JP7790318B2 - Irradiation control device, irradiation control method, and irradiation control program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an irradiation control device, an irradiation control method, and an irradiation control program.

When a camera captures images of the area around a vehicle and the illumination around the vehicle is low, even after image processing such as adjusting the camera's exposure and gain, the captured image may still be dark and visibility may be poor. In this case, the captured image can be brightened and visibility improved by irradiating it with light from an infrared projector. Patent Document 1 discloses a headlight device that can adjust the brightness of the captured image in the area illuminated by the headlights by reducing the brightness of the vehicle's headlights.

JP 2012-61992 A

However, in recent years, infrared floodlights mounted on vehicle side mirrors have been kept lit at a brightness that allows the entire side of the vehicle to be seen in the captured image, posing a problem of high power consumption. Patent Document 1 monitors the brightness of the captured image to determine whether the headlights can be dimmed, but does not take into account the illumination range.

In consideration of the above, the present invention aims to provide an illumination control device, illumination control method, and illumination control program that can reduce power consumption by illuminating the required area and improve the visibility of surrounding monitoring images.

The illumination control device according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1 includes an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information related to the traveling of a moving body and information related to obstacles around the moving body, and an illumination control unit that controls illumination of an infrared projector mounted on the moving body based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit so that at least one of an illumination range and an illumination direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed when an average brightness of an image of the surroundings of the moving body captured by an image capture unit mounted on the moving body or an average brightness of a predetermined range within the image of the surroundings of the moving body is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, and the information related to the traveling of the moving body acquired by the information acquisition unit is the illumination control unit controls the illumination of the infrared projector to illuminate a first range if the acquired speed is greater than a predetermined value when the speed of the moving body is acquired by the information acquisition unit, controls the illumination of the infrared projector to illuminate a second range that includes the first range and is wider than the first range if the acquired speed is equal to or less than the predetermined value, and controls the illumination of the infrared projector to illuminate a third range that can illuminate a traveling direction according to the acquired steering angle when the steering angle is acquired by the information acquisition unit, if the acquired steering angle is greater than a predetermined value .

According to the illumination control device of the present invention described in claim 1, when the average brightness of the image of the vicinity of the moving object, or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the image of the vicinity of the moving object, is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, illumination of the infrared projector mounted on the moving object is controlled so that at least one of the illumination range and illumination direction of the infrared projector is changed based on at least one of information regarding the traveling state of the moving object and information regarding obstacles around the moving object. Therefore, the necessary range can be illuminated by the infrared projector depending on the traveling state of the moving object and information regarding surrounding obstacles, thereby reducing power consumption and improving visibility of the surrounding monitoring image.

According to the illumination control device of the present invention, the information related to the traveling of the mobile object includes at least one of the speed of the mobile object and the steering angle of the mobile object, and when the speed of the mobile object is acquired, the illumination control unit controls the illumination of the infrared floodlight to illuminate a first range narrower than the second range if the acquired speed is greater than a predetermined value. Therefore, for example, when the speed value of the mobile object is greater than the predetermined value, there may be a situation in which the user wants to visually confirm the position of the white line of the traveling lane near the feet (bottom side) of the mobile object during normal traveling, such as traveling on a public road, and therefore power consumption can be reduced by narrowing the illumination range of the infrared floodlight.

Furthermore, according to the illumination control device of the present invention, when the speed of the moving object is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the illumination of the infrared projector is controlled so as to illuminate a second range that includes the first range and is wider than the first range. Therefore, when the speed of the moving object is equal to or less than the predetermined value, for example, if the moving object is a vehicle, there may be a situation where the surrounding situation needs to be more carefully understood, such as when searching for a parking space, and therefore the visibility of the surrounding situation of the vehicle can be improved by widening the illumination range of the infrared projector.

According to the illumination control device of the present invention, when the steering angle of the moving body is larger than a predetermined value, the illumination of the infrared projector is controlled so as to illuminate a third range in which the traveling direction corresponding to the acquired steering angle can be illuminated. Therefore, when the steering angle of the moving body is larger than the predetermined value, for example, if the moving body is a vehicle, it is possible that the moving body is parked in a parking space, and by causing the infrared projector to illuminate the traveling direction corresponding to the steering angle, it is possible to easily grasp the road surface condition and obstacles in the traveling direction.

The illumination control device according to the present invention as set forth in claim 2 includes an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information related to the traveling of a mobile body and information related to obstacles around the mobile body, and an illumination control unit that controls illumination of an infrared projector mounted on the mobile body so that at least one of the illumination range and illumination direction of the infrared projector mounted on the mobile body is changed based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit when the average brightness of an image of the mobile body's surroundings captured by an imaging unit mounted on the mobile body or the average brightness of a predetermined area within the image of the mobile body's surroundings is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, and when the recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including an area where an obstacle exists based on the acquired obstacle information, is outside the current illumination range of the infrared projector when the obstacle information is acquired by the information acquisition unit, the illumination control unit expands the illumination range of the infrared projector to include the recognition request range.

