WO2023166696A1

WO2023166696A1 - Headlight control device and headlight control method

Info

Publication number: WO2023166696A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/009345
Authority: WO
Inventors: 悠希住吉; 尚嘉竹裏
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2022-03-04
Filing date: 2022-03-04
Publication date: 2023-09-07
Also published as: JPWO2023166696A1

Abstract

The present invention comprises: an orientation detection unit (14) that detects the orientation of a driver; an orientation assessment unit (15) that assesses whether the driver is facing left or right on the basis of the orientation of the driver; an obstacle presence/absence assessment unit (16) that, if it is assessed by the orientation assessment unit (15) that the driver is facing left or right, assesses whether or not an obstacle is presumed to be present in the direction in which the driver is facing on the basis of the orientation of the driver and distance data relating to the distance to an object outside a vehicle; an irradiation range determination unit (17, 17a) that determines the irradiation range of light by a headlight (2) provided in the vehicle (100), on the basis of the orientation of the driver, the result of assessing whether the driver is facing left or right, and the result of assessing whether an obstacle is presumed to be present in the direction in which the driver is facing; and a headlight control unit (18) that causes the headlight (2) to irradiate the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit (17, 17a) with light.

Description

HEADLIGHT CONTROL DEVICE AND HEADLIGHT CONTROL METHOD

The present disclosure relates to a headlight control device and a headlight control method.

Conventionally, in the lighting control of headlights in a vehicle, in order to improve the visibility of the driver, based on the direction the driver is facing, so that the light of the headlights is emitted in the direction the driver is facing. A technique for changing the illumination range of headlights in the left-right direction and the up-down direction as viewed from a vehicle is known (for example, Patent Document 1).
By the way, in general, when headlight lighting control is performed in a vehicle, it is preferable to illuminate the area below the cut-off line with a low beam so as not to cause so-called glare to pedestrians.

JP 2009-120148 A

In order to improve the visibility of the driver in the headlight lighting control based on the direction the driver is facing, it is necessary to prevent the driver from overlooking an object to be visually recognized in the direction the driver is facing. It is preferable that the light is emitted over a wide range in the left-right direction and the up-down direction as viewed from the vehicle.
However, if there are no obstacles in the direction the driver is facing that would hide the object that the driver should be visually recognizing, the driver will not be able to see the object even if the light is only directed downwards as seen from the vehicle. Visible. Here, when there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, if the headlights are controlled to emit light upward as viewed from the vehicle, the driver's visibility is not affected. Regardless, unnecessary glare may be given to objects to be visually recognized by the driver.
The prior art does not take this into account. That is, in the prior art, in the headlight lighting control based on the direction in which the driver is facing, consideration is given to whether or not the situation in the direction in which the driver is facing can hide the object to be visually recognized by the driver. There was a problem that lighting control was not performed.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the problems described above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a headlight control device capable of performing lighting control considering whether or not an object to be visually recognized can be hidden.

The headlight control device according to the present disclosure includes an orientation detection unit that detects the orientation of the driver based on a captured image of the driver of the vehicle, and based on the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit, detects the orientation of the driver. A direction determination unit that determines whether the driver is facing left or right, and if the direction determination unit determines that the driver is facing left or right, the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit and distance data on the distance to the object outside the vehicle measured by a sensor that detects the object. The presence/absence determination unit, the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit, the determination result of whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward determined by the direction determination unit, and the driver determined by the obstacle presence/absence determination unit Based on the determination result of whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the is facing, the irradiation range determination unit that determines the irradiation range of the light from the headlights provided in the vehicle, and the headlights and a headlight control section for irradiating the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination section with light.

According to the present disclosure, in headlight lighting control in a vehicle based on the direction in which the driver is facing, is the situation in the direction in which the driver is facing possible to hide an object to be visually recognized by the driver? Lighting control can be performed in consideration of

1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a headlight control device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining an example of a method of calculating a front direction range by an orientation determination unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method of determining whether or not an obstacle is estimated to be present in the direction a driver is facing, by an obstacle presence/absence determination unit in Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit in Embodiment 1, and is a diagram of a lane in which the vehicle is traveling viewed from the left side of the vehicle. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determining unit in Embodiment 1, and is a bird's-eye view of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit in Embodiment 1, and is a diagram showing a situation in front of the vehicle as seen from the driver inside the vehicle. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining another example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit in Embodiment 1, and is a diagram of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling viewed from the left side of the vehicle. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determining unit in Embodiment 1, and is a bird's-eye view of the lane on which the vehicle is traveling. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining another example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit in Embodiment 1, and is a diagram showing a situation in front of the vehicle as viewed from the driver inside the vehicle. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the headlight control device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the process of step ST5 in FIG. 10; FIG. 12A and 12B are diagrams showing examples of hardware configurations of a headlight control device according to Embodiment 1 and a headlight control device according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a headlight control device according to Embodiment 2; 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the headlight control device according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the process of step ST5a in FIG. 14; FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a headlight control device 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG.
In Embodiment 1, it is assumed that headlight control device 1 is mounted on vehicle 100 .
The headlight control device 1 performs lighting control of the headlights 2 provided in the vehicle 100 based on the orientation of the driver of the vehicle 100 . In Embodiment 1, the "orientation of the driver's vehicle" is represented by the orientation of the driver's face or the direction of the driver's line of sight.
In Embodiment 1, the lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the direction of the driver performed by the headlight control device 1 is performed on the left and right of the road on which the vehicle 100 travels, such as a parking lot at night or an urban area at night. This is assumed to occur when the headlights 2 are turned on in a location where there are many parked vehicles and the vehicle 100 is traveling at a relatively low speed.
The headlight control device 1 controls the lighting of the headlights 2 depending on whether the driver is facing forward, left, or right. control. In the following description, the term "frontal direction" refers to a range horizontally extended by a predetermined distance from the front of the driver. The range of the front direction, the range of the driver facing left, and the range of the driver facing right will be described later.

When the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the headlight control device 1 controls the headlights 2 depending on whether it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing. A range to be irradiated with light (hereinafter referred to as “irradiation range”) is determined. The headlight control device 1 performs lighting control of the headlights 2 so that the determined irradiation range is irradiated with light.
In the first embodiment, when an obstacle exists in the direction in which the driver is facing, the presence of the obstacle hides the object that the driver should visually recognize from the driver's perspective. A static object having a size that makes it difficult to visually recognize the object is assumed. As a specific example, in Embodiment 1, the obstacles are assumed to be parked vehicles, roadside trees, signboards, or the like. In the first embodiment, the object to be visually recognized by the driver may suddenly enter the travel route of the vehicle 100 while the driver is driving the vehicle 100, and the driver will not cause an unexpected situation. It assumes an object (mainly a moving object) that needs to be paid attention to. Specifically, in Embodiment 1, the target to be visually recognized is assumed to be a pedestrian.

The headlight control device 1 is connected to the headlight 2, imaging device 3, and obstacle detection sensor 4. A headlight 2 , an imaging device 3 , and an obstacle detection sensor 4 are provided in a vehicle 100 .

The headlight 2 is a lighting fixture that illuminates the front of the vehicle 100 . Since the headlight 2 is a general headlight capable of emitting high beam, low beam, and auxiliary light, a detailed description of a configuration example will be omitted. The headlight 2 includes a left light 21 mounted on the left side of the vehicle 100 with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, and a right light 22 mounted on the right side of the vehicle 100 with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle 100. . The left light 21 is composed of a high beam unit 211 for illuminating distant objects, a low beam unit 212 for illuminating near objects, and an auxiliary light unit 213 . The right light 22 is composed of a high beam unit 221 for illuminating distant objects, a low beam unit 222 for illuminating near objects, and an auxiliary light unit 223 .
The

high beam units

211 and 221, the

low beam units

212 and 222, and the

auxiliary light units

213 and 223 are each composed of a light source (not shown) such as a plurality of LED light sources arranged in an array, and each light source is individually It can be lit.
In Embodiment 1, being arranged in an array means that the light sources are arranged in a line in the width direction of vehicle 100 . By turning on each light source, a high beam, a low beam, or auxiliary light is emitted to the area in front of the vehicle 100 .

In Embodiment 1, the area in front of the vehicle 100 where the

high beam units

211 and 221 can irradiate the high beam is called "high beam irradiation area". How far in front of the vehicle 100 the high-beam irradiable area is, and what range of the area is determined in advance according to the specifications of the high-

beam units

211 and 221 and the like. In the first embodiment, a region in front of the vehicle 100 where the

low beam units

212 and 222 can irradiate the low beam is referred to as a "low beam irradiable region". How far in front of the vehicle 100 the low-beam irradiable area is, and what range of the area is determined in advance according to the specifications of the low-

beam units

212 and 222 and the like. In Embodiment 1, an area in front of the vehicle 100 where the auxiliary

light units

213 and 223 can irradiate auxiliary light is referred to as an "area capable of being irradiated with auxiliary light". How far in front of the vehicle 100 the fill-light irradiation possible area is, and what range of the area is determined in advance according to the specifications of the fill-in

light units

213 and 223 and the like.

The headlight control device 1 according to Embodiment 1 performs control to irradiate or block high beam, low beam, or auxiliary light by turning on or off each light source.
Note that the headlight control device 1 can not only turn on and off each light source, but also control the amount of light when the light source is turned on.

The imaging device 3 is a camera or the like installed in the vehicle 100 for the purpose of monitoring the inside of the vehicle 100, and is installed so as to be capable of imaging at least the driver's face. The imaging device 3 outputs the captured image to the headlight control device 1 . The imaging device 3 is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction, for example, near the steering wheel or at the center of the dashboard. In addition, in Embodiment 1, the “center” is not limited to being strictly the center, and includes approximately the center.
The imaging device 3 is, for example, a camera using a semiconductor imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) imaging device or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imaging device.
The imaging device 3 is, for example, shared with an imaging device of a so-called “Driver Monitoring System (DMS)” mounted on the vehicle 100 to monitor the condition of the driver in the vehicle 100. may

The obstacle detection sensor 4 is a sensor that detects objects existing around the vehicle 100 . The obstacle detection sensor 4 acquires data on the distance to an object outside the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "distance data"). The obstacle detection sensor 4 is assumed to be, for example, a millimeter wave radar.
The obstacle detection sensor 4 transmits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle 100 and receives reflected waves of the radio waves reflected by objects. The obstacle detection sensor 4 can detect the presence of an object associated with the reflected wave, the distance to the object, the shape of the object, etc. based on the time from when the radio wave is transmitted to when the reflected wave is received. can. The distance data acquired by the obstacle detection sensor 4 includes data regarding the presence of an object, the distance to the object, the shape of the object, and the like. The radio waves are emitted to a plurality of areas within a predetermined range around the vehicle 100, and the distance data includes the existence of objects and distances to the objects corresponding to the number of areas to which the radio waves are emitted. It contains data related to the distance and the shape of the object.
The obstacle detection sensor 4 outputs the acquired distance data to the headlight control device 1 .

The headlight control device 1 includes a headlight determination unit 11, a driving location determination unit 12, a control start determination unit 13, an orientation detection unit 14, an orientation determination unit 15, an obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, an irradiation range determination unit 17, and A headlight control unit 18 is provided.

The headlight determination unit 11 acquires information about the vehicle 100 (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle information”) from various sensors provided on the vehicle 100 . Various sensors are, for example, a headlight switch, a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, or a shift position sensor. The vehicle information includes information indicating the state of the headlights 2 and vehicle speed information. The headlight determination unit 11 determines whether the headlights 2 are on or off based on the acquired vehicle information.
The headlight determination unit 11 outputs a determination result as to whether the headlight 2 is on or off (hereinafter referred to as “headlight state determination result”) to the control start determination unit 13 . The headlight determination unit 11 outputs the vehicle information to the control start determination unit 13 together with the headlight state determination result.

