JP7366070B2 - Vehicle lighting control device, vehicle lighting system, and vehicle lighting control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp control device, a vehicular lamp system, and a vehicular lamp control method, and more particularly to a vehicular lamp control device, a vehicular lamp system, and a vehicular lamp control method used in automobiles and the like.

Conventionally, ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control has been proposed that dynamically and adaptively controls a high beam light distribution pattern based on the surrounding conditions of a vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle headlamp that can perform ADB control.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-24399

By equipping a vehicle lamp with an ADB control function and providing the driver with good visibility, vehicle driving can be supported. On the other hand, by installing the ADB control function, the driver is required to operate a switch to start/stop the ADB control. Moreover, if a new function is added to a vehicle lamp, not only ADB control, the driver will be required to perform operations to make the function perform.

Therefore, as the functions of vehicle lights increase, the driver's actions and consciousness are taken up by operating the vehicle lights, making it difficult for the driver to concentrate on operating the steering wheel and seeing what's ahead, in other words, concentrating on driving. Difficult situations can arise. In particular, in situations where visibility is poor such as in bad weather, in situations where drivers are required to frequently shift their line of sight such as in urban areas, and in situations where the surrounding environment changes rapidly such as when driving at high speeds, drivers are required to This requires even more dedication, and the operation of vehicle lights may seem more troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology that achieves both driving support in terms of lamp operation and driving support in terms of ensuring visibility.

In order to solve the above problems, an aspect of the present invention is a control device for a vehicle lamp. The control device performs recognition processing of an audio signal generated by an audio input unit mounted on the vehicle, and determines that the content of the audio input to the audio input unit is related to light irradiation from the vehicle lamp. The present invention includes a voice recognition processing section, and a lamp control section that controls the vehicle lamp according to the content when the voice recognition processing section determines that the content of the voice is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp. According to this aspect, it is possible to achieve both driving support in terms of lamp operation and driving support in terms of ensuring visibility.

In the above aspect, the content of the audio may be intended to turn on/off a vehicle lamp. Furthermore, in the above aspect, the content of the audio may be intended to switch the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp. Furthermore, in the above aspect, the content of the audio may be intended to execute automatic switching control of a light distribution pattern formed by a vehicle lamp. Further, in the above aspect, the content of the audio may be intended to clean the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp. Furthermore, in the above aspect, the content of the audio may be intended to move the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp. Furthermore, in the above aspect, the content of the audio may be intended to increase or decrease the illuminance of the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp. Furthermore, in the above aspect, the content of the voice is intended to request an increase in the brightness in front of the vehicle, and the lamp control unit determines whether or not to clean the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp. , and whether or not to increase the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp may be determined, and the vehicle lamp may be controlled based on the result of the determination. Further, in the above aspect, the content of the voice is intended to request an increase in the brightness in front of the vehicle, and the light control section cleans the light emitting surface of the vehicle light and cleans the light emitting surface of the vehicle light. When it is determined whether or not to perform one of the processes to increase the illuminance of the irradiated light, and when it is determined that the one process is to be executed, the other process is not executed, and when it is determined that the one process is not to be executed. The vehicle lamp may be controlled to execute the other process. Furthermore, in the above aspect, the content of the sound is intended to request a reduction in the brightness in front of the vehicle, and the lamp control unit determines an area in front of the vehicle where the brightness is a predetermined high brightness. However, the vehicle lamp may be controlled to lower the illuminance of the light irradiated to the area.

Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle lighting system. The system includes a control device for a vehicle lamp according to any of the above aspects, and a vehicle lamp whose light irradiation is controlled by the control device.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a vehicle lamp. The control method includes a voice recognition step of performing recognition processing on a voice signal generated by the voice input unit and determining that the content of the voice input to the voice input unit is related to light irradiation from a vehicle lamp; The method includes a lamp control step of controlling the vehicle lamp according to the content when the voice recognition step determines that the content is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp.

Note that arbitrary combinations of the above components and expressions of the present invention converted between methods, devices, systems, etc. are also effective as aspects of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both driving support in terms of lamp operation and driving support in terms of ensuring visibility.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2(A) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the optical deflection device. FIG. 2(B) is a sectional view taken along line AA of the optical deflection device shown in FIG. 2(A). FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the situation in front of the vehicle. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of audio control of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows an example of brightness processing. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a light reduction process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are illustrative rather than limiting the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. Identical or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Further, the scale and shape of each part shown in each figure are set for convenience to facilitate explanation, and should not be interpreted in a limited manner unless otherwise mentioned. Furthermore, when terms such as "first" and "second" are used in this specification or the claims, unless otherwise specified, these terms do not indicate any order or importance; This is to distinguish between this and other configurations. Further, in each drawing, some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp system according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, some of the components of the vehicle lighting system 1 are depicted as functional blocks. These functional blocks are realized by elements and circuits such as a CPU and memory of a computer as a hardware configuration, and are realized by a computer program and the like as a software configuration. Those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be implemented in various ways by combining hardware and software.

The vehicular lamp system 1 is applied, for example, to a vehicular headlamp device having a pair of headlamp units arranged on the left and right sides in front of the vehicle. Since the pair of headlamp units have substantially the same configuration except for having a symmetrical structure, FIG. 1 shows the structure of one headlamp unit as the vehicle lamp 2. The vehicular lamp system 1 mainly includes a vehicular lamp 2 and a control device 4 for the vehicular lamp 2.