According to the illumination control device of the present invention as set forth in claim 2 , when the average brightness of the image of the periphery of the moving object or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the image of the periphery of the moving object is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, the illumination of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving object is controlled so that at least one of the illumination range and illumination direction of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving object is changed based on at least one of information regarding the traveling state of the moving object and information regarding obstacles around the moving object. Therefore, the necessary range can be illuminated by the infrared floodlight depending on the traveling state of the moving object and information regarding obstacles in the vicinity, thereby reducing power consumption and improving visibility of the periphery monitoring image.
According to the illumination control device of the present invention as set forth in claim 2, when obstacle information is acquired, if a recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including an area where an obstacle exists based on the acquired obstacle information, is outside the current illumination range of the infrared projector, the illumination control unit expands the illumination range of the infrared projector to include the recognition request range. Therefore, the recognition request range including the area where the obstacle exists is illuminated by the infrared projector, making it easier to recognize the obstacle in the surrounding image of the moving object captured by the imaging unit when the infrared projector is illuminating it.

An illumination control method according to the present invention as set forth in claim 3 is an illumination control method that acquires at least one of information related to the traveling of a moving body and information related to obstacles around the moving body, and controls illumination of an infrared projector mounted on the moving body so that at least one of an illumination range and an illumination direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed based on the acquired information when the average brightness of an image of the surroundings of the moving body captured by an image capturing unit mounted on the moving body or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the image of the surroundings of the moving body is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value, and the acquired information related to the traveling of the moving body includes information such as a speed of the moving body and a steering angle of the moving body. and when the speed of the moving body is acquired, if the acquired speed is greater than a predetermined value, the infrared projector controls the irradiation to irradiate a first range, and when the acquired speed is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the infrared projector controls the irradiation to irradiate a second range that includes the first range and is wider than the first range; and when the steering angle of the moving body is acquired, if the acquired steering angle is greater than a predetermined value, the infrared projector controls the irradiation to irradiate a third range that can irradiate a traveling direction according to the acquired steering angle .

According to the illumination control method of the present invention as set forth in claim 3 , when the average brightness of the image of the periphery of the moving object or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the image of the periphery of the moving object is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, illumination of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving object is controlled so that at least one of the illumination range and illumination direction of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving object is changed based on at least one of information regarding the traveling state of the moving object and information regarding obstacles in the vicinity of the moving object. Therefore, a necessary range can be illuminated by the infrared floodlight depending on the traveling state of the moving object and information regarding obstacles in the vicinity, thereby reducing power consumption and improving visibility of the periphery monitoring image.
According to the illumination control method of the present invention, the information related to the traveling of the moving object includes at least one of the speed of the moving object and the steering angle of the moving object, and when the speed of the moving object is acquired, if the acquired speed is greater than a predetermined value, the illumination of the infrared projector is controlled so as to illuminate a first range narrower than the second range. Therefore, for example, when the speed value of the moving object is greater than the predetermined value, there may be a situation in which the user wants to see the position of the white line of the traveling lane near the feet (bottom side) of the moving object during normal traveling, such as traveling on an open road, and therefore power consumption can be reduced by narrowing the illumination range of the infrared projector.
According to the illumination control method of the present invention as set forth in claim 3, when the speed of the moving body is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the illumination of the infrared projector is controlled so as to illuminate a second range that includes the first range and is wider than the first range. Therefore, when the speed value of the moving body is equal to or less than the predetermined value, for example, if the moving body is a vehicle, there may be a situation where the surrounding situation needs to be more carefully understood, such as when searching for a parking space, and therefore the visibility of the surrounding situation of the vehicle can be improved by widening the illumination range of the infrared projector.
According to the illumination control method of the present invention as set forth in claim 3, when the steering angle of the moving body is larger than a predetermined value, the illumination of the infrared projector is controlled so as to illuminate a third range in which the traveling direction corresponding to the acquired steering angle can be illuminated. Therefore, when the steering angle of the moving body is larger than the predetermined value, for example, if the moving body is a vehicle, it is possible that the moving body is parked in a parking space, and therefore it is possible to easily grasp the road surface condition and obstacles in the traveling direction by having the infrared projector illuminate the traveling direction corresponding to the steering angle.
An illumination control method according to the present invention as set forth in claim 4 is an illumination control method that acquires at least one of information regarding the travel of a moving body and information regarding obstacles around the moving body, and controls illumination of an infrared projector mounted on the moving body so that at least one of the illumination range and illumination direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed based on the acquired information when the average brightness of an image of the vicinity of the moving body captured by an image capturing unit mounted on the moving body, or the average brightness of a predetermined area within the image of the vicinity of the moving body, is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value; and when the obstacle information is acquired, if a recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including an area where an obstacle exists based on the acquired obstacle information, is outside the current illumination range of the infrared projector, the illumination range of the infrared projector is expanded to include the recognition request range.
According to the illumination control method of the present invention as set forth in claim 4, when the average brightness of the moving body surroundings image or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the moving body surroundings image is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, illumination of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving body is controlled so that at least one of the illumination range and illumination direction of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving body is changed based on at least one of information regarding the traveling state of the moving body and information regarding obstacles in the vicinity of the moving body. Therefore, a required range can be illuminated by the infrared floodlight depending on the traveling state of the moving body and information regarding obstacles in the vicinity, thereby reducing power consumption and improving visibility of the surroundings monitoring image.
According to the illumination control method of the present invention as set forth in claim 4, when obstacle information is acquired, if a recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including an area where an obstacle exists based on the acquired obstacle information, is outside the current illumination range of the infrared projector, the illumination range of the infrared projector is expanded to include the recognition request range. Therefore, the recognition request range including the area where the obstacle exists is illuminated by the infrared projector, making it easier to recognize the obstacle in the image of the surroundings of the moving object captured by the imaging unit when the infrared projector is illuminating it.