The travel location determination unit 12 acquires information related to the current location of the vehicle 100 (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle location related information”) from a location information acquisition device (not shown), and determines the location where the vehicle 100 is currently traveling. judge. The position information acquisition device is, for example, a navigation device mounted on the vehicle 100, a locator, an external camera that captures an image in front of the vehicle 100, or a map database. The vehicle position-related information can specify the location where the vehicle 100 is traveling, such as current position information of the vehicle 100, map information, or an image captured in front of the vehicle 100 (hereinafter referred to as a "front image"). information. The map information includes information indicating facilities such as parking lots, intersections, railroad crossings, road types (city roads, expressways, etc.), and the like.
For example, various sensors from which the headlight determination unit 11 acquires vehicle information and the position information acquisition device may be a common device. , information indicating the state of the headlights 2, vehicle speed information, current position information of the vehicle 100, and map information.

Driving location determination unit 12 outputs information about the location where vehicle 100 is currently traveling (hereinafter referred to as “driving location information”) to control start determination unit 13 . The travel location information includes, for example, information that can identify the type of location where vehicle 100 is currently traveling, such as a parking lot, or the address of the location where vehicle 100 is currently traveling. The type of location where the vehicle 100 is currently traveling includes information indicating the type of road on which the vehicle 100 is currently traveling, such as a city road.
The travel location determination unit 12 outputs the vehicle position-related information together with the travel location information to the control start determination unit 13 .

The control start determination unit 13 turns on the headlights 2 based on the direction of the driver based on the headlight state determination result output from the headlight determination unit 11 and the driving location information output from the driving location determination unit 12. Determine whether to start control.
Specifically, the control start determination unit 13 compares the headlight state determination result and the driving location information with preset conditions (hereinafter referred to as “control start determination conditions”) to determine the direction of the driver. It is determined whether or not to start the lighting control of the headlights 2 based on. A condition for starting lighting control of the headlight 2 is set in the control start determination condition. The control start determination condition is created in advance by an administrator or the like and stored in a location that can be referred to by the control start determination unit 13 .

In Embodiment 1, the following conditions are set as the control start determination conditions.
"Meet the following (1) and (2).
(1) The headlights must be on.
(2) The place where the vehicle is traveling is defined in advance as a place where headlight lighting control is performed based on the direction of the driver. ”

It should be noted that the 'place where headlight lighting control is performed based on the direction of the driver (hereinafter referred to as 'application place')' is defined in advance by an administrator or the like.
The application location is defined as a location, such as a “parking lot” or a “town road”, where many vehicles are assumed to be parked on the left and right sides of the road on which the vehicle 100 travels. The applicable location may be defined by the type of applicable location, or may be defined by a specific address.

Also, the above-described control start determination condition is merely an example. For example, in addition to the conditions (1) and (2) above, the conditions for determining the start of control may include the condition that (3) the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a preset threshold value. .

The control start determination unit 13 determines to start lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the direction of the driver when the conditions for control start determination are satisfied. If the control start determination condition is not satisfied, the control start determination unit 13 determines not to start the lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the direction of the driver.
When the control start determination unit 13 determines to start the lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the orientation of the driver, the control start determination unit 13 sends information instructing the start of control (hereinafter referred to as “control start instruction”) to the orientation detection unit 14 and the irradiator. Output to range determination unit 17 . The control start determination unit 13 also outputs vehicle information and vehicle position-related information to the irradiation range determination unit 17 .

When control start determination information is output from the control start determination unit 13 , the direction detection unit 14 detects the direction of the driver based on the captured image acquired from the imaging device 3 .
The direction detection unit 14 uses a known image recognition technology to detect the direction of the driver, in other words, the direction of the driver's face or line of sight. The image recognition technology for detecting the direction of a person's face from a captured image of a person's face and the image recognition technology for detecting the line-of-sight direction from a captured image of a person's face are well-known technologies. , detailed description is omitted. In Embodiment 1, for example, the orientation detection unit 14 detects the orientation of the driver with reference to the center of the driver's head. Since the installation position and the angle of view of the imaging device 3 are known in advance, the orientation detection unit 14 can calculate the position of the center of the driver's head. The position of the center of the driver's head is one point on the real space, and is represented by coordinate values mappable on a map, for example.

In the first embodiment, the orientation of the driver is represented by a horizontal angle with respect to a straight line passing through the center of the driver's head and a point in front of the center of the head. In Embodiment 1, it is assumed that the driver can turn left and right with the center of the driver's head as a reference.
Specifically, the orientation of the driver is defined as the reference (0 degrees) when the driver is facing forward with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, and from the state in which the driver is facing the front with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle 100. It is expressed as an angle that becomes a larger value as it turns to the right. The value of the driver's direction becomes smaller as the driver turns left with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 from the state in which the driver faces the front. In addition, in Embodiment 1, the front is not strictly limited to being directly in front, but includes substantially in front.
The orientation detection unit 14 outputs the detected orientation of the driver to the orientation determination unit 15 .

The orientation determination unit 15 determines whether the driver is facing left or right based on the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 .
The orientation determination unit 15 determines whether the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is directed to the right rather than to the right end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, the so-called lane). If so, it is determined that the driver is facing the right direction, and the driver is facing the left end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, the so-called lane). is also facing left, it is determined that the driver is facing left.

Determination of whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward by the direction determination unit 15 will be described in detail.

The direction determining unit 15 first calculates a range of the driver's direction in which the driver is facing the front (hereinafter referred to as "front direction range"). In the first embodiment, the frontal direction range refers to the direction from the direction when the driver faces the left end of the lane in which vehicle 100 is traveling (the so-called lane here) to the right end of the lane. The range of the driver's orientation up to the orientation when the
The orientation determination unit 15 determines the distance from the vehicle 100 to a point in front of the vehicle 100 that the driver should visually recognize (hereinafter referred to as "visible distance"), and the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, The frontal direction range is calculated based on the width of the lane (hereinafter referred to as "lane width") and the position of the driver. It should be noted that the position of the driver is represented, for example, by the position of the center of the driver's head. The orientation determination unit 15 may acquire information regarding the position of the driver from the orientation detection unit 14 .

Here, a method for calculating the frontal direction range by the orientation determination unit 15 will be described with reference to the drawings.
2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining an example of a method for calculating the front direction range by the orientation determination unit 15 in the first embodiment.
FIG. 2A is a diagram for explaining an example of a method in which the orientation determination unit 15 calculates the frontal direction range using a fixed value of the visible distance, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for calculating a frontal direction range.
2A and 2B, the lane width of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (the so-called lane here) is a preset value. do. In the example described using FIG. 2A, the lane width is "2.5 m", and in the example described using FIG. 2B, the lane width is "3 m".
Also, in the description using FIGS. 2A and 2B, as an example, the vehicle 100 is a right-hand drive vehicle. 2A and 2B, the upward direction is the traveling direction of the vehicle 100. As shown in FIG.
For ease of explanation, the scales in FIGS. 2A and 2B are different from the actual scales.

First, with reference to FIG. 2A, an example of a method for calculating the frontal direction range by using the orientation determination unit 15 as a fixed value of the visible distance will be described.
Here, the visible distance is assumed to be 40 m, for example. When the visible distance is set to a fixed value, the visible distance is set, for example, by an administrator or the like in consideration of the distance from the vehicle 100 at which the headlights 2 can irradiate light in front of the vehicle 100. , is stored in a location that the orientation determination unit 15 can refer to.

The orientation determination unit 15 determines the horizontal distance between the driver's position and a point on the left end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, the lane is a so-called lane), and the driver's position and the vehicle 100 traveling. The horizontal distance to a point on the right end of the lane (the so-called lane here) is calculated. The orientation determination unit 15 performs known image recognition processing on the forward image included in the vehicle position-related information acquired via the control start determination unit 13 and the orientation detection unit 14, for example, so that the vehicle 100 can move. Both ends of the lane (the lane here is a so-called lane) are detected. Based on the positions of both ends of the lane in the detected front image and the position of the driver, the orientation determination unit 15 determines the position of the driver and the left end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, the lane is a so-called lane). , and the horizontal distance between the driver's position and the point on the right end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (the so-called lane here) can be calculated.
In the example shown in FIG. 2A, the orientation determination unit 15 determines the horizontal distance between the driver's position and a point on the left end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (the so-called lane here) to be 1.75 m. It is said that it was calculated as In addition, the direction determining unit 15 calculates the horizontal distance between the position of the driver and the point on the right end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (the so-called lane here) to be 1.75 m. .
In this case, the orientation determination unit 15 calculates the range of "-1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees" as the front direction range.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2B, an example of a method for calculating the frontal direction range by dynamically changing the visible distance by the orientation determination unit 15 will be described.
For example, the visible distance is calculated from the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 and the set running time as the distance that the vehicle 100 reaches after the running time has passed. Dynamically change view distance.
For example, assume that the vehicle 100 is traveling at 20 km/h. The vehicle information acquired by the orientation determination unit 15 via the control start determination unit 13 and the orientation detection unit 14 includes vehicle speed information. It is also assumed that the running time is set to 5 seconds, for example. In this case, the orientation determination unit 15 calculates the visual recognition distance as 27.8 m from the vehicle speed of 20 km/h and the running time of 5 seconds. It should be noted that, for example, the number of places after the decimal point to which the orientation determination unit 15 determines the visible distance is determined in advance.

The running time for calculating the frontal direction range may be appropriately set by the orientation determination unit 15 . For example, the orientation determination unit 15 can change the running time according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 . For example, when the vehicle 100 is traveling at 40 km/h, the direction determining unit 15 makes the traveling time longer than the traveling time when the vehicle 100 is traveling at 20 km/h, thereby increasing the visible distance. You may do so.
For example, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 is 0 km/h, the orientation determination unit 15 uses a preset initial value as the visual recognition distance.

The orientation determination unit 15 determines the position of the driver and the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, The horizontal distance between the driver's position and the rightmost point of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (the so-called lane) is measured. calculate.
In the example shown in FIG. 2B, the orientation determination unit 15 determines the horizontal distance between the driver's position and a point on the left end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, the lane is a so-called lane) to be 2.5 m, Assume that the horizontal distance between the position of the driver and a point on the right end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, the lane is a so-called lane) is calculated to be 0.5 m.
In this case, the orientation determination unit 15 calculates the range of "-5.13 degrees to +1.08 degrees" as the front direction range.

In addition, in the description using FIGS. 2A and 2B, the lane width is a preset value, but this is only an example. For example, the vehicle position-related information acquired by the orientation determination unit 15 via the control start determination unit 13 and the orientation detection unit 14 includes lane width information. You may calculate a front direction range based on.
Further, for example, the orientation determination unit 15 performs known image recognition processing on the forward image included in the vehicle position-related information, and detects lanes (here, lanes are so-called demarcation lines that separate lanes). Then, the front direction range may be calculated based on the calculated lane width.
Further, for example, the orientation determination unit 15 acquires distance data from the obstacle detection sensor 4, and determines whether the vehicle 100 is traveling based on the distance to the objects present on the left and right sides of the vehicle 100 detected based on the acquired distance data. It is also possible to calculate the width of the road on which the vehicle is moving, and use this as the lane width. Then, the orientation determination unit 15 may calculate the front direction range based on the lane width calculated based on the distance data. Note that an arrow from the obstacle detection sensor 4 to the orientation determination unit 15 is omitted in FIG.