The vehicular lamp 2 includes a lamp body 6 having an opening on the front side of the vehicle, and a transparent cover 8 attached to cover the opening of the lamp body 6. The light-transmitting cover 8 is made of a resin, glass, or the like that has light-transmitting properties. A lamp chamber 10 is formed by the lamp body 6 and the transparent cover 8. The vehicle lamp 2 of this embodiment is a lamp that can independently adjust the illuminance (intensity) of light irradiated to each of a plurality of individual areas (see FIG. 3) arranged in front of the vehicle. A light source 12, a reflective optical member 14, a light deflection device 16, and a projection optical member 18 are housed in the lamp chamber 10. Each part is attached to the lamp body 6 by a support mechanism (not shown).

As the light source 12, a semiconductor light emitting element such as an LED (Light emitting diode), an LD (Laser diode), an EL (Electroluminescence) element, a light bulb, an incandescent lamp (halogen lamp), a discharge lamp (discharge lamp), etc. can be used. .

The reflective optical member 14 is configured to guide the light emitted from the light source 12 to the reflective surface of the optical deflector 16 . The reflective optical member 14 is composed of a reflective mirror whose inner surface serves as a predetermined reflective surface. Note that the reflective optical member 14 may be a solid light guide or the like. Furthermore, if the light emitted from the light source 12 can be directly guided to the optical deflection device 16, the reflective optical member 14 may not be provided.

The light deflector 16 is arranged on the optical axis of the projection optical member 18 and is configured to selectively reflect the light emitted from the light source 12 to the projection optical member 18. The optical deflection device 16 is composed of, for example, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device). That is, the optical deflection device 16 has a plurality of micromirrors arranged in an array (matrix). By controlling the angles of the reflection surfaces of these plurality of micromirrors, the direction of reflection of the light emitted from the light source 12 can be selectively changed. That is, the light deflection device 16 reflects a part of the light emitted from the light source 12 toward the projection optical member 18 and reflects the other light in a direction that is not effectively used by the projection optical member 18. be able to. Here, the direction that is not effectively used can be understood as, for example, a direction that is incident on the projection optical member 18 but hardly contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern, or a direction that is directed toward a light absorbing member (light shielding member) not shown. can.

FIG. 2(A) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the optical deflection device 16. FIG. 2(B) is a sectional view taken along line AA of the optical deflection device 16 shown in FIG. 2(A). The light deflection device 16 includes a micromirror array 22 in which a plurality of minute mirror elements 20 are arranged in a matrix, and a front side of the reflective surface 20a of the mirror element 20 (the right side of the light deflection device 16 shown in FIG. 2(B)). ). The cover member 24 is made of, for example, glass or plastic.

The mirror element 20 is approximately square, and has a rotation axis 20b that extends in the horizontal direction and divides the mirror element 20 into approximately equal parts. Each mirror element 20 of the micromirror array 22 is located at a first reflection position (see FIG. 2(B)) and a second reflection position (position shown by a dotted line in FIG. 2(B)) where the light emitted from the light source 12 is reflected so as not to be effectively used. ing. Each mirror element 20 rotates around the rotation axis 20b and is individually switched between a first reflection position and a second reflection position. Each mirror element 20 assumes a first reflective position when on, and a second reflective position when off.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the situation in front of the vehicle. As described above, the vehicle lamp 2 includes a plurality of mirror elements 20 as individual irradiation units that can irradiate light toward the front of the lamp independently of each other. The vehicle lamp 2 can irradiate light onto a plurality of individual regions R lined up in front of the vehicle using the mirror element 20. Each individual region R is a region corresponding to one pixel or a set of a plurality of pixels of a camera constituting the imaging section 42, which will be described later. In this embodiment, each individual region R and each mirror element 20 are associated with each other.

In FIGS. 2A and 3, for convenience of explanation, the mirror elements 20 and the individual regions R are arranged in a 10 horizontal by 8 vertical array, but the number of the mirror elements 20 and the individual regions R is not particularly limited. For example, the resolution of the micromirror array 22 (in other words, the number of mirror elements 20 and individual regions R) is 1000 to 300,000 pixels.

As shown in FIG. 1, the projection optical member 18 is made of, for example, a free-form lens whose front side surface and rear side surface have a free-form surface shape. The projection optical member 18 projects the light source image formed on the rear focal plane including its rear focal point to the front of the lamp as an inverted image. The projection optical member 18 is arranged so that its rear focal point is on the optical axis of the vehicle lamp 2 and near the reflective surface of the micromirror array 22 . Note that the projection optical member 18 may be a reflector.

The light emitted from the light source 12 is reflected by the reflective optical member 14 and irradiated onto the micromirror array 22 of the optical deflector 16 . The light deflection device 16 reflects light toward the projection optical member 18 by a predetermined mirror element 20 located at a first reflection position. This reflected light passes through the projection optical member 18 and travels forward of the lamp, and is irradiated onto each individual region R corresponding to each mirror element 20. As a result, a light distribution pattern made up of a plurality of partial irradiation areas is formed in front of the lamp. Each of the plurality of partial irradiation areas is formed when the corresponding mirror element 20 is on. The vehicle lighting system 1 can form light distribution patterns of various shapes by switching on/off of each mirror element 20.

Further, the vehicle lamp 2 includes a cleaner 26 and a foreign object detection sensor 28. The cleaner 26 is a device for cleaning the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2, that is, the transparent cover 8. The cleaner 26 has a main body 30 and a spray nozzle 32. The main body portion 30 is fixed to the vehicle body 102 of the vehicle 100 or the like. The injection nozzle 32 is provided at the end of the main body 30 and injects a cleaning liquid 34 supplied through the main body 30 from a cleaning liquid tank (not shown) on the vehicle 100 side onto the transparent cover 8 . Thereby, foreign matter such as mud and dust attached to the transparent cover 8 can be removed. Driving of the cleaner 26 is controlled by the control device 4.

