JPWO2018225684A1 - Vehicle lighting system, vehicle lighting control device, and vehicle lighting control method - Google Patents

Abstract

The vehicular lamp system (1) detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the own vehicle, based on an image capturing unit (12) that captures an image of the front of the own vehicle and information obtained from the image capturing unit (12). Luminance analysis unit (14), an illuminance setting unit (42) that determines an illuminance value of light to be irradiated to each individual region based on the detection result of the luminance analysis unit (14), and light to be irradiated to each of the plurality of individual regions. And a light source control unit (20) for controlling the light source unit (10) based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit (42). The illuminance setting unit (42) sets a relatively low illuminance value to the individual region whose detected brightness is relatively low, with respect to the individual region where the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit (14) is included in a predetermined range. The illuminance value is set to a relatively high illuminance value in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively high.

Description

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

  Conventionally, ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control which forms a light distribution pattern according to the position of the vehicle etc. ahead of the own vehicle is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for executing ADB control using a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) in which a plurality of micro mirrors are arranged in an array. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of executing ADB control using a scan optical system that scans the front of the vehicle with light from a light source. In addition, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for executing ADB control using an LED array. According to these techniques, various light distribution patterns can be formed.

JP, 2005-064964, A JP, 2012-227102, A JP, 2008-094127, A

  As a result of earnest studies on the ADB control, the present inventors have come to recognize that there is room for further increasing the irradiation accuracy when the light is emitted depending on the situation in front of the vehicle. In addition, as a result of intensive studies on the conventional vehicle lighting device, the present inventors have come to recognize that there is room for further improving the safety of vehicle driving.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and one of the objects thereof is to provide a technique for improving the irradiation accuracy of light in a vehicular lamp. Moreover, another one of the purposes is to provide a technique for enhancing driving safety.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, one mode of the present invention is a vehicular lamp system. The system includes an imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of a plurality of individual areas that are lined up in front of the vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit, and a detection result of the brightness analysis unit. Based on the illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light that illuminates each individual region, the light source unit that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light that illuminates each of the plurality of individual regions, and the illuminance value that the illuminance setting unit determines. A light source control unit that controls the light source unit based on the above, and the illuminance setting unit is an individual region in which the detected luminance is relatively low for the individual region in which the luminance detected by the luminance analysis unit is included in a predetermined range. A relatively low illuminance value is set in the area, and a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively high. According to this aspect, it is possible to improve the light irradiation accuracy of the vehicular lamp.

  In the above aspect, the illuminance setting unit sets, for each individual region, a predetermined coefficient according to the magnitude of the detected brightness value, and sets a predetermined reference illuminance value by the set coefficient to set the illuminance value. Good. Further, in the above aspect, the illuminance setting unit sets, for each individual region, a predetermined coefficient according to the magnitude of the detected brightness value, and the current illuminance value is multiplied by the set coefficient to obtain a new illuminance value. If the calculated illuminance value is equal to or higher than the predetermined lower limit value, the current illuminance value is updated to the calculated illuminance value, and if the calculated illuminance value is lower than the lower limit value, the current illuminance value is maintained. Good. In the above aspect, the light source unit may further include another light source unit that is controlled independently of the light source unit, and the other light source unit may at least illuminate an individual area where a relatively low illuminance value is set by the illuminance setting unit. May be irradiated.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a control device for a vehicle lamp. The control device, based on information obtained from an imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the vehicle, and a detection result of the brightness analysis unit. The illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light that illuminates each individual region, and the light source unit that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light that illuminates each individual region based on the illuminance value that the illuminance setting unit determines The illuminance setting unit includes a light source control unit that controls the brightness of the individual regions in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is included in a predetermined range. An illuminance value is set, and a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively high.

  Further, another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a vehicular lamp. The control method includes a step of detecting the brightness of each of a plurality of individual areas arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from an imaging unit that images the front of the own vehicle, and the individual areas based on the detected brightness. The step of determining the illuminance value of the light to be radiated to the light source, and the step of controlling the light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light to be irradiated to each individual area based on the determined illuminance value. In the step, for the individual area in which the detected brightness is included in a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and the detected brightness is relatively high. A relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual area.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle lighting system. The system includes an imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of a plurality of individual areas that are lined up in front of the vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit, and a detection result of the brightness analysis unit. On the basis of the illuminance setting section, an illuminance setting section that determines the illuminance value of the light that illuminates each individual area, a lamp section that has at least a light source section that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light that illuminates each of the plurality of individual areas, and an illuminance setting section. The light source control unit that controls the lamp unit based on the illuminance value determined by, and the individual region in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is within a predetermined range, is relative to the individual region in which the detected brightness is relatively low. A relatively low illuminance value is set, and a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively high, and a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. Forming with the light pattern That a light distribution pattern is switched periodically, comprises a first light distribution pattern and the pattern formation control unit and the second light distribution pattern is to visually recognize the third light distribution pattern formed by combining the driver, the. According to this aspect, driving safety can be improved.

  In the above aspect, the vehicular lamp system further includes a situation analysis unit that detects a situation in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the image pickup unit, and the pattern formation control unit causes the image pickup unit to image the front of the own vehicle. The first light distribution pattern may be formed during the operation. In any one of the above aspects, the second light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern that enhances the brightness of the individual area in the first light distribution pattern, which is less than a predetermined brightness visible to the driver, in the third light distribution pattern. May be. Further, in any of the above aspects, the second light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern that reduces, in the third light distribution pattern, the brightness of an individual area that is equal to or higher than a predetermined brightness at which the driver receives glare in the first light distribution pattern. May be Further, in any one of the above aspects, the pattern formation control unit forms the first to third light distribution patterns in the individual regions in the predetermined position range, and the illuminance is independent of the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. You may form the 4th light distribution pattern in which a value is set in another individual area | region.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a control device for a vehicle lamp. The control device, based on information obtained from an imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the vehicle, and a detection result of the brightness analysis unit. The illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light that illuminates each individual region, and at least a light source unit that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light that illuminates each individual region based on the illuminance value that the illuminance setting unit determines. With respect to the light source control unit that controls the lamp unit and the individual region where the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is within a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual region where the detected brightness is relatively low. Then, between the first light distribution pattern in which a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual region in which the detected brightness is relatively high, and the second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern, Periodically cut the formed light distribution pattern Instead it comprises a first light distribution pattern and the pattern formation control unit and the second light distribution pattern is to visually recognize the third light distribution pattern formed by combining the driver, the.

  Further, another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a vehicular lamp. The control method includes a step of detecting the brightness of each of a plurality of individual areas arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from an imaging unit that images the front of the own vehicle, and the individual areas based on the detected brightness. The step of determining the illuminance value of the light to be radiated to, and the step of controlling the lamp section having at least a light source section capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light to be irradiated to each individual area, based on the determined illuminance value, For individual areas with a brightness within a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set for individual areas with relatively low detected brightness, and relatively high illuminance for individual areas with relatively high detected brightness. A light distribution pattern to be formed is periodically switched between a first light distribution pattern obtained by setting a value and a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern, and Second light distribution pattern There comprises a step of viewing the third light distribution pattern formed by combining the driver, the.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle lighting system. The system includes an imaging unit that images the front of the own vehicle, a situation analysis unit that detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit, and the brightness of each of the individual regions arranged in front of the own vehicle. Based on the illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light that illuminates each individual region, a lamp unit that has at least a light source unit that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light that illuminates each of the plurality of individual regions, and the illuminance setting unit The illuminance value of each individual area is set depending on the brightness of each individual area while the light source control section that controls the lamp section based on the determined illuminance value and the imaging section is imaging the front of the vehicle. A third light distribution pattern is formed by forming a first light distribution pattern, forming a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern at other times, and combining the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. Pattern formation control unit that allows the driver to visually recognize the light distribution pattern , Comprising a.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle lighting system. The system includes an imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of a plurality of individual areas that are lined up in front of the vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit, and a detection result of the brightness analysis unit. On the basis of the illuminance setting section, an illuminance setting section that determines the illuminance value of the light that illuminates each individual area, a lamp section that has at least a light source section that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light that illuminates each of the plurality of individual areas, and an illuminance setting section. The illuminance value of each individual area is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis section for the light source control section that controls the lamp section based on the illuminance value determined by Forming a first light distribution pattern, and forming a second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set for other individual areas without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. And According to this aspect, driving safety can be improved.

  In the above aspect, in the first light distribution pattern, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively low, with respect to the individual area in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is in a predetermined range. The brightness distribution pattern in which a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively high, or the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is in the predetermined range, It may be a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region is set such that the brightness detected by the analysis unit has the same value.

  Further, in any one of the above aspects, the pattern formation control unit forms the first light distribution pattern in an individual area located below the horizontal line and forms the second light distribution pattern in an individual area located above the horizontal line. May be. In any one of the above aspects, the pattern formation control unit forms the first light distribution pattern in an individual region outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with a lateral region excluding the sky above the own vehicle, and the individual region overlapping the sky above the own vehicle. The second light distribution pattern may be formed on the first and second light distribution patterns, and the first light distribution pattern or the second light distribution pattern may be formed on the individual area overlapping the traveling road surface. Further, in any of the above aspects, the pattern formation control unit sets an individual area for forming the first light distribution pattern and an individual area for forming the second light distribution pattern according to the state of the vehicle or the surrounding environment. May be. Further, in the above aspect, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, the pattern formation control unit forms the first light distribution pattern in the individual area overlapping the traveling road surface and the second light distribution pattern in the other individual area. When the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed, the first light distribution pattern is formed in the individual area outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with the lateral area excluding the sky above the vehicle, and the second light distribution is provided in the other individual areas. A pattern may be formed.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a control device for a vehicle lamp. The control device, based on information obtained from an imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the vehicle, and a detection result of the brightness analysis unit. The illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light that illuminates each individual region, and at least a light source unit that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light that illuminates each individual region based on the illuminance value that the illuminance setting unit determines. A light source control unit that controls the lamp unit that has the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region is set for the individual region in a predetermined position range depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. And a pattern formation control unit that forms a second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set to the other individual areas without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit.

  Further, another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a vehicular lamp. The control method includes a step of detecting the brightness of each of a plurality of individual areas arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from an imaging unit that images the front of the own vehicle, and the individual areas based on the detected brightness. A step of determining the illuminance value of the light to be radiated to, and a step of controlling the lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light to be irradiated to each individual area based on the determined illuminance value; For the individual areas in the position range, the first light distribution pattern that is obtained by setting the illuminance value of each individual area depending on the detected brightness is formed, and for the other individual areas, the detected brightness is set. Forming a second light distribution pattern obtained by setting the illuminance value independently.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle lighting system. The system includes an imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of a plurality of individual areas that are lined up in front of the vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit, and a detection result of the brightness analysis unit. On the basis of the illuminance setting section, an illuminance setting section that determines the illuminance value of the light that illuminates each individual area, a lamp section that has at least a light source section that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light that illuminates each of the plurality of individual areas, and an illuminance setting section. A light source control unit that controls the lamp unit based on the illuminance value determined by, a first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit, and a brightness analysis unit. The illuminance value of each individual region is set depending on the brightness detected by the and different from the first light distribution pattern, or the illuminance value is set independently of the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. Between the two light distribution patterns, And a switching control unit for switching the light distribution pattern to be formed. According to this aspect, driving safety can be improved.

  In the above aspect, the light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set depending on the luminance is an individual area in which the luminance detected by the luminance analysis unit is in a predetermined range in an individual area in which the detected luminance is relatively low. Is set to a relatively low illuminance value, and a relatively high illuminance value is set to the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively high, or the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is predetermined. The light distribution pattern may be set such that the illuminance value of each individual area is set so that the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit has the same value for the individual areas in the range.

  Further, in any of the above aspects, the switching control unit may dynamically switch the light distribution pattern according to the surroundings of the vehicle or the state of the driver. Further, in the above aspect, the switching control unit may switch the light distribution pattern based on information obtained from the car navigation system or a camera that images the driver. Further, in any of the above aspects, the switching control unit may switch the light distribution pattern based on a driver's operation.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a control device for a vehicle lamp. The control device, based on the information obtained from the imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the vehicle, and based on the detection results of the brightness analysis unit. An illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light that illuminates each individual region, and at least a light source unit that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light that illuminates each individual region based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit It depends on the light source control unit that controls the lamp unit, the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit, and the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. The illuminance value of each individual area is set and is different from the first light distribution pattern, or between the second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. , Switch the light distribution pattern to be formed And a switching control unit.

  Further, another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a vehicular lamp. The control method includes a step of detecting the brightness of each of the plurality of individual areas arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from an image capturing unit that images the front of the own vehicle, and a step of detecting the brightness of each individual area based on the detected brightness. The step of determining the illuminance value of the light to be irradiated, the step of controlling the lamp part having at least a light source part capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light to be irradiated to each individual area based on the specified illuminance value, and the detected brightness The first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual area is set depending on the detected light intensity, and the illuminance value of each individual area is set in accordance with the detected luminance and is different from the first light distribution pattern, or detected. Switching the light distribution pattern to be formed with the second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the luminance.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above constituent elements, and the expression of the present invention converted between methods, devices, systems, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the irradiation precision of the light in a vehicle lamp can be improved. Alternatively, according to the present invention, driving safety can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lighting system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the optical deflector. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the optical deflector shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the appearance ahead of the own vehicle typically. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected brightness value and the coefficient in the high contrast control. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value in the high contrast control. 5A and 5B are flowcharts showing an example of ADB control executed in the vehicular lamp system according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the vehicle lamp system which concerns on Embodiment 2. 7A to 7C are diagrams showing another example of the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value in the high contrast control. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the vehicle lamp system which concerns on Embodiment 3,6. 7 is a timing chart showing an example of transitions of image pickup by a low-speed camera, image pickup by a high-speed camera, formation of a first light distribution pattern, and formation of a second light distribution pattern. FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are diagrams schematically showing the position range of the individual area in which the switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern is executed. 11A and 11B are flowcharts showing an example of ADB control executed in the vehicular lamp system according to the third and sixth embodiments. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the detection brightness value at the time of forming a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern, a target brightness value, and a setting illuminance value. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the vehicle lamp system which concerns on Embodiments 5 and 7. 14A to 14C are diagrams showing another example of the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the luminance uniformized light distribution pattern. 6 is a timing chart showing an example of transitions of image pickup by a low-speed camera, image pickup by a high-speed camera, formation of a first light distribution pattern, and formation of a third light distribution pattern. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the vehicle lamp system which concerns on Embodiment 8. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the vehicle lamp system which concerns on Embodiment 9.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The embodiments do not limit the invention, but are exemplifications, and all features and combinations described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be appropriately omitted. Further, the scales and shapes of the respective parts shown in the drawings are set for the sake of convenience of description, and should not be construed as limiting unless otherwise specified. Further, when terms such as “first” and “second” are used in the present specification and claims, the terms do not indicate any order or importance, unless otherwise specified. This is for distinguishing the configuration from other configurations.

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

  The vehicular lamp system 1 (1A) is applied to a vehicular headlamp device having a pair of headlamp units arranged on the left and right in front of the vehicle. Since the pair of headlamp units have substantially the same configuration except that they have a bilaterally symmetrical structure, FIG. 1 shows the structure of one headlamp unit as the vehicle lamp 2.

  The vehicular lamp 2 included in the vehicular lamp system 1 includes a lamp body 4 having an opening on the vehicle front side, and a translucent cover 6 attached so as to cover the opening of the lamp body 4. The translucent cover 6 is formed of translucent resin, glass, or the like. A light source unit 10, an imaging unit 12, and a control device 50 are housed in a lamp chamber 8 formed by the lamp body 4 and the translucent cover 6.

  The light source unit 10 is a device capable of independently adjusting the illuminance (intensity) of the light with which each of the plurality of individual regions (see FIG. 3) arranged in front of the vehicle is irradiated. The light source unit 10 includes a light source 22, a reflection optical member 24, a light deflection device 26, and a projection optical member 28. Each part is attached to the lamp body 4 by a support mechanism (not shown).

  The light source 22 may be 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), or the like. .

  The reflective optical member 24 is configured to guide the light emitted from the light source 22 to the reflective surface of the light deflector 26. The reflective optical member 24 is composed of a reflective mirror whose inner surface is a predetermined reflective surface. The reflective optical member 24 may be a solid light guide or the like. If the light emitted from the light source 22 can be directly guided to the light deflector 26, the reflective optical member 24 may not be provided.

  The light deflector 26 is arranged on the optical axis of the projection optical member 28, and is configured to selectively reflect the light emitted from the light source 22 to the projection optical member 28. The light deflection device 26 is configured by, for example, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device). That is, the optical deflector 26 is one in which a plurality of micromirrors are arranged in an array (matrix). It is possible to selectively change the reflection direction of the light emitted from the light source 22 by controlling the angles of the reflection surfaces of the plurality of micromirrors. That is, the light deflector 26 reflects a part of the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection optical member 28, and reflects the other light in a direction that is not effectively used by the projection optical member 28. be able to. Here, the direction that is not effectively used may be regarded as, for example, a direction that is incident on the projection optical member 28 but hardly contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern, or a direction toward a light absorbing member (light shielding member) not shown. it can.

  FIG. 2A is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the optical deflector. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the optical deflector shown in FIG. The light deflecting device 26 includes a micromirror array 32 in which a plurality of minute mirror elements 30 are arranged in a matrix, and a front side of a reflecting surface 30a of the mirror element 30 (on the right side of the light deflecting device 26 shown in FIG. 2B). ) Is disposed on the transparent cover member 34. The cover member 34 is made of, for example, glass or plastic.

  The mirror element 30 has a substantially square shape and has a rotating shaft 30b extending in the horizontal direction and dividing the mirror element 30 into substantially equal parts. Each mirror element 30 of the micromirror array 32 reflects the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection optical member 28 so as to be used as a part of a desired light distribution pattern (see FIG. 2 ( The position shown by the solid line in B) and the second reflection position where the light emitted from the light source 22 is reflected so as not to be effectively used (the position shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2B) are switchable. There is. Each mirror element 30 rotates around the rotation axis 30b and is individually switched between the first reflection position and the second reflection position. Each mirror element 30 has a first reflection position when turned on and a second reflection position when turned off.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state in front of the host vehicle. As described above, the light source unit 10 includes a plurality of mirror elements 30 as individual irradiation units that can irradiate light toward the front of the lamp independently of each other. The light source unit 10 can irradiate light to the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the vehicle by the mirror element 30. Each individual region R is a region corresponding to the image capturing unit 12, more specifically, a group of one pixel or a plurality of pixels of the high-speed camera 36, for example. In the present embodiment, each individual region R and each mirror element 30 are associated with each other.

  In FIG. 2A and FIG. 3, for convenience of description, the mirror elements 30 and the individual regions R are arranged in a 10 × 8 matrix, but the numbers of the mirror elements 30 and the individual regions R are not particularly limited. For example, the resolution of the micromirror array 32 (in other words, the number of mirror elements 30 and individual regions R) is 1000 to 300,000 pixels. The time required for the light source unit 10 to form one light distribution pattern is, for example, 0.1 to 5 ms. That is, the light source unit 10 can change the light distribution pattern every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the projection optical member 28 includes, for example, a free-form surface lens having a front-side surface and a rear-side surface having a free-form surface shape. The projection optical member 28 projects the light source image formed on the rear focal plane including the rear focal point as a reverse image in the front of the lamp. The projection optical member 28 is arranged such that its rear focus is located on the optical axis of the vehicular lamp 2 and near the reflecting surface of the micromirror array 32. The projection optical member 28 may be a reflector.

  The light emitted from the light source 22 is reflected by the reflective optical member 24 and is applied to the micro mirror array 32 of the light deflector 26. The light deflector 26 reflects the light toward the projection optical member 28 by the predetermined mirror element 30 located at the first reflection position. The reflected light passes through the projection optical member 28, travels forward of the lamp, and is applied to each individual region R corresponding to each mirror element 30. As a result, a light distribution pattern having a predetermined shape is formed in front of the lamp.

  The imaging unit 12 is a device that images the front of the vehicle. The imaging unit 12 includes a high speed camera 36 and a low speed camera 38. The high-speed camera 36 has a relatively high frame rate, for example, 200 fps or more and 10000 fps or less (0.1 to 5 ms per frame). On the other hand, the low-speed camera 38 has a relatively low frame rate, for example, 30 fps to 120 fps (about 8 to 33 ms per frame). The high-speed camera 36 has a relatively small resolution, for example, 300,000 pixels or more and less than 5 million pixels. On the other hand, the low-speed camera 38 has a relatively large resolution, for example, 5 million pixels or more. The high-speed camera 36 and the low-speed camera 38 image all the individual areas R. The resolutions of the high-speed camera 36 and the low-speed camera 38 are not limited to the above numerical values, and can be set to any value within a technically consistent range.

