JP6923583B2 - Vehicle headlights and vehicle headlight control methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle headlight and a vehicle headlight control method provided on the front surface of the vehicle body, and more particularly to a vehicle headlight and a vehicle headlight control method using a variable light distribution high beam technology. ..

Conventionally, a light distribution variable high beam (ADB: Adaptive Driving Beam) which is provided with a light emitting element array composed of a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements and can irradiate a plurality of irradiation regions divided in the left-right direction above the horizon. ) A vehicle headlight using the technique has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In a vehicle headlight using such ADB technology, a vehicle in front such as a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle is detected, and the light emitting element array is controlled so as to individually non-illuminate the area corresponding to the position. So, I try not to give glare to the driver of the vehicle in front.

With headlights using ADB technology, the front of the vehicle is photographed with an image pickup device, the headlamps and tail lamps of the vehicle in front are identified by image recognition, and the light from the light emitting element array is applied to the area corresponding to the vehicle in front. Is non-irradiated. In addition, the high beam is selectively irradiated to the area where the vehicle in front is absent, making it easier for the driver of the vehicle to visually recognize the pedestrian. As described above, the ADB technology improves the front visibility during night driving without giving glare to the driver of the vehicle in front.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing irradiation of light using the conventional ADB technique. The low beam and the high beam 2 are radiated forward from the headlight 1a of the vehicle 1. In FIG. 8, the irradiation range of the low beam is not shown. The pedestrians 3a to 3g shown in the figure are located at equal intervals from the vehicle 1, for example, showing a case where the intervals are about 10 m.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the conventional ADB technology, since the high beam 2 is irradiated up to about 4.0 to 8.0 degrees above the horizontal, the light is emitted from the vicinity of the vehicle 1 to a high position far away. Can be irradiated. However, on the other hand, all of the pedestrians 3a to 3g in front of the vehicle 1 are irradiated with the high beam 2 at the height of the face. In particular, since the pedestrians 3a to 3c located 10 to 30 m in front of the vehicle 1 are located in the vicinity of the vehicle 1, the light emitted from the high beam 2 to the upper body and the height of the face is strong, and the vehicle 1 has a strong light. Strong glare was given to pedestrians 3a to 3c in the vicinity.

However, even if an attempt is made to prevent glare on the pedestrians 3a to 3g as in the case of the vehicle in front, the pedestrians 3a to 3g do not emit light by themselves and the visibility changes greatly depending on the clothes and the surrounding environment. It was difficult to detect by image recognition similar to the above. In order to detect pedestrians 3a to 3g, for example, a method of irradiating the front of the vehicle 1 with infrared rays to capture an infrared image can be considered, but only pedestrians 3a to 3g can be reliably recognized from various surrounding environments. It was difficult to do. Further, since it is necessary to use an infrared irradiation device and an infrared camera separately from the recognition of the vehicle in front, there is a problem that the number of parts and the weight of the vehicle increase.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-168434

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is necessary to reduce glare given to a pedestrian and a vehicle in front without providing a special detection mechanism for detecting a pedestrian, and to secure forward visibility. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle headlight and a method for controlling a vehicle headlight.

In order to solve the above problems, in the vehicle headlight of the present invention, the low beam irradiation unit that irradiates the lower irradiation region below the cut-off line and the selective irradiation region above the cut-off line are covered. ADB irradiation unit that selectively irradiates light, and an additional high beam irradiation unit that irradiates light to a distant irradiation area above the selective irradiation area, and the position of a vehicle in front of the vehicle in front of the vehicle. A control unit that controls light emission of the low beam irradiation unit, the ADB irradiation unit, and the additional high beam irradiation unit based on the position information indicating the vehicle speed and the traveling speed information indicating the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, and the selective irradiation region upper end, Ri range der of 0.7 to 1.5 degrees from the horizontal upwardly, the control unit is not to use the information indicating the presence of a pedestrian in controlling the light emission of the ADB irradiation unit It is a feature.