The foreign object detection sensor 28 is a sensor that detects adhesion of foreign objects to the transparent cover 8. As an example, the foreign object detection sensor 28 of this embodiment is configured with a camera that captures an image of the light-transmitting cover 8. Image data generated by the foreign object detection sensor 28 is sent to the control device 4. Note that the foreign object detection sensor 28 can also be configured with other known sensors, such as a strain sensor, an acceleration sensor, an optical fiber sensor, etc. that detect collisions of mud or dust with the transparent cover 8.

The control device 4 of this embodiment controls the vehicle lamp 2 in response to a voice command from a driver of the vehicle 100 or the like. The control device 4 includes a situation analysis section 36, a voice recognition processing section 38, and a lamp control section 40. The situation analysis section 36, the voice recognition processing section 38, and the lamp control section 40 can operate when the integrated circuits that constitute them execute programs held in memory.

The situation analysis unit 36 acquires image data from the imaging unit 42 mounted on the vehicle 100. The imaging unit 42 is configured with a camera, for example, and images all the individual regions R. The situation analysis unit 36 performs image analysis on the image data obtained from the imaging unit 42 and detects the brightness of each individual region R and a predetermined target existing in front of the own vehicle.

The target detected by the situation analysis unit 36 is, for example, a self-luminous body, and specific examples include the oncoming vehicle 200 shown in FIG. 3 and a preceding vehicle such as a leading vehicle (not shown). The situation analysis unit 36 can detect targets using known methods including algorithm recognition, deep learning, and the like. For example, the situation analysis unit 36 holds feature points indicating the oncoming vehicle 200 in advance. Then, the situation analysis unit 36 recognizes the position of the oncoming vehicle 200 when data including feature points indicating the oncoming vehicle 200 is present in the image data of the imaging unit 42 . The "feature point indicating the oncoming vehicle 200" is, for example, a light spot 202 having a predetermined luminous intensity or higher (see FIG. 3) that appears in the estimated presence area of the headlight of the oncoming vehicle 200. The detection results of the situation analysis section 36, that is, signals indicating the brightness of each individual region R and target object information in front of the vehicle are transmitted to the lamp control section 40.

The voice recognition processing section 38 acquires a voice signal from the voice input section 44 mounted on the vehicle 100. The audio input unit 44 is configured, for example, with a microphone installed in the cabin of the vehicle 100. A passenger of the vehicle 100 can input his/her own voice into the voice input section 44 . The voice input section 44 generates a voice signal from the input voice and transmits it to the voice recognition processing section 38 .

The voice recognition processing unit 38 performs a recognition process on the voice signal generated by the voice input unit 44 and determines that the voice input to the voice input unit 44 is related to light irradiation from the vehicle lamp 2 . Specifically, the voice recognition processing unit 38 includes memory such as ROM, RAM, SSD, HDD, flash memory, and other nonvolatile memory and volatile memory. The memory stores a speech recognition program executed in speech recognition processing, dictionary data necessary for the processing, and the like.

When the speech recognition processing section 38 receives the speech signal from the speech input section 44, it reads the dictionary data stored in the memory, and executes speech recognition processing based on the read dictionary data. The voice recognition processing unit 38 can determine whether the voice input to the voice input unit 44 is related to light irradiation from the vehicle lamp 2 using a known voice recognition processing technique. The voice recognition processing unit 38 transmits a signal indicating the determination result to the lamp control unit 40.

When the voice recognition processing unit 38 determines that the content of the voice input to the voice input unit 44 is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2, the lamp control unit 40 controls the vehicle lamp 2 according to the content of the voice. control. The contents related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2 include those intended to turn the vehicle lamp 2 on and off. Examples of voices intended to turn on and off the vehicle lamp 2 include "turn on the lamp" and "turn off the lamp". In this case, the lamp control unit 40 controls a power supply circuit (not shown) to turn the light source 12 on and off.

Furthermore, the contents regarding light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2 include those intended to switch the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp 2. The switching of the light distribution pattern is, for example, switching between light distribution patterns having a fixed shape that is set in advance, such as a high beam light distribution pattern and a low beam light distribution pattern. Examples of voices intended to switch the light distribution pattern include "Switch to high beams" and "Switch to low beams." In this case, the lamp control unit 40 transmits a control signal to the optical deflection device 16 and switches each mirror element 20 on/off according to the shape of the light distribution pattern to be formed.

Furthermore, the contents regarding light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2 include those intended to execute automatic switching control of the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp 2. The automatic switching control of the light distribution pattern in this embodiment is ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control. Examples of voices intended to execute automatic light distribution pattern switching control include "Start ADB", "Start automatic light distribution", and the like. In this case, the lamp control unit 40 executes the ADB control program stored in the memory. In the ADB control, the lamp control section 40 sets the illuminance value of light irradiated to each individual region R based on the analysis result of the situation analysis section 36.

When a target such as an oncoming vehicle 200 or a preceding vehicle exists in front of the own vehicle, the lamp control unit 40 determines a specific individual region R1 (see FIG. 3) according to the location of the target. For example, when the target is an oncoming vehicle 200, the lamp control unit 40 controls the horizontal distance a between the two light points 202 corresponding to the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 200 to A vertical distance b is determined, and an individual region R that overlaps the size range of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction b is defined as a specific individual region R1. The specific individual region R1 includes an individual region R that overlaps with the driver of the oncoming vehicle 200. Then, the lamp control unit 40 sets, for example, an illuminance value of "0" to the specific individual region R1.

