JP2020050248A - Head light device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a head light device capable of achieving a more suitable irradiation state by a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A head light device 1 includes: a first irradiation unit 20 for irradiating a predetermined irradiation range IL ahead of a user's vehicle V1; a second irradiation unit 30 for irradiating an irradiation range similar to the irradiation range of the first irradiation unit, which is arranged at a position higher than that of the first irradiation unit; vehicle state recognition units 60 and 70 for recognizing the state of the user's vehicle; and a control unit 50 for changing a ratio of the light volume of the first irradiation unit to the light volume of the second irradiation unit according to a result of the recognition by the vehicle state recognition units.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a headlight device provided in a vehicle such as an automobile.

A headlight device provided in a vehicle such as an automobile has a light source such as an LED or a high-intensity discharge bulb, and an optical system such as a lens that irradiates light emitted from the light source in a predetermined light distribution pattern in front of the vehicle. It is configured.
Generally, an automobile has a traveling light distribution (high beam) and a passing light distribution (low beam) whose light distribution range is limited downward in order to prevent dazzling of a preceding vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, and the like.

  As a prior art related to a headlight device, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which visible light headlights and infrared lights are arranged vertically so that a situation ahead of a vehicle can be quickly and accurately determined even at night or the like. It describes that an image picked up by an infrared camera is displayed so as to be superimposed on a real image.

JP 2004-254044 A

When the headlight device is disposed at a relatively low position of the vehicle, the irradiation light is irradiated at a relatively small (shallow) angle with respect to the horizontal. When the front part rises, the irradiation light may be directed upward to cause glare to occupants of a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle.
On the other hand, when the headlight device is disposed at a relatively high position of the vehicle, glare caused by such pitching behavior can be suppressed, but the occupant's viewpoint is relatively low at a position close to the vehicle. If another vehicle is present, dazzling during normal driving or at a stop such as waiting for a traffic light is a concern.
For these problems, it is also conceivable to prevent a glare by, for example, arranging a large number of light sources in an array and individually turning on and off each light source, or using a variable shade to make the light distribution pattern variable. However, such a variable light distribution type headlight device has a complicated structure and a high cost.
In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a headlight device that can achieve an appropriate irradiation state with a simple configuration.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by the following means.
The invention according to claim 1 irradiates a first irradiation unit that irradiates a predetermined irradiation range in front of the vehicle, and irradiates an irradiation range similar to the irradiation range of the first irradiation unit, A second irradiation unit disposed at a position higher than the irradiation unit, a vehicle state recognition unit for recognizing a state of the own vehicle, and a light amount of the first irradiation unit according to a recognition result of the vehicle state recognition unit. A control unit for changing a ratio of the second irradiation unit to the light amount of the second irradiation unit.
According to this, the same irradiation range is irradiated by changing the ratio of the amount of light between the first irradiation unit and the second irradiation unit arranged vertically offset according to the state of the host vehicle. Even in the case, it is possible to make the angle of incidence on the road surface and the path of irradiation light different, so that appropriate irradiation conditions for preventing dazzling, improving visibility, improving visibility, and the like can be simplified and simplified. It can be obtained with an inexpensive configuration.
In the present specification and claims, changing the ratio between the light amount of the first irradiation unit and the light amount of the second irradiation unit means turning off one irradiation unit and turning off the other irradiation unit. Lighting shall be included.

In the invention according to claim 2, the vehicle state recognition unit has a pitching detection unit that detects a pitching behavior of the own vehicle, and the control unit detects the pitching behavior when the pitching behavior is detected. 2. The headlight device according to claim 1, wherein the amount of light of the second irradiator is increased and the amount of light of the first irradiator is decreased, when not performed. 3.
According to this, when the vehicle body is in the forward-upward posture due to the pitching of the vehicle, the second irradiation unit having a downward irradiation angle with respect to the first irradiation unit is mainly used. It is possible to prevent a part of the irradiation light from the irradiation unit from being directed upward to dazzle other vehicles and the like.

The invention according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle state recognition unit has another vehicle detection unit that detects the presence or absence of another vehicle ahead of the own vehicle and, when the other vehicle is present, a relative position with respect to the own vehicle, The control unit, when there is another vehicle whose distance from the own vehicle is equal to or more than a threshold, increases the light amount of the second irradiation unit with respect to the case where the other vehicle does not exist, and 3. The headlight device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount of the irradiation unit is reduced. 4.
According to this, when the distance to the other vehicle is equal to or larger than the threshold value, the second irradiating unit that is less likely to cause dazzling due to the pitching behavior is mainly used, so that the pitching behavior occurs thereafter. Even dazzling can be prevented.

In the invention according to claim 4, the control unit increases the light amount of the first irradiation unit when the distance of the other vehicle from the own vehicle is smaller than the threshold value, and increases the light amount of the second irradiation unit. The headlight device according to claim 3, wherein the light amount of the unit is reduced.
According to this, when the distance to the other vehicle approaches less than the threshold value, dazzling due to pitching behavior is unlikely to occur, so even if the viewpoint of the occupant of the other vehicle is relatively low, it is directly in the field of view. By mainly using the first irradiating unit that is difficult to enter, dazzling can be appropriately prevented.

