JP2017177941A - Cast light controlling apparatus for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize safety traffic environment by suppressing dazzling in a surrounding third person while maximally ensuring field of view in night time.SOLUTION: Upon traveling on a road P1 while casting low-beam and high-beam illumination light to vehicular front side, a preceding vehicle C1, an oncoming vehicle C2, and a walker H on sidewalk are detected at front side, in addition, when a side surface of another vehicle C3 attempting to turn left or turn right from a road P2 crossing at side of the oncoming vehicle is detected, it is determined whether there is a possibility of dazzling for each of casting regions L1 to L8, on/off of light sources for each of the casting regions based on the determination result are individually controlled, so that it is controlled to an optimal light cast pattern. Thereby, it may contribute to realize traffic safety environment by suppressing dazzling in a surrounding third person while maximally ensuring field of view in night time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle light distribution control device that controls light distribution of illumination light emitted from a vehicle illumination device.

  Conventionally, in a vehicle such as an automobile, the front area of the host vehicle is imaged by a camera to detect a preceding vehicle such as a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle, and the front of the vehicle is illuminated so as not to dazzle the detected preceding vehicle. A technique for controlling the light distribution of illumination light is known.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, when performing light irradiation with a high beam light distribution, an area that may be dazzled with respect to a preceding vehicle is blocked to prevent dazzling, while an area as wide as possible in the front area is disclosed. A technology related to light distribution control of ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control for improving the visibility by illuminating the light is disclosed.

JP 2012-166633 A

  Conventional light distribution control as disclosed in Patent Document 1 prevents glare by mechanically blocking light from a light source, and emits light from a taillight of a preceding vehicle, a headlight of an oncoming vehicle, or the like. Since an object is detected to prevent dazzling, it is difficult to control with a precise light distribution pattern.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, while traveling on the road P1, a pedestrian H on the sidewalk, a preceding vehicle C1, an oncoming vehicle C2, and another vehicle trying to turn left or right from the road P2 to the road P1 in the high beam irradiation area When C3 exists, conventionally, the entire region Lc2 including the preceding vehicle C1 ahead and the entire region Lc3 including the oncoming vehicle C2 are shielded from the cut-off line of the low beam irradiation region L0. In addition, since the pedestrian Hn and the other vehicle C3 that is about to enter from the side are not detected, the entire region Lc1 including the pedestrian Hn and the front portion of the other vehicle C3 are included. Illumination light will be irradiated to the whole area | region Lc4. In FIG. 5, for convenience, the region irradiated with the illumination light is shown thinly painted.

  This not only dazzles the driver of the pedestrian H and the other vehicle C3, but also the area from the low beam cut-off line to the area including the rear bumper below the preceding vehicle C1 and the area in front of the oncoming vehicle C2 is not dazzled. Nevertheless, the light is shielded, and there is a risk that the night vision will be insufficiently secured.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a vehicle light distribution control device that can contribute to the realization of a safe traffic environment by suppressing dazzling to surrounding others while ensuring the maximum night vision. The purpose is to provide.

  A light distribution control device for a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention processes the illumination device that illuminates the front of the vehicle with illumination light of a predetermined light distribution pattern formed by a plurality of light sources, and processes an image obtained by imaging the front of the vehicle. A recognition device for recognizing both the object irradiated by the illumination light or both of the object and the contour of the illumination light; and a control device for individually controlling the lighting states of the plurality of light sources based on the recognition result of the recognition device; Is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can suppress the dazzling to a surrounding other person, ensuring night view to the maximum, and can contribute to realization of a safe traffic environment.

Configuration diagram of light distribution control device Explanatory drawing showing a light distribution pattern Flow chart of light distribution control processing Explanatory drawing showing the cut-off line of multiple light sources Explanatory drawing which shows the conventional light distribution pattern

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a light distribution control device that controls the light distribution characteristics of illumination light irradiated to the front of a vehicle such as an automobile. The illumination device 10 that illuminates the front of the vehicle and the front of the vehicle by imaging the front of the vehicle An object detection device 20 that detects the object and a control device 30 that controls the illumination device 10 based on the detection result of the object detection device 20 are mainly configured.

  The object detection device 20 and the control device 30 are connected to the in-vehicle network 100. In addition to the navigation device 60, the engine control device 70, the transmission control device 80, the brake control device 90, and the like connected to the in-vehicle network 100. Necessary information is acquired by transmitting / receiving various data to / from the device.

  The illuminating device 10 drives a headlamp unit 11 that emits low-beam and high-beam illumination light toward the front of the vehicle, an actuator unit 12 that changes the irradiation direction of the headlamp unit 11, and the headlamp unit 11 and the actuator unit 12. The drive part 13 to be comprised is comprised. The actuator unit 12 includes a swivel actuator that deflects the optical axis of the illumination light in the left-right direction and a leveling actuator that deflects the optical axis of the illumination light in the vertical direction.