Further, for example, the orientation determination unit 15 determines the coordinates of the center of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (herein, the lane is a so-called lane) and the coordinates of the position of the vehicle 100 (hereinafter referred to as "lane center coordinates"). (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle position coordinates"), and the difference between the value of the lane center coordinate and the value of the vehicle position coordinate is taken, and the horizontal distance from a point on the left end of the lane to the position of the vehicle 100 and the position of the vehicle 100 are obtained. The frontal direction range may be calculated by calculating the horizontal distance from one point on the right end to the position of the vehicle 100 . Note that the orientation detection unit 14 may, for example, acquire vehicle position-related information from a position information acquisition device, and specify the lane center coordinates and the vehicle position coordinates. Note that the center of the lane and the position of the vehicle 100 are one point on the real space, and are represented, for example, by mappable coordinate values on a map. Further, the lane width may be set in advance, for example, or the orientation determination unit 15 may acquire lane width information from the vehicle position-related information.
Since the correspondence relationship between the position of the vehicle 100 and the position of the driver can be known based on the information about the position of the driver acquired from the orientation detection unit 14, the orientation determination unit 15 detects the position of the vehicle 100 from one point on the left end of the lane. and the horizontal distance from one point at the right end of the lane to the position of the vehicle 100 can be calculated, the horizontal distance from one point at the left end of the lane to the driver's position and the distance from the one point at the right end of the lane to the driver's position can be calculated. horizontal distance can be calculated.
As a specific example, for example, when the lane width is preset to "3 m" and the horizontal distance between the position of the vehicle 100 and the position of the driver is "0.1 m", the orientation determination unit 15 , the horizontal distance from one point on the left end of the lane to the position of the vehicle 100 is calculated as "2.4 m", and the horizontal distance from the one point on the right end of the lane to the position of the vehicle 100 is calculated as "0.6 m". In this case, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the horizontal distance from the left edge point of the lane to the driver's position is "2.5 m", and the horizontal distance from the left edge point of the lane to the driver's position is "0.5 m". It can be calculated as follows.
Based on the calculated horizontal distance from one point on the left edge of the lane to the driver's position and the calculated horizontal distance from one point on the right edge of the lane to the driver's position, the orientation determination unit 15 uses FIGS. The frontal direction range can be calculated by the method described above.
By calculating the frontal direction range in this way, the orientation determination unit 15 can determine the direction from the front image because, for example, there are no lanes (here, lanes are so-called demarcation lines that separate lanes) or the lanes are thin. Even if the lane cannot be detected, the front direction range can be calculated.

After calculating the frontal direction range, the direction determination unit 15 compares the frontal direction range with the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 to determine whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward. .
Specifically, when the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is greater than the maximum value of the frontal direction range, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing right. In the example described above with reference to FIG. 2A, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing right when the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is greater than +1.78 degrees. judge. In the example described above with reference to FIG. 2B, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing right when the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is greater than +1.08 degrees. judge.
A case where the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 is greater than the maximum value of the front direction range means that the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 is in the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, lane It can be said that it is facing to the right rather than facing the right end of the so-called lane.

Further, when the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is smaller than the minimum value of the frontal direction range, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing left. In the example described above with reference to FIG. 2A, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing left when the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is smaller than -1.78 degrees. I judge. In the example described above with reference to FIG. 2B, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing left when the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is smaller than -5.13 degrees. I judge.
A case where the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 is smaller than the minimum value of the front direction range means that the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 is in the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, lane It can be said that it is facing left rather than facing the left end of the so-called lane.

If the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is within the frontal direction range, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing the front. In the example described above with reference to FIG. 2A, the orientation determination unit 15 detects that the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is within the range of −1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees. It is determined that the person is facing the front. In the example described above with reference to FIG. 2B, the direction determination unit 15 detects that the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 is within the range of −5.13 degrees to +1.08 degrees. It is determined that the person is facing the front.

The direction determination unit 15 determines whether the driver is facing left, right, or front (hereinafter referred to as "direction determination result"). ) is output to the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 and the irradiation range determination unit 17 . Further, the orientation determination unit 15 outputs the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 to the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 and the irradiation range determination unit 17 .

Returning to the description of the configuration example of the headlight control device 1 using FIG.
The obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 acquires the orientation determination result from the orientation determination unit 15 . The obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 also acquires distance data from the obstacle detection sensor 4 .
If the direction determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 detects the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 and the direction detected by the obstacle detection sensor 4. Based on the obtained distance data, it is determined whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing.

Here, FIG. 3 is for explaining an example of a method for determining whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, by the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 in the first embodiment. It is a diagram.
An example of a method for determining whether or not an obstacle is estimated to exist in the direction in which the driver is facing by the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .
For ease of explanation, the scale in FIG. 3 is different from the actual scale.

The obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines, for example, within a preset range (hereinafter referred to as "obstacle estimation direction range") with respect to the direction of the driver based on the direction of the driver and the distance data, and , within the range from the position of the vehicle 100 to the visible distance, when an object that satisfies a preset condition (hereinafter referred to as "obstacle estimation condition") is detected, the obstacle is detected in the direction the driver is facing. It is determined that it is estimated that there is
For the obstacle estimation condition, for example, a condition that "corresponds to the size of a general vehicle" is set. Note that this is merely an example, and for example, a specific size may be set. As the obstacle estimation condition, it is only necessary to set a condition that allows determination of an object having a size that can be regarded as an obstacle.
The obstacle estimation orientation range and the obstacle estimation conditions are stored in a location that the obstacle presence/absence determining unit 16 can refer to.

In FIG. 3, as an example, the visual recognition distance is 40m, the driver's direction is -4 degrees, and the obstacle estimation direction range is "a range of -0.5 degrees to +0.5 degrees centered on the driver's direction". there is In addition, it is assumed that the obstacle estimation condition is set to "equivalent to the size of a general vehicle". In FIG. 3, the range in the front direction is -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees.
In FIG. 3, the arrow indicates the direction of the driver, "E" indicates the direction range for obstacle estimation, and the black circle indicates the position of the object indicated by the distance data.
If the object detected in the obstacle estimation direction range corresponds to the size of a general vehicle, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines that it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing. do.
If the object detected in the obstacle estimation direction range does not correspond to the size of a general vehicle, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 does not estimate that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing. For example, it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing.

In the first embodiment, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 detects the orientation of the driver based on the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 and the distance data obtained from the obstacle detection sensor 4. It determines whether or not an obstacle is estimated to exist in the direction, and does not determine whether or not an obstacle actually exists or what kind of obstacle exists.

The obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 sends the determination result (hereinafter referred to as “obstacle presence/absence determination result”) as to whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, to the irradiation range determination unit 17. Output.

The irradiation range determination unit 17 combines the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14, the determination result of whether the driver is facing left or right, which is determined by the direction determination unit 15, and the obstacle presence/absence determination unit. 16 determines whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing.
More specifically, the irradiation range determining unit 17 determines, by the headlights 2, the range of the high beam irradiation possible region, the low beam irradiation possible region, and the auxiliary light irradiation possible region to which the light is irradiated. Determined as the irradiation range of light.
In the following description, the light irradiation range of the headlights 2 is also simply referred to as "irradiation range".

An example of a method for determining the irradiation range by the irradiation range determining unit 17 will be described.
In Embodiment 1, the irradiation range determination unit 17 does not depend on the direction of the driver. Maintain the cutoff line so that the irradiation range is below the cutoff line. When the driver is facing left or right, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the direction the driver is facing (left or right) in addition to the front direction. Determine the irradiation range in

<When the driver is facing left and it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing (hereinafter referred to as “Case A-1”)>
In this case, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the irradiation range in the direction the driver is facing (left direction). The range up to the angle minus 1 is determined as the irradiation range.
In Embodiment 1, the “vertical direction” refers to the vehicle height direction of vehicle 100 , and the “lateral direction” refers to the width direction of vehicle 100 .
Specifically, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the vertical range of the irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing (left direction), for example, with the installation position of the headlight 2 as a reference, as viewed from the installation position. Determine the range up to 〇〇 degrees above the cutoff line.
The irradiation range determining unit 17 determines the position of the headlight 2 based on the mounting position of the headlight 2, the low beam irradiation area, and the height of the pedestrian assuming that the pedestrian is in front of the vehicle 100 by a predetermined distance. determines the angle above the cutoff line based on the installation position of the headlight 2 at which the light is emitted. Note that the mounting position of the headlight 2 and the low beam irradiation area are known in advance. Also, the height of the pedestrian assuming that he or she is in front of the vehicle 100 is set in advance and stored in a location that can be referred to by the irradiation range determination unit 17 .
The irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the lateral range of the irradiation range in the direction the driver is facing (left direction), for example, the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (the lane here is the so-called lane). The range from the left end to the angle obtained by subtracting a predetermined angle from the direction of the driver is determined. In Embodiment 1, the predetermined angle subtracted from the direction of the driver is, for example, 0.5 degrees.

4, 5, and 6 are diagrams for explaining an example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit 17 in the first embodiment.
4, 5, and 6, as an example, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the irradiation range in the above-described "Case A-1".
For simplicity of explanation, the scales in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are different from the actual scales.
The vehicle 100 is now traveling in a parking lot, and in the direction the driver is facing (to the left) is a parked vehicle (indicated by "C" in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6). Suppose there is
4 is a view of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling as seen from the left side of the vehicle 100, FIG. 5 is a bird's-eye view of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling, and FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a situation ahead of a vehicle 100 when viewed from above. FIG. 6, illustration of the vehicle 100 is omitted.

For example, the mounting position of the headlight 2 in the vehicle 100 is 1.2 m above the ground (see _H1 in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6), and the

low beam units

212 and 222 of the headlight 2 are It is assumed that the low beam can illuminate 40 m ahead from the position of the vehicle 100 . In FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, _L1 indicates the irradiation range of the low beam. Also, the predetermined distance in front of the vehicle 100 where it is assumed that there is a pedestrian is 10 m, and the height of the pedestrian is 1.8 m (see _H2 in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6). do. Also, although illustration is omitted in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, it is assumed that the direction of the driver is -4 degrees. Although not shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the frontal direction range calculated by the orientation determination unit 15 is -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees.
In this case, the irradiation range determination unit 17 is configured to illuminate the whole body of the pedestrian assumed to be present in the direction the driver is facing (to the left) from the cutoff line of the low beam. , the range up to +5.2 degrees with respect to the installation position of the headlight 2 is defined as the range in the vertical direction of the irradiation range. In addition, the irradiation range determining unit 17 determines that the direction of the driver is −4 from the left end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (the so-called lane here) in the direction the driver is facing (left direction). The range up to 0.5 degrees (-4.5 degrees to -1.78 degrees) is defined as the horizontal range of the irradiation range.

The irradiation range determination unit 17 maintains the vertical cutoff line in the front direction. 1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees) is determined as the irradiation range.
As a result, the ranges indicated by _L1 and _L2 in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are determined as the irradiation range.

If it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, the pedestrian may be hidden by the obstacle from the driver's perspective, making it difficult for the driver to see the pedestrian. . Therefore, the irradiation range determining unit 17 determines the irradiation range to include the area above the cutoff line in the direction in which the driver is facing.

<When it is estimated that the driver is facing left and there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing (hereinafter referred to as “Case A-2”)>
In this case, the irradiation range determining unit 17 maintains, for example, the cutoff line in the vertical direction for the irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing (left direction). The irradiation range is determined to be below the off-line, and in the horizontal direction to an angle obtained by subtracting a predetermined angle from the direction of the driver.