In such a vehicle headlight of the present invention, since the upper end of the light emitted from the ADB irradiation unit is in the range of 0.7 to 1.5 degrees upward from the horizontal direction, ADB irradiation is performed in the vicinity of the vehicle. The light from the part does not irradiate the pedestrian's head, and it is possible to reduce glare given to the pedestrian and the vehicle in front without providing a special detection mechanism to detect the pedestrian, and to ensure forward visibility. Become.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, when the traveling speed information is equal to or higher than the first speed and less than the second speed, the control unit turns off the additional high beam irradiation unit and turns on the ADB irradiation unit. Then, when the traveling speed information is equal to or higher than the second speed and the position information does not include the vehicle ahead, the additional high beam irradiation unit is turned on.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the control unit turns off the additional high beam irradiation unit when the traveling speed information is equal to or higher than the second speed and the position information includes a vehicle ahead. ..

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the control unit lights the low beam irradiation unit regardless of the presence or absence of a vehicle in front and the traveling speed information in the position information.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the ADB irradiation unit includes a left side ADB unit that irradiates light from the center of the vehicle to the left side and a right side ADB unit that irradiates light to the right side, and the left side ADB unit and the right side. The ADB unit has a plurality of light emitting elements, and one of the left ADB unit or the right ADB unit located near the oncoming lane is used as an oncoming vehicle side headlight and the other is used as a pedestrian side headlight. The light irradiation range of the light emitting element closest to the center of the vehicle in the oncoming vehicle side headlight is the light irradiation of the light emitting element closest to the center of the vehicle in the pedestrian side headlight. Wider than the range .

Further, in order to solve the above problems, in the control method of the vehicle headlight of the present invention, a low beam irradiation unit that irradiates light only to the lower irradiation region below the cut-off line and a low beam irradiation unit above the cut-off line. A method for controlling a vehicle headlight including an ADB irradiation unit that selectively irradiates a selective irradiation region with light and an additional high beam irradiation unit that irradiates light above the selective irradiation region. The upper end of the selective irradiation region is in the range of 0.7 to 1.5 degrees upward from the horizontal direction, and the position information acquisition step for acquiring the position information indicating the position of the vehicle in front of the vehicle in front of the vehicle. , A speed measurement step for measuring the traveling speed information of the vehicle, and a determination step for determining the light emission of the low beam irradiation unit, the ADB irradiation unit, and the additional high beam irradiation unit based on the position information and the traveling speed information. In the determination step, when the traveling speed information is equal to or higher than the first speed and less than the second speed, the additional high beam irradiation unit is turned off, the ADB irradiation unit is turned on, and the ADB irradiation unit is controlled. It is characterized in that information indicating the presence of a pedestrian is not used when controlling light emission.

In the present invention, vehicle headlights and vehicle headlights that can reduce glare given to pedestrians and vehicles in front without providing a special detection mechanism for detecting pedestrians and ensure forward visibility. Control method can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of the vehicle headlight 100 in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the lighting control of the low beam irradiation part 41, 51, the ADB irradiation part 42, 52 and the additional high beam irradiation part 43, 53 in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the light distribution in each case shown by (a)-(d) in FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the light irradiation and the prevention of glare from the ADB irradiation part 42, 52 to the selective irradiation area 72. It is a figure which shows typically the arrangement example of the ADB irradiation part 42, 52 and the additional high beam irradiation part 43, 53 in the 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the light distribution by the left side high beam unit LH and right side high beam unit RH in the 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 7 (a) is a graph showing an example of the horizontal angle of the light emitted from each of the light emitting diodes of the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 in the second embodiment, FIG. 7 (a) shows the left side selective irradiation region 72L, and FIG. 7 (b). ) Indicates the right-side selective irradiation region 72R. It is a figure which shows typically the irradiation of light using the conventional ADB technique.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the drawings shall be designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the vehicle headlight 100 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle headlight 100 includes a control unit 30, a left headlight 40, and a right headlight 50. Further, the camera 10 and the vehicle speed meter 20 are connected to the control unit 30, and signals can be communicated between the camera 10 and the vehicle speed meter 20. Further, the left headlight 40 and the right headlight 50 include low beam irradiation units 41 and 51, ADB irradiation units 42 and 52, and additional high beam irradiation units 43 and 53, respectively.