An illumination control program according to the present invention as set forth in claim 5 is an illumination control program that causes a computer to function as an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information related to the traveling of a moving body and information related to obstacles around the moving body, and an illumination control unit that controls illumination of an infrared projector mounted on the moving body so that at least one of an illumination range and an illumination direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit when an average brightness of an image of the surroundings of the moving body photographed by an imaging unit mounted on the moving body or an average brightness of a predetermined range within the image of the surroundings of the moving body is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value, and a steering angle of the moving body, and the illumination control unit controls the illumination of the infrared projector to illuminate a first range if the acquired speed is greater than a predetermined value when the information acquisition unit acquires the speed of the moving body, controls the illumination of the infrared projector to illuminate a second range that includes the first range and is wider than the first range if the acquired speed is equal to or less than the predetermined value when the information acquisition unit acquires the steering angle of the moving body, and controls the illumination of the infrared projector to illuminate a third range that can illuminate a traveling direction according to the acquired steering angle if the acquired steering angle is greater than a predetermined value when the information acquisition unit acquires the steering angle of the moving body .

According to the illumination control program of the present invention as set forth in claim 5, when the average brightness of the moving body surroundings image or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the moving body surroundings image is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, illumination of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving body is controlled so that at least one of the illumination range and illumination direction of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving body is changed based on at least one of information regarding the traveling state of the moving body and information regarding obstacles around the moving body. Therefore, a necessary range can be illuminated by the infrared floodlight depending on the traveling state of the moving body and information regarding obstacles in the vicinity, thereby reducing power consumption and improving visibility of the surroundings monitoring image.
According to an illumination control program of the present invention, the information related to the traveling of the mobile object includes at least one of the speed of the mobile object and the steering angle of the mobile object, and when the speed of the mobile object is acquired, the illumination control unit controls the illumination of the infrared projector to illuminate a first range narrower than the second range if the acquired speed is greater than a predetermined value. Therefore, for example, when the speed value of the mobile object is greater than the predetermined value, there can be a situation in which the position of a white line of the traveling lane near the feet (bottom side) of the mobile object during normal traveling, such as traveling on an ordinary road, is desired to be visible, and therefore power consumption can be reduced by narrowing the illumination range of the infrared projector.
According to the illumination control program of the present invention, when the speed of the moving body is equal to or less than a predetermined value, illumination of the infrared projector is controlled so as to illuminate a second range that includes the first range and is wider than the first range. Therefore, when the speed value of the moving body is equal to or less than the predetermined value, for example, if the moving body is a vehicle, there may be a situation where it is necessary to more carefully grasp the surrounding situation, such as when searching for a parking space, and therefore visibility of the surrounding situation of the vehicle can be improved by widening the illumination range of the infrared projector.
According to the illumination control program of the present invention, when the steering angle of the moving body is larger than a predetermined value, the illumination of the infrared projector is controlled so as to illuminate a third range in which the traveling direction corresponding to the acquired steering angle can be illuminated. Therefore, when the steering angle of the moving body is larger than the predetermined value, for example, if the moving body is a vehicle, it is possible that the moving body is parked in a parking space, and therefore it is possible to easily grasp the road surface condition and obstacles in the traveling direction by causing the infrared projector to illuminate the traveling direction corresponding to the steering angle.
An illumination control program according to the present invention as set forth in claim 6 is an illumination control program that causes a computer to function as: an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information regarding the traveling of a mobile body and information regarding obstacles around the mobile body; and an illumination control unit that controls illumination of an infrared projector mounted on a mobile body so that at least one of the illumination range and illumination direction of the infrared projector mounted on the mobile body is changed based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit when the average brightness of an image of the mobile body's surroundings captured by an image capture unit mounted on the mobile body, or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the image of the mobile body's surroundings, is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value; and when, when the obstacle information is acquired by the information acquisition unit, a recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including an area where an obstacle exists based on the acquired obstacle information, is outside the current illumination range of the infrared projector, the illumination control unit expands the illumination range of the infrared projector to include the recognition request range.
According to the illumination control program of the present invention as set forth in claim 6, when the average brightness of the moving body surroundings image or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the moving body surroundings image is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, illumination of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving body is controlled so that at least one of the illumination range and illumination direction of the infrared floodlight mounted on the moving body is changed based on at least one of information regarding the traveling state of the moving body and information regarding obstacles around the moving body. Therefore, a necessary range can be illuminated by the infrared floodlight depending on the traveling state of the moving body and information regarding obstacles in the vicinity, thereby reducing power consumption and improving visibility of the surroundings monitoring image.
According to the illumination control program of the present invention as set forth in claim 6, when obstacle information is acquired, if a recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including an area where an obstacle exists based on the acquired obstacle information, is outside the current illumination range of the infrared projector, the illumination control unit expands the illumination range of the infrared projector to include the recognition request range. Therefore, the recognition request range including the area where the obstacle exists is illuminated by the infrared projector, making it easier to recognize the obstacle in the surrounding image of the moving object captured by the imaging unit when the infrared projector is illuminating it.