7, 8, and 9 are diagrams for explaining another example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit 17 in the first embodiment.
7, 8, and 9, as an example, the irradiation range determining unit 17 determines the irradiation range in the above-described "Case A-2".
For ease of explanation, the scales in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 are different from the actual scales.
Assume that the vehicle 100 is now running in a parking lot.
7 and 4 differ only in that there is no other vehicle in the direction the driver is facing. 8 and 5 differ only in that there is no other vehicle in the direction the driver is facing. 9 and 6 differ only in that there is no other vehicle in the direction the driver is facing.
Also, although illustration is omitted in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, it is assumed that the direction of the driver is -4 degrees. Although not shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the frontal direction range calculated by the orientation determination unit 15 is -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees.

In this case, the irradiation range determining unit 17 sets the range in which the low beam cutoff line is maintained in the direction in which the driver is facing (to the left) as the vertical range of the irradiation range.
In addition, the irradiation range determining unit 17 determines that the direction of the driver is −4 from the left end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (the so-called lane here) in the direction the driver is facing (left direction). The range up to 0.5 degrees (-4.5 degrees to -1.78 degrees) is defined as the horizontal range of the irradiation range.
That is, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the irradiation range as a range that does not include the upper side of the cutoff line of the low beam but is below the cutoff line in the direction (leftward direction) in which the driver is facing.

The irradiation range determination unit 17 maintains the cutoff line in the vertical direction in the front direction. 1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees) is determined as the irradiation range.
As a result, the range indicated by _L1 in FIGS.

If it is estimated that there are no obstacles in the direction the driver is facing, it is assumed that there is a low possibility that pedestrians will be hidden by the obstacles from the driver's point of view. That is, it is assumed that the driver can visually recognize the pedestrian even if the light is applied only to the lower range where the light is applied only to the feet of the pedestrian. Therefore, the irradiation range determining unit 17 determines the irradiation range to be the area below the cutoff line, not including the area above the cutoffline, in the direction in which the driver is facing.

<Case where the driver is facing to the right and it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing (hereinafter referred to as “Case B-1”)>
In this case, the irradiation range determining unit 17 determines the irradiation range in the direction the driver is facing (right direction). The irradiation range is determined as the range up to the angle that is added by .
Specifically, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the vertical range of the irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing (right direction), for example, with the installation position of the headlight 2 as a reference, as viewed from the installation position. Determine the range up to 〇〇 degrees above the cutoff line. In addition, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the irradiation range in the horizontal direction in the irradiation range in the direction the driver is facing (right direction), for example, The range is determined from the right end of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, the lane is a so-called lane) to an angle obtained by adding a predetermined angle to the direction of the driver. In Embodiment 1, the predetermined angle plus from the direction of the driver is, for example, 0.5 degrees.

In Embodiment 1, an example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determining unit 17 in the case of "Case B-1" is, for example, "Case A -1”, an example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determining unit 17 is only a change in the direction of the driver to the right, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
For example, it is assumed that the mounting position of the headlight 2 in the vehicle 100 is 1.2 m above the ground, and the

low beam units

212 and 222 of the headlight 2 can illuminate up to 40 m ahead of the position of the vehicle 100 with low beams. do. A predetermined distance in front of the vehicle 100 where it is assumed that there is a pedestrian is 10 m, and the height of the pedestrian is 1.8 m. It is also assumed that the direction of the driver is +4 degrees. Further, the front direction range calculated by the orientation determination unit 15 is assumed to be -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees.
In this case, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the range up to +5.2 degrees with respect to the installation position of the headlight 2 upward from the low beam cutoff line in the direction the driver is facing (right direction). The range in the vertical direction of the irradiation range is defined as the range (+1.78 degrees to +4.5 degrees) is the range in the horizontal direction of the irradiation range.
The irradiation range determining unit 17 maintains the vertical cutoff line in the front direction. 78 degrees to +1.78 degrees) is determined as the irradiation range.

<When it is estimated that the driver is facing to the right and there is no obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing (hereinafter referred to as “Case B-2”)>
In this case, the irradiation range determining unit 17 maintains, for example, the cutoff line in the vertical direction for the irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing (right direction). The irradiation range is determined to be below the off-line, and in the horizontal direction to an angle obtained by adding a predetermined angle from the direction of the driver.

In Embodiment 1, an example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit 17 in the case of "Case B-2" is, for example, "Case A -2”, an example of the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit 17 is only a change in the direction of the driver to the right, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
For example, it is assumed that the mounting position of the headlight 2 in the vehicle 100 is 1.2 m above the ground, and the

low beam units

212 and 222 of the headlight 2 can illuminate up to 40 m ahead of the position of the vehicle 100 with low beams. do. A predetermined distance in front of the vehicle 100 where it is assumed that there is a pedestrian is 10 m, and the height of the pedestrian is 1.8 m. It is also assumed that the direction of the driver is +4 degrees. Further, the front direction range calculated by the orientation determination unit 15 is assumed to be -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees.
In this case, the irradiation range determining unit 17 sets the range in which the low beam cutoff line is maintained in the direction in which the driver is facing (the right direction) as the range in the vertical direction of the irradiation range. The range (+1.78 degrees to +4.5 degrees) from the right end of the lane in which 100 is traveling (the so-called lane here) to +4.5 degrees is the range in the left and right direction of the irradiation range. do.
The irradiation range determining unit 17 maintains the vertical cutoff line in the front direction. 78 degrees to +1.78 degrees) is determined as the irradiation range.

<Case where the driver is facing neither to the left nor to the right (when the driver is facing the front direction range) (hereinafter referred to as “Case C”)>
In this case, the irradiation range determination unit 17 maintains the cutoff line in the front direction so that the irradiation range of the headlights 2 does not include the area above the cutoffline and is below the cutoffline.
Specifically, for example, if the range in the front direction is -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees, the cutoff line is maintained in the vertical direction, in other words, it is below the cutoff line and does not include the area above the cutoff line, In the horizontal direction, the frontal range (-1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees) is determined as the irradiation range.

The irradiation range determination unit 17 outputs information regarding the determined irradiation range of light from the headlights 2 (hereinafter referred to as “irradiation range information”) to the headlight control unit 18 .
The irradiation range information includes, for example, information in which the irradiation range of the light from the headlight 2 is expressed as a range of angles in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the installation position of the headlight 2 .
The irradiation range determining unit 17 converts the determined irradiation range represented by the orientation of the driver into a range based on the installation position of the headlight 2 to create irradiation range information.
Since the driver's head position and the installation position of the headlight 2 are known, the irradiation range determination unit 17 can perform the conversion described above.

For example, in the case of "Case A-1", the irradiation range determination unit 17 defines the range in the vertical direction below the cutoff line, and corresponds to the range of -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees in the direction of the driver. The irradiation range (irradiation range in the front direction), which is the range in the left and right direction based on the installation position of the headlight 2, and +5.2 from the low beam cutoff line upward, based on the installation position of the headlight 2. The range in the vertical direction is defined as the range up to the degree, and the range in the horizontal direction is defined as the range based on the installation position of the headlight 2, which corresponds to the range from -4.5 to -1.78 degrees for the direction of the driver. The irradiation range information including information on the irradiation range (the irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing) is output to the headlight control unit 18 .
Since the installation position of the headlight 2 and the low beam irradiation area are known, the irradiation range determination unit 17 also converts the range below the cutoff line into an angle based on the installation position of the headlight 2. can.

Further, for example, in the case of "Case A-2", the irradiation range determination unit 17 defines the vertical range below the cutoff line, and corresponds to the range of -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees in the direction of the driver. , the irradiation range (irradiation range in the front direction) is defined as the range in the horizontal direction based on the installation position of the headlight 2, and the range below the low beam cutoff line is defined as the vertical range. The irradiation range (irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing), which corresponds to the range of directions from -4.5 to -1.78 degrees and is the range in the left and right direction based on the installation position of the headlight 2. to the headlight control unit 18.

Further, for example, in the case of “Case B-1”, the irradiation range determination unit 17 defines the vertical range below the cutoff line, and corresponds to the range of −1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees in the direction of the driver. , the irradiation range (irradiation range in the front direction), which is the range in the left and right direction based on the installation position of the headlight 2, and +5 from the low beam cutoff line upwards, based on the installation position of the headlight 2 The vertical range is the range up to 0.2 degrees, and the horizontal range is the range based on the installation position of the headlight 2, which corresponds to the range of +1.78 to +4.5 degrees of the driver's direction. The irradiation range information including information on the irradiation range (the irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing) is output to the headlight control unit 18 .

Further, for example, in the case of “Case B-2”, the irradiation range determination unit 17 defines the vertical range below the cutoff line, and corresponds to the range of −1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees in the direction of the driver. , the irradiation range (irradiation range in the front direction) is defined as the range in the horizontal direction based on the installation position of the headlight 2, and the range below the low beam cutoff line is defined as the vertical range. Information on the irradiation range (the irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing), which corresponds to the range of directions from +1.78 to +4.5 degrees and is the range in the left and right direction based on the installation position of the headlight 2. to the headlight control unit 18.

For example, in the case of “Case C”, the irradiation range determination unit 17 sets the vertical range below the cutoff line, and the headlights corresponding to the range of −1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees toward the driver. 2, is output to the headlight control unit 18.

The headlight control unit 18 causes the headlights 2 to irradiate the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit 17 .

For example, from the irradiation range determination unit 17 to the headlight control unit 18, the range in the vertical direction is below the cutoff line, and the headlight corresponds to the range of -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees in the direction of the driver. The irradiation range (irradiation range in the front direction), which is the range in the horizontal direction based on the installation position of 2, and +5.2 degrees from the low beam cutoff line, based on the installation position of the headlight 2. The range in the vertical direction is defined as the range up to and including the direction of the driver from -4.5 to -1.78 degrees, and the range based on the installation position of the headlight 2 is defined as the range in the horizontal direction. Suppose that irradiation range information including information on the irradiation range (the irradiation range in the direction the driver is facing) is output (in the case of "Case A-1" above).

In this case, the headlight control unit 18 controls the light sources of the

low beam units

212 and 222 individually within a range of −4.5 degrees to +1.78 degrees in the horizontal direction and below the cutoff line in the vertical direction. (hereinafter referred to as “first range”) is controlled to irradiate light, that is, a low beam. For example, the headlight control unit 18 controls the plurality of light sources of the

low beam units

212 and 222 to individually irradiate low beams. For example, the headlight control unit 18 controls the plurality of light sources of the

low beam units

212 and 222 to individually change the optical axis and irradiate the first range with the low beam. For example, the headlight control unit 18 may adjust the light source to be turned on among the plurality of light sources of the

low beam units

212 and 222, thereby performing control to irradiate the first range with the low beam. In Embodiment 1, adjusting the light source to be turned on means, for example, selecting a light source to be turned on from a plurality of light sources or adjusting the amount of light when the plurality of light sources are turned on.
In addition, the headlight control unit 18 has a range of -4.5 degrees to -1.78 degrees in the horizontal direction and +5.2 degrees upward from the cutoff line in the vertical direction with respect to the installation position of the headlight 2. Control is also performed to irradiate the light in a range (hereinafter referred to as a “second range”) up to the degree. For example, the headlight control unit 18 controls the plurality of light sources of the

high beam units

211 and 221 to individually change the optical axis and irradiate the high beam in the second range. For example, the headlight control unit 18 may adjust the light source to be turned on among the plurality of light sources of the

high beam units

211 and 221, thereby performing control to irradiate the second range with the high beam. For example, the headlight control unit 18 may individually change the optical axis of the plurality of light sources of the

fill light units

213 and 223 to irradiate fill light in the second range. By adjusting the light source to be turned on among the plurality of light sources of the

light units

213 and 223, control may be performed to irradiate the second range with auxiliary light.

