JP6742667B2 - Vehicle headlights - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a traveling headlight mounted on a vehicle.

Recently, a variable light distribution type headlight system has been developed that can appropriately check traffic obstacles in front of the vehicle at night and does not block the traffic of oncoming vehicles or preceding vehicles by the emitted light. There is. The variable light distribution headlight system detects an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle by analyzing an image captured by a vehicle-mounted camera, and directs the illumination light to an area other than the area where the oncoming vehicle or the preceding vehicle exists. The illumination light is limited to the area where the oncoming vehicle or the preceding vehicle exists while maintaining the shining state. With the variable light distribution type headlight system, it is possible to safely drive at night by using the driving headlight (high beam) without dazzling passengers of an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle.

As a specific mechanism for changing the light distribution pattern of the headlight, a mode of displacing the direction of the optical axis by driving a reflector that reflects light emitted from a light source by an actuator (for example, the following patents: (See Reference 1) or a mode in which the irradiation range of illumination light is finely controlled by frequently switching on/off of a large number of independent light sources (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1 below). ..

The former aspect is required to have a mechanism for movably supporting the reflector and operating the reflector in an appropriate posture, and to ensure durability that can withstand long-term use. The latter embodiment requires the installation of switching circuits to install and control multiple light sources. Therefore, both of them tend to be expensive.

JP, 2016-120871, A

"Audi (registered trademark) Matrix LED headlight", [online], Audi Akchen Gesell Shaft, [July 5, 2016 search], Internet <URL: http://www.audi.co.jp/jp/ brand/ja/vorsprung#durch#technik/content/2013/10/audi-a8-in-a-new-radiant-light.html>

An object of the present invention is to realize a traveling headlight that does not require a large number of light sources and can avoid dazzling passengers of an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle at low cost.

In the present invention, the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source installed on the opposite lane side of the vehicle is on the opposite lane side with respect to the reference axis which is a horizontal line passing through the light source and an axis parallel to the vehicle center line. The optical axis of the light that is directed and emitted from the light source installed in the part on the opposite lane side of the vehicle is on the opposite lane side of the reference axis, which is the horizontal line passing through the light source and parallel to the vehicle center line. When there is an oncoming vehicle in the oncoming lane , the amount of light flux emitted from the light source installed on the opposite lane side of the vehicle is reduced, and from the light source installed on the opposite lane side of the vehicle. A traveling headlamp for a vehicle is configured in which the amount of the emitted light beam is reduced and the amount of the emitted light beam is made larger than the amount of the light beam emitted from a light source installed at a site on the opposite lane side .

Further, in the present invention, the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source installed in the region on the opposite lane side of the vehicle is a horizontal line passing through the light source and the opposite lane is more than the reference axis which is an axis parallel to the vehicle center line. The optical axis of the light emitted from the light source that is directed toward the vehicle side and is installed in the area on the side opposite to the opposite lane of the vehicle is opposite to the reference axis that is a horizontal line that passes through the light source and is parallel to the vehicle center line. It is directed to the lane side, and when there is a preceding vehicle in the own lane, the light source installed in a part of the vehicle on the opposite lane side is turned off or the amount of light flux emitted from the light source is reduced, and A vehicle headlight that reduces the amount of light flux emitted from a light source installed on the opposite lane side, and increases the amount of that light flux more than the amount of light flux emitted from a light source installed on the opposite lane side Configured.

The term "oncoming lane side" means the center line side of the road, the driver's seat side of the vehicle, or the right side of the driver's seat in the country or region where left-hand traffic is adopted (the left side as seen from the front of the vehicle. ). "Anti-opposite lane side" is the opposite side of the oncoming lane side, that is, the outside side of the roadway (the shoulder, roadside belt, or sidewalk adjacent to the lane), the side opposite the driver's seat of the vehicle (passenger side) , In countries or regions where left-hand traffic is adopted, it refers to the left side when viewed from the driver's seat (right side when viewed from the front of the vehicle).