As described above, the illumination control device, illumination control method, and illumination control program of the present invention have the excellent effect of reducing power consumption by illuminating the required area and improving the visibility of the surrounding monitoring image.

1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a floodlight system including an IR floodlight driving unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an illumination range in the floodlight system of FIG. 1 . 4 is a flowchart showing a series of processes of the IR projector driving unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a floodlight system including an IR floodlight drive unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an illumination range in the floodlight system of FIG. 4 . 10 is a flowchart showing a series of processes of an IR projector driving unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a floodlight system including an IR floodlight driving unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a modified example of the floodlight system including the IR floodlight drive unit according to the third embodiment of FIG. 7 . 11 is a flowchart (part 1) showing a series of processes of an IR projector driving unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating a series of processes of the IR projector driving unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

A floodlight system 10 including an IR (Infrared) floodlight drive unit 20 as an irradiation control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The floodlight system 10 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 30 (see FIG. 3), which is capable of autonomous driving. In this embodiment, an example of processing in the floodlight drive unit 20 is applicable both to autonomous driving of a vehicle capable of autonomous driving and to manual driving of a vehicle capable of autonomous driving. It is also applicable to manual driving of a vehicle capable of manual driving only, and to autonomous driving of a vehicle capable of autonomous driving only.

As shown in FIG. 1, the floodlight system 10 of this embodiment includes a left IR floodlight 12L, a right IR floodlight 12R, an IR floodlight drive unit 20, a shift lever unit 14, an image capture unit 16, and a vehicle speed sensor 18.

The shift lever unit 14 is connected to a shift lever (not shown) of the vehicle 30, detects the position to which the shift lever is set, i.e., the shift position, and transmits a signal representing the detected shift position to the floodlight drive unit 20. In this embodiment, as an example, the shift lever is configured to be able to be switched between P range (parking position), R range (reverse position), N range (neutral position), and D range (drive position).

The image capturing unit 16 is a camera that captures images of the area around the vehicle 30, and is equipped with multiple cameras, such as color CCD (Charge Coupled Device) cameras. In this embodiment, the image capturing unit 16 has a front camera, a right-side camera, a left-side camera, and a rear camera. The image capturing unit 16 captures images of the area around the vehicle and outputs the captured image data of the vehicle's surroundings to the floodlight drive unit 20. Note that the "vehicle surroundings image data" here may be video data or still image data.

The vehicle speed sensor 18 is a detector that detects the speed of the vehicle 30, i.e., the vehicle speed, and serves as a speed detection unit. The vehicle speed sensor 18 is, for example, a wheel speed sensor that is attached to the wheels of the vehicle 30 or to a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheels, and detects the rotational speed of the wheels. The vehicle speed sensor 18 transmits a signal indicating the detected vehicle speed to the floodlight drive unit 20.

The left IR floodlight 12L is disposed near the imaging unit 16. The left IR floodlight 12L is configured to emit IR light into the illumination range L, which is the area surrounded by the dashed line in Figure 2, i.e., the left area of the vehicle 30. The illumination range L is included in the imaging range of the left side camera. The illumination range L is an area that is difficult for the light from the headlights and taillights equipped on the vehicle 30 to reach. The left IR floodlight 12L emits IR light into the illumination range L to assist in clearly capturing dark areas (areas not reached by visible light) in the imaging range of the left side camera.

The right IR floodlight 12R is disposed near the imaging unit 16. The right IR floodlight 12R is configured to emit IR light into the illumination range R, which is the area surrounded by the dotted line in Figure 2, i.e., the right area of the vehicle 30. The illumination range R is included in the imaging range of the right side camera. The illumination range R is an area that is difficult for the light from the headlights and taillights equipped on the vehicle 30 to reach. The right IR floodlight 12R emits IR light into the illumination range R to assist in clearly capturing dark areas (areas not reached by visible light) in the imaging range of the right side camera.

In the following, the left IR projector 12L and the right IR projector 12R will be collectively referred to as the "IR projector 12" when there is no need to distinguish between them. Furthermore, the illumination range L and the illumination range R will be collectively referred to as the "illumination range LR" when there is no need to distinguish between them.

The IR projector 12 is set to either an irradiation ON state or an irradiation OFF state in response to a command sent from the projector drive unit 20. The irradiation ON state is a state in which the IR light-emitting unit (not shown) of the IR projector 12 is turned on and the IR projector 12 is irradiating the irradiation range LR with IR light. The irradiation OFF state is a state in which the IR light-emitting unit is turned off and the IR projector 12 is not irradiating the irradiation range R with IR light.

The IR floodlight 12 is also configured to be able to change the actual illumination range within the illumination range LR in response to commands transmitted from the floodlight drive unit 20. Specifically, as an example, as shown in FIG. 2, the IR floodlight 12 is capable of illuminating a first range LR1 that includes only the vicinity of the side of the vehicle 30. Also, as an example, the IR floodlight 12 is capable of illuminating a second range LR2 that includes the first range LR1 and is wider than the first range LR1, and is an area on the side of the vehicle 30 that includes, for example, parking stall A. Here, in FIG. 2, the first range LR1 is the area indicated by diagonal lines, and the second range LR2 is the area indicated by hatching. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the IR floodlight 12 is also capable of illuminating the first range LR1 and second range LR2 in the illumination range R on the right side of the vehicle 30.

In this embodiment, for example, the illumination range of the IR projector 12 is changed by changing the magnitude of the current flowing through the IR projector 12 in response to a command transmitted from the projector drive unit 20. For example, when illuminating the first range LR1, the projector drive unit 20 controls the IR projector 12 so that a current of 200 mA flows through it, and when illuminating the second range LR2, the projector drive unit 20 controls the IR projector 12 so that a current of 700 mA flows through it. Furthermore, when illuminating the illumination range LR, which is the maximum illumination range, the projector drive unit 20 controls the IR projector 12 so that a maximum current flows through it.

The floodlight drive unit 20, although not shown, is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), storage, a communication interface (communication I/F), and an input/output interface (input/output I/F). The input/output I/F is connected to the shift lever unit 14, image capture unit 16, vehicle speed sensor 18, and other components. Each component uses known technology and is connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with each other.

The floodlight drive unit 20 uses the above hardware resources to realize various functions. As shown in FIG. 2, the floodlight drive unit 20 is functionally configured to include an information acquisition unit 22, a brightness calculation unit 24, and an irradiation control unit 26. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU reading and executing a program stored in ROM or storage.

The information acquisition unit 22 acquires information related to the traveling of the vehicle 30 equipped with the floodlight system 10. In this embodiment, as an example, the information related to the traveling of the vehicle 30 is acquired as the speed of the vehicle 30, i.e., the vehicle speed. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 22 acquires the vehicle speed output by the vehicle speed sensor 18. Also, in this embodiment, as an example, the information related to the traveling of the vehicle 30 is acquired as the current shift position of the vehicle 30. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 22 acquires the shift position detected by the shift lever unit 14.

The brightness calculation unit 24 calculates the average brightness of the vehicle surroundings image based on the vehicle surroundings image data output from the imaging unit 16. Note that in this embodiment, the average brightness of the vehicle surroundings image is calculated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the average brightness of a predetermined range within the vehicle surroundings image may be calculated. In this case, for example, other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. can be detected as obstacles within the vehicle surroundings image using known technology, and the range including the detected obstacles can be set as the predetermined range.

The illumination control unit 26 acquires the average luminance calculated by the luminance calculation unit 24, and if the average luminance is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, controls the illumination of the IR floodlight 12 based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 22 so that the actual illumination range within the illumination range LR of the IR floodlight 12 is changed. Here, the predetermined threshold is, as an example, set in advance as a luminance value that does not ensure the brightness necessary to detect the obstacle, etc., with appropriate accuracy in the vehicle surroundings image. In this embodiment, "50" is set as an example. The specific control method will be described in detail later.

Next, a series of processes executed in the projector drive unit 20 will be explained using the flowchart shown in Figure 3. The display process executed in the projector drive unit 20 is performed by the CPU of the projector drive unit 20 reading a program from ROM or storage, expanding it in RAM, and executing it.

As shown in FIG. 3, first, in step S11, the information acquisition unit 22 acquires information related to the traveling of the vehicle 30. In this embodiment, as an example, the vehicle speed of the vehicle 30 and the current shift position of the vehicle 30 are acquired.

Next, in step S12, the illumination control unit 26 acquires the average brightness of the image of the vehicle's surroundings. In step S13, the illumination control unit 26 determines whether the shift position is in P range. If it is in P range (step S13; YES), the vehicle P is parked, so in step S14, the illumination control unit 26 controls the IR floodlight 12 to turn off illumination.

On the other hand, if the shift position is not in P range in step S13 (step S13; NO), then in step S15 the illumination control unit 26 determines whether the average brightness of the vehicle surroundings image is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. If it is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (step S15; NO), then the brightness required to detect the above-mentioned obstacles, etc. with appropriate accuracy is ensured in the vehicle surroundings image, and therefore in step S16 the illumination control unit 26 controls the IR floodlight 12 to turn off illumination.

Furthermore, if the average brightness of the vehicle surroundings image is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold value in step S15 (step S15; YES), the illumination control unit 26 determines that the brightness required to detect the above-mentioned obstacles, etc. with appropriate accuracy is not ensured in the vehicle surroundings image, and proceeds to step S17.

In step S17, the illumination control unit 26 determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value. In this embodiment, the predetermined value is set to 20 km/h (20 km/h) as an example. When the vehicle speed is between 0 km/h and 20 km/h, there may be situations where it is necessary to carefully understand the surrounding situation, such as when searching for a parking space. When the vehicle speed is greater than 20 km/h, there may be situations where it is necessary to visually confirm the position of the white lane line near the feet (bottom side) of the vehicle during normal driving, such as when driving on a public road.

If the vehicle speed is greater than a predetermined value in step S17 (step S17; NO), then in step S18 the illumination control unit 26 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate the first range LR1. On the other hand, if the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value in step S17 (step S17; TES), then in step S19 the illumination control unit 26 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate a second range LR2 that includes the first range LR1 and is wider than the first range LR1.

Next, we will explain the effects of the first embodiment.

The IR floodlight drive unit 20, which serves as an illumination control device according to the first embodiment, controls the illumination of the IR floodlight 12 mounted on the vehicle 30 so that the illumination range within the illumination range LR of the IR floodlight 12 is changed based on information about the vehicle's driving status when the average brightness of the vehicle surroundings image is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold. Therefore, the IR floodlight 12 can illuminate the required range depending on the driving status of the vehicle 30, thereby reducing power consumption and improving the visibility of the surroundings monitoring image acquired by the image capture unit 16.