Further, the lamp control unit 40 determines the illuminance value of the light to be irradiated onto the other individual regions R except for the specific individual region R1. For example, the lamp control unit 40 holds predetermined target brightness values in the memory for the individual regions R excluding the specific individual region R1. As an example, the lamp control unit 40 maintains the same target brightness value for the individual regions R except for the specific individual region R1. The lamp control unit 40 sets the illuminance value of each individual region R so that the brightness detected by the situation analysis unit 36 approaches the target brightness value through subsequent light distribution pattern formation.

Thereby, the lamp control unit 40 determines a light distribution pattern in which the specific individual region R1 is shielded from light and other individual regions R are irradiated with light at a predetermined illuminance. Then, the lamp control unit 40 turns on the light source 12 and turns on/off each mirror element 20 according to the shape of the determined light distribution pattern. The lamp control unit 40 controls the amount of light irradiated onto each individual region R by adjusting the on-time ratio (width and density) of each mirror element 20 based on the illuminance value of the light irradiated onto each individual region R. Illuminance can be adjusted.

Furthermore, the contents regarding light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2 include those intended for cleaning the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2. Examples of voices intended to clean the light emitting surface include "clean the dirt from the lamp" and "wash the lamp". In this case, the lamp control unit 40 cleans the light emitting surface by driving the cleaner 26 and spraying the cleaning liquid 34 onto the transparent cover 8 .

Furthermore, the contents regarding light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2 include those intended to move the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp 2. Examples of voices that intend to move the light distribution pattern include "light up more to the right", "it's dark on the right", and the like. In this case, the lamp control unit 40 sends a control signal to the light deflection device 16 to move the assembly of mirror elements 20 that reflects light toward the front of the vehicle to the right without changing the shape, thereby changing the light distribution pattern. Move the forming position to the right while maintaining the shape. Note that, as a matter of course, the direction in which the light distribution pattern is moved is not limited to the right direction. Further, the position of the light distribution pattern may be moved by providing the vehicle lamp 2 with a known leveling mechanism or swivel mechanism and swinging the optical axis of the vehicle lamp 2 vertically and horizontally.

When the position of the light distribution pattern has reached the end of the movable range, the lamp control unit 40 notifies via a speaker or an indicator (not shown) mounted on the vehicle that the light distribution pattern cannot be moved any further. You may.

Furthermore, the contents regarding light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2 include those intended to increase or decrease the illuminance of the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp 2. Examples of voices intended to increase or decrease the illuminance include "Increase the light", "Weaken the light", "Increase the amount of light", "Decrease the amount of light", etc. In this case, the lamp control unit 40 increases or decreases the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2 by increasing or decreasing the output of the light source 12 or increasing or decreasing the on-time ratio of each mirror element 20 forming the light distribution pattern. Increase or decrease illuminance.

For example, in one illuminance increase/decrease process, the lamp control unit 40 increases or decreases the illuminance of the light distribution pattern by a predetermined amount that is set in advance. The predetermined amount can be set as appropriate based on the results of experiments and simulations, taking into consideration the sense of discomfort that a change in illuminance gives to the driver, a decrease in comfort, and the like. Further, when the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2 is at the maximum or minimum and cannot be increased or decreased any further, the lamp control unit 40 further increases or decreases the illuminance of the light distribution pattern via the speaker or indicator. You may inform them that you cannot do it.

Furthermore, the contents regarding the light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2 include those intended to request an increase in the brightness in front of the vehicle. Examples of voices requesting an increase in the brightness in front of the vehicle include "Make it brighter" and "Darker". In this case, the lamp control unit 40 determines whether to clean the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2 and whether to increase the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2. Then, the lamp control unit 40 controls the vehicle lamp 2 based on the result of the determination. Hereinafter, the determination of the brightness increasing means and the control of the vehicle lamp 2 based on the determination result will be referred to as brightness increasing processing.

As an example of the brightness increasing process, the lamp control unit 40 determines in advance whether or not to clean the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2. Regarding the determination of whether or not to clean the light emitting surface, the lamp control unit 40 determines whether the level of dirt on the transparent cover 8 is such that cleaning is required, based on the detection result of the foreign object detection sensor 28. This allows you to decide whether to clean or not.

For example, when the foreign object detection sensor 28 is a camera, the lamp control unit 40 analyzes the image data acquired from the foreign object detection sensor 28 and measures the area of the area on the transparent cover 8 where dirt is attached. If this area exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the lamp control unit 40 determines that the transparent cover 8 should be cleaned. Further, when the foreign object detection sensor 28 is composed of a strain sensor, an acceleration sensor, or an optical fiber sensor, the lamp control unit 40 controls the total amount of strain detected by the strain sensor, the total amount of acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, or the light If the total of changes in the phase, wavelength, refractive index, etc. of the light detected by the fiber sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the light-transmitting cover 8 should be cleaned. The threshold value can be appropriately set based on the results of experiments and simulations. If it is determined that the cleaning process is to be performed, the lamp control unit 40 drives the cleaner 26 to spray the cleaning liquid 34 onto the transparent cover 8, thereby cleaning the light emitting surface.

Thereafter, the lamp control unit 40 determines whether to increase the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2. Regarding the determination of whether to increase the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2, the lamp control unit 40 holds in advance a target increase amount of the brightness of each individual region R, for example. The target increase amount can be set as appropriate based on the results of experiments and simulations, taking into consideration the sense of discomfort that changes in the intensity of the irradiated light give to the driver, a decrease in comfort, and the like.