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a traveling headlight that does not require a large number of light sources and can avoid the dazzling of passengers of an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle at low cost.

The top view which shows the illumination range by the light source segment of the driving headlamp installed in the front-end part of the vehicle in this embodiment. The figure which shows typically the state which projected the illumination range by the light source segment installed in the site|part on the opposite lane side of the vehicle of the same embodiment on the screen which faces the vehicle. The figure which shows typically the state which projected the illumination range by the light source segment installed in the site|part on the opposite lane side of the vehicle of the same embodiment on the screen facing the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a lighting/extinguishing state of each light source segment in a situation where an oncoming vehicle exists in the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which an illumination range of a light source segment installed at a portion on the opposite lane side of a vehicle is projected on a screen facing a vehicle in a situation where an oncoming vehicle exists in the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a lighting/extinguishing state of each light source segment in a situation where a preceding vehicle exists in the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which an illumination range by a light source segment installed at a portion on the opposite lane side of the vehicle is projected on a screen facing the vehicle in a situation where a preceding vehicle exists in the embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the traveling headlamp according to the present embodiment is provided with at least one light source segment 1 or 2 on each of the left and right sides of a front end portion of a vehicle C. Each of the light source segments 1 and 2 includes an illumination light source that emits the illumination light 10 and 20, for example, a light emitting diode, and a reflector that directs the illumination light 10 and 20 emitted from the illumination light source toward the front of the vehicle C.

The illumination light sources of the light source segments 1 and 2 can be turned on/off independently of each other. In addition, each of the light source segments 1 and 2 can increase or decrease the amount of light flux emitted from the light source independently of each other. The control of the amount of light flux emitted from the illumination light source is realized by, for example, PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control in which the average amount of current applied to the light source is increased or decreased via a FET (Field Effect Transistor) or other semiconductor switching element. it can.

FIG. 2 shows an illumination range of the illumination light 10 emitted from the light source segment 1 installed on the left side when viewed from the driver's seat. FIG. 2 corresponds to a state in which the front of the vehicle C is viewed from the driver's seat or the passenger seat of the vehicle C. The value of the angle described in the upper part of FIG. 2 is the angle from the reference axis of the light source segment 1. The reference axis is a horizontal line that passes through the illumination light source and that is parallel to the vehicle center line. The angle of 0° means the front of the light source of the light source segment 1. The solid, dashed, and chained rectangular frame lines each schematically represent a range in which the light source segment 1 gives an illuminance of 1 lux generally felt by the light source segment 1 at a position 100 m in front of the vehicle C (or the traveling headlight). Represent The solid line frame represents the illumination range when a normal amount of current is applied to the illumination light source, and the dashed frame line represents the illumination range when a less than normal current is applied to the illumination light source. .. Also, the chain line frame represents the illumination range when the current applied to the illumination light source is further reduced. When the amount of current applied to the illumination light source is reduced, the amount of the luminous flux emitted from the illumination light source is reduced, and the range for giving an illuminance of 1 lux is also reduced.

The optical axis of the illumination light 10 emitted from the light source segment 1 installed on the left side of the driver's seat (in other words, the position of the highest luminous intensity point of the illumination light 10) is directed to the left of the reference axis, The light source segment 1 mainly illuminates a region to the left of the vehicle center line, that is, the road shoulder side of the own lane CL. In particular, in the present embodiment, the illumination range of the light source segment 1 is moved to the left side as much as possible, and the light flux is not emitted to the right side of the reference axis of the light source segment 1 so much. By reducing the amount of current applied to the illumination light source, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 2, the area on the left side of the reference axis of the light source segment 1 is provided with illuminance capable of ensuring forward visibility, and It is also possible not to apply an illuminance of more than 1 lux to the area.