The invention according to claim 5, wherein the control unit increases the light amount of the second irradiation unit when the other vehicle is an oncoming vehicle and the other vehicle detection unit detects the completion of passing. The headlight device according to claim 4, wherein the light amount of the first irradiation unit is reduced.
According to this, after the passing with the oncoming vehicle is finished and the dazzling of the occupant of the own vehicle due to the lights of the oncoming vehicle is eliminated, the road surface is relatively uniformly illuminated from above by the second irradiation unit. By irradiating, it is possible to reduce a sense of discomfort when changing from a state in which dazzling has been caused by lights of an oncoming vehicle.

The invention according to claim 6, wherein the control unit increases the light amount of the first irradiation unit when the other vehicle is an oncoming vehicle and the other vehicle detection unit detects passing completion. The headlight device according to claim 4, wherein a state in which the light amount of the second irradiation unit is reduced is maintained.
According to this, after the passing with the oncoming vehicle has been completed and the dazzling of the occupant of the own vehicle due to the lights of the oncoming vehicle has been resolved, the road surface is irradiated with the shallow irradiation angle by the first irradiation unit, so that The visibility of the road surface condition can be enhanced by enhancing the contrast due to unevenness or the like.

The invention according to claim 7, wherein the vehicle state recognition unit has a road shape detection unit that detects a road shape ahead of the own vehicle, and the control unit is configured to execute the first irradiation unit based on the road shape. The headlight device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a ratio between a light amount of the second irradiation unit and a light amount of the second irradiation unit is changed.
According to this, it is possible to obtain an appropriate irradiation state reflecting the road shape.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the road shape detection unit has a function of detecting a junction between the road on which the vehicle travels and another road, and the control unit is configured to detect a connection point within a predetermined range in front of the vehicle. The headlight device according to claim 7, wherein the second irradiator is turned on when the joint is present.
In the present specification, the claims, and the like, the junctions include various intersections such as a crossroad, a crossroad, a junction, a branch, and the like.
According to this, when approaching the joint, by illuminating the second irradiation unit at a high position, the irradiation light from the headlight of the own vehicle can be used, for example, for planting, guardrail, median strip, etc. It is possible to suppress that the vehicle is blocked by the obstacle and the visibility from other vehicles is impaired.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle state recognizing unit has a stop detecting unit that detects a stop of the own vehicle, and the control unit determines that the own vehicle travel road and other roads are within a predetermined range in front of the own vehicle. The headlight according to claim 8, wherein, when a joint portion between the first irradiation unit and the own vehicle is stopped, the first irradiation unit is turned on simultaneously with the second irradiation unit. Device.
According to this, at the time of stopping, there is no danger of dazzling other vehicles and the like due to the pitching behavior, so that the first irradiating unit and the second irradiating unit are simultaneously turned on, so that the own vehicle can be visually recognized. Sex can be further enhanced.

The invention according to claim 10 is characterized in that the vehicle state recognizing unit includes a right / left turn standby state detecting unit that detects that the own vehicle is in a right / left turn standby state toward the oncoming lane, and the control unit includes When a left turn standby state is detected, the first irradiation unit is turned on and the light amount of the second irradiation unit is reduced or turned off, regardless of the presence of the joint. A headlight device according to claim 8 or claim 9.
According to this, at the time of waiting for a right or left turn to the oncoming lane side (right turn on left-hand traffic, left turn on right-hand traffic), the oncoming vehicle passes the own vehicle by mainly using the first irradiating unit at a low position. In this case, dazzling can be prevented.
When actually starting a right / left turn, the risk of the oncoming vehicle being present is low, and the irradiation range moves away from the oncoming lane with the execution of the right / left turn. Less likely to occur.

The invention according to claim 11 is characterized in that the control unit turns on the second irradiation unit when the own vehicle travels on a curved road turning in the direction of the own vehicle traveling lane. The headlight device according to any one of claims 7 to 10.
According to this, it is possible to prevent the irradiation light from the headlight of the own vehicle from being interrupted by an obstacle such as a guard rail existing on the road shoulder inside the turning direction, and to prevent the visibility of the own vehicle from being impaired.

The invention according to claim 12, wherein the vehicle state recognition unit includes a wet state detection unit that detects a wet state of a road surface on which the vehicle travels, and the control unit detects the wet state, The light amount of the second irradiating unit is increased and the light amount of the first irradiating unit is decreased with respect to the case where the wet state is not detected. 2. The headlight device according to claim 1.
According to this, when the road surface is in a wet state, by irradiating the road surface with a deep incident angle from above mainly using the second irradiation unit, the reflected light reaches far away and reaches other vehicles and the like. Dazzling can be prevented.