As a result, the light emitted from the headlight 2 is emitted to the irradiation range as described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 .
When the driver is facing leftward and it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, the headlight control device 1 controls the visibility of the driver without impairing the driver's visibility due to the obstacle. This makes it easier for the driver to visually recognize a pedestrian or the like that may exist in the direction the driver is facing. In addition, the headlight control device 1 maintains a cut-off line in the front direction of the driver, so that even if a pedestrian or the like exists in the front direction, the pedestrian or the like is less likely to be glared.

Further, for example, from the irradiation range determination unit 17 to the headlight control unit 18, the range in the vertical direction is below the cutoff line, and the range corresponds to the direction of the driver from -1.78 degrees to +1.78 degrees. The irradiation range (the irradiation range in the front direction) is defined as the range in the horizontal direction based on the installation position of the headlight 2, and the range below the low beam cutoff line is defined as the vertical range. Information on the irradiation range (the irradiation range in the direction the driver is facing), which corresponds to the range from 4.5 degrees to -1.78 degrees and is the range in the left and right direction based on the installation position of the headlight 2 Suppose that irradiation range information including is output (in the case of the above "Case A-2").

In this case, the headlight control unit 18 controls the light sources of the

low beam units

212 and 222 individually within a range of −4.5 degrees to +1.78 degrees in the horizontal direction and below the cutoff line in the vertical direction. , that is, the first range, is controlled to be irradiated with light, that is, a low beam.

As a result, the light emitted from the headlight 2 is emitted to the irradiation range as described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 .
When the driver is facing leftward and it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, the headlight control device 1 illuminates the driver in the direction the driver is facing. It is possible to make it easier to visually recognize possible pedestrians and the like, and to make glare less likely to occur to pedestrians and the like that may exist in the direction that the driver is facing. If there are no obstacles in the direction the driver is facing, the area below the cut-off line where only the pedestrian's feet are illuminated will be the area where the light is illuminated. Even in this case, the driver can visually recognize pedestrians and the like.

In this way, the headlight control device 1 determines whether the direction in which the driver is facing with respect to the headlight 2 is an object to be visually recognized by the driver, in other words, a pedestrian can be hidden. Lighting control can be performed in consideration of As a result, the headlight control device 1 can improve the visibility of the driver, and can make it difficult for pedestrians and the like, which may exist in the direction the driver is facing, to glare.

The method of controlling the headlights 2 by the headlight control unit 18 as described above is merely an example. The headlight control unit 18 only needs to be able to control the headlights 2 so that the irradiation range specified by the irradiation range information is irradiated with light.

Further, here, after the irradiation range determination unit 17 converts the range represented by the direction of the driver into a range based on the installation position of the headlight 2, the headlight control unit 18 Although the irradiation range information is output, this is only an example. For example, the conversion may be performed by the headlight controller 18 .

The operation of the headlight control device 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described.
FIG. 10 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the headlight control device 1 according to the first embodiment.
For example, when the power of the vehicle 100 is turned on, the headlight control device 1 repeats the operation described using the flowchart of FIG. 10 until the power of the vehicle 100 is turned off.

The control start determination unit 13 determines whether or not to start lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the orientation of the driver (step ST1).
Specifically, the headlight determination unit 11 acquires vehicle information from various sensors provided in the vehicle 100 and determines whether the headlights 2 are on or off. The headlight determination unit 11 outputs the headlight state determination result to the control start determination unit 13 . The headlight determination unit 11 outputs the vehicle information to the control start determination unit 13 together with the headlight state determination result.
Further, the travel location determining unit 12 acquires the vehicle location-related information from the location information acquisition device, and determines the location where the vehicle 100 is currently traveling. The travel location determination unit 12 outputs the travel location information to the control start determination unit 13 . The travel location determination unit 12 outputs the vehicle position-related information together with the travel location information to the control start determination unit 13 .
Then, based on the headlight state determination result output from the headlight determination unit 11 and the driving location information output from the driving location determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13 determines whether the headlight 2 based on the orientation of the driver. It is determined whether or not to start the lighting control of . The control start determination unit 13 compares the headlight state determination result and the driving location information with the conditions for control start determination, thereby determining whether or not to start lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the direction of the driver.

The control start determination unit 13 repeats the process of step ST1 until it determines to start the lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the direction of the driver ("NO" in step ST1).
When the control start determination unit 13 determines to start the lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the direction of the driver (“YES” in step ST1), the control start instruction is sent to the direction detection unit 14 and the irradiation range determination unit 17. output to The control start determination unit 13 also outputs vehicle information and vehicle position-related information to the irradiation range determination unit 17 .

When the start determination information is output from the control start determination unit 13 in step ST1, the direction detection unit 14 detects the direction of the driver based on the captured image acquired from the imaging device 3 (step ST2).
The orientation detection unit 14 outputs the detected orientation of the driver to the orientation determination unit 15 .

The orientation determination unit 15 determines whether the driver is facing left or right based on the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 in step ST2 (step ST3).
Specifically, when the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is greater than the maximum value of the frontal direction range, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing right.
Further, when the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is smaller than the minimum value of the frontal direction range, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing left.
Note that the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing the front when the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 is within the frontal direction range.
Orientation determination unit 15 outputs the orientation determination result to obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 and irradiation range determination unit 17 . Further, the orientation determination unit 15 outputs the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 to the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 and the irradiation range determination unit 17 .

If the direction determination unit 15 determines in step ST3 that the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines whether the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 and the obstacle Based on the distance data acquired from the detection sensor 4, it is determined whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing (step ST4).
The obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 outputs the obstacle presence/absence determination result to the irradiation range determination unit 17 .

The irradiation range determination unit 17 uses the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 in step ST2 and the determination result of whether the driver is facing left or right as determined by the direction determination unit 15 in step ST3. Then, based on the determination result of whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing determined by the obstacle presence/absence determining unit 16 in step ST4, the headlights 2 provided on the vehicle 100 are turned on. is determined (step ST5).
The irradiation range determination unit 17 outputs the irradiation range information to the headlight control unit 18 .

The headlight control unit 18 causes the headlight 2 to irradiate the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit 17 in step ST5 (step ST6).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the process of step ST5 in FIG.
The irradiation range determination unit 17 determines whether or not the orientation determination unit 15 determines in step ST3 of FIG. 10 that the driver is facing leftward or rightward (step ST11).

When it is determined in step ST11 that the direction determining unit 15 determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward (“YES” in step ST11), the irradiation range determining unit 17 In step ST3, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing (step ST12).

If it is determined in step ST12 that the obstacle presence/absence determining unit 16 has determined that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing ("YES" in step ST12), the irradiation range The determination unit 17 determines the irradiation range in the direction the driver is facing (leftward or rightward). The irradiation range is determined to be the range up to the angle obtained by this angle (step ST13).
In addition, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the irradiation range in the left-right direction in the irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing (the left direction or the right direction), for example, the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (here, lane The range is determined as the range from the left end of the so-called lane to an angle obtained by subtracting a predetermined angle from the direction of the driver.
Note that the irradiation range determination unit 17 maintains the cutoff line in the front direction in the vertical direction, in other words, the irradiation range determination unit 17 does not include the area above the cutoff line but below the cutoff line, and the horizontal direction is the front direction range. Determine the range to be the illumination range.
The irradiation range determination unit 17 then outputs the irradiation range information to the headlight control unit 18 .

If it is determined in step ST12 that the obstacle presence/absence determining unit 16 has determined that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing (“NO” in step ST12), the irradiation range The determining unit 17 maintains, for example, the cutoff line in the vertical direction for the irradiation range in the direction (leftward or rightward direction) in which the driver is facing. In the left and right direction, the range up to the angle obtained by subtracting a predetermined angle from the direction of the driver is determined as the irradiation range (step ST14).
In addition, the irradiation range determination unit 17 maintains the cutoff line in the front direction in the vertical direction, in other words, the irradiation range determination unit 17 does not include the area above the cutoff line but below the cutoff line, and the horizontal direction is the front direction range. Determine the range to be the illumination range.

If it is determined in step ST11 that the direction determining unit 15 does not determine that the driver is facing leftward or rightward (“NO” in step ST11), in other words, the direction determining unit 15 When it is determined that the driver is facing the front, the irradiation range determining unit 17 maintains the cutoff line in the frontal direction. The downward direction is made to be the irradiation range of the headlight 2 (step ST15).
The irradiation range determination unit 17 then outputs the irradiation range information to the headlight control unit 18 .

In this way, the headlight control device 1 determines whether the driver is facing left or right based on the detected orientation of the driver, and determines that the driver is facing left or right. If so, it is determined whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, based on the direction of the driver and the distance data. Then, the headlight control device 1 uses the direction of the driver, the judgment result as to whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward, and whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing. The irradiation range is determined based on the determination result, and the headlight 2 is made to irradiate the determined irradiation range with light.
When the headlight control device 1 determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward and that it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, A range including above the cutoff line in the direction in which the driver is facing is determined as the light irradiation range of the headlights, it is determined that the driver is facing leftward or rightward, and the direction in which the driver is facing When it is determined that there is no obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, the irradiation range is determined as a range that does not include the area above the cutoff line and is below the cutoff line.

In order to improve the driver's visibility in the headlight lighting control based on the direction the driver is facing, for example, in the direction the driver is facing, the object (pedestrian) to be visually recognized by the driver It is preferable that the light is radiated over a wide range in the left-right direction and the up-down direction as viewed from the vehicle so that the light is not overlooked.
However, if there are no obstacles in the direction the driver is facing that would hide the object (pedestrian) that the driver should be visually recognizing, for example, the light will only illuminate the feet of the pedestrian. Even if the light is emitted only downward as seen from the vehicle, such as in the lower range, the driver can visually recognize the target (pedestrian). Here, when there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, if the headlights are controlled to emit light upward as viewed from the vehicle, the driver's visibility will not be affected. Regardless, unnecessary glare may be given to objects (pedestrians) to be visually recognized by the driver.
In the prior art as described above, this is not taken into consideration, and in the headlight lighting control based on the direction the driver is facing, the situation in the direction the driver is facing is an object to be visually recognized by the driver. (Pedestrians) could not be hidden in lighting control. As a result, with the above-described conventional technology, although there is no effect on the driver's visibility, unnecessary glare may be given to objects (pedestrians) that the driver should visually recognize. had a nature.

On the other hand, as described above, the headlight control device 1 according to Embodiment 1 includes the direction of the driver, the determination result as to whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward, and the direction of the driver. The irradiation range is determined based on the determination result of whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction, and the headlight 2 is caused to irradiate the determined irradiation range.
Therefore, in the lighting control of the headlights 2 in the vehicle 100 based on the direction in which the driver is facing, the headlight control device 1 determines the situation in the direction in which the driver is facing, which is an object (pedestrians) to be visually recognized by the driver. ) can be hidden. That is, in the control of the headlights 2 in the vehicle 100 based on the direction the driver is facing, the headlight control device 1 improves the visibility of the driver and can be present in the direction the driver is facing. It is possible to make glare less likely to occur on an object (pedestrian) or the like to be visually recognized by the driver.

