION: The invention comprises: a driver state determination device for determining a state of a driver; a preceding vehicle state determination device for determining a state of a preceding vehicle; and a headlight lamp control part for controlling a headlight lamp based on the state of the driver determined by the driver state determination device and the state of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle determination device. The driver state determination device determines at least, whether or not the driver state is a careless drive state, the preceding vehicle state determination device determines at least whether or not the preceding vehicle exists. The headlight lamp control part controls the headlight lamp so as to reduce a light amount in the radiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle, when existence of the preceding vehicle is determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device, when the careless drive state is determined by the driver state determination device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a headlamp control device and control method that can variably control illuminance for each irradiation region.

  The inventor of the present invention has intensively studied about determining the state of the driver and utilizing the state of the driver for driving support.

  The usefulness of paying attention to the driver's pupil diameter, sweating, and other conditions is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The present inventor has already disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-247801 (unpublished at the time of filing this application) about utilizing such a driver's state for the control of headlamps. I am doing.

  As for the configuration of the headlamp, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, a first region light source, a second region light source, and a third region light source in which a plurality of light sources have different irradiation regions in the left-right direction, A configuration is known in which the illuminance of each area light source is individually controlled separately from the area light sources.

JP 2008-217274 A JP2015-107780A

  The inventor of the present invention has found that headlamp control leading to effective driving support can be realized by utilizing the state of the preceding vehicle in addition to utilizing the state of the driver.

  The present invention has been created based on the above background. An object of the present invention is to provide a headlamp control device and a headlamp control method that lead to effective driving support.

  The present invention includes a driver state determination device that determines the state of a driver, a preceding vehicle state determination device that determines a state of a preceding vehicle, a driver state determined by the driver state determination device, and the preceding vehicle. A headlight control unit that controls the headlight based on the state of the preceding vehicle determined by the determination device, and the driver state determination device determines at least whether or not the vehicle is in a casual driving state The preceding vehicle state determining device is configured to determine whether or not there is at least a preceding vehicle, and the headlamp control unit is in a state of a rough driving by the driver state determining device. If the presence of the preceding vehicle is determined by the preceding vehicle determination device, the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is dimmed and / or the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is determined. At least in the surrounding area It is headlamp controller before said adapted to control the headlamps so as to increase the portion of light.

  According to the present invention, when the rough driving state is determined, the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is dimmed and / or at least a part of the peripheral area of the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is brightened. The headlamps are controlled as shown. Accordingly, it is relatively urged to call attention to the surrounding environment, and the driver's line of sight is prevented from continuing to follow the preceding vehicle. This is a very effective driving support because it encourages the driver to drive with an appropriate concentration degree (prompts escape from a casual driving state).

  It is preferable that the driver state determination device determines that the driver is in a casual driving state when, for example, the driver's line of sight stays for a predetermined time or longer. If the state where the driver's line of sight does not move is long, there is a high possibility that the driver's degree of concentration is reduced and the driver is in a so-called driving state. Therefore, the effectiveness of this aspect is considered high. The driver's gaze dwell time can be measured using various known gaze detection sensors.

  Alternatively, it is preferable that the driver state determination device determines that the vehicle is in a rough driving state when the steering angle is within a predetermined fluctuation range for a predetermined time or more. If the steering angle is within the predetermined fluctuation range (that is, there is almost no change in the steering angle) for a predetermined time or more, the driver's concentration level may be reduced, resulting in a so-called unnatural driving state. High nature. Therefore, the effectiveness of this aspect is considered high. The steering angle can be measured using various known steering angle sensors.

  Alternatively, when the preceding vehicle state determination device also determines the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the driver state determination device, the driver state determination device is based on the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device. It is preferable that when the inter-vehicle distance is within a predetermined fluctuation range for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the vehicle is in an abrupt driving state. If the inter-vehicle distance is within the predetermined fluctuation range (that is, there is almost no change in the inter-vehicle distance), the driver's concentration may be reduced and the driver may fall into a so-called driving state. High nature. Therefore, the effectiveness of this aspect is considered high. The inter-vehicle distance can be measured or determined by using various distance measuring sensors (for example, laser sensors) that are already known and various image processing techniques based on the preceding vehicle image.