The invention according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle state recognition unit has a snowfall state detection unit that detects a snowfall state on a road surface on which the host vehicle runs, and the control unit detects the snowfall state. The light amount of the second irradiating unit is increased and the light amount of the first irradiating unit is decreased in a case where the snowfall state is not detected. 2. The headlight device according to claim 1.
When the road surface is in a snow-covered state, when the light is irradiated from a low position, the irradiation light is blocked by the unevenness of the road surface (snow surface) and the shadowed area is increased. By irradiating the road surface with a deep incident angle from above, visibility of the road surface state is improved, and it is possible to prevent the reflected light from reaching a distant place and dazzling other vehicles and the like.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a headlight device capable of realizing an appropriate irradiation state with a simple configuration.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a first embodiment of a headlight device to which the present invention has been applied. It is a figure which shows typically an example of the light distribution pattern of a high beam and a low beam in the headlight device of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows control at the time of a low beam in the headlight device of 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which shows typically the low beam irradiation state at the time of the pitching behavior of the vehicle which has the headlight device of 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the situation when the vehicle which has the headlight device of 1st Embodiment is near an intersection from the upper direction. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a vehicle having the headlight device according to the first embodiment is viewed from another vehicle when the vehicle is near an intersection. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the situation when the vehicle which has the headlight device of 1st Embodiment turns on the curved road which turns to the left from the upper direction.

<First embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a headlight device to which the present invention is applied will be described.
The headlight device according to the first embodiment is provided in an automobile such as a passenger car, for example.
In the description of each embodiment, the case of left-hand traffic will be described as an example, and the right and left will be reversed for right-hand traffic.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of the headlight device according to the first embodiment.

The headlight device 1 includes a high beam irradiation device 10, a lower low beam irradiation device 20, an upper low beam irradiation device 30, a levelizer device 40, a headlight control unit 50, and the like.
In addition, the headlight control unit 50 is connected with a posture detection unit 60, an environment recognition unit 70, a vehicle speed sensor 81, a raindrop sensor 82, and the like.

The high beam irradiator 10, the lower low beam irradiator 20, and the upper low beam irradiator 30 each include a light source such as an LED or a high-intensity discharge bulb and a driving device thereof, and a light emitted from the light source and the vehicle V1 (see FIG. 2 and the like). Is a headlamp unit having an optical system such as a lens or a reflector that irradiates a predetermined irradiation pattern in front of the headlamp.
The high beam irradiator 10, the lower low beam irradiator 20, and the upper low beam irradiator 30 are mounted on the front end of the vehicle body in such a manner that the optical axis can be adjusted by the leveler device 40.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a light distribution pattern of a high beam and a low beam in the headlight device according to the first embodiment.
The headlight device 1 of the vehicle (own vehicle) V1 has a high beam irradiation range IH that is a light distribution for traveling and a low beam irradiation range IL that is a light distribution for passing.
The high beam irradiation range IH is set so as to irradiate the low beam irradiation range IL far.
The low beam irradiation range IL is set so as to irradiate the high beam irradiation range IH with a range close to the host vehicle V1 in order to prevent dazzling (glare) of a preceding vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, and the like.
The low beam irradiation range IL has a cutoff line in which the irradiation range on the oncoming lane L2 side is limited with respect to the own vehicle traveling lane L1 side in order to suppress dazzling to oncoming vehicles.

The light distribution pattern and the optical axis of the high beam irradiation device 10 are set so as to irradiate the high beam irradiation range IH.
The light distribution pattern and the optical axis of the lower low beam irradiation device 20 and the upper low beam irradiation device 30 are set so as to irradiate the low beam irradiation range IL.
The lower low beam irradiation device 20 and the upper low beam irradiation device 30 function as first and second irradiation units according to the present invention.
The upper low-beam irradiation device 30 is arranged such that the installation location at the front end of the vehicle body is above the lower low-beam irradiation device 20.
As a result, even though the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 has the same irradiation range as the lower low-beam irradiation device 20, the optical axis of the irradiation light B (see FIG. 4) is the irradiation light A of the lower low-beam irradiation device 20. Is set downward with respect to the optical axis.
The irradiation light B of the upper low beam irradiation device 30 is incident on the road surface at a deep angle (in a state where the angle between the road surface and the optical axis is large) with respect to the irradiation light A of the lower low beam irradiation device 20.
Note that the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 and the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 may be configured to be offset in the horizontal direction.

  The high beam irradiation device 10, the lower low beam irradiation device 20, and the upper low beam irradiation device 30 can be configured as, for example, a front combination lamp housed in a common housing. It may be configured to be attached to the vehicle body.

Levelizer device 40, low-beam irradiation device 10, lower low-beam irradiation device 20, so that the irradiation range is appropriate for a steady posture change in the pitching direction due to the weight of the occupant of the vehicle or the load, etc. The optical axis of the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 is adjusted in the vertical direction.
The levelizer device 40 has a function of relatively displacing the high beam irradiation device 10, the lower low beam irradiation device 20, and the upper low beam irradiation device 30 with respect to the vehicle body by, for example, an electric actuator such that the optical axis thereof swings in the vertical direction. Have.

The headlight control unit 50 switches the high beam irradiation device 10, the lower low beam irradiation device 20, and the upper low beam irradiation device 30 between the lighting state and the light-off state, and adjusts the light amount in the lighting state stepwise or continuously. It has an optical function.
Further, the headlight control unit 50 drives the levelizer device 40 so that the irradiation range of each irradiation device becomes appropriate with respect to the steady change in the attitude of the vehicle V1 in the pitching direction detected by the attitude detection unit 60. It has a function to correct the optical axis by giving a command.
The headlight control unit 50 performs control for switching between irradiation by the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 and irradiation by the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 according to the state of the vehicle V1 and the surrounding environment when irradiating the low-beam irradiation range IL. It has a function as a unit.
Further, the headlight control unit 50 functions as a vehicle state recognition unit according to the present invention in cooperation with the attitude detection unit 60, the environment recognition unit 70, and the like.
This will be described in detail later.

The posture detection unit 60 detects the height and posture of the host vehicle V1.
A front vehicle height sensor 61, a rear vehicle height sensor 62, and the like are connected to the posture detection unit 60.
The front vehicle height sensor 61 and the rear vehicle height sensor 62 are provided on a shock absorber (damper) of a front suspension and a rear suspension that respectively support a front wheel and a rear wheel of the vehicle, and detect a change in stroke from a reference state. is there.
The posture detection unit 60 is configured to detect a difference between stroke changes detected by the front vehicle height sensor 61 and the rear vehicle height sensor 62 in a pitching direction of the vehicle (a swing direction around a rotation center axis along the vehicle width direction). It is possible to detect behavior.
The posture detection unit 60 functions as a pitching detection unit according to the present invention.

The environment recognition unit 70 recognizes the environment around the host vehicle V1 using various sensors provided on the host vehicle V1.
The environment recognition unit 70 functions as the other vehicle detection unit, road shape detection unit, right / left turn standby state detection unit, and snow accumulation state detection unit according to the present invention.
The headlight control unit 50, the posture detection unit 60, and the environment recognition unit 70 each include an information processing device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a RAM and a ROM, an input / output interface, and a bus connecting these components. As well as being configured, it is connected via an in-vehicle LAN such as a CAN communication system, or directly connected to enable communication.

  The environment recognition unit 70 is connected to a stereo camera device 71, a millimeter wave radar device 72, a laser scanner device 73, a navigation device 74, a road-to-vehicle communication device 75, and the like, and can communicate with them.

The stereo camera device 71 captures an image in front of the host vehicle V1 with a pair of cameras spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, and performs known stereo image processing on an image captured by each camera.
The stereo camera device 71 calculates the relative position of the subject with respect to the own vehicle V1, and determines the type of the subject (vehicle, pedestrian, building, terrain, etc.).

  The millimeter wave radar device 72 detects an object existing around the own vehicle V1 using, for example, a 24 GHz band or a 79 GHz band millimeter wave radar, and determines the relative position and relative speed of the detected object with respect to the own vehicle V1. Is what you do.

  The laser scanner device 73 irradiates the area around the host vehicle V1 with laser light, and uses the scattered light generated when the laser light hits the object to three-dimensionally position and shape the object existing around the host vehicle V1. 3D LiDAR that performs dynamic scanning.

  The navigation device 74 has, for example, an own-vehicle position positioning device using GPS or the like and map data stored in a storage medium, and has a function of determining a road shape, a lane arrangement, and the like around the own vehicle V1.

  The road-to-vehicle communication device 75 acquires various information useful for vehicle operation, such as road information and weather information, with a ground station (not shown).

The vehicle speed sensor 81 is provided on a hub that rotatably supports the wheels, and outputs a vehicle speed signal that varies at a frequency proportional to the rotation speed of the wheels.
The running speed of the vehicle can be calculated based on the output of the vehicle speed sensor 81.
The vehicle speed sensor 81 functions as a stop detection unit that detects the stop state of the host vehicle V1.

The raindrop sensor 82 detects a rainfall state by detecting vibration when a raindrop collides with a windshield (not shown) of the vehicle during rainfall.
The raindrop sensor 82 is used not only for controlling an automatic mode of a wiper device (not shown) but also for detecting a rainfall state (road surface wet state) in headlight control described later.

Hereinafter, control at the time of low beam irradiation in the headlight device of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing control at the time of low beam in the headlight device of the first embodiment.
Hereinafter, description will be given step by step.

<Step S01: other vehicle detection determination>
The headlamp control unit 50 determines whether there is another vehicle such as a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle in front of the host vehicle V1 based on information from the environment recognition unit 70.
Here, it is assumed that the other vehicles include automobiles having four or more wheels, such as passenger cars, trucks, and buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and the like.
When another vehicle is detected ahead of the own vehicle V1, the process proceeds to step S02, and otherwise, the process proceeds to step S04.

<Step S02: Judgment of pitching state of own vehicle>
The headlamp control unit 50 is in a pitching state showing a behavior in which the host vehicle V1 vibrates (oscillates) at a swing angle equal to or greater than a preset threshold value in the pitching direction based on information from the attitude detection unit 60. It is determined whether or not.
When it is in the pitching state, the process proceeds to step S03, and otherwise, the process proceeds to step S10.

<Step S03: other vehicle distance determination>
The headlamp control unit 50 acquires, from the environment recognition unit 70, information on the relative distance of the other vehicle from the host vehicle V1 detected in step S01.
If the relative distance of the other vehicle is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, the process proceeds to step S10, otherwise, the process proceeds to step S11.