Furthermore, according to the IR floodlight drive unit 20 of the first embodiment, the information related to the traveling of the vehicle 30 includes the vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed is acquired, the illumination control unit 26 controls the illumination of the IR floodlight 12 to illuminate the first range LR1, which is narrower than the second range LR2, if the acquired vehicle speed is greater than a predetermined value. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle speed value is greater than a predetermined value, there may be a situation in which the position of the white lane markings near the feet (bottom side) of the moving object during normal traveling, such as traveling on a public road, is desired. Therefore, by narrowing the illumination range of the IR floodlight 12, power consumption can be reduced.

Furthermore, according to the IR floodlight drive unit 20 of the first embodiment, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 30 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the illumination of the IR floodlight 12 is controlled so as to illuminate a second range LR2 that includes the first range LR1 and is wider than the first range LR1. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 30 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, there may be situations where it is necessary to more carefully understand the surrounding situation, such as when searching for a parking space. Therefore, by widening the illumination range of the IR floodlight 12, the visibility of the surrounding situation of the vehicle 30 can be improved.

Next, we will explain the floodlight system 10-2, which includes an IR floodlight drive unit 20-2 as an irradiation control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Note that in this embodiment, components similar to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted here.

As shown in FIG. 1, the floodlight system 10-2 of this embodiment is equipped with a steering angle sensor 19. The steering angle sensor 19 is a sensor for detecting the steering angle of the steering wheel (not shown) of the vehicle 30. The steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 19 is transmitted to the IR floodlight drive unit 20-2 as information related to the traveling of the vehicle 30.

In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 22-2 acquires the steering angle of the vehicle 30 as information related to the traveling of the vehicle 30, in addition to the vehicle speed and current shift position of the vehicle 30. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 22-2 acquires the steering angle output by the steering angle sensor 19.

In this embodiment, when the steering angle acquired by the information acquisition unit 22-2 is greater than a predetermined value, the illumination control unit 26-2 controls the illumination of the IR projector 12 to illuminate a third range LR3 (the area indicated by vertical lines in FIG. 5) that can illuminate the traveling direction according to the acquired steering angle. In this embodiment, the third range LR3 includes the first range LR1 and the second range LR2, and is wider than the first range LR1 and the second range LR2, as shown in FIG. 5 as an example. When illuminating the third range LR3, the projector drive unit 20-2 controls the IR projector 12 so that a current of 1000 mA flows through the IR projector 12. The third range LR3 may be the same area as the illumination range LR.

Next, a series of processes executed in the projector drive unit 20-2 will be described using the flowchart shown in Figure 6. Note that the display process executed in the projector drive unit 20-2 is performed by the CPU of the projector drive unit 20-2 reading a program from ROM or storage, expanding it into RAM, and executing it. Furthermore, since the processes of steps S21 to S28 in Figure 6 are similar to the processes of steps S11 to S18 in Figure 3, their explanation will be omitted here, and only the different steps will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, if the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value in step S27 (step S27; YES), then in step S29 the illumination control unit 26-2 determines whether the steering angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In this embodiment, as an example, the predetermined value is set to 180°. If the steering angle is turned 180° or greater, obstacles and the road surface in the direction of travel indicated by dotted line B will fall within a range that cannot be illuminated by the headlights of the vehicle 30. Therefore, if the steering angle is equal to or greater than the predetermined value in step S29 (step S29; YES), then in step S30 the illumination control unit 26-2 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate the third range LR3.

On the other hand, if the steering angle is smaller than the predetermined value in step S29 (step S29; NO), in step S31, the illumination control unit 26-2 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate a second range LR2 that includes the first range LR1 and is wider than the first range LR1.

Next, we will explain the effects of the second embodiment.

The IR floodlight drive unit 20-2, which serves as an illumination control device according to the second embodiment, controls the illumination of the IR floodlight 12 so that it illuminates a third range LR3 that can illuminate the traveling direction corresponding to the acquired steering angle when the steering angle of the vehicle 30 is greater than a predetermined value. Therefore, when the steering angle of the vehicle 30 is greater than a predetermined value, it is conceivable that the vehicle 30 is being parked in a parking space. Therefore, by having the IR floodlight 12 illuminate the traveling direction corresponding to the steering angle, it becomes easier to grasp the road surface conditions and obstacles in the traveling direction. By optimizing illumination to the required range in this way, power consumption can be minimized.

Next, we will explain the floodlight system 10-3, which includes an IR floodlight drive unit 20-3 as an irradiation control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Note that in this embodiment, components similar to those in the second embodiment above are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted here.

The IR projector drive unit 20-3 of the third embodiment includes a sensor unit 42. The sensor unit 42 is, as an example, a millimeter-wave radar, and includes a front radar and a rear radar, each of which is a radar device. The front radar and the rear radar are disposed at the center of the front end and the center of the rear end of the vehicle, respectively, and detect obstacles in the front and rear areas of the vehicle, respectively. Specifically, information indicating the direction of the obstacle relative to the vehicle and the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is acquired as "obstacle information" at predetermined time intervals, and output to the IR projector drive unit 20-3 and the image recognition ECU 40, which will be described later.

In addition to information related to the vehicle's travel, the information acquisition unit 22-3 also acquires obstacle information output by the sensor unit 42.

When the image recognition ECU 40 acquires obstacle information output by the sensor unit 42, if the obstacle cannot be recognized in the image of the vehicle's surroundings captured by the image capture unit 16, for example, because the image of the vehicle's surroundings is dark, it sets a predetermined area including the area where the obstacle exists as a recognition request range and outputs information about the set recognition request range to the IR floodlight drive unit 20-3.

The illumination control unit 26-3 acquires the recognition request range output by the image recognition ECU 40, and if the acquired recognition request range is outside the current illumination range of the IR projector 12, controls the illumination range of the IR projector 12 to be expanded so that it includes the recognition request range.

Note that the configuration of the floodlight system 10-3 of the third embodiment is not limited to this. Figure 8 shows a modified example of the third embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the image recognition ECU 40-4 may include the information acquisition unit 22-3, brightness calculation unit 24, and irradiation control unit 26-3 of Figure 7. In this case, the IR floodlight drive unit 20-4 controls the irradiation of the IR floodlight 12 in accordance with the control method for the IR floodlight 12 determined by the irradiation control unit 26-3 of the image recognition ECU 40-4. In this modified example, the IR floodlight drive unit 20-4 and the image recognition ECU 40-4 function as the irradiation control device 50.

Next, a series of processes executed by the projector drive unit 20-3 or the irradiation control device 50 will be described using the flowcharts shown in Figures 9A and 9B. The display process executed by the projector drive unit 20-3 or the irradiation control device 50 is performed by the CPU of the projector drive unit 20-3 or the image recognition ECU 40-4 reading a program from ROM or storage, expanding it into RAM, and executing it. Furthermore, the processes of steps S41 to S51 in Figure 9A are similar to the processes of steps S21 to S31 in Figure 6, so their explanation will be omitted here and only the different steps will be described.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when the illumination control unit 26-3 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate the first range LR1 in step S48, as shown in FIG. 9B, in step S52, the illumination control unit 26-3 determines whether the recognition request range set by the image recognition ECU 40, 40-4 is wider than the first range LR1, which is the current illumination range. If it is not wider (step S52; NO), in step S53, the illumination control unit 26-3 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate the first range LR1, which is the current illumination range.

On the other hand, if, in step S52, the recognition request range set by the image recognition ECU 40, 40-4 is wider than the first range LR1, which is the current illumination range (step S52; YES), in step S54, the illumination control unit 26-3 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate a second range LR2, which is wider than the first range LR1, which is the current illumination range.

Also, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the illumination control unit 26-3 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate the second range LR2 in step S50, as shown in FIG. 9B, the illumination control unit 26-3 determines in step S56 whether the recognition request range set by the image recognition ECU 40, 40-4 is wider than the second range LR2, which is the current illumination range. If it is not wider (step S57; NO), then in step S57, the illumination control unit 26-3 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate the second range LR2, which is the current illumination range.

On the other hand, if, in step S56, the recognition request range set by the image recognition ECU 40, 40-4 is wider than the second range LR2, which is the current illumination range (step S56; YES), in step S58, the illumination control unit 26-3 controls the IR projector 12 to illuminate the maximum illumination range, i.e., the illumination range LR, which is wider than the second range LR2, which is the current illumination range.

When steps S51, S54, S57, and S58 are completed, the process returns to Figure 9A and the series of processes ends.

Next, we will explain the effects of the third embodiment.

In the IR floodlight drive unit 20-3 and illumination control device 50 serving as the illumination control device according to the third embodiment, when obstacle information is acquired, if the recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including the area where the acquired obstacle exists, is outside the current illumination range of the IR floodlight 12, the illumination control unit 26-3 expands the illumination range of the IR floodlight 12 to include the recognition request range. Therefore, the recognition request range including the area where the obstacle exists is illuminated by the IR floodlight 12, making it easier to recognize the obstacle in the image of the area around the moving object captured by the imaging unit 16 when illuminated by the IR floodlight 12.

In the above embodiment, the IR floodlight drive unit 20 serving as an illumination control device is mounted on a vehicle as an example of a vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to vehicles. For example, the illumination control device of the present invention may be mounted on a vehicle such as a ship or an airplane.

In addition, in the second embodiment, the information acquisition unit 22-2 acquires both the vehicle speed and the steering angle, but the present invention is not limited to this. The information acquisition unit may acquire only the steering angle. In this case, the processing of steps S27 and S28 in Figure 6 is unnecessary.

Furthermore, in the third embodiment and the modified example of the third embodiment described above, millimeter-wave radar is used as the sensor unit 42, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, laser radar, sonar, LIDAR, etc. may also be used, or any known technology may be used.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the processing performed by each of the IR projector drive units 20, 20-2, and 20-3 has been described as software processing performed by executing a program, but this is not limited to this. For example, the processing may be performed by hardware. Alternatively, the processing may be a combination of both software and hardware. Furthermore, if the processing is software, the program may be stored on various storage media and distributed. Furthermore, the program may be downloaded from an external device via a network.