  In addition, when the preceding vehicle state determination device is configured to determine the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, the headlamp control unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device is a predetermined value. When it is above, it is preferable to control the headlamp so that at least a part of the peripheral area of the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is brightened. When the inter-vehicle distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, there is a possibility that the vehicle will fall into a moderate driving state, but by increasing at least part of the surrounding area of the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle, the surrounding environment is further increased. The driver is further urged to drive the vehicle with a suitable concentration level (to further escape from the casual driving state).

  Alternatively, when the preceding vehicle state determination device also determines the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, the headlamp control unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device is a predetermined value. When it is above, it is preferable to control the headlamp so that the visibility in the peripheral visual field of the driver is within a predetermined range. When the inter-vehicle distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, there is a possibility that the driver will fall into a high level of casual driving. However, the visibility in the driver's peripheral visual field should be within a predetermined range (for each region in the visual field). By adjusting the brightness of the vehicle, the driver is further encouraged to drive with an appropriate degree of concentration (escape from the casual driving state is further promoted).

  Further, the present invention provides a driver state determination step for determining the state of the driver, a preceding vehicle state determination step for determining the state of the preceding vehicle, and a driver state determined by the driver state determination step, A headlight control step for controlling a headlamp based on the state of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle determination step, and whether the driver state determination step is at least a casual driving state In the preceding vehicle state determination step, it is determined whether at least a preceding vehicle exists, and in the headlight control step, If the presence state of the preceding vehicle is determined by the preceding vehicle determination step when the driving state is determined by the driver state determination step, the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is dimmed and / or Destination A headlamp control method, characterized in that the headlamp to increase light at least a portion of the peripheral region of the irradiation area corresponding to cars are controlled.

  According to the present invention, when the rough driving state is determined, the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is dimmed and / or at least a part of the peripheral area of the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is brightened. The headlamps are controlled as shown. Accordingly, it is relatively urged to call attention to the surrounding environment, and the driver's line of sight is prevented from continuing to follow the preceding vehicle. This is a very effective driving support because it encourages the driver to drive with an appropriate concentration degree (prompts escape from a casual driving state).

  In the driver state determination step, for example, it is preferable that the driver state is determined to be a casual driving state when the staying time of the driver's line of sight is a predetermined time or longer. If the state where the driver's line of sight does not move is long, there is a high possibility that the driver's degree of concentration is reduced and the driver is in a so-called driving state. Therefore, the effectiveness of this aspect is considered high. The driver's gaze dwell time can be measured using various known gaze detection sensors.

  Alternatively, in the driver state determination step, it is preferable that when the steering angle is within a predetermined fluctuation range for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the driver is in a rough driving state. If the steering angle is within the predetermined fluctuation range (that is, there is almost no change in the steering angle) for a predetermined time or more, the driver's concentration level may be reduced, resulting in a so-called unnatural driving state. High nature. Therefore, the effectiveness of this aspect is considered high. The steering angle can be measured using various known steering angle sensors.

  Alternatively, if the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is also determined in the preceding vehicle state determining step, based on the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determining device in the driver state determining step. Thus, it is preferable that the vehicle is determined to be in an abrupt driving state when the inter-vehicle distance is within a predetermined fluctuation range for a predetermined time or more. If the inter-vehicle distance is within the predetermined fluctuation range (that is, there is almost no change in the inter-vehicle distance), the driver's concentration may be reduced and the driver may fall into a so-called driving state. High nature. Therefore, the effectiveness of this aspect is considered high. The inter-vehicle distance can be measured or determined by using various distance measuring sensors (for example, laser sensors) that are already known and various image processing techniques based on the preceding vehicle image.

  In addition, when the preceding vehicle state determination step also determines the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination step is predetermined in the headlight control step. When the value is equal to or greater than the value, the headlamp is preferably controlled so that at least a part of the peripheral area of the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is brightened. When the inter-vehicle distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, there is a possibility that the vehicle will fall into a moderate driving state, but by increasing at least part of the surrounding area of the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle, the surrounding environment is further increased. The driver is further urged to drive the vehicle with a suitable concentration level (to further escape from the casual driving state).