Then, when the cleaning process of the light exit surface is executed, the lamp control unit 40 determines whether the amount of increase in brightness of each individual region R has reached the target amount of increase based on the analysis result of the situation analysis unit 36. do. When the amount of increase in the brightness of each individual region R has reached the target amount of increase, the lamp control unit 40 determines not to increase the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2. On the other hand, the amount of increase in brightness of each individual region R has not reached the target amount of increase, and the current output of the light source 12 is less than the maximum output, or the ON time of each mirror element 20 forming the light distribution pattern If the ratio is less than the maximum ratio, the lamp control unit 40 determines to increase the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2. If the cleaning process of the light exit surface is not executed, the lamp control unit 40 only determines that the output of the light source 12 and the on-time ratio of each mirror element 20 have not reached the maximum value. Then, when the output of the light source 12 or the ON time ratio of the mirror element 20 has not reached the maximum value, it is determined that the illuminance of the irradiation light from the vehicle lamp 2 is to be increased.

When determining that the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2 is to be increased, the lamp control unit 40 increases the illuminance by at least one of increasing the output of the light source 12 and increasing the on-time ratio of each mirror element 20. For example, the lamp control unit 40 increases the illuminance of the irradiated light from the vehicle lamp 2 so that the amount of increase in brightness of each individual region R reaches the target increase amount in one brightness increase process. Alternatively, the lamp control unit 40 may gradually bring the amount of increase in brightness of each individual region R closer to the target amount of increase by repeating the brightness increasing process a plurality of times. In this case, it is possible to increase the brightness in front of the vehicle while further reducing the sense of discomfort and deterioration in comfort given to the driver by changes in the brightness in front of the vehicle.

Further, the lamp control unit 40 is not able to further increase the illuminance because the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2 is not dirty enough to be cleaned and the illuminance of the irradiation light of the vehicle lamp 2 is the maximum. If this is not possible, it will notify you via a speaker or indicator that the brightness in front of your vehicle cannot be increased any further.

In addition, in the brightness increasing process, the lamp control unit 40 determines whether to perform one of cleaning the light exit surface and increasing the illuminance of the irradiated light, and when determining that one process is to be performed, performs one of the processes. It is also possible to execute only one process and not execute the other process, or execute the other process when it is determined not to execute the one process. In other words, the determination of one process may also serve as the determination of the other process. Further, the lamp control unit 40 may independently determine whether to clean the light emitting surface and to increase the illuminance of the irradiated light. In this case, in determining whether to increase the illuminance of the irradiated light, the lamp control unit 40 determines that the output of the light source 12 and the on-time ratio of each mirror element 20 have not reached the maximum value, and determine whether to increase the illuminance of the irradiated light.

Further, the request to increase the brightness in front of the vehicle may be a request to increase the brightness of a part of the individual region R in front of the vehicle, such as "make the right side brighter." In this case, a plurality of specific areas such as a right side area, a left side area, and a center area are set in advance for the image data generated by the imaging unit 42, for example. Each specific region includes a plurality of individual regions R. The lamp control unit 40 holds specific area information, determines a specific area that overlaps with an area where an increase in brightness is required, and controls the irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2 so that the brightness of the specific area increases. Increase light intensity. Note that the movement control of the formation position of the light distribution pattern described above may be combined.

Furthermore, the contents regarding the light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2 include those intended to request a reduction in the brightness in front of the vehicle. Examples of voices requesting reduction of the brightness in front of the vehicle include "make it darker" and "dazzling". In this case, the lamp control unit 40 detects an area in front of the host vehicle where the brightness is a predetermined high brightness, and controls the vehicle lamp 2 to reduce the illuminance of the light irradiated to this area. Hereinafter, the determination of this high brightness area and the control of the vehicle lamp 2 based on the determination result will be referred to as dimming processing.

In the dimming process, the lamp control unit 40 detects a high brightness area in front of the vehicle based on the analysis result of the situation analysis unit 36. For example, the lamp control unit 40 detects an individual area R whose brightness is higher than a predetermined threshold value as a high-brightness area, excluding the individual area R that overlaps with the target detected by the situation analysis unit 36. The threshold value can be appropriately set based on the results of experiments and simulations. For example, when a highly reflective object such as a delineator, a signboard, or a road sign 204 (see FIG. 3) exists in front of the vehicle, the individual region R that overlaps with the reflective object can be a high-luminance region. Further, when the road surface is wet during rainy weather, the individual region R overlapping with the road surface may become a high brightness region.

When the lamp control unit 40 detects a high-brightness area, it reduces the illuminance of the light irradiated to the high-brightness area by reducing the on-time ratio of the mirror element 20 that irradiates light to the high-brightness area. For example, the lamp control unit 40 holds in advance a target reduction amount of the brightness of each individual region R, and adjusts the brightness of the high brightness region so that the brightness reduction amount of the high brightness region reaches the target reduction amount in one dimming process. The illuminance of the irradiation light from the mirror element 20 corresponding to the area is reduced. The target reduction amount can be set as appropriate based on the results of experiments and simulations, taking into account the sense of discomfort that changes in the intensity of irradiated light give to the driver, the reduction in comfort, and the like. Alternatively, the lamp control unit 40 may gradually bring the amount of reduction in brightness in the high-brightness area closer to the target amount of reduction by repeating the dimming process multiple times. In this case, the brightness in front of the vehicle can be reduced while further reducing the sense of discomfort and reduction in comfort given to the driver by changes in the brightness in front of the vehicle.