The camera 10 is a device attached to the front of the vehicle to capture a front image of the front of the vehicle. The structure of the camera 10 is not limited, and known ones such as ordinary CCD (charge-coupled device: Charge Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complementary MOS) can be used. Further, the image captured by the camera 10 may be a color image or a monochrome image. Further, the camera 10 is connected to the control unit 30 so as to be capable of information communication, and transmits the front image captured by the camera 10 to the control unit 30. The connection between the camera 10 and the control unit 30 may be a wired connection or a wireless connection. Here, the camera 10 is shown as a means for acquiring information in front of the vehicle, but a laser radar, a millimeter-wave radar, a lidar (Light Detection and Ranking), or the like may be used.

The vehicle speed meter 20 is a device that measures the traveling speed information of the vehicle. The specific configuration of the vehicle speed meter 20 is not limited, and it may be used in combination with a device provided in advance in the vehicle, or a dedicated device may be used separately. The vehicle speed meter 20 is connected to the control unit 30 so as to be able to communicate information, and transmits the traveling speed information measured by the vehicle speed meter 20 to the control unit 30. The connection between the vehicle speed meter 20 and the control unit 30 may be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

The control unit 30 is an information processing means that is connected to the camera 10 and the vehicle speed meter 20 so as to be able to communicate with each other, and is electrically connected to the left headlight 40 and the right headlight 50. The control unit 30 acquires the position information of the preceding vehicle such as the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle from the front image from the camera 10 by image recognition, and based on the position information and the traveling speed information of the preceding vehicle, the left headlight 40 The control method of the vehicle headlight is executed by controlling the lighting of each part and each part of the right side headlight 50. The method of recognizing the position information of the vehicle in front from the front image is not limited, and a known technique such as a method of extracting light from the tail light of the preceding vehicle or the headlight of the oncoming vehicle can be used. The specific configuration of the control unit 30 is not limited, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an IC (Integrated Circuit), a SoC (System on Chip), or the like can be used. Further, it may have a known configuration such as an external storage device and a program.

The left headlight 40 is a device arranged on the left front side of the vehicle to irradiate the front of the vehicle with light, and has a low beam irradiation unit 41, an ADB irradiation unit 42, and an additional high beam irradiation unit 43. .. The right headlight 50 is a device arranged on the right front side of the vehicle to irradiate the front of the vehicle with light, and has a low beam irradiation unit 51, an ADB irradiation unit 52, and an additional high beam irradiation unit 53. .. In a country where a vehicle travels on the left side of the road, the left side headlight 40 is a pedestrian side headlight because the right side of the vehicle is the area where oncoming vehicles pass and the left side is the area where pedestrians pass. The right headlight 50 is a headlight on the oncoming vehicle side. In countries where vehicles travel on the right side of the road, the left headlight 40 is the oncoming vehicle side headlight and the right side headlight 50 is the pedestrian side headlight.

The low beam irradiation units 41 and 51 are illumination devices that irradiate light only to the lower irradiation region below the cut-off line, respectively. The light distribution of the light emitted by the low beam irradiation units 41 and 51 is such that the upper end thereof is about 0.57 degrees downward from the horizontal direction, and the light is blocked by a known cut-off line. The specific configuration of the low beam irradiation units 41 and 51 is not limited, and may be configured as a composite unit integrated with other lighting devices, or may be configured as an independent low beam unit. Further, a known light source can be used, and the light emitting diode (LED: Light Emitting Diode) may be a halogen lamp, a discharge lamp, or the like.

The ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 are lighting devices that irradiate light above the cut-off line and selectively irradiate the selective irradiation region divided into a plurality of ranges in the left-right direction. The specific configuration of the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 is not limited, and examples thereof include those in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged in an array and each LED is selectively lit. Further, the light distribution of the light emitted by the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 has an upper end in the range of 0.7 to 1.5 degrees upward from the horizontal direction. Here, the upper end of the light distribution distribution indicates the upper end portion of the region irradiated with a predetermined luminous intensity, and is, for example, the upper end of the region irradiated with 625 candela.

The additional high beam irradiation units 43 and 53 are lighting devices that irradiate light to a distant irradiation region above the selective irradiation region to which the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 irradiate light. The specific configuration of the additional high beam irradiation units 43 and 53 is not limited, and for example, an LED may be used as a light source and may be configured as a high beam unit integrated with the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52. The light distribution of the light emitted by the additional high beam irradiation units 43 and 53 is in the range of 2.5 to 8.0 degrees upward from the horizontal direction at the upper end, which is equal to or higher than that of the conventional ADB technology and high beam. Is irradiated with light.