  The control device 50 includes a brightness analysis unit 14, a situation analysis unit 16, a lamp control unit 18, and a light source control unit 20. The image data acquired by the imaging unit 12 is sent to the brightness analysis unit 14 and the situation analysis unit 16.

  The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the information (image data) obtained from the imaging unit 12. The brightness analysis unit 14 is a high-speed and low-precision analysis unit that executes image analysis with lower accuracy than the situation analysis unit 16 and outputs analysis results at high speed. The brightness analysis unit 14 of the present embodiment detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the information obtained from the high-speed camera 36. The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms. The detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14, that is, the signal indicating the brightness information of the individual region R is transmitted to the lamp control unit 18.

  The situation analysis unit 16 detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on the information obtained from the imaging unit 12. For example, the situation analysis unit 16 detects a target existing in front of the own vehicle. The situation analysis unit 16 is a low-speed high-precision analysis unit that performs image analysis with higher accuracy than the brightness analysis unit 14 and outputs the analysis result at low speed. The situation analysis unit 16 of the present embodiment detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on the information obtained from the low-speed camera 38. The situation analysis unit 16 detects the situation, for example, every 50 ms. As the target detected by the situation analysis unit 16, as shown in FIG. 3, an oncoming vehicle 100, a pedestrian 200, etc. are exemplified. Further, the preceding vehicle and obstacles that hinder the running of the own vehicle, road signs, road markings, road shapes, etc. are also included in the target.

  The situation analysis unit 16 can detect the target using a conventionally known method including algorithm recognition, deep learning, and the like. For example, the situation analysis unit 16 holds in advance the characteristic points indicating the oncoming vehicle 100. Then, the situation analysis unit 16 recognizes the position of the oncoming vehicle 100 when the image data of the low-speed camera 38 includes data including a characteristic point indicating the oncoming vehicle 100. The “characteristic point indicating the oncoming vehicle 100” is, for example, a light spot 102 (see FIG. 3) having a predetermined light intensity or higher that appears in the estimated presence region of the headlight of the oncoming vehicle 100. Similarly, the situation analysis unit 16 holds the characteristic points indicating the pedestrian 200 and other targets in advance, and when the image data of the low-speed camera 38 includes data including these characteristic points, Recognize the position of the target corresponding to the feature point. The detection result of the situation analysis unit 16, that is, the signal indicating the target information in front of the own vehicle is transmitted to the lamp control unit 18.

  The lamp control unit 18 uses the detection results of the luminance analysis unit 14 and / or the situation analysis unit 16 to determine the specific target, detect the displacement of the specific target, set the specific individual region R1, and irradiate each individual region R. Set the illuminance value of the light. As an example, the lamp control unit 18 includes a tracking unit 40 and an illuminance setting unit 42.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets a relatively low illuminance value in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively low in the individual region R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is included in a predetermined range. A relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively high. The “predetermined range” may be the entire range of the brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 or a part of the range. In FIG. 4 (A) and FIG. 4 (B) described below, the entire range of brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is the “predetermined range”.

  For example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value lower than the illuminance value set for the individual area R having the brightness lower than the predetermined threshold value to the individual area R having the brightness lower than the predetermined threshold value. Set. On the other hand, an illuminance value higher than the illuminance value set for the individual area R having a lower brightness than the threshold is set in the individual area R having a higher brightness than the threshold. As a result, the illuminance value of the individual area R having relatively low luminance is lower than the illuminance value of the individual area R having relatively high luminance. On the contrary, the illuminance value of the individual region R having relatively high luminance is higher than the illuminance value of the individual region R having relatively low luminance. As an example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets an illuminance value lower than the currently set illuminance value in the individual region R whose brightness is lower than the threshold value. On the other hand, an illuminance value higher than the currently set illuminance value is set in the individual region R having a brightness higher than the threshold value. Instead of using the threshold value, the illuminance value to be set may be lowered as the luminance becomes lower, for example, with the luminance of the individual region R having the highest luminance as a reference.

  That is, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines a light distribution pattern in which the bright individual area R becomes brighter and the dark individual area R becomes darker. According to this light distribution pattern, the light-dark contrast is emphasized in the irradiation object in front of the own vehicle. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the target by the situation analysis unit 16 can be improved. Such control by the illuminance setting unit 42 is referred to as high contrast control, and the light distribution pattern determined in the high contrast control is referred to as a high contrast light distribution pattern. The illuminance setting unit 42 transmits a signal indicating the illuminance value of each individual region R to the light source control unit 20. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value every 0.1 to 5 ms, for example.

  The light source control unit 20 controls the light source unit 10 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. The light source control unit 20 controls turning on / off of the light source 22 and ON / OFF switching of each mirror element 30. The light source control unit 20 adjusts the turn-on time ratio (width or density) of each mirror element 30 based on the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated. Thereby, the illuminance of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated can be adjusted. Then, a plurality of partial irradiation areas are gathered to form a light distribution pattern. The light source control unit 20 transmits a drive signal to the light source 22 and / or the light deflection device 26, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  The control of the light source unit 10 by the light source control unit 20 forms a high-contrast light distribution pattern. Then, the actual brightness value of each individual region R, which is the result of forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern, is detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. Further, based on the detection result, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value again. In addition, as an example, the illuminance setting unit 42 forms a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance of all the individual regions R is constant at the beginning of the high contrast control.

  In the high contrast control, the newly set relatively low illuminance value is lower than the currently set illuminance value, and the newly set relatively high illuminance value is currently set. The illuminance value may be higher than the illuminance value. In this case, positive feedback is applied, and eventually the set illuminance value is polarized into 0 and the maximum value. If the illuminance value is polarized, it may be difficult to ensure the visibility of the driver in the individual region R where the illuminance value 0 is set.

  On the other hand, by using the reference illuminance value M and the coefficient as described below, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the visibility of the driver due to the polarization. More specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected luminance value, and multiplies the set coefficient by a predetermined reference illuminance value M to determine the illuminance. Set the value. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected brightness value and the coefficient in the high contrast control. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value in the high contrast control.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined coefficient preset according to the magnitude of the detected luminance value. A relatively large coefficient is set for a relatively large detected luminance value, and a relatively small coefficient is set for a relatively small detected luminance value. The value of the coefficient can be appropriately set based on the results of experiments and simulations in consideration of the degree of improvement in the detection accuracy of the target. Here, as an example, a coefficient of 1.0 is set for the threshold value of the detected brightness value, a coefficient of 1.5 is set for the maximum brightness value, and a coefficient of 0.5 is set for the minimum brightness value. ing. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets a coefficient for each individual region R based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14.

  Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined reference illuminance value M set in advance, as shown in FIG. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the individual region R by multiplying the reference illuminance value M by the coefficient set for each individual region R. As a result, a low illuminance value is set in the individual area R having a low detected luminance value, and a high illuminance value is set in the individual area R having a high detected luminance value.

  Further, by using the illuminance value that is currently set, the coefficient, and the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the illuminance value, it is possible to avoid the deterioration of the visibility of the driver due to the polarization of the illuminance value. That is, the illuminance setting unit 42 has preset lower and upper limits of the illuminance value. Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected brightness value. Then, instead of the reference illuminance value M, the set coefficient is multiplied by the current illuminance value to calculate a new illuminance value.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 updates the current illuminance value to the calculated illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is equal to or higher than a predetermined lower limit value, and maintains the current illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is lower than the lower limit value. To do. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 updates the current illuminance value to the calculated illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is equal to or lower than the predetermined upper limit value, and updates the current illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value exceeds the upper limit value. To maintain. Note that if the illuminance setting unit 42 has at least the lower limit value of the illuminance value, it is possible to avoid setting the illuminance value 0 to the dark individual region R.

  The vehicular lamp system 1 uses the high-contrast light distribution pattern to execute ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control for forming an optimum light distribution pattern according to the situation in front of the vehicle. That is, the vehicular lamp system 1 takes an image of the front of the vehicle with the low-speed camera 38 under the condition that the high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed. The situation analysis unit 16 detects the target using this imaged data. Therefore, the target can be detected with higher accuracy.

  The tracking unit 40 determines a specific target from the targets detected by the situation analysis unit 16. The tracking unit 40 also detects the displacement of the specific target based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. In the present embodiment, as an example, oncoming vehicle 100 is the specific target.

  Specifically, the tracking unit 40 integrates the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14 and the detection result of the situation analysis unit 16. Then, of the brightness of each individual region R detected by the brightness analysis unit 14, the brightness of the individual region R in which the light spot 102 of the oncoming vehicle 100, which is the specific target, is located, is associated with the oncoming vehicle 100. The tracking unit 40 can detect the displacement of the oncoming vehicle 100 that is the specific target by recognizing the position of the luminance associated with the oncoming vehicle 100 in the detection result of the luminance analysis unit 14 that is acquired thereafter. The tracking unit 40 executes a specific target determination process every 50 ms, for example. Further, the tracking unit 40 executes the displacement detection process (tracking) of the specific target, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the luminance analysis unit 14 and the detection result of the tracking unit 40. In each individual area R, a specific illuminance value is determined for the specific individual area R1 determined according to the position where the specific target exists. Specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 first determines the specific individual area R1 based on the existing position of the oncoming vehicle 100 that is the specific target. For example, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the specific individual region R1 based on the position information of the oncoming vehicle 100 included in the detection result of the tracking unit 40. Regarding the setting of the specific individual region R1, for example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined value for the horizontal distance a (see FIG. 3) between the two light spots 102 corresponding to the headlight of the oncoming vehicle 100. The vertical distance b of the ratio is determined, and the individual region R overlapping the dimension range of horizontal a × vertical b is defined as the specific individual region R1 (see FIG. 3). The specific individual region R1 includes the individual region R overlapping with the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

  Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the specific illuminance value for the specific individual region R1. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value based on the high contrast control with respect to the individual regions R other than the specific individual region R1. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 recognizes the displacement of the specific individual region R1 based on the detection result of the tracking unit 40, and updates the position information of the specific individual region R1. Then, the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated is updated. The processing by the tracking unit 40 and the processing by the illuminance setting unit 42 are executed in parallel at least temporarily.

  As an example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the specific illuminance value “0” for the specific individual area R1 determined according to the position where the oncoming vehicle 100 exists, and sets the illuminance value “1” for the other individual areas R. Is set. This setting is the first illuminance information. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance values for all the individual areas R including the specific individual area R1 according to the high contrast control. This setting is the second illuminance information. Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 performs an AND operation on the first illuminance information and the second illuminance information. Thereby, the illuminance information in which the specific illuminance value for the specific individual region R1 is “0” and the illuminance values for the other individual regions R are illuminance values determined according to the high contrast control is generated. That is, the specific individual region R1 is shielded from light, and a high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed in each individual region R except the specific individual region R1.

  5A and 5B are flowcharts showing an example of ADB control executed in the vehicular lamp system according to the first embodiment. This flow is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing when the execution instruction of the ADB control is given by, for example, a light switch (not shown), and the execution instruction of the ADB control is canceled (or a stop instruction is given). Or it ends when the ignition is turned off. The flow shown in FIG. 5A is a high-speed process that is repeated every 0.1 to 5 ms, and the flow shown in FIG. 5B is a low-speed process that is repeated every 50 ms, for example. The low speed processing and the high speed processing are executed in parallel.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, in the high-speed processing, it is first determined whether the high-contrast light distribution pattern formation flag is on (S101). The determination is performed by the illuminance setting unit 42, for example. When the high-contrast light distribution pattern formation flag is on (Y in S101), it indicates that the high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed. In this case, the front of the vehicle is imaged by the high-speed camera 36 (S103). When the high-contrast light distribution pattern formation flag is not on (N in S101), after the constant illuminance light distribution pattern is formed (S102), the front of the vehicle is imaged by the high-speed camera 36 (S103).

  Next, the brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the image data of the high-speed camera 36 (S104). Then, it is determined whether the specific individual area R1 is set (S105). The determination is performed by the tracking unit 40, for example. When the specific individual region R1 is set (Y in S105), the tracking unit 40 tracks the specific target and detects the position (displacement) of the specific individual region R1. The illuminance setting unit 42 updates the setting (position information) of the specific individual region R1 based on the detection result of the tracking unit 40 (S106).

  Next, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated in accordance with the high contrast control (S107). A specific illuminance value is set for the specific individual region R1. Next, the light source control unit 20 drives the light source unit 10, and the light of the predetermined illuminance is emitted from the light source unit 10 (S108). Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 turns on the high-contrast light distribution pattern formation flag (S109), and the present routine ends. When the specific individual region R1 is not set (N in S105), the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the light with which the individual region R is irradiated (S106). In this case, the specified illuminance value does not include the specific illuminance value. After that, the processing of steps S107, S108, and S109 is executed, and the present routine ends.

  In step S106, when the disappearance of the specific target is detected by the tracking, the setting of the specific individual region R1 also disappears. Therefore, the specific illuminance value is not included in the illuminance values set in step S107. In step S105 of the next routine, it is determined that the specific individual region R1 is not set (N in S105) until the process of step S205 described later is executed.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (B), in the low speed processing, the front of the host vehicle is first imaged by the low speed camera 38 (S201). Next, the situation analysis unit 16 detects a target existing in front of the own vehicle based on the image data of the low-speed camera 38 (S202). Next, it is determined whether the detected target includes a specific target (S203). The determination is performed by the tracking unit 40, for example.

  When the specific target is included (Y in S203), the tracking unit 40 determines the specific target (S204). Next, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the specific individual region R1 based on the position where the specific target exists (S205), and this routine ends. If the specific target is not included (N in S203), this routine ends. Although the specific individual area is set in the low speed processing in the above flowchart, the setting may be executed in the high speed processing.

  As described above, the vehicular lamp system 1 according to the present embodiment includes the imaging unit 12, the brightness analysis unit 14, the illuminance setting unit 42, the light source unit 10, and the light source control unit 20. The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each of the individual regions R arranged in front of the host vehicle. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets a relatively low illuminance value in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively low in the individual region R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is included in a predetermined range. A relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively high. As a result, it is possible to enhance the brightness contrast of the irradiation target existing in front of the own vehicle. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the target using the image data of the imaging unit 12 can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to improve the light irradiation accuracy in ADB control, in other words, the accuracy of forming the light distribution pattern.

  Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected brightness value, and multiplies the set coefficient by a predetermined reference illuminance value to set the illuminance value. Alternatively, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected brightness value, and multiplies the set coefficient by the current illuminance value to calculate a new illuminance value. When the calculated illuminance value is equal to or higher than the predetermined lower limit value, the current illuminance value is updated to the calculated illuminance value, and when the calculated illuminance value is lower than the lower limit value, the current illuminance value is maintained. As a result, the high illuminance distribution pattern is repeatedly formed, whereby the set illuminance value is polarized into 0 and the maximum value, and it is possible to prevent the visibility of the driver in a part of the individual region R from being lowered. it can.

  Further, in the vehicular lamp system 1 according to the present embodiment, the oncoming vehicle 100 is combined with the situation analysis unit 16 which is a slow but advanced image analysis unit and the brightness analysis unit 14 which is a simple but high speed image analysis unit. The light distribution pattern is determined by accurately grasping the existing position of. Therefore, it is possible to improve the light irradiation accuracy in ADB control, in other words, the accuracy of forming the light distribution pattern. As a result, the avoidance of glare given to the driver of the oncoming vehicle 100 and the ensuring of the visibility of the driver of the own vehicle can both be achieved at a higher level.

(Embodiment 2)
The vehicular lamp system according to the second embodiment is common to the configuration of the vehicular lamp system according to the first embodiment except that the high contrast control is executed using another light source unit in addition to the light source unit 10. To do. Hereinafter, the vehicle lamp system according to the second embodiment will be described focusing on the configuration different from that of the first embodiment, and the common configuration will be briefly described or the description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicular lamp system according to the second embodiment. Similar to FIG. 1, FIG. 6 illustrates some of the constituent elements of the vehicle lighting system as functional blocks. The vehicle lamp system 1 (1B) includes a light source unit 10, an imaging unit 12, a control device 50, and a lamp unit 60 as another light source unit. The lamp unit 60 is controlled independently of the light source unit 10. In the lamp unit 60, for example, a light switch (not shown) provided in the vehicle is operated by the driver to switch on / off, and to switch the type of the light distribution pattern to be formed. The lamp unit 60 can form a conventionally known low beam light distribution pattern, high beam light distribution pattern, and the like. Hereinafter, the light distribution pattern formed by the lamp unit 60 will be referred to as a normal light distribution pattern as appropriate.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 executes the high contrast control under the situation where the lighting unit 60 forms the normal light distribution pattern. For example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets an illuminance value lower than the currently set illuminance value in the individual area R having low brightness, and sets an illuminance value lower than the currently set illuminance value in the individual area R having high brightness. Set a high illuminance value. The level of the illuminance value to be set can be appropriately set based on the results of experiments and simulations in consideration of the degree of improvement in the detection accuracy of the target. The coefficient explained in the first embodiment may be used when setting a new illuminance value. That is, a new illuminance value may be set by multiplying the currently set illuminance value by a coefficient.

  The light source control unit 20 controls the light source unit 10 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. As a result, the high contrast light distribution pattern is superimposed on the normal light distribution pattern. The formation of the high-contrast light distribution pattern enhances the light-dark contrast in front of the vehicle. Further, even if the illuminance of each individual region R in the high-contrast light distribution pattern is polarized, the normal light distribution pattern is irradiated to the individual region R with low illuminance in the high-contrast light distribution pattern. That is, the lamp unit 60 irradiates the individual region R in which the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a relatively low illuminance value with light. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the visibility of the driver from being deteriorated due to the polarization of the illuminance value in the high-contrast light distribution pattern.

  As an example, the illuminance setting unit 42 causes the light source unit 10 to form a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance of all the individual regions R except the specific individual region R1 is constant at the beginning of the high contrast control. Alternatively, the light source unit 10 does not form the light distribution pattern, and the lamp unit 60 forms only the normal light distribution pattern. In this case, the brightness of each individual region R obtained by the irradiation of the normal light distribution pattern is used to form the high-contrast light distribution pattern. The second and subsequent high-contrast light distribution patterns may be determined when only the normal light distribution pattern is formed or when the normal light distribution pattern and the high-contrast light distribution pattern are overlapped. Alternatively, it may be determined in the situation where only the high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described first and second embodiments, and it is possible to combine the respective embodiments and to make modifications such as various design changes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. New embodiments obtained by such combination or modification are also included in the scope of the present invention. Such a new embodiment has the effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications.

  In the first and second embodiments, the image pickup unit 12, the brightness analysis unit 14, the situation analysis unit 16, the lamp control unit 18, and the light source control unit 20 are provided in the lamp chamber 8, but each of them is appropriately arranged. It may be provided outside. For example, the low-speed camera 38 of the imaging unit 12 can use an existing camera mounted in the vehicle interior. In addition, it is desirable that the imaging unit 12 and the light source unit 10 have the same angle of view.

  If the high-speed camera 36 has the same resolution as the low-speed camera 38, the low-speed camera 38 may be omitted. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the vehicle lighting system 1. In this case, the situation analysis unit 16 detects the target using the image data of the high speed camera 36.

  Further, the specific target may be the pedestrian 200. In this case, the specific illuminance value of the specific individual region R1 is set to the maximum value, for example. As a result, the pedestrian 200 can be illuminated with light of higher illuminance so that the vehicle driver can easily see the pedestrian 200. In this case, it is desirable to shield the individual region R in which the face of the pedestrian 200 is located from light. The tracking unit 40 can track the position of the pedestrian 200 by performing known image processing such as edge enhancement on the brightness data of each individual region R that is the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. The edge enhancement may be included in the processing of the brightness analysis unit 14.

  The light source unit 10 may include a scanning optical system that scans the front of the vehicle with the light source light, or an LED array in which LEDs corresponding to the individual regions R are arranged, instead of the optical deflecting device 26 that is the DMD.

  The relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value in the high contrast control may be as follows. 7A to 7C are diagrams showing another example of the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value in the high contrast control. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 4B, the set illuminance value is continuously and linearly changed with respect to the detected brightness value. However, the setting illuminance value may be changed stepwise with respect to the detected luminance value as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, without being limited to this relationship. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the set illuminance value may be changed in a curve with respect to the detected brightness value. Note that in FIG. 7C, an upwardly convex curve is illustrated, but a downwardly convex curve may be used. Further, the relationship between the detected brightness value and the coefficient is the same as the relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value, and is therefore obvious without being shown.