12A and 12B are diagrams showing an example of the hardware configuration of the headlight control device 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG.
In Embodiment 1, the headlight determination unit 11, the driving place determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, the orientation detection unit 14, the orientation determination unit 15, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, and the irradiation range determination unit Functions of the unit 17 and the headlight control unit 18 are realized by the processing circuit 1001 . That is, the headlight control device 1 detects the orientation of the driver based on the captured image acquired from the imaging device 3, the orientation of the passenger determined based on the captured image, and the distance acquired from the obstacle detection sensor 4. A processing circuit 1001 is provided for performing lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the determination result of whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the occupant is facing, which is determined based on the data.
The processing circuitry 1001 may be dedicated hardware as shown in FIG. 12A or a processor 1004 that executes a program stored in memory 1005 as shown in FIG. 12B.

When the processing circuit 1001 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 1001 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

When the processing circuit is the processor 1004, the headlight determination unit 11, the driving place determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, the orientation detection unit 14, the orientation determination unit 15, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, and the irradiation The functions of the range determination unit 17 and the headlight control unit 18 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. Software or firmware is written as a program and stored in memory 1005 . Processor 1004 reads out and executes programs stored in memory 1005 to control headlight determination unit 11, driving location determination unit 12, control start determination unit 13, orientation detection unit 14, and orientation determination unit 15. , the functions of the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, the irradiation range determination unit 17, and the headlight control unit 18 are executed. That is, the headlight control device 1 includes a memory 1005 for storing a program that, when executed by the processor 1004, results in the execution of steps ST1 to ST6 of FIG. 10 described above. The programs stored in the memory 1005 include a headlight determination unit 11, a driving location determination unit 12, a control start determination unit 13, an orientation detection unit 14, an orientation determination unit 15, and an obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16. It can also be said that the procedure or method of the processing of the irradiation range determining unit 17 and the headlight control unit 18 is executed by a computer. Here, the memory 1005 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as RAM, ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). or volatile semiconductors Memory, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc. correspond to this.

Note that the headlight determination unit 11, the driving place determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, the orientation detection unit 14, the orientation determination unit 15, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, the irradiation range determination unit 17, A part of the functions of the headlight control unit 18 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and a part thereof may be realized by software or firmware. For example, the headlight determination unit 11, the driving place determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, the direction detection unit 14, the direction determination unit 15, and the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 are processed as dedicated hardware. The functions of the circuit 1001 can be realized, and the functions of the irradiation range determination unit 17 and the headlight control unit 18 can be realized by the processor 1004 reading and executing the programs stored in the memory 1005. .
The headlight control device 1 also includes a device such as the headlight 2, the imaging device 3, or the obstacle detection sensor 4, and an input interface device 1002 and an output interface device 1003 that perform wired or wireless communication.

In the first embodiment described above, when the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the left-right direction range in the irradiation range in addition to the frontal direction range. The range is set to the angle minus or plus the angle of . However, this is only an example. The irradiation range determining unit 17, for example, swivels the frontal direction range in the horizontal left-right direction until it becomes an angle minus or plus a predetermined angle from the direction of the driver, and then shifts the range after swiveling to the left and right of the irradiation range. It may be a range of directions. For example, in the case of “Case A-1” described above, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines the range from −4.5 degrees to −0.94 degrees in the direction of the driver as the range in the horizontal direction of the irradiation range. may

Further, in Embodiment 1 described above, the headlight control device 1 includes the headlight determination unit 11, the driving location determination unit 12, and the control start determination unit 13, but this is merely an example. For example, the headlight control device 1 does not include the headlight determination unit 11, the driving location determination unit 12, and the control start determination unit 13, and does not include the headlight determination unit 11, the driving location determination unit 12, and the control start determination unit. The functions 13 may be provided in a device connected to the headlight control device 1 outside the headlight control device 1 . In this case, when a control start instruction is output from an external device, the headlight control device 1 performs lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the direction in which the driver is facing.
In this case, the operation of the headlight control device 1 described using the flowchart of FIG. 10 can omit the processing of step ST1.

Also, in Embodiment 1 described above, the target that the driver should visually recognize was assumed to be a pedestrian, but this is only an example. In the first embodiment described above, objects to be visually recognized by the driver include, in addition to pedestrians, people moving on skateboards, people wearing roller skates, children moving in strollers, and the like. may be

Further, in Embodiment 1 described above, the headlight control device 1 is an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle 100, and includes the headlight determination unit 11, the driving location determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, and the orientation detection unit. It is assumed that the unit 14, the orientation determination unit 15, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, the irradiation range determination unit 17, and the headlight control unit 18 are provided in the in-vehicle device. Not limited to this, the headlight determination unit 11, the driving place determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, the orientation detection unit 14, the orientation determination unit 15, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, and the irradiation range determination unit 17 and the headlight control unit 18, a part thereof may be provided in an in-vehicle device of the vehicle 100, and the other may be provided in a server connected to the in-vehicle device via a network. In addition, a headlight determination unit 11, a driving place determination unit 12, a control start determination unit 13, an orientation detection unit 14, an orientation determination unit 15, an obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, an irradiation range determination unit 17, The entire headlight control unit 18 may be provided in the server.

As described above, the headlight control device 1 according to Embodiment 1 includes the orientation detection unit 14 that detects the orientation of the driver based on the captured image of the driver of the vehicle 100, and the orientation detection unit 14. A direction determination unit 15 that determines whether the driver is facing left or right based on the detected direction of the driver, and the direction determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing left or right. Then, based on the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 and the distance data regarding the distance to the object outside the vehicle, which is measured by the sensor that detects the object (obstacle detection sensor 4), the driver The obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 that determines whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the facing direction, the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14, and the driver determined by the direction determination unit 15 are Based on the determination result as to whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward, and the determination result as to whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, determined by the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, the vehicle An irradiation range determination unit 17 that determines the irradiation range of light by the headlight 2 provided in 100, and a headlight control unit that causes the headlight 2 to irradiate the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit 17. 18. Therefore, in the headlight control device 1, in the lighting control of the headlights based on the direction in which the driver is facing, the situation in which the driver is facing is a situation in which an object to be visually recognized by the driver may be hidden. It is possible to perform lighting control in consideration of whether That is, in controlling the headlights 2 in the vehicle 100 based on the direction the driver is facing, the headlight control device 1 improves the visibility of the driver and can be present in the direction the driver is facing. It is possible to make glare less likely to occur on an object or the like to be visually recognized by the driver.

Specifically, in the headlight control device 1 according to Embodiment 1, the irradiation range determination unit 17 determines that the direction determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward. In addition, when the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, the range including above the cutoff line in the direction in which the driver is facing is the irradiation range of the light from the headlight 2, the orientation determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing left or right, and the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines that the driver is facing When it is determined that there are no obstacles in the direction, the area below the cutoff line, not including the area above the cutoffline in the direction in which the driver is facing, is set as the irradiation range of the light from the headlights 2. configured to decide. Therefore, in the headlight control device 1, in the lighting control of the headlights based on the direction in which the driver is facing, the situation in which the driver is facing is a situation in which an object to be visually recognized by the driver may be hidden. It is possible to perform lighting control in consideration of whether That is, in controlling the headlights 2 in the vehicle 100 based on the direction the driver is facing, the headlight control device 1 improves the visibility of the driver and can be present in the direction the driver is facing. It is possible to make glare less likely to occur on an object or the like to be visually recognized by the driver.

Embodiment 2.
In Embodiment 1, when the headlight control device determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward and it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, the headlight control device The vertical range of the irradiation range was defined as the area below the cutoff line in the direction in which the . Even in this case, the driver can visually recognize an object that the driver should visually recognize, which may exist in the direction the driver is facing. A more improved embodiment will be described.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a headlight control device 1a according to Embodiment 2. As shown in FIG.
In Embodiment 2, it is assumed that the headlight control device 1a is mounted on the vehicle 100a. Light control of light 2 is performed. In Embodiment 2, the "orientation of the driver's vehicle" is represented by the orientation of the driver's face or the direction of the driver's line of sight.
In Embodiment 2, the lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the direction of the driver performed by the headlight control device 1a is performed on the left and right of the road on which the vehicle 100a travels, such as in a parking lot at night or in an urban area at night. It is assumed that this is performed when the headlights 2 are turned on in a place where there are many parked vehicles and the vehicle 100a is traveling at a relatively low speed.

In FIG. 13 , the same reference numerals are assigned to the same configurations as those of the headlight control device 1 described with reference to FIG. 1 in Embodiment 1, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.
A headlight control device 1 a according to Embodiment 2 differs from the headlight control device 1 according to Embodiment 1 in that a target presence/absence determination section 19 is provided.
Further, the specific operation of the irradiation range determination unit 17a in the headlight control device 1a according to the second embodiment is different from the specific operation of the irradiation range determination unit 17 in the headlight control device 1 according to the first embodiment. different.

When the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines that it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, the object presence/absence determination unit 19 determines the direction and distance of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14. Based on the data, it is determined whether or not it is estimated that an object to be visually recognized by the driver exists in the direction the driver is facing. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, an object to be visually recognized by the driver may suddenly enter the travel route of the vehicle 100a while the driver is driving the vehicle 100a. It assumes an object (mainly a moving object) that needs to be paid attention to so as not to cause a situation. Specifically, in Embodiment 2, the target to be visually recognized is assumed to be a pedestrian.

Note that in the second embodiment, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 outputs the obstacle presence/absence determination result to the irradiation range determination unit 17 and the target presence/absence determination unit 19 . The obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 also outputs the direction of the driver acquired from the direction determination unit 15 and the direction determination result to the object presence/absence determination unit 19 .

The object presence/absence determination unit 19 acquires distance data from the obstacle detection sensor 4 .
When the direction determination unit 15 determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the object presence/absence determination unit 19 determines the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 and the direction of the driver obtained from the obstacle detection sensor 4. Based on the distance data, it is determined whether or not it is estimated that a pedestrian exists in the direction the driver is facing.

Based on the direction of the driver and the distance data, the object presence/absence determination unit 19 determines whether the object is within the obstacle estimation direction range, which is a range preset with respect to the direction of the driver, and from the position of the vehicle 100. If an object that satisfies a preset condition (hereinafter referred to as "pedestrian estimation condition") is detected within the visual range, it is estimated that there is a pedestrian in the direction the driver is facing. I judge.
If an object that satisfies the pedestrian estimation condition is not detected, the object presence/absence determining unit 19 does not estimate that there is a pedestrian in the direction the driver is facing. It is determined that it is presumed not to exist.
For the pedestrian estimation condition, for example, the condition "equivalent to the size of a general person" is set. It should be noted that this is only an example, and for example, it may be set that "the distance data includes one object detection data".
The pedestrian estimation condition is stored in a location that the target presence/absence determining unit 19 can refer to.

In the second embodiment, the target presence/absence determination unit 19 determines whether or not it is estimated that a pedestrian is present in the direction the driver is facing, based on the driver's orientation and distance data. It is a judgment, not a judgment that a pedestrian actually exists.

The target presence/absence determination unit 19 outputs the determination result of whether or not it is estimated that a pedestrian exists in the direction the driver is facing (hereinafter referred to as "pedestrian presence/absence determination result") to the irradiation range determination unit. 17a.

The irradiation range determination unit 17a combines the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14, the determination result of whether the driver is facing left or right as determined by the direction determination unit 15, and the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16. The determination result of whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction that the driver is facing determined by is determined by the target presence/absence determination unit 19, and it is estimated that there is a pedestrian in the direction that the driver is facing. Based on the determination result of whether or not the headlight 2 is provided on the vehicle 100a, the irradiation range of the light is determined.
More specifically, the irradiation range determining unit 17a determines, by the headlights 2, the range of the high beam irradiation possible region, the low beam irradiation possible region, and the auxiliary light irradiation possible region to which the light is irradiated. Determined as the irradiation range of light.
In the following description, the light irradiation range of the headlights 2 is also simply referred to as "irradiation range".

An example of a method for determining the irradiation range by the irradiation range determining unit 17a will be described.
In Embodiment 2, the irradiation range determining unit 17a does not depend on the direction of the driver. Maintain the cutoff line so that the irradiation range is below the cutoff line. When the driver is facing left or right, the irradiation range determination unit 17a determines the direction the driver is facing (left or right) in addition to the front direction. Determine the irradiation range in

<When the driver is facing left or right and it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing>
In the case where the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the irradiation range determination unit 17a determines that the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 estimates that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing. The method for determining the irradiation range in this case is the irradiation range determination unit 17 described in the first embodiment, and the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines whether the driver is facing left or right. Same as the irradiation range determination method when it is determined that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing (see "Case A-1" and "Case B-1" in Embodiment 1) Therefore, redundant description is omitted.

<When the driver is facing left or right and it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing>
In this case, the irradiation range determination unit 17a determines a different range as the irradiation range depending on whether or not the target presence/absence determination unit 19 has estimated that a pedestrian exists in the direction the driver is facing.

When the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the irradiation range determination unit 17a determines that the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 estimates that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing. And, when the object presence/absence determination unit 19 determines that it is estimated that a pedestrian exists in the direction the driver is facing, the direction the driver is facing (leftward or rightward) Regarding the irradiation range in , for example, the vertical direction is considered to be below the pedestrian's neck, and the horizontal direction is the range from the driver's direction minus or plus a predetermined angle to the irradiation range. do. When the driver is facing leftward, the irradiation range determination unit 17a determines the range in the left-right direction of the irradiation range up to an angle obtained by subtracting a predetermined angle from the direction of the driver. is directed to the right, the range up to an angle obtained by adding a predetermined angle to the direction of the driver is defined as the lateral range of the irradiation range.
The irradiation range determination unit 17a maintains the cutoff line in the vertical direction in the front direction. , to determine the irradiation range.

An example of a calculation method of the range considered to be below the pedestrian's neck by the irradiation range determination unit 17a will be described.
For example, the irradiation range determination unit 17a determines how far from the position of the vehicle 100 in front of the vehicle 100 based on the distance data when the target presence/absence determination unit 19 determines that a pedestrian is estimated to exist. It is determined whether it is estimated that a pedestrian exists at a distant position. Based on the determined distance between the vehicle 100 and the pedestrian and the preset height of the pedestrian, the irradiation range determination unit 17a calculates a range considered to be below the neck of the pedestrian. Note that the administrator or the like sets the assumed height of the pedestrian, such as 1.8 m, in advance, and stores information about the set height of the pedestrian in a location that can be referred to by the irradiation range determination unit 17a. The irradiation range determination unit 17a generally determines how high the neck position is from the ground for a preset height of a pedestrian, and determines the determined height from the ground to the neck position. , and the distance between the vehicle 100 and the pedestrian, the range considered to be below the pedestrian's neck is calculated.

On the other hand, when the driver is facing left or right, the irradiation range determination unit 17a determines that the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 estimates that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing. and the object presence/absence determination unit 19 determines that it is estimated that there is no pedestrian in the direction the driver is facing, the direction the driver is facing (leftward or rightward direction), for example, the cutoff line is maintained in the vertical direction. The irradiation range is determined as the range until the angle becomes The irradiation range determining unit 17a maintains the cutoff line in the front direction in the vertical direction, in other words, does not include the area above the cutoff line but below the cutoff line, and sets the range in the horizontal direction as the front range. , to determine the irradiation range.
The irradiation range determination method by the irradiation range determination unit 17a is performed when the driver is facing left or right in the first embodiment, and the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines whether the driver is facing to the right or left. A method of determining an irradiation range by the irradiation range determining unit 17 when it is determined that there is no obstacle in the direction (see “Case A-2” and “Case B-2” in Embodiment 1); It is the same.

<When the driver is neither facing left nor right (when the driver is facing the front direction)>
The method of determining the irradiation range by the irradiation range determining unit 17a when the driver is neither facing left nor right, in other words, when the driver is facing forward, is described in the first embodiment. , is the same as the method of determining the irradiation range by the irradiation range determining unit 17 when the driver is facing the front (see “Case C” in Embodiment 1), so redundant description will be omitted.

After determining the irradiation range, the irradiation range determination unit 17 a outputs irradiation range information to the headlight control unit 18 . The irradiation range determining unit 17a creates irradiation range information by converting the determined irradiation range represented by the direction of the driver into a range based on the installation position of the headlights 2 .
Here, the irradiation range determination unit 17a converts the range represented by the direction of the driver into a range based on the installation position of the headlight 2, and then the headlight control unit 18 Although irradiation range information is output, this is only an example. For example, the conversion may be performed by the headlight control unit 18 .

The operation of the headlight control device 1a according to Embodiment 2 will be described.
FIG. 14 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the headlight control device 1a according to the second embodiment.
For example, when the power of the vehicle 100a is turned on, the headlight control device 1a repeats the operation described using the flowchart of FIG. 14 until the power of the vehicle 100a is turned off.
The specific operations of steps ST1a to ST4a and step ST6a of FIG. 14 are the same as the specific operations of steps ST1 to ST4 and ST6 of FIG. 10 already explained in Embodiment 1, respectively. Therefore, redundant description is omitted.

When the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines in step ST4a that it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, the object presence/absence determination unit 19 determines that the direction detection unit 14 detects the obstacle in step ST2a. Based on the detected direction of the driver and the distance data obtained from the obstacle detection sensor 4, it is determined whether or not it is estimated that a pedestrian exists in the direction the driver is facing (step ST41a). ).
The target presence/absence determination unit 19 outputs the pedestrian presence/absence determination result to the irradiation range determination unit 17a.

The irradiation range determination unit 17a uses the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 in step ST2a and the determination result of whether the driver is facing left or right as determined by the direction determination unit 15 in step ST3a. Then, the determination result of whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing determined by the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 in step ST4a, and the object presence/absence determination unit 19 determines in step ST41a. Based on the determination result as to whether or not it is estimated that a pedestrian exists in the direction the driver is facing, the irradiation range of the light from the headlights 2 provided on the vehicle 100a is determined (step ST5a).
The irradiation range determination unit 17 a outputs the irradiation range information to the headlight control unit 18 .

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the process of step ST5a in FIG.
Specific operations of steps ST111 to ST113, steps ST116, and ST117 in FIG. 15 are the same as the specific operations in steps ST11 to ST15 of FIG. Therefore, redundant description is omitted.

If it is determined in step ST112 that the obstacle presence/absence determining unit 16 has determined that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing (“NO” in step ST122), the irradiation range The determination unit 17a determines in step ST41a of FIG. 14 whether or not the target presence/absence determination unit 19 has determined that a pedestrian is estimated to exist in the direction the driver is facing (step ST41a). ST114).

When it is determined in step ST114 that the object presence/absence determination unit 19 has determined that a pedestrian is estimated to exist in the direction the driver is facing (in the case of "YES" in step ST114). , the irradiation range determination unit 17a determines the irradiation range in the direction in which the driver is facing (left direction or right direction). The range from the orientation to the angle minus or plus a predetermined angle is determined as the irradiation range (step ST115). In addition, the irradiation range determination unit 17a maintains the cutoff line in the vertical direction in the front direction. Determine the range to be the illumination range.
Then, the irradiation range determination unit 17 a outputs the irradiation range information to the headlight control unit 18 .

In this way, the headlight control device 1a determines that it is estimated that the driver is facing leftward or rightward and that there is no obstacle in the direction that the driver is facing. When it is determined that a pedestrian is estimated to be present in the direction the driver is facing, the range assumed to be below the neck of the pedestrian in the direction the driver is facing is determined as the irradiation range. Specifically, the headlight control device 1a sets the vertical range to be below the pedestrian's neck in the direction the driver is facing, and sets the horizontal range to a predetermined range from the driver's direction. The irradiation range is determined as the range up to the angle plus or minus the angle of .

When the driver is facing left or right and it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, even if there is a pedestrian in the direction the driver is facing Also, the driver can recognize the pedestrian if the light is emitted to a lower range to the extent that the light is emitted only to the foot of the pedestrian.
However, if it is estimated that there are pedestrians in the direction the driver is facing, it is easier for the driver to see the pedestrians if the light is emitted as widely as possible in the vertical direction. .
On the other hand, if the irradiation range of light is expanded in the vertical direction without limit, there is a possibility that glare will be given to pedestrians.

As described above, the headlight control device 1a according to Embodiment 2 determines that the driver is facing left or right, and that it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing. In addition, if it is determined that there is a pedestrian in the direction the driver is facing, the area that is considered to be below the pedestrian's neck in the direction the driver is facing is set as the irradiation range. decide.
Therefore, the headlight control device 1a can improve the visibility of the driver in the direction in which the driver is facing in lighting control of the headlights 2 in the direction in which the driver is facing. It is possible to make glare less likely to occur for pedestrians who may be present in the direction the driver is facing.
If it is estimated that there are no obstacles in the direction the driver is facing, the possibility that the pedestrian is hidden by the obstacle is low. It is assumed that the driver can sufficiently see the pedestrian even if the light is projected only on the vehicle.

The hardware configuration of the headlight control device 1a according to the second embodiment is the same as the hardware configuration of the headlight control device 1 described with reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B in the first embodiment, so illustration is omitted. do.
In the second embodiment, the headlight determination unit 11, the driving place determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, the orientation detection unit 14, the orientation determination unit 15, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, and the irradiation range determination unit Functions of the unit 17 a , the headlight control unit 18 , and the target presence/absence determination unit 19 are realized by the processing circuit 1001 . That is, the headlight control device 1a detects the orientation of the driver based on the captured image acquired from the imaging device 3, the orientation of the passenger determined based on the captured image, and the distance acquired from the obstacle detection sensor 4. A processing circuit 1001 is provided for performing lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the determination result of whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the occupant is facing, which is determined based on the data.

The processing circuit 1001 reads out and executes the programs stored in the memory 1005, thereby controlling the headlight determination unit 11, the driving location determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, the orientation detection unit 14, and the orientation determination unit. 15, an obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, an irradiation range determination unit 17a, a headlight control unit 18, and a target presence/absence determination unit 19 are executed. That is, the headlight control device 1a includes a memory 1005 for storing a program that, when executed by the processing circuit 1001, results in the execution of steps ST1a to ST6a of FIG. 14 described above. The programs stored in the memory 1005 include a headlight determination unit 11, a driving location determination unit 12, a control start determination unit 13, an orientation detection unit 14, an orientation determination unit 15, and an obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16. It can also be said that a computer is made to execute the procedures or methods of the processes of the irradiation range determination unit 17a, the headlight control unit 18, and the target presence/absence determination unit 19. FIG.
The headlight control device 1a includes devices such as the headlight 2, the imaging device 3, or the obstacle detection sensor 4, and an input interface device 1002 and an output interface device 1003 that perform wired or wireless communication.

In the second embodiment described above, when the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the irradiation range determination unit 17a determines the left-right direction range in the irradiation range in addition to the frontal direction range. The range is set to the angle minus or plus the angle of . However, this is only an example. The irradiation range determining unit 17a, for example, swivels the frontal direction range in the horizontal left-right direction until it becomes an angle minus or plus a predetermined angle from the direction of the driver, and shifts the range after swiveling to the left and right of the irradiation range. It may be a range of directions.

Further, in the second embodiment described above, the headlight control device 1a includes the headlight determination unit 11, the driving location determination unit 12, and the control start determination unit 13, but this is merely an example. For example, the headlight control device 1a does not include the headlight determination unit 11, the driving location determination unit 12, and the control start determination unit 13, and does not include the headlight determination unit 11, the driving location determination unit 12, and the control start determination unit. The function 13 may be provided in a device connected to the headlight control device 1 outside the headlight control device 1a. In this case, when a control start instruction is output from an external device, the headlight control device 1a performs lighting control of the headlights 2 based on the direction in which the driver is facing.
In this case, the operation of the headlight control device 1a described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 14 can omit the processing of step ST1a.

Also, in the above-described second embodiment, the object to be visually recognized by the driver is assumed to be a pedestrian, but this is only an example. In the first embodiment described above, objects to be visually recognized by the driver include, in addition to pedestrians, people moving on skateboards, people wearing roller skates, children moving in strollers, and the like. may be
When the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines that it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, the object presence/absence determination unit 19 determines the direction and distance of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14. Based on the data, it is determined whether or not it is estimated that an object to be visually recognized by the driver exists in the direction the driver is facing. When the target presence/absence determination unit 19 determines that an object to be visually recognized by the driver is estimated to exist, the irradiation range determination unit 17a applies glare to the target in the direction the driver is facing. The irradiation range is determined as the range below the height that is estimated to be non-existent.
When the object presence/absence determination unit 19 determines that it is estimated that there is an object to be visually recognized by the driver, a high light level that is estimated not to give glare to the object in the direction the driver is facing is set. A range below the height may be determined as the irradiation range. Specifically, the irradiation range determination unit 17a sets the vertical range in the direction in which the driver is facing to a range lower than the height estimated not to give glare to the target to be visually recognized by the driver. The irradiation range is determined as the range of directions from the direction of the driver to an angle obtained by adding or subtracting a predetermined angle.
It should be noted that the height at which it is estimated that glare does not occur is set in advance according to the object to be visually recognized by the driver.

In the second embodiment described above, the headlight control device 1a is an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle 100a, and includes the headlight determination unit 11, the driving location determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, and the direction detection unit. The unit 14, the orientation determination unit 15, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, the irradiation range determination unit 17a, the headlight control unit 18, and the target presence/absence determination unit 19 are provided in the vehicle-mounted device. Not limited to this, the headlight determination unit 11, the driving place determination unit 12, the control start determination unit 13, the orientation detection unit 14, the orientation determination unit 15, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, and the irradiation range determination unit 17a, the headlight control unit 18, and the target presence/absence determination unit 19, some of which are provided in the in-vehicle device of the vehicle 100a, and the others are provided in a server connected to the in-vehicle device via a network. good too. In addition, a headlight determination unit 11, a driving place determination unit 12, a control start determination unit 13, an orientation detection unit 14, an orientation determination unit 15, an obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, an irradiation range determination unit 17a, All of the headlight control unit 18 and the target presence/absence determination unit 19 may be provided in the server.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the headlight control device 1a includes the orientation detection unit 14 that detects the orientation of the driver based on the captured image of the driver of the vehicle 100a, and the orientation detection unit A direction determination unit 15 for determining whether the driver is facing left or right based on the direction of the driver detected by 14, and the direction determination unit 15 determines whether the driver is facing left or right. If it is determined that, based on the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 and the distance data regarding the distance to the object outside the vehicle measured by the sensor (obstacle detection sensor 4) that detects the object, An obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 that determines whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing; Based on the determination result of whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward, and the determination result of whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing determined by the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, An irradiation range determination unit 17a that determines the irradiation range of light from the headlights 2 provided in the vehicle 100a, and headlight control that causes the headlights 2 to irradiate the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit 17a. When the unit 18 and the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determine that it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14 and the distance data Based on this, a target presence/absence determination unit 19 is provided for determining whether or not it is estimated that a target to be visually recognized by the driver exists in the direction the driver is facing. When the determining unit 19 determines that it is estimated that an object to be visually recognized by the driver exists, it is estimated that glare is not given to the object to be visually recognized by the driver in the direction in which the driver is facing. The irradiation range is determined to be the range below the height where the light is projected. Therefore, the headlight control device 1a can improve the visibility of the driver in the direction in which the driver is facing in lighting control of the headlights 2 in the direction in which the driver is facing. It is possible to make glare less likely to occur with respect to objects to be visually recognized by the driver that may exist in the direction the driver is facing.

Further, according to the second embodiment, the headlight control device 1a includes the orientation detection unit 14 that detects the orientation of the driver based on the captured image of the driver of the vehicle 100a, and the orientation detection unit 14 detects the orientation of the driver. A direction determining unit 15 for determining whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward based on the direction of the driver, and the direction determining unit 15 determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward. In this case, based on the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit 14 and the distance data regarding the distance to the object outside the vehicle measured by the sensor that detects the object (obstacle detection sensor 4), the orientation of the driver is determined. The obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction in which the driver is pointing, the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit 14, and the direction of the driver determined by the direction determination unit 15 is left Based on the determination result of whether the driver is facing the direction or the right direction and the determination result of whether or not it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing determined by the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16, the vehicle 100a An irradiation range determination unit 17a that determines the irradiation range of light by the provided headlights 2, and a headlight control unit 18 that causes the headlights 2 to irradiate the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination unit 17a. , when the obstacle presence/absence determination unit 16 determines that it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction in which the driver is facing, based on the direction of the driver and the distance data detected by the direction detection unit 14, A target presence/absence determination unit 19 is provided for determining whether or not it is estimated that a pedestrian exists in the direction the driver is facing. When it is determined that it is estimated to exist, the irradiation range is determined to be a range that is considered to be below the pedestrian's neck in the direction the driver is facing. Therefore, the headlight control device 1a can improve the visibility of the driver in the direction in which the driver is facing in lighting control of the headlights 2 in the direction in which the driver is facing. It is possible to make glare less likely to occur with respect to objects to be visually recognized by the driver that may exist in the direction the driver is facing.

It should be noted that it is possible to freely combine each embodiment, modify any component of each embodiment, or omit any component from each embodiment.

The headlight control device according to the present disclosure can control the lighting of the headlights based on the direction in which the driver is facing, in consideration of the direction in which the driver is facing.

1, 1a Headlight control device, 11 Headlight determination unit, 12 Driving location determination unit, 13 Control start determination unit, 14 Orientation detection unit, 15 Orientation determination unit, 16 Obstacle presence/absence determination unit, 17, 17a Irradiation range determination unit , 18 headlight control unit, 19 target presence/absence determination unit, 2 headlight, 21 left light, 22 right light, 211, 221 high beam unit, 212, 222 low beam unit, 213, 223 auxiliary light unit, 3 imaging device, 4 failure Object detection sensor, 1001 processing circuit, 1002 input interface device, 1003 output interface device, 1004 processor, 1005 memory.

Claims

an orientation detection unit that detects the orientation of the driver based on an image of the driver of the vehicle;
an orientation determination unit that determines whether the driver is facing left or right based on the orientation of the driver detected by the orientation detection unit;
When the direction determination unit determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit and the direction outside the vehicle measured by a sensor that detects an object an obstacle presence/absence determination unit that determines whether or not an obstacle is estimated to be present in the direction the driver is facing, based on distance data relating to the distance to the object;
The direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit, the determination result of whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward determined by the direction determination unit, and the driving determined by the obstacle presence/absence determination unit an irradiation range determination unit that determines an irradiation range of light from the headlights provided on the vehicle based on a determination result as to whether or not it is estimated that the obstacle is present in the direction in which the person is facing;
and a headlight control unit that causes the headlight to irradiate the light to the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determining unit.
The irradiation range determination unit,
The orientation determining unit determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward, and the obstacle presence/absence determining unit estimates that the obstacle is in the direction the driver is facing. If it is determined that the direction in which the driver is facing, the range including above the cutoff line in the direction in which the driver is facing is determined as the irradiation range of the light by the headlights, and the direction determination unit determines whether the driver is facing leftward or When it is determined that the driver is facing to the right and the obstacle presence/absence determining unit determines that the obstacle is not present in the direction in which the driver is facing, 2. The headlight control device according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation range of the light from the headlight is determined as a range that does not include an area above the cutoff line but is below the cutoff line.
When the obstacle presence/absence determination unit determines that it is estimated that there is no obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit and the distance data an object presence/absence determination unit that determines whether or not an object to be visually recognized by the driver is estimated to exist in the direction the driver is facing,
When the target presence/absence determining unit determines that an object to be visually recognized by the driver is estimated to exist, the irradiation range determining unit determines that the driver is directed in the direction the driver is facing. 3. The headlight control device according to claim 2, wherein the irradiation range is determined as a range lower than a height estimated not to give glare to an object to be visually recognized.
The object to be visually recognized by the driver is a pedestrian,
When the obstacle presence/absence determination unit determines that it is estimated that the obstacle is not present in the direction in which the driver is facing, the object presence/absence determination unit determines whether the driver detected by the direction detection unit determining whether it is estimated that the pedestrian is present in the direction the driver is facing based on the orientation and the distance data;
When the target presence/absence determination unit determines that the pedestrian is estimated to be present, the irradiation range determination unit determines that the illumination range is below the neck of the pedestrian in the direction the driver is facing. 4. The headlight control device according to claim 3, wherein the irradiation range is determined as the range considered to be the irradiation range.
The orientation determination unit
When the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit is more right than the direction when the vehicle is facing the right end of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, it is determined that the driver is facing the right direction. judge,
determining that the driver is facing to the left when the driver is facing to the left rather than facing the left end of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The headlight control device according to claim 1.
The headlight is composed of a low beam unit, a high beam unit, and an auxiliary light unit,
The headlight control unit adjusts directions of optical axes of the plurality of light sources constituting the low beam unit, the plurality of light sources constituting the high beam unit, or the plurality of light sources constituting the auxiliary light unit. 2. The headlight control device according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation range is irradiated with light.
The headlight is composed of a low beam unit, a high beam unit, and an auxiliary light unit,
The headlight control unit includes a plurality of light sources that constitute the low beam unit and are arranged in an array to irradiate the light in front of the vehicle, and a plurality of light sources that constitute the high beam unit and are arranged in an array in front of the vehicle. Among the plurality of light sources that irradiate the light, or the plurality of light sources that constitute the auxiliary light unit and are arranged in an array to irradiate the light in front of the vehicle, the light source that irradiates the light is selected. 2. The headlight control device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment is performed to irradiate the irradiation range with light.
an orientation detection unit detecting the orientation of the driver based on a captured image of the driver of the vehicle;
a direction determination unit determining whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward based on the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit;
When the orientation determination unit determines that the driver is facing leftward or rightward, the obstacle presence/absence determination unit detects the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit and a sensor that detects an object. determining whether it is estimated that there is an obstacle in the direction the driver is facing, based on the distance data on the distance to the object outside the vehicle measured by
The irradiation range determination unit determines the direction of the driver detected by the direction detection unit, the determination result of whether the driver is facing leftward or rightward determined by the direction determination unit, and the obstacle presence/absence determination. determining the irradiation range of the light from the headlights provided on the vehicle based on the determination result of whether or not the obstacle is estimated to be in the direction the driver is facing, determined by the unit; and,
A headlight control method comprising: causing the headlight to emit the light to the irradiation range determined by the irradiation range determination section.