Next, a method of controlling the vehicle headlights in the present embodiment will be described. First, the control unit 30 executes an imaging step of receiving a front image captured by the camera 10 and a speed measurement step of measuring traveling speed information using the vehicle speed meter 20. Next, the control unit 30 executes a position information acquisition step of acquiring position information including the presence / absence and position of a vehicle in front by image recognition from the front image acquired in the imaging step. Next, the control unit 30 sets the low beam irradiation units 41, 51, the ADB irradiation units 42, 52 and the additional high beam based on the position information about the vehicle in front obtained in the position information acquisition step and the traveling speed information obtained in the speed measurement step. A determination step for determining the light emission of the irradiation units 43 and 53 is executed. Next, the control unit 30 controls the lighting of each unit based on the result of the determination step.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing lighting control of the low beam irradiation units 41, 51, the ADB irradiation units 42, 52, and the additional high beam irradiation units 43, 53 in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the light distribution in each of the cases shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the determination step, the low beam irradiation units 41, 51, the ADB irradiation units 42, 52 and the additional high beam irradiation are performed according to the presence or absence of the vehicle in front in the position information and the speed range of the vehicle traveling speed information. The lighting control of units 43 and 53 is switched. As shown in FIG. 2, the case where the speed is slower than the first speed is defined as the low speed region, the case where the speed is equal to or higher than the first speed and less than the second speed is defined as the medium speed range, and the case where the speed is higher than the second speed is defined as the high speed. The first speed is, for example, in the range of 10 to 20 km / h, and the second speed is, for example, in the range of 60 to 70 km / h.

In the high-speed range shown in FIG. 2A, when there is no vehicle in front, all of the low beam irradiation units 41, 51, the ADB irradiation units 42, 52, and the additional high beam irradiation units 43, 53 are turned on. In this case, the light distribution from the left headlight 40 and the right headlight 50 to the road surface 61, the pedestrian 62, and the vehicle in front 63 is as shown in FIG. 3A. In FIG. 3, the range in which the low beam irradiation units 41 and 51 irradiate light is shown in the downward irradiation region 71, the range in which the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 irradiate light is shown in the selective irradiation region 72, and the additional high beam irradiation unit 43 is shown. The range in which, 53 irradiates light is shown in the distant irradiation region 73.

When the vehicle is traveling in a high-speed range, visibility can be secured even in a relatively long distance such as a suburb or a highway, and visibility in the distance is important. Therefore, by irradiating the downward irradiation region 71, the selective irradiation region 72, and the distant irradiation region 73 with light, a wide range of visibility is ensured in the vicinity of about 30 m from the vehicle and in a long distance of 30 m or more. be able to. Further, since there is no vehicle in front, there is no possibility of giving glare even if the selective irradiation region 72 and the distant irradiation region 73 are irradiated with light. Since the light irradiation to the selective irradiation region 72 is the light irradiation to the middle between the low beam and the high beam, it may be referred to as a middle beam.

When there is no vehicle in front in the medium speed range shown in FIG. 2 (b), the low beam irradiation units 41 and 51 are turned on, and all the selective irradiation regions of the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 are turned on. At this time, the additional high beam irradiation units 43 and 53 are turned off. The light distribution in this case is as shown in FIG. 3 (b).

When the vehicle is traveling in the medium speed range, ensure short-distance visibility and prevent glare against pedestrians and vehicles in front, assuming an environment with heavy traffic such as urban areas. This is very important. Therefore, by irradiating the downward irradiation region 71 and the selective irradiation region 72 with light, visibility in the vicinity of the vehicle can be ensured. Further, as will be described later, light irradiation to the selective irradiation region 72 using the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 can prevent glare for pedestrians at a short distance and irradiate pedestrians at a long distance with light. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the brightness that allows pedestrians to be visually recognized.

When there is a vehicle in front in the high speed range or the medium speed range shown in FIG. 2 in FIG. 2, the low beam irradiation units 41 and 51 are turned on, and the vehicle in front is present in the selective irradiation region of the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52. The area to be turned off is turned off, and the other areas are turned on. At this time, the additional high beam irradiation units 43 and 53 are turned off. The light distribution in this case is as shown in FIG. 3 (c).

When there is a vehicle in front of the vehicle and the vehicle is traveling in the medium or high speed range, it is important to prevent glare on the vehicle in front. Therefore, the downward irradiation region 71 is irradiated with light, and the selective irradiation region 72 is controlled to turn off the region corresponding to the vehicle in front. As a result, glare is prevented by irradiating only the downward irradiation region 71 with light in the direction in which the vehicle in front exists. In addition, the downward irradiation area 71 and the selective irradiation area 72 are irradiated with light in the direction in which the vehicle in front does not exist to prevent glare for short-distance pedestrians and also irradiate long-distance pedestrians with light. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the brightness that allows pedestrians to be visually recognized.

In the low-speed range shown by (d) in FIG. 2, only the low beam irradiation units 41 and 51 are turned on regardless of the presence or absence of a vehicle in front, and the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 and the additional high beam irradiation units 43 and 53 are turned on. Turns off. The light distribution in this case is as shown in FIG. 3 (d).

When the vehicle is traveling in a low speed range, it is necessary to raise attention to the vicinity of the vehicle, and it is important to ensure visibility at a short distance. Therefore, the light is irradiated only to the lower irradiation region 71, and the selective irradiation region 72 and the distant irradiation region 73 are extinguished. As a result, it is possible to irradiate only the road surface at a short distance from the vehicle with light to call attention to the short distance.

In (a) and (b) described above, it is assumed that the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 are all lit, but in normal ADB control, when there is no vehicle in front, the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 are all lit. ADB control is always executed in the medium speed range and the high speed range.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating light irradiation and glare prevention from the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 to the selective irradiation region 72. FIG. 4 shows the state of the light emitted to the pedestrians 3a to 3g located in front of the vehicle 1 when the selective irradiation region 72 is irradiated with the light from the vehicle headlight 100 of the vehicle 1. There is. Pedestrians 3a to 3g indicate a case where the pedestrians 3a to 3g are located at equal intervals from the vehicle 1 at intervals of about 10 m.

As described above, the light distribution of the light emitted from the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 has an upper end in the range of 0.7 to 1.5 degrees upward from the horizontal direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, pedestrians 3a to 3c located at a short distance from the vehicle 1 to about 30 m are irradiated with light up to the chest of the upper body but not near the face. As a result, it is possible to prevent glare from being given to pedestrians 3a to 3c who are in a short distance from the vehicle 1. Further, since the light is irradiated up to the chest of the pedestrians 3a to 3c, the visibility of the pedestrians 3a to 3c at a short distance from the vehicle 1 can be improved.

Further, for pedestrians 3d to 3 g located at a long distance of 30 m or more from the vehicle 1, the whole body can be illuminated by irradiating the selective irradiation region 72 with light. As a result, the visibility of pedestrians 3d to 3g at a long distance from the vehicle 1 can be improved. At this time, the face of the pedestrian 3d to 3 g is irradiated with light, but the illuminance is low because the distance from the vehicle 1 is large, and the influence of glare is smaller than that at a short distance.

As described above, in the control method of the vehicle headlight 100 and the vehicle headlight 100 of the present embodiment, light is appropriately applied to pedestrians 3a to 3g from a short distance to a long distance of the vehicle 1. , The visibility of pedestrians 3a to 3g can be improved. In addition, glare can be prevented for pedestrians 3a to 3c in the vicinity of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the pedestrians 3d to 3g at a long distance can be positively irradiated with light, and the field of view in front of the vehicle 1 can be secured.

Further, since the upper end of the selective irradiation region 72 of the present embodiment is 0.7 to 1.5 degrees, which is lower than the conventional high beam upper end of 4.0 to 8.0 degrees, the selective irradiation region 72 is turned on and off. It is difficult for the driver to feel the switching. This is because the upper end position of the conventional high beam is high, so that the driver's field of view is high.

In the conventional high beam irradiation, when the high beam is turned off, the upper part in front of the driver's field of vision becomes dark at once, and the change in brightness due to the disappearance of the high beam is sensitively felt. On the other hand, in the middle beam irradiation for the selective irradiation region 72 of the present embodiment, the region where the brightness in the visual field height direction changes is small even if the light is turned off. As a result, the driver is less likely to feel the change in brightness due to the disappearance of the middle beam irradiating the selective irradiation region 72. Therefore, the driver is less likely to feel a sense of discomfort due to switching between turning on and off the middle beam with respect to the selective irradiation region 72, and the driver can drive comfortably without any discomfort.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. The description of the contents overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing an arrangement example of the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 and the additional high beam irradiation units 43 and 53 in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the left side high beam unit LH and the right side high beam unit RH are provided, and light emitting diodes are arranged in each. In the left side high beam unit LH, four light emitting diodes A1 to D1 of the ADB irradiation unit 42 are arranged in the horizontal direction, and two light emitting diodes of the additional high beam irradiation unit 43 are arranged. Similarly, in the right high beam unit RH, four light emitting diodes A2 to D2 of the ADB irradiation unit 52 are arranged in the horizontal direction, and two light emitting diodes of the additional high beam irradiation unit 53 are arranged.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the light distribution by the left side high beam unit LH and the right side high beam unit RH in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the light emitted from the additional high beam irradiation units 43 and 53 to the distant irradiation region 73 is symmetrical on the left and right. On the other hand, the light to the selective irradiation region 72 is the left selective irradiation region 72L irradiated on the left side of the vehicle 1 by the ADB irradiation unit 42 and the right selective irradiation region 72R irradiated on the right side of the vehicle 1 by the ADB irradiation unit 52. It is divided into. Further, the left selective irradiation region 72L is divided into four regions A3 to D3 corresponding to the light emitting diodes A1 to D1, and the right selective irradiation region 72R is divided into four regions A4 to D4 corresponding to the light emitting diodes A2 to D2. There is. Therefore, the selective irradiation region 72 irradiated from the left side high beam unit LH and the right side high beam unit RH is divided into eight in total.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of the horizontal angle of the light emitted from each of the light emitting diodes of the ADB irradiation units 42 and 52 in the present embodiment, and FIG. 7A shows the left side selective irradiation region 72L. 7 (b) shows the right side selective irradiation region 72R. The horizontal axis in the figure indicates the angle when the central axis of the vehicle 1 is 0 degrees, the negative angle indicates the left direction from the center of the vehicle 1, and the positive angle indicates the right direction from the center of the vehicle 1. Is shown. The vertical axis in the figure shows the regions A3 to D3 and the regions A4 to D4, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the light irradiation angles from the light emitting diodes B1 to D1 and the light irradiation angles from B2 to D2 are substantially symmetrical in the left selective irradiation region 72L and the right selective irradiation region 72R. It has become. On the other hand, the light irradiation angles of the light emitting diode A1 arranged on the innermost side of the left side high beam unit LH and the light emitting diode A2 arranged on the innermost side of the right side high beam unit RH are the regions A3 of the left side selective irradiation region 72L. The region A4 of the right-side selective irradiation region 72R is asymmetrical, and the region A4 of the right-side selective irradiation region 72R illuminates the left side of the vehicle 1 more widely.

Here, the light emitting diode A2 of the ADB irradiation unit 52 is a light emitting diode located on the leftmost side (pedestrian side) of the right side headlight 50, which is a headlight on the oncoming vehicle side. Further, the light emitting diode A1 of the ADB irradiation unit 42 is a light emitting diode located on the far right side (oncoming vehicle side) of the left side headlight 40, which is a pedestrian side headlight.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the left-right direction of the vehicle 1 is divided into four by the left selective irradiation region 72L and the right selective irradiation region 72R, and the entire selective irradiation region 72 is divided into a total of eight to irradiate light. However, there is a space similar to the vehicle width between the left headlight 40 and the right headlight 50 arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle 1, and the light emitting light arranged inside the front center of the vehicle 1. The diodes A1 and A2 will irradiate the light. At this time, in a country where the vehicle 1 travels on the left side of the roadway, the right headlight 50 is the headlight on the oncoming vehicle side, and even if the light distribution angle from the inner light emitting diode A2 is expanded to the pedestrian side. , The effect of giving glare to oncoming vehicles is small.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the irradiation angle of the light emitting diode A2 of the ADB irradiation unit 52 is made larger than the irradiation angle of the light emitting diode A1 of the ADB irradiation unit 42 to make it asymmetrical, so that the light emitting diode A2 is located in the front center in the vicinity of the vehicle 1. It is possible to irradiate light well and prevent glare on oncoming vehicles.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 ... Vehicle 1a ... Headlight 2 ... High beam 3a ~ 3g ... Pedestrian 100 ... Vehicle headlight 10 ... Camera 20 ... Vehicle speed meter 30 ... Control unit 40 ... Left side headlight 50 ... Right side headlight 41,51 ... Low beam irradiation unit 42, 52 ... ADB irradiation unit 43, 53 ... Additional high beam irradiation unit 61 ... Road surface 62 ... Pedestrian 63 ... Front vehicle 71 ... Downward irradiation area 72 ... Selective irradiation area 72L ... Left side Selective irradiation area 72R ... Right side Selective irradiation area 73 ... Far irradiation area

Claims (6)

A low beam irradiation unit that irradiates light to the lower irradiation area below the cut-off line,
An ADB irradiation unit that selectively irradiates the selective irradiation area above the cut-off line, and an ADB irradiation unit.
An additional high beam irradiation unit that irradiates light to a distant irradiation region above the selective irradiation region is provided.
The light emission of the low beam irradiating unit, the ADB irradiating unit, and the additional high beam irradiating unit is controlled based on the position information indicating the position of the vehicle in front of the vehicle in front and the traveling speed information indicating the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. Equipped with a control unit
The upper end of the selected irradiation region Ri range der of 0.7 to 1.5 degrees from the horizontal upwardly,
The control unit is a vehicle headlight that does not use information indicating the presence of a pedestrian when controlling the light emission of the ADB irradiation unit. The vehicle headlight according to claim 1.
When the traveling speed information is equal to or higher than the first speed and less than the second speed, the control unit turns off the additional high beam irradiation unit and controls the ADB irradiation unit to turn on.
A vehicle headlight that lights the additional high beam irradiation unit when the traveling speed information is equal to or higher than the second speed and the position information does not include a vehicle ahead. The vehicle headlight according to claim 2.
The control unit turns off the additional high beam irradiation unit when the traveling speed information is equal to or higher than the second speed and the position information includes a vehicle ahead. light. The vehicle headlight according to claim 2 or 3.
The control unit is a vehicle headlight that lights the low beam irradiation unit regardless of the presence or absence of a vehicle in front and the traveling speed information in the position information. The vehicle headlight according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The ADB irradiation unit includes a left side ADB unit that irradiates light from the center of the vehicle to the left side and a right side ADB unit that irradiates light to the right side.
The left ADB section and the right ADB section each have a plurality of light emitting elements.
One of the left ADB portion or the right ADB portion located near the oncoming lane is used as an oncoming vehicle side headlight, and the other is used as a pedestrian side headlight.
The light irradiation range of the light emitting element closest to the center of the vehicle in the oncoming vehicle side headlight is the light irradiation range of the light emitting element closest to the center of the vehicle in the pedestrian side headlight. Vehicle headlights that are characterized by being wider than. A low beam irradiation unit that irradiates light to the lower irradiation area below the cut-off line,
An ADB irradiation unit that selectively irradiates the selective irradiation area above the cut-off line, and an ADB irradiation unit.
A method for controlling a vehicle headlight including an additional high beam irradiation unit that irradiates light above the selective irradiation region.
The upper end of the selective irradiation region is in the range of 0.7 to 1.5 degrees upward from the horizontal direction.
A position information acquisition step for acquiring position information indicating the position of a vehicle in front of the vehicle in front of the vehicle,
A speed measurement step that measures the running speed information of the vehicle, and
A determination step for determining the light emission of the low beam irradiation unit, the ADB irradiation unit, and the additional high beam irradiation unit based on the position information and the traveling speed information is provided.
In the determination step, when the traveling speed information is equal to or higher than the first speed and less than the second speed, the additional high beam irradiation unit is turned off, the ADB irradiation unit is turned on, and the ADB irradiation unit emits light. A method for controlling vehicle headlights, which comprises not using information indicating the presence of pedestrians when controlling.

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