JP7314007B2 - headlight remote control - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a headlight remote control device mounted on a vehicle.

Techniques have been developed to prevent the driver of the vehicle from feeling dazzled by the light from the headlights of oncoming vehicles. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a headlight brightness control device that dims the headlights of an oncoming vehicle when an illuminance sensor mounted on the own vehicle detects illuminance exceeding a predetermined threshold.

In the headlight brightness control device according to Patent Document 1, the illuminance sensor detects the illuminance of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle by being installed in front of the rearview mirror of the own vehicle. However, when the driver changes the orientation of the rearview mirror of the host vehicle, the illuminance sensor may detect illuminance from lights other than the headlights of the oncoming vehicle. As a result, the headlight brightness control device according to Patent Document 1 may control the headlights of the oncoming vehicle even though there is no need to control the headlights of the oncoming vehicle.

JP 2004-291816 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a headlight remote control device capable of suppressing unnecessary control of the headlights of a vehicle other than one's own vehicle.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a first invention is a headlight remote control device comprising an image acquisition section, a glare determination section, a line of sight identification section, a direction identification section, and an instruction section. The image acquisition unit acquires a captured image generated by a camera that captures a driver's seat of the own vehicle. The glare determination unit determines whether or not the driver of the host vehicle feels glare based on the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit. The line-of-sight identifying unit identifies the line-of-sight direction of the driver from the captured image. The direction identification unit identifies the direction of the other vehicle relative to the own vehicle based on the line-of-sight direction identified by the line-of-sight identification unit. When the glare determining unit determines that the driver feels glare and the direction specified by the direction specifying unit is behind the own vehicle, the instruction unit transmits request information to the other vehicle positioned in the direction specified by the direction specifying unit to increase the inter-vehicle distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle located in the specified direction from the current inter-vehicle distance, and the glare determining unit determines whether the driver feels glare after the instruction unit transmits the request information. judge again. When the glare determination unit determines again that the driver is feeling glare, the instruction unit instructs other vehicles located in the specified direction to change the lighting conditions of the headlights.

According to the first invention, when the other vehicle is positioned behind the own vehicle, the request information requesting that the inter-vehicle distance be increased is transmitted to the other vehicle, which causes the driver to feel dazzled. Therefore, the second invention can eliminate the situation in which the driver feels dazzled without controlling the headlights of other vehicles. In addition, if the situation in which the driver feels dazzling is not resolved after the transmission of the request information, the instruction unit instructs to change the lighting condition of the headlights of the other vehicle located behind the own vehicle. Thus, the first invention can prevent the driver from driving the own vehicle while feeling dazzled.

In a second invention based on the first invention , the glare determination unit starts determining whether or not the driver of the vehicle feels glare when the driving condition of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition.

According to the second invention, it is possible to further prevent unnecessary control of the headlights of other vehicles.

A third invention is a headlight remote control method, comprising a) step, b) step, c) step, d) step, and e) step. The a) step obtains a captured image generated by a camera that captures the driver's seat of the own vehicle. The b) step determines whether or not the driver of the own vehicle feels dazzled based on the captured image. The c) step identifies the line-of-sight direction of the driver from the captured image. The d) step specifies the direction of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle based on the specified line-of-sight direction. In the e) step, when it is determined that the driver feels glare and the specified direction is behind the own vehicle, request information is sent to the other vehicle positioned in the specified direction to increase the inter-vehicle distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle positioned in the specified direction from the current inter-vehicle distance, and after transmitting the request information, it is again determined whether or not the driver feels glare. When it is determined again that the driver is feeling dazzling, other vehicles located in the specified direction are instructed to change the lighting conditions of the headlights.

A third invention is used for the first invention.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, this invention can provide the headlight remote-control apparatus which can suppress unnecessary control of the headlight of other vehicles other than the own vehicle.

It is a figure which shows an example of the positional relationship of the vehicle which mounts the headlight remote-control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and another vehicle. 2 is a functional block showing the configuration of a headlight control system including the headlight remote control device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the headlight remote control device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the headlight control device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the headlight remote control device shown in FIG. 1; 4 is a diagram showing an example of a change target range determined by the instruction unit shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of instruction information generated by an instruction unit shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of request information generated by an instruction unit shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of instruction information generated by the instruction unit shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a flowchart of light source identification processing shown in FIG. 5; 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the operation of a line-of-sight specifying unit shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the headlight control device shown in FIG. 1; It is a figure which shows connection to buses, such as CPU.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts in the drawings, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[1. Positional relationship of vehicles]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship among a host vehicle 1, an oncoming vehicle 2A, and a following vehicle 2B. Referring to FIG. 1 , host vehicle 1 , oncoming vehicle 2</b>A, and following vehicle 2</b>B are automobiles traveling on road 300 . The own vehicle 1 is equipped with a headlight remote control device 10 according to the present embodiment. The oncoming vehicle 2A is equipped with a headlight control device 20A. The following vehicle 2B is equipped with a headlight control device 20B. Hereinafter, the headlight remote control device 10 will be simply referred to as "remote control device 10".

The own vehicle 1 is traveling on the lane 301 . The oncoming vehicle 2A is traveling in the lane 303. Lane 303 is the oncoming lane of lane 301 , and oncoming vehicle 2</b>A is moving in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of own vehicle 1 and is positioned in front of own vehicle 1 . The following vehicle 2B is traveling on the lane 301. The following vehicle 2</b>B is traveling in the same direction as the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 and is positioned behind the own vehicle 1 .

Although not shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that vehicles other than the host vehicle 1 are equipped with headlight control devices that are installed in the oncoming vehicle 2A and the following vehicle 2B. Other vehicles include an oncoming vehicle 2A and a following vehicle 2B. When collectively referring to headlight control devices mounted on other vehicles, they are simply referred to as "headlight control devices."