  The headlamp unit 11, the actuator unit 12, and the drive unit 13 are arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle, and the basic configuration is the same except for the configuration related to the difference between the left and right. The drive unit 13 may be provided as one device that drives the left and right headlamp units 11 and the actuator unit 12 together.

  The headlamp unit 11 is configured by arranging a plurality of light sources 11a made of, for example, light emitting diodes (LEDs) in a lamp housing. The plurality of light sources 11a are arranged so as to form at least a high beam irradiation region by combining a plurality of lattice-shaped regions among the low beam and high beam irradiation regions. For this reason, each light source 11a is provided with a reflector and a projection lens so as to have, for example, a rectangular irradiation range, and lighting / extinction of each light source 11a is individually controlled by the drive unit 13.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a low beam irradiation region is a single irradiation region L0, and a high beam irradiation region is formed by arranging eight lattice-like regions L1 to L8. . The low beam irradiation region L0 and the irradiation regions L1 to L8 of each lattice forming the high beam irradiation region correspond to one light source 11a, respectively. Each light source 11a is arranged so that the peripheral edges of the respective irradiation ranges have a slight overlap with each other. In addition to the cut-off line of the irradiation region of the low beam and the high beam, the individual light sources 11a are individually arranged in the irradiation region of the high beam. A clear cut-off line can be set with a high degree of freedom by turning on / off each light source 11a.

  The drive unit 13 mainly includes a lighting control circuit 13a that individually controls the lighting state of each light source 11a of the head lamp unit 11, and an actuator drive circuit 13b that drives the swivel actuator and the leveling actuator of the actuator unit 12, respectively. ing. The lighting control circuit 13a and the actuator driving circuit 13b are controlled by the control device 30, and the lighting state of the plurality of light sources 11a is controlled via the lighting control circuit 13a to form a light distribution pattern. Thus, the optical axis of the illumination light is adjusted, and proper light distribution is maintained.

  In addition, when the grid-like irradiation region by the plurality of light sources 11a is further subdivided and the cut-off line can be freely set within a practically sufficient range, the actuator unit 12 (swivel actuator, leveling actuator) is not necessary. be able to.

  The object detection device 20 detects an object such as an oncoming vehicle, a preceding vehicle, or a pedestrian existing in the front area of the host vehicle by processing an image captured by the camera unit 20a that images the front of the vehicle and the camera unit 20a. And a processing unit 20b. The object detection device 20 has a function as a recognition device for recognizing a front object irradiated by daylight sunlight or illumination light from the night illumination device 10, and is dedicated recognition for vehicle light distribution control. You may comprise as an apparatus, and may be comprised as a part of traffic environment information acquisition apparatus in driving assistance systems, such as automatic brake control, cruise control, and lane keeping control.

  The camera unit 20a is composed of one monocular camera or a set of two stereo cameras capable of acquiring distance information, and images the front of the vehicle with a color or monochrome image. The image processing unit 20b processes an image captured by the camera unit 20a and travels ahead in the traveling lane of the own vehicle, an oncoming vehicle traveling on the opposite lane toward the own vehicle, a road side Bicycles, pedestrians on the sidewalk, traffic lights, pedestrian bridges, and other objects are detected to detect objects that may be dazzling.

  For example, feature quantities such as light brightness, light movement, and color (for example, emission color of a brake lamp, reflected light color, etc.) in an image are extracted, and the extracted feature quantity is a predetermined condition (brightness, color , Size, pattern, movement, etc.) are detected, and preceding vehicles, oncoming vehicles, pedestrians, etc. are detected including their shapes. At this time, the object detection device 20 includes traffic environment information around the host vehicle based on position information from the navigation device 60 (or distance information between the object and the host vehicle when the camera unit 20a is a stereo camera). Travel information from the engine control device 70, the transmission control device 80, etc. is acquired, and the position, speed, etc. of the object with respect to the host vehicle are also detected.

  The control device 30 controls the illumination device 10 according to the detection result of the object by the object detection device 20, and prevents dazzling for a driver of a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle, a pedestrian or the like existing in front of the host vehicle, The light distribution pattern of the illumination light from the illumination device 10 is appropriately controlled to improve the visibility of the front area. Whether or not there is a possibility that the object is dazzled is determined for each irradiation region of the plurality of light sources 11a, and the lighting states of the plurality of light sources 11a are individually determined according to the possibility of dazzling for each irradiation region. Control.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, while driving on a road P1 while illuminating low beam and high beam illumination light toward the front of the vehicle from the lighting device 10, a preceding vehicle C1, an oncoming vehicle C2, a pedestrian on a sidewalk An example will be described in which H is detected and the side surface of another vehicle C3 to be turned left or right is detected from the road P2 intersecting on the opposite lane side. At this time, the control device 30 individually controls lighting of the light sources corresponding to the irradiation regions L1 to L8 on the high beam side so as to obtain an optimal light distribution pattern. In FIG. 2, for convenience, the region irradiated with the illumination light is shown thinly painted.