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

A brightness analysis unit 14 that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit 12 that images the front of the own vehicle;
An illuminance setting unit 42 that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14,
A light source control unit 20 for controlling the light source unit 10 capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light irradiating each individual region R based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42;
Equipped with
The illuminance setting unit 42 sets a relatively low illuminance value in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively low in the individual region R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is included in a predetermined range. The control device 50 of the vehicular lamp 2 that sets a relatively high illuminance value in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively high.

A step of detecting the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the image capturing unit 12 that images the front of the own vehicle;
Determining the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detected brightness;
Controlling the light source unit 10 capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the determined illuminance value;
Including,
In the step of determining the illuminance value, with respect to the individual region R in which the detected brightness is included in a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and the detected value is detected. A method of controlling the vehicle lighting device 2, wherein a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual region R having relatively high brightness.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicular lamp system according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 8, some of the components of the vehicle lighting system 1 are drawn as functional blocks. These functional blocks are realized as elements or circuits such as a CPU and a memory of a computer as a hardware configuration, and are realized as a computer program as a software configuration. Those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways by combining hardware and software.

  The vehicular lamp system 1 (1A) is applied to a vehicular headlamp device having a pair of headlamp units arranged on the left and right in front of the vehicle. Since the pair of headlamp units have substantially the same configuration except that they have a bilaterally symmetrical structure, FIG. 8 shows the structure of one headlamp unit as the vehicle lamp 2.

  The vehicular lamp 2 included in the vehicular lamp system 1 includes a lamp body 4 having an opening on the vehicle front side, and a translucent cover 6 attached so as to cover the opening of the lamp body 4. The translucent cover 6 is formed of translucent resin, glass, or the like. A lamp unit 62, an imaging unit 12, and a control device 50 are housed in a lamp chamber 8 formed by the lamp body 4 and the translucent cover 6.

  The lamp unit 62 includes at least the light source unit 10. The light source unit 10 is a device capable of independently adjusting the illuminance (intensity) of the light with which each of the plurality of individual regions (see FIG. 3) arranged in front of the vehicle is irradiated. The light source unit 10 includes a light source 22, a reflection optical member 24, a light deflection device 26, and a projection optical member 28. Each part is attached to the lamp body 4 by a support mechanism (not shown).

  The light source 22 may be 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), or the like. .

  The reflective optical member 24 is configured to guide the light emitted from the light source 22 to the reflective surface of the light deflector 26. The reflective optical member 24 is composed of a reflective mirror whose inner surface is a predetermined reflective surface. The reflective optical member 24 may be a solid light guide or the like. If the light emitted from the light source 22 can be directly guided to the light deflector 26, the reflective optical member 24 may not be provided.

  The light deflector 26 is arranged on the optical axis of the projection optical member 28, and is configured to selectively reflect the light emitted from the light source 22 to the projection optical member 28. The light deflection device 26 is configured by, for example, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device). That is, the optical deflector 26 is one in which a plurality of micromirrors are arranged in an array (matrix). It is possible to selectively change the reflection direction of the light emitted from the light source 22 by controlling the angles of the reflection surfaces of the plurality of micromirrors. That is, the light deflector 26 reflects a part of the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection optical member 28, and reflects the other light in a direction that is not effectively used by the projection optical member 28. be able to. Here, the direction that is not effectively used may be regarded as, for example, a direction that is incident on the projection optical member 28 but hardly contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern, or a direction toward a light absorbing member (light shielding member) not shown. it can.

  FIG. 2A is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the optical deflector. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the optical deflector shown in FIG. The light deflecting device 26 includes a micromirror array 32 in which a plurality of minute mirror elements 30 are arranged in a matrix, and a front side of a reflecting surface 30a of the mirror element 30 (on the right side of the light deflecting device 26 shown in FIG. 2B). ) Is disposed on the transparent cover member 34. The cover member 34 is made of, for example, glass or plastic.

  The mirror element 30 has a substantially square shape and has a rotating shaft 30b extending in the horizontal direction and dividing the mirror element 30 into substantially equal parts. Each mirror element 30 of the micromirror array 32 reflects the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection optical member 28 so as to be used as a part of a desired light distribution pattern (see FIG. 2 ( The position indicated by the solid line in B) and the second reflection position where the light emitted from the light source 22 is reflected so as not to be effectively used (the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 2B) are switchable. There is. Each mirror element 30 rotates around the rotation axis 30b and is individually switched between the first reflection position and the second reflection position. Each mirror element 30 has a first reflection position when turned on and a second reflection position when turned off.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state in front of the host vehicle. As described above, the light source unit 10 includes a plurality of mirror elements 30 as individual irradiation units that can irradiate light toward the front of the lamp independently of each other. The light source unit 10 can irradiate light to the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the vehicle by the mirror element 30. Each individual region R is a region corresponding to the image capturing unit 12, more specifically, a group of one pixel or a plurality of pixels of the high-speed camera 36, for example. In the present embodiment, each individual region R and each mirror element 30 are associated with each other.

  In FIG. 2A and FIG. 3, for convenience of description, the mirror elements 30 and the individual regions R are arranged in a 10 × 8 matrix, but the numbers of the mirror elements 30 and the individual regions R are not particularly limited. For example, the resolution of the micromirror array 32 (in other words, the number of mirror elements 30 and individual regions R) is 1000 to 300,000 pixels. The time required for the light source unit 10 to form one light distribution pattern is, for example, 0.1 to 5 ms. That is, the light source unit 10 can change the light distribution pattern every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the projection optical member 28 is, for example, a free-form surface lens having a front-side surface and a rear-side surface having a free-form surface shape. The projection optical member 28 projects the light source image formed on the rear focal plane including the rear focal point as a reverse image in the front of the lamp. The projection optical member 28 is arranged such that its rear focus is located on the optical axis of the vehicular lamp 2 and near the reflecting surface of the micromirror array 32. The projection optical member 28 may be a reflector.

  The light emitted from the light source 22 is reflected by the reflective optical member 24 and is applied to the micro mirror array 32 of the light deflector 26. The light deflector 26 reflects the light toward the projection optical member 28 by the predetermined mirror element 30 located at the first reflection position. The reflected light passes through the projection optical member 28, travels forward of the lamp, and is applied to each individual region R corresponding to each mirror element 30. As a result, a light distribution pattern having a predetermined shape is formed in front of the lamp.

  The imaging unit 12 is a device that images the front of the vehicle. The imaging unit 12 includes a high speed camera 36 and a low speed camera 38. The high-speed camera 36 has a relatively high frame rate, for example, 200 fps or more and 10000 fps or less (0.1 to 5 ms per frame). On the other hand, the low-speed camera 38 has a relatively low frame rate, for example, 30 fps to 120 fps (about 8 to 33 ms per frame). The high-speed camera 36 has a relatively small resolution, for example, 300,000 pixels or more and less than 5 million pixels. On the other hand, the low-speed camera 38 has a relatively large resolution, for example, 5 million pixels or more. The high-speed camera 36 and the low-speed camera 38 image all the individual areas R. The resolutions of the high-speed camera 36 and the low-speed camera 38 are not limited to the above numerical values, and can be set to any value within a technically consistent range.

  The control device 50 includes a brightness analysis unit 14, a situation analysis unit 16, a lamp control unit 18, and a light source control unit 20. The image data acquired by the imaging unit 12 is sent to the brightness analysis unit 14 and the situation analysis unit 16.

  The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the information (image data) obtained from the imaging unit 12. The brightness analysis unit 14 is a high-speed and low-precision analysis unit that executes image analysis with lower accuracy than the situation analysis unit 16 and outputs analysis results at high speed. The brightness analysis unit 14 of the present embodiment detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the information obtained from the high-speed camera 36. The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms. The detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14, that is, the signal indicating the brightness information of the individual region R is transmitted to the lamp control unit 18.

  The situation analysis unit 16 detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on the information obtained from the imaging unit 12. For example, the situation analysis unit 16 detects a target existing in front of the own vehicle. The situation analysis unit 16 is a low-speed high-precision analysis unit that performs image analysis with higher accuracy than the brightness analysis unit 14 and outputs the analysis result at low speed. The situation analysis unit 16 of the present embodiment detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on the information obtained from the low-speed camera 38. The situation analysis unit 16 detects the situation, for example, every 50 ms. As the target detected by the situation analysis unit 16, as shown in FIG. 3, an oncoming vehicle 100, a pedestrian 200, etc. are exemplified. Further, the preceding vehicle and obstacles that hinder the running of the own vehicle, road signs, road markings, road shapes, etc. are also included in the target.

  The situation analysis unit 16 can detect the target using a conventionally known method including algorithm recognition, deep learning, and the like. For example, the situation analysis unit 16 holds in advance the characteristic points indicating the oncoming vehicle 100. Then, the situation analysis unit 16 recognizes the position of the oncoming vehicle 100 when the image data of the low-speed camera 38 includes data including a characteristic point indicating the oncoming vehicle 100. The “characteristic point indicating the oncoming vehicle 100” is, for example, a light spot 102 (see FIG. 3) having a predetermined light intensity or higher that appears in the estimated presence region of the headlight of the oncoming vehicle 100. Similarly, the situation analysis unit 16 holds the characteristic points indicating the pedestrian 200 and other targets in advance, and when the image data of the low-speed camera 38 includes data including these characteristic points, Recognize the position of the target corresponding to the feature point. The detection result of the situation analysis unit 16, that is, the signal indicating the target information in front of the own vehicle is transmitted to the lamp control unit 18.

  The lamp control unit 18 uses the detection results of the luminance analysis unit 14 and / or the situation analysis unit 16 to determine the specific target, detect the displacement of the specific target, set the specific individual region R1, and irradiate each individual region R. The setting of the illuminance value of the light, the formation control of the light distribution pattern, and the like are executed. As an example, the lamp control unit 18 includes a tracking unit 40, an illuminance setting unit 42, and a pattern formation control unit 46.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14, that is, based on the brightness of each individual region R. That is, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness of each individual region R. The illuminance setting unit 42 of the present embodiment determines a high contrast light distribution pattern as the first light distribution pattern.

  In the high-contrast light distribution pattern, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is in a predetermined range, in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively low. A light distribution pattern obtained by setting a relatively high illuminance value in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively high. The “predetermined range” may be the entire range of the brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 or a part of the range. In FIG. 4 (A) and FIG. 4 (B) described below, the entire range of brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is the “predetermined range”.

  For example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value lower than the illuminance value set for the individual area R having the brightness lower than the predetermined threshold value to the individual area R having the brightness lower than the predetermined threshold value. Set. On the other hand, an illuminance value higher than the illuminance value set for the individual area R having a lower brightness than the threshold is set in the individual area R having a higher brightness than the threshold. As a result, the illuminance value of the individual area R having relatively low luminance is lower than the illuminance value of the individual area R having relatively high luminance. On the contrary, the illuminance value of the individual region R having relatively high luminance is higher than the illuminance value of the individual region R having relatively low luminance. As an example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets an illuminance value lower than the currently set illuminance value in the individual region R whose brightness is lower than the threshold value. On the other hand, an illuminance value higher than the currently set illuminance value is set in the individual region R having a brightness higher than the threshold value. Instead of using the threshold value, the illuminance value to be set may be lowered as the luminance becomes lower, for example, with the luminance of the individual region R having the highest luminance as a reference.

  That is, the high-contrast light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern in which the bright individual area R becomes brighter and the dark individual area R becomes darker. According to the high-contrast light distribution pattern, the light-dark contrast is emphasized in the irradiation object in front of the own vehicle. Thereby, the detection accuracy of the target by the situation analysis unit 16 described later can be improved. Examples of the target include an oncoming vehicle, a pedestrian, a preceding vehicle, an obstacle that interferes with the traveling of the host vehicle, a road sign, a road marking, a road shape, and the like.

  In the formation of the high-contrast light distribution pattern, the newly set relatively low illuminance value is lower than the currently set illuminance value, and the newly set relatively high illuminance value is The illuminance value may be higher than the currently set illuminance value. Therefore, when the formation of the high-contrast light distribution pattern is repeated, positive feedback is applied, and the set illuminance value is eventually polarized to 0 and the maximum value. If the illuminance value is polarized, it may be difficult to ensure the visibility of the driver in the individual region R where the illuminance value 0 is set.

  On the other hand, by using the reference illuminance value M and the coefficient as described below, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the visibility of the driver due to the polarization. More specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected luminance value, and multiplies the set coefficient by a predetermined reference illuminance value M to determine the illuminance. Set the value. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected luminance value and the coefficient when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined coefficient preset according to the magnitude of the detected luminance value. A relatively large coefficient is set for a relatively large detected luminance value, and a relatively small coefficient is set for a relatively small detected luminance value. The value of the coefficient can be appropriately set based on the results of experiments and simulations in consideration of the degree of improvement in the detection accuracy of the target. Here, as an example, a coefficient of 1.0 is set for the threshold value of the detected brightness value, a coefficient of 1.5 is set for the maximum brightness value, and a coefficient of 0.5 is set for the minimum brightness value. ing. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets a coefficient for each individual region R based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14.

  Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined reference illuminance value M set in advance, as shown in FIG. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the individual region R by multiplying the reference illuminance value M by the coefficient set for each individual region R. As a result, a low illuminance value is set in the individual area R having a low detected luminance value, and a high illuminance value is set in the individual area R having a high detected luminance value.

  Further, by using the illuminance value that is currently set, the coefficient, and the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the illuminance value, it is possible to avoid the deterioration of the visibility of the driver due to the polarization of the illuminance value. That is, the illuminance setting unit 42 has preset lower and upper limits of the illuminance value. Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected brightness value. Then, instead of the reference illuminance value M, the set coefficient is multiplied by the current illuminance value to calculate a new illuminance value.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 updates the current illuminance value to the calculated illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is equal to or higher than a predetermined lower limit value, and maintains the current illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is lower than the lower limit value. To do. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 updates the current illuminance value to the calculated illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is equal to or lower than the predetermined upper limit value, and updates the current illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value exceeds the upper limit value. To maintain. Note that if the illuminance setting unit 42 has at least the lower limit value of the illuminance value, it is possible to avoid setting the illuminance value 0 to the dark individual region R.

  Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 can determine a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. The second light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern that is combined with the first light distribution pattern to form a third light distribution pattern visually recognized by the driver. The third light distribution pattern is, for example, an ergonomically determined optimum light distribution pattern for the eyes of the driver, and is set in advance. The second light distribution pattern is determined in consideration of the finally formed third light distribution pattern and the first light distribution pattern which is a composite component of the third light distribution pattern.

  For example, the second light distribution pattern is obtained by setting the illuminance value of each individual region R depending on the brightness of each individual region R in the state where the first light distribution pattern is formed. Specifically, in the second light distribution pattern, the brightness of the individual region R, which is less than the predetermined brightness that can be visually recognized by the driver in the situation where the first light distribution pattern is formed, is formed in the third light distribution pattern. It is a light distribution pattern that is enhanced in a situation. Further, the second light distribution pattern has a brightness of the individual region R that is equal to or higher than a predetermined brightness at which the driver receives glare in the situation in which the first light distribution pattern is formed, and the second light distribution pattern in the situation in which the third light distribution pattern is formed. It is a light distribution pattern to be reduced. The illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined brightness value that the driver can visually recognize and a predetermined brightness value that the driver receives glare in advance. Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of each individual region R from the detection result of the luminance analysis unit 14 based on the image data obtained in the formation state of the first light distribution pattern, and sets the second light distribution pattern. decide.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 transmits a signal indicating the illuminance value of each individual region R to the light source control unit 20. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value every 0.1 to 5 ms, for example. The light source control unit 20 controls the light source unit 10 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. The light source control unit 20 controls turning on / off of the light source 22 and ON / OFF switching of each mirror element 30. The light source control unit 20 adjusts the turn-on time ratio (width or density) of each mirror element 30 based on the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated. Thereby, the illuminance of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated can be adjusted. Then, a plurality of partial irradiation regions are collected to form various light distribution patterns. The light source control unit 20 transmits a drive signal to the light source 22 and / or the light deflection device 26, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  The pattern formation control unit 46 combines the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern to form a third light distribution pattern to be visually recognized by the driver. The pattern formation control unit 46 transmits a signal instructing the formation of the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern to the illuminance setting unit 42. Upon receiving the signal from the pattern formation control unit 46, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets an illuminance value according to each light distribution pattern and transmits the illuminance value signal to the light source control unit 20.

  FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing an example of transitions of image pickup by the low-speed camera, image pickup by the high-speed camera, formation of the first light distribution pattern, and formation of the second light distribution pattern. As shown in FIG. 9, the pattern formation control unit 46 periodically switches the light distribution pattern to be formed between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. As a result, a third light distribution pattern formed by combining the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern is formed. When the formation of the first light distribution pattern and the subsequent formation of the second light distribution pattern are repeated units P, the repetition cycle is, for example, 60 Hz or more (16.6 ms or less). Accordingly, the third light distribution pattern can be visually recognized in a stable manner without causing the driver to recognize the change of the light distribution pattern.

  Further, the vehicle lighting system 1 according to the present embodiment uses the first light distribution pattern to execute ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control for forming an optimum light distribution pattern according to the situation in front of the vehicle. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern while the low-speed camera 38 of the imaging unit 12 is imaging the front of the vehicle. That is, the vehicular lamp system 1 takes an image of the front of the vehicle with the low-speed camera 38 under the situation where the first light distribution pattern is formed. The situation analysis unit 16 detects the target using this imaged data. Therefore, the target can be detected with higher accuracy.

  The tracking unit 40 determines a specific target from the targets detected by the situation analysis unit 16. The tracking unit 40 also detects the displacement of the specific target based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. In the present embodiment, as an example, oncoming vehicle 100 is the specific target.

  Specifically, the tracking unit 40 integrates the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14 and the detection result of the situation analysis unit 16. Then, of the brightness of each individual region R detected by the brightness analysis unit 14, the brightness of the individual region R in which the light spot 102 of the oncoming vehicle 100, which is the specific target, is located, is associated with the oncoming vehicle 100. The tracking unit 40 can detect the displacement of the oncoming vehicle 100 that is the specific target by recognizing the position of the luminance associated with the oncoming vehicle 100 in the detection result of the luminance analysis unit 14 that is acquired thereafter. The tracking unit 40 executes a specific target determination process every 50 ms, for example. Further, the tracking unit 40 executes the displacement detection process (tracking) of the specific target, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the luminance analysis unit 14 and the detection result of the tracking unit 40. In each individual area R, a specific illuminance value is determined for the specific individual area R1 determined according to the position where the specific target exists. Specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 first determines the specific individual area R1 based on the existing position of the oncoming vehicle 100 that is the specific target. For example, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the specific individual region R1 based on the position information of the oncoming vehicle 100 included in the detection result of the tracking unit 40. Regarding the setting of the specific individual region R1, for example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined value for the horizontal distance a (see FIG. 3) between the two light spots 102 corresponding to the headlight of the oncoming vehicle 100. The vertical distance b of the ratio is determined, and the individual region R overlapping the dimension range of horizontal a × vertical b is defined as the specific individual region R1 (see FIG. 3). The specific individual region R1 includes the individual region R overlapping with the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

  Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the specific illuminance value for the specific individual region R1. For example, the specific illuminance value 0 is set. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value for the other individual regions R excluding the specific individual region R1 based on the switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 recognizes the displacement of the specific individual region R1 based on the detection result of the tracking unit 40, and updates the position information of the specific individual region R1. Then, the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated is updated. The processing by the tracking unit 40 and the processing by the illuminance setting unit 42 are executed in parallel at least temporarily.

  The specific target may be the pedestrian 200. In this case, the specific illuminance value of the specific individual region R1 is set to the maximum value, for example. As a result, the pedestrian 200 can be illuminated with light of higher illuminance so that the vehicle driver can easily see the pedestrian 200. In this case, it is desirable to shield the individual region R in which the face of the pedestrian 200 is located from light. The tracking unit 40 can track the position of the pedestrian 200 by performing known image processing such as edge enhancement on the brightness data of each individual region R that is the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. The edge enhancement may be included in the processing of the brightness analysis unit 14.

  The pattern formation control unit 46 may set the illuminance value based on the switching control of the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern for all the individual regions R except the specific individual region R1, or a part thereof. For the individual area R, the illuminance value may be set based on the switching control.