[2. composition]
[2.1. Configuration of headlight control system 100]
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of headlight control system 100 including remote control device 10 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 2 , headlight control system 100 includes remote control device 10 , headlight control devices 20</b>A and 20</b>B, and server 30 .

The remote control device 10 remotely controls the headlights of the other vehicle by wirelessly communicating with the other vehicle via the server 30 . A communication system used in wireless communication is not particularly limited, and is, for example, LTE (Long Term Evolution) or a fifth generation mobile communication system.

When the remote control device 10 determines that the driver of the own vehicle 1 feels dazzled, the remote control device 10 specifies the direction of the light source that the driver feels dazzled. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the driver of the own vehicle 1 is simply referred to as the "driver".

When the specified direction of the light source is in front of the host vehicle 1, the remote control device 10 transmits instruction information 25 to the oncoming vehicle 2A via the server 30, thereby instructing the oncoming vehicle 2A to change the lighting conditions of the headlights. Details of the instruction information 25 will be described later.

When the specified direction of the light source is behind the own vehicle 1, the remote control device 10 transmits request information 26 to the following vehicle 2B via the server 30, thereby requesting the following vehicle 2B to lengthen the distance from the own vehicle 1 to the following vehicle 2B. Details of the request information 26 will be described later. Unless otherwise specified, the distance from the own vehicle 1 to the following vehicle 2B is simply referred to as "inter-vehicle distance".

The server 30 transmits the instruction information 25 and the request information 26 received from the remote control device 10 to the headlight control device. Although the details will be described later, the oncoming vehicle 2A may receive the request information 26 . The following vehicle 2B may receive the instruction information 25. FIG.

When receiving the instruction information 25 from the server 30 , the headlight control device 20</b>A switches the headlights 23 of the oncoming vehicle 2</b>A from high beam to low beam based on the instruction information 25 .

When the request information 26 is received from the server 30, the headlight control device 20B notifies the driver of the following vehicle 2B of a message requesting to increase the inter-vehicle distance based on the received request information 26.例文帳に追加

[2.2. Configuration of remote control device 10]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of remote control device 10 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 3 , remote control device 10 is connected to vehicle interior camera 31 , front camera 32 , rear camera 33 and position acquisition device 39 .

The cabin camera 31 is arranged at a position where the driver's seat of the own vehicle 1 can be photographed, and photographs the cabin of the own vehicle 1 to generate a cabin image 41 . The front camera 32 is arranged on the front end surface of the own vehicle 1 and captures the scenery in front of the own vehicle 1 to generate a forward image 42 . The rear camera 33 is arranged on the rear end surface of the own vehicle 1 and photographs the scenery behind the own vehicle 1 to photograph a rear image 43 . Each of the vehicle interior image 41, the front image 42, and the rear image 43 is a frame forming a moving image.

The position acquisition device 39 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and identifies the position of the vehicle 1 based on signals received from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. The position acquisition device 39 outputs position information 53 indicating the identified position to the remote control device 10 .

The remote control device 10 includes an image acquisition section 11 , a glare determination section 12 , a line of sight identification section 13 , a direction identification section 14 , an instruction section 15 and a transmission section 16 .

The image acquisition unit 11 acquires the vehicle interior image 41 from the vehicle interior camera 31 , the front image 42 from the front camera 32 , and the rear image 43 from the rear camera 33 . The image acquiring unit 11 outputs the acquired vehicle interior image 41 to the glare determining unit 12 and the line of sight specifying unit 13 . The image acquisition unit 11 outputs the acquired front image 42 and rear image 43 to the direction identification unit 14 .

The glare determination unit 12 uses the vehicle interior image 41 received from the image acquisition unit 11 to determine whether or not the driver of the own vehicle 1 feels glare. The glare determination unit 12 outputs a glare determination result 12A indicating whether or not the driver of the vehicle 1 feels glare to the line-of-sight specifying unit 13 and the instruction unit 15 .

The line-of-sight specifying unit 13 receives the vehicle interior image 41 from the image acquisition unit 11 and receives the glare determination result 12A from the glare determination unit 12 . When the received glare determination result 12A indicates that the driver feels dazzled, the line-of-sight specifying part 13 specifies the line-of-sight direction of the driver using the received vehicle interior image 41, and supplies the line-of-sight information 13A indicating the specified line-of-sight direction to the direction specifying part 14. - 特許庁

The direction identification unit 14 receives the line-of-sight information 13A from the line-of-sight identification unit 13 and receives the front image 42 and the rear image 43 from the image acquisition unit 11 . Based on the line-of-sight information 13A, the forward image 42, and the rearward image 43, the direction identifying unit 14 identifies the direction of the light source that causes the driver to feel dazzled. The direction of the light source is determined with reference to the own vehicle 1 . The direction identification unit 14 outputs light source identification information 14A indicating the direction of the identified light source to the instruction unit 15 .

The instruction unit 15 receives the light source identification information 14A from the direction identification unit 14 and the position information 53 from the position acquisition device 39 . The instruction unit 15 generates instruction information 25 or request information 26 based on the direction of the light source indicated by the received light source identification information 14A.

When the light source identification information 14A indicates the front of the own vehicle 1, the reason why the driver feels dazzled is the light from the headlights 23 of the oncoming vehicle 2A. In this case, the instruction unit 15 instructs the oncoming vehicle 2A to change the lighting conditions of the headlights by transmitting instruction information 25 instructing to change the lighting conditions of the headlights to the oncoming vehicle 2A. Based on the instruction information 25 received from the remote control device 10, the oncoming vehicle 2A changes the headlights 23 from high beam to low beam.

When the light source identification information 14A indicates the rear of the own vehicle 1, the reason why the driver feels dazzled is the light of the headlights 23 of the following vehicle 2B reflected by the rearview mirror of the own vehicle 1. In this case, the instruction unit 15 transmits to the following vehicle 2B request information 26 requesting that the inter-vehicle distance be increased. As the inter-vehicle distance increases, the reflection conditions in the rearview mirror change. This eliminates the cause of the driver feeling dazzled.