  Specifically, when the pedestrian H illuminated by the illumination light is recognized, the light source of the region L1 corresponding to the upper body of the pedestrian H is turned off (turned off), and the light source of the region L5 corresponding to the lower body of the pedestrian H Is kept ON (lit). In the conventional light distribution control using the variable shade, since the illumination light is irradiated to the place where the light is not emitted, there is a possibility that the illumination light is irradiated to the whole body of the pedestrian H, which may cause dazzling. When the pedestrian H is recognized, the irradiation to the upper body is stopped immediately and only the lower body is irradiated. Accordingly, the feet of the pedestrian H can be illuminated brightly without giving the pedestrian H dazzling, and safe walking can be assisted.

  For the preceding vehicle C1, the light source in the region L2 corresponding to the upper part of the passenger compartment of the preceding vehicle C1 is turned off, and the light source in the region L6 corresponding to the rear bumper of the preceding vehicle C1 is turned on. That is, in the conventional light distribution control using a variable shade or the like, the driver of the preceding vehicle C1 is prevented from being dazzled by detecting the light emission or reflected light of the taillight of the preceding vehicle C1 so that the entire preceding vehicle C1 is not illuminated. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the front of the host vehicle C1 is prevented from being dazzled by preventing illumination light from being irradiated on the upper part of the vehicle compartment of the preceding vehicle C1, and the driver is advanced from the front of the host vehicle C1. The light up to the vicinity of the rear bumper of the vehicle C1 is illuminated. As a result, the night vision can be expanded to make it easier for the driver of the host vehicle to visually recognize sudden jumping out, and to ensure safety.

  The same applies to the oncoming vehicle C2, and the illumination light is not irradiated to the entire area including the oncoming vehicle C2 on the high beam side as in the prior art, but in front of the oncoming vehicle C2 in the high beam irradiation area. While turning on the light source in the side region L7, the light source in the region L3 corresponding to the oncoming vehicle C2 is turned off. As a result, it is possible to facilitate the visual recognition of the driver of the own vehicle against sudden jumping out from the front of the own vehicle to the front of the oncoming vehicle C2, while preventing dazzling of the driver of the oncoming vehicle C2, and to ensure safety. it can.

  Furthermore, for the other vehicle C3 in which the light emission from the road P2 is not directly detected, conventionally, there has been a possibility that the front side surface of the other vehicle C3 is irradiated with illumination light and dazzles the driver of the other vehicle C3. In the present embodiment, the light source in the region L4 corresponding to the upper part of the passenger compartment of the other vehicle C3 is turned off so that the illumination light is not irradiated to prevent dazzling the driver of the other vehicle C3. The light source in the region L8 corresponding to the fender portion of the other vehicle C3 is kept ON so that the movement of the other vehicle C can be easily grasped.

  In this case, the lighting states of the regions L1 to L8 need to be adjusted according to changes in the position of the object with respect to the host vehicle. In addition, the optical axis of the illumination light may deviate from the specified position due to factors such as an increase in the load weight or a change in tire air pressure, which may not always result in an optimal and appropriate light distribution for each object to prevent dazzling. is there.

  Therefore, the control device 30 determines whether or not the light distribution pattern of the regions L1 to L8 is appropriate from the relationship between the position of each object and the position of the cut-off line for each lattice of each of the regions L1 to L8. Based on the result, the lighting state of the plurality of light sources 11a is adjusted. Further, the optical axis of the illumination light is adjusted by driving a swivel actuator or a leveling actuator as necessary. Thereby, the optimal light distribution characteristic can always be maintained.

  Next, light distribution control program processing executed by the control device 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  This light distribution control process is a process that is executed, for example, when the light switch is turned on and illumination light is emitted forward from the illumination device 10. First, in the first step S 1, the host vehicle is transmitted via the in-vehicle network 100. The driving environment information such as the current position and the current vehicle speed is read.

  Next, it progresses to step S2 and the detection result of the target object irradiated with illumination light is read from the object detection apparatus 20. FIG. In step S3, it is determined whether or not each irradiation region is a region that gives glare to the object (glare region). The glare area is determined by, for example, specifying a position on the image that gives glare according to the type of the object such as the recognized preceding vehicle, oncoming vehicle, or pedestrian, and the specified position is stored on an image stored in advance. This is done by comparing with the position of each area. When it is assumed that the face area of the person is included directly or indirectly via a rearview mirror or the like in the image area corresponding to the irradiation area, it is determined that the irradiation area is a glare area.

  If it is determined in step S3 that the predetermined irradiation area is not a glare area, the light source of the corresponding irradiation area is turned ON in step S4, and the process proceeds to step S6. If it is determined that it is a glare area, the glare area is determined in step S5. The light source in the irradiated area is turned off and the process proceeds to step S6. Then, in step S6, it is checked whether or not the processing of all irradiation areas is completed. When the processing of all irradiation areas is not completed, the process returns to step S3 and the above processing is repeated, and the processing of all irradiation areas is completed. The process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S7, it is checked whether or not the position of the cut-off line of each irradiation area is deviated from the specified position. The specified position of the cut-off line is a predetermined position when the headlamp unit 11 of the lighting device 10 and the camera unit 20a of the object detection device 20 are held in a specified state at a predetermined vehicle height. The position in the cut-off line image formed according to the lighting state, and the cut-off line positions in a plurality of lighting state patterns are stored including the boundary between the low beam irradiation region and the high beam irradiation region. .

  Then, the current cut-off line position is compared with the stored position to determine whether or not a deviation has occurred. If a deviation has occurred, the process proceeds from step S7 to step S8, where the deviation of the cut-off line is detected. The glare area is re-determined based on the position of the irradiation area corrected in consideration of the above. As a result of re-determination, if there is an irradiation area that becomes a glare area, the light source is turned off. If there is an irradiation area that is re-determined if it is not a glare area, the light source is turned on, so that the cut-off line is turned off. Adjust (move) to obtain an appropriate light distribution pattern.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when illuminating the front of the vehicle with a light distribution pattern formed by a plurality of light sources, the object may be dazzled based on the recognition result of the object irradiated by the illumination light. It is determined for each irradiation region of a plurality of light sources whether or not there is a property. And since the lighting state of multiple light sources is individually controlled according to the possibility of dazzling for each irradiation area, the dazzling to surrounding others is suppressed while ensuring the maximum night vision. It can contribute to realization.

  Here, the cut-off line of the light distribution may not always have a clear outline due to the weather or the surrounding environment, which may lead to a decrease in the accuracy of the relative relationship between the cut-off line and the object recognized by the recognition device. In particular, when it is difficult to recognize the irradiation range to be turned on / off by itself, there is a concern about a decrease in accuracy. In this case, it is possible to further optimize the irradiation range of the light source to be turned on / off by recognizing the relative position of each cut-off line of multiple light distributions and correcting the terminal recognition position of the irradiation range. (In an environment in which the irradiation range to be determined is relatively difficult to recognize the contour relative to other irradiation ranges, this is an effective accuracy improvement means).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the cut-off line A of the irradiation region L5 for the pedestrian H is not clear, the terminal recognition position of the line A is specified from the relative position of the cut-off line of each of the regions L1 and L5, and the region By correcting the turning on / off control of each light source corresponding to L1 and L5, the accuracy can be improved as compared with the determination from the cut-off line of one irradiation range.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light distribution control apparatus 10 Illumination apparatus 11 Headlamp part 11a Light source 20 Object detection apparatus (recognition apparatus)
20a Camera unit 20b Image processing unit 30 Control device

Claims (7)

An illumination device that irradiates the front of the vehicle with illumination light of a predetermined light distribution pattern formed by a plurality of light sources;
A recognition device that recognizes both an object irradiated with the illumination light or an object irradiated with the illumination light and an outline of the illumination light by processing an image captured in front of the vehicle;
A vehicle light distribution control device comprising: a control device that individually controls lighting states of the plurality of light sources based on a recognition result of the recognition device.   The control device determines, for each irradiation area of the plurality of light sources, whether or not the object may be dazzled, and turns on the plurality of light sources according to the possibility of dazzling for each irradiation area. 2. The vehicle light distribution control device according to claim 1, wherein the state is individually controlled.   3. The vehicle light distribution control device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device forms the light distribution pattern by arranging the plurality of light sources in a grid pattern.   The lighting device is provided with a cut-off line for each grid, and the control device adjusts lighting states of the plurality of light sources based on a relationship between the object and the cut-off line. The vehicle light distribution control device described.   The lighting device has a cut-off line for each of the lattices, and the control device adjusts the lighting state of the plurality of light sources based on the relationship between the target object and the relative position of each of the plurality of light sources. The vehicle light distribution control device according to claim 3.   6. The vehicle light distribution control device according to claim 4, wherein the control device is controlled by the cut-off line and the recognition result of the object by the recognition device.   The vehicle light distribution control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein among the plurality of light sources, at least high beam side light sources are arranged in a grid pattern.