  As an example, the pattern formation control unit 46 executes switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern only for the individual region R within the predetermined position range. That is, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first to third light distribution patterns in the individual region R in the predetermined position range. For the other individual regions R, the fourth light distribution pattern is formed. The fourth light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. An example of the fourth light distribution pattern is a constant illuminance light distribution pattern in which the illuminance values of the light with which the individual regions R are irradiated have the same value. As described above, by limiting the individual region R to which the switching control is executed, it is possible to reduce the load on the control device 50 during the determination process of the first light distribution pattern. Further, it is possible to divide the front of the vehicle into a plurality of regions and form different light distribution patterns in the respective regions. Therefore, it is possible to form a light distribution pattern more suitable for the situation in front of the own vehicle.

  FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are diagrams schematically showing the position range of the individual area in which the switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern is executed. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 (A), the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first to third light distribution patterns in the individual region R located in the region M1 below the horizontal line. Further, the fourth light distribution pattern is formed in the individual region R located in the region M2 above the horizontal line. In the area M1 below the horizon, there is a high possibility that a target to be visually recognized is present, so switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern is executed. On the other hand, in the area M2 above the horizon, the target to be visually recognized is unlikely to exist, and thus the fourth light distribution pattern is formed.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 10 (B), the pattern formation control unit 46 has the first to third light distributions in the individual regions R outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with the lateral regions N1 and N2 excluding the sky above the vehicle. Form a pattern. Further, the fourth light distribution pattern is formed in the individual region R overlapping with the region N3 above the vehicle. Further, the first to third light distribution patterns or the fourth light distribution pattern are formed in the individual area R overlapping the area N4 of the traveling road surface.

  In many cases, the pedestrian 200 has a high priority as a target to be visually recognized. Since there is a high possibility that the pedestrian 200 exists in the lateral regions N1 and N2, switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern is executed. On the other hand, in the region N3 above the own vehicle, the possibility that the pedestrian 200 is present is low, and thus the fourth light distribution pattern is formed. The area N4 on the traveling road surface is more likely to have the pedestrian 200 than the area N3 above the vehicle, but less likely to be present than the side areas N1 and N2. Therefore, for the area N4 of the traveling road surface, the light distribution pattern to be formed can be selected depending on which of the reduction of the load on the control device 50 and the improvement of driving safety is prioritized.

  Further, the pattern formation control unit 46 sets the individual area R forming the first to third light distribution patterns and the individual area R forming the fourth light distribution pattern according to the state of the vehicle or the surrounding environment. You can For example, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first to third light distribution patterns in the individual area R overlapping the area N4 of the traveling road surface, and in the other individual areas R. A fourth light distribution pattern is formed. Further, when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed, the first to third light distribution patterns are formed in the individual regions R outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with the lateral regions N1 and N2 excluding the sky above the vehicle, and the other individual regions are formed. A fourth light distribution pattern is formed on R. The “predetermined speed” is, for example, 80 km / h.

  When the vehicle travels at a high speed equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, there is an increasing demand for confirming the presence / absence of the target in the area N4 on the traveling road surface rather than the lateral areas N1, N2. Further, in an automobile exclusive road such as a highway in which a vehicle generally travels at a high speed equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, a target (particularly, the pedestrian 200) to be visually recognized in the lateral regions N1 and N2 of the traveling road surface. Not likely to exist. Therefore, when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the first to third light distribution patterns are formed in the individual area R overlapping the area N4 of the traveling road surface, and the fourth light distribution pattern is formed in the other individual area R. .

  On the other hand, in a situation where the vehicle travels at a low speed less than the predetermined speed, the possibility that there is a target to be visually recognized (particularly the pedestrian 200) in the lateral areas N1 and N2 of the traveling road surface increases. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for confirming the presence / absence of the target in the lateral areas N1 and N2 rather than the area N4 on the traveling road surface. Therefore, when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed, the first to third light distribution patterns are formed in the individual regions R overlapping the side regions N1 and N2, and the fourth light distribution patterns are formed in the other individual regions R. To do.

  The pattern formation control unit 46 can determine the areas M1, M2, N1 to N4 based on the image data of the low-speed camera 38 or the detection result of the situation analysis unit 16. The pattern formation control unit 46 can also acquire vehicle speed information from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle. The information on the state of the host vehicle and the surrounding environment can also be acquired from a car navigation system (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, a steering angle sensor, an illuminance sensor, image data of the imaging unit 12, and the like. For example, the pattern formation control unit 46 can recognize the shape of the road ahead and change the area N4 of the traveling road surface based on the information obtained from the car navigation system.

  As an example of the ADB control, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the specific illuminance value “0” for the specific individual area R1 determined according to the position where the oncoming vehicle 100 is present, and sets the illuminance for the other individual area R. Set the value "1". This setting is the first illuminance information. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value for the individual region R in a predetermined position range excluding the specific individual region R1 according to the switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. Further, the same illuminance value is set for the remaining individual regions R according to the formation control of the fourth light distribution pattern. This setting is the second illuminance information.

  Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 performs an AND operation on the first illuminance information and the second illuminance information. Thereby, the illuminance information in which the specific illuminance value for the specific individual region R1 is “0” and the illuminance value for the other individual region R is the illuminance value determined according to the switching control or the formation control of the fourth light distribution pattern is generated. To be done. That is, the specific individual region R1 is shielded from light, and the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern are alternately formed or the fourth light distribution pattern is formed in each individual region R excluding the specific individual region R1. It

  11A and 11B are flowcharts showing an example of ADB control executed in the vehicular lamp system according to the third embodiment. This flow is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing when the execution instruction of the ADB control is given by, for example, a light switch (not shown), and the execution instruction of the ADB control is canceled (or a stop instruction is given). Or it ends when the ignition is turned off. Further, the flow shown in FIG. 11A is a high-speed process that is repeated, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms, and the flow shown in FIG. 11B is a low-speed process that is repeated, for example, every 50 ms. The low speed processing and the high speed processing are executed in parallel. Further, it is designed in advance so that the first light distribution pattern is formed in the high speed processing in synchronization with the execution timing of the low speed processing.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, in the high-speed processing, first, the front of the vehicle is imaged by the high-speed camera 36 (S2101). Next, the brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the image data of the high-speed camera 36 (S2102). Then, it is determined whether the specific individual area R1 is set (S2103). The determination is performed by the tracking unit 40, for example. When the specific individual region R1 is set (Y in S2103), the tracking unit 40 tracks the specific target and detects the position (displacement) of the specific individual region R1. The illuminance setting unit 42 updates the setting (position information) of the specific individual region R1 based on the detection result of the tracking unit 40 (S2104).

  Next, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated (S2105). When it is the execution timing of the low-speed processing, the illuminance value according to the first light distribution pattern is set for the individual region R in the predetermined position range, and when it is not the execution timing of the low-speed processing, the predetermined position range is set. The illuminance value according to the second light distribution pattern is set for the individual region R in. A specific illuminance value is set for the specific individual region R1. For the remaining individual regions R, illuminance values according to the fourth light distribution pattern are set. Next, the light source control unit 20 drives the light source unit 10, the light of the predetermined illuminance is emitted from the light source unit 10 (S2106), and this routine ends. When the specific individual region R1 is not set (N in S2103), the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the light with which the individual region R is irradiated (S2105). In this case, the specified illuminance value does not include the specific illuminance value. After that, the process of step S2106 is executed, and the present routine ends.

  In step S2104, when the disappearance of the specific target is detected by the tracking, the setting of the specific individual region R1 also disappears. Therefore, the specific illuminance value is not included in the illuminance values set in step S2105. In step S2103 of the next routine, it is determined that the specific individual region R1 is not set (N in S2103) until the process of step S2205 described later is executed.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, in the low speed processing, the front of the own vehicle is first imaged by the low speed camera 38 (S2201). At this time, the first light distribution pattern is formed in front of the host vehicle. Next, the situation analysis unit 16 detects a target existing in front of the own vehicle based on the image data of the low-speed camera 38 (S2202). Next, it is determined whether the detected target includes a specific target (S2203). The determination is performed by the tracking unit 40, for example.

  When the specific target is included (Y in S2203), the tracking unit 40 determines the specific target (S2204). Next, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the specific individual region R1 based on the existing position of the specific target (S2205), and this routine ends. If the specific target is not included (N in S2203), this routine ends. Although the specific individual area is set in the low speed processing in the above flowchart, the setting may be executed in the high speed processing.

  As described above, the vehicular lamp system 1 according to the present embodiment includes the imaging unit 12, the brightness analysis unit 14, the illuminance setting unit 42, the lighting unit 62, the light source control unit 20, and the pattern formation control. And a section 46. The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each of the individual regions R arranged in front of the host vehicle. The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. The light source control unit 20 controls the lamp unit 62 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. Accordingly, the vehicular lamp system 1 can form the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14.

  As the first light distribution pattern, the illuminance setting unit 42 relatively compares the individual region R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is within a predetermined range with the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively low. A high-contrast light distribution pattern in which a low illuminance value is set and a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively high is determined. In addition, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. Then, the pattern formation control unit 46 periodically switches the light distribution pattern to be formed between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern so that the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern become The driver visually recognizes the combined third light distribution pattern.

  As described above, since the third light distribution pattern visually recognized by the driver is formed by combining the two light distribution patterns, various third light distribution patterns can be formed. Therefore, it is possible to form an optimal light distribution pattern according to the situation. As a result, driving safety can be improved.

  The vehicular lamp system 1 further includes a situation analysis unit 16 that detects a situation in front of the vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit 12 (more specifically, the low-speed camera 38). Then, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern while the imaging unit 12 (more specifically, the low-speed camera 38) is imaging the front of the vehicle. The first light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern capable of emphasizing the light-dark contrast of the irradiation target existing in front of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the target using the image data of the imaging unit 12. As a result, the light irradiation accuracy in ADB control, in other words, the light distribution pattern formation accuracy can be improved.

  The light distribution pattern suitable for the target detection by the situation analysis unit 16 and the light distribution pattern suitable for the driver to visually recognize may not match. On the other hand, in the vehicular lamp system 1, the light distribution pattern formed when the image capturing unit 12 acquires the image data for target detection is different from the light distribution pattern visually recognized by the driver. This makes it possible to improve the detection accuracy of the target and the visibility of the driver at a higher level.

  The second light distribution pattern combined with the first light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern that enhances the brightness of the individual region R, which is less than a predetermined brightness visible to the driver in the first light distribution pattern, in the third light distribution pattern. is there. The second light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern that reduces, in the third light distribution pattern, the brightness of the individual region R that is equal to or higher than a predetermined brightness at which the driver receives glare in the first light distribution pattern. As a result, the driver's visibility improving effect obtained by forming the third light distribution pattern can be further enhanced.

  In addition, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first to third light distribution patterns in the individual region R in the predetermined position range. Further, for the other individual region R, the fourth light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is formed. As a result, the load on the control device 50 can be reduced. Therefore, the time required to form the light distribution pattern can be shortened, and the change in the light distribution pattern can be made to follow the change in the situation in front of the vehicle with high accuracy. Further, since different light distribution patterns can be formed for a plurality of sections in front of the own vehicle, it is possible to form a light distribution pattern more suitable for the situation in front of the own vehicle. As a result, driving safety can be improved.

(Embodiment 4)
The vehicular lamp system according to the fourth embodiment is different from the vehicular lamp system according to the third embodiment, except that a luminance uniformized light distribution pattern is formed in addition to the high-contrast light distribution pattern as the first light distribution pattern. Common with the configuration of. Hereinafter, the vehicle lighting system according to the fourth embodiment will be described focusing on the configuration different from that of the third embodiment, and the common configuration will be briefly described or the description thereof will be omitted.

  The vehicular lamp system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a lamp part 62, an imaging part 12, and a control device 50. The control device 50 includes a brightness analysis unit 14, a situation analysis unit 16, a lamp control unit 18, and a light source control unit 20. The lamp control unit 18 includes a tracking unit 40, an illuminance setting unit 42, and a pattern formation control unit 46.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness of each individual region R. The illuminance setting unit 42 of the present embodiment forms a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern in addition to the high-contrast light distribution pattern as the first light distribution pattern.

  In the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern, the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 in the state in which the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern is formed for the individual region R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is within a predetermined range is determined. It is a light distribution pattern obtained by setting the illuminance value of each individual region R so that each individual region R has the same value. The “predetermined range” may be the entire range of the brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 or a part of the range. In FIG. 12 described below, the entire range of brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is the “predetermined range”.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship among the detected brightness value, the target brightness value, and the set illuminance value when the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern is formed. As shown in FIG. 12, for example, when setting the illuminance value, the illuminance setting unit 42 first sets the target brightness value. The target brightness value means the brightness to be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 in the state where the light distribution pattern is formed. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the target brightness value to the same value for the individual regions R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is included in a predetermined range.

  Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the target brightness value of each individual region R and the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. Specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a relatively high illuminance value in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and sets a relatively high illuminance value in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively high. Set a low illuminance value. As a result, a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern that uniformizes the brightness in front of the vehicle is formed. According to the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern, it is possible to brightly illuminate the target existing in the dark area in front of the own vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the target by the situation analysis unit 16 by a method or mode different from the high contrast light distribution pattern.

  The pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern while the low-speed camera 38 of the imaging unit 12 is imaging the front of the vehicle, and the second light distribution different from the first light distribution pattern at other times. Form a light pattern. The pattern formation control unit 46 combines the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern to form a third light distribution pattern, and allows the driver to visually recognize the third light distribution pattern. The first light distribution pattern is a high-contrast light distribution pattern capable of emphasizing the light-dark contrast of an irradiation object existing in front of the vehicle, or brightly illuminating a target existing in a dark area in front of the vehicle. It is a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern that can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the target using the image data of the imaging unit 12. As a result, the light irradiation accuracy in ADB control, in other words, the light distribution pattern formation accuracy can be improved.

  The second light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern that is combined with the first light distribution pattern to form a third light distribution pattern visually recognized by the driver. The second light distribution pattern is obtained by setting the illuminance value of each individual region R depending on the brightness of each individual region R in the state where the first light distribution pattern is formed. For example, the second light distribution pattern enhances the brightness of the individual region R, which is less than the predetermined brightness visible to the driver in the situation where the first light distribution pattern is formed, in the situation where the third light distribution pattern is formed. It is a light distribution pattern. Further, the second light distribution pattern has a brightness of the individual region R that is equal to or higher than a predetermined brightness at which the driver receives glare in the situation in which the first light distribution pattern is formed, and the second light distribution pattern in the situation in which the third light distribution pattern is formed. It is a light distribution pattern to be reduced.

  Further, the pattern formation control unit 46 can execute the switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern only for the individual region R in the predetermined position range. That is, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first to third light distribution patterns in the individual region R in the predetermined position range. For the other individual regions R, the fourth light distribution pattern is formed. An example of the fourth light distribution pattern is a constant illuminance light distribution pattern in which the illuminance values of the light with which the individual regions R are irradiated have the same value.

  As described above, the vehicular lamp system 1 according to the present embodiment includes the imaging unit 12, the situation analysis unit 16, the illuminance setting unit 42, the lighting unit 62, the light source control unit 20, and the pattern formation control. And a section 46. The situation analysis unit 16 detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on the information obtained from the imaging unit 12. The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the brightness of each individual region R. The light source control unit 20 controls the lamp unit 62 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines a high-contrast light distribution pattern and a brightness uniformization light distribution pattern as the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness of each individual region R. . In addition, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. Then, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern while the image capturing unit 12 (more specifically, the low speed camera 38) is capturing an image. Further, during other times, the second light distribution pattern is formed, and the driver is made to visually recognize the third light distribution pattern formed by combining the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern.

  As a result, the detection accuracy of the target by the situation analysis unit 16 can be improved, and the driver can visually recognize the optimal light distribution pattern for the human eye. Therefore, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the target and the visibility of the driver at a higher level. As a result, driving safety can be improved.

(Embodiment 5)
The vehicular lamp system according to the fifth embodiment has the same configuration as the vehicular lamp system according to the third embodiment except that the lamp part 62 includes another light source part in addition to the light source part 10. Hereinafter, the vehicular lamp system according to the fifth embodiment will be described focusing on the configuration different from that of the third embodiment, and common configurations will be briefly described or description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicular lamp system according to the fifth embodiment. Similar to FIG. 8, FIG. 13 illustrates some of the constituent elements of the vehicle lighting system as functional blocks. The vehicle lamp system 1 (1B) includes a lamp unit 62, an imaging unit 12, and a control device 50. The lamp unit 62 has a lamp unit 60 as another light source unit in addition to the light source unit 10. The lamp unit 60 may form a conventionally known low-beam light distribution pattern, high-beam light distribution pattern, or the like as a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. it can. Hereinafter, the light distribution pattern formed by the lamp unit 60 will be referred to as a normal light distribution pattern as appropriate. The formation range of the normal light distribution pattern can be adjusted by a conventionally known technique such as a shade.

  The control device 50 includes a brightness analysis unit 14, a situation analysis unit 16, a lamp control unit 18, and a light source control unit 20. The lamp control unit 18 includes a tracking unit 40, an illuminance setting unit 42, and a pattern formation control unit 46.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines a high-contrast light distribution pattern as the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. Note that, similar to the fourth embodiment, the first light distribution pattern may include a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 can determine a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. The second light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern that is combined with the first light distribution pattern to form a third light distribution pattern visually recognized by the driver.

  The second light distribution pattern is obtained by setting the illuminance value of each individual region R depending on the brightness of each individual region R in the state where the first light distribution pattern is formed. For example, the second light distribution pattern enhances the brightness of the individual region R, which is less than the predetermined brightness visible to the driver in the situation where the first light distribution pattern is formed, in the situation where the third light distribution pattern is formed. It is a light distribution pattern. Further, the second light distribution pattern has a brightness of the individual region R that is equal to or higher than a predetermined brightness at which the driver receives glare in the situation in which the first light distribution pattern is formed, and the second light distribution pattern in the situation in which the third light distribution pattern is formed. It is a light distribution pattern to be reduced.

  The pattern formation control unit 46 periodically switches the light distribution pattern to be formed between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. As a result, a third light distribution pattern formed by combining the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern is formed. Also in the present embodiment, the timing of forming the first light distribution pattern and the timing of capturing the image by the low-speed camera 38 are synchronized. Thereby, the accuracy of target detection by the situation analysis unit 16 can be improved.

  Further, the pattern formation control unit 46 can execute the switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern only for the individual region R in the predetermined position range. That is, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first to third light distribution patterns in the individual region R in the predetermined position range. For the other individual regions R, the fourth light distribution pattern is formed. In the present embodiment, the fourth light distribution pattern is a normal light distribution pattern formed by the lamp unit 60. The pattern formation control unit 46 transmits a signal instructing the formation of the fourth light distribution pattern to the light source control unit 20 via the illuminance setting unit 42. Upon receiving the signal, the light source controller 20 turns on the lamp unit 60. As a result, the second light distribution pattern is formed. Note that the lamp unit 60 may irradiate light to the individual region R in which the high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed when the high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed. As a result, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the visibility of the driver due to the polarization of the illuminance value in the high-contrast light distribution pattern.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described Embodiments 3 to 5, and it is possible to combine the embodiments and to make modifications such as various design changes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. New embodiments obtained by such combination or modification are also included in the scope of the present invention. Such a new embodiment has the effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications.

  In the third to fifth embodiments, the image pickup unit 12, the brightness analysis unit 14, the situation analysis unit 16, the lamp control unit 18, and the light source control unit 20 are provided in the lamp chamber 8, but each of them is appropriately changed. It may be provided outside. For example, the low-speed camera 38 of the imaging unit 12 can use an existing camera mounted in the vehicle interior. In addition, it is desirable that the imaging unit 12 and the light source unit 10 have the same angle of view.

  If the high speed camera 36 has the same resolution as the low speed camera 38, the low speed camera 38 may be omitted. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the vehicle lighting system 1. In this case, the situation analysis unit 16 detects the target using the image data of the high speed camera 36. Further, the imaging timing of the high-speed camera 36 and the formation timing of the first light distribution pattern are synchronized.

  As the formation time of the second light distribution pattern becomes longer than the formation time of the first light distribution pattern, the third light distribution pattern may be substantially the same as the second light distribution pattern. In this case, the second light distribution pattern may be an ergonomically determined optimum light distribution pattern for the eyes of the driver. Further, the lamp unit 60 may be used to form the second light distribution pattern.

  Since the first light distribution pattern is substantially invisible to humans, the first light distribution pattern may be formed in the individual area R including the specific individual area R1. On the other hand, the second light distribution pattern is formed on the individual area R excluding the specific individual area R1. Thereby, for example, when the specific target is the pedestrian 200, the pedestrian 200 can be tracked with high accuracy while avoiding giving glare to the pedestrian 200.