The above describes one embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. One embodiment may be combined with various modified examples as appropriate, and the present invention can of course be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

12 IR floodlight (infrared floodlight)
16 Imaging unit 20, 20-2, 20-3 IR projector drive unit (irradiation control device)
22, 20-2, 20-3 Information acquisition units 26, 26-2, 26-3 Irradiation control unit 30 Vehicle 50 Irradiation control device LR1 First range LR2 Second range LR3 Third range

Claims (6)

an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information related to the traveling of the moving object and information related to obstacles around the moving object;
an illumination control unit that controls illumination of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body so that at least one of an illumination range and an illumination direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit when the average brightness of the moving body surroundings image captured by the imaging unit mounted on the moving body or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the moving body surroundings image is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold;
Including,
the information regarding the traveling of the moving body acquired by the information acquisition unit includes at least one of a speed of the moving body and a steering angle of the moving body,
When the speed of the moving object is acquired by the information acquisition unit, the illumination control unit
If the acquired speed is greater than a predetermined value, control irradiation of the infrared projector so as to irradiate a first range;
when the acquired speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value, controlling irradiation of the infrared projector so as to irradiate a second range that includes the first range and is wider than the first range;
When the steering angle of the moving body is acquired by the information acquisition unit,
an illumination control device that, when the acquired steering angle is greater than a predetermined value, controls illumination of the infrared projector so as to illuminate a third range that can illuminate a traveling direction according to the acquired steering angle . an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information related to the traveling of the moving object and information related to obstacles around the moving object;
an illumination control unit that controls illumination of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body so that at least one of an illumination range and an illumination direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit when the average brightness of the moving body surroundings image captured by the imaging unit mounted on the moving body or the average brightness of a predetermined range within the moving body surroundings image is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold;
Including,
When the information acquisition unit acquires the obstacle information, the illumination control unit:
an irradiation control device that, when a recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including an area where an obstacle exists based on the acquired obstacle information, is outside the current irradiation range of the infrared projector, expands the irradiation range of the infrared projector to include the recognition request range . acquiring at least one of information relating to the travel of the mobile object and information relating to obstacles around the mobile object;
an irradiation control method for controlling irradiation of an infrared projector mounted on a moving body so that at least one of an irradiation range and an irradiation direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed based on the acquired information when an average brightness of an image of the vicinity of the moving body captured by an imaging unit mounted on the moving body or an average brightness of a predetermined range within the image of the vicinity of the moving body is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value;
the acquired information relating to the traveling of the moving object includes at least one of a speed of the moving object and a steering angle of the moving object;
When the speed of the moving body is acquired,
If the acquired speed is greater than a predetermined value, control irradiation of the infrared projector so as to irradiate a first range;
when the acquired speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value, controlling irradiation of the infrared projector so as to irradiate a second range that includes the first range and is wider than the first range;
When the steering angle of the moving body is acquired,
an irradiation control method for controlling irradiation of the infrared projector so as to irradiate a third range capable of irradiating a direction of travel corresponding to the acquired steering angle when the acquired steering angle is greater than a predetermined value ; acquiring at least one of information relating to the travel of the mobile object and information relating to obstacles around the mobile object;
an irradiation control method for controlling irradiation of an infrared projector mounted on a moving body so that at least one of an irradiation range and an irradiation direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed based on the acquired information when an average brightness of an image of the vicinity of the moving body captured by an imaging unit mounted on the moving body or an average brightness of a predetermined range within the image of the vicinity of the moving body is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value;
When the obstacle information is acquired,
an irradiation control method for expanding the irradiation range of the infrared projector to include a recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including an area where an obstacle exists based on the acquired obstacle information, when the recognition request range is outside the current irradiation range of the infrared projector ; an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information related to the traveling of the moving object and information related to obstacles around the moving object;
an irradiation control program that causes a computer to function as an irradiation control unit that controls irradiation of an infrared projector mounted on a moving body so that at least one of an irradiation range and an irradiation direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, when an average brightness of a moving body surroundings image captured by an imaging unit mounted on the moving body or an average brightness of a predetermined range within the moving body surroundings image is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value;
the information regarding the traveling of the moving body acquired by the information acquisition unit includes at least one of a speed of the moving body and a steering angle of the moving body,
When the speed of the moving object is acquired by the information acquisition unit, the illumination control unit
If the acquired speed is greater than a predetermined value, control irradiation of the infrared projector so as to irradiate a first range;
when the acquired speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value, controlling irradiation of the infrared projector so as to irradiate a second range that includes the first range and is wider than the first range;
When the steering angle of the moving body is acquired by the information acquisition unit,
an irradiation control program that, when the acquired steering angle is greater than a predetermined value, controls irradiation of the infrared projector so as to irradiate a third range that can irradiate a traveling direction according to the acquired steering angle . an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information related to the traveling of the moving object and information related to obstacles around the moving object;
an irradiation control program that causes a computer to function as an irradiation control unit that controls irradiation of an infrared projector mounted on a moving body so that at least one of an irradiation range and an irradiation direction of the infrared projector mounted on the moving body is changed based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, when an average brightness of a moving body surroundings image captured by an imaging unit mounted on the moving body or an average brightness of a predetermined range within the moving body surroundings image is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value;
When the information acquisition unit acquires the obstacle information, the illumination control unit:
an irradiation control program that, when a recognition request range, which is a predetermined area including an area where an obstacle exists based on the acquired obstacle information, is outside the current irradiation range of the infrared projector, expands the irradiation range of the infrared projector to include the recognition request range .