Further, the lamp control unit 40 may reduce the illuminance of the entire light distribution pattern when a high brightness area is not detected. In this case, the lamp control unit 40 can reduce the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2 by at least one of reducing the output of the light source 12 and reducing the ON time ratio of each mirror element 20.

Furthermore, when the intensity of the irradiated light from the vehicle lamp 2 is at a minimum and it is not possible to reduce the illuminance of the irradiated light to the high-brightness region or the illuminance of the entire light distribution pattern, the lamp control unit 40 controls the speaker or the indicator. to notify that the brightness in front of the vehicle cannot be reduced any further.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of audio control of the vehicle lamp 2 according to the embodiment. This flow is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing when, for example, an instruction to execute voice control is given and the ignition is turned on, and when the instruction to execute voice control is canceled (or a stop instruction is issued) or the ignition is turned off. Terminates if it is set to .

The control device 4 determines whether there is a voice input to the voice input unit 44 (S101). The presence or absence of audio input can be determined based on whether or not an audio signal is received from the audio input section 44. If there is no voice input (N in S101), the control device 4 ends this routine. If there is a voice input (Y in S101), the control device 4 executes voice recognition processing (S102). If the content of the recognized voice is intended to turn on or off the vehicle lamp 2, the control device 4 turns on or off the light source 12 according to the content of the voice (S103), and ends this routine.

If the content of the recognized voice is intended to switch the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp 2, the control device 4 controls the light deflection device 16 to switch the light distribution pattern (S104), and switches the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp 2. End the routine. If the content of the recognized voice is intended to execute automatic light distribution pattern switching control, the control device 4 starts ADB control (S105) and ends this routine.

If the content of the recognized voice is intended to clean the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2, the control device 4 controls the cleaner 26 to inject the cleaning liquid 34 onto the transparent cover 8 (S106), This routine ends. If the content of the recognized voice is intended to move the light distribution pattern, the control device 4 controls the light deflection device 16 to move the position of the light distribution pattern in the instructed direction (S107), This routine ends. If the content of the recognized voice is intended to increase or decrease the illuminance of the light distribution pattern, the control device 4 controls at least one of the light source 12 and the light deflection device 16 to increase or decrease the illuminance of the light distribution pattern ( S108), this routine ends.

If the content of the recognized voice is intended to request an increase in the brightness in front of the host vehicle, the control device 4 executes a subroutine for brightness increasing processing (S109), and ends this routine. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of brightening processing. As shown in FIG. 5, when the brightness increasing processing flow is started, the control device 4 determines whether or not to clean the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2 based on the detection result of the foreign object detection sensor 28 (S201). . If it is determined that the light exit surface is to be cleaned (Y in S201), the control device 4 controls the cleaner 26 to inject the cleaning liquid 34 onto the transparent cover 8 (S202). Further, the control device 4 generates a cleaning execution flag, stores it in the memory, and proceeds to step S203. If it is determined that the light exit surface is not to be cleaned (N in S201), the control device 4 proceeds to step S203 without driving the cleaner 26.

Subsequently, the control device 4 determines whether to increase the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2 (S203). If it is determined that the illuminance should be increased (Y in S203), the control device 4 controls at least one of the light source 12 and the optical deflection device 16 to increase the illuminance (S204). Further, the control device 4 generates an illuminance increase execution flag, stores it in the memory, and proceeds to step 205. If it is determined that the illuminance is not to be increased because the irradiation light intensity is already at its maximum (N in S203), the control device 4 proceeds to step S205 without controlling the light source 12 and the light deflection device 16.

Subsequently, the control device 4 determines whether cleaning the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2 or increasing the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2 is performed (S205). Whether or not cleaning and illuminance increase have been performed can be determined based on the presence or absence of the cleaning execution flag and the illuminance increase execution flag. If neither cleaning nor increasing illuminance is being performed (Y in S205), the control device 4 notifies that the brightness in front of the vehicle cannot be increased any further (S206), and ends the brightness increasing process flow. If either cleaning or illuminance increase is being executed (N at S205), the control device 4 ends the brightness increase processing flow.

As shown in FIG. 4, if the content of the recognized voice is intended to request a reduction in the brightness in front of the vehicle, the control device 4 executes a subroutine for dimming processing (S110), and executes the main routine. end. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the dimming process. As shown in FIG. 6, when the dimming process flow is started, the control device 4 determines whether or not there is a high brightness area in front of the vehicle based on the analysis result of the situation analysis unit 36 (S301). .

If it is determined that there is a high brightness area (Y in S301), the control device 4 determines whether to reduce the illuminance of the light irradiated to the high brightness area (S302). If it is determined that the illuminance should be reduced (Y in S302), the control device 4 controls the light deflection device 16 to reduce the illuminance of the light irradiated to the high-brightness region (S303), and ends the dimming process flow. . If it is determined that the illuminance should not be reduced because the irradiated light intensity is already the minimum (N in S302), the control device 4 notifies that the brightness in front of the vehicle cannot be reduced any further (S304), Finish the dimming process flow.

If it is determined that there is no high brightness area (N in S301), the control device 4 determines whether to reduce the illuminance of the entire light distribution pattern (S305). If it is determined that the illuminance is to be reduced (Y in S305), the control device 4 controls at least one of the light source 12 and the light deflection device 16 to reduce the illuminance of the light distribution pattern (S306), and executes the dimming processing flow. finish. If it is determined that the illuminance should not be reduced because the irradiated light intensity is already the minimum (N in S305), the control device 4 notifies that the brightness in front of the vehicle cannot be reduced any further (S304), Finish the dimming process flow.

As shown in FIG. 4, if the content of the recognized voice is not related to light irradiation from the vehicle lamp 2, this routine is immediately terminated.

Note that in preparation for voice control of the vehicle lamp 2 by the control device 4, it is preferable to register the voice of the driver of the vehicle 100 in the control device 4 in advance, that is, to perform speaker recognition. Further, it is preferable that the identification information of the vehicle 100 is registered in advance in the control device 4, and the control device 4 controls the vehicle lamp 2 of the registered vehicle based only on the registered voice.

By linking the vehicle 100 and the driver in this way, it is possible to avoid erroneously controlling the vehicle lamp 2 by the voice of a passenger other than the driver. Furthermore, it is possible to avoid erroneously controlling the vehicle lamp 2 due to the voice of a passenger of another vehicle. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the driver of the vehicle 100 from erroneously controlling the vehicle lamp 2 of another vehicle. Therefore, the safety of voice control of the vehicle lamp 2 can be improved. Note that instead of or in addition to voice registration, a camera that images the driver and the inside of the vehicle may be installed in the vehicle 100, and the driver's face information may be registered in the control device 4.

Further, the control device 4 of the present embodiment can start and stop voice control of the vehicle lamp 2 using voice. Further, voice control of the vehicle lamp 2 and control using a light switch of the vehicle lamp 2 can be switched by voice.

As described above, the control device 4 of the vehicle lamp 2 according to the present embodiment performs recognition processing on the audio signal generated by the audio input unit 44 mounted on the vehicle 100, and inputs the audio signal to the audio input unit 44. The voice recognition processing unit 38 determines that the content of the voice is related to the light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2, and the voice recognition processing unit 38 determines that the content is related to the light irradiation of the vehicle lamp 2. and a lamp control section 40 that controls the vehicle lamp 2 according to the contents.

In addition, the contents of the audio include those intended to turn on and off the vehicle light 2, those intended to switch the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle light 2, and the automatic switching of the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle light 2. Those intended for executing control, those intended for cleaning the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2, those intended for moving the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp 2, and those intended for the movement of the light distribution pattern formed by the vehicle lamp 2. at least one of the following: one intended to increase or decrease the illuminance of the light distribution pattern in front of the own vehicle, one intended to request an increase in the brightness in front of the own vehicle, and one intended to request a reduction in the brightness in front of the own vehicle. included.

If the content of the voice is a request to increase the brightness in front of the vehicle, the lamp control unit 40 cleans the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp 2 and increases the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 2. It is determined whether to perform either or both of the above, and the vehicle lamp 2 is controlled based on the result of the determination. Furthermore, if the content of the voice is a request to reduce the brightness in front of the vehicle, the lamp control unit 40 determines an area in front of the vehicle where the brightness is a predetermined high brightness, and irradiates the area. The vehicle lamp 2 is controlled to lower the illuminance of the light.

By controlling the vehicle lamp 2 by voice in this manner, it is possible to reduce the driver's actions and attention spent on operating the vehicle lamp 2. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both driving support in terms of lamp operation and driving support in terms of ensuring visibility. Particularly in situations where the driver is required to concentrate more on driving, such as in bad weather, it is possible to avoid forcing the driver to manually operate the lamp. This makes it possible to reduce the number of operational errors made by the driver, thereby providing the driver with better visibility more reliably.

Furthermore, even when the driver requests an increase in the brightness in front of the vehicle, the control device 4 selects the action that should be taken even if there are multiple actions that can be taken to satisfy the driver's request. Decide and execute. Therefore, the operational burden on the driver can be further reduced, and the driver's satisfaction with the improved visibility can be increased. Therefore, the safety, comfort, and convenience of vehicle driving can be efficiently improved. In addition, in an autonomous vehicle, the burden on the control unit that controls vehicle operation can be reduced, and the safety of vehicle operation can be efficiently improved.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail. The embodiments described above merely show specific examples for implementing the present invention. The content of the embodiments does not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes such as changes, additions, and deletions of constituent elements may be made without departing from the idea of the invention defined in the claims. is possible. A new embodiment with a design change has the effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications. In the embodiments described above, contents that allow such design changes are emphasized by adding expressions such as "in this embodiment" or "in this embodiment"; Design changes are allowed even if there is no content. Any combination of the above components is also effective as an aspect of the present invention. The hatching added to the cross section of the drawing does not limit the material of the hatched object.

In the embodiment, the control device 4 and the imaging unit 42 are provided outside the light chamber 10, but each may be provided inside the light chamber 10 as appropriate. The vehicle lamp 2 includes other optical systems such as a scanning optical system that scans the front of the vehicle using light from a light source and an LED array in which LEDs corresponding to each individual area R are arranged in place of the optical deflection device 16 that is a DMD. A mechanism may also be provided.

Furthermore, if a switch is provided that instructs to increase the brightness in front of the vehicle, the lamp control unit 40 may receive a signal from the switch and execute the brightness increasing process without depending on the voice instruction. Further, if a switch is provided that instructs to reduce the brightness in front of the vehicle, the lamp control unit 40 may receive a signal from the switch and execute the dimming process without depending on the voice instruction.

The following aspects can also be included in the present invention.