FIG. 3 shows an illumination range of the illumination light 20 emitted from the light source segment 2 installed on the right side when viewed from the driver's seat. FIG. 3 corresponds to a state in which the front of the vehicle C is viewed from the driver's seat or the passenger seat of the vehicle C. The value of the angle described in the upper part of FIG. 3 is the angle from the reference axis of the light source segment 2. The angle of 0° means the front of the light source of the light source segment 2. Then, similar to FIG. 2, each of the rectangular frame lines of the solid line, the broken line, and the chain line schematically represents a range in which the light source segment 2 gives an illuminance of 1 lux at a position 100 m in front of the vehicle C.

The optical axis of the illumination light 20 emitted from the light source segment 2 installed on the right side when viewed from the driver's seat is directed to the right of the reference axis, and the light source segment 2 is mainly a region to the right of the vehicle center line. That is, the opposite lane OL side is illuminated. In particular, in the present embodiment, the illumination range of the light source segment 2 is moved to the right side as much as possible, and the luminous flux is not emitted much to the left side of the reference axis of the light source segment 2. By reducing the amount of current applied to the illumination light source, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 3, the area on the right side of the reference axis of the light source segment 2 is provided with illuminance that can ensure forward visibility, while It is also possible not to apply an illuminance of more than 1 lux to the area.

In the area directly in front of the vehicle and in the area where the vehicle center line extends (toward the front), as shown in FIG. 1, the light flux emitted from the light source segment 1 on the left side and the light source segment 2 on the right side are emitted. The necessary luminous intensity is ensured by the combination with the luminous flux that forms.

The electronic control unit (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the variable light distribution headlight system of the vehicle C according to the present embodiment is a moving image captured by an in-vehicle camera (image sensor) capable of capturing the front of the vehicle C. Is analyzed and, for example, the headlight of the oncoming vehicle O and the taillight of the preceding vehicle F appearing in the image are detected, and the like, the oncoming vehicle O traveling in the oncoming lane OL and/or the preceding vehicle traveling in the own lane CL. Recognize the existence of F.

When recognizing the presence of the oncoming vehicle O traveling in the oncoming lane OL, the ECU turns off the light source of the light source segment 2 on the right side of the driver's seat as shown in FIG. The amount of current applied to the light source (or the DUTY ratio of the applied current by PWM control) is greatly reduced compared to the normal amount to significantly reduce the amount of light flux emitted from the light source. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the ECU reduces the amount of current applied to the light source of the light source segment 1 on the left side as viewed from the driver's seat (or the duty ratio of the applied current) to a value lower than usual, and thus the light source concerned. The illumination range of the segment 1 is made smaller than usual. When the light source of the right light source segment 2 is not turned off, the amount of light flux emitted from the light source of the left light source segment 1 is larger than the amount of light flux emitted from the light source of the right light source segment 2.

By the above operation, the light source segment 1 on the left side when viewed from the driver's seat is not turned off, and while maintaining the visibility in front of the vehicle C, it is possible to prevent the oncoming vehicle O from being illuminated with a headlight having a strong light amount. it can. The amount of current applied to the light source of the left light source segment 1 is preferably increased or decreased according to the distance between the vehicle C and the oncoming vehicle O and/or the relative position of the oncoming vehicle O viewed from the vehicle C. ..

Further, when the presence of the preceding vehicle F traveling in the own lane CL is recognized, the ECU turns off the light source of the light source segment 1 on the left side as viewed from the driver's seat, or, as shown in FIG. The amount of current applied to the light source of No. 1 (or the duty ratio of the applied current) is greatly reduced as compared with the normal amount to significantly reduce the amount of light flux emitted from the light source. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the ECU reduces the amount of current applied to the light source of the light source segment 2 on the right side as viewed from the driver's seat (or the duty ratio of the applied current) to a level lower than usual, and thus the light source concerned. The illumination range of the segment 2 is made smaller than usual. When the light source of the left light source segment 1 is not turned off, the amount of light flux emitted from the light source of the right light source segment 2 is larger than the amount of light flux emitted from the light source of the left light source segment 1.

By the above operation, the light source segment 2 on the right side when viewed from the driver's seat is not turned off, and while maintaining the visibility in front of the vehicle C, it is possible to prevent the preceding vehicle F from being illuminated with a headlight having a strong light amount. it can. The amount of current applied to the light source of the right light source segment 2 is preferably increased or decreased according to the distance between the vehicle C and the preceding vehicle F and/or the relative position of the preceding vehicle F viewed from the vehicle C. ..

In the present embodiment, when the oncoming vehicle O is present in the oncoming lane OL, the light source of the light source segment 2 installed at a portion of the vehicle C on the oncoming lane OL side (the right side when viewed from the driver) is turned off or is turned off from the light source. A traveling headlamp that reduces the amount of light flux emitted and also reduces the amount of light flux emitted from the light source of the light source segment 1 installed on the side of the vehicle C opposite to the opposite lane (left side when viewed from the driver) is configured. ..

In addition, in the present embodiment, when the preceding vehicle F is present in the own lane CL, the light source of the light source segment 1 installed at a portion of the vehicle C on the side opposite to the opposite lane is turned off or the amount of light flux emitted from the light source is changed. The traveling headlamp is configured to reduce the amount of the luminous flux emitted from the light source of the light source segment 2 installed on the opposite lane OL side of the vehicle C.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to realize a variable light distribution type headlight system that can prevent passengers of an oncoming vehicle O and a preceding vehicle F from dazzling at low cost. The amount of the luminous flux emitted from the illumination light source of the light source segments 1 and 2 which are the elements of the traveling headlight can be controlled by increasing or decreasing the amount of current applied to the light source, and the addition of hardware necessary for that can be minimized. The limit is enough. Furthermore, in the control of turning off the light source segment 1 (or the light source segment 2) installed on one side of the vehicle and reducing the amount of light emitted from the light source segment 2 (or the light source segment 1) installed on the other side, No complicated arithmetic processing is required.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in detail above. For example, the number of light source segments or light sources installed on the left and right sides of the front end of the vehicle is not limited to one each.

In addition, the specific configuration of each part can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to a traveling headlamp equipped on a vehicle.

1... Light source segment on left side of vehicle 10... Illumination light of light source segment on left side of vehicle 2... Light source segment on right side of vehicle 20... Illumination light of light source segment on right side of vehicle C... Vehicle CL... Own lane F... Preceding vehicle O Oncoming vehicle OL... Oncoming lane

Claims (2)

The optical axis of the light emitted from the light source installed on the opposite lane side of the vehicle is directed toward the opposite lane side with respect to the reference axis, which is a horizontal line passing through the light source and an axis parallel to the vehicle center line,
The optical axis of the light emitted from the light source installed in the part of the vehicle on the opposite lane side is directed toward the opposite lane side of the reference axis which is a horizontal line passing through the light source and an axis parallel to the vehicle center line. And
When an oncoming vehicle is present in the oncoming lane , the amount of light flux emitted from a light source installed on the opposite lane side of the vehicle is reduced, and the amount of light flux emitted from a light source installed on the opposite lane side of the vehicle is reduced. A vehicle headlight for a vehicle , which reduces the amount of light flux thereof and makes it larger than the amount of light flux emitted from a light source installed at a site on the opposite lane side . The optical axis of the light emitted from the light source installed on the opposite lane side of the vehicle is directed toward the opposite lane side with respect to the reference axis, which is a horizontal line passing through the light source and an axis parallel to the vehicle center line,
The optical axis of the light emitted from the light source installed in the part of the vehicle on the opposite lane side is directed toward the opposite lane side of the reference axis which is a horizontal line passing through the light source and an axis parallel to the vehicle center line. And
When there is a preceding vehicle in the lane of the vehicle, the light source installed in the area opposite to the opposite lane of the vehicle is turned off or the amount of light flux emitted from the light source is reduced, and the light source installed in the opposite lane of the vehicle A vehicle headlight for a vehicle, which reduces the amount of emitted light and makes the amount of the emitted light larger than the amount of emitted light from a light source installed at a site on the opposite lane side .

Images