  Alternatively, when the preceding vehicle state determination step also determines the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination step is predetermined in the headlight control step. It is preferable that the headlamp is controlled so that the visibility in the peripheral visual field of the driver falls within a predetermined range when the value is equal to or greater than the value. When the inter-vehicle distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, there is a possibility that the driver will fall into a high level of casual driving. However, the visibility in the driver's peripheral visual field should be within a predetermined range (for each region in the visual field). By adjusting the brightness of the vehicle, the driver is further encouraged to drive with an appropriate degree of concentration (escape from the casual driving state is further promoted).

  According to the present invention, when the rough driving state is determined, the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is dimmed and / or at least a part of the peripheral area of the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is brightened. The headlamps are controlled as shown. Accordingly, it is relatively urged to call attention to the surrounding environment, and the driver's line of sight is prevented from continuing to follow the preceding vehicle. This is a very effective driving support because it encourages the driver to drive with an appropriate concentration degree (prompts escape from a casual driving state).

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the headlamp control apparatus of one embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic flowchart which shows the headlamp control method of one embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the state by which the irradiation area | region corresponding to a preceding vehicle was dimmed. It is the schematic which shows the state where the peripheral area | region of the irradiation area | region corresponding to a preceding vehicle was brightened. It is a graph explaining a driver | operator's visibility.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a headlamp control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the headlamp control device 10 of the present embodiment includes a driver state determination device 11 that determines the state of the driver, a preceding vehicle state determination device 12 that determines the state of the preceding vehicle, A headlamp control unit 13 that controls the headlamp 20 based on the state of the driver determined by the driver state determination device 11 and the state of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle determination device 12. Yes.

  The driver state determination device 11 according to the present embodiment includes a sensor that detects the driver's line of sight (direction), and the dwell time of the driver's line of sight is a predetermined time or longer (for example, 3 minutes or longer). It is determined that the driver is in a casual driving state.

  The preceding vehicle state determination device 12 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a camera and an image processing device, determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle, and if there is a preceding vehicle, the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle The distance is to be measured. In measuring the inter-vehicle distance, instead of applying an image processing technique using an image of a preceding vehicle, a distance measuring sensor such as a laser sensor may be separately installed and used.

  And if the headlamp control part 13 of this Embodiment determines the presence of a preceding vehicle by the preceding vehicle determination apparatus 12, when the driver state determination apparatus 11 determines a rough driving state, The headlamp 20 is controlled so that the irradiation area RA corresponding to the preceding vehicle is dimmed (see FIG. 3).

  Furthermore, the headlamp control unit 13 of the present embodiment, when the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device 12 is a predetermined value or more (for example, 50 m or more), the irradiation area RA corresponding to the preceding vehicle The headlamp 20 is controlled to increase the brightness in the peripheral region RB (see FIG. 4).

  The headlamp 20 according to the present embodiment can arbitrarily adjust the illuminance of each of the six irradiation areas in the left-right direction by controlling the illuminance of each of the plurality of built-in light sources. ing. Further, by switching between the high beam and the low beam, each of the six irradiation regions can be switched between two irradiation regions in the vertical direction (only downward / upper and lower).

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment as described above, that is, an embodiment of the headlamp control method will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart showing a headlamp control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the driver state determination device 11 detects the driver's line of sight (direction), and monitors whether or not the dwell time of the driver's line of sight is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (STEP 01).

  In parallel, the preceding vehicle state determination device 12 monitors the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle, for example, at predetermined sampling times (STEP 02), and if there is a preceding vehicle (YES in STEP 03), the preceding vehicle state is determined. The distance between vehicles is monitored (STEP 04). Recognition (discrimination) of the preceding vehicle starts when the vehicle catches up with the preceding vehicle that was running far ahead in the same lane, or when the preceding vehicle that was running in a different lane has changed lanes The

  The driver state determination device 11 determines that the driver's line of sight stays at a predetermined time or longer when the driver's line of sight stays longer than a predetermined time (YES in STEP 05). In this flow, since the presence of the preceding vehicle has already been determined by the preceding vehicle determination device 12 in the determination of STEP 05, the heading is performed so that the irradiation area RA (see FIG. 3) corresponding to the preceding vehicle is dimmed. The lamp control unit 13 controls the headlamp 20 (STEP06).

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when the irradiation region RA corresponding to the preceding vehicle is two central regions R3 to R4 among the six irradiation regions R1 to R6 in the left-right direction, The illuminance in the regions R3 to R4 is reduced.

  Further, the headlamp control unit 13 of the present embodiment, when the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (YES in STEP 07), the irradiation area RA corresponding to the preceding vehicle The headlamp 20 is controlled to brighten the peripheral region RB (STEP08).

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the illuminances of the left and right four regions R1 to R2 and the high beam regions U1 to U2 and R5 to R6 of the six irradiation regions R1 to R6 in the left and right direction are as follows. Will be increased.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the headlamp 20 is controlled so that the irradiation area RA (= R3, R4) corresponding to the preceding vehicle is dimmed when the rough driving state is determined. The Accordingly, it is relatively urged to call attention to the surrounding environment, and the driver's line of sight is prevented from continuing to follow the preceding vehicle. This is a very effective driving support because it encourages the driver to drive with an appropriate concentration degree (prompts escape from a casual driving state).

  The driver state determination device 11 according to the present embodiment determines that the driver's line of sight is in a casual driving state when the dwell time of the driver's line of sight is a predetermined time or longer. If the state where the driver's line of sight does not move is long, there is a high possibility that the driver's degree of concentration is reduced and the driver is in a so-called driving state. Therefore, the effectiveness of this aspect is considered high.

  Further, the headlamp control unit 13 of the present embodiment, when the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the peripheral region RB (= U1) of the irradiation region corresponding to the preceding vehicle , U2, U5, U6) to control the headlamp 20 to increase the brightness. When the inter-vehicle distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, there is a possibility that the vehicle will fall into a moderate driving state. However, in addition to dimming the irradiation area RA (= R3, R4) corresponding to the preceding vehicle, its surroundings Increasing the area RB (= U1, U2, U5, U6) further encourages attention to the surrounding environment and further encourages the driver to drive with an appropriate concentration (roughly driving state) Will be further encouraged to escape).

  Note that the driver state determination device 11 may determine that the driver state is in a casual driving state when the steering angle is within a predetermined fluctuation range (for example, ± 10 degrees or less) for a predetermined time or more. If the steering angle is within the predetermined fluctuation range (that is, there is almost no change in the steering angle) for a predetermined time or more, the driver's concentration level may be reduced, resulting in a so-called unnatural driving state. High nature. Therefore, such a modified example is also considered highly effective. The steering angle can be measured using various known steering angle sensors.

  Alternatively, the driver state determination device 11 determines that the driver is in a casual driving state based on the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device 12 when the inter-vehicle distance is within a predetermined fluctuation range for a predetermined time or more. It may be like this. If the inter-vehicle distance is within the predetermined fluctuation range (that is, there is almost no change in the inter-vehicle distance), the driver's concentration may be reduced and the driver may fall into a so-called driving state. High nature. Therefore, such a modified example is also considered highly effective.

  Further, the headlamp controller 13 controls the headlamp 20 so that the visibility in the driver's peripheral visual field is within a predetermined range when the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. You may come to control. When the inter-vehicle distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, there is a possibility that the vehicle will fall into a moderate driving state, but in addition to dimming the irradiation area RA corresponding to the preceding vehicle, the visibility in the driver's peripheral vision Is kept within a predetermined range (for example, 0.8 deg or more) (by adjusting the brightness of each area in the peripheral visual field), the driver is further encouraged to drive with an appropriate degree of concentration. Escape from driving conditions is further encouraged).

  In FIG. 5, the average visibility in the field of view during operation is indicated by a solid line, and the preferred visibility that can be realized by the present invention is indicated by a broken line. Visibility like a broken line is obtained by feeding back luminance information for each region in the peripheral visual field to the headlamp using a known image processing technique based on the image in the visual field (obtained at every sampling time). Is feasible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Inter-vehicle distance control apparatus 11 Driver | operator state determination apparatus 12 Lead vehicle state determination apparatus 13 Headlamp control part 20 Headlamp RA Irradiation area | region RB corresponding to a preceding vehicle Peripheral area | region of the irradiation area | region corresponding to a preceding vehicle

Claims (12)

A driver state determination device for determining the state of the driver;
A preceding vehicle state determination device for determining the state of the preceding vehicle;
A headlamp control unit that controls a headlamp based on the state of the driver determined by the driver state determination device and the state of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle determination device;
With
The driver state determination device is configured to determine whether or not it is at least a dull driving state,
The preceding vehicle state determination device is configured to determine whether there is at least a preceding vehicle,
The headlamp control unit, if the presence state of the preceding vehicle is determined by the preceding vehicle determination device when the driver's state determination device determines the rough driving state, the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle The headlamp control device is configured to control the headlamp so as to diminish the light and / or to increase at least a part of the peripheral area of the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle. . 2. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the driver state determination device determines that the driver is in an abrupt driving state when the dwell time of the driver's line of sight is a predetermined time or longer. Control device. 2. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the driver state determination device determines that the driver is in an abrupt driving state when the steering angle is within a predetermined fluctuation range for a predetermined time or more. Control device. The preceding vehicle state determination device is configured to determine an inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle,
The driver state determination device is configured to determine that the driver state is in a casual driving state based on the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device when the inter-vehicle distance is within a predetermined fluctuation range for a predetermined time or more. The headlamp control device according to claim 1, wherein The preceding vehicle state determination device is configured to determine an inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle,
The headlamp control unit is configured to increase the brightness of at least a part of a peripheral region of an irradiation region corresponding to the preceding vehicle when the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the headlamp is controlled. The preceding vehicle state determination device is configured to determine an inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle,
The headlamp control unit controls the headlamp so that the visibility in the driver's peripheral visual field is within a predetermined range when the inter-vehicle distance determined by the preceding vehicle state determination device is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the headlamp control device is configured as described above. A driver state determination step of determining the state of the driver;
A preceding vehicle state determination step for determining the state of the preceding vehicle;
A headlamp control step for controlling a headlamp based on the state of the driver determined by the driver state determination step and the state of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle determination step;
With
In the driver state determination step, it is determined whether or not it is at least a casual driving state,
In the preceding vehicle state determination step, it is determined whether or not there is at least a preceding vehicle,
In the headlamp control step, if the presence of a preceding vehicle is determined by the preceding vehicle determination step when the rough driving state is determined by the driver state determination step, the irradiation corresponding to the preceding vehicle is performed. A headlamp characterized in that the headlamp is controlled so that the area is dimmed and / or at least a part of the peripheral area of the irradiation area corresponding to the preceding vehicle is increased. Control method. The said driver state determination process WHEREIN: When the residence time of a driver | operator's eyes | visual_axis is more than predetermined time, it is determined that it is an abrupt driving state, The front of Claim 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. Lighting control method. The front state according to claim 7, wherein the driver state determination step determines that the vehicle is in an abrupt driving state when the steering angle is within a predetermined fluctuation range for a predetermined time or more. Lighting control method. In the preceding vehicle state determination step, the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle is also determined,
In the driver state determination step, based on the inter-vehicle distance determined in the preceding vehicle state determination step, when the inter-vehicle distance is within a predetermined fluctuation range for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the driver is in a casual driving state. The headlamp control method according to claim 7, wherein the headlamp control method is configured as described above. In the preceding vehicle state determination step, the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle is also determined,
In the headlight control step, when the inter-vehicle distance determined in the preceding vehicle state determining step is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the front light is increased so that at least a part of the peripheral region of the irradiation region corresponding to the preceding vehicle is increased. The headlamp control method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the headlamp is controlled. In the preceding vehicle state determination step, the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle is also determined,
In the headlamp control step, when the inter-vehicle distance determined in the preceding vehicle state determination step is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the headlamp is set so that the visibility in the driver's peripheral visual field is within a predetermined range. The headlamp control method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the headlamp control method is controlled.

Images