The above-mentioned control device (4);
a vehicle lamp (2) whose light irradiation is controlled by a control device (4);
A vehicle lighting system (1) comprising:

A voice that performs recognition processing on the voice signal generated by the voice input unit (44) and determines that the content of the voice input to the voice input unit (44) is related to light irradiation from the vehicle lamp (2). a recognition step;
a lamp control step of controlling the vehicle lamp (2) according to the content when the voice recognition step determines that the content of the voice is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp (2);
A method for controlling a vehicle lamp (2), comprising:

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized for the control device of a vehicle lamp, the vehicle lamp system, and the control method of a vehicle lamp.

1 Vehicle Light System, 2 Vehicle Light, 4 Control Device, 12 Light Source, 16 Light Deflection Device, 26 Cleaner, 28 Foreign Object Detection Sensor, 36 Situation Analysis Unit, 38 Voice Recognition Processing Unit, 40 Light Control Unit, 44 Voice Input Department, 100 vehicles.

Claims (9)

a voice recognition processing unit that performs recognition processing on a voice signal generated by a voice input unit mounted on the vehicle and determines that the content of the voice input to the voice input unit is related to light irradiation of a vehicle lamp; ,
a lamp control unit that controls the vehicle lamp according to the content when the voice recognition processing unit determines that the content is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp;
Equipped with
The above content is intended to request an increase in the brightness in front of the vehicle,
The lamp control unit determines whether to clean the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp and whether to increase the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp, and determines the result of the determination. A control device for a vehicular lamp, characterized in that the vehicular lamp is controlled based on the following . The lamp control unit determines whether or not to perform the cleaning before determining whether to increase the illuminance, and when the cleaning is performed, the amount of increase in brightness in front of the own vehicle is determined to be the target. A claim for determining whether the target has been reached, not performing the illuminance increase if the target has been reached, performing the illuminance increase if the target has not been reached, and performing the illuminance increase if the cleaning is not performed. Item 1. The control device for a vehicle lamp according to item 1. a voice recognition processing unit that performs recognition processing on a voice signal generated by a voice input unit mounted on the vehicle and determines that the content of the voice input to the voice input unit is related to light irradiation of a vehicle lamp; ,
a lamp control unit that controls the vehicle lamp according to the content when the voice recognition processing unit determines that the content is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp;
Equipped with
The above content is intended to request an increase in the brightness in front of the vehicle,
The lamp control unit determines whether to perform one of cleaning the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp and increasing the illuminance of light emitted from the vehicle lamp, and executes the one process. A control device for a vehicular lamp , characterized in that the vehicular lamp is controlled so that when it is determined that the other process is not executed, the other process is not executed, and when it is determined that the one process is not to be executed, the vehicular lamp is executed. a voice recognition processing unit that performs recognition processing on a voice signal generated by a voice input unit mounted on the vehicle and determines that the content of the voice input to the voice input unit is related to light irradiation of a vehicle lamp; ,
a lamp control unit that controls the vehicle lamp according to the content when the voice recognition processing unit determines that the content is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp;
Equipped with
The above content is intended to request a reduction in the brightness in front of the vehicle,
The lamp control unit controls the vehicle lamp to reduce the illuminance of the light irradiated to the area when there is an area in front of the vehicle where the brightness is high , and when the area does not exist. A control device for a vehicular lamp, characterized in that the vehicular lamp is controlled to lower the illuminance of the entire light distribution pattern formed by the vehicular lamp. A control device for a vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
a vehicle lamp whose light irradiation is controlled by the control device;
A vehicle lighting system comprising: a voice recognition step of performing recognition processing on the voice signal generated by the voice input unit and determining that the content of the voice input to the voice input unit is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp;
a lamp control step of controlling the vehicle lamp according to the content when the content is determined to be related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp in the voice recognition step;
including;
The above content is intended to request an increase in the brightness in front of the vehicle,
The lamp control step determines whether to clean the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp and whether to increase the illuminance of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp, and determines the result of the determination. A method for controlling a vehicular lamp, the method comprising: controlling the vehicular lamp based on the following . The lamp control step determines whether or not to perform the cleaning before determining whether or not to increase the illuminance, and when the cleaning is performed, the amount of increase in brightness in front of the own vehicle is determined to be the target. determining whether the target has been reached, not executing the illuminance increase if the target has been reached, executing the illuminance increase if the target has not been reached, and executing the illuminance increase if the cleaning is not to be performed. 7. The method for controlling a vehicle lamp according to claim 6. a voice recognition step of performing recognition processing on the voice signal generated by the voice input unit and determining that the content of the voice input to the voice input unit is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp;
a lamp control step of controlling the vehicle lamp according to the content when the content is determined to be related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp in the voice recognition step;
including;
The above content is intended to request an increase in the brightness in front of the vehicle,
The lamp control step determines whether to perform one of cleaning the light emitting surface of the vehicle lamp and increasing the illuminance of light emitted from the vehicle lamp, and executes the one process. Control of a vehicle lamp characterized in that it includes controlling the vehicle lamp so that the other process is not executed when it is determined that the one process is to be executed, and the other process is executed when it is determined that the one process is not to be executed. Method. a voice recognition step of performing recognition processing on the voice signal generated by the voice input unit and determining that the content of the voice input to the voice input unit is related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp;
a lamp control step of controlling the vehicle lamp according to the content when the content is determined to be related to light irradiation of the vehicle lamp in the voice recognition step;
including;
The above content is intended to request a reduction in the brightness in front of the vehicle,
The lamp control step controls the vehicle lamp to reduce the illuminance of the light irradiated to the area when there is an area in front of the vehicle where the brightness is high, and when the area does not exist. A method for controlling a vehicular lamp, comprising controlling the vehicular lamp so as to lower the illuminance of the entire light distribution pattern formed by the vehicular lamp.

Images