The transmission unit 16 transmits the instruction information 25 or the request information 26 received from the instruction unit 15 to the oncoming vehicle 2A and the following vehicle 2B.

[2.3. Configuration of headlight control device 20A]
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the headlight control device 20A shown in FIG. Since the configuration of the headlight control device 20B is the same as the configuration of the headlight control device 20A, the description of the configuration of the headlight control device 20B is omitted.

Referring to FIG. 4 , headlight control device 20A includes receiver 21 and controller 22 .

The receiving unit 21 receives instruction information 25 or request information 26 from the server 30 and outputs the received instruction information 25 or request information 26 to the control unit 22 .

When receiving the instruction information 25 from the reception unit 21 , the control unit 22 controls the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2</b>A based on the instruction information 25 . Specifically, the current position of the oncoming vehicle 2A is obtained from the position obtaining device 39 . The control unit 22 determines whether or not to change the lighting condition of the headlights 23 of the oncoming vehicle 2A based on the instruction information 25 and the acquired current position. When determining to change the lighting condition, the control unit 22 changes the headlights 23 of the oncoming vehicle 2A from high beam to low beam.

When the request information 26 is received from the reception unit 21, the control unit 22 determines whether or not to display a message based on the request information 26 on the display device 24 based on the request information 26 and the current position of the oncoming vehicle 2A. When the display of the message is determined, the control unit 22 displays on the display device 24 a message requesting that the inter-vehicle distance be increased. The current position of the oncoming vehicle 2A is obtained by a position obtaining device (not shown) mounted on the oncoming vehicle 2A.

[2. Operation of remote control device 10]
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of the remote control device 10 shown in FIG. When the ignition switch (not shown) of the vehicle 1 is turned on, the remote control device 10 starts the processing shown in FIG.

The image acquisition unit 11 acquires a captured image from the camera mounted on the own vehicle 1 (step S11). Specifically, the image acquisition unit 11 acquires the vehicle interior image 41 from the vehicle interior camera 31 , the front image 42 from the front camera 32 , and the rear image 43 from the rear camera 33 . The captured images acquired in step S11 are the vehicle interior image 41, the front image 42, and the rear image 43, which can be considered to have been captured at the same time.

The glare determination unit 12 determines whether or not the driver feels glare using the vehicle interior image 41 acquired in step S11 (step S12). For example, the glare determination unit 12 cuts out a window image of a predetermined size from the vehicle interior image 41 acquired in step S11, and inputs the cut out window image to the neural network. A neural network is an image recognition device that performs machine learning on people's bright faces. The glare determination unit 12 determines whether or not the driver feels glare based on the output of the neural network.

In addition, in step S12, the number of window images is not particularly limited. For example, the glare determination unit 12 may detect the driver's face area from the vehicle interior image 41 and use the image of the detected face area as the window image. The glare determination unit 12 may generate a plurality of window images so as to scan the vehicle interior image 41, and input each of the generated plurality of window images to the neural network.

When the glare determination unit 12 determines that the driver feels dazzled (Yes in step S12), the remote control device 10 executes light source identification processing (step S13) to identify the direction of the light source that causes the driver to feel dazzled. As a result of step S13, the direction identification unit 14 generates light source identification information 14A that indicates whether the direction of the light source that the driver feels is dazzling is in front of or behind the host vehicle 1. FIG. Details of the light source identification process (step S13) will be described later.

The operation of the remote control device 10 will be described below depending on whether the direction of the light source is in front of or behind the host vehicle 1 .

[2.1. When the direction of the light source is forward]
If the oncoming vehicle 2A is the cause of the glare, the light source identification information 14A indicates that the direction of the light source is ahead of the own vehicle 1 (Yes in step S14). The instruction unit 15 executes steps S15 and S16 to remotely control the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A.

{Determination of change target range (step S15)}
The instruction unit 15 determines the change target range based on the position information 53 received from the position acquisition device 39 (step S15). Headlights of other vehicles located within the change target range are controlled by the remote control device 10 .

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a change target range determined by the instruction unit 15 shown in FIG. In order to clearly show the circle C1 and the semicircles CH1 and CH2, the arcs of the semicircles CH1 and CH2 are offset from the circle C1 in FIG. In practice, however, the arcs of semicircles CH1 and CH2 coincide with circle C1.

Referring to FIG. 6 , instruction unit 15 identifies the traveling direction of host vehicle 1 based on the time change of position information 53 acquired from position acquisition device 39 . The direction of travel is described as an angle in the clockwise direction with reference to the north direction. An arrow A1 extends from the center of gravity G of the own vehicle 1 in the specified traveling direction. The length of arrow A1 is the same as the radius of circle C1.

The instruction unit 15 generates a circle C1 around the center of gravity G of the own vehicle 1 . The radius of the circle C1 is set in the indicator 15 in advance. The instruction unit 15 bisects the generated circle C1 using a straight line V1 that passes through the center of gravity G and is perpendicular to the arrow A1. As a result, semicircles CH1 and CH2 are generated. The instruction unit 15 specifies the semicircle CH1 arranged in front of the vehicle 1 from among the semicircles CH1 and CH2. Specifically, of the semicircles CH1 and CH2, the semicircle CH1 has an arc that intersects with the arrow A1. The instruction unit 15 determines the area surrounded by the arc of the semicircle CH1 arranged in front of the host vehicle 1 and the straight line V1 as the change target range.

{Transmission of instruction information (step S16)}
Referring to FIG. 5 again, instruction unit 15 transmits instruction information 25 including the change target range determined in step S15 to oncoming vehicle 2A via server 30 (step S16).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of instruction information 25 transmitted by the instruction unit 15. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 7 , instruction information 25 includes type information 51 , time information 52 , position information 53 , traveling direction information 54 , light source direction information 55 and change target range 56 .

The type information 51 indicates the type of information transmitted from the remote control device 10 to the server 30 . In the instruction information 25, the type information 51 is "lighting direction change" indicating that the headlights of other vehicles are to be changed from high beam to low beam. The time information 52 indicates the judgment time at which the glare judging section 12 judges that the driver is feeling glare. The position information 53 indicates the position of the own vehicle 1 at the judgment time. The traveling direction information 54 indicates the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 at the judgment time. The light source direction information 55 indicates that the direction of the light source is ahead of the vehicle 1, and has the same content as the light source identification information 14A.

The change target range 56 is specified by points P1 to P3 (see FIG. 6) specifying the arc of the semicircle CH1 and points P1 and P2 specifying the straight line V1. Points P1 and P2 are points of intersection of the circle C and the straight line V1. Point P3 is the intersection of circle C and arrow A1. In FIG. 7, the latitude and longitude of each of the points P1 to P3 are omitted.

20 A of headlight control apparatuses mounted in 2 A of oncoming vehicles receive the instruction|indication information 25. FIG. Based on the received instruction information 25, the headlight control device 20A changes the headlights that are on from high beam to low beam. In the remote control device 10, the instruction unit 15 proceeds to step S23, which will be described later, after step S16.

[2.2. When the direction of the light source is backward]
Referring to FIG. 5, when following vehicle 2B is the cause of glare, light source identification information 14A indicates that the direction of the light source is behind host vehicle 1 (No in step S14, Yes in step S17). The instruction unit 15 determines whether or not the measurement of the standby time has started (step S18). The processing shown in FIG. 5 will be described below depending on whether or not the measurement of the standby time has started.

[2.2.1. If the waiting time measurement has not started]
The fact that the measurement of the standby time has not started (No in step S18) corresponds to the case where the direction of the light source is newly specified to be behind the host vehicle 1 . In this case, the instruction unit 15 determines the request target range (step S24).

{Determination of request target range (step S24)}
Referring to FIG. 6, instruction unit 15 generates semicircles CH1 and CH2 in the same manner as determination of the change target range (step S15). The instruction unit 15 generates an arrow A2 that passes through the center of gravity G and extends rearward of the host vehicle 1 . Point P4 is the intersection of circle C1 and arrow A2. The instruction unit 15 determines, of the semicircles CH1 and CH2, the semicircle CH2 arranged behind the host vehicle 1 as the request target range. The request target range is the area surrounded by the arc of the semicircle CH2 and the straight line V1. The arc of semicircle CH2 is identified by points P1, P2 and P4.

{Transmission of request information (step S25)}
Referring to FIG. 5 again, instruction unit 15 transmits request information 26 including the request target range determined in step S24 to following vehicle 2B (step S25).

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of request information 26 transmitted by the instruction unit 15. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 8 , request information 26 includes type information 51 , time information 52 , position information 53 , traveling direction information 54 , light source direction information 55 and requested range 57 . Since the position information 53, the time information 52, and the traveling direction information 54 are common to the instruction information 25 and the request information 26, description thereof will be omitted.

In the request information 26, the type information 51 is described as "distance change request". Since the light source identification information 14 indicates the rear of the vehicle 1, the light source direction information 55 is "back". The requested target range 57 is specified by points P1, P2 and P4 (see FIG. 6) specifying the arc of the semicircle CH2 and points P1 and P2 specifying the straight line V1. In FIG. 8, the latitude and longitude of each of the points P1, P2 and P4 are omitted.

The headlight control device 20B mounted on the following vehicle 2B receives the request information 26. FIG. Based on the received request information 26, the headlight control device 20B displays on the display device 24 a message requesting that the inter-vehicle distance be increased.

Referring to FIG. 5, instruction unit 15 starts measuring the standby time after step S25 (step S26). The standby time is used to determine whether or not the driver continues to feel dazzled after the request information 26 is transmitted by the instruction unit 15 . Thereafter, the remote control device 10 proceeds to step S23.

The remote control device 10 determines whether or not to finish monitoring the driver (step S23). For example, when the ignition switch of the host vehicle 1 is turned off, the remote control device 10 determines to end the monitoring of the driver (Yes in step S23), and ends the processing shown in FIG. If the ignition switch of host vehicle 1 continues to be on, remote control device 10 determines to continue monitoring the driver (No in step S23), and returns to step S11.

[2.2.2. When waiting time measurement has started]
If the waiting time measurement has started (Yes in step S18 shown in FIG. 5), the remote control device 10 has already sent the request information 26 to the following vehicle 2B. Even though the request information 26 has been sent, the situation in which the driver feels dazzled may not be resolved. In this case, the remote control device 10 changes the headlights of the following vehicle 2B from high beam to low beam by transmitting the instruction information 25 to the following vehicle 2B.

Since the measurement of the standby time has started as described above (Yes in step S18), the instruction unit 15 determines whether the standby time during measurement has exceeded a preset threshold (step S19). The threshold is, for example, 10 seconds.

If the standby time during measurement does not exceed the threshold (No in step S19), the remote control device 10 proceeds to step S23.

If the waiting time during measurement exceeds the threshold (Yes in step S19), the instruction unit 15 determines that the driver continues to feel that the headlights of the following vehicle 2B are dazzling. The instruction unit 15 executes steps S20 to S22 to change the lighting condition of the headlights of the following vehicle 2B.

{Determination of change target range (step S21)}
Specifically, the instruction unit 15 resets the standby time (step S20). This stops the measurement of the waiting time. The instruction unit 15 determines a change target range (step S21). Step S21 is the same process as step S15 described above. However, of the semicircles CH1 and CH2 shown in FIG. 6, the change target range determined in step S21 is the semicircle CH2 located behind the host vehicle 1 . This is because the direction of the light source is behind the host vehicle 1 .

{Transmission of instruction information (step S22)}
The instruction unit 15 transmits instruction information 25 including the change target range determined in step S21 to the following vehicle 2B (step S22).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing instruction information 25 transmitted in step S22 by the instruction section 15 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 9, instruction information 25 transmitted in step S22 differs from the instruction information shown in FIG. 7 in the following points.

In the instruction information 25 transmitted in step S22, the light source direction information 55 indicates "rear". This is because step S22 is executed when the direction of the light source is backward (step S17). The instruction information 25 transmitted in step S22 includes, as change target information 56, information specifying the semicircle CH2. The information specifying the semicircle CH2 is the same as the content included in the request target range 57 shown in FIG.

When receiving the instruction information 25, the headlight control device 20B mounted on the following vehicle 2B changes the headlights of the following vehicle 2B from high beam to low beam based on the received instruction information 25. After step S22, the remote control device 10 proceeds to step S23.

Although the details will be described later, as a result of the light source identification process (step S13), there are cases where the light source that causes the driver to feel dazzled cannot be identified. In this case, the instruction unit 15 receives the light source identification information 14A describing "light source identification not possible". Since the instruction unit 15 cannot specify the cause of the driver's glare (No in step S14, No in step S17), the instruction unit 15 proceeds to step S23 without transmitting the instruction information 25 and the request information 26. FIG.

[3. Light Source Identification Processing (Step S13)]
FIG. 10 is a flow chart of the light source identification process (step S13) shown in FIG. When the glare determination unit 12 determines that the driver feels dazzled (Yes in step S12 shown in FIG. 5), the light source identification process (step S13) shown in FIG. 10 is started.

Referring to FIG. 10, line-of-sight specifying unit 13 receives vehicle interior image 41 from image acquisition unit 11, and determines whether or not the driver's line-of-sight direction is upward based on received vehicle interior image 41 (step S301).

Specifically, the line-of-sight identifying unit 13 acquires information indicating the face area of the driver in the vehicle interior image 41 from the glare determination unit 12, and cuts out the face area from the vehicle interior image based on the acquired information. The line-of-sight identifying unit 13 identifies the positions of the driver's eyes, corners of the eyes, and irises from the clipped image of the face region. A method for identifying each position of the driver's eyes, corners of the eyes, and iris is not particularly limited. The line-of-sight identifying unit 13 determines whether or not the line-of-sight direction of the driver is upward based on the respective positions of the driver's eyes, corners of the eyes, and irises.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for specifying the line-of-sight direction of the driver. Referring to FIG. 11, point E1 indicates the corner of the driver's right eye. A point E2 indicates the corner of the driver's right eye. Point E3 indicates the center of the iris of the driver's right eye. The reference line LS is a straight line connecting the points E1 and E2.

A description will be given of criteria for determining that the line-of-sight direction of the driver is upward. During a period in which the glare determination unit 12 determines that the driver does not feel glare, the line-of-sight determination unit 13 calculates the distance from the point E3 to the reference line LS, and holds the calculated distance as the reference distance. When the glare determination unit determines that the driver feels glare, the line-of-sight determination unit 13 calculates the distance from the point E3 to the reference line LS as the determination distance. When the point E3 is located above the reference line LS and the absolute difference between the judgment distance and the reference distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, the line-of-sight specifying unit 13 determines that the line-of-sight direction of the driver is upward.

Note that the line-of-sight identifying unit 12 may identify the line-of-sight direction of the driver using a frame different from the frame used by the glare determining unit 12 to determine whether the driver feels dazzled. For example, the line-of-sight identifying unit 12 may use a frame captured after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the frame capturing time used by the glare determining unit 12 . This is because there is a possibility that the time when the driver feels the glare and the time until he/she actually looks at the rear-view mirror may deviate.

Referring to FIG. 10, when line-of-sight identifying unit 13 determines that the line-of-sight direction of the driver is upward (Yes in step S301), direction identifying unit 14 selects rearward image 43 (step S302). The direction specifying unit 14 determines whether or not the headlights of the following vehicle 2B are on based on the selected rear image 43 (step S303).

When the glare determining part 12 determines that the driver feels dazzling and the line-of-sight specifying part 13 determines that the line-of-sight direction of the driver is upward, it is considered that the driver feels the reflected light of the rearview mirror of the own vehicle 1 to be dazzling. The direction specifying unit 14 executes step S303 to determine whether the light source of the reflected light from the rearview mirror is the headlight 23 of the following vehicle 2B.

For example, the direction specifying unit 14 cuts out a region assumed to include the following vehicle 2B from the rearward image 43, and converts the image of the cut out region into a gray scale. The direction specifying unit 14 determines that the headlights of the following vehicle 2B are turned on when an area having a pixel value equal to or higher than the predetermined luminance is detected from the converted image (Yes in step S303). The direction identification unit 14 determines that the direction of the light source is behind the vehicle 1 (step S304), and outputs the light source identification information 14A indicating that the light source is behind to the instruction unit 15.

When the direction specifying unit 14 cannot detect an area having a pixel value equal to or higher than the predetermined luminance, it determines that the headlights of the following vehicle 2B are not turned on (No in step S303). The direction specifying unit 14 determines that the direction of the light source cannot be specified (step S305), and outputs the light source specifying information 14A indicating that the light source cannot be specified to the instructing unit 15.

Returning to the description of step S301. When the line-of-sight identification unit 13 determines that the line-of-sight direction of the driver is not upward (No in step S301), the direction identification unit 14 selects the forward image 42 (step S306). Since the driver is not looking at the rearview mirror, it is considered that the driver's line of sight is forward. The direction specifying unit 14 determines whether or not the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A are on based on the selected front image 42 (step S307). Step S307 is executed to determine whether or not the driver feels dazzled by the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A.

In step S307, the direction specifying unit 14 cuts out a region assumed to include the oncoming vehicle 2A from the forward image 42, and uses the cut out image to determine whether the oncoming vehicle 2A has its headlights turned on. Since step S307 is the same process as step S303, its detailed description is omitted.

When the direction specifying unit 14 determines that the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A are on (Yes in step S307), the direction specifying unit 14 determines that the direction of the light source is forward (step S308). The direction identification unit 14 outputs light source identification information 14A indicating that the light source is forward to the instruction unit 15 .

When the direction specifying unit 14 determines that the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A are not turned on (No in step S307), it determines that the light source cannot be specified (step S309). The direction specifying unit 14 outputs light source specifying information 14A indicating that the light source cannot be specified to the instructing unit 15 .

[4. Operation of Server 30]
When transmitting the instruction information 25 and the request information 26 to the other vehicle, the remote control device 10 transmits the instruction information 25 and the request information 26 whose destination is set to the server 30 to the server 30 .

When the server 30 receives the instruction information 25 and the request information 26 from the remote control device 10, the server 30 determines the headlight control device to which the instruction information 25 and the request information 26 should be transferred based on the position information 53 included in the received instruction information 25 and the request information 26.

The operation of the server 30 that determines the transfer destination of the instruction information 25 will be described below. The server 30 determines a circular transmission area around the center of gravity G of the own vehicle 1 based on the position information 53 included in the instruction information 25 . The radius of the transmission area is larger than the radius of circle C1 shown in FIG.

The server 30 periodically acquires position information of other vehicles equipped with headlight control devices from the other vehicles. The server 30 identifies the other vehicle running in the determined transmission area based on the acquired position information of the other vehicle, and transmits the received instruction information 25 to the headlight control device mounted on the identified other vehicle. In addition, the server 30 transmits the request information 26 to the headlight control device mounted on the other vehicle in the same manner as the instruction information 25 .

[5. Operation of headlight control device]
[5.1. Operation of headlight control device 20A]
When the own vehicle 1 and the oncoming vehicle 2A have the positional relationship shown in FIG. 6, the driver of the own vehicle 1 feels that the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A are dazzling. When the oncoming vehicle 2A satisfies the following two conditions, the own vehicle 1 and the oncoming vehicle 2A have the positional relationship shown in FIG. The first condition is that the oncoming vehicle 2A is positioned within the semicircle CH1. The second condition is that the direction of travel of the oncoming vehicle 2A is opposite to the direction of travel of the own vehicle 1 . When the first and second conditions are satisfied, the headlight control device 20A changes the lighting condition of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the operation of the headlight control devices 20A and 20B shown in FIG. 20 A of headlight control apparatuses start the process shown in FIG. 12, when the headlight of 2 A of oncoming vehicles is lighted.

Referring to FIG. 12, when headlight control device 20A receives instruction information 25 (Yes in step S201), headlight control device 20A determines whether or not oncoming vehicle 2A is positioned within the change target range included in received instruction information 25 (step S202). Step S202 is executed to determine whether the above first condition is met.

For example, when receiving the instruction information 25 shown in FIG. 7, the headlight control device 20A generates the semicircle CH1 based on the change target range 56 included in the received instruction information 25. FIG. When the current position of oncoming vehicle 2A is within semicircle CH1, headlight control device 20A determines that oncoming vehicle 2A is positioned within change target range 56 (Yes in step S202). The headlight control device 20A determines whether the direction indicated by the light source direction information 55 included in the instruction information 25 is forward or backward (step S203).

In the instruction information 25 shown in FIG. 7, the light source direction information 55 indicates forward (Yes in step S203), so the headlight control device 20A determines whether or not the traveling direction of the oncoming vehicle 2A is opposite to the direction indicated by the traveling direction information 54 included in the instruction information 25 (step S204). Steps S203-S204 are performed to determine whether the above second condition is met.

Specifically, the headlight control device 20A identifies the traveling direction of the oncoming vehicle 2A based on the time change of the position information of the oncoming vehicle 2A. The headlight control device 20A determines whether or not the traveling direction of the oncoming vehicle 2A is opposite to the direction indicated by the traveling direction information 54 or not. At this time, the angle formed by the traveling direction of the oncoming vehicle 2A and the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 does not have to be 180 degrees. It is sufficient that the angle formed by these two directions is within a predetermined range in which the direction of travel of the oncoming vehicle 2A can be considered to be opposite to the direction of travel of the own vehicle 1 .

If the traveling direction of the oncoming vehicle 2A is not opposite to the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 (No in step S204), the headlight control device 20A proceeds to step S208 described later without changing the lighting condition of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A.

If the traveling direction of the oncoming vehicle 2A is opposite to the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 (Yes in step S204), the headlight control device 20A determines whether the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A are high beams (step S206).

When the headlights 23 of the oncoming vehicle 2A are high beams (Yes in step S206), the headlight control device 20A changes the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A from high beams to low beams (step S207). The reason why the driver of the host vehicle 1 feels dazzled is that the headlights 23 of the oncoming vehicle 2A are likely to be high beams.

When the headlights 23 of the oncoming vehicle 2A are low beams (No in step S206), the headlight control device 20A proceeds to step S208 without changing the lighting condition of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A. This is because even if the irradiation direction of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A is changed, the situation in which the driver of the own vehicle 1 feels dazzled cannot be resolved.

The headlight control device 20A determines whether or not the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A are turned off (step S208). When the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 2A are on (No in step S208), the headlight control device 20A returns to step S201. When the headlights 23 of the oncoming vehicle 2A are turned off (Yes in step S208), the headlight control device 20A ends the processing shown in FIG.

[5.2. Operation of headlight control device 20B]
[5.2.1. When request information is received]
If the headlight control device 20B has not received the instruction information 25 (No in step S201), it determines whether or not the request information 26 has been received (step S209).

If the headlight control device 20B has not received the request information 26 (No in step S209), the process proceeds to step S208. When the request information 26 is received (Yes in step S209), the headlight control device 20B determines whether or not the following vehicle 2B is positioned within the request target range based on the request information 26 (step S210).

Step S<b>210 is the same as step S<b>202 except that the requested range 57 is used instead of the change range 56 . If the oncoming vehicle 2A is located outside the request target range 57 (No in step S210), the headlight control device 20B proceeds to step S208. When the oncoming vehicle 2A is positioned within the request target range 57 (Yes in step S210), the headlight control device 20B determines whether the traveling direction of the following vehicle 2B is the same as the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 (step S211).

Since step S211 is the same process as step S204, its detailed description is omitted. If the traveling direction of the following vehicle 2B is not the same as the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 (No in step S211), the headlight control device 20A proceeds to step S208.

If the traveling direction of the oncoming vehicle 2A is the same as the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 (Yes in step S211), there is a high possibility that the light from the headlights 23 of the oncoming vehicle 2A is reflected by the rearview mirror of the own vehicle 1. The headlight control device 20B displays a message requesting change of the following distance on the display device 24 (step S212). After that, the headlight control device 20A proceeds to step S208.

[5.2.2. When instruction information is received]
When the own vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 2B have the positional relationship shown in FIG. 6, the driver of the own vehicle 1 feels that the headlights of the following vehicle 2B are dazzling. When the following vehicle 2B satisfies the following two conditions, the own vehicle 1 and the following vehicle 2B have the positional relationship shown in FIG. The first condition is that the following vehicle 2B is positioned within the semicircle CH2. The second condition is that the direction of travel of the following vehicle 2B is the same as the direction of travel of the own vehicle 1 .

When the headlight control device 20B receives the instruction information 25 (Yes in step S201), the headlight control device 20B determines whether or not the following vehicle 2B is positioned within the change target range included in the received instruction information 25 (step S202). Step S202 is executed to determine whether a first condition is met.

When the headlight control device 20B receives the instruction information 25 shown in FIG. 9, the semicircle CH2 is generated based on the change target range 56 included in the received instruction information 25. As shown in FIG. When the current position of following vehicle 2B is within semicircle CH2, headlight control device 20B determines that following vehicle 2B is positioned within change target range 56 (Yes in step S202). The headlight control device 20A determines whether the direction indicated by the light source direction information 55 included in the instruction information 25 is forward or backward (step S203).

In the instruction information 25 shown in FIG. 9, the light source direction information 55 indicates the rear (No in step S203), so the headlight control device 20B determines whether the traveling direction of the following vehicle 2B is the same as the direction indicated by the traveling direction information 54 included in the instruction information 25 (step S205). Step S205 is executed to determine whether the second condition described above is met. Step S205 is the same process as step S204.

If the traveling direction of the following vehicle 2B is not the same as the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 (No in step S205), the headlight control device 20B proceeds to step S208 described later without changing the lighting condition of the headlights of the following vehicle 2B.

If the traveling direction of the following vehicle 2B is the same as the traveling direction of the own vehicle 1 (Yes in step S205), the headlight control device 20A determines whether the headlights of the following vehicle 2B are high beams (step S206). If the headlights 23 of the following vehicle 2B are high beams (Yes in step S206), the headlight control device 20B changes the headlights of the following vehicle 2B to low beams (step S207). If the headlights 23 of the following vehicle 2B are low beams (Yes in step S206), the headlight control device 20B proceeds to step S208 without changing the lighting condition of the headlights of the following vehicle 2B.

As described above, when the remote control device 10 determines that the driver of the own vehicle 1 feels dazzled, it specifies the direction of the light source based on the line of sight of the driver, and controls the headlights of other vehicles positioned in the specified direction. As a result, the remote control device 10 can prevent unnecessary control of the headlights of other vehicles, which causes the driver to feel dazzled.

When the direction of the light source is behind the own vehicle 1, the remote control device 10 transmits the request information 26 requesting to lengthen the inter-vehicle distance to the following vehicle 2B. As a result, the remote control device 10 can eliminate the situation in which the driver feels dazzled without controlling the headlights of other vehicles.

The remote control device 10 instructs the following vehicle 2B to change the lighting conditions of the headlights when the driver feels dazzling after the request information is transmitted. As a result, the remote control device 10 can prevent the driver from driving the vehicle while feeling dazzled.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the line-of-sight identifying unit 13 determines whether or not the line-of-sight direction of the driver is upward (step S302) in the light source identification process (step S13 shown in FIG. 6). However, the present invention is not limited to this. In step S302, the line-of-sight identifying unit 13 may further determine whether the line-of-sight direction of the driver is to the right and whether the line-of-sight direction of the driver is to the left.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 9, the line-of-sight specifying unit calculates a first distance from point P1 to point P3 and a second distance from point P2 to point P3. When the value obtained by dividing the second distance by the first distance is larger than the first predetermined value, the line-of-sight identifying unit 13 determines that the line-of-sight direction of the driver is the right direction. When the value obtained by dividing the second distance by the first distance is smaller than the second predetermined value, the line-of-sight identifying unit 13 determines that the line-of-sight direction of the driver is the left direction. The first predetermined value is greater than the second predetermined value. The first predetermined value and the second predetermined value are changed according to the positional relationship between the vehicle interior camera 31 and the driver's seat.

When the line-of-sight specifying unit 13 determines that the line-of-sight direction of the driver is left or right, the driver may feel dazzled by the light reflected by the left side mirror or the right side mirror of the own vehicle 1.例文帳に追加Therefore, the direction specifying unit 14 selects the rear image 43 (step S303). The line-of-sight identifying unit 13 determines that the line-of-sight direction of the driver is the forward direction when the line-of-sight direction of the driver is neither upward, left, or right. In this case, the direction specifying unit 14 selects the forward image 42 (step S307).

Note that the line-of-sight identifying unit 13 may determine whether or not the line-of-sight direction is upward when both eyes of the driver are detected from the forward image 42 (step S301). If both eyes are not detected, it is considered that the driver's face is not facing the front of the vehicle 1 . In this case, the accuracy of specifying the line-of-sight direction of the driver decreases, so the remote control device 10 may determine that the light source cannot be specified, and terminate the light source specifying process (step S13).

Note that the direction specifying unit 14 may adjust the contrast of the captured image according to the average luminance value of the captured image when executing steps S304 and S308. This is to cope with fluctuations in pixel values of the background of the captured image.

Although the operation of the remote control device 10 when the own vehicle 1 and the other vehicle are running has been described in the above embodiment, the operation is not limited to this. The own vehicle 1 and the other vehicle may be stopped.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the remote control device 10 starts the processing shown in FIG. 5 when the ignition switch of the own vehicle 1 is turned on, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the remote control device 10 may start the process shown in FIG. 5 when the driving situation of the own vehicle 1 satisfies a predetermined condition.

The remote control device 10 may start the processing shown in FIG. 5 when the sunlight does not feel dazzling. For example, the process shown in FIG. 5 may be started when the current time is within the period from sunset to sunrise, when the headlights of the vehicle 1 are turned on, or when an illuminance sensor installed outside the vehicle 1 detects an illuminance below a predetermined illuminance. Alternatively, the process shown in FIG. 5 may be started when the wipers of the own vehicle 1 are operating. This is because it is conceivable that other vehicles may run with their headlights on in bad weather. This can further prevent unnecessary control of the headlights of other vehicles.

In the above embodiment, an example of changing the headlights of other vehicles from high beams to low beams has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The remote control device 10 may instruct other vehicles to change the brightness of the headlights.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the glare determination unit 12 uses a neural network to detect the face that the driver feels is glare from the vehicle interior image 41, but the present invention is not limited to this. The glare determination unit 12 may use the vehicle interior image 41 to determine whether or not the driver has performed a predetermined action. For example, the glare determination unit 12 may determine that the driver feels glare when the driver turns his head away or when the driver uses his hand to block the light.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the remote control device 10 transmits the instruction information 25 and the request information 26 to the other vehicle via the server 30 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The remote control device 10 may communicate with other vehicles by vehicle-to-vehicle communication based on the IEEE802.11p standard, for example.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the remote control device 10 determines the change target range and the request target range, but the present invention is not limited to this. The server 30 may determine the change target range. In this case, the remote control device 10 transmits to the server 30 the instruction information 25 that does not include the change target range 56 . When receiving the instruction information 25 , the server 30 determines the change target range based on the position of the own vehicle 1 , the traveling direction, and the direction of the light source included in the instruction information 25 . The server 30 may also determine the request target range. The operation of the server 30 in this case is the same as described above.

In the above embodiment, the remote control device 10 and the headlight control device may be individually integrated into one chip by a semiconductor device such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), or may be integrated into one chip so as to include part or all of them. Although LSI is used here, it may also be called IC (Integrated Circuit), system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration.

The method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI, and may be implemented using a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of the circuit cells inside the LSI may be used.

Also, part or all of the processing executed by the remote control device 10 and the headlight control device may be implemented by a program. Part or all of the processing of each functional block in each of the above embodiments is performed by a central processing unit (CPU) in a computer. A program for performing each process is stored in a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or ROM, and is read from the ROM or RAM and executed.

Further, each process of the above embodiments may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software (including cases where it is realized together with an OS (operating system), middleware, or a predetermined library). Furthermore, it may be realized by mixed processing of software and hardware.

For example, when the remote control device 10 and the headlight control device are implemented by software, the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 13 (for example, a hardware configuration in which a CPU, ROM, RAM, input unit, output unit, etc. are connected by a bus) may be used to implement each functional unit by software processing.

Also, the execution order of the processing methods in the above embodiments is not limited to the description of the above embodiments, and the execution order may be changed without departing from the gist of the invention.

A computer program that causes a computer to execute the method described above and a computer-readable recording medium that records the program are included in the scope of the present invention. Examples of computer-readable recording media include flexible disks, hard disks, CD-ROMs, MOs, DVDs, DVD-ROMs, DVD-RAMs, large-capacity DVDs, next-generation DVDs, and semiconductor memories.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented by appropriately modifying the above-described embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention.

1 Self-vehicle 10 Headlight remote control device 11 Image acquisition unit 12 Glare determination unit 13 Line of sight identification unit 14 Direction identification unit 15 Instruction unit

Claims (3)

an image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image generated by a camera that captures the driver's seat of the own vehicle;
a glare determination unit that determines whether or not the driver of the vehicle feels glare based on the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit;
a line-of-sight identifying unit that identifies a line-of-sight direction of the driver from the acquired captured image;
a direction identifying unit that identifies a direction of another vehicle relative to the subject vehicle based on the line-of-sight direction identified by the line-of-sight identifying unit;
when the glare determination unit determines that the driver feels dazzled and the direction specified by the direction specifying unit is behind the own vehicle, an instruction unit for transmitting request information to make the inter-vehicle distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle located in the specified direction longer than the current inter-vehicle distance to the other vehicle located in the specified direction;
The headlight remote control device, wherein the glare determination unit re-determines whether or not the driver feels glare after the instruction unit transmits the request information, and when the glare determination unit re-determines that the driver feels glare, the instruction unit instructs another vehicle located in the specified direction to change the lighting conditions of the headlights. A headlight remote control device according to claim 1, comprising:
The glare determination unit is a headlight remote control device that starts determining whether or not the driver of the vehicle feels glare when the running condition of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition. obtaining a captured image generated by a camera that captures the driver's seat of the own vehicle;
a step of determining whether or not the driver of the own vehicle feels dazzled based on the acquired captured image;
a step of identifying the line-of-sight direction of the driver from the acquired captured image;
a step of specifying a direction of another vehicle relative to the own vehicle based on the specified line-of-sight direction;
when it is determined that the driver of the own vehicle is dazzled and the specified direction is behind the own vehicle, transmitting request information to the other vehicle located in the specified direction to make the inter-vehicle distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle located in the specified direction longer than the current inter-vehicle distance;
re-determining whether the driver feels glare after transmitting the request information; and instructing other vehicles located in the specified direction to change lighting conditions of the headlights when it is re-determined that the driver feels glare.