  The light source unit 10 may include a scanning optical system that scans the front of the vehicle with the light source light, or an LED array in which LEDs corresponding to the individual regions R are arranged, instead of the optical deflecting device 26 that is the DMD.

  The relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value when forming the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern may be as follows. 14A to 14C are diagrams showing another example of the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the luminance uniformized light distribution pattern. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the set illuminance value is continuously and linearly changed with respect to the detected luminance value. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this relationship, and the set illuminance value may be changed stepwise with respect to the detected luminance value, as shown in FIGS. Further, as shown in FIG. 14C, the set illuminance value may be changed in a curve with respect to the detected brightness value. Note that although an upwardly convex curve is illustrated in FIG. 14C, a downwardly convex curve may be used.

  The relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern may be as follows. 7A to 7C are diagrams showing another example of the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 4B, the set illuminance value is continuously and linearly changed with respect to the detected brightness value. However, the setting illuminance value may be changed stepwise with respect to the detected luminance value as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, without being limited to this relationship. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the set illuminance value may be changed in a curve with respect to the detected brightness value. Note that in FIG. 7C, an upwardly convex curve is illustrated, but a downwardly convex curve may be used. Further, the relationship between the detected brightness value and the coefficient is the same as the relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value, and is therefore obvious without being shown.

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

A brightness analysis unit 14 that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit 12 that images the front of the own vehicle;
An illuminance setting unit 42 that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14,
A light source control unit 20 for controlling a lamp unit 62 having at least a light source unit 10 capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each individual region R based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42;
Regarding the individual region R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is in a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and the detected brightness is relatively high. The light distribution pattern to be formed is cycled between the first light distribution pattern in which a relatively high illuminance value is set in the relatively high individual region R and the second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. Pattern formation control unit 46 that allows the driver to visually recognize the third light distribution pattern obtained by combining the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern,
A control device 50 for the vehicle lighting device 2, comprising:

A step of detecting the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the image capturing unit 12 that images the front of the own vehicle;
Determining the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detected brightness;
Controlling the lamp unit 62 having at least the light source unit 10 capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the determined illuminance value;
For the individual area R in which the detected brightness is within a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively high. A light distribution pattern to be formed is periodically switched between a first light distribution pattern obtained by setting a relatively high illuminance value and a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern, A step of causing a driver to visually recognize a third light distribution pattern formed by combining the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern,
A method of controlling the vehicle lighting device 2, including:

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicular lamp system according to the sixth embodiment. In FIG. 8, some of the components of the vehicle lighting system 1 are drawn as functional blocks. These functional blocks are realized as elements or circuits such as a CPU and a memory of a computer as a hardware configuration, and are realized as a computer program as a software configuration. Those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways by combining hardware and software.

  The vehicular lamp system 1 (1A) is applied to a vehicular headlamp device having a pair of headlamp units arranged on the left and right in front of the vehicle. Since the pair of headlamp units have substantially the same configuration except that they have a bilaterally symmetrical structure, FIG. 8 shows the structure of one headlamp unit as the vehicle lamp 2.

  The vehicular lamp 2 included in the vehicular lamp system 1 includes a lamp body 4 having an opening on the vehicle front side, and a translucent cover 6 attached so as to cover the opening of the lamp body 4. The translucent cover 6 is formed of translucent resin, glass, or the like. A lamp unit 62, an imaging unit 12, and a control device 50 are housed in a lamp chamber 8 formed by the lamp body 4 and the translucent cover 6.

  The lamp unit 62 includes at least the light source unit 10. The light source unit 10 is a device capable of independently adjusting the illuminance (intensity) of the light with which each of the plurality of individual regions (see FIG. 3) arranged in front of the vehicle is irradiated. The light source unit 10 includes a light source 22, a reflection optical member 24, a light deflection device 26, and a projection optical member 28. Each part is attached to the lamp body 4 by a support mechanism (not shown).

  The light source 22 may be 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), or the like. .

  The reflective optical member 24 is configured to guide the light emitted from the light source 22 to the reflective surface of the light deflector 26. The reflective optical member 24 is composed of a reflective mirror whose inner surface is a predetermined reflective surface. The reflective optical member 24 may be a solid light guide or the like. If the light emitted from the light source 22 can be directly guided to the light deflector 26, the reflective optical member 24 may not be provided.

  The light deflector 26 is arranged on the optical axis of the projection optical member 28, and is configured to selectively reflect the light emitted from the light source 22 to the projection optical member 28. The light deflection device 26 is configured by, for example, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device). That is, the optical deflector 26 is one in which a plurality of micromirrors are arranged in an array (matrix). It is possible to selectively change the reflection direction of the light emitted from the light source 22 by controlling the angles of the reflection surfaces of the plurality of micromirrors. That is, the light deflector 26 reflects a part of the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection optical member 28, and reflects the other light in a direction that is not effectively used by the projection optical member 28. be able to. Here, the direction that is not effectively used may be regarded as, for example, a direction that is incident on the projection optical member 28 but hardly contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern, or a direction toward a light absorbing member (light shielding member) not shown. it can.

  FIG. 2A is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the optical deflector. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the optical deflector shown in FIG. The light deflecting device 26 includes a micromirror array 32 in which a plurality of minute mirror elements 30 are arranged in a matrix, and a front side of a reflecting surface 30a of the mirror element 30 (on the right side of the light deflecting device 26 shown in FIG. 2B). ) Is disposed on the transparent cover member 34. The cover member 34 is made of, for example, glass or plastic.

  The mirror element 30 has a substantially square shape and has a rotating shaft 30b extending in the horizontal direction and dividing the mirror element 30 into substantially equal parts. Each mirror element 30 of the micromirror array 32 reflects the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection optical member 28 so as to be used as a part of a desired light distribution pattern (see FIG. 2 ( The position shown by the solid line in B) and the second reflection position where the light emitted from the light source 22 is reflected so as not to be effectively used (the position shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2B) are switchable. There is. Each mirror element 30 rotates around the rotation axis 30b and is individually switched between the first reflection position and the second reflection position. Each mirror element 30 has a first reflection position when turned on and a second reflection position when turned off.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state in front of the host vehicle. As described above, the light source unit 10 includes a plurality of mirror elements 30 as individual irradiation units that can irradiate light toward the front of the lamp independently of each other. The light source unit 10 can irradiate light to the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the vehicle by the mirror element 30. Each individual region R is a region corresponding to the image capturing unit 12, more specifically, a group of one pixel or a plurality of pixels of the high-speed camera 36, for example. In the present embodiment, each individual region R and each mirror element 30 are associated with each other.

  In FIG. 2A and FIG. 3, for convenience of description, the mirror elements 30 and the individual regions R are arranged in a 10 × 8 matrix, but the numbers of the mirror elements 30 and the individual regions R are not particularly limited. For example, the resolution of the micromirror array 32 (in other words, the number of mirror elements 30 and individual regions R) is 1000 to 300,000 pixels. The time required for the light source unit 10 to form one light distribution pattern is, for example, 0.1 to 5 ms. That is, the light source unit 10 can change the light distribution pattern every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the projection optical member 28 is, for example, a free-form surface lens having a front-side surface and a rear-side surface having a free-form surface shape. The projection optical member 28 projects the light source image formed on the rear focal plane including the rear focal point as a reverse image in the front of the lamp. The projection optical member 28 is arranged such that its rear focus is located on the optical axis of the vehicular lamp 2 and near the reflecting surface of the micromirror array 32. The projection optical member 28 may be a reflector.

  The light emitted from the light source 22 is reflected by the reflective optical member 24 and is applied to the micro mirror array 32 of the light deflector 26. The light deflector 26 reflects the light toward the projection optical member 28 by the predetermined mirror element 30 located at the first reflection position. The reflected light passes through the projection optical member 28, travels forward of the lamp, and is applied to each individual region R corresponding to each mirror element 30. As a result, a light distribution pattern having a predetermined shape is formed in front of the lamp.

  The imaging unit 12 is a device that images the front of the vehicle. The imaging unit 12 includes a high speed camera 36 and a low speed camera 38. The high-speed camera 36 has a relatively high frame rate, for example, 200 fps or more and 10000 fps or less (0.1 to 5 ms per frame). On the other hand, the low-speed camera 38 has a relatively low frame rate, for example, 30 fps to 120 fps (about 8 to 33 ms per frame). The high-speed camera 36 has a relatively small resolution, for example, 300,000 pixels or more and less than 5 million pixels. On the other hand, the low-speed camera 38 has a relatively large resolution, for example, 5 million pixels or more. The high-speed camera 36 and the low-speed camera 38 image all the individual areas R. The resolutions of the high-speed camera 36 and the low-speed camera 38 are not limited to the above numerical values, and can be set to any value within a technically consistent range.

  The control device 50 includes a brightness analysis unit 14, a situation analysis unit 16, a lamp control unit 18, and a light source control unit 20. The image data acquired by the imaging unit 12 is sent to the brightness analysis unit 14 and the situation analysis unit 16.

  The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the information (image data) obtained from the imaging unit 12. The brightness analysis unit 14 is a high-speed and low-precision analysis unit that executes image analysis with lower accuracy than the situation analysis unit 16 and outputs analysis results at high speed. The brightness analysis unit 14 of the present embodiment detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the information obtained from the high-speed camera 36. The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms. The detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14, that is, the signal indicating the brightness information of the individual region R is transmitted to the lamp control unit 18.

  The situation analysis unit 16 detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on the information obtained from the imaging unit 12. For example, the situation analysis unit 16 detects a target existing in front of the own vehicle. The situation analysis unit 16 is a low-speed high-precision analysis unit that performs image analysis with higher accuracy than the brightness analysis unit 14 and outputs the analysis result at low speed. The situation analysis unit 16 of the present embodiment detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on the information obtained from the low-speed camera 38. The situation analysis unit 16 detects the situation, for example, every 50 ms. As the target detected by the situation analysis unit 16, as shown in FIG. 3, an oncoming vehicle 100, a pedestrian 200, etc. are exemplified. Further, the preceding vehicle and obstacles that hinder the running of the own vehicle, road signs, road markings, road shapes, etc. are also included in the target.

  The situation analysis unit 16 can detect the target using a conventionally known method including algorithm recognition, deep learning, and the like. For example, the situation analysis unit 16 holds in advance the characteristic points indicating the oncoming vehicle 100. Then, the situation analysis unit 16 recognizes the position of the oncoming vehicle 100 when the image data of the low-speed camera 38 includes data including a characteristic point indicating the oncoming vehicle 100. The “characteristic point indicating the oncoming vehicle 100” is, for example, a light spot 102 (see FIG. 3) having a predetermined light intensity or higher that appears in the estimated presence region of the headlight of the oncoming vehicle 100. Similarly, the situation analysis unit 16 holds the characteristic points indicating the pedestrian 200 and other targets in advance, and when the image data of the low-speed camera 38 includes data including these characteristic points, Recognize the position of the target corresponding to the feature point. The detection result of the situation analysis unit 16, that is, the signal indicating the target information in front of the own vehicle is transmitted to the lamp control unit 18.

  The lamp control unit 18 uses the detection results of the luminance analysis unit 14 and / or the situation analysis unit 16 to determine the specific target, detect the displacement of the specific target, set the specific individual region R1, and irradiate each individual region R. The setting of the illuminance value of the light, the formation control of the light distribution pattern, and the like are executed. As an example, the lamp control unit 18 includes a tracking unit 40, an illuminance setting unit 42, and a pattern formation control unit 46.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14, that is, based on the brightness of each individual region R. That is, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness of each individual region R. The illuminance setting unit 42 of the present embodiment determines a high-contrast light distribution pattern and a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern as the first light distribution pattern.

  In the high-contrast light distribution pattern, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is in a predetermined range, in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively low. A light distribution pattern obtained by setting a relatively high illuminance value in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively high. The “predetermined range” may be the entire range of the brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 or a part of the range. In FIG. 4 (A) and FIG. 4 (B) described below, the entire range of brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is the “predetermined range”.

  For example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value lower than the illuminance value set for the individual area R having the brightness lower than the predetermined threshold value to the individual area R having the brightness lower than the predetermined threshold value. Set. On the other hand, an illuminance value higher than the illuminance value set for the individual area R having a lower brightness than the threshold is set in the individual area R having a higher brightness than the threshold. As a result, the illuminance value of the individual area R having relatively low luminance is lower than the illuminance value of the individual area R having relatively high luminance. On the contrary, the illuminance value of the individual region R having relatively high luminance is higher than the illuminance value of the individual region R having relatively low luminance. As an example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets an illuminance value lower than the currently set illuminance value in the individual region R whose brightness is lower than the threshold value. On the other hand, an illuminance value higher than the currently set illuminance value is set in the individual region R having a brightness higher than the threshold value. Instead of using the threshold value, the illuminance value to be set may be lowered as the luminance becomes lower, for example, with the luminance of the individual region R having the highest luminance as a reference.

  That is, the high-contrast light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern in which the bright individual area R becomes brighter and the dark individual area R becomes darker. According to the high-contrast light distribution pattern, the light-dark contrast is emphasized in the irradiation object in front of the own vehicle. Thereby, the detection accuracy of the target by the situation analysis unit 16 described later can be improved. Alternatively, the driver can easily recognize the target existing in front of the own vehicle. Examples of the target include an oncoming vehicle, a pedestrian, a preceding vehicle, an obstacle that interferes with the traveling of the host vehicle, a road sign, a road marking, a road shape, and the like.

  In the formation of the high-contrast light distribution pattern, the newly set relatively low illuminance value is lower than the currently set illuminance value, and the newly set relatively high illuminance value is The illuminance value may be higher than the currently set illuminance value. Therefore, when the formation of the high-contrast light distribution pattern is repeated, positive feedback is applied, and the set illuminance value is eventually polarized to 0 and the maximum value. If the illuminance value is polarized, it may be difficult to ensure the visibility of the driver in the individual region R where the illuminance value 0 is set.

  On the other hand, by using the reference illuminance value M and the coefficient as described below, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the visibility of the driver due to the polarization. More specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected luminance value, and multiplies the set coefficient by a predetermined reference illuminance value M to determine the illuminance. Set the value. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected luminance value and the coefficient when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined coefficient preset according to the magnitude of the detected luminance value. A relatively large coefficient is set for a relatively large detected luminance value, and a relatively small coefficient is set for a relatively small detected luminance value. The value of the coefficient can be appropriately set based on the results of experiments and simulations in consideration of the degree of improvement in the detection accuracy of the target. Here, as an example, a coefficient of 1.0 is set for the threshold value of the detected brightness value, a coefficient of 1.5 is set for the maximum brightness value, and a coefficient of 0.5 is set for the minimum brightness value. ing. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets a coefficient for each individual region R based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14.

  Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined reference illuminance value M set in advance, as shown in FIG. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the individual region R by multiplying the reference illuminance value M by the coefficient set for each individual region R. As a result, a low illuminance value is set in the individual area R having a low detected luminance value, and a high illuminance value is set in the individual area R having a high detected luminance value.

  Further, by using the illuminance value that is currently set, the coefficient, and the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the illuminance value, it is possible to avoid the deterioration of the visibility of the driver due to the polarization of the illuminance value. That is, the illuminance setting unit 42 has preset lower and upper limits of the illuminance value. Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected brightness value. Then, instead of the reference illuminance value M, the set coefficient is multiplied by the current illuminance value to calculate a new illuminance value.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 updates the current illuminance value to the calculated illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is equal to or higher than a predetermined lower limit value, and maintains the current illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is lower than the lower limit value. To do. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 updates the current illuminance value to the calculated illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is equal to or lower than the predetermined upper limit value, and updates the current illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value exceeds the upper limit value. To maintain. Note that if the illuminance setting unit 42 has at least the lower limit value of the illuminance value, it is possible to avoid setting the illuminance value 0 to the dark individual region R.

  In the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern, the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 in the state in which the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern is formed for the individual region R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is within a predetermined range is determined. It is a light distribution pattern obtained by setting the illuminance value of each individual region R so that each individual region R has the same value. The “predetermined range” may be the entire range of the brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 or a part of the range. In FIG. 12 described below, the entire range of brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is the “predetermined range”.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship among the detected brightness value, the target brightness value, and the set illuminance value when the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern is formed. As shown in FIG. 12, for example, when setting the illuminance value, the illuminance setting unit 42 first sets the target brightness value. The target brightness value means the brightness to be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 in the state where the light distribution pattern is formed. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the target brightness value to the same value for the individual regions R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is included in a predetermined range.

  Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the target brightness value of each individual region R and the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. Specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a relatively high illuminance value in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and sets a relatively high illuminance value in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively high. Set a low illuminance value. As a result, a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern that uniformizes the brightness in front of the vehicle is formed. According to the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern, it is possible to brightly illuminate the target existing in the dark area in front of the own vehicle. For this reason, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the target by the situation analysis unit 16 described later by a method or mode different from the high contrast light distribution pattern. Alternatively, the driver can easily recognize the target existing in front of the own vehicle.

  Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. The second light distribution pattern is, for example, a constant illuminance light distribution pattern in which the illuminance values of the light with which the individual regions R are irradiated are the same.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 transmits a signal indicating the illuminance value of each individual region R to the light source control unit 20. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value every 0.1 to 5 ms, for example. The light source control unit 20 controls the light source unit 10 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. The light source control unit 20 controls turning on / off of the light source 22 and ON / OFF switching of each mirror element 30. The light source control unit 20 adjusts the turn-on time ratio (width or density) of each mirror element 30 based on the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated. Thereby, the illuminance of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated can be adjusted. Then, a plurality of partial irradiation regions are collected to form various light distribution patterns. The light source control unit 20 transmits a drive signal to the light source 22 and / or the light deflection device 26, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  The vehicular lamp system 1 according to the present embodiment uses the first light distribution pattern to execute ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control for forming an optimum light distribution pattern according to the situation in front of the vehicle. That is, the vehicular lamp system 1 takes an image of the front of the vehicle with the low-speed camera 38 under the situation where the first light distribution pattern is formed. The situation analysis unit 16 detects the target using this imaged data. Therefore, the target can be detected with higher accuracy. As a result, the light irradiation accuracy in ADB control, in other words, the light distribution pattern formation accuracy can be improved.

  The tracking unit 40 determines a specific target from the targets detected by the situation analysis unit 16. The tracking unit 40 also detects the displacement of the specific target based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. In the present embodiment, as an example, oncoming vehicle 100 is the specific target.

  Specifically, the tracking unit 40 integrates the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14 and the detection result of the situation analysis unit 16. Then, of the brightness of each individual region R detected by the brightness analysis unit 14, the brightness of the individual region R in which the light spot 102 of the oncoming vehicle 100, which is the specific target, is located, is associated with the oncoming vehicle 100. The tracking unit 40 can detect the displacement of the oncoming vehicle 100 that is the specific target by recognizing the position of the luminance associated with the oncoming vehicle 100 in the detection result of the luminance analysis unit 14 that is acquired thereafter. The tracking unit 40 executes a specific target determination process every 50 ms, for example. Further, the tracking unit 40 executes the displacement detection process (tracking) of the specific target, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the luminance analysis unit 14 and the detection result of the tracking unit 40. In each individual area R, a specific illuminance value is determined for the specific individual area R1 determined according to the position where the specific target exists. Specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 first determines the specific individual area R1 based on the existing position of the oncoming vehicle 100 that is the specific target. For example, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the specific individual region R1 based on the position information of the oncoming vehicle 100 included in the detection result of the tracking unit 40. Regarding the setting of the specific individual region R1, for example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined value for the horizontal distance a (see FIG. 3) between the two light spots 102 corresponding to the headlight of the oncoming vehicle 100. The vertical distance b of the ratio is determined, and the individual region R overlapping the dimension range of horizontal a × vertical b is defined as the specific individual region R1 (see FIG. 3). The specific individual region R1 includes the individual region R overlapping with the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

  Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the specific illuminance value for the specific individual region R1. For example, the specific illuminance value 0 is set. In addition, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value according to the light distribution pattern to be formed for the individual regions R other than the specific individual region R1. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 recognizes the displacement of the specific individual region R1 based on the detection result of the tracking unit 40, and updates the position information of the specific individual region R1. Then, the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated is updated. The processing by the tracking unit 40 and the processing by the illuminance setting unit 42 are executed in parallel at least temporarily.

  The specific target may be the pedestrian 200. In this case, the specific illuminance value of the specific individual region R1 is set to the maximum value, for example. As a result, the pedestrian 200 can be illuminated with light of higher illuminance so that the vehicle driver can easily see the pedestrian 200. In this case, it is desirable to shield the individual region R in which the face of the pedestrian 200 is located from light. The tracking unit 40 can track the position of the pedestrian 200 by performing known image processing such as edge enhancement on the brightness data of each individual region R that is the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. The edge enhancement may be included in the processing of the brightness analysis unit 14.