<Step S04: Intersection approach judgment>
The headlight control unit 50 determines, based on information from the environment recognition unit 70, whether or not an intersection (crossroad, toll road, junction, branch road, etc.) exists within a predetermined range in front of the vehicle V1. Determine.
If there is an intersection within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S05; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S07.

<Step S05: Stoppage judgment>
The headlight control unit 50 determines whether or not the host vehicle V1 is currently stopped (zero vehicle speed) based on the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 81.
If the host vehicle V1 is stopped, the process proceeds to step S06; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S10.

<Step S06: Right Turn Standby State Determination>
The headlight control unit 50 determines whether or not the host vehicle V1 is in a right turn standby state based on information from the environment recognition unit 70.
For example, when the host vehicle V1 is in a stopped state and the position of the host vehicle V1 is in the right turn lane L5 (see FIG. 5), it is determined that the vehicle is in a right turn standby state.
When the host vehicle V1 is in the right turn standby state, the process proceeds to step S11, and otherwise, the process proceeds to step S12.

<Step S07: Left corner running judgment>
Based on the information from the environment recognition unit 70, the headlight control unit 50 determines a left corner that is a curved road on which the host vehicle V1 turns to the left (host vehicle traveling lane side) with a curvature greater than or equal to a preset threshold value. It is determined whether the vehicle is running.
If the vehicle is traveling on the left corner having a curvature equal to or larger than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S10. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S08.

<Step S08: Passing completion determination>
The headlamp control unit 50, based on the information from the environment recognition unit 70, immediately after the own vehicle V1 completes the passing with another vehicle (oncoming vehicle) traveling in the opposite direction to the own vehicle traveling direction (after the passing) (Within a predetermined time).
When it is determined that the passing is completed immediately, the process proceeds to step S10, and otherwise, the process proceeds to step S09.

<Step S09: Road surface wet / snow determination>
The headlight control unit 50 determines a wet state in which the road surface is wet and a snow state in which the road surface is covered with snow, based on the output of the raindrop sensor 82 and information from the environment recognition unit 70.
For example, when rainfall is detected based on the output of the raindrop sensor 82, it can be determined that it is wet.
Further, the wet state and the snowy state may be determined based on the captured image of the stereo camera device 71, the weather information acquired by the road-to-vehicle communication device 75, and the like.
If it is determined that the road surface is in a wet state or a snowy state, the process proceeds to step S10; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S11.

<Step S10: Upper side lighting, lower side lighting off>
The headlight control unit 50 turns on the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 to irradiate the low-beam irradiation range IL, and turns off the lower low-beam irradiation device 20.
After that, a series of processing ends (return).

<Step S11: Upper side extinguished, lower side illuminated>
The headlight control unit 50 turns on the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 to irradiate the low-beam irradiation range IL, and turns off the upper low-beam irradiation device 30.
After that, a series of processing ends (return).

<Step S12: Simultaneous lighting of upper and lower sides>
The headlight control unit 50 simultaneously turns on the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 and the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 to irradiate the low-beam irradiation range IL.
After that, a series of processing ends (return).
When the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 and the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 are switched on and off, the light amount may be gradually changed in order to prevent a user such as a driver from feeling uncomfortable.

Hereinafter, effects of the headlight device of the first embodiment described above will be described.
FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing a low beam irradiation state during pitching behavior of a vehicle having the headlight device of the first embodiment.
FIG. 4A illustrates irradiation light of the lower low beam irradiation device 20 when the lower low beam irradiation device 20 and the upper low beam irradiation device 30 are simultaneously turned on in a state where the pitching behavior does not occur in the vehicle V1. A, the irradiation light B of the upper low beam irradiation device 30 is shown.
In a state where the pitching behavior does not occur, the irradiation range by the irradiation lights A and B is set to be the same (the low beam irradiation range IL in FIG. 2).
As is clear from FIG. 4A, the irradiation light B of the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 is incident on the road surface at a deep incident angle with respect to the irradiation light A of the lower low-beam irradiation device 20. In a wet state or a snow-covered state, it is possible to prevent the reflected light from being radiated to a distant place and dazzling other vehicles.
In addition, when the road surface has large irregularities in a snow-covered state or the like, it is possible to prevent the shadow from being formed on the far side of the convex portion and increase the number of portions that are not irradiated.

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 is turned on when the vehicle V1 is in a front-up posture in which the front end of the vehicle body is elevated due to the pitching behavior.
As described above, when the vehicle body is in the forward-upward posture, a part of the upper part of the irradiation light A of the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 may travel upward with respect to the horizontal plane, and may be in front of the host vehicle V1. If another vehicle, such as a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle, exists, there is a concern that occupants of the other vehicle may be dazzled.

FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a state in which the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 is turned on when the host vehicle V1 is in a front-up posture due to the pitching behavior.
As described above, even when the vehicle is in the forward-upward posture, the irradiation light B of the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 is irradiated downward relative to the irradiation light A when viewed from the vehicle body. Part of it is unlikely to be upward.
In the first embodiment, dazzling caused by pitching behavior is prevented by turning off the lower low beam irradiation device 20 and turning on the upper low beam irradiation device 30 in response to the detection of the pitching behavior.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation when a vehicle having the headlight device of the first embodiment is near an intersection, as viewed from above.
In FIG. 5, the host vehicle V1 is traveling from the lower side to the upper side on a one-lane road having the host vehicle traveling lane L1 and the oncoming lane L2.
In addition, at the center in the up-down direction (the front-back direction as viewed from the own vehicle V1) in FIG. 5, there is an intersection road extending in the left-right direction and having an intersection road lane L3 and an intersection road front lane L4. , An intersection J with the road on which the vehicle travels is provided.
A right turn lane L5 is provided between the host vehicle traveling lane L1 and the oncoming lane L2 adjacent to the intersection J.

When the host vehicle V1 is traveling toward the intersection and is located at the position P1 where the distance to the intersection J is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the headlight is used unless the environment recognition unit 70 detects another vehicle ahead. The control unit 50 turns on the lower low beam irradiation device 20 and turns off the upper low beam irradiation device 30.
In this way, in a state where dazzling of others is unlikely to become a problem, by irradiating the road surface with a shallow irradiation angle from the lower low beam irradiation device 20, it is possible to enhance the contrast due to unevenness of the road surface, and to visually recognize the road surface condition. Performance can be improved.

When the vehicle V1 moves forward from the position P1 and proceeds to a position P2 immediately before the intersection J, the vehicle V1 is headed in order to improve the visibility of the vehicle V1 from the other vehicle V2 approaching the left side lane L3 of the intersection road from the left. The light control unit 50 turns on the upper low beam irradiation device 30.
At this time, the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 is turned on at the same time when the vehicle stops without dazzling caused by the pitching behavior.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the vehicle having the headlight device according to the first embodiment is viewed from another vehicle when the vehicle is near an intersection.
FIG. 6 shows a state in which the host vehicle V1 at the position P2 is viewed from the other vehicle V2 in FIG.
When there is an obstacle such as an implant (hedge) H made of, for example, a shrub or the like adjacent to the own vehicle V1, the lower low beam irradiation device 20 relatively lower cannot be visually recognized from the other vehicle V2, The visibility of V1 is reduced.
In this regard, according to the first embodiment, by turning on the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 near the intersection, it becomes possible for the other vehicle V2 to visually recognize the light of the own vehicle V1 over the hedge H.

  When the vehicle V1 further advances from the position P2 and passes through the intersection J to reach the position P3, the headlight control unit 50 moves the lower low beam irradiation device 20 and the upper low beam irradiation device 20 in accordance with the presence or absence of other vehicles and the pitching behavior. The control returns to the normal control for switching on / off of the low beam irradiation device 30.

Further, when the vehicle V1 enters the right turn lane L5 and stops at the position P4 and enters a right turn standby state, the headlight control unit 50 turns on the lower low beam irradiation device 20 and turns off the upper low beam irradiation device 30. .
This can prevent dazzling of the other vehicle V3 (oncoming vehicle) traveling on the oncoming lane L2 toward the host vehicle.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation when the vehicle having the headlight device of the first embodiment travels on a curved road that turns leftward as viewed from above.
The host vehicle V1 is traveling from the lower side to the upper side in FIG. 7, and the host vehicle traveling lane L1 is a left corner that turns to the left (host vehicle traveling lane side) with a curvature greater than a predetermined value.
Inside the corner, a guardrail G is provided along the left end of the host vehicle traveling lane L1.
When the own vehicle V1 is at the position P11 and the other vehicle (oncoming vehicle) V4 is at the position P21, the other vehicle V4 has not yet entered the imaging range of the stereo camera device 71, and the environment recognition unit 70 V4 is not recognized.
In this case, as the vehicle enters the left corner, the headlight control unit 50 turns on the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 and turns off the lower low-beam irradiation device 20.
Thereby, similarly to the case of the intersection shown in FIG. 6, the possibility that the light of the own vehicle V1 is visually recognized from above the guardrail G from the other vehicle V4 is increased, and the visibility of the own vehicle V1 is improved. .

When the own vehicle V1 advances from the position P11 to the position P12 and the other vehicle V4 advances from the position P21 to the position P22, the other vehicle V4 is forward and relatively short distance from the own vehicle V1 (below the threshold value in step S03). ).
In this state, the environment recognition unit 70 has recognized the other vehicle V4.
At this time, the headlamp control unit 50 turns on the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 and turns off the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 in order to prevent dazzling the other vehicle V4.
At this time, there is a concern that the occupant of the vehicle V1 may be dazzled by lights such as headlights of the other vehicle V4.
That is, in the field of view of the occupant of the own vehicle V1, the area around the other vehicle V4 may be saturated with high luminance, and the contrast may not be recognized (so-called overexposure).
At this time, it is presumed that the occupant's concern is whether or not there is a space where the own vehicle V1 can safely pass from the position of the headlight of the other vehicle V4 and the position of the shoulder of the own vehicle traveling lane L1. Is done. For this reason, the line of sight of the occupant is often guided to the vicinity of the headlight of the other vehicle V4, and it is difficult to completely avoid such glare.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, when the own vehicle V1 advances to the position P13 and the other vehicle V4 advances to the position P23 and the passing is completed, the headlight control unit 50 turns on the upper low-beam irradiation device 30. , The lower low beam irradiation device 20 is turned off.
In this way, by illuminating the road surface from above, the occupant of the own vehicle V1 visually recognizes the road surface in a state where the contrast of the road surface is intentionally suppressed. It is possible to prevent a sudden change and a sense of incongruity from occurring.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The same low beam irradiation range IL is irradiated by switching on and off the lower low beam irradiation device 20 and the upper low beam irradiation device 30 which are arranged vertically offset according to the state of the host vehicle V1. Even in this case, it is possible to vary the angle of incidence on the road surface and the path through which the irradiation lights A and B pass, so that an appropriate irradiation state for preventing glare, improving visibility, and improving visibility can be achieved. For example, it can be obtained by a simple and inexpensive configuration without using complicated and expensive devices such as an LED light source array and a variable shade.
(2) By using the upper low beam irradiator 30 having a lower irradiation angle with respect to the lower low beam irradiator 20 when the vehicle body is in a forward-upward posture due to the pitching behavior of the host vehicle V1, the lower low beam is used. It is possible to prevent a part of the irradiation light A from the irradiation device 20 from being directed upward and dazzling other vehicles or the like.
(3) When the distance to the other vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold value, by using the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 in which dazzling due to pitching behavior is less likely to occur, dazzling occurs even when pitching behavior occurs thereafter. Can be prevented.
(4) When the distance to the other vehicle is less than the threshold value, dazzling due to the pitching behavior is unlikely to occur, so that it is difficult for the occupant of the other vehicle to directly enter the field of view even when the viewpoint is relatively low. By using the lower low beam irradiation device 20, dazzling can be appropriately prevented.
(5) After the passing with the oncoming vehicle is completed and the dazzling of the occupant of the own vehicle V1 due to the lights of the oncoming vehicle is eliminated, the upper low beam irradiation device 30 makes the road surface relatively bright from above by the upper low beam irradiation device 30. By irradiating, it is possible to reduce a sense of discomfort when the appearance changes from a state in which dazzling caused by lights of an oncoming vehicle has occurred.
(6) When approaching the intersection, by turning on the upper low-beam irradiation device 30, the irradiation light from the headlight of the vehicle V1 is blocked by obstacles such as implants, guardrails, and median strips. It is possible to prevent the visibility from other vehicles from being impaired.
(7) When the vehicle is stopped near the intersection, the lower low beam irradiation device 20 and the upper low beam irradiation device 30 are simultaneously By lighting, the visibility of the host vehicle V1 can be further increased.
(8) When waiting for a right turn to the oncoming lane, use of the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 located at a low position can prevent dazzling when the oncoming vehicle passes near the own vehicle V1.
When actually starting a right turn, the risk of the oncoming vehicle being present is low, and the irradiation range moves in a direction deviating from the oncoming lane with the execution of the right turn (start of the own vehicle V1). Dazzling due to behavior is also unlikely to occur.
(9) By using the upper low-beam irradiating device 30 during the left corner running, that is, turning to the traveling lane side of the own vehicle, the irradiation light from the headlight of the own vehicle V1 exists on the road shoulder inside the turning direction. Of the host vehicle V1 can be prevented from being blocked by the obstacle.
(10) When the road surface is in a wet state, by irradiating the road surface with a deep incident angle from above using the upper low beam irradiation device 30, the reflected light reaches far away and dazzles other vehicles and the like. Can be prevented.
(11) When the road surface is in a snow-covered state, when the light is irradiated from a low position, the irradiation light is blocked by the unevenness of the road surface (snow surface) and the shadowed area is increased. By irradiating the road surface with a deep incident angle from above, the visibility of the road surface condition is improved, and it is possible to prevent the reflected light from reaching far away and dazzling other vehicles and the like.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the headlight device to which the present invention is applied will be described.
The same parts as those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof will be omitted, and different points will be mainly described.
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the upper low-beam irradiation device 30 is turned off and the lower low-beam irradiation device 20 is turned on and irradiated after the passing with another vehicle is completed.
According to the second embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the above-described first embodiment (excluding the effects described in paragraph (5) of paragraph 0064), the passing of the vehicle with the oncoming vehicle ends, and After the dazzling of the occupant of the vehicle V1 due to the lights of the car is eliminated, the lower low beam irradiation device 20 irradiates the road surface with a shallow irradiation angle to emphasize the contrast due to the unevenness of the road surface and the like to improve the road surface condition. Visibility can be improved.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) The configurations of the headlight device, its control system, the vehicle, and the like are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed.
For example, in each embodiment, the lower and upper low beam irradiation devices are provided as the first and second irradiation units, but additional low beam irradiation devices other than these may be provided.
In addition, the present invention can be applied to a high beam irradiation device.
Further, the first and second irradiation units may be integrated in a common lamp unit.
(2) In each embodiment, when turning on one of the first and second irradiation units, the other is turned off, except for simultaneous lighting when the vehicle stops at an intersection. The ratio of the light amounts of the first and second irradiation units may be changed at an intermediate value other than 0: 100 and 100: 0.
For example, instead of turning off the illuminating portion from the lit state, the light may be reduced to a predetermined value or less, or the light amount may be increased from a low light-on state instead of being lit.
(3) In each of the embodiments, the threshold value of the pitching behavior for switching on / off of the first and second irradiation units is fixed. However, the threshold value may be changed according to the vehicle speed or the distance to another vehicle. Good.
(4) In each embodiment, the pitching is detected by detecting the stroke of the front and rear suspensions. However, the method of detecting the pitching is not limited to this. For example, the acceleration of the vehicle body may be detected by an acceleration sensor. . Further, another method such as directly detecting the pitching behavior of the vehicle body with a gyro sensor may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Headlight device 10 High beam irradiation device 20 Lower low beam irradiation device 30 Upper low beam irradiation device 40 Levelizer device 50 Headlight control unit 60 Attitude detection unit 61 Front vehicle height sensor 62 Rear vehicle height sensor 70 Environment recognition unit 71 Stereo camera Device 72 Millimeter-wave radar device 73 Laser scanner device 74 Navigation device 75 Road-to-vehicle communication device 81 Vehicle speed sensor 82 Raindrop sensor IH High beam irradiation range IL Low beam irradiation range A Irradiation light from lower low beam irradiation device B Irradiation light from upper lower beam irradiation device V1 Own vehicle V2 to V4 Other vehicle P1 to P23 Position of own vehicle or other vehicle L1 Own vehicle traveling lane L2 Oncoming lane L3 Cross road deep lane L4 Cross road near lane L5 Right turn lane H Implantation (hedge)
G guardrail

Claims (13)

A first irradiation unit that irradiates a predetermined irradiation range in front of the host vehicle;
Irradiating an irradiation range similar to the irradiation range of the first irradiation unit, and a second irradiation unit disposed at a position higher than the first irradiation unit;
A vehicle state recognition unit that recognizes the state of the vehicle,
A headlight device comprising: a control unit that changes a ratio between the light amount of the first irradiation unit and the light amount of the second irradiation unit according to a recognition result of the vehicle state recognition unit. The vehicle state recognition unit has a pitching detection unit that detects a pitching behavior of the vehicle,
When detecting the pitching behavior, the control unit increases the light amount of the second irradiation unit and decreases the light amount of the first irradiation unit with respect to the case where the pitching behavior is not detected. The headlight device according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle state recognition unit has another vehicle detection unit that detects the presence or absence of another vehicle ahead of the own vehicle and the relative position to the own vehicle when the other vehicle is present,
The control unit, when there is another vehicle whose distance from the own vehicle is equal to or more than a threshold, increases the light amount of the second irradiation unit with respect to the case where the other vehicle does not exist, and The headlight device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount of the irradiation unit is reduced. The control unit, when the distance from the own vehicle to the vehicle is less than the threshold, increases the light amount of the first irradiation unit and decreases the light amount of the second irradiation unit. The headlight device according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the other vehicle is an oncoming vehicle and the other vehicle detection unit detects passing, the control unit increases the light amount of the second irradiation unit and reduces the light amount of the first irradiation unit. The headlight device according to claim 4, wherein the headlight device is reduced. The control unit, when the other vehicle is an oncoming vehicle and the other vehicle detection unit detects the completion of passing, increases the light amount of the first irradiation unit and reduces the light amount of the second irradiation unit. The headlight device according to claim 4, wherein the reduced state is maintained. The vehicle state recognition unit has a road shape detection unit that detects a road shape ahead of the vehicle,
The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller changes a ratio between a light amount of the first irradiation unit and a light amount of the second irradiation unit based on the road shape. The headlight device according to claim 1. The road shape detection unit has a function of detecting a junction between a road on which the vehicle travels and another road,
The headlight device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit turns on the second irradiation unit when the joint is present within a predetermined range in front of the host vehicle. The vehicle state recognition unit has a stop detection unit that detects the stop of the vehicle,
The control unit is configured to control the first irradiating unit to the second irradiation unit when a junction between the own vehicle traveling road and another road exists within a predetermined range in front of the own vehicle and the own vehicle is stopped. The headlight device according to claim 8, wherein the headlight device is turned on simultaneously with the irradiation unit. The vehicle state recognition unit has a right / left turn standby state detection unit that detects that the vehicle is in a right / left turn standby state toward the oncoming lane,
The control unit turns on the first irradiating unit and reduces or turns off the light amount of the second irradiating unit, regardless of the presence of the joint, when the right / left turn standby state is detected. The headlight device according to claim 8, wherein: The control unit turns on the second irradiation unit when the own vehicle travels on a curved road that turns in the direction of the own vehicle traveling lane. The headlight device according to claim 1. The vehicle state recognition unit includes a wet state detection unit that detects a wet state of a road surface on which the own vehicle travels,
The control unit, when detecting the wet state, increases the light amount of the second irradiation unit and decreases the light amount of the first irradiation unit with respect to the case where the wet state is not detected. The headlight device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The vehicle state recognition unit has a snow-covered state detection unit that detects a snow-covered state of a road surface on which the vehicle runs.
The control unit, when detecting the snow condition, increases the light amount of the second irradiating unit and decreases the light amount of the first irradiating unit with respect to the case where the snow condition is not detected. The headlight device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein:

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