JP2023168131A - Vehicular headlamp - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular headlamp capable of suppressing the deterioration of visibility of an area ahead of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicular headlamp 1 is equipped with a lighting unit 10, and a control portion CO to which a signal is inputted from a detection device 120 detecting an object located ahead of a vehicle 100. The control portion CO, when the object is not positioned ahead of the vehicle 100, controls the lighting unit 10 so as to emit light with a light distribution pattern PH of high beam, and when the object is positioned ahead of the vehicle 100, as compared with the case in which the object is not positioned ahead of the vehicle 100, controls the lighting unit 10 so as to decrease the light volume of the first areas 91a, 91b, and 91c overlapped with at least a part of the object, to increase the light volume of the second areas 92a, 92b, and 92c along at least a part of outer edges of the first areas 91a, 91b, and 91c, and to increase the light increasing volume of the second areas 92a, 92b, and 92c in proportion to the light decreasing volume of the first areas 91a, 91b, and 91c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle headlamp.

As a vehicle headlamp represented by an automobile headlight, one that changes the light distribution pattern of emitted light is known, and such a vehicle headlamp is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. ing.

The vehicle headlamp described in Patent Document 1 below includes a lamp unit that can change the light distribution pattern of emitted light, and a control section. The control unit controls the lighting unit based on information from a detection device that detects another vehicle located in front of the vehicle, so that light is irradiated around the other vehicle while suppressing irradiation of light to the other vehicle. to be done. For this reason, Patent Document 1 listed below states that it is possible to suppress glare from the vehicle headlights to the driver of another vehicle located in front of the vehicle.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-031807

When a region where the amount of light is reduced is formed as in the vehicle headlight of Patent Document 1, the driver of the own vehicle tends to see this region as well as the surroundings of the region, and the vehicle Forward visibility may be reduced. Therefore, there is a demand for suppressing such a decrease in visibility in front of the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle headlamp that can suppress a decrease in visibility in front of a vehicle.

To achieve the above object, the vehicle headlamp of the present invention includes a lamp unit that can change the light distribution pattern of emitted light, and a signal input from a detection device that detects a predetermined object located in front of the vehicle. and a control unit that controls the lamp unit, the control unit configured to emit light having a light distribution pattern including a predetermined light distribution pattern when the predetermined object is not located in front of the vehicle. when the predetermined object is located in front of the vehicle, the predetermined light distribution pattern is The amount of light in a first area that overlaps with at least a part of the object decreases, the amount of light in a second area along at least a part of the outer edge of the first area increases, and the amount of light increase in the second area increases. The present invention is characterized in that the lamp unit is controlled so that the amount of light attenuation in one area increases as the amount of light decreases in one area increases.

In this vehicle headlamp, the light distribution pattern of the emitted light changes depending on the situation in front of the vehicle, and the amount of light irradiated onto a predetermined object is reduced. For example, when the object located in front of the vehicle is another vehicle, the amount of light irradiated to the other vehicle is reduced. Therefore, according to this vehicle headlamp, it is possible to suppress glare from being given to the driver of another vehicle. Further, when the object located in front of the vehicle is a retroreflective object such as a sign, the amount of light irradiated to the retroreflective object is reduced. Therefore, according to this vehicle headlamp, the amount of reflected light that is reflected by the retroreflective object and directed toward the own vehicle can be reduced, and glare directed toward the driver of the own vehicle due to the reflected light can be suppressed. Furthermore, according to this vehicle headlamp, it is possible to suppress the appearance that the area around the first area where the amount of light decreases is dark compared to a case where there is no second area, and the visibility of the front of the vehicle is improved. The decline can be suppressed. Furthermore, the area around the first area tends to appear darker as the amount of light attenuation in the first area increases. In this vehicle headlamp, as described above, the amount of light increase in the second region increases as the amount of light decrease in the first region increases. Therefore, according to this vehicle headlamp, the area around the first area appears darker than when the amount of brightness increase in the second area is constant regardless of the amount of dimming in the first area. This can be more appropriately suppressed.

The control unit may control the lamp unit so that the greater the amount of light attenuation in the first region, the greater the amount of light increase per unit area in the second region.

With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the second region from becoming too large, and it is possible to prevent the driver of the own vehicle from feeling uncomfortable.

The control unit controls the lamp unit so that the greater the amount of light attenuation in the first region, the wider the width of the second region in a direction perpendicular to the direction along the outer edge of the first region. May be controlled.

With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the second region from becoming too bright, and it is possible to prevent the driver of the own vehicle from feeling uncomfortable.

The control unit may control the lamp unit so that the amount of light reduction in the first area and the amount of light increase in the second area are the same.

With such a configuration, an increase in energy consumption can be suppressed compared to a case where the amount of light increase in the second region is greater than the amount of light decrease in the first region.

The control unit may control the lamp unit so that the larger the area of the first area, the greater the amount of light increase per unit area of the second area.

The area around the first region tends to appear darker as the area of the first region becomes larger. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to more appropriately suppress the appearance that the periphery of the first area is darkened.

The control unit controls the lamp unit such that the larger the area of the first region, the wider the second region of the second region in a direction perpendicular to the direction along the outer edge of the first region. You may.

The area around the first area that appears darker tends to become wider as the area of the first area becomes larger. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to more appropriately suppress the appearance that the periphery of the first area is darkened.

When there are a plurality of predetermined objects located in front of the vehicle, the control unit may reduce the amount of light in the plurality of first regions corresponding to each of the predetermined objects, and reduce the amount of light in each of the first regions. The amount of light in each of the plurality of second regions along at least part of the outer edge of the second region increases, and the amount of light increase in each of the second regions increases as the amount of light decrease in the first region along which the second region runs increases. The lamp unit may be controlled as follows.

With this configuration, compared to a case where the amount of brightness increase in each second region is the same regardless of the amount of light attenuation in the first region along which the second region runs along, the amount of brightness around each first region is The appearance of darkening can be more appropriately suppressed.

In this case, the control unit controls the width of each of the second regions in a direction perpendicular to the direction along the outer edge of the first region to be narrower as the number of the first regions increases. The lamp unit may be controlled.

When adjacent second regions overlap, the region where the second regions overlap becomes too bright, which may make the driver of the own vehicle feel uncomfortable. However, with the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the adjacent second regions from overlapping, and it is possible to prevent the driver of the own vehicle from feeling uncomfortable.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle headlamp that can suppress a decrease in visibility in front of the vehicle.

1 is a plan view conceptually showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle headlamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a lamp part of one of the vehicle headlamps shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing the light source section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. It is a control flowchart of the control part in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a high beam light distribution pattern in the first embodiment. 6 is a diagram similar to FIG. 5 illustrating an example of an ADB light distribution pattern in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram similar to FIG. 6 illustrating an example of an ADB light distribution pattern in the second embodiment. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention will be illustrated together with the accompanying drawings. The embodiments illustrated below are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to be interpreted as limiting the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit. Furthermore, the present invention may be implemented by appropriately combining the constituent elements in each of the embodiments illustrated below. Note that in the drawings referred to below, the dimensions of each member may be shown with different dimensions to facilitate understanding.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a plan view conceptually showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle headlamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 of the present embodiment is an automobile, and includes a pair of left and right vehicle headlights 1, a light switch 110, and a sensor for detecting a predetermined object located in front of the vehicle 100. A device 120 is provided.

In this embodiment, each vehicle headlamp 1 mainly includes a lamp section 5, a control section CO, a memory ME, and a power supply circuit 50. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, "right" means the right side from the viewpoint of the driver of the vehicle 100, which is the own vehicle, and "left" means the right side from the viewpoint of the driver of the vehicle 100, which is the own vehicle. Means the left side in terms of perspective.

In this embodiment, the configuration of one vehicle headlamp 1 is the same as the configuration of the other vehicle headlamp 1, except that the shape of the lamp part 5 is generally symmetrical. Therefore, in the following, one vehicle headlamp 1 will be described, and a description of the other vehicle headlamp 1 will be omitted.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the lamp part 5 of one of the vehicle headlamps 1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the lamp section 5 mainly includes a lamp unit 10 and a casing 16.

The casing 16 mainly includes a housing 17 and a front cover 18. The front cover 18 transmits light emitted from the lamp unit 10. The housing 17 has a box shape with an opening at the front, and a front cover 18 is fixed to the housing 17 so as to close the opening. In this way, a housing space surrounded by the housing 17 and the front cover 18 is formed in the housing 16, and the lamp unit 10 is arranged in the housing space. This lamp unit 10 can change the light distribution pattern of emitted light, and includes a light source section 12 and a projection lens 15 as main components.

FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing the light source section 12 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the light source section 12 of this embodiment includes a plurality of light emitting elements 13 as a light emitting section that emits light, and a circuit board 14 on which the plurality of light emitting elements 13 are mounted. The plurality of light emitting elements 13 are arranged in a matrix to form rows in the vertical and horizontal directions, and emit light toward the front. These light emitting elements 13 can individually change the amount of light they emit. In this embodiment, these light emitting elements 13 are micro LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and the light source section 12 is a so-called micro LED array. Note that the number of light emitting elements 13 lined up in the horizontal direction and the number of light emitting elements 13 lined up in the vertical direction are not particularly limited.

In this embodiment, each light emitting element 13 corresponds to a pixel of an image generated by an image generation section of the control section CO, which will be described later. The light source unit 12 adjusts the amount of light emitted from each light emitting element 13 according to the data of the pixel corresponding to the light emitting element 13, thereby emitting light based on this image, and using the light to create an image in the image. form a light distribution pattern based on the In this embodiment, the light emitting elements 13 and pixels correspond one to one, but this is not particularly limited.

The projection lens 15 is disposed in front of the light source section 12 , the light emitted from the light source section 12 enters the projection lens 15 , and the divergence angle of this light is adjusted by the projection lens 15 . Therefore, light whose divergence angle has been adjusted by the projection lens 15 is emitted from the lamp unit 10, and the light is irradiated forward of the vehicle 100 from the lamp part 5 via the front cover 18. The projection lens 15 of this embodiment is a lens in which a light entrance surface and a light exit surface are formed in a convex shape. located above or near it. Therefore, the light distribution pattern of the light emitted to the front of the vehicle 100 is a light distribution pattern in which the light distribution pattern of the light emitted by the light source section 12 is reversed vertically and horizontally, and an image representing this light distribution pattern is , is an image in which an image representing a light distribution pattern of light emitted by the light source section 12 is reversed vertically and horizontally.

Next, the control unit CO shown in FIG. Consists of. Furthermore, when an NC device is used, the control unit CO may use a machine learning device or may not use a machine learning device.

The memory ME is configured to store information and read out the stored information. The memory ME is, for example, a non-transitory recording medium, and is preferably a semiconductor recording medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), but it may also be an optical recording medium or a magnetic recording medium. Any type of recording medium may be included, such as a recording medium. Note that "non-transitory" recording media includes all computer-readable recording media except for transitory, propagating signals, and does not exclude volatile recording media. do not have. The memory ME stores various programs for controlling the lamp unit 10 and information necessary for the control, and the control unit CO reads out the programs and information stored in the memory ME.

The control unit CO of this embodiment includes an image generation unit 20 and a light distribution control unit 40 in a state where various programs are read from the memory ME, and receives signals from a detection device 120 described later. The image generation unit 20 generates an image based on the image stored in the memory ME. In this embodiment, this image is a grayscale image in which the data of each pixel is a grayscale value, and the pixel with a larger grayscale value is brighter. However, the data of each pixel is not particularly limited. Further, the image information may be read from a memory outside the vehicle via a wireless communication device provided in the vehicle 100.

In this embodiment, the image stored in the memory ME is a high beam image. The high beam image is an image in which the light emitted from the light source section 12 forms a high beam light distribution pattern. The image generation unit 20 of the present embodiment processes the high beam image based on the information indicated by the signal input from the detection device 120, thereby reducing the amount of light in a part of the high beam light distribution pattern. At the same time, an image representing an ADB light distribution pattern in which the amount of light in some other areas is increased is generated.

The light distribution control unit 40 of the present embodiment controls the lamp unit 10 by controlling the power supply circuit 50 based on the information on the high beam image stored in the memory ME or the information on the image generated by the image generation unit 20. Control. As described above, the image generation unit 20 generates an image based on the information indicated by the signal input from the detection device 120. Therefore, it can be understood that the control unit CO receives a signal from the detection device 120 and controls the lamp unit 10 using the image generation unit 20 and the light distribution control unit 40.

The power supply circuit 50 includes a driver, and when a control signal is input from the light distribution control section 40, the driver adjusts the power supplied from a power supply (not shown) to each light emitting element 13 of the light source section 12. In this way, the amount of light emitted from each light emitting element 13 is adjusted, and the light source section 12 emits light based on the high beam image or the image generated by the image generation section 20. Then, light having the ADB light distribution pattern represented by the high beam or the image generated by the image generation section 20 is emitted from the lamp unit 10. Note that the more power is supplied to the light emitting element 13 corresponding to a pixel with a larger gray value, and in this embodiment, when the gray value exceeds a threshold value, power corresponding to the threshold value is supplied to the light emitting element 13. . Furthermore, in this embodiment, the driver of the power supply circuit 50 adjusts the power supplied to each light emitting element 13 by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control, thereby adjusting the amount of light emitted from each light emitting element 13. be done. However, the method of adjusting the amount of light emitted from each light emitting element 13 is not particularly limited.

The light switch 110 of this embodiment is a switch that selects whether or not to emit light. When the light switch 110 is on, it outputs a signal indicating light emission to the control unit CO via the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 101 of the vehicle 100, and when it is off, it does not output a signal.

The detection device 120 of this embodiment detects a predetermined object located in front of the vehicle 100. Examples of the predetermined objects include other vehicles such as preceding vehicles and oncoming vehicles, retroreflective objects, people such as pedestrians, and obstacles. The retroreflective object of this embodiment is an object that does not emit light itself but retroreflects the irradiated light at a predetermined spread angle. Examples of such retroreflective objects include road signs, line guide markers, etc. It will be done. The detection device 120 of this embodiment includes an image acquisition section 121 and a detection section 122.

The image acquisition unit 121 acquires an image in front of the vehicle 100, and the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 121 includes at least a part of the area that can be irradiated with light emitted from the pair of vehicle headlamps 1. It will be done. Examples of the image acquisition unit 121 include a CCD (Charged Coupled Device) camera, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), and a millimeter wave radar.

The detection unit 122 has, for example, the same configuration as the control unit CO. The detection unit 122 performs predetermined image processing on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 121, and detects the presence of a predetermined object, the position of the predetermined object in the image, and the predetermined position from the image subjected to the image processing. Detects the type of object, etc. When detecting a predetermined object located in front of the vehicle 100, the detection device 120 indicates information such as the presence of the predetermined object, the position of the predetermined object in the image, and the type of the predetermined object. The signal is output to the control unit CO via the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 101 of the vehicle 100. Further, when the detection device 120 does not detect a predetermined object located in front of the vehicle 100, the detection device 120 outputs a signal indicating that the predetermined object does not exist to the control unit CO via the ECU 101. It is not necessary to output a signal.

Note that the predetermined objects detected by the detection device 120, the number of types of predetermined objects, and the configuration of the detection device 120 are not particularly limited. For example, the image acquisition unit 121 may be a CCD camera and LiDAR, and in this case, the detection unit 122 detects a predetermined target object based on images acquired by the CCD camera and LiDAR.

Next, the operation of the vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment will be explained. In this embodiment, the operations of the pair of vehicle headlamps 1 are the same and synchronized. Therefore, below, the operation of one vehicle headlamp 1 will be described, and the description of the operation of the other vehicle headlamp 1 will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of the control unit CO in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the control flow includes steps SP11 to SP15.

(Step SP11)
This step is a step in which the control unit CO divides the cases depending on whether a signal is input from the light switch 110 and changes the next step. In this step, the control unit CO advances the control flow to step SP12 when a signal is input from the light switch 110, and advances to step SP15 when this signal is not input.

(Step SP12)
This step is a step in which the control unit CO divides the cases according to the signal input from the detection device 120 and changes the next step. In this step, if a signal indicating that the predetermined object does not exist is input from the detection device 120, the control unit CO advances the control flow to step SP13, and displays information about the predetermined object from the detection device 120. If a signal is input, the process advances to step SP14.

(Step SP13)
This step is a step in which the control unit CO controls the lamp unit 10 so that the high beam is emitted from the vehicle headlamp 1. In the present embodiment, the image generation unit 20 reads a high beam image stored in the memory ME, and the light distribution control unit 40 controls the power supply circuit 50 based on information on the high beam image to control each light emitting element of the light source unit 12. 13 to supply power. By supplying this power, the light source section 12 emits light based on the high beam image, and light having a high beam light distribution pattern is emitted from the vehicle headlamp 1. In this way, when a predetermined object is not located in front of the vehicle 100, a high beam is emitted from the vehicle headlamp 1. Then, the control unit CO advances the control flow to step SP11.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a high beam light distribution pattern in this embodiment. In FIG. 5, S indicates a horizontal line, and V indicates a vertical line passing through the center of the vehicle 100 in the left-right direction. Indicated by a thick line. In this embodiment, light is emitted from all the light emitting elements 13 when emitting the high beam, and the outline of the light distribution pattern of the high beam is approximately a horizontally long rectangle. Further, the hot zone, which is the region where the intensity of light in the high beam light distribution pattern PH is highest, is located on or near the intersection of the horizontal line S and the vertical line V. The intensity of light in the high beam light distribution pattern PH decreases as the distance from the hot zone increases.

(Step SP14)
In this step, control is performed so that the light distribution pattern of light emitted from the vehicle headlamp 1 becomes an ADB light distribution pattern corresponding to a predetermined object located in front of the vehicle 100 detected by the detection device 120. This is a step in which the unit CO controls the lamp unit 10. The ADB light distribution pattern in this embodiment includes a first region of the high beam light distribution pattern PH that overlaps at least a part of a predetermined object, and a second region along at least a part of the outer edge of this first region. This is a light distribution pattern in which the amount of light is changed. The change in the amount of light in the first area is a change that decreases compared to the case where the predetermined object is not located in front of the vehicle 100. The change in the amount of light in the second area is a change that increases compared to the case where the predetermined object is not located in front of the vehicle 100. Further, the amount of light increase, which is the amount of light that increases in the second region, increases as the amount of light attenuation, which is the amount of light that decreases in the first region, increases. In other words, the control unit CO decreases the amount of light in the first region and increases the amount of light in the second region of the high beam light distribution pattern PH compared to when the predetermined object is not located in front of the vehicle 100. At the same time, the lamp unit 10 is controlled such that the amount of light increase in the second region increases as the amount of light decrease in the first region increases.

Note that when there are a plurality of predetermined objects located in front of vehicle 100, a first area is provided for each predetermined object, and a second area is provided for each first area. Further, the amount of light increase in each second region increases as the amount of light decrease in the first region along which the second region runs increases. That is, in such a case, the control unit CO decreases the amount of light in each of the first regions that overlap at least a portion of each predetermined object, and decreases the amount of light in each of the first regions that overlap at least a portion of the respective predetermined objects. The lamp unit 10 is controlled so that the amount of light in the second region increases and the amount of light increase in each second region increases as the amount of light decrease in the first region along which the second region runs increases.

In this embodiment, in such control, the image generation unit 20 first reads a high beam image stored in the memory, and processes the high beam image based on information of a predetermined object input from the detection device 120. to generate an ADB light distribution image representing the above ADB light distribution pattern. Specifically, based on the information from the detection device 120, the image generation unit 20 darkens the pixels in the area corresponding to the first area in the high beam image, and darkens the pixels in the area corresponding to the second area in the high beam image. Performs processing to make pixels brighter. At this time, the amount of increase in brightness in the pixels in the area corresponding to the second area increases as the amount of decrease in brightness in the pixels in the area corresponding to the first area increases. The image generation unit 20 processes the high beam image in this way to generate an ADB light distribution image in which the brightness of a part of the high beam image is changed.

Next, the light distribution control section 40 controls the power supply circuit 50 based on the information of the generated ADB light distribution image to cause the light source section 12 to emit light based on the ADB light distribution image. Therefore, light having an ADB light distribution pattern corresponding to a predetermined object is emitted from the vehicle headlamp 1. Then, the control unit CO advances the control flow to step SP11.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the ADB light distribution pattern in this embodiment, similar to FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an ADB light distribution pattern when the vehicle 100 is located in front of the vehicle 100. FIG. In FIG. 6, a retroreflective object 81 is a road sign, a person 82 is a pedestrian, and another vehicle 83 is a preceding vehicle. In the ADB light distribution pattern PADB, the light amount in the first region 91a overlapping with the retroreflective object 81 is smaller than the light amount in the first region 91a in the high beam light distribution pattern PH. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the amount of reflected light that is reflected by the retroreflective object 81 and directed toward the vehicle 100, which is the own vehicle, and the amount of reflected light directed toward the driver due to the reflected light can be reduced. Can suppress glare. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the first region 91a has a rectangular shape that overlaps the entire retroreflective object 81. In the example shown in FIG. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing glare to the driver, the first region 91a only needs to overlap at least a portion of the retroreflective object 81, and the shape and size of the first region 91a are not limited. .

Further, in the ADB light distribution pattern PADB, the amount of light in the first region 91b that overlaps with the person 82 is smaller than the amount of light in the first region 91b in the high beam light distribution pattern PH. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, the amount of light irradiated onto the person 82 can be reduced and glare directed at the person 82 can be suppressed. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the first region 91b has a rectangular shape that overlaps the head of the human 82, and the first region 91b does not overlap most of the torso of the human 82. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing glare on the human 82, the first region 91b only needs to overlap at least a part of the human 82's head, and the first region 91b may overlap the entire human 82, The shape and size of the first region 91b are not limited.

Further, in the ADB light distribution pattern PADB, the light amount in the first region 91c that overlaps with the other vehicle 83 is smaller than the light amount in the first region 91c in the high beam light distribution pattern PH. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment, the amount of light irradiated to the other vehicle 83 can be reduced, and glare to the driver of the other vehicle 83 can be suppressed. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 6, the first region 91c is. It has a rectangular shape that overlaps above the license plate of the other vehicle 83. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing glare toward the driver of the other vehicle 83, the first region 91c only needs to overlap at least a portion of the visual recognition area through which the driver of the other vehicle 83 visually recognizes the outside of the vehicle. For example, the first region 91c may overlap the entire other vehicle 83, and the shape and size of the first region 91c are not limited. Note that the visual recognition unit is, for example, a front window when the other vehicle 83 is an oncoming vehicle, and is, for example, a side mirror, a rear window, an imaging device that images the rear of the vehicle, etc. when the other vehicle 83 is a preceding vehicle. These tend to be placed above the license plate.

Further, in this embodiment, the brightness of each of the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c is the same, and the amount of light per unit area of the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c is the same. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the area of the first region 91a is larger than the area of the first region 91b, and the area of the first region 91c is larger than the area of the first region 91a. The amount of light attenuation, which is the amount of light decreased in the first region 91a, is greater than the amount of light attenuation in the first region 91b, and the amount of light attenuation in the first region 91c is greater than the amount of light attenuation in the first region 91a.

Further, the second region 92a is a region along at least a portion of the outer edge of the first region 91a. Further, similarly to the second region 92a, the second region 92b is a region along at least a portion of the outer edge of the first region 91b, and the second region 92c is a region along at least a portion of the outer edge of the first region 91c. It is an area. In the example shown in FIG. 6, these second regions 92a, 92b, 92c surround the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c along the entire outer edges of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c. The amount of light in each of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c is greater than the amount of light in the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c in the high beam light distribution pattern PH.

Further, the amount of light increase, which is the amount of light increased in each of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c, increases as the amount of light decrease in the first region along which the second region runs increases. In the example shown in FIG. 6, as described above, the amount of light attenuation increases in the order of the first region 91b, the first region 91a, and the first region 91c. Therefore, the amount of brightness increases in the order of the second region 92b, the second region 92a, and the second region 92c. In this embodiment, the greater the amount of light attenuation in the first region along which the second region is, the greater the amount of light increase per unit area of the second region. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the amount of light increase per unit area is greater in the order of second region 92b, second region 92a, and second region 92c. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the amount of light increase in each of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c is the same as the amount of light decrease in the first region along which the second region runs. Further, the width of each of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the outer edge of the first region 91a, 91b, 91c is approximately constant in the direction along the same. The widths of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c are the same. Note that in the following, the widths of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c refer to the above widths.

Although explanations using illustrations are omitted, when the number of predetermined objects detected by the detection device 120 is one, the number of first regions is one, and the second region covers at least a part of the outer edge of the first region. This is one area along the line.

In this way, the vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment controls the distribution of the emitted light according to the situation in front of the vehicle 100 when the light emission is selected with the light switch 110.

(Step SP15)
This step is a step in which the control unit CO controls the lamp unit 10 so that the light from the vehicle headlamp 1 is not emitted. The light distribution control section 40 in the control section CO controls the power supply circuit 50 so that the light from the lamp unit 10 is not emitted. Therefore, light from the vehicle headlamp 1 is not emitted. Then, the control unit CO advances the control flow to step SP11.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when a predetermined object is not located in front of the vehicle 100, the control unit CO controls the control unit CO to emit light having a high beam light distribution pattern PH as a light distribution pattern including a predetermined light distribution pattern. The lamp unit 10 is controlled so that the light is emitted. Furthermore, when the predetermined object is located in front of the vehicle 100, the control unit CO controls the predetermined object in the high beam light distribution pattern PH. The amount of light in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c that overlaps with at least a part of the object is reduced, and the plurality of second regions 92a, 92b, 92c respectively extend along at least a part of the outer edge of each of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c. The lamp unit 10 is controlled so that the amount of light increases.

Therefore, as described above, in the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, when another vehicle 83 or a person 82 is located in front of the vehicle 100 as a target object, the other vehicle 83 or the person 82 is illuminated. The amount of light is reduced. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress glare from being given to the driver of the other vehicle 83 or the human being 82. Furthermore, when a retroreflective object 81 such as a sign is located in front of the vehicle 100, the amount of light irradiated to the retroreflective object 81 is reduced. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, the amount of reflected light that is reflected by the retroreflective object 81 and directed toward the own vehicle is reduced, and the glare directed toward the driver of the vehicle 100 due to the reflected light is reduced. Can be suppressed. Furthermore, according to the vehicle headlight of the present embodiment, the surroundings of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c, where the amount of light decreases, appear darker compared to the case where the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c are not provided. It is possible to suppress visibility of the vehicle 100, and to suppress a decrease in visibility in front of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the surroundings of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c tend to appear darker as the amount of light attenuation in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c increases. In the vehicle headlamp of this embodiment, the amount of light increase in each of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c increases as the amount of light reduction in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c along which the second region runs increases; The CO controls the lamp unit 10 so that it becomes like this. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, the amount of light increase in the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c is independent of the amount of light reduction in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c along which the second regions lie. Compared to the case where the distance is constant, it is possible to more appropriately suppress the appearance that the surroundings of the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c are darkened.

In addition, from the viewpoint of suppressing the appearance that the surroundings of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c are darkened, the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c are designed to cover more than half of the outer edges of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c. It is preferable to extend along the entire outer edge of the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c, and more preferably to extend along the entire outer edge of the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c. Further, when a part of the outer edge of the first areas 91a, 91b, 91c also serves as a part of the outer edge of the high beam light distribution pattern PH, the second areas 92a, 92b, 92c are It is preferable to extend along half or more of a portion of the outer edge other than the portion that also serves as the outer edge of the high beam light distribution pattern PH, and more preferably to extend along the entire portion.

Further, in the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit CO controls the unit area of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first region as the amount of light attenuation in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c increases. The lamp unit 10 is controlled so that the amount of light increase per hit is increased. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c from becoming too large, and it is possible to prevent the driver of the vehicle 100 from feeling uncomfortable.

In the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit CO also controls the amount of light reduction in each of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c and the amount of light increase in the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first region. The lamp unit 10 is controlled so that the values are the same. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, energy consumption is lower than when the amount of light increase in the second areas 92a, 92b, 92c is greater than the amount of light reduction in the first areas 91a, 91b, 91c. can suppress the increase in Furthermore, in the vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment, the widths of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c are the same. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1, the amount of brightness increase per unit area of each of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c can be determined based on the amount of light attenuation of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c, and Compared to the case where the regions 92a, 92b, and 92c have different widths, the load on the control unit CO can be reduced. Note that the amount of light reduction in each of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c may be different from the amount of light increase in the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first region, and the amount of light reduction in each of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c may be different. Each width may be different.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Note that components that are the same or equivalent to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and redundant explanations will be omitted, unless otherwise specified. In this embodiment, the ADB light distribution pattern corresponding to the predetermined object detected by the detection device 120 is different from the ADB light distribution pattern PADB in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram similar to FIG. 6 showing an example of the ADB light distribution pattern in this embodiment.

The second regions 92a, 92b, 92c of this embodiment are different from the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the amount of brightness increase in the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c increases as the amount of light decrease in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c along which the second region runs increases. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the width of each of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c becomes wider as the amount of light attenuation of the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c along which the second region extends increases. Further, in this embodiment, the brightness of each of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c is the same as in the first embodiment, and in the example shown in FIG. 7, the first region 91b, the first region 91a, The amount of light attenuation increases in the order of the first region 91c. Therefore, the width Wa of the second region 92a is wider than the width Wb of the second region 92b, and the width Wc of the second region 92c is wider than the width Wa of the second region 92a. In other words, the control unit CO controls the lamp unit 10 in this way. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c from becoming too bright, and it is possible to prevent the driver of the vehicle 100 from feeling uncomfortable.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the amount of light increase in each of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c is the same as the amount of light decrease in the first region along which the second region runs. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment, the amount of light increase in the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c is greater than the amount of light reduction in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c, similarly to the first embodiment. Compared to the case, the increase in energy consumption can be suppressed. Further, the amount of light increase per unit area of each of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c is the same. Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, the respective widths Wa, Wb, and Wc of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c are determined based on the amount of light attenuation of the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c. Therefore, the load on the control unit CO can be reduced compared to the case where the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c have different amounts of light increase per unit area. Note that the amount of light reduction in each of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c may be different from the amount of light increase in the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first region, and the amount of light reduction in each of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c may be different. The amount of brightness increase per unit area may be different.

Although the present invention has been described above using the above embodiment as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the control unit CO that controls the lamp unit 10 is described as an example to emit light having a high beam light distribution pattern PH when a predetermined object is not located in front of the vehicle 100. . However, when the predetermined object is not located in front of the vehicle 100, the control unit CO only has to cause the lamp unit 10 to emit light having a light distribution pattern including the predetermined light distribution pattern. is not restricted. For example, the predetermined light distribution pattern may be an additional light distribution pattern that is added to a low beam light distribution pattern to form a high beam light distribution pattern. In this case, for example, the lamp unit 5 is configured to include the lamp unit 10 and another lamp unit, and the control unit CO causes the other lamp unit to emit a low beam. In this case, a portion of the additional light distribution pattern and a portion of the low beam light distribution pattern may overlap. Further, the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c and the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c in the above embodiment may include regions that overlap with the low beam light distribution pattern in the additional light distribution pattern.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the plurality of first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c having the same brightness have been described as an example. However, the brightness of the first area is not limited, and for example, the amount of light in the first area may be zero. Further, the brightness in at least two of the plurality of first regions may be different from each other, and for example, the brightness of the first regions may be different depending on a predetermined overlapping object. For example, the first region 91c that overlaps with the other vehicle 83 may be darker than the first region 91a that overlaps with the retroreflective object 81. According to such a configuration, while suppressing glare toward the driver of the other vehicle 83, Deterioration in visibility of the retroreflective object 81 can be suppressed. Further, the first region 91a may be brighter than the first region 91b overlapping with the person 82. According to such a configuration, while suppressing glare on the person 82, a decrease in visibility of the retroreflective object 81 is suppressed. It is possible.

Further, in the first embodiment, the lighting device is designed such that the greater the amount of light attenuation in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c, the greater the amount of light increase per unit area of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first region. The explanation has been given using the control unit CO that controls the unit 10 as an example. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the lamp unit 10 is controlled such that the greater the amount of light attenuation in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c, the wider the widths of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first regions. The explanation has been given using the control unit CO as an example. However, the control unit CO controls the lamp unit 10 so that the amount of light increase in each of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c increases as the amount of light reduction in the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c along which the second region runs increases. The amount of light increase per unit area and the width of the second regions 92a, 92b, and 92c are not limited as long as they are controlled.

For example, the widths of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c may not be constant in the direction in which the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c follow the outer edges of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c. Further, the control unit CO also controls that the larger the amount of light attenuation in the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c, the larger the amount of light increase per unit area of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first region. The lamp unit 10 may be controlled so that the widths of 92b and 92c are increased. Further, the control unit CO controls the lighting unit 10 so that the larger the area of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c, the greater the amount of light increase per unit area of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first region. may be controlled. The surroundings of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c tend to appear darker as the area of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c becomes larger. Therefore, with such a configuration, it is possible to more appropriately suppress the appearance that the surroundings of the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c have become dark. The control unit CO may also control the lamp unit 10 such that the larger the area of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c, the wider the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first region. good. The area around the first areas 91a, 91b, 91c that appears dark tends to become wider as the area of the first areas 91a, 91b, 91c becomes larger. Therefore, with such a configuration, it is possible to more appropriately suppress the appearance that the surroundings of the first regions 91a, 91b, and 91c have become dark. In addition, the control unit CO is configured such that the larger the area of the first regions 91a, 91b, 91c, the greater the amount of light increase per unit area of the second regions 92a, 92b, 92c along the first region; , 92c may be controlled so that the widths of the lamps 92c are increased. Further, although explanations using illustrations are omitted, the control unit CO may control the lamp unit 10 such that the larger the number of first regions, the narrower the width of each second region. When adjacent second regions overlap, the region where the second regions overlap may become too bright, which may make the driver of the vehicle 100 feel uncomfortable. However, with such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the adjacent second regions from overlapping, and it is possible to prevent the driver of the vehicle 100 from feeling uncomfortable.

Further, in the above embodiment, the image generation unit 20 that processes a high beam image read from the memory ME to generate an ADB light distribution image has been described as an example. However, the method of generating the ADB light distribution image by the image generation unit 20 is not limited. For example, the image generation unit 20 generates an image of an area corresponding to the first area in the high beam image and an image of an area corresponding to the second area based on the information from the detection device 120, and generates these images in the high beam image. The ADB light distribution image may be generated by combining the images. Further, a plurality of images serving as an area corresponding to the first area in the high beam image, or a plurality of images serving as an area corresponding to these images and the second area may be stored in advance in the memory ME. In this case, the image generation unit 20 may select a specific image from these images based on information from the detection device 120, and synthesize the high beam image and the selected image to generate an ADB light distribution image. . Furthermore, the method of composing images is not limited, and may be, for example, compositing images using a layer function.

Further, in the above embodiment, the control unit CO that includes the image generation unit 20 and controls the lamp unit 10 based on the ADB image generated by the image generation unit 20 has been described as an example. However, the control unit CO does not need to include the image generation unit 20. In this case, for example, information regarding an ADB light distribution pattern corresponding to a predetermined object is stored in the memory ME in advance. This information includes information regarding the amount of light emitted from each light emitting element 13 such that the light emitted from the light source section 12 has an ADB light distribution pattern according to a predetermined object. Then, the control unit CO refers to information stored in the memory ME based on information on a predetermined object input from the detection device 120, and controls the lamp unit 10 based on the information.

Further, in the above embodiment, the light source section 12 having a plurality of light emitting elements 13 that can individually change the amount of emitted light has been described as an example. However, the light source section 12 is not limited. For example, the light source section 12 may include a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) including a plurality of reflective elements arranged in a matrix, and a light emitting section that irradiates the DMD with light. The DMD can adjust the amount of light emitted from the reflective surface of each reflective element in a predetermined direction, and adjusts the amount of light emitted from each reflective element in a predetermined direction based on the image generated by the image generation unit 20. It can be made into light. In this case, it can be understood that the reflective surface of each reflective element corresponds to a light emitting section that can individually change the amount of light emitted.

Further, in the above embodiment, the vehicle 100 including the pair of vehicle headlamps 1 including the control unit CO and the memory ME has been described as an example. However, at least one of the control unit CO and the memory ME may be shared by the pair of vehicle headlamps 1. Further, the signal output from the detection device 120 may be input to the control unit CO without going through the ECU 101 of the vehicle 100. Further, the vehicle equipped with the vehicle headlight 1, the number of vehicle headlights 1 included in the vehicle, etc. are not particularly limited.

According to the present invention, a vehicle headlamp capable of suppressing a decrease in visibility in front of a vehicle is provided, and can be used in fields such as headlights for vehicles such as automobiles.

1... Vehicle headlamp 10... Light unit 81, 82, 83... Predetermined object 91a, 91b, 91c... First region 92a, 92b, 92c... Second region 100 ...Vehicle 120...Detection device CO...Control unit PH...High beam light distribution pattern Wa, Wb, Wc...Width of second region

Claims (8)

A lighting unit that can change the light distribution pattern of emitted light,
a control unit that receives a signal from a detection device that detects a predetermined object located in front of the vehicle and controls the lamp unit;
Equipped with
The control unit includes:
If the predetermined object is not located in front of the vehicle, controlling the lamp unit so that light having a light distribution pattern including a predetermined light distribution pattern is emitted;
When the predetermined object is located in front of the vehicle, at least a portion of the predetermined light distribution pattern is The amount of light in the overlapping first region decreases, and the amount of light in a second region along at least a part of the outer edge of the first region increases, and the amount of light increase in the second region is greater as the amount of light reduction in the first region is greater. A vehicular headlamp characterized in that the number of the lamp units is controlled so that the number of the lamp units increases. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the lamp unit so that the greater the amount of light attenuation in the first region, the greater the amount of light increase per unit area in the second region. headlights. The control unit controls the lamp unit so that the greater the amount of light attenuation in the first region, the wider the width of the second region in a direction perpendicular to the direction along the outer edge of the first region. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle headlamp is controlled. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the lamp unit so that the amount of light reduction in the first area and the amount of brightness increase in the second area are the same. . The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the lamp unit so that the larger the area of the first area, the greater the amount of light increase per unit area of the second area. Headlights. The control unit controls the lamp unit such that the larger the area of the first region, the wider the second region of the second region in a direction perpendicular to the direction along the outer edge of the first region. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: When there are a plurality of predetermined objects located in front of the vehicle, the control unit may reduce the amount of light in the plurality of first regions corresponding to each of the predetermined objects, and reduce the amount of light in each of the first regions. The amount of light in each of the plurality of second regions along at least part of the outer edge of the second region increases, and the amount of light increase in each of the second regions increases as the amount of light decrease in the first region along which the second region runs increases. The vehicle headlamp according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lamp unit is controlled so as to. The control unit controls the lighting unit so that the larger the number of first regions, the narrower the width of each second region in a direction perpendicular to the direction along the outer edge of the first region. 8. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 7, wherein the vehicle headlamp controls:

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