  The pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern for the individual regions R in the predetermined position range and forms the second light distribution pattern for the other individual regions R. In this way, by limiting the individual region R that is the target for forming the first light distribution pattern, it is possible to reduce the load on the control device 50 during the determination process of the first light distribution pattern. Further, it is possible to divide the front of the vehicle into a plurality of regions and form different light distribution patterns in the respective regions. Therefore, it is possible to form a light distribution pattern more suitable for the situation in front of the own vehicle.

  FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are diagrams schematically showing the position range of the individual area in which the first light distribution pattern is formed and the position range of the individual area in which the second light distribution pattern is formed. is there. For example, as shown in FIG. 10A, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern in the individual region R located in the region M1 below the horizontal line. Further, the second light distribution pattern is formed in the individual region R located in the region M2 above the horizontal line. In the area M1 below the horizon, there is a high possibility that a target to be visually recognized exists, and thus the first light distribution pattern is formed. On the other hand, in the region M2 above the horizon, the target to be visually recognized is unlikely to exist, and thus the second light distribution pattern is formed.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 10 (B), the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern in the individual region R outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with the side regions N1 and N2 excluding the sky above the vehicle. To do. Further, the second light distribution pattern is formed in the individual region R overlapping with the region N3 above the vehicle. In addition, the first light distribution pattern or the second light distribution pattern is formed in the individual region R that overlaps the region N4 of the traveling road surface. In many cases, the pedestrian 200 has a high priority as a target to be visually recognized. Since the pedestrian 200 is likely to be present in the lateral areas N1 and N2, the first light distribution pattern is formed. On the other hand, in the area N3 above the own vehicle, since the possibility that the pedestrian 200 exists is low, the second light distribution pattern is formed. The area N4 on the traveling road surface is more likely to have the pedestrian 200 than the area N3 above the vehicle, but less likely to be present than the side areas N1 and N2. Therefore, for the area N4 of the traveling road surface, the light distribution pattern to be formed can be selected by giving priority to reduction of the load applied to the control device 50 or improvement of driving safety.

  Further, the pattern formation control unit 46 can set the individual area R forming the first light distribution pattern and the individual area R forming the second light distribution pattern according to the state of the vehicle or the surrounding environment. For example, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern in the individual area R overlapping the area N4 of the traveling road surface and the second light distribution in the other individual area R. Form a light pattern. Further, when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed, the first light distribution pattern is formed in the individual area R outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with the lateral areas N1 and N2 excluding the sky above the vehicle, and the other individual area R is formed with the first light distribution pattern. Two light distribution patterns are formed. The “predetermined speed” is, for example, 80 km / h.

  When the vehicle travels at a high speed equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, there is an increasing demand for confirming the presence / absence of the target in the area N4 on the traveling road surface rather than the lateral areas N1, N2. Further, in an automobile exclusive road such as a highway in which a vehicle generally travels at a high speed equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, a target (particularly, the pedestrian 200) to be visually recognized in the lateral regions N1 and N2 of the traveling road surface. Not likely to exist. Therefore, when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the first light distribution pattern is formed in the individual area R overlapping the area N4 of the traveling road surface, and the second light distribution pattern is formed in the other individual area R.

  On the other hand, in a situation where the vehicle travels at a low speed less than the predetermined speed, the possibility that a target to be visually recognized exists in the lateral areas N1 and N2 on the traveling road surface increases. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for confirming the presence / absence of the target in the lateral areas N1 and N2 rather than the area N4 on the traveling road surface. Therefore, when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed, the first light distribution pattern is formed in the individual region R overlapping the side regions N1, N2, and the second light distribution pattern is formed in the other individual region R.

  The pattern formation control unit 46 can determine the areas M1, M2, N1 to N4 based on the image data of the low-speed camera 38 or the detection result of the situation analysis unit 16. The pattern formation control unit 46 can also acquire vehicle speed information from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle. The information on the state of the host vehicle and the surrounding environment can also be acquired from a car navigation system (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, a steering angle sensor, an illuminance sensor, image data of the imaging unit 12, and the like. For example, the pattern formation control unit 46 can recognize the shape of the road ahead and change the area N4 of the traveling road surface based on the information obtained from the car navigation system.

  In addition, the pattern formation control unit 46 executes control for synthesizing the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern so that the driver can visually recognize the fourth light distribution pattern. be able to. That is, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern while the low-speed camera 38 of the imaging unit 12 is imaging the front of the vehicle, and at the other time, the third light pattern is different from the first light distribution pattern. Form a light distribution pattern. The pattern formation control unit 46 combines the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern to form a fourth light distribution pattern, and allows the driver to visually recognize the fourth light distribution pattern.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines a third light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. The third light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern that is combined with the first light distribution pattern to form a fourth light distribution pattern visually recognized by the driver. The fourth light distribution pattern is, for example, an ergonomically determined optimum light distribution pattern for the eyes of the driver, and is set in advance. The third light distribution pattern is determined in consideration of the finally formed fourth light distribution pattern and the first light distribution pattern which is a composite component of the fourth light distribution pattern.

  For example, the third light distribution pattern is obtained by setting the illuminance value of each individual region R depending on the brightness of each individual region R in the state where the first light distribution pattern is formed. Specifically, in the third light distribution pattern, the brightness of the individual region R is less than a predetermined brightness that can be visually recognized by the driver in the situation where the first light distribution pattern is formed, and the fourth light distribution pattern is formed. It is a light distribution pattern that is enhanced in a situation. In addition, the third light distribution pattern has a brightness of the individual region R that is equal to or higher than a predetermined brightness at which the driver receives glare in the situation in which the first light distribution pattern is formed, and in the situation in which the fourth light distribution pattern is formed. It is a light distribution pattern to be reduced. The illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined brightness value that the driver can visually recognize and a predetermined brightness value that the driver receives glare in advance. Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of each individual region R from the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14 based on the image data obtained in the formation state of the first light distribution pattern, and sets the third light distribution pattern. decide.

  FIG. 15 is a timing chart showing an example of transitions of image pickup by the low-speed camera, image pickup by the high-speed camera, formation of the first light distribution pattern, and formation of the third light distribution pattern. As shown in FIG. 15, the pattern formation control unit 46 periodically switches the light distribution pattern to be formed between the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern. As a result, a fourth light distribution pattern is formed by combining the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern. When the formation of the first light distribution pattern and the subsequent formation of the third light distribution pattern are used as the repeating unit P, the repetition cycle is, for example, 60 Hz or more (16.6 ms or less). Accordingly, the fourth light distribution pattern can be visually recognized in a stable manner without causing the driver to recognize the switching of the light distribution pattern.

  As described above, since the fourth light distribution pattern to be visually recognized by the driver is formed by combining the two light distribution patterns, various fourth light distribution patterns can be formed. Therefore, it is possible to form an optimal light distribution pattern according to the situation. As a result, driving safety can be improved. Further, the first light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern suitable for target detection by the situation analysis unit 16, but may not be a light distribution pattern suitable for the driver to visually recognize. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the first light distribution pattern is formed when the image capturing unit 12 acquires the image data for target detection, and the driver is provided with the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern. And are combined to visually recognize the fourth light distribution pattern. As a result, the detection accuracy of the target by the situation analysis unit 16 can be improved, and the driver can visually recognize the optimal light distribution pattern for the human eye. Therefore, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the target and the visibility of the driver at a higher level. As a result, driving safety can be improved.

  As an example of the ADB control, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the specific illuminance value “0” for the specific individual area R1 determined according to the position where the oncoming vehicle 100 is present, and sets the illuminance for the other individual area R. Set the value "1". This setting is the first illuminance information. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value for the individual region R in a predetermined position range excluding the specific individual region R1 according to the switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern. In addition, the same illuminance value is set for the remaining individual regions R according to the formation control of the second light distribution pattern. This setting is the second illuminance information.

  Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 performs an AND operation on the first illuminance information and the second illuminance information. Thereby, the illuminance information in which the specific illuminance value for the specific individual region R1 is “0” and the illuminance value for the other individual region R is the illuminance value determined according to the switching control or the formation control of the second light distribution pattern is generated. To be done. That is, the specific individual region R1 is shielded from light, and the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern are alternately formed or the second light distribution pattern is formed in each individual region R excluding the specific individual region R1. It

  11A and 11B are flowcharts showing an example of ADB control executed in the vehicular lamp system according to the sixth embodiment. This flow is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing when the execution instruction of the ADB control is given by, for example, a light switch (not shown), and the execution instruction of the ADB control is canceled (or a stop instruction is given). Or it ends when the ignition is turned off. Further, the flow shown in FIG. 11A is a high-speed process that is repeated, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms, and the flow shown in FIG. 11B is a low-speed process that is repeated, for example, every 50 ms. The low speed processing and the high speed processing are executed in parallel. Further, it is designed in advance so that the first light distribution pattern is formed in the high speed processing in synchronization with the execution timing of the low speed processing.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, in the high-speed processing, first, the front of the vehicle is imaged by the high-speed camera 36 (S2101). Next, the brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the image data of the high-speed camera 36 (S2102). Then, it is determined whether the specific individual area R1 is set (S2103). The determination is performed by the tracking unit 40, for example. When the specific individual region R1 is set (Y in S2103), the tracking unit 40 tracks the specific target and detects the position (displacement) of the specific individual region R1. The illuminance setting unit 42 updates the setting (position information) of the specific individual region R1 based on the detection result of the tracking unit 40 (S2104).

  Next, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated (S2105). When it is the execution timing of the low-speed processing, the illuminance value according to the first light distribution pattern is set for the individual region R in the predetermined position range, and when it is not the execution timing of the low-speed processing, the predetermined position range is set. The illuminance value according to the third light distribution pattern is set for the individual region R in. A specific illuminance value is set for the specific individual region R1. For the remaining individual regions R, illuminance values according to the second light distribution pattern are set. Next, the light source control unit 20 drives the light source unit 10, the light of the predetermined illuminance is emitted from the light source unit 10 (S2106), and this routine ends. When the specific individual region R1 is not set (N in S2103), the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the light with which the individual region R is irradiated (S2105). In this case, the specified illuminance value does not include the specific illuminance value. After that, the process of step S2106 is executed, and the present routine ends.

  In step S2104, when the disappearance of the specific target is detected by the tracking, the setting of the specific individual region R1 also disappears. Therefore, the specific illuminance value is not included in the illuminance values set in step S2105. In step S2103 of the next routine, it is determined that the specific individual region R1 is not set (N in S2103) until the process of step S205 described later is executed.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, in the low speed processing, the front of the own vehicle is first imaged by the low speed camera 38 (S2201). At this time, the first light distribution pattern is formed in front of the host vehicle. Next, the situation analysis unit 16 detects a target existing in front of the own vehicle based on the image data of the low-speed camera 38 (S2202). Next, it is determined whether the detected target includes a specific target (S2203). The determination is performed by the tracking unit 40, for example.

  When the specific target is included (Y in S2203), the tracking unit 40 determines the specific target (S2204). Next, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the specific individual region R1 based on the existing position of the specific target (S2205), and this routine ends. If the specific target is not included (N in S2203), this routine ends. Although the specific individual area is set in the low speed processing in the above flowchart, the setting may be executed in the high speed processing.

  As described above, the vehicular lamp system 1 according to the present embodiment includes the imaging unit 12, the brightness analysis unit 14, the illuminance setting unit 42, the lighting unit 62, the light source control unit 20, and the pattern formation control. And a section 46. The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each of the individual regions R arranged in front of the host vehicle. The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. The light source control unit 20 controls the lamp unit 62 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. Accordingly, the vehicular lamp system 1 can form the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. Further, the vehicular lamp system 1 can form the second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14.

  The pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern on the individual region R in the predetermined position range. Further, the second light distribution pattern is formed in the other individual region R. As a result, it is possible to reduce the load on the control device 50 during the process of determining the first light distribution pattern. Therefore, the time required to form the light distribution pattern can be shortened, and the change in the light distribution pattern can be made to follow the change in the situation in front of the vehicle with high accuracy. Further, since different light distribution patterns can be formed for a plurality of sections in front of the own vehicle, it is possible to form a light distribution pattern more suitable for the situation in front of the own vehicle. As a result, driving safety can be improved.

  Further, in the first light distribution pattern, for the individual region R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is in a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively low. The high-contrast light distribution pattern in which a relatively high illuminance value is set in the set and detected individual region R in which the brightness is relatively high, or the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is in a predetermined range. It is a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set such that the detected brightness has the same value for each individual region R. According to these, the detection accuracy of the target by the situation analysis unit 16 can be improved. Further, the driver can easily recognize the target existing in front of the own vehicle. Therefore, driving safety can be further improved.

  Further, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern in the individual region R located in the region M1 below the horizontal line, and forms the second light distribution pattern in the individual region R located in the region M2 above the horizontal line. Form. Alternatively, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern on the individual region R outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with the side regions N1 and N2 excluding the sky above the own vehicle, and the individual light overlapping pattern with the region N3 above the own vehicle. The second light distribution pattern is formed in the region R, and the first light distribution pattern or the second light distribution pattern is formed in the individual region R overlapping the region N4 of the traveling road surface.

  Further, the pattern formation control unit 46 sets an individual area R for forming the first light distribution pattern and an individual area R for forming the second light distribution pattern according to the state of the vehicle or the surrounding environment. For example, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern in the individual area R overlapping the area N4 of the traveling road surface and the second light distribution in the other individual area R. Form a light pattern. Further, when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed, the first light distribution pattern is formed in the individual area R outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with the lateral areas N1 and N2 excluding the sky above the vehicle, and the other individual area R is formed with the first light distribution pattern. Two light distribution patterns are formed. As a result, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the target by forming the first light distribution pattern and reduce the load on the control device 50.

(Embodiment 7)
The vehicular lamp system according to the seventh embodiment has the same configuration as the vehicular lamp system according to the sixth embodiment except that the lamp part 62 includes another light source part in addition to the light source part 10. Hereinafter, the vehicle lighting system according to the seventh embodiment will be described focusing on the configuration different from that of the sixth embodiment, and the common configuration will be briefly described or the description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicular lamp system according to the seventh embodiment. Similar to FIG. 8, FIG. 13 illustrates some of the constituent elements of the vehicle lighting system as functional blocks. The vehicle lamp system 1 (1B) includes a lamp unit 62, an imaging unit 12, and a control device 50. The lamp unit 62 has a lamp unit 60 as another light source unit in addition to the light source unit 10. The lamp unit 60 forms a conventionally known low-beam light distribution pattern, high-beam light distribution pattern, or the like as the second light distribution pattern whose illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. be able to. Hereinafter, the light distribution pattern formed by the lamp unit 60 will be referred to as a normal light distribution pattern as appropriate. The formation range of the normal light distribution pattern can be adjusted by a conventionally known technique such as a shade.

  The control device 50 includes a brightness analysis unit 14, a situation analysis unit 16, a lamp control unit 18, and a light source control unit 20. The lamp control unit 18 includes a tracking unit 40, an illuminance setting unit 42, and a pattern formation control unit 46.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines a high-contrast light distribution pattern and a brightness uniformization light distribution pattern as the first light distribution pattern for which the illuminance value is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. The illuminance setting unit 42 transmits a signal indicating the illuminance value of each individual region R to the light source control unit 20. The light source control unit 20 controls the light source unit 10 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. As a result, the first light distribution pattern is formed.

  Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 can form the second light distribution pattern. In the present embodiment, the second light distribution pattern is a normal light distribution pattern formed by the lamp unit 60. The illuminance setting unit 42 transmits a signal instructing formation of a normal light distribution pattern to the light source control unit 20. The light source control unit 20 turns on the lamp unit 60 when receiving the signal from the illuminance setting unit 42. As a result, the second light distribution pattern is formed. Note that the lamp unit 60 may irradiate light to the individual region R in which the high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed when the high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed. As a result, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the visibility of the driver due to the polarization of the illuminance value in the high-contrast light distribution pattern.

  The pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern for the individual regions R in the predetermined position range and forms the second light distribution pattern for the other individual regions R. For example, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern in the individual region R located below the horizontal line, and forms the second light distribution pattern in the individual region R located above the horizontal line. Further, for example, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern on the individual region R outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with the lateral region excluding the sky above the own vehicle, and the second light distribution pattern is formed on the individual region R overlapping with the sky above the own vehicle. A light distribution pattern is formed, and the first light distribution pattern or the second light distribution pattern is formed in the individual region R overlapping the traveling road surface.

  Further, the pattern formation control unit 46 can set the individual area R forming the first light distribution pattern and the individual area R forming the second light distribution pattern according to the state of the vehicle or the surrounding environment. For example, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the pattern formation control unit 46 forms the first light distribution pattern in the individual area R overlapping the traveling road surface and the second light distribution pattern in the other individual area R. Form. Further, when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed, the first light distribution pattern is formed in the individual area R outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with the lateral area excluding the sky above the vehicle, and the second light distribution is provided in the other individual area R. Form a pattern.

  Further, the pattern formation control unit 46 periodically switches the light distribution pattern to be formed between the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern, and combines the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern. The fourth light distribution pattern thus formed can be formed. Also in this embodiment, the timing of forming the first light distribution pattern and the timing of the low-speed camera 38 capturing an image are synchronized.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described sixth and seventh embodiments, and it is possible to combine the respective embodiments and to make modifications such as various design changes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. New embodiments obtained by such combination or modification are also included in the scope of the present invention. Such a new embodiment has the effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications.

  In the sixth and seventh embodiments, the image pickup unit 12, the brightness analysis unit 14, the situation analysis unit 16, the lamp control unit 18, and the light source control unit 20 are provided in the lamp chamber 8. It may be provided outside. For example, the low-speed camera 38 of the imaging unit 12 can use an existing camera mounted in the vehicle interior. In addition, it is desirable that the imaging unit 12 and the light source unit 10 have the same angle of view.

  If the high speed camera 36 has the same resolution as the low speed camera 38, the low speed camera 38 may be omitted. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the vehicle lighting system 1. In this case, the situation analysis unit 16 detects the target using the image data of the high speed camera 36. Further, the imaging timing of the high-speed camera 36 and the formation timing of the first light distribution pattern are synchronized.

  As the formation time of the third light distribution pattern becomes longer than the formation time of the first light distribution pattern, the fourth light distribution pattern may be substantially the same light distribution pattern as the third light distribution pattern. In this case, the third light distribution pattern may be an optimal light distribution pattern for the eyes of the driver, which is ergonomically determined. Further, the lamp unit 60 may be used to form the third light distribution pattern.

  According to the switching control between the first light distribution pattern and the third light distribution pattern, the first light distribution pattern is substantially invisible to humans, so that the first light distribution pattern is applied to the individual regions R including the specific individual region R1. May be formed. On the other hand, the third light distribution pattern is formed on the individual region R excluding the specific individual region R1. Thereby, for example, when the specific target is the pedestrian 200, the pedestrian 200 can be tracked with high accuracy while avoiding giving glare to the pedestrian 200.

  The light source unit 10 may include a scanning optical system that scans the front of the vehicle with the light source light, or an LED array in which LEDs corresponding to the individual regions R are arranged, instead of the optical deflecting device 26 that is the DMD.

  The relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value when forming the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern may be as follows. 14A to 14C are diagrams showing another example of the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the luminance uniformized light distribution pattern. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the set illuminance value is continuously and linearly changed with respect to the detected luminance value. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this relationship, and the set illuminance value may be changed stepwise with respect to the detected luminance value, as shown in FIGS. Further, as shown in FIG. 14C, the set illuminance value may be changed in a curve with respect to the detected brightness value. Note that although an upwardly convex curve is illustrated in FIG. 14C, a downwardly convex curve may be used.

  The relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern may be as follows. 7A to 7C are diagrams showing another example of the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 4B, the set illuminance value is continuously and linearly changed with respect to the detected brightness value. However, the setting illuminance value may be changed stepwise with respect to the detected luminance value as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, without being limited to this relationship. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the set illuminance value may be changed in a curve with respect to the detected brightness value. Note that in FIG. 7C, an upwardly convex curve is illustrated, but a downwardly convex curve may be used. Further, the relationship between the detected brightness value and the coefficient is the same as the relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value, and is therefore obvious without being shown.

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

A brightness analysis unit 14 that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit 12 that images the front of the own vehicle;
An illuminance setting unit 42 that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14,
A light source control unit 20 for controlling a lamp unit 62 having at least a light source unit 10 capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each individual region R based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42;
For the individual area R in the predetermined position range, the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual area R is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is formed, and the other individual area R is formed. A pattern formation control unit 46 that forms a second light distribution pattern in which an illuminance value is set for R without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14;
A control device 50 for the vehicle lighting device 2, comprising:

A step of detecting the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the image capturing unit 12 that images the front of the own vehicle;
Determining the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detected brightness;
Controlling the lamp unit 62 having at least the light source unit 10 capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the determined illuminance value;
For the individual regions R in a predetermined position range, a first light distribution pattern obtained by setting the illuminance value of each individual region R depending on the detected luminance is formed, and for the other individual regions R Forming a second light distribution pattern obtained by setting an illuminance value without depending on the detected brightness,
A method of controlling the vehicle lighting device 2, including:

(Embodiment 8)
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicular lamp system according to the eighth embodiment. In FIG. 16, some of the components of the vehicle lighting system 1 are drawn as functional blocks. These functional blocks are realized as elements or circuits such as a CPU and a memory of a computer as a hardware configuration, and are realized as a computer program as a software configuration. Those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways by combining hardware and software.

  The vehicular lamp system 1 (1A) is applied to a vehicular headlamp device having a pair of headlamp units arranged on the left and right in front of the vehicle. Since the pair of headlamp units have substantially the same configuration except that they have a bilaterally symmetrical structure, FIG. 16 shows the structure of one headlamp unit as the vehicle lamp 2.

  The vehicular lamp 2 included in the vehicular lamp system 1 includes a lamp body 4 having an opening on the vehicle front side, and a translucent cover 6 attached so as to cover the opening of the lamp body 4. The translucent cover 6 is formed of translucent resin, glass, or the like. A lamp unit 62, an imaging unit 12, and a control device 50 are housed in a lamp chamber 8 formed by the lamp body 4 and the translucent cover 6.

  The lamp unit 62 includes at least the light source unit 10. The light source unit 10 is a device capable of independently adjusting the illuminance (intensity) of the light with which each of the plurality of individual regions (see FIG. 3) arranged in front of the vehicle is irradiated. The light source unit 10 includes a light source 22, a reflection optical member 24, a light deflection device 26, and a projection optical member 28. Each part is attached to the lamp body 4 by a support mechanism (not shown).

  The light source 22 may be 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), or the like. .

  The reflective optical member 24 is configured to guide the light emitted from the light source 22 to the reflective surface of the light deflector 26. The reflective optical member 24 is composed of a reflective mirror whose inner surface is a predetermined reflective surface. The reflective optical member 24 may be a solid light guide or the like. If the light emitted from the light source 22 can be directly guided to the light deflector 26, the reflective optical member 24 may not be provided.

  The light deflector 26 is arranged on the optical axis of the projection optical member 28, and is configured to selectively reflect the light emitted from the light source 22 to the projection optical member 28. The light deflection device 26 is configured by, for example, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device). That is, the optical deflector 26 is one in which a plurality of micromirrors are arranged in an array (matrix). It is possible to selectively change the reflection direction of the light emitted from the light source 22 by controlling the angles of the reflection surfaces of the plurality of micromirrors. That is, the light deflector 26 reflects a part of the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection optical member 28, and reflects the other light in a direction that is not effectively used by the projection optical member 28. be able to. Here, the direction that is not effectively used may be regarded as, for example, a direction that is incident on the projection optical member 28 but hardly contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern, or a direction toward a light absorbing member (light shielding member) not shown. it can.

  FIG. 2A is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the optical deflector. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the optical deflector shown in FIG. The light deflecting device 26 includes a micromirror array 32 in which a plurality of minute mirror elements 30 are arranged in a matrix, and a front side of a reflecting surface 30a of the mirror element 30 (on the right side of the light deflecting device 26 shown in FIG. 2B). ) Is disposed on the transparent cover member 34. The cover member 34 is made of, for example, glass or plastic.

  The mirror element 30 has a substantially square shape and has a rotating shaft 30b extending in the horizontal direction and dividing the mirror element 30 into substantially equal parts. Each mirror element 30 of the micromirror array 32 reflects the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection optical member 28 so as to be used as a part of a desired light distribution pattern (see FIG. 2 ( The position shown by the solid line in B) and the second reflection position where the light emitted from the light source 22 is reflected so as not to be effectively used (the position shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2B) are switchable. There is. Each mirror element 30 rotates around the rotation axis 30b and is individually switched between the first reflection position and the second reflection position. Each mirror element 30 has a first reflection position when turned on and a second reflection position when turned off.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state in front of the host vehicle. As described above, the light source unit 10 includes a plurality of mirror elements 30 as individual irradiation units that can irradiate light toward the front of the lamp independently of each other. The light source unit 10 can irradiate light to the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the vehicle by the mirror element 30. Each individual region R is a region corresponding to the image capturing unit 12, more specifically, a group of one pixel or a plurality of pixels of the high-speed camera 36, for example. In the present embodiment, each individual region R and each mirror element 30 are associated with each other.

  In FIG. 2A and FIG. 3, for convenience of description, the mirror elements 30 and the individual regions R are arranged in a 10 × 8 matrix, but the numbers of the mirror elements 30 and the individual regions R are not particularly limited. For example, the resolution of the micromirror array 32 (in other words, the number of mirror elements 30 and individual regions R) is 1000 to 300,000 pixels. The time required for the light source unit 10 to form one light distribution pattern is, for example, 0.1 to 5 ms. That is, the light source unit 10 can change the light distribution pattern every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the projection optical member 28 is, for example, a free-form surface lens having a front-side surface and a rear-side surface having a free-form surface shape. The projection optical member 28 projects the light source image formed on the rear focal plane including the rear focal point as a reverse image in the front of the lamp. The projection optical member 28 is arranged such that its rear focus is located on the optical axis of the vehicular lamp 2 and near the reflecting surface of the micromirror array 32. The projection optical member 28 may be a reflector.

  The light emitted from the light source 22 is reflected by the reflective optical member 24 and is applied to the micro mirror array 32 of the light deflector 26. The light deflector 26 reflects the light toward the projection optical member 28 by the predetermined mirror element 30 located at the first reflection position. The reflected light passes through the projection optical member 28, travels forward of the lamp, and is applied to each individual region R corresponding to each mirror element 30. As a result, a light distribution pattern having a predetermined shape is formed in front of the lamp.

  The imaging unit 12 is a device that images the front of the vehicle. The imaging unit 12 includes a high speed camera 36. The high-speed camera 36 has a relatively high frame rate, for example, 200 fps or more and 10000 fps or less (0.1 to 5 ms per frame). The high-speed camera 36 has a relatively small resolution, for example, 300,000 pixels or more and less than 5 million pixels. The high-speed camera 36 images all the individual areas R.

  The control device 50 includes a brightness analysis unit 14, a lamp control unit 18, and a light source control unit 20. The image data acquired by the imaging unit 12 is sent to the brightness analysis unit 14.

  The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the information (image data) obtained from the imaging unit 12. The brightness analysis unit 14 is a high-speed analysis unit that outputs analysis results at high speed. The brightness analysis unit 14 of the present embodiment detects the brightness of each individual region R based on the information obtained from the high-speed camera 36. The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each individual region R, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms. The detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14, that is, the signal indicating the brightness information of the individual region R is transmitted to the lamp control unit 18.

  The lamp control unit 18 sets the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, switches the light distribution pattern to be formed, and the like. As an example, the lamp control unit 18 includes an illuminance setting unit 42 and a switching control unit 44.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. That is, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. The illuminance setting unit 42 of the present embodiment determines a high-contrast light distribution pattern and a brightness uniformization light distribution pattern as a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. .

  In the high-contrast light distribution pattern, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is in a predetermined range, in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively low. A light distribution pattern obtained by setting a relatively high illuminance value in the individual region R in which the detected brightness is relatively high. The “predetermined range” may be the entire range of the brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 or a part of the range. In FIG. 4 (A) and FIG. 4 (B) described below, the entire range of brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is the “predetermined range”.

  For example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value lower than the illuminance value set for the individual area R having the brightness lower than the predetermined threshold value to the individual area R having the brightness lower than the predetermined threshold value. Set. On the other hand, an illuminance value higher than the illuminance value set for the individual area R having a lower brightness than the threshold is set in the individual area R having a higher brightness than the threshold. As a result, the illuminance value of the individual area R having relatively low luminance is lower than the illuminance value of the individual area R having relatively high luminance. On the contrary, the illuminance value of the individual region R having relatively high luminance is higher than the illuminance value of the individual region R having relatively low luminance. As an example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets an illuminance value lower than the currently set illuminance value in the individual region R whose brightness is lower than the threshold value. On the other hand, an illuminance value higher than the currently set illuminance value is set in the individual region R having a brightness higher than the threshold value. Instead of using the threshold value, the illuminance value to be set may be lowered as the luminance becomes lower, for example, with the luminance of the individual region R having the highest luminance as a reference.

  That is, the high-contrast light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern in which the bright individual area R becomes brighter and the dark individual area R becomes darker. According to the high-contrast light distribution pattern, the light-dark contrast is emphasized in the irradiation object in front of the own vehicle. This makes it easier for the driver to visually recognize the target existing in front of the host vehicle. Examples of the target include an oncoming vehicle, a pedestrian, a preceding vehicle, an obstacle that interferes with the traveling of the host vehicle, a road sign, a road marking, a road shape, and the like.

  In the formation of the high-contrast light distribution pattern, the newly set relatively low illuminance value is lower than the currently set illuminance value, and the newly set relatively high illuminance value is The illuminance value may be higher than the currently set illuminance value. Therefore, when the formation of the high-contrast light distribution pattern is repeated, positive feedback is applied, and the set illuminance value is eventually polarized to 0 and the maximum value. If the illuminance value is polarized, it may be difficult to ensure the visibility of the driver in the individual region R where the illuminance value 0 is set.

  On the other hand, by using the reference illuminance value M and the coefficient as described below, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the visibility of the driver due to the polarization. More specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected luminance value, and multiplies the set coefficient by a predetermined reference illuminance value M to determine the illuminance. Set the value. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected luminance value and the coefficient when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined coefficient preset according to the magnitude of the detected luminance value. A relatively large coefficient is set for a relatively large detected luminance value, and a relatively small coefficient is set for a relatively small detected luminance value. The value of the coefficient can be appropriately set based on the results of experiments and simulations in consideration of the degree of improvement in the detection accuracy of the target. Here, as an example, a coefficient of 1.0 is set for the threshold value of the detected brightness value, a coefficient of 1.5 is set for the maximum brightness value, and a coefficient of 0.5 is set for the minimum brightness value. ing. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets a coefficient for each individual region R based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14.

  Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 has a predetermined reference illuminance value M set in advance, as shown in FIG. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of the individual region R by multiplying the reference illuminance value M by the coefficient set for each individual region R. As a result, a low illuminance value is set in the individual area R having a low detected luminance value, and a high illuminance value is set in the individual area R having a high detected luminance value.

  Further, by using the illuminance value that is currently set, the coefficient, and the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the illuminance value, it is possible to avoid the deterioration of the visibility of the driver due to the polarization of the illuminance value. That is, the illuminance setting unit 42 has preset lower and upper limits of the illuminance value. Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual region R according to the magnitude of the detected brightness value. Then, instead of the reference illuminance value M, the set coefficient is multiplied by the current illuminance value to calculate a new illuminance value.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 updates the current illuminance value to the calculated illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is equal to or higher than a predetermined lower limit value, and maintains the current illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is lower than the lower limit value. To do. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 updates the current illuminance value to the calculated illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value is equal to or lower than the predetermined upper limit value, and updates the current illuminance value when the calculated illuminance value exceeds the upper limit value. To maintain. Note that if the illuminance setting unit 42 has at least the lower limit value of the illuminance value, it is possible to avoid setting the illuminance value 0 to the dark individual region R.

  In the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern, the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 in the state in which the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern is formed for the individual region R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is within a predetermined range is determined. It is a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set so that each individual region R has the same value. The “predetermined range” may be the entire range of the brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 or a part of the range. In FIG. 12 described below, the entire range of brightness that can be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is the “predetermined range”.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship among the detected brightness value, the target brightness value, and the set illuminance value when the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern is formed. As shown in FIG. 12, for example, when setting the illuminance value, the illuminance setting unit 42 first sets the target brightness value. The target brightness value means the brightness to be detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 in the state where the light distribution pattern is formed. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the target brightness value to the same value for the individual regions R in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 is included in a predetermined range.

  Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the target brightness value of each individual region R and the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. Specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a relatively high illuminance value in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and sets a relatively high illuminance value in the individual area R in which the detected brightness is relatively high. Set a low illuminance value. As a result, a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern that uniformizes the brightness in front of the vehicle is formed. According to the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern, it is possible to brightly illuminate the target existing in the dark area in front of the own vehicle. Therefore, it becomes easier for the driver to visually recognize the target existing in front of the own vehicle by a method or mode different from the high contrast light distribution pattern.

  Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. An example of such a light distribution pattern is a constant illuminance light distribution pattern in which the illuminance values of the light with which the individual regions R are illuminated are the same.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 transmits a signal indicating the illuminance value of each individual region R to the light source control unit 20. The illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value every 0.1 to 5 ms, for example. The light source control unit 20 controls the light source unit 10 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. The light source control unit 20 controls turning on / off of the light source 22 and ON / OFF switching of each mirror element 30. The light source control unit 20 adjusts the turn-on time ratio (width or density) of each mirror element 30 based on the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated. Thereby, the illuminance of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated can be adjusted. Then, a plurality of partial irradiation regions are collected to form various light distribution patterns. The light source control unit 20 transmits a drive signal to the light source 22 and / or the light deflection device 26, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  The switching control unit 44 depends on the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 and the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. Between the illuminance value of each individual region R and different from the first light distribution pattern, or between the second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. Then, the light distribution pattern to be formed is switched. The switching control unit 44 transmits a signal instructing switching of the light distribution pattern to the illuminance setting unit 42. The illuminance setting unit 42 receives this signal, sets the illuminance value of each individual region R, and transmits the illuminance value signal to the light source control unit 20.

  For example, the first light distribution pattern is a high-contrast light distribution pattern, and the second light distribution pattern is a uniform brightness distribution pattern or a constant illuminance distribution pattern. That is, the switching control unit 44 switches the light distribution pattern to be formed between the high-contrast light distribution pattern and the uniform brightness distribution pattern, or between the high-contrast light distribution pattern and the constant illuminance light distribution pattern. It is also possible to combine both switching.

  Alternatively, the first light distribution pattern is a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern, and the second light distribution pattern is a high contrast light distribution pattern or a constant illuminance light distribution pattern. That is, the switching control unit 44 switches the light distribution pattern to be formed between the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern and the high contrast light distribution pattern, or between the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern and the constant illuminance light distribution pattern. . It is also possible to combine both switching.

  For example, the switching control unit 44 dynamically switches the light distribution pattern to be formed according to the surrounding situation of the own vehicle or the state of the driver. As an example, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the switching control unit 44 switches the light distribution pattern based on information obtained from the car navigation system 70 mounted on the vehicle or the driver camera 72 that images the driver.

  Switching of the light distribution pattern according to the situation around the vehicle will be described by taking as an example a situation in which a high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed as the first light distribution pattern. For example, on a road where work is being carried out in one lane, many road cones, cone bars, fences, and various devices used for construction are often placed in areas where vehicle traffic is restricted. When the high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed under the situation where the vehicle is traveling on such a road, the traffic control area, that is, the individual area R overlapping with the area less necessary to be visually recognized by the driver is bright, There is a possibility that the passing area, that is, the individual area R that overlaps with the area that the driver needs to visually recognize becomes dark.

  On the other hand, the switching control unit 44 receives, from the car navigation system 70, for example, information indicating that the host vehicle enters the construction section. Upon receiving the information from the car navigation system 70, the switching control unit 44 switches the light distribution pattern to be formed from the high-contrast light distribution pattern to the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern or the constant illuminance light distribution pattern as the second light distribution pattern. . As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver's visibility of the traffic area from decreasing. The switching control unit 44 also receives, from the car navigation system 70, information indicating that the own vehicle has finished passing through the construction section. Upon receiving the information from the car navigation system 70, the switching control unit 44 returns the formed light distribution pattern to the high-contrast light distribution pattern.

  Next, switching of the light distribution pattern according to the driver's state will be described by taking as an example a situation in which a high-contrast light distribution pattern is formed as the first light distribution pattern. The switching control unit 44 receives the image data of the driver from the driver camera 72. The switching control unit 44 recognizes that the driver is in a drowsiness state from the image data of the driver based on a conventionally known image sensing technique or the like. Based on the recognition, the switching control unit 44 switches the light distribution pattern to be formed from the high-contrast light distribution pattern to the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern or the constant illuminance light distribution pattern as the second light distribution pattern.

  In addition, the switching control unit 44 returns the uniform brightness distribution pattern or the constant illuminance distribution pattern to the high-contrast distribution pattern after forming, for example, several tens ms to several hundred ms. Such a change in the light distribution pattern can alert the driver. The switching between the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern may be repeated a plurality of times.

  Further, the switching control unit 44 can switch the light distribution pattern to be formed based on the driver's operation. For example, the vehicle is equipped with a light switch 74. The driver can select the type of light distribution pattern to be formed by operating the light switch 74. When the driver operates the light switch 74, a signal indicating the operation content is transmitted from the light switch 74 to the switching control unit 44. The switching control unit 44 switches to the light distribution pattern selected by the driver based on the signal received from the light switch 74.

  The light switch 74 can be regarded as a part of the switching control unit. Alternatively, the light switch 74 can be regarded as the switching control unit itself. In this case, the switching control unit 44 included in the lamp control unit 18 can be omitted. The light switch 74 as a switching control unit directly transmits a signal instructing switching of the light distribution pattern to the illuminance setting unit 42. In addition, the light switch 74 may be a switch that can select the formation and non-formation of the light distribution pattern.

  The high-contrast light distribution pattern and the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern described above can be used for ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control for forming an optimal light distribution pattern according to the position of a specific target in front of the vehicle. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the imaging unit 12 includes a low speed camera 38. The low-speed camera 38 has a relatively low frame rate, for example, 30 fps to 120 fps (about 8 to 33 ms per frame). The low-speed camera 38 has a relatively high resolution, for example, 5 million pixels or more. The low-speed camera 38 images all the individual areas R. Imaging by the low-speed camera 38 is performed in a situation where a high-contrast light distribution pattern or a uniform brightness distribution pattern is formed. The resolutions of the high-speed camera 36 and the low-speed camera 38 are not limited to the above numerical values, and can be set to any value within a technically consistent range.

  The control device 50 has a situation analysis unit 16. The situation analysis unit 16 detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on the information obtained from the imaging unit 12. For example, the situation analysis unit 16 detects a target existing in front of the own vehicle. The situation analysis unit 16 is a low-speed high-precision analysis unit that performs image analysis with higher accuracy than the brightness analysis unit 14 and outputs the analysis result at low speed. The situation analysis unit 16 of the present embodiment detects the situation in front of the own vehicle based on the information obtained from the low-speed camera 38. The image data of the low-speed camera 38 is information acquired in the state where the high-contrast light distribution pattern or the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern is formed. Therefore, the situation analysis unit 16 can detect the target with higher accuracy.

  The situation analysis unit 16 detects the situation, for example, every 50 ms. As the target detected by the situation analysis unit 16, as shown in FIG. 3, an oncoming vehicle 100, a pedestrian 200, etc. are exemplified. Further, the preceding vehicle and obstacles that hinder the running of the own vehicle, road signs, road markings, road shapes, etc. are also included in the target.

  The situation analysis unit 16 can detect the target using a conventionally known method including algorithm recognition, deep learning, and the like. For example, the situation analysis unit 16 holds in advance the characteristic points indicating the oncoming vehicle 100. Then, the situation analysis unit 16 recognizes the position of the oncoming vehicle 100 when the image data of the low-speed camera 38 includes data including a characteristic point indicating the oncoming vehicle 100. The “characteristic point indicating the oncoming vehicle 100” is, for example, a light spot 102 (see FIG. 3) having a predetermined light intensity or higher that appears in the estimated presence region of the headlight of the oncoming vehicle 100. Similarly, the situation analysis unit 16 holds the characteristic points indicating the pedestrian 200 and other targets in advance, and when the image data of the low-speed camera 38 includes data including these characteristic points, Recognize the position of the target corresponding to the feature point. The detection result of the situation analysis unit 16, that is, the signal indicating the target information in front of the own vehicle is transmitted to the lamp control unit 18.

  The lamp control unit 18 has a tracking unit 40. The tracking unit 40 determines a specific target from the targets detected by the situation analysis unit 16. The tracking unit 40 also detects the displacement of the specific target based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. In the present embodiment, as an example, oncoming vehicle 100 is the specific target.

  Specifically, the tracking unit 40 integrates the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14 and the detection result of the situation analysis unit 16. Then, of the brightness of each individual region R detected by the brightness analysis unit 14, the brightness of the individual region R in which the light spot 102 of the oncoming vehicle 100, which is the specific target, is located, is associated with the oncoming vehicle 100. The tracking unit 40 can detect the displacement of the oncoming vehicle 100 that is the specific target by recognizing the position of the luminance associated with the oncoming vehicle 100 in the detection result of the luminance analysis unit 14 that is acquired thereafter. The tracking unit 40 executes a specific target determination process every 50 ms, for example. Further, the tracking unit 40 executes the displacement detection process (tracking) of the specific target, for example, every 0.1 to 5 ms.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the luminance analysis unit 14 and the detection result of the tracking unit 40. In each individual area R, a specific illuminance value is determined for the specific individual area R1 determined according to the position where the specific target exists. Specifically, the illuminance setting unit 42 first determines the specific individual area R1 based on the existing position of the oncoming vehicle 100 that is the specific target. For example, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the specific individual region R1 based on the position information of the oncoming vehicle 100 included in the detection result of the tracking unit 40. Regarding the setting of the specific individual region R1, for example, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets a predetermined value for the horizontal distance a (see FIG. 3) between the two light spots 102 corresponding to the headlight of the oncoming vehicle 100. The vertical distance b of the ratio is determined, and the individual region R overlapping the dimension range of horizontal a × vertical b is defined as the specific individual region R1 (see FIG. 3). The specific individual region R1 includes the individual region R overlapping with the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

  Then, the illuminance setting unit 42 determines the specific illuminance value for the specific individual region R1. For example, the specific illuminance value 0 is set. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 forms a predetermined light distribution pattern in the individual regions R other than the specific individual region R1 according to the switching control of the light distribution pattern by the switching control unit 44. Further, the illuminance setting unit 42 recognizes the displacement of the specific individual region R1 based on the detection result of the tracking unit 40, and updates the position information of the specific individual region R1. Then, the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated is updated. The processing by the tracking unit 40 and the processing by the illuminance setting unit 42 are executed in parallel at least temporarily.

  As described above, the vehicular lamp system 1 according to the present embodiment includes the imaging unit 12, the brightness analysis unit 14, the illuminance setting unit 42, the lamp unit 62, the light source control unit 20, and the switching control unit. 44. The brightness analysis unit 14 detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the vehicle based on the information obtained from the imaging unit 12. The illuminance setting unit 42 determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14. The light source control unit 20 controls the lamp unit 62 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. As a result, the vehicular lamp system 1 can form a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. The vehicular lamp system 1 can also form a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14.

  Then, the switching control unit 44 determines the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the luminance detected by the luminance analysis unit 14, and each individual region R also depends on the detected luminance. Light distribution pattern to be formed between the second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set and is different from the first light distribution pattern, or the second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the detected brightness. Switch. As a result, it is possible to form an optimal light distribution pattern according to the situation, and thus it is possible to improve driving safety.

  Further, in the light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set depending on the brightness, a relatively low illuminance value is set and detected in the individual region R having the relatively low brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. A high-contrast light distribution pattern in which a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual regions R having relatively high brightness, or the brightness of each individual region R so that the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 has the same value. It is a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern in which an illuminance value is set. According to these, the driver can easily recognize the target existing in front of the own vehicle. Therefore, driving safety can be further improved.

  In addition, the switching control unit 44 dynamically switches the formed light distribution pattern according to the surroundings of the vehicle or the state of the driver. For example, the switching control unit 44 switches the light distribution pattern based on the information obtained from the car navigation system 70 or the driver camera 72 that images the driver. Alternatively, the switching control unit 44 switches the light distribution pattern based on the driver's operation. Also by these, driving safety can be improved.

(Embodiment 9)
The vehicular lamp system according to the ninth embodiment has the same configuration as the vehicular lamp system according to the eighth embodiment, except that the lamp part 62 includes another light source part in addition to the light source part 10. Hereinafter, the vehicle lamp system according to the ninth embodiment will be described focusing on the configuration different from that of the eighth embodiment, and common configurations will be briefly described or description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicular lamp system according to the ninth embodiment. In FIG. 17, similar to FIG. 16, some of the constituent elements of the vehicular lamp system are drawn as functional blocks. The vehicle lamp system 1 (1B) includes a lamp unit 62, an imaging unit 12, and a control device 50. The lamp unit 62 has a lamp unit 60 as another light source unit in addition to the light source unit 10. The lamp unit 60 may form a conventionally known low-beam light distribution pattern, high-beam light distribution pattern, or the like as a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. it can. Hereinafter, the light distribution pattern formed by the lamp unit 60 will be referred to as a normal light distribution pattern as appropriate.

  The illuminance setting unit 42 determines a high-contrast light distribution pattern and a brightness uniformized light distribution pattern as a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. The illuminance setting unit 42 transmits a signal indicating the illuminance value of each individual region R to the light source control unit 20. The light source control unit 20 controls the light source unit 10 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42. As a result, a high-contrast light distribution pattern or a uniform brightness light distribution pattern is formed.

  The switching control unit 44 depends on the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14 and the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. Between the illuminance value of each individual region R and different from the first light distribution pattern, or between the second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. Then, the light distribution pattern to be formed is switched. The switching control unit 44 transmits a signal instructing switching of the light distribution pattern to the illuminance setting unit 42.

  When the light distribution pattern formed after switching is a light distribution pattern that depends on the detected brightness, the illuminance setting unit 42 sets the illuminance value of each individual region R and transmits the illuminance value signal to the light source control unit 20. When the light distribution pattern formed after the switching is a light distribution pattern that does not depend on the detected brightness, the illuminance setting unit 42 transmits a signal instructing the lighting of the lamp unit 60 to the light source control unit 20. The light source control unit 20 controls the light source unit 10 based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42, or turns off the light source unit 10 and turns on the lamp unit 60. The lamp unit 60 may be used as a light source for irradiating light to the individual region R in which a relatively low illuminance value is set in the high-contrast light distribution pattern. As a result, even if the illuminance of each individual region R in the high-contrast light distribution pattern is polarized, it is possible to suppress a reduction in the visibility of the driver in the individual region R with low illuminance.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described eighth and ninth embodiments, and it is possible to combine the respective embodiments and to make various modifications such as design changes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. New embodiments obtained by such combination or modification are also included in the scope of the present invention. Such a new embodiment has the effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications.

  In the eighth and ninth embodiments, the image pickup unit 12, the brightness analysis unit 14, the lamp control unit 18, and the light source control unit 20 are provided inside the lamp chamber 8, but each is appropriately provided outside the lamp chamber 8. Good. The light source unit 10 may include a scanning optical system that scans the front of the vehicle with the light source light, or an LED array in which LEDs corresponding to the individual regions R are arranged, instead of the optical deflecting device 26 that is the DMD.

  The relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value when forming the brightness uniformized light distribution pattern may be as follows. 14A to 14C are diagrams showing another example of the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the luminance uniformized light distribution pattern. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the set illuminance value is continuously and linearly changed with respect to the detected luminance value. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this relationship, and the set illuminance value may be changed stepwise with respect to the detected luminance value, as shown in FIGS. Further, as shown in FIG. 14C, the set illuminance value may be changed in a curve with respect to the detected brightness value. Note that although an upwardly convex curve is illustrated in FIG. 14C, a downwardly convex curve may be used.

  The relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern may be as follows. 7A to 7C are diagrams showing another example of the relationship between the detected luminance value and the set illuminance value when forming the high-contrast light distribution pattern. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 4B, the set illuminance value is continuously and linearly changed with respect to the detected brightness value. However, the setting illuminance value may be changed stepwise with respect to the detected luminance value as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, without being limited to this relationship. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the set illuminance value may be changed in a curve with respect to the detected brightness value. Note that in FIG. 7C, an upwardly convex curve is illustrated, but a downwardly convex curve may be used. Further, the relationship between the detected brightness value and the coefficient is the same as the relationship between the detected brightness value and the set illuminance value, and is therefore obvious without being shown.

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

A brightness analysis unit 14 that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging unit 12 that images the front of the own vehicle.
An illuminance setting unit 42 that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit 14,
A light source control unit 20 for controlling a lamp unit 62 having at least a light source unit 10 capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each individual region R based on the illuminance value set by the illuminance setting unit 42;
The first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14, and the illuminance of each individual region R depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. A light distribution formed between the second light distribution pattern in which the value is set and is different from the first light distribution pattern, or the illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit 14. A switching control unit 44 for switching patterns,
A control device 50 for the vehicle lighting device 2, comprising:

A step of detecting the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions R arranged in front of the own vehicle based on information obtained from the image capturing unit 12 that images the front of the own vehicle;
Determining the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the detected brightness;
Controlling the lamp unit 62 having at least the light source unit 10 capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light with which each individual region R is irradiated, based on the determined illuminance value;
What is the first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the detected brightness and the first illuminance pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region R is set depending on the detected brightness Switching a light distribution pattern to be formed between a second light distribution pattern having an illuminance value which is different or does not depend on the detected brightness;
A method of controlling the vehicle lighting device 2, including:

1 vehicle lighting system, 2 vehicle lighting, 10 light source section, 12 imaging section, 14 brightness analysis section, 16 situation analysis section, 20 light source control section, 42 illuminance setting section, 44 switching control section, 46 pattern formation control section, 50 control device, 62 lighting part, 70 car navigation system, 72 driver camera, 74 light switch,
R Individual area.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to a vehicle lighting system, a vehicle lighting control device, and a vehicle lighting control method.

Claims (29)

An imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle,
Based on the information obtained from the imaging unit, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit, an illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region is irradiated,
A light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light radiated to each of the plurality of individual regions,
A light source control unit that controls the light source unit based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit;
Equipped with
The illuminance setting unit sets a relatively low illuminance value to an individual region in which the detected brightness is relatively low in the individual region in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is included in a predetermined range, and detects the brightness. A vehicular lamp system, wherein a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual area having a relatively high brightness.   The illuminance setting unit sets a predetermined coefficient for each individual area according to the magnitude of the detected luminance value, and sets the illuminance value by multiplying the set coefficient by a predetermined reference illuminance value. The vehicle lighting system according to.   The illuminance setting unit, for each individual region, sets a predetermined coefficient according to the magnitude of the detected brightness value, and calculates a new illuminance value by multiplying the current illuminance value by the set coefficient, and calculated. The current illuminance value is updated to the calculated illuminance value when the illuminance value is equal to or higher than a predetermined lower limit value, and the current illuminance value is maintained when the calculated illuminance value is lower than the lower limit value. Vehicle lighting system. Further comprising another light source unit controlled independently of the light source unit,
The vehicular lamp system according to claim 1, wherein at least the other light source unit irradiates light to an individual area in which a relatively low illuminance value is set by the illuminance setting unit. A brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of a plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the own vehicle, based on information obtained from an imaging unit that images the front of the own vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit, an illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region is irradiated,
Based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit, a light source control unit that controls a light source unit that can independently adjust the illuminance of the light with which each individual region is irradiated,
Equipped with
The illuminance setting unit sets a relatively low illuminance value to an individual region in which the detected brightness is relatively low in the individual region in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is included in a predetermined range, and detects the brightness. A control device for a vehicle lamp, wherein a relatively high illuminance value is set in the individual area having the relatively high brightness. A step of detecting the brightness of each of the plurality of individual areas arranged in front of the own vehicle, based on information obtained from an image capturing unit that images the front of the own vehicle;
Based on the detected brightness, the step of determining the illuminance value of the light to illuminate each individual area,
Based on the determined illuminance value, a step of controlling the light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of the light irradiating each individual region,
Including,
In the step of determining the illuminance value, for the individual areas in which the detected brightness is included in a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and the detected brightness A relatively high illuminance value is set in an individual area having a relatively high value. An imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle,
Based on the information obtained from the imaging unit, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit, an illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region is irradiated,
A lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each of the plurality of individual regions,
A light source control unit that controls the lamp unit based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit,
Regarding the individual areas in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is within a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and the detected brightness is relatively low. A light distribution pattern to be formed is periodically formed between a first light distribution pattern in which a relatively high illuminance value is set in the high individual area and a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. A pattern formation control unit that switches and causes a driver to visually recognize a third light distribution pattern formed by combining the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern;
A vehicle lamp system comprising: Based on the information obtained from the imaging unit, further comprises a situation analysis unit for detecting the situation in front of the vehicle,
The vehicular lamp system according to claim 7, wherein the pattern formation control unit forms the first light distribution pattern while the imaging unit is imaging the front of the vehicle.   The said 2nd light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern which raises the brightness | luminance of the individual area | region which is less than the predetermined brightness visible to the driver in the said 1st light distribution pattern in the said 3rd light distribution pattern. The vehicle lighting system described.   The said 2nd light distribution pattern is a light distribution pattern which reduces the brightness | luminance of the individual area | region which is more than predetermined brightness which a driver receives glare in the said 1st light distribution pattern in the said 3rd light distribution pattern. 9. The vehicle lighting system according to any one of 9 above.   The pattern formation control unit forms the first to third light distribution patterns in individual regions in a predetermined position range, and a fourth illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 7, wherein the light distribution pattern is formed in another individual area. A brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of a plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the own vehicle, based on information obtained from an imaging unit that images the front of the own vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit, an illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region is irradiated,
Based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit, a light source control unit for controlling a lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each individual region,
Regarding the individual areas in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is within a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and the detected brightness is relatively low. A light distribution pattern to be formed is periodically formed between a first light distribution pattern in which a relatively high illuminance value is set in the high individual area and a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern. A pattern formation control unit that switches and causes a driver to visually recognize a third light distribution pattern formed by combining the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern;
A control device for a vehicular lamp, comprising: A step of detecting the brightness of each of the plurality of individual areas arranged in front of the own vehicle, based on information obtained from an image capturing unit that images the front of the own vehicle;
Based on the detected brightness, the step of determining the illuminance value of the light to illuminate each individual area,
Based on the determined illuminance value, a step of controlling a lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each individual region,
Regarding the individual areas where the detected brightness is within a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set for the individual areas where the detected brightness is relatively low, and relatively for the individual areas where the detected brightness is relatively high. A light distribution pattern to be formed is periodically switched between a first light distribution pattern obtained by setting a high illuminance value and a second light distribution pattern different from the first light distribution pattern, and the first light distribution pattern is formed. A step of allowing a driver to visually recognize a third light distribution pattern formed by combining the light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern,
A method for controlling a vehicular lamp, comprising: An imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle,
Based on the information obtained from the imaging unit, a situation analysis unit that detects the situation in front of the vehicle,
An illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light to be irradiated to each individual area, based on the brightness of each of the individual areas arranged in front of the vehicle,
A lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each of the plurality of individual regions,
A light source control unit that controls the lamp unit based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit,
While the imaging unit is imaging the front of the vehicle, a first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual area is set depending on the brightness of each individual area is formed, and at other times the first light distribution pattern is formed. A pattern formation control unit that forms a second light distribution pattern different from the light distribution pattern and allows a driver to visually recognize a third light distribution pattern obtained by combining the first light distribution pattern and the second light distribution pattern. When,
A vehicle lamp system comprising: An imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle,
Based on the information obtained from the imaging unit, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit, an illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region is irradiated,
A lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each of the plurality of individual regions,
A light source control unit that controls the lamp unit based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit,
For the individual areas in the predetermined position range, a first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual area is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is formed, and for the other individual areas. A pattern formation control unit that forms a second light distribution pattern in which an illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit;
A vehicle lamp system comprising: The first light distribution pattern is
Regarding the individual areas in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is within a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and the detected brightness is relatively low. A light distribution pattern in which a relatively high illuminance value is set in the high individual area, or
It is a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region is set so that the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit has the same value for the individual region where the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is within a predetermined range. Item 15. The vehicle lighting system according to Item 15.   17. The pattern formation control unit forms the first light distribution pattern in an individual area located below a horizontal line, and forms the second light distribution pattern in an individual area located above a horizontal line. The vehicle lighting system described. The pattern formation control unit,
The first light distribution pattern is formed in an individual region outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with a lateral region excluding the sky above the vehicle,
The second light distribution pattern is formed in an individual area overlapping the sky above the vehicle,
The vehicular lamp system according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the first light distribution pattern or the second light distribution pattern is formed in an individual area overlapping the traveling road surface.   The pattern formation control unit sets an individual area for forming the first light distribution pattern and an individual area for forming the second light distribution pattern according to the state of the vehicle or the surrounding environment. The vehicle lighting system described. When the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, the pattern formation control unit forms the first light distribution pattern in an individual area overlapping the traveling road surface, and forms the second light distribution pattern in another individual area. ,
When the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed, the first light distribution pattern is formed in an individual area outside the traveling road surface and overlapping with a lateral area excluding the sky above the vehicle, and the second light distribution is provided in another individual area. The vehicular lamp system according to claim 19, which forms a light pattern. A brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of a plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the own vehicle, based on information obtained from an imaging unit that images the front of the own vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit, an illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region is irradiated,
Based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit, a light source control unit for controlling a lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each individual region,
For the individual areas in the predetermined position range, a first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual area is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is formed, and for the other individual areas. A pattern formation control unit that forms a second light distribution pattern in which an illuminance value is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit;
A control device for a vehicular lamp, comprising: A step of detecting the brightness of each of the plurality of individual areas arranged in front of the own vehicle, based on information obtained from an image capturing unit that images the front of the own vehicle;
Based on the detected brightness, the step of determining the illuminance value of the light to illuminate each individual area,
Based on the determined illuminance value, a step of controlling a lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each individual region,
The first light distribution pattern obtained by setting the illuminance value of each individual area depending on the detected brightness is formed for the individual area in the predetermined position range, and the other individual areas are detected. Forming a second light distribution pattern obtained by setting the illuminance value independently of the brightness;
A method for controlling a vehicular lamp, comprising: An imaging unit that images the front of the vehicle,
Based on the information obtained from the imaging unit, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit, an illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region is irradiated,
A lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each of the plurality of individual regions,
A light source control unit that controls the lamp unit based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit,
The first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual area is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit, and the illuminance value of each individual area depends on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. A light distribution pattern that is set and is different from the first light distribution pattern or is formed between the second light distribution pattern and the illuminance value that is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. A switching control unit for switching between
A vehicle lamp system comprising: The light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set depending on the brightness is
Regarding the individual areas in which the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is within a predetermined range, a relatively low illuminance value is set in the individual area in which the detected brightness is relatively low, and the detected brightness is relatively low. A light distribution pattern in which a relatively high illuminance value is set in the high individual area, or
It is a light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual region is set so that the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit has the same value for the individual region where the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit is within a predetermined range. Item 23. The vehicle lamp system according to Item 23.   The vehicular lamp system according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the switching control unit dynamically switches the light distribution pattern in accordance with a surrounding condition of the own vehicle or a driver's condition.   The vehicle lighting system according to claim 25, wherein the switching control unit switches the light distribution pattern based on information obtained from a car navigation system or a camera that images a driver.   The vehicle lighting system according to any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein the switching control unit switches the light distribution pattern based on a driver's operation. Based on the information obtained from the imaging unit that images the front of the own vehicle, a brightness analysis unit that detects the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the own vehicle,
Based on the detection result of the brightness analysis unit, an illuminance setting unit that determines the illuminance value of the light with which each individual region is irradiated,
Based on the illuminance value determined by the illuminance setting unit, a light source control unit for controlling a lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each individual region,
The first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual area is set depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit, and the illuminance value of each individual area depends on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. A light distribution pattern that is set and is different from the first light distribution pattern or is formed between the second light distribution pattern and the illuminance value that is set without depending on the brightness detected by the brightness analysis unit. A switching control unit for switching between
A control device for a vehicular lamp, comprising: A step of detecting the brightness of each of the plurality of individual regions arranged in front of the own vehicle, based on information obtained from an image capturing unit that images the front of the own vehicle;
Based on the detected brightness, the step of determining the illuminance value of the light to illuminate each individual area,
Based on the determined illuminance value, a step of controlling a lamp unit having at least a light source unit capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of light applied to each individual region,
A first light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value of each individual area is set depending on the detected brightness, and an illuminance value of each individual area is set in accordance with the detected brightness and is different from the first light distribution pattern Or switching the light distribution pattern to be formed between the second light distribution pattern in which the illuminance value is set independently of the detected brightness,
A method for controlling a vehicular